Chapter Twenty-Two
Nora Arturo was at a loss for words. She had arrived home at five in the evening, returning from a visit with her best friend in town, only to find Artri House trembling. Upon stepping inside, the house seemed to guide her straight to the kitchen and out through the open back door. In the backyard, she discovered three visitors lounging on her garden benches. The trio stood as soon as they saw her, and she could scarcely fathom the shock that seized her.
She never would have believed that the Ekho she trusted with her trade would also be the one intent on harming her precious son. She cast a wary glance at Cale, the god of calamities, but his presence in her garden was hardly her biggest concern.
Standing beside Cale was Kinon, the ekho god of fire and her family’s patriarch. Awe and trepidation warred inside her at the sight of him. He wore a sleeveless black tunic with a loose, open collar edged in thin gold embroidery, dark trousers tucked into black boots studded with gold. A wide gold cuff on his left bicep bore ekho realm symbols. His dark hair fell across his shoulders, and his eyes glowed crimson in the twilight. Nora never imagined she would meet him, let alone under such circumstances.
He stood near a flower pot filled with snowy blooms that glowed faintly against the deepening night. The delicate blossoms seemed to lean away from him, as though repelled by his searing power. She had seen these flowers recoil like that only once—when her son, Dante, attempted to help her with the gardening. The fire in his blood was just as dangerous.
“Don’t worry too much, child,” Kinon said. “We’re here to protect your kin. We must catch Aero in the act. Will you help us?”
Nora nodded. “Yes. But let me be sure I understand: you’re saying Lua”—she pointed at the tall, skinny man between Cale and Kinon— “knows Aero? And that Aero instructed him to harm Dante? So, was it you who hurt our vineyard?”
“No,” Lua answered, shaking his head. “That was Aero.”
Nora scoffed, crossing her arms. “All right. I’ll help. Let’s see where Aero gets the nerve to threaten my child on my land.”
“You cannot act directly against him,” Cale cautioned, shaking his head. “He’s an ekho with dragon fire. That’s why Lord Kinon is here. You must let him handle Aero.”
Nora sighed, then offered Kinon a graceful curtsey, placing a hand over her heart. “Thank you for protecting my son. What do you need me to do?”
Kinon grinned, and Cale gave an approving nod.
****
A balmy night sky stretched over the Arturo Vineyard. Rows of grapevines cut dark silhouettes against a hazy half-moon. In the late-hour quiet, every sound felt unnervingly sharp: an owl’s distant hoot, the whisper of leaves stirring in a light breeze.
Nora Arturo stood on a narrow path between the vines, a small lantern in hand. Her expression remained composed, but her heart pounded with worry—and fierce love for her Dante, and the man who now held his heart, Tani.
She had agreed to meet Aero at Cale and Kinon’s request. Earlier that evening, they arrived with Lua Wadi, explaining that Aero—a dragon-clan ekho—had been scattering black weed and sowing ruin in her vineyard. Nora’s role was simple: lure Aero with an offer of charmed pens—said to bring perpetual good luck to their owners. The perfect bait for someone who valued precious and powerful objects above all else.
Standing amid the vines, she clutched a sealed wooden box, thinking of Tani’s kindness toward her and Dante’s abiding trust. She still could not believe Tani had agreed to link her house to the Elderwood Conservancy network. Hera had already called her to set up a meeting at the conservancy offices, and Nora was eager to finalize those plans.
I can do this, she told herself. She would protect Dante and Tani.
At precisely midnight, Aero emerged from the far end of the row, gliding forward with predatory grace. Silvery-blond hair caught the moonlight, and his pale blue eyes gleamed. He wore dark clothing that clung to his lean frame, feet hardly stirring the soil as he approached.
“You have the pens?” he asked without greeting, his voice low and edged with anticipation.
Nora held up the ornate box. “Yes. I charmed them last week, but I need them gone before my husband finds out. They can attract both business success and academic excellence if used properly.”
Aero’s thin smile betrayed his eagerness. In response, he produced a glimmering blue vase, its glossy surface traced with faint, rune-like markings that shone under the moon. “A vase that allows your flowers to bloom for a month without dying. A token of gratitude for our many years of cooperation,” he said.
An involuntary shiver ran through Nora; she knew Aero’s so-called gifts came with strings attached. He bribed her to make sure she called him for more charmed products. Yet she managed a polite smile. “Thank you.” She handed him the box of pens.
“I’ll send your payment to the usual account,” Aero said, opening the box to touch the pens. Satisfied with the magic he sensed, he nodded.
“Thank you,” Nora said. “I look forward to it.”
Hidden deeper in the vineyard, Kinon and Cale observed the transaction from behind trellises, cloaked by illusions. They had orchestrated everything to catch Aero in the act of planting more black crystals on Arturo land. Now that Lua was out of reach, the possibility of Aero acting on Zal’s orders was very high.
Nora played her role to perfection, and as she turned toward the house with the vase in hand, Aero tucked the box of pens under his arm and slipped farther into the vines.
Kinon’s fiery gaze tracked Aero’s every step. “He’s headed toward the southern row—near those older vines,” he murmured to Cale.
Cale, dark energy rippling around him, gave a terse nod. “Nora did well. Lua, stay back until we’ve contained him.”
Lua Wadi, barely visible in the moon’s dim glow, swallowed and nodded. He still bore the weight of his past betrayals, but tonight was his chance to repay some of that debt.
***
Aero paused once to ensure Nora had gone inside before lowering himself between two vines. Setting the box of pens aside, he produced a small black crystal shard from his robes. Its oily gleam and flickering edges emitted a sinister aura, like tiny black flames dancing along its surface. With practiced ease, Aero dug into the soil, preparing to bury the crystal among the vineyard’s roots.
Cale and Kinon moved in.
“That’s enough, Aero,” Cale said, his voice slicing through the stillness. Kinon conjured a flash of flame, casting a harsh glow on Aero’s crouched figure. “We know what you’re doing.”
Aero froze, glaring at them over his shoulder. His eyes briefly blazed gold, a testament to his dragon clan heritage. A contemptuous sneer crossed his lips.
“You’re too late,” he said with a derisive laugh. “The vineyard is already tainted. The minute Dante Arturo steps among these vines, he’ll be infected.”
Kinon advanced, fire spiraling around his right hand. “Not if I can help it. You nearly ruined this family’s livelihood before. You won’t do it again.”
Aero let out a brittle, mocking laugh. “You call that ‘ruined’? It was only a minor outbreak to inconvenience Tani’s beloved. But you ekho gods swarmed around in panic over a mortal vineyard. It’s pathetic. Why protect a mortal from us?”
“Because this realm isn’t ours to destroy,” Cale answered. “If you crave dark magic, come to the Dark Fort—I’ll let you toy with it all you like. But the dragon clan was never so petty. How did you sink to this?”
Aero scoffed. “Why not? What’s so special about this mortal realm? Why would the Immortal Lord’s son choose it over our home? Tani’s wasting his inheritance for a mere mortal, while my sister—my twin—can’t even cross the Palladium Gates because she lacks power. Do you not see the unfairness?”
Lua ventured a step forward, trembling slightly. “Selene can’t face the Palladium Gates because of her personal limitations. Why do you think causing chaos will magically open them for her?”
Aero’s jaw set hard. “Selene and I were exiled to this mortal realm for things beyond our control. When travel to the ekho realm was allowed again, I managed to pass the gates, but she couldn’t. She’s stuck here, forced to pretend she’s human, living some quaint life. And Tani Ryuzo dares to normalize it—coddling a mortal lover, acting as though turning his back on his birthright is noble. It sickens me. Tani inherited an empire and chose to abandon it for a fleeting human relationship.”
Cale’s voice grew cold. “So, you sabotage his life—and ruin innocent mortals—for your twisted revenge?” Tendrils of shadow flared at his fingertips. “You resent Tani’s choice so deeply that you’re willing to poison people who never wronged you.”
“What do mortals matter?” Aero snarled, eyes flashing. “All I care about is ekho blood. Immortal, Fox, or Dragon, all ekhos, we’re the superior race—and Tani is too blind to his true heritage. If pushing him into crisis makes the Fox Clan come to claim him, then so be it.”
Flames flared along Kinon’s arm, releasing a wave of heat that scorched a few vines. “Talk of lines we can’t cross—this is one you won’t cross again. The moment you endanger Tani’s beloved or this family, you endanger all of us. Kara ot is not meant for this realm, and it never will be. If you truly valued your sister, you’d find a better way than sowing destruction, you’d help her another way.”
“You have no idea,” Aero snapped, frustration etched across his features. “Selene’s half-fox, half-dragon. This place will never be home for her, and yet she’s stuck. Meanwhile, Tani, with all the power in the world, wastes it on mortal attachments. It’s obscene!”
Cale gave a short, humorless laugh. “Selene isn’t the first ekho to live here. She has built a life for herself without regret. But you, Aero—your actions have made you an enemy of the Fox Clan. You’ll face the Inter Clan Court with Zal, who also believes he can toy with Tani’s future.”
Sensing defeat, Aero tried to teleport away, but Kinon’s flames erupted, circling Aero tight, holding him in place. Cale’s shadows twined like living chains, digging into the soil, yanking the newly buried kara ot out of the soil, and turning it to ash. The dragon ekho bared his teeth, a faint gleam of scaled armor appearing over his collarbones, but Kinon’s fire proved impenetrable.
“You’ll regret this,” Aero spat, fury laced with panic. “I will see to it Dante shares the same fate in this cycle—”
“You’ve already lost,” Cale snapped. With a flick of Kinon’s wrist, the fire solidified into a broad gold chain that whipped around Aero’s wrists and ankles. Kinon clenched his fist, and a scorching brand of fire sealed Aero’s power. Forced to his knees, Aero glared with scorching hatred.
“No matter what you do,” he hissed, “Dante Arturo will suffer. I’ll make sure of it.”
Cale eased back his shadows, mindful not to scorch more vines. Tani would never forgive him for devastating Nora’s land. “I doubt it,” Cale replied, meeting Aero’s livid gaze. “Your game ends here.”
Lua Wadi slipped forward, collecting the broken shards of black crystal with trembling hands. He held up a handkerchief-bound bundle. “We’ll keep this as evidence, my lords.”
“Good,” Kinon said curtly. His voice rang with authority. “Aero of the dragon clan, by order of the Bao Sentinel offices and the Fox Goddess, you are under arrest. You’ll face charges of conspiracy and spreading Kara ot. Resist again, and you’ll have your trial of fire immediately.”
Aero spat at the ground, moonlight glinting off his defiant stare. Yet he was trapped by Kinon’s burning chains, as helpless as any mortal prey.
They marched him from the vineyard into an open clearing, the scent of pressed grapes and disturbed earth drifting around them. Overhead, thick clouds rolled in, momentarily swallowing the moon. The air felt charged with the threat of a gathering storm—a storm that would soon break over Aero’s head in the inter-clan halls.
Nora Arturo quietly stood by the entrance of Artri House. The vase Aero had given stood on a table in the front hall. She watched as Cale, Kinon, and Lua led Aero away, her thoughts torn between relief and apprehension.
She felt relief that Aero was caught, and yet, dread lingered that the vineyard had suffered too much this night. She would need to find explanations to give her crew about the damage. Most of all, she prayed this danger would pass, that the warning from the ancestors in the grimoire would unravel in Dante’s favor. She wanted nothing more than to see Dante, and by extension Tani, safe at last—and happy in a home where they belonged.
******
The hour the Inter Clan Court had requested had passed, and it was time to reconvene the Sentinel Council. A hush fell over the grand circular hall, where rows of curved benches faced a wide, tiered dais at the front. Sentinel members and their leaders filed in quietly, tension coiling in the air. Towering pearlescent columns soared up to a domed ceiling, shafts of sunlight beaming down onto the raised platform.
Seated behind a carved wooden bench were the five judges, each wearing a half-mask of intricate gold filigree. Elevated behind them stood a single, ornate chair meant for Anit Izuna—the Fox Goddess—who swept into the hall in a rustle of emerald skirts shimmering with jewels. Her vibrant red hair framed green eyes that burned with tightly contained ire.
Near the tall double doors at the hall’s main entrance, a stir announced the arrival of Nela Bao, dressed in formal black-and-gold Bao Sentinel attire. She proceeded with composed dignity to a tall lectern at the left side of the dais, where scrolls and slender, rune-marked tablets waited. At the foot of the dais stood Zal Izuna, accompanied by Tara—both wearing the Anael Sentinel Branch insignia. The stiffness in their shoulders betrayed deep unease even as they stood with forced pride. Tara arranged the chairs at their table while Zal took in the sentinel members in the room.
All around the circular chamber, members of various sentinel branches—Bao, Anael, Reima, Amyritas, and Sandu—filled the benches. The atmosphere thrummed with whispers of rumor, the most prevalent being Shugo Hosa’s disappearance and the impending Anael election. A current of anticipation coursed through everyone present.
The head judge, a dignified ekho with silver-white hair, tapped his wooden staff on the polished floor three times. The soft echo magnified the sense of solemnity. He inclined his head toward Nela Bao. “Lady Nela, you requested this session. You may proceed.”
Nela bowed respectfully before speaking. “Honored judges, fellow Sentinels, and venerable Fox Goddess. Today, I present evidence of a plot orchestrated by Zal Izuna to subvert our clan’s established laws, to sabotage Tani Ryuzo’s life in the mortal realm, and to undermine Lady Anit’s authority as Fox Goddess. His actions span centuries—perhaps tracing back to the day our goddess nearly perished in the Zona Forest.”
A restless murmur swept the assembled crowd at this bold accusation. Anit’s expression remained carefully neutral, though her nails bit into the arms of her ornate chair.
Lifting a thin, glowing tablet etched with runes, Nela continued. “Let us begin at the start. More than three thousand years ago, Lady Anit fell victim to a hidden black crystal in the Zona Forest. Malicious vines laced with ill intent nearly squeezed the life out of her. She was rescued by Lord Sunu Ryuzo of the immortal clan, and from that moment, their legendary bond began—resulting in the birth of Tani Ryuzo.”
She paused, letting her words settle over the hushed crowd. “What we have discovered is that this black crystal was deliberately placed in the Zona Forest. Through joint efforts by Lord Kinon and Lord Sunu, we recovered this very crystal and have brought it here for all to witness. I request the judges’ permission to present this evidence.”
“Allowed,” the lead judge said.
A side door opened, and Kinon entered, dressed in black. At his heels was an assistant carrying a large clear box containing the black crystal retrieved from the Zona Forest. Startled gasps rose from the benches, and a few Sentinels stood to get a better view. Kinon paused long enough to incline his head in Anit’s direction, then continued to the lectern beside Nela.
“This black crystal was nurtured specifically to harm an ekho with fox blood,” Kinon explained, signaling his assistant. The clear box opened, and the black crystal multiplied into fast-growing shards that speared toward the judges, Anit and Nela. Kinon swiftly stepped in the way, neutralizing the shards so they shrank back into the box. His assistant clamped the box shut.
“This crystal carries a special kind of kara ot. We extracted it from a deep ravine in the Zona Forest,” Kinon said, raising his hand. A soft, white cloud rose over the dais, revealing a shifting image of Sunu using his magik to pull the crystal out of the forest floor, followed by the conjured vines that had once entrapped Anit. At Sunu’s urging, the vines formed a likeness of the figure responsible for cultivating the black crystal in the Zona Forest. The crowd gasped upon seeing Tara’s face.
“That is not sufficient proof,” Zal objected, stepping forward protectively.
Kinon gave a brief nod and turned back to Nela.
“True,” Nela said, “but there is another way to confirm the vines’ testimony. The crystal harms anyone in this chamber except for its cultivator.” She motioned for Kinon’s assistant to bring the box closer to Tara, who sat at the front table next to Zal.
The assistant acted quickly, opening the box before Tara could react. The crystal began to shift toward Zal, but then its color changed, turning white and swirling into a smooth, prismatic orb.
The assistant placed the box on the table and stepped back. The crystal remained inert—providing all the proof necessary.
“Do you deny it now?” Nela asked.
Tara sighed and reached out to shut the box. The crystal did not attack her.
“I do not deny it,” Tara said, just as Kinon’s assistant removed the sealed crystal. She shot Nela a defiant look, but her eyes widened when Kinon suddenly appeared before her, his aura folding around her like an unyielding vise. Her breath came in ragged gasps.
“What were your intentions?” Kinon demanded, his voice laced with power that allowed no refusal.
Tara groaned under the punishing power of Kinon’s power, she met his crimson stare with bloodshot eyes. “I was told to leave the crystal in the Zona Forest. It would fulfill its purpose when the time was right.”
“By whom?” Kinon pressed, his voice booming in the room.
“This is coercion,” Zal snapped in protest.
“By whom?” Kinon repeated, his power wrapping around Tara in a tight, suffocating whirlwind until she whimpered.
“Lord Zal,” she choked out.
Kinon released her, then cast a smug look at Zal before moving to the dais. Another tall chair materialized beside Anit’s; he took his seat there and signaled his assistant to remove the box of kara ot from the courtroom.
“The black crystal was placed in the Zona Forest by Zal and Tara of the Anael Sentinel Branch,” Nela declared firmly. “It was introduced days before Lady Anit’s misfortune occurred. The crystal’s properties—and the effect it had on vines now blessed by Lord Sunu—prove that this sinister scheme took root the moment it was hidden in the forest.”
Zal’s jaw set in a grim line; he remained silent. Tara stole a quick, pleading glance at him, but he shook his head ever so slightly, warning her not to speak further. Tears slid down her cheeks, a testament to her encounter with Kinon’s raw power.
“For many years,” Nela continued, “none connected the tragedy in the Zona Forest to any elaborate conspiracy. We now believe that the initial act—planting that black crystal—was the start of a grand plan to claim uncontested leadership in the Fox Clan, and perhaps over the entire sentinel structure.”
Nela held up a second scroll for the judges to see. “Next, I accuse Lord Zal of instigating the great unrest in Taesi, the Fox Clan’s capital. Through bribes and covert sabotage, he stoked fears that Gralia would collapse unless Lady Anit governed it directly. The resulting conflict nearly sparked war with the Dragon Clan, prompting the Septum and the Citadel to insist that Lady Anit leave the immortal lands and retake her throne. We all remember her fury at being forced to leave Lord Sunu.”
Nela’s tone sharpened. “In her grief, Lady Anit withdrew from associating with the immortal clan’s leadership.”
Anit’s face tightened, a flicker of anguish shining in her eyes—unspoken regret for lost time with her son.
“When Lady Anit returned to Gralia,” Nela went on, “she believed it best to send Lord Tani away from the log house. Amu Izuna, Tani’s uncle, took him to the mortal realm while she stayed behind to stabilize the Fox Clan lands. There, Tani fell in love with a mortal—one of the many reincarnations of the soul we now know as Dante.”
A ripple of restlessness moved through the chamber; Tani’s mortal love story was infamous.
“As was his right, Lord Tani bound his soul to that fleeting life,” Nela said, “earning the Septum’s wrath. Accusations flew, accusing Tani of breaking realm rules by potentially prolonging his mortal lover’s life. When the Septum convened a hearing, Lady Anit refused to attend. Zal, as head of the Anael Sentinel Branch, volunteered to represent the Fox Clan, but we now know his true motive was to tighten his grip on power.”
She cast a severe look at Zal. “By fueling Lord Tani’s heartbreak—making certain his mortal bonds ended in tragedy—Lord Tani remained trapped in the mortal realm, grief-stricken and broken, and Lady Anit would be too distraught over her son’s fate to notice any changes in the Anael Sentinel branch. Zal’s reign in Anael stayed secure.”
Zal scowled openly. “These accusations lack proof. Fox Goddess, you know as well as I do that Lord Tani acted on his own accord. I did not compel Lord Tani to love a mortal.”
Anit’s gaze flicked to Zal, offering no reply, her face carefully blank.
“There is proof,” Nela said. “I now call Lua Wadi.”
Zal visibly stiffened as the heavy doors opened, and two Bao Sentinels led Lua Wadi forward. Lua’s appearance was neat—white trousers, white tunic, his dark hair combed smoothly down his back. Behind him was a woman in a trailing sand-colored dress, her silver hair pinned with Elderwood vines—Sahdrina, guardian of the Palladium Gates. A shocked hush descended; it was rare to see the Palladium Gates’ guardian in this court.
Anit stood and inclined her head to Sahdrina, who touched her right hand to her chest and bowed in return. With a short wave of her hand, Anit conjured a second chair beside Kinon’s. Sahdrina ascended the dais and settled gracefully. Once she was seated, Anit addressed the hall.
“Continue,” she said, before taking her seat.
Nela inclined her head and guided Lua Wadi to a tall lectern opposite hers. He clung to the polished wood, glancing nervously from Zal to Tara.
“Lua Wadi,” Nela began, “repeat what you confessed to Lord Cale and the Immortal Lord in the mortal realm.”
“My name is Lua Wadi,” he said, swallowing hard. “I served in the Anael Sentinel Branch, assigned to Lord Zal’s office. When he rose to lead the branch, there were… opportunities to earn extra money. I wanted to give my family a better life.”
Nela nodded. “What happened after Zal returned from the council meeting called by the Septum regarding Lord Tani?”
Lua shifted uncomfortably. “Lord Zal told me he had found an opportunity.”
“What did he ask you to do?” Nela pressed.
“He instructed me to carry a black crystal through the Palladium Gates and deliver it to a dragon merchant named Aero in the mortal realm,” Lua said. “Lady Tara arranged the payments to my accounts.”
“How many times did you do this?” Nela asked.
“Ten times,” Lua admitted.
“And how did you smuggle this crystal into the mortal realm?”
His gaze flicked anxiously to Sahdrina, then down to his hands. “I embedded it in my own body. That way, it passed through the Palladium Gates without Lady Sahdrina’s guardians detecting it.”
A chorus of shocked whispers flared; one of the judges pounded his gavel for silence.
“And once in the mortal realm, what did Aero do?” Nela asked.
“Aero slipped the crystal to Lord Tani’s beloved,” Lua said quietly. “It contained kara ot meant to kill the mortal if he decided to bind souls with Lord Tani. Every time the mortal died, Lord Tani’s calamity would continue, keeping him in the mortal realm longer.”
“So you ferried that crystal to the mortal realm for centuries, prolonging Lord Tani’s heartbreak,” Nela said.
Lua exhaled, his shoulders sagging. “I was only following orders—for the sake of my family.”
“Whose orders?” Nela asked.
“Lord Zal’s,” Lua answered, voice trembling. “He delivered the crystal to me each time, even if he knew what it did to me, how it corrupted my soul. I realized too late that the crystal was grown and brimming with kara ot.”
Nela’s eyes narrowed. “Were you aware that your actions interfered with the Septum’s agreement with Lord Tani? That by meddling, you inflicted needless suffering on him? That you forced him to endure centuries in the mortal realm—far longer than the original arrangement required?”
A flicker of anguish shadowed Anit’s face. Lua shut his eyes for a moment.
“Yes, I knew,” he said. “I eventually apologized to the Young Fox Lord. I confessed everything to the God of Calamity and to the Immortal Lord. Lord Sunu purged the kara ot from my soul and asked Sahdrina to oversee my punishment. I’ll serve out the rest of my days under her guardianship at the Palladium Gates.”
Nela nodded. “Can you identify the individuals who handed you the black crystal each time?”
Lua turned, pointing at Zal and Tara where they sat at the front table, both looking furious and cornered.
“I submit this scroll,” Nela said, lifting a parchment stamped with the Immortal Clan’s seal, “documenting Lua Wadi’s confession—recorded in the mortal realm by Lord Cale and Immortal Lord Sunu. It details how Lua, at Zal’s behest, sabotaged Tani’s mortal relationship by leaking kara ot into Dante’s environment. Zal used Anael Sentinel funds to fund Lua, forging documents to cover his tracks.”
A tense hush followed, and then the chamber erupted in murmurs.
“For a thousand years,” Nela said, “Tani has endured endless heartbreak. Each time, the mortal he loved met a tragic end, prolonging Tani’s ordeal. While Tani was ensnared in his sorrow, sufficiently distracting the Fox Goddess Anit, Zal gathered influence within the Anael Sentinel Branch and the Inter Clan Court, eliminating rivals like Shugo Hosa.”
Zal rose abruptly, fists clenched. “You cannot accuse me of Shugo Hosa’s disappearance. I had nothing to do with him vanishing before our election.”
“I’d like to believe you,” Nela replied. At that moment, the side doors opened again, and several Bao Sentinel officers entered, supporting a frail man. Nela’s voice shook with tightly harnessed anger. “We uncovered hidden cells in the Anael stronghold where Shugo was held under Zal’s direct command—along with Tara’s. Shugo’s absence ensured Zal’s uncontested leadership in Anael this time. He has followed this familiar routine too long, managing to retain his seat far beyond the usual three-year term. Zal has been the head of Anael for one thousand years. And in those cells beneath the Anael stronghold, we found six other members of Anael who dared challenge him for the leadership position.”
The Bao Sentinel officers led the weakened prisoners into the hall, stopping near the front of the dais where all could see them.
“Please state your names,” Nela instructed.
The group spoke in turn:
“Delphina.”
“Gaia.”
“Baltazar.”
“Kreon.”
“Matlan.”
“Foster.”
“Shugo. I was the last to be detained beneath the Anael Sentinel Branch headquarters.”
Nela lifted her hand, letting the judges, along with the entire chamber, take in the sight of the survivors. Stepping aside from her lectern, she addressed everyone in a measured but fervent tone. “All the evidence we’ve laid out points to one conclusion: Zal Izuna orchestrated a cunning plan to secure perpetual leadership over Anael, limiting the Fox Clan’s democratic rule among the Sentinel branches. Amid larger elaborate plans to possibly usurp authority. From planting the black crystal in the Zona Forest, to Tani Ryuzo’s endless calamity, to Shugo Hosa and his peers’ wrongful imprisonment—Zal has betrayed our trust.”
She turned to Anit, her voice thick with empathy. “Lady Izuna, you have every right to demand justice for the centuries of agony your family has endured under these deceptions.”
Anit rose from her seat. The emerald hairpins in her fiery locks chimed softly as she descended the dais’s steps with measured grace. A palpable aura of power emanated from her, causing those on the nearest benches to shrink in their seats. She halted in front of Zal and Tara, her gaze smoldering with an ancient pain that could no longer be contained.
“You,” she said in a resonant voice that seemed to reverberate through the columns. “The child my father never claimed for the log house in Yesserin Mountain, but entrusted to the people of Gralia, have turned your ambition into poison. You attempted to take my life in the Zona Forest. You forced me to abandon Lord Sunu and my son, plunging our homeland into turmoil—all so you could remain unchallenged as head of the Anael Branch.”
Her green eyes filled with rage and sorrow. “Tani’s heartbreak is a stain I, as his mother, cannot erase. I missed his early centuries, unable to comfort him, to guide him—consumed by my anger and pain, never imagining the true source of my woes. All while you thrived in my absence.”
Holding out her hand, she let green sparks dance over her fingertips. “I was blind then, but not now.”
Zal bowed his head only slightly, refusing to disguise the defiance in his posture. Tara trembled beside him, torn between throwing herself at Anit’s feet or standing firm with Zal.
“You have twisted the fates of too many,” Anit declared, her voice echoing beneath the dome. “This is treason against the Fox Clan—and an insult to the sentinel system itself. I have only one question for you. Why?”
Zal’s eyes narrowed. With a swift jerk of his right hand, he produced a black crystal weapon, raising it like a blade. In one fierce motion, he struck at Anit’s left arm. She hissed in pain, reeling back.
He gave a humorless laugh. “Because if you fall,” he said coldly, “you’ll have no choice but to name me—your older brother—as heir. Amu won’t take your seat, and Tani’s too preoccupied with his mortal entanglements.”
Anit winced, staring at the slow, dark stain spreading across her arm where the crystal’s venom had infiltrated her veins.
“That is the most potent kara ot I’ve cultivated,” Zal continued. “Your powers will ebb. Gralia will be mine soon enough.”
“There is still Tani,” Anit said through clenched teeth, her gaze on the creeping corruption. She cursed under her breath and hissed when Sahdrina and Kinon hurried to her side.
Zal’s laughter carried a cruel edge. “That boy is so blinded by love that he doesn’t see danger until it devours him. Dante is doomed again, and Tani’s sorrow will consume him—he’ll be useless for decades. Eventually, he might go sulk in the Dark Fort with Lord Cale. He won’t be returning to Gralia any time soon.”
A flicker of panic touched Anit’s eyes. She turned to Kinon. “Go.”
Kinon hesitated. “What about—”
“I have Sahdrina here,” Anit said. “Get to Tani. Do what you must. Consider it your payment for forcing him to stay in the mortal realm.”
With a sharp nod, Kinon vanished from the Inter Clan Court.
Sahdrina pressed a glowing palm over Anit’s wound. Her magic tore the black crystals from Anit’s flesh, causing her to bite back a scream. When Sahdrina lifted her hand, the extracted shards dissolved into a harmless heap of inert dirt.
“Don’t let him strike you again,” Sahdrina warned quietly. “I’ll seek Immortal Lord Sunu’s aid. Stall him.”
Anit inhaled, then turned to Zal. He had shoved Tara behind him and stood, sword raised, glaring with undisguised hatred. Around the perimeter, the assembled Sentinels chanted spells, raising a protective clear barrier from floor to dome so any ensuing fight stayed contained.
“Nela,” Anit commanded, “take the judges and your witnesses out of the room. What follows will not be pleasant.”
“At once, my lady.” Nela quickly guided the Bao officers and the newly freed captives through the side door, ensuring the judges and Lua Wadi followed.
Exhaling, Anit rotated her left arm, grimacing at the lingering numbness. “So, Zal—you want to fight me for clan leadership?”
“Yes,” he answered, brandishing his black crystal sword. Its blade pulsed with blue-black light, thrumming with dark magik. “I know how to govern Gralia better than you ever did. All your trust in others has made you weak. I control them now.”
Anit’s laugh held no mirth. “You misread my faith in people for incompetence. You think my reluctance to manage every detail means I cannot.”
“There is nothing special about you,” Zal snapped.
Anit only lifted her chin, defiance blazing in her eyes. “And how will you bring me down from my seat?”
Zal shoved Tara aside and gripped his glowing sword with both hands. “Let’s see if you can even stand against me. I promise you—I have enough rage to claim this clan. I will become the next Fox Clan God, just like my father, Nua Izuna.”
Anit smiled coolly, summoning emerald energy that sparked at the edges of her fingertips. “Then give it your best.”
With that final invitation, the ancient Fox Goddess and her treacherous brother squared off, power crackling in the charged space between them, the entire court braced for the unprecedented battle.
****
Sui Writes 