Chapter 9

Erix

Ugh. Paperwork was definitely the least favorite part of my job as War Leader for the Illyrians. They documented everything. I would so much rather be in my lab.

It was midmorning and I still hadn't had a cup of coffee. I glanced at my watch. I'd asked my assistant, Penelope, to get me one, but she'd been gone for a long time. Penny was usually pretty good about not getting sidetracked, so something urgent must have come up.

My office was huge and modern and sometimes grated on me with its opulence. When I'd been a starving slave in Alexandria the thought of being entitled to something like this would have seemed like a pipe dream. The former War Leader had been a pompous ass, more interested in the trappings of the station than the work. He had been well protected, politically.

I'd worked on the Prometheus technology team for two years before being assigned to the President's protection team.

Irene Korthios was a woman who demanded respect and had only recently come to the presidency herself. I had saved her life after an assassination attempt with one of my new gadgets, and she asked me to take the role of War Leader. I hadn't wanted the job, but it was the only way I could control how the technology I created was being used.

As soon as I'd moved in, I'd stripped the room of all the ornamentation the previous War Leader, Garrick, had used, replacing the gilded mirrors and expensive artwork with maps of our territory and whiteboards with info on various troop movements and project updates.

The only real symbol of my status remaining in the room were the two Soma guards assigned to stand on either side of the door. Despite my best efforts, I hadn't convinced the Council that I was able to protect myself just fine regardless of whether I was Bonded or not, thank you very much. The argument hadn't gotten me very far, but at least I had convinced them to reduce the guard detail to two, instead of the half dozen they had originally wanted to assign.

I rubbed my forehead, the beginnings of a headache forming behind my eyes. I'd been up late the night before working on a new project. For all intense and purposes it was a sonic bomb.

My engineering team had been enthusiastic about the basic premise and had been working on it for months. I didn't want to admit to them that the idea had actually come from a dream I'd had one night. Or nightmare, rather. I had been plagued with nightmares for years since I escaped Alexandria. They were always dreams of war, of death, of killing. Sometimes I wondered how I remained sane. Or if I really was sane, anymore.

I'd been up late the night before, another nightmare waking me early. I was reviewing the information we had received from our Alexandrian network. A group I had connected with when I escaped from Alexandria had started feeding us information about Alexandrian battle plans. That, along with the new technology my engineering teams were creating, were finally beginning to turn the tide on this damn war.

I took a certain grim satisfaction that the tutelage of Alexandria's best strategists was now being used to undermine their war efforts. Under my leadership, Illyria's military was holding its own for the first time in this war. We had even gained back a small amount of ground in the last few months, but I had a feeling our opponents were planning something big. The knowledge of it buried itself in my mind like a burr, making me short tempered and short on patience.

Who was I kidding? I was always short tempered. Something me and Elex had had in common as kids. I was just better at hiding it than he had been.

Thoughts of my twin summoned the normal tangled feelings of love, anger, betrayal and longing for the brother who had been such a big part of my life.

He would be twenty-two of course, if he was still alive, the same age I was. I had heard little about him or any of my other siblings since I had escaped. Maalik's promotion to heir was announced as expected after he had developed his Elusian powers, but we had heard nothing from Elex, Luke, Terry, or any of the others.

Maalik was a bully and sadist, but not the sharpest tool in the toolbox. He'd been a constant annoyance to Elex when we were kids, but like all bullies, he was essentially a coward. There was nothing I hated more in this world than cowardice. Which led my spiraling emotions back to thoughts of my twin. His fear of leaving Alexandria had cut me to the core. He hadn't trusted me enough to know I would never let anything happen to him. He'd been too afraid of leaving the familiar, as horrible as it was, for the unknown.

I put my pen down and sighed. Contemplating history a decade old was getting me nowhere. I really needed to find Penny and get that coffee.

I stood and heard a knock on my office door. The guards on either side stiffened.

"Come," I said, curious. Penny wouldn't have knocked, and I didn't have any appointments scheduled for this morning as I was working on the plans for a new attack.

Beatrice Ignatia entered the office and saluted, an unusually unsettled look on her face. Beatrice was one of my lieutenant generals. She was competent at her job, but wasn't always the most pleasant person to be around. She was proof positive that whatever side of the war you found yourself on, there would be good people and bad. I found her narrow-mindedness exasperating at times, and preferred not to interact with her unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Beatrice," I acknowledge as she entered the room and saluted, fist over heart.

"War Leader," she responded crisply.

"What brings you to the Thirtieth?" I asked, gesturing to one of the chairs and sat down across from her. No point in being rude. "I thought you were greeting the new Mageia from Heraklion and delivering them to the Pavilion first. Is something wrong?"

Beatrice looked decidedly uncomfortable. Her gaze seemed to linger on my face for longer than normal before she finally spoke.

"Yes, sir. I mean, no, nothing untoward happened, the Mageia are being transported to the Tower Pavilion as we discussed. You had requested to meet with one of the Somas, but there was someone among them you need to meet."

I thought furiously for a moment, then remembered.

"Oh yes! That's right," I said, snapping my fingers. "You were bringing back— Helios, was it? The Soma who started recruiting the Machi Mageia. Is he with you?"

I had heard stories of Helios Asimenios for some time. He held a certain… infamy in Illyria. He was a Soma who's Bonded had died, but he had survived. That almost never happened. I'd heard it was attributed to not having completed the Bonding ceremony at the time, but there were also less-charitable rumors. He had volunteered for an assignment with that damned Omada. For once, I had to agree that Captain Kopanos' pet project had yielded fruit.

Asimenios had been dispatched with one of our precious few Dual Mageia to protect a shipment of ammunition to an outpost. His partner had returned, but Asimenios hadn't. We had thought him dead, until he had flagged down a ship along the coast and sent the first group of five Mageia to the capital.

I still wasn't sure exactly how he'd done it. I'd taken on the role of War Leader only the year earlier, and he had been funneling Mageia to us for at least three. I had been lucky enough to be on the ship that had seen his signal fire on Crete and caused us to investigate, but I hadn't met him or any of the rescued Mageia personally. I was anxious to meet the man who had come up with the plan to spirit away our enemy's most valuable resource from under their noses.

Okay, and I admit, there was also the small hope in me that he might be my match, my Soma. At times it felt like I'd met virtually every Soma in Illyria. None of them had caused the sparking reaction that I'd heard so much about that indicated a potential match.

As an unbonded Mageia, I wasn't able to access all four elements, just my primary element, which was Fire. It had helped me escape Alexandria but was of only minimal use in Illyria.

I wondered from time-to-time what Elex's might have been, if he had survived. I didn't even know if he actually was Mageia; I had just assumed it because we had never heard word of him being legitimized, or killed. Would his primary have been Fire, like me? Or maybe the opposite, Water? I had no idea. We'd heard no word of my twin since I had escaped, despite my subtle inquiries. It was almost as if he had fallen off the face of the earth.

I knew I could do so much more to help my adopted homeland if I were able to block the Suppression power of the Elusians amongst our enemies. I remembered my first experience with Suppression when Maalik had targeted me and shuddered.

Beatrice's voice brought me back to the present.

"Yes, sir, I did. Helios is in the conference room. There are--others with him, though," she began.

"Others?" I asked. "Your orders were to bring just Helios."

"I understand, sir. He refused to come without his… companions." She said, her voice trailing off.

"Yes?" I prompted. "Who are his companions?"

"One of them he sent to take care of the other Mageia, but our soldiers say he is a Prince of Alexandria. He goes by Luke. He could be Prince Lucien. More importantly…"

Her voice trailed off. I couldn't imagine what she thought was more important than Luke being rescued. Happiness burst in my chest. The need to see my younger brother was overwhelming.

"Sir, there is also a soldier and, well, a Mageian who looks—just like you, War Leader. Except… His hair is black with a white streak, not white with a black," she said.

In that moment you could have heard a pin drop in the room. I don't think either of us were breathing.

Black hair with a white stripe. My face. There was only one person it could be.

I don't even know how it happened, but I was running down the hallway to the conference room, Beatrice close behind me, my Soma guardians trailing her.

I heard her yelling something at me, but I couldn't stop, couldn't listen. Not if there was even a chance.

I flung open the door to the room, accidentally slamming it against the wall with a crash. All eyes in the room turned towards me, two of the figures taking on defensive positions, but only one mattered to me.

My brother stood near the window dressed in a black t-shirt with a ragged hole torn in the front. My eyes searched his face for recognition.

"Erix." He said, his eyes wide with shock. I saw a glimpse of shocked joy that quickly shuttered.

"Elex," I breathed, staring into the face that was like a mirror image of my own.

The years of conflicted emotions melted away as I took a cautious step forward, longing to wrap my arms around my brother. Instead of reaching for me, though, he drew back. A look of confusion on his face.

"Elex, it's me. It's Erix," I said, pitching my voice low. His eyes were a little wild and he looked like a wild animal about to bolt.

"That's… that's not possible. I saw you drown," he said shaking his head in confusion.

"I didn't drown, adelfos," I whispered. "I escaped."

A tall man with wavy blond hair and piercing silver eyes stepped between my brother and me and I turned on him with a snarl. His face was heavily scarred but the sheer power of his presence was enough to make me want to take a step back. Erix the ex-slave might have given way, but Polemos the War Leader didn't back down to anyone.

"I would suggest you stay back until we figure this out," the man said as I glared at him. Suddenly my guards were pushing their way between us.

"You don't speak to the War Leader in that tone, spasmenos," one of my guards said.

Broken one. Shit.

"You must be Helios," I said, tearing my gaze away from my twin. "How did…"

My mind was a whirl, timelines and bits of information all falling into place.

"You met at the Machi, didn't you?" I asked.

Elex nodded, still staring at me in mute fascination. I could almost read the emotions flickering over his face. Confusion was predominant. Hope and fear, joy and… shame?

"This is fucking impossible," he said. "I saw you die."

"Rumors of my death were slightly exaggerated?" I said, a small smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. "I escaped downriver and made my way to Illyria. Just like we'd planned."

He moved toward me, but my Soma guards rushed to intervene.

"Giva, Den, back off," I growled at my guards. The distraction cost me as I caught movement out of the corner of my eye as Elex rushed from the room.

"Elex!" I called, but he ignored me.

"I'll talk to him," Helios said before taking off after my brother.

An awkward silence fell in the room, broken by the sound of a chair being pushed back from the table as the man in it stood.

"I thought the name of the War Leader was Polemos," the man said.

He was older, maybe in his early- to mid-thirties, the sharpness in his gaze defying the silver glints in his close-cropped dark hair. His face and body held scars, and with his bearing, he had to be a soldier. There was something… magnetic about the man. His eyes were a deep, deep green, and didn't seem to miss even the slightest nuance of movement in the room.

"Polemos is the name I took when I escaped from Alexandria," I said, turning toward the man. "It seemed…prudent to not use my real name at the time."

He nodded.

"Understandable, given your parentage."

"What do you know about my parentage, Alexandrian?" I demanded. "And who the hell are you?"

"Allard Andinos, former Lochagos of the Alexandria Legion," he said, bowing with his right fist over his heart. "Former Weapons Master to King Cyrius Alexus. Your father."

I felt the blood drain from my face and sent a look of utter shock at Bea. An Alexandrian Elusian. Here.

"Sir—" she began to speak as if she wanted to explain something.

"Take him," I barked at the Somas beside me, taking an involuntary step back from the man. I'd felt the agony of Suppression too many times over the years to give this bastard a chance. My brothers had brought a fucking Elusian into the middle of our stronghold. The damage he could do here was unimaginable.

Allard didn't respond, just looked at me, a small smile on his face.

"I am not here to harm you or yours, War Leader. If anything, I come seeking asylum."

Allard's gaze didn't leave my own even as my guards moved. The tension in his body belied the calmness of his gaze.

"I don't give a shit why you're here, Alexandrian. You're the enemy!" I growled.

Giva didn't wait to hear the rest of the conversation. She flowed like water past me as she dropped and swept her leg out to knock Allard off his feet. Den shot forward at the same moment; his fist headed straight for Allard's head in an attempt to knock the Elusian out.

Somehow the man just…wasn't there when my Soma's attacked. In a move almost too fast to follow, Allard grabbed Den's wrist, yanking him forward and off balance. The Elusian shoved the younger man to the floor where he landed on top of Giva's outstretched leg. I heard her yelp as something cracked and her face became a grimace of pain.

In a flash Allard's boot was on the back of Den's neck, his heavier body effectively pinning both Somas on the floor.

"Am I, though?" Allard asked calmly, completely ignoring the threat of my Soma guards. "If I was really your enemy, I could have killed anyone in this room before you had a chance to say hello."

"Release them, Elusian" I demanded, my arms at my sides as I summoned fireballs to my hands. "Or I will burn you to ash."

Allard's gaze held mine, the Elusian's face still oddly unconcerned. If anything a glint of humor glowed in those emerald eyes.

"If I had a credit for every time someone threatened me, I'd be a very rich man. And as you noticed, I am, indeed, Elusian. If I chose to, I could snuff your magic before you could stop me. You are obviously not a Tesseris Mageia, you couldn't stop me. Your people need better training," he said after a moment before stepping back, removing his boot from Den's neck. "An Alexandrian dokimos would know how to avoid that move."

I narrowed my eyes at the condescending asshole. Den and Giva were two of the best fighters we had.

"Well, this isn't Alexandria, old man," I replied, reaching down to help Den up.

"Obviously," he said, his cool gaze raking over the surroundings. "In Alexandria, you'd be dead already."

"Really?" a voice asked as the click of a pistol cocking echoed through the room. Beatrice had stepped to the side and her firearm was held steadily aimed at Allard's chest. "I don't think so, Andinos. You're not the only soldier in the room."

"I'm sorry, sir, I should have told you—" she began, but was interrupted when I was suddenly shoved forward and stumbled, turning to face the new threat only to stare into Elex's familiar gaze, Helios close behind him.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he growled at me, his dark hair flying around his face.

"He's an Alexandria Elusian," I responded. "He's the fucking enemy. How could you bring him here?"

"Do you really think me so stupid as to bring someone into Illyria that was going to harm anyone?" he demanded. Power seemed to pour off my twin. His hands glowed with rings of earth, air, fire and water. I could almost see the steam boiling from his ears. "He saved our lives. He saved the lives of Illyrians. He is a fucking friend."

Fuck. My brother was a Tesseris Mageia. The shock made the fire fade from my hands and I stepped to the side, hastily tugged my clothing into place. Suits were not made for hand-to-hand combat. Den and Giva shamefacedly got to their feet with Helios' help. Allard wisely stepped back toward the windows, his hands up as Beatrice kept her weapon aimed.

Helios approached Giva, who was leaning awkwardly against Den, unable to put weight on her right leg.

"Allow me?" he asked formally, holding his hands out toward her. Giva glanced at me, then back at Helios before nodding.

He laid his hands on her knee, which had already started swelling. He closed his eyes to focus and a golden glow appeared around them. Shit. He was Bonded and was using his healing abilities to fix her knee. The last word we'd had was that he had not found a replacement for his dead Bonded, which was why I had ordered him back here.

I saw Elex's quick glance at Helios while trying to keep me in his sights and everything clicked into place. I sighed in resignation. Of course, they were a Bonded pair. There went that pipe dream. The hope of finding a Soma to activate my own ability to block suppression was fading quickly.

"You vouch for him?" I demanded of my brother, disappointment sharpening my tone. He nodded.

"Fine," I growled. "He's your responsibility. If he hurts any of my people, brother or no, I will end you both."

"Don't threaten me," Elex said.

"Don't threaten him," Helios said at the same time, his eyes still closed.

"Don't threaten us," Allard growled.

I snorted, returning and took a seat.

"At least you've had someone backing you up. Welcome to fucking Illyria."