5. Arim Guardian of Storm

"I swear by the Light's Grace, if I never have to search for this misbegotten prince again, it will be too soon." I swore under my breath as my sister approached with a scowl on her ageless face. "Not now, Your Highness," I managed respectfully and turned away.

Too late.

Her irritation churned through the hallways of the Western Palace, stirring Tanselm's magic like a heavy breeze. At moments like this, I clearly recognized my sister's awesome power and how good she was at making me feel less like the Guardian of Storm and Killer of Shadow that so many others feared.

I might in fact be the kingdom's top sorcerer, but I was also her little brother.

She grabbed me by the sleeve and dragged me into a private room off the corridor, much to the shock of several of her retainers. She slammed the door shut, giving us privacy.

"Don't you dare put me off." Fury burned in Ravyn's bright green eyes. Despite her small stature, she was more than a match for me. "I want to know why I can't see Cadmus now that the brunt of the Netharat has fallen."

I wanted to shake her, to tell her to take a look around. Djinn had infiltrated the Royal House. Those of Light were not all to be trusted. And creatures of Shadow were now openly invited into Tanselm's warmth, courtesy of Aerolus' new wife. Instead, I hugged her tight, knowing I would do everything in my power to make my past mistakes right — mistakes that had cost the kingdom its greatest overking and the rest of a once-great Royal Four.

I squeezed her shoulders and pushed her away enough to look at her. "Ravyn, the walls are not safe here."

She waved a hand, and visible sparks blanketed the walls, ceiling, and floor, caging us inside. "Now they are. Stop stalling. What's wrong with Cadmus?"

"Nothing," I immediately protested, feeling like a small child caught filching a sweet. How did she do that? Was it a motherly thing, or her distinction as overqueen?"Cadmus is fine. I left him with friends, people I'm not at liberty to discuss." I held up a hand to silence her. "Not even with you."

She shook her head. "I almost lost Aerolus just a few days ago. Three of my four sons are here, safe with me. I want the last one, and I want him now." The look she gave me made lesser men tremble.

But I didn't bow to anyone, not even my sister. Not when it came to our family's safety. "Older you may be, and queen as well, but I will not jeopardize Cadmus to make you feel better." I hated her tears and added, "I'm sorry you worry, but to compromise Cadmus to ease your fears would break your heart for certain. Have faith, Ravyn. Cadmus is annoying but fine. When I bring him back, you can set his hair on fire and turn his skin blue if it will make you feel better."

She chuckled and wiped her eyes. "It's not as if he doesn't deserve it."

If she only knew. I forced myself to smile and escorted her to the door. She removed the magical barrier and followed me into the hallway, where an attractive woman waited.

"Samantha." Ravyn nodded to her new daughter, Darius' affai, who stood discreetly against the wall. "Don't think we won't discuss these new security measures, Arim," my sister muttered over her shoulder. "If I didn't have a meeting with the council now, we'd more than discuss the matter."

I bowed, my expression deliberately mocking — at her back. Samantha saw and covered her mouth to stifle a grin.

I coughed to hide my laughter. "At your leisure, my queen."

My sister left the hall with Samantha in tow, not bothering to look at me as she strode toward her conference.

"Nice work." Darius, my red-eyed nephew and our Prince of Fire, spoke from behind me. "Now how about you tell me where my missing brother really is and why my affai suddenly needs to shadow Mother around the castle?"

I knew I couldn't put off explanations any longer. I gave my nephew a curt nod, and we walked swiftly to my room in the center of the castle — where I found another nephew lingering, this one with blue eyes. I swore.

Marcus, the River Prince, gave me a cool smile. "Uncle Arim, how lovely to see you."

"Lovely." Darius snorted. "Love has made you soft in the head."

Marcus raised an eyebrow, an arrogant gesture designed to irritate his brother, which it did. He smirked. "Oh? I'm not the one who was seen raiding the larder for my affai's sweet tooth. Chocolate-covered berberries?"

Darius flushed and his red eyes snapped. Before he could respond, I teleported us all inside my room and reinforced the area with a magical soundproof shield.

"Enough. You two are a constant source of headache. You'd think your affai would keep the both of you busy." I glared at Marcus. "And speaking of which, where is Tessa? Shouldn't you both be in the south, strengthening your defenses?"

Marcus shrugged. "Tessa is fine. I've been strengthening our defenses since last week. The only reason I'm here is that Mother begged me to come speak with you."

I groaned. "Perhaps it's good you're both here then." A knock at the door interrupted me. My irritation growing, I released the shield around the room and used magic to yank the door open.

Aerolus stood calmly in the doorway.

"I should have known. Come in."

The steely-eyed Wind Mage entered as if gliding over the floor. Since wedding Alandra, a Shadow Dweller with incredible magic — Shadow magic — he'd been showing off some powerful skills, talents he was most likely unaware of, as Aerolus was anything but a grandstander.

"A party without me?" He asked, all innocence, making his brothers laugh.

"I'm so glad you all find this amusing." I recalled the last time I'd been with these three brothers together. They'd been searching for Cadmus before scattering to protect their affaiand Tanselm.

Once again, history repeated itself. Re-spelling the room, I nodded at my nephews to sit and said, "Though the last few battles seem to have disbanded the main Netharat threat over the kingdom, the northlands still sit vulnerable without a Storm Lord in residence. Cadmus must be found, and soon."

"Can't you just locate him with a spell?" Darius asked.

Before I could answer, Aerolus shook his head. "If he could have, Cadmus would already be here. No, Cadmus is under Djinn enchantment. Their Dark energy plays havoc with Light Bringer magic."

"Well said." I turned to the others. "Jonas Chase guards your brother."

Marcus sat up straight. "Jonas is alive?"

"The Djinn that helped save Marcus and Tessa against Sin Garu?" Darius asked.

I nodded. "I'm surprised Aerolus never mentioned it."

Both Darius and Marcus glared at their brother.

"What? I wasn't keeping it a secret, exactly," Aerolus hedged.

I frowned. "You and Cadmus keep too many secrets. And you're supposed to be the smart one." I shook my head. "Jonas and a group of rebel Djinn have been plotting against the Dark Lord invasion for some time. I left Cadmus with Jonas days ago." By our time in Tanselm, but it could be weeks or months in the mundane world.

I'd been distracted lately by the Netharat attacks, and knowing Cadmus was protected, I hadn't been overly concerned about keeping in touch with the Djinn. "I've heard from Jonas once since then."

"Only once?" Darius sounded incredulous. "I can't believe you trust the Djinn after everything we've been through."

"Do you not remember Benold?" Marcus snapped.

I gritted my teeth. I didn't need the attitude from my sister and my nephews. "Yes, I remember the Djinn traitor in our own keep. And yes, I know he more than likely still has friends here we have yet to discover. But Jonas Chase is trustworthy, that I know."

The handshake I'd shared with Jonas before entrusting Cadmus to the Djinn had told me such. What I didn't share with my nephews was that although I trusted Jonas, I wasn't so sure about his comrades. Something about his rebel friends' resistance smacked of too much dark magic, even for the Djinn.

It had taken far more work than I'd anticipated to learn anything about Ellie Markham, Cadmus' apparent love interest. A Djinn. The daughter of Ethim il Ruethe, a Djinn clan leader and the equivalent of a Storm Lord king.

I sighed, feeling the inevitable weight of future change. Not a purist by any means, I had lived too long to believe peace could be had by intermingling Light with Shadow and Dark. My history with Lexa had taught me more than anything that love did not conquer all.

"Arim?" Aerolus asked in a low voice.

I glanced up to find all eyes on me. "What?"

"What would you have us do?"

I needed to move, to do something. Sitting in Tanselm waiting for the other shoe to drop smacked of idiocy. So I came to a decision.

"Darius, you and Samantha continue to protect your mother and the western kingdom. The threat here seems to have passed, but the possibility of replacing your mother with an Aellein look-alike, or worse, a Djinn clone, exists. We must be careful.

"Marcus, keep your eyes open for treachery among the people. I find it hard to believe the Dark Lords would confine this battle to the royal house and nowhere else. The rumors I've heard tell me unrest trembles in the south — your responsibility. Pay close attention to the new sorcerer I sent you. Aark's a soothsayer. See if Tessa can't siphon his talent and begin evaluating all your people. That should make finding the traitors easier, especially if they don't know exactly what Aark can do."

"Good idea." Marcus' eyes sparkled. "Between Aark and Tessa, we should be able to clean up the south fairly soon. Then we'll send them your way," he said to Darius, who nodded.

"Aerolus." I sought my nephew's keen gaze. "As much as I hate to suggest it, see if Alandra's Aellein allies are receiving any feedback from Morn Mountain. Tanselm feels the intrusion of Dark before her Light Bringers do. So if somehow the Dark Lords have infiltrated from another path we have yet to find…"

"Then our people will find it." Aerolus nodded.

I grimaced, not wanting to enter a lengthy discussion about the sense in trusting the Aellei. Granted, Alandra had clearly shown her mettle in the fight against the Dark Lords. But her people were another matter. Even my old friend, Sava. I wanted to believe in him, but there was just so much I couldn't control.

So much I didn't know, didn't trust…

"Her people, your people, I don't give a Light's damn." My patience had come to an end. "Just get it done. If you need me, cast a beckoning spell. I'll be circling in the Between."

With a whisper, I cast myself into the pathways between worlds, seeking the strands of Cadmus' elemental earth energy. As I flowed with life's ever-present magic, I caught stray bits of Dark, icy tendrils of feminine energy that instantly called Lexa Van Norsen to mind.

Startled to be thinking of her again when I should be focused on my nephew, I shook free of the woman and zeroed in on Cadmus. When I finally found the wayward Earth Lord, questions would be answered.

No more games, no more stand-offs. I needed information about the Djinn only Cadmus could tell me, and I intended to get it, one way or the other.