A Sinner's Eden

***Tirnanog, Mount Aerie***

***Astra***

The carriages quickly left the railway station and took one of the main ramps that circled the cavern at a soft incline. It gave Magnus and the others the chance to have a closer look at the colony.

“It’s like an inverted ant-hill,” Magnus exclaimed as we passed several market stalls where vendors loudly proclaimed their wares. “Do you have everything underground? Do you even need to get supplies from the surface?”

“Theoretically the colony is a closed ecosystem,” I explained. “At least that was the original intention. Though, most of the original technology has failed by now. At the very least we need air from the surface. As far as I know, the ventilation system isn't doing so well. Another problem is the natural cave systems. They hold dangerous creatures which tend to break in now and then. Sometimes they manage to kill a few people.”

Thalia shrugged from her spot next to Ivona. “It’s still much easier to live underground than on the surface. Nothing too big down here.”

The carriage reached a junction and took a barely illuminated turn. For a moment, we were plunged into darkness before we emerged onto a wide tunnel with a perfectly smooth road. This allowed the carriage driver to have the molerats speed up. The driver’s shout was enough command for the animals to give it their all.

“Your people aren’t living in the central cavern?” Ivona asked once the windows showed no more than passing tunnel walls.

“The family’s living quarters emerge partly into the central cavern on one of the higher levels. The balconies give a great view,” I replied. “But it’s much faster to get to places if you take transit tunnels like this one. I can show you a map once we are at my parents’ estate. For now, it should suffice to say the transit tunnels spiral around the entire central cavern. The various stratas have hollowed out their own living spaces. Think of the central cavern like a city centre. It looks impressive, but most of the living spaces are dug further into the walls and therefore hidden.”

The last leg of the journey took us about twenty minutes during which I explained some intricacies of living underground. Like the benefit that the clan’s business went on mostly untouched by the winter. After taking a final side tunnel, the carriages emerged into a large, open hall. It glowed with bioluminescent light, looking quite pretty thanks to the garden-like setup.

To the street’s left and right was an alley of alien trees that made me smile.

Home.

“Those tentacles…” Magnus muttered as he watched the floating filaments that were attached to shroom-like trunks. They looked like an anemone, a tree and a jellyfish had been warped together.

“Those are treemonae. We have them guarding all of our strata’s entrances,” I explained. “Please don’t go anywhere near them if you haven’t been instructed on how to deal with them. I get they look like plants, but they are actually animals. If they want to, they can move very quickly. Although, they prefer to stay still until some hapless prey wanders by. They can subsist on the barest amount of nutrients and wait for months for their chance at an ambush.”

Magnus gave me a grin. “Makes it easy to farm your main evolution. We have to figure out how to do that with zippers.”

We emerged from the forest and entered the courtyard of my parents’ living quarters. It was a large hall that was set up as an underground garden, showing off the diverse cave flora Mount Aerie had to offer.

Lights weren’t needed here, because the plants provided plenty of bioluminescence on their own.

The two carriages circled a small fountain before they stopped at a gilded gate. It stood open, inviting us to come inside.

I left the vehicle and waited for the others to join me before I led them inside where we were greeted by two austere-looking people who shared the filament mutation with me, though theirs was much more sophisticated. It wasn’t a good sign that both still wore the grand regalia, flowing robes of an elaborate design. They normally displayed them only to the other elders.

Their filaments were different from mine. They shimmered in all colours of the rainbow, where mine could only emit a faint blue light when I concentrated. Otherwise, mine were of a greyish black.

My parents' getup could only mean they meant business.

“Mom! Dad!” I greeted them with a wave and a smile, trying to brush over the awkwardness. “I am back! And I have urgent news!”

Dad wore a sour expression while Mom formed a forced smile with her lips. The atmosphere dispersing from my parents was a little chilly, to say the least.

“I am disappointed, Astra,” Dad began, but was stopped by Mom when she placed a hand on his forearm.

“Please, explain, Astra,” Mom said in a stern tone. “Your letter only contained the barest information and, as I can see, you also forced your way past the Council’s guard. We had a meeting just earlier and it was ruled to have the Thich taken in. I can’t remember giving you different instructions.”

I straightened and explained myself with the confidence of having done the right thing. “I couldn't allow that. This situation is a lot more complicated than you might believe. I couldn’t divulge all of it in a letter because I didn’t know who would read it. There was nobody who I knew to be trustworthy at the trading station.”

Instead of putting the cart before the horse, I decided to address our problems in chronological order.

So I gestured for Magnus to step forward. “Let me introduce you first. This is Magnus Elrod, my partner. We met each other at the Old Camp. Magnus, these are my parents, Teresa and Etan Frost.”

I pointed towards the others. “And this is Ivona Elrod, Magnus’s little sister. She was with the Thich up until now, but Magnus happened to find her through what I can only call incredible luck.”

“If I’ve learned anything during my time on this world, then it's that there is no such thing as luck,” my father commented ominously. “There is always a reason.”

Knowing his mood wouldn’t change any time soon, I continued. “And these are Kastor Ramo and Dafna Singh. They are Thich and were part of the group responsible for the losses we took on our return trip. After defeating them in battle, I granted them amnesty in return for their complete cooperation.”

“Cooperation?” Dad asked with a snort.

“A lot is going on that can’t be shared on the quick,” I stated. “I suggest for all of us to retreat to the living room where we can sit and talk.”

Thalia raised her hand to gain my parent’s attention. “It is worth listening to! You might also want to invite my parents so we can coordinate our reaction. Things are going to change. Teresa, Etan, it will be best to be on top of things rather than to be angry over decisions that had to be made in haste. Playing the 'what-if' game won't help anyone.”

It annoyed me a little that Thalia’s words seemed to have more weight with my parents than my own because Mom made a gesture and several of her clanswomen entered the room. They belonged to her personal guard. “Ladies, I want you to take good care of the Thich until things are settled. They are not to wander the estate on their own but treat them decently. And send a message to the Tate family. Let them know their daughter is here and their presence is required.”

Ivona stepped closer to Magnus when one of the guards approached her.

“My sister stays with me,” Magnus stated in no uncertain terms.

I waved the guard off. “Let her be.”

The guard waited for my mother to nod before she helped the others to escort Kastor and Dafna away.

Then my parents led the way down the central corridor and into their living room where they settled on a luxurious sofa. It was jarring to return to this sheltered place after spending so much time outside the clan in a world of hardships and deprivation.

My mother gestured for me to explain. “Why don't we address matters one by one. Why did you choose to break our alliance with the Mora family? They've already complained about the broken engagement at the meeting earlier.”

I chose to go with the blunt truth. “Because this alliance wouldn't have lasted very long until either Hector or I would have been dead. In turn, partnering up with Magnus was the right thing to do. One could hardly claim we had time for romance, but from the few conversations we had, I could already tell our interests and goals would align. We are both people who strive for more. Together, we will be indefinitely more powerful than Hector and I would ever be.”

“Foolish!” my father interjected. “This can only end in blood. What could some 'exile' have to offer someone like you? You could have had anything you wanted. You are a Frost – no less than if you were our flesh and blood.”

I forced myself not to lash out at my father. He wasn't an evil man, but the possibility of better cooperation with the Mora had him blind to everything else.

“Personal power,” I replied at last in a language my father could understand. “If Magnus and I get the opportunity to develop further, we might as well become the two most powerful individuals this clan has ever seen. He lucked out with a unique mutation that fits mine perfectly!”

“I can see you didn't wait for our approval before you joined with him.” My mother sighed. “Show me what you can do. There must be a very good reason for you to have taken this path.”

This was what Magnus and I had been training for.

I looked around and grabbed an ornamental rock crystal from the nearby tea table. It was just as big as my fist and therefore perfect for my demonstration. Then I approached my parents and offered it to them. “Take it.”

My father rolled his eyes and reached for the crystal, but my hand blurred to the side.

He tried again, but I always kept it tantalizingly just out of his reach until he flailed his arm around in an attempt to simply hit the crystal out of my hand. Our interplay looked like I was mocking him. Which I was – a little.

“Impressive,” Mom commented with a raised eyebrow. She had been watching us intently. “I've never heard of a speed evolution that's already so potent in its early stages. You might be right about grooming this ability.”

“Magnus and I are still working on it, but we believe moving our whole bodies like this is just a matter of training. Till now, we are still restricted to only a part of our body. But that's not all.” I raised my hand and drew a few sparks of lightning between my fingers. “Bioelectricity! And we can conduct it through our filaments. Magnus can create a charge large enough to make you believe you've been hit by a lightning strike.”

I looked at Magnus. “Show them the other thing you've been working on.”

He raised an eyebrow and looked around as if searching for a hidden spy.

“They are trustworthy,” I reassured him.

Magnus sighed and drew the utility knife from his belt. “This is supposed to become the hidden ace up my sleeve, you know...” He spun it around on top of his palm and it kept spinning.

It took my parents a few moments to process the fact that the knife was a good five centimetres above his hand without showing any intention of falling back down.

The kicker came when Magnus turned his palm around, and with it the knife until it hung beneath his hand.

I turned back to my parents. “And that's just what we got within the last few weeks. Mind you, we didn’t even have time to truly concentrate on our abilities. Imagine us having another year to grow without distractions.”

“It looks like a promising combination of mutations,” Dad admitted grudgingly. “But your powers were still chosen for Hector. A union with him wouldn't have been any less formidable. For you to take some exile over him is inconceivable. For what did he get exiled anyway? Have you asked him?”

“Hector is a twisted brat, and you know it. His parents went a risky route with his mutations and they lost their gamble,” I shot back, angry that Dad was speaking about Magnus as if he wasn't in the room. “Magnus possesses qualities far beyond that.”

I looked towards my partner and nodded encouragingly.

Magnus cleared his throat. “First of all, greetings. I am glad to meet my parents in law. My name is Magnus, though I am going by Tulkas in public. As for why I am here, one could say it was a voluntary exile. I am part of an organisation on Earth that isn't happy with the government's way of doing things. It took us a long time to catch on, but we finally realized Tirnanog is being used for something more sinister than a penal colony...”

He launched into a lengthy explanation of the abductions and his involvement with the organisation. It included his sister's faked deaths and how it sparked his quest for vengeance.

When Magnus arrived at the point of his arrival in Tirnanog, the Tates – Thalia's parents, arrived.

We interrupted for a short introduction and recount with Sienna and Richard Tate. Thalia’s parents looked like normal humans, aside from their leathery wings. Sienna was a diminutive woman who had problems reaching my chin with her forehead, but she was the fiercest person I knew.

Comparatively, Richard was a hulk of a man who towered above everyone in the room. Despite his intimidating looks, he always deferred to his wife for some reason I wasn't aware of. Except for when there was something alcoholic to drink. Even Sienna couldn't stop her husband when he had booze in front of him.

Once we were done with introductions, I took over detailing the events that led me to grasp the chance of taking Magnus as my partner. There was no point in switching back to Tulkas for the explanations since Thalia found out his real identity when Ivona let it slip.

I had no illusions she would spill the beans to her parents anyway, but the Tates had been trustworthy allies of our family for generations.

I didn't try to deceive my parents as I explained. Magnus and I couldn't claim love as our reason to join forces. The mere attempt at selling our relationship as such would have been folly. A few conversations just weren't enough to get to know each other well enough.

We were two people who came together through circumstance and chance. It simply so happened that our goals aligned and the fact that we didn't dislike satisfying our carnal instincts only helped.

I also ensured to make it clear that while our coming together was a pragmatic choice, the last few weeks showed Magnus and I worked well together. In my mind, it didn't have to be said that we were developing our bonds in earnest. The ring Magnus bought me despite his meagre earnings as a newcomer to this world was just one proof of our developing relationship.

It took me time to lay out the whole story, but my parents had to understand the timeline behind the various events that culminated in the Thich's decision to send a raiding party after us.

Thankfully, I had more than enough time to think about my narrative during the trek.

My mother only interrupted once when she asked what had become of the twins in our care.

Thalia shared that her people had taken them in until suitable adoptive parents could be found.

I finished the story with my decision to preserve the surviving Thich as witnesses and our subsequent trek back to the clan. In the face of everything that had happened, our encounter with the Abominations seemed like a mere afterthought.

It was quite the story to dump on someone, so I couldn't blame my parents, nor the Tates, for staying silent for several minutes after we finished bringing them up to date.

Mom was the first to move when she sighed and massaged her temple. “That can only mean another war. There is no question the Thich broke the treaty with their attack. The fact their highest officer from the Old Camp was present doesn't even allow them to deny responsibility.”

“But it comes at an inconvenient time,” Dad continued the thought. “The possibility for retaliation will be closed due to the snow. I am not certain that we will be able to gather enough support a few months down the line. There are those in the Council who will see this as nothing more than a mistake of the youth.”

He growled and shook his head. “But we will have weeks to deal with the Thich. For now, the immediate issues have to be taken care of. Like the broken alliance with the Mora.”

“Or us taking in the Thich witnesses,” Mom added.

“We will?” Dad pulled down the corners of his mouth, clearly not liking the idea.

“We have to,” Mom answered. “You know the others. Without something substantial to apply pressure on the naysayers, many will desire to preserve the status quo. Astra showed incredible restraint when she decided to take prisoners.”

“This cannot go unanswered,” Sienna exclaimed furiously. One moment she sat statuesque, then she shot to her feet. “If I understood correctly, then they almost killed my Thalia. And they poisoned Annie's granddaughter! I have to see her as soon as possible. She will be so distraught.”

“We are on your side,” Mom assured Sienna. “But Etan is partly right in this. The first thing we have to do is to return to the Hall of Law and talk to the other families. They must've already heard about Astra's transgressions and gathered like the molerats they are.”

“My transgressions?” I exclaimed, shocked my mother would say such a thing. “I moved perfectly within the clan's law!”

Teresa rolled her eyes. “We know that. But that's not how the Mora and some of the others will paint it. We have to get there before they summon us with some bogus accusations of attacking sanctioned guards. Even if you were right to keep the Thich out of their hands. It wouldn't have been unthinkable for them to encounter some unfortunate accident during incarceration.”

She got to her feet and gestured for us to follow before she stopped and turned back.

Mom's eyes fell on Ivona. “It would be best for the girl not to be there at all. You stay here.”

“But I want to stay with my brother!” Ivona protested.

My mother looked towards Magnus. “The best thing that can happen at the Council is for them to think her just some exile tag-along who isn't supposed to be there and her to get thrown out. But that won't happen. At worst, they will have one of the Thich they want to get their hands upon right in front of them. And if I understood your story correctly, she is our main proof the Thich are up to something sinister.”

Magnus considered my mother's words, then turned to his sister. “You stay in this house...” He frowned. “Cave? Tunnel?” He looked towards me.

I sighed. “Just go with estate or living quarters. The people who are living down here also often use ‘rooms’ to refer to their private spaces.”

Thalia placed a hand on Ivona’s shoulder. “They are right. Right now, you shouldn’t be walking around without protection. The Frosts can protect you as long as you stay in their estate. The other families have no authority here. It would take the approval of the entire Council to force us to surrender someone under our protection.”

“Don't worry,” Sienna added, reminding us that she was also an elder.

“Fine,” Ivona amended and looked at me. “But you are getting him back here.”

Magnus smirked.

I only frowned. “I think he is plenty capable of taking care of himself.”

“If that’s settled, then let’s go,” Dad grumbled. “I fear what’s happening without us at the Hall of Law.”

On the way out, my parents gave their staff instructions to take care of Ivona.

Outside, the Tates got into their carriage with Thalia, while we took the one I came with.

Moments later, Magnus and I were facing our parents. Which was quite awkward, to say the least. They still hadn’t commented on what they thought about their new son in law.

I found myself wringing my sweaty palms while I tried to think of the best way to break the ice.

Thankfully, Magnus seemed unaware of the atmosphere. “Sooo… how is this going to play out? I am blissfully unaware of the involved politics. Do I stand aside and stay quiet unless spoken to?”

My father’s grumpy expression turned thoughtful. “Be polite when one of the other elders talks to you. If they make trouble, refer to me. Don’t take shit from anyone else ‘son’. The elders and those under their leadership are two different pairs of shoes. An elder can’t be seen openly interfering with the lesser members of another family.”

“Am I?” Magnus asked with a smirk. “Your son?”

“Unfortunately.” Dad’s expression turned distasteful once more. “Don’t shame me. I haven’t lived for one hundred and seventeen years to witness my family’s descent.”

Magnus blinked, his facade breaking for just a moment. “You are looking good for your age.”

Dad tried to reply, but Mom cut him off by placing a hand on his thigh. “Maybe we should give Magnus the benefit of the doubt. He is partnered with Astra and that won’t change – no matter what we might want.”

She turned to us. “When Etan said you are not to take shit from anyone other than an elder, he meant the Mora will be trying to test you. If they manage to humiliate you in front of the other families, we might be seen as weak. I would recommend for you to demonstrate your power at the first opportunity they give you. The warriors and houseguards at the meeting should all be on your level. Relatively weak paired warrior types or unpaired warriors. If an elder makes trouble, either Etan or I will step in.”

Magnus grinned and looked at me. “I was right when I judged your people to employ cut throat politics!”

I huffed. “That’s why I’ve been preaching about the various families for days. So you wouldn’t offend the wrong person.”

“That train seems to have left,” Magnus answered cheerfully. “The Mora don’t sound like the type of people who would allow their women to get snatched away.”

I pinched his side. “You didn’t snatch me away because they never had me.”

Magnus returned his attention to my parents. “Why did you suggest the guards are weak? Shouldn’t they be the most powerful people around?”

Mom shook her head. “Nobody on the power level of an elder would waste his or her time with guard-duty. The family elites are being held back as much as possible in case there is a coup. Flaunting our full power in front of everyone would only give them the information they would need to take us out. Them not knowing our true capabilities is a much more effective deterrent.”

Our discussion was interrupted when the carriage stopped.

We had returned to the central cavern. Only this time we were on a much higher level.

Magnus didn’t get the time to appreciate the view, because we quickly hurried through an old blast door that stood five metres high and ten wide. It was withered from age, showing it had been there since the colony’s beginning.

The large corridor led us directly into the Hall of Law.

The hall was generously spaced and shaped like an amphitheatre. The audience sat in a semi-circle in front of the large pedestal that elevated the speaker above the front rows.

Magnus took my upper arm and squeezed it before he nodded at the black block of stone that served as the stage. “Bingo.”

I looked back and forth between him and the stage before I remembered this morning’s conversation. “No shit. You are serious?” A strange excitement ran through me as I contemplated the implications. Could this old piece of technology be reactivated? What could the Aerie gain from it? Could the code reactivate other old systems that lay dormant since the colony was abandoned?

“Teresa and Etan Frost, what do you have to say for yourself?”

My attention was drawn back to the here and now when I realized my parents were already addressing the hall full of outraged elders and some of their advisors. Each strata had two elders as representatives, and all of them were present to flex their muscles.

The woman who currently held the stage was Juliana Rumen and at her side was Skye Rumen. Together, they were the elders of the first strata and the de-facto figureheads of the Council of elders.

My father stepped forward. “If you give us the chance to explain, everything will be settled to your satisfaction. I can assure you there were good reasons for everything that happened. Suffice it to say, our earlier decision to take in the Thich was lacking some important details...”

My parents were still explaining the situation, so I used the chance to point out the various families for Magnus while I whispered to him.

Ordered from the highest to the lowest strata, there were the Rumens, the Lloyds and Moras. Then came Frost, Hall and White. Tate, Smyth, Blare, Torres, Ortega, Kline, Patel, Brien, and last were the Walsh. Each either controlled a particular trait of the clan or provided a special service that allowed them to stay in power.

My own family was renowned for our ability to hunt in the most dangerous parts of Mount Aerie’s natural cave system. And the Tates had a monopoly on what remained of the colony’s medical system.

Our silent exchange ended when my father finished his abbreviated version of the Thich’s attack and my decision to take in the defeated survivors.

Juliana Rumen studied us with a deep frown before she spoke, “I suppose it explains your daughter’s vehemence at the railway station. Though, I would say injuring the guard captain was a little over the top. They had to hospitalize him with severe burns and a malfunctioning nerve system. Peculiar.”

She seemed slightly displeased with us but was also curious how that could have happened.

My father looked at me and I realized he wanted me to speak up.

I took a step forward. “Elder, as I see it, I acted in self-defence. The guard captain ignored my station and tried to restrain my movements and those under my care. From our conversation, I got the impression the men who were sent to extract the Thich out of my protection weren’t aware of their significance. I merely insisted on my rights to prevent unfortunate accidents.”

“I see…” Juliana pursed her lips.

Kyra Mora rose to her feet. “Juliana, I think we should also address Astra’s unfaithfulness.” She rested a hand on her son’s shoulder while she made an expression like she was the scorned party. Hector looked just like the man-child I remembered. Unable to control his emotions, he looked like he would pop all the blood vessels on his forehead.

Magnus leaned over and whispered. “What’s wrong with him?”

“I told you something went wrong with one of his mutations,” I hissed back. “He lacks self-control.”

“Then he shouldn’t be at a meeting like this one,” Magnus pointed out.

“Unless it’s intentional. I can’t remember him ever attending a Council session, but it makes sense for him to be here when he is supposed to be the wronged party,” I replied while my mother stepped forward.

“Don’t call my daughter unfaithful!” Mom barked back. “Necessity might dictate us to practise some morally questionable things, but last I know, we force nobody to partner up with someone they don’t want. Your son failed to sway my daughter for years and it was perfectly within her right to choose another once the opportunity arose.”

“We had a deal!” Alex Mora stood up next to his wife.

“A deal neither of us will be cashing in on,” Dad replied. “I am sorry, but this engagement fell through.”

“No!” Hector screamed and jumped over the table. “That bitch was promised to me and I had to wait for her for years because she played hard to get. And now she just takes some random exile from the Old Camp? That’s an insult unequalled!”

He stomped towards us, pointing his finger while spit flew from his lips.

I readied myself, but before he could touch me, Magnus’s arm shot out and he grabbed Hector’s pointing hand.

Magnus struck once, twice, thrice.

I think nobody intervened immediately because what Magnus did looked so inelegant. Like a child raining hammer blows on his opponent. Despite that, it also happened quite fast.

The first hit struck Hector’s arm, breaking it so his joint bent in a direction that wasn’t intended by nature.

The second and third hits struck Hector’s side with an unhealthy ‘crack’. First in the upper torso, then in the lower, aiming at his lung and liver.

Lastly, Magnus’s hand chopped down right at where he was holding Hector. With what I could only describe as a mixture between a sucking sound and a pop, Hector lost his index finger before he stumbled backwards.

Hector gasped while he futilely continued his attempt at pointing. It took him five more seconds to rationalize his agony before he started screaming, followed by blood bubbling up from his throat.

“Hector!” His mother jumped to his side and helped him to lie down. “Someone, help him! He's unable to get air into his lungs!”

“Insolence!” Alex Mora also shot from his table, but his advance was stopped when a shimmering tentacle separated from my father’s regalia and slashed the air in front of the other elder. It was an almost imperceptible blur but was enough to return the other man to his senses.

“Control yourself,” Dad hissed. “Your son was out of line when he insulted my daughter!”

“Oh, dear.” Sienna Tate separated from the crowd and kneeled next to Hector. A web of veins broke through the skin of her palm before she placed it on his chest. “Hold him down.”

“That bastard tried to kill my son!” Alex pointed at Magnus. “Everyone saw it!”

My partner pointedly looked at the elder’s finger. Alex Mora followed his gaze and to his embarrassment quickly drew back the appendage.

Magnus slowly cleared his throat. “I educated him on the proper way to address my wife. Pointing fingers is not the way.” Magnus pointed Hector’s index finger at Alex. “If I had wanted to, I could have smashed your son’s head in and be done with it. He is still living thanks to me holding back.”

The elder paled slightly at that. Whether in horror over having his son’s finger pointed at him, or anger, I couldn’t say.

One thing was for sure. Alex was livid now.

Sienna cleared her throat, which defused the situation somewhat. “Can I have that? We might be able to reattach it without him having to grow a new one.”

Magnus looked at the finger, shrugged, and threw it to her.

Alex turned to Juliana who looked slightly disinterested by the drama playing out in front of her. “I demand satisfaction! He is a warrior type and partnered! My son had no chance!”

“And I told you to control your son when I allowed you to bring him here,” Juliana intoned. “Everyone could see he was emotionally unstable. I am sorry for your situation, but it isn’t like you couldn’t have prevented it by not bringing him in here in the first place.”

Her eyes settled on Sienna. “Will he be fine?”

“Two broken ribs and the arm. He will curse being alive for a week or two, but he should make a full recovery,” the healer reported.

Juliana sighed and looked at us. “Do restrain yourselves in the future. It was apparent you could have subdued him without sullying the floor with blood.”

For a moment, Magnus seemed like he didn’t know what to do, then he bowed slightly in front of the elder. “Of course.”

I took my partner’s arm and pulled him with me behind my parents, away from the other elders’ attention. My father gave Magnus a look like he wanted to say he had overdone it, but Magnus answered with an expression that said he was only doing as instructed.

“I could have dealt with him myself,” I whispered. “I am not some flower that has to be protected.”

“Obviously, but your parents said it was I who they would want to test,” Magnus replied. “Getting in an underhanded blow before anyone started to question our power seemed like the best way to stop any further challenges in their tracks.”

I wanted to give a snide retort, but Magnus was partly right. If there were no further troubles, we would get out of here just fine. “Your play was still risky.”

“Clan Aerie still needs to know the reason,” Juliana drew everyone’s attention back to herself. “I don’t believe Teresa Frost’s daughter broke a long honed alliance without reason. What mutation did your partner offer you, Astra? I can hardly believe you did it for a mere strength and speed mutation.”

I drew in a breath and looked to my parents, which was requited with a nod from my father.

Magnus clapped his hands together, then separated them, drawing out an arm-thick lightning arc that flickered for a few seconds before it fizzled out, leaving behind the smell of ozone.

Some people blinked, blinded by the light of the plasma arc.

Thanks to Magnus’s comparatively larger muscle mass, his demonstration was far more impressive than what I could have produced.

“Which animal?” Skye Rumen asked from next to his wife, taking an active part in this meeting for the first time.

“A zipper as primary,” I divulged.

Juliana looked interested for the first time. “Then we will be watching your future development.”

She slapped her palm down on the table in the traditional sign that this meeting was over. “We will wait for the Frosts to deliver a detailed report on what happened. Once all the other expedition members of the recruitment trip have given their written accounts, we will meet again to decide on further actions. The issue between the Frost and the Mora family is of no concern to the Council of elders. It’s their problem to settle.”

With that, the various families filed out of the Hall of Law under a lot of grumbling.

I took Magnus’s hand and smiled at him, knowing our story had just begun.