Chapter 106: Gather the Living

Aeloria POV

"I found ancient Leviathan records."

The room instantly became serious. Every single male leaned forward. Now I had their full attention. I launched into the story. The trunks. The books. The family histories. The armor. The relics. The warnings. The island. The chaos. The deeper I got into the explanation, the quieter the room became. Eventually nobody was smiling. Not even Zorath. "The dark god isn't alone," I finished. Silence. Tavren looked disturbed. Dorian looked angry. Calren looked thoughtful. Rhyven looked worried. Riven looked absolutely still. Which was somehow worse. "The texts spoke of another force," I continued. "A chaos god." Nobody spoke.

"The queen is named Anatria."

Rhyven slowly exhaled. "And the god?"

"No name." That bothered me. A lot. The books had named everything. Everything except him.

Riven finally spoke. "Names have power." Everyone looked at him. The Leviathan male stared into the distance. "If something ancient enough wanted its name forgotten..."

A chill crawled down my spine. "That's not comforting."

"It wasn't meant to be." Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. I immediately brightened. "But that's not even the coolest thing." Six males groaned simultaneously. I pulled the ring from my pocket. The silver band gleamed in the lantern light. Tavren immediately stood. "What is that?"

"A shadow ring." His eyes nearly fell out of his head. "A what?"

I slipped it onto my finger. Immediately the world shifted to the grey nothingness of The Shadow Realm. Everything became distorted. Like reality viewed through dark water. I grinned. Then removed the ring. Reality snapped back. Every male was staring. Zorath looked impressed. Tavren looked ready to faint. Dorian looked horrified. "Absolutely not."

"There it is.""There WHAT is?"

"The thing where you immediately tell me no."

"Because this is insane."

"It's awesome."

"It is insane."

"It can be both."

Rhyven rubbed his face. "Aeloria..." I ignored him. Riven held out his hand. "Let me see it." Interesting. Very interesting. I passed him the ring. The moment it touched his skin, shadows exploded across the room. Everyone jumped. The lanterns dimmed. The temperature dropped. The air felt heavier. Riven vanished. Gone. Completely gone. Tavren made a strangled noise. Then Riven reappeared several seconds later. His eyes were wide. For maybe the first time since I'd met him.

"What?" I asked.

He slowly removed the ring. "It definitely works."

The room exploded.

"What?!"

"Why?"

"How?"

Tavren practically launched himself across the table. I looked between him and myself. Then it clicked. "Leviathans." Riven nodded. The scholar immediately began scribbling notes. "That makes sense."

"No it doesn't," Calren said.

"It absolutely does."

"Explain."

Tavren pointed at us. "Leviathan blood." Then pointed at the ring. "Leviathan artifact." Then pointed at us again. "Compatibility."

Zorath stared. "I hate smart people." Tavren ignored him. Dorian looked even less happy now.

"So now BOTH of you can enter the Shadow Realm?"

"Apparently."

"No."

I laughed. "You don't get to decide that."

"I absolutely do."

"You absolutely don't."

Calren groaned. "We're going to die."

"We're not going to die."

"You always say that."

"Because we're usually fine."

"Usually."

Fair. Then I remembered something. "Oh."

The room went silent. Immediately. Every single male narrowed their eyes. That reaction felt unfair. "What?"

"What did you forget?" Dorian asked.

"Nothing."

"Aeloria."

I sighed. "I kissed Arren."

The house itself seemed to freeze. The flowers stopped moving. The lanterns dimmed. Even the magical house was judging me. Then six growls filled the room. All six. Including Riven. Zorath threw his hands into the air. "WHY?"

I blinked. "He was there?"

"No."

"He's attractive?"

"No."

"I was excited."

"AELORIA."

I pointed at them. "You all act like I proposed marriage."

Dorian pinched the bridge of his nose.Calren dropped backward onto the couch. Rhyven looked personally offended. Tavren stared at the ceiling as if asking the gods for patience. Riven simply crossed his arms. Which somehow felt most dangerous.

"You kissed him," Dorian said.

"Yes."

"On the mouth."

"That's generally how kissing works."

"AELORIA."

I laughed. He looked seconds from a breakdown. "Can you please stop kissing random people?" I thought about it. Honestly. Seriously considered it. Then shrugged. "Maybe?" Six frustrated noises immediately answered me.

The house was in absolute chaos an hour later.

Which was fitting, considering I had just learned actual Chaos might be coming. Everyone was talking at once. Maps were being pulled out. Books were flying around Tavren's head. Riven stood near the windows staring toward the ocean with a dark expression. Dorian looked like he was already planning military defenses. Calren was pacing. Zorath looked way too excited about the possibility of fighting ancient horrors. Rhyven was quietly calculating resources.

Typical. I climbed onto a chair. Then onto the table. Then pointed dramatically at everyone.

"LISTEN UP." The room immediately went silent. "Contact everyone important to you." They all blinked. I continued. "I'm serious." I pointed toward the floor. "Right now."

Dorian frowned. "Aeloria.."

"No." I cut him off. "No arguments." The room grew quiet again. Sooner or later they were all going to understand exactly how serious this was. "I am putting up stronger wards around this island." I pointed toward the windows. "And around Elwyn's island." The six men exchanged glances. "If that shadow god unleashes whatever this Chaos thing is..." I swallowed. "...everyone outside those wards is screwed." Nobody laughed. Nobody argued. Because they knew I wasn't exaggerating. The ancient books had been crystal clear. Hide. Fortify. Prepare. Survive.

I hated it. Every part of me hated it. But I wasn't stupid enough to ignore thousands of years of warnings. "We currently have room for approximately five thousand more people here."

Rhyven nodded. "That's accurate."

"Good." I pointed at him. "Elwyn's island can accommodate another two thousand."

"It can."

"The outskirts can be expanded."

Calren immediately nodded. "We can build additional housing."

"Perfect." I jumped down from the table. "So contact anyone you still trust." I looked at each of them. "Anyone you care about." The room softened slightly. "Tell them to come." I swallowed hard. "Immediately." For a moment nobody spoke. Then Dorian stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. Strong. Safe. Warm. "I'll contact my extended family."

I nodded. "Good." I kissed him softly. "I love you." The fierce expression on his face immediately softened. "I love you too."

Calren was next. He pulled me close and kissed my forehead. "I'll send messages tonight and contact my Uncle."

"Good." I kissed him too. "I love you."

A grin appeared. "Obviously."

I rolled my eyes. Rhyven stepped forward next. The sea prince wrapped an arm around my waist. "I'll contact every sea house still loyal to my family." Relief washed through me."Thank you."

I kissed him. "I love you."

His expression warmed. "And I love you."

Zorath practically shoved his way forward. "I'll tell everyone." I laughed. "You don't even know everyone."

"I know enough people."

Fair. I kissed him, and his grin immediately doubled. "I love you."

"I know."

Cocky ass. Tavren stepped forward looking slightly overwhelmed. "I'll contact the rebellion scholars. Historians. Archivists."

My eyes lit up. "YES." That was actually brilliant. "We need them."

"I know."

I kissed his cheek. "I love you." His entire face turned red. Adorable. Then Riven stepped forward. The Leviathan male didn't say anything at first. He simply pulled me against him. The ocean seemed to answer. The house creaked softly around us. The bond hummed. "I'll contact the deep."

My eyes widened. "The deep?" His gaze darkened. "There are things beneath the sea that still remember." A shiver ran down my spine. "Okay." I wasn't sure if that was comforting or terrifying. Possibly both. I kissed him. "I love you."

His forehead rested briefly against mine. "And I love you."

Suddenly I looked around. "Wait." Everyone froze.

"What?" Calren asked.

"Where is Seris?"

Silence. I narrowed my eyes. "SERIS!" A crash echoed somewhere upstairs. Then another. Then running footsteps. A moment later Seris came flying around the corner. Wild silver hair. Slightly out of breath. Entirely suspicious.

"I WAS SUMMONED?" I pointed dramatically. "Yes, love." She straightened instantly. "What do you need?"

"Contact your loved ones." The humor vanished from her face. A shadow crossed her expression. "I have no family."

The words hit harder than I expected. For a moment the room became very quiet. I walked over and hugged her. Immediately. Without hesitation. Her arms wrapped around me automatically. "You have us." Her shoulders tightened. I squeezed harder. "Okay?"

After a long moment she nodded. "Okay."

I smiled. "Good, and you're stuck with us."

Then I pointed toward the door. "I need you spreading the word throughout both islands." Her warrior instincts immediately kicked in. "I can do that."

"Tell everyone we may be accepting refugees." Her eyes narrowed. "How many?"

"Thousands."

That got everyone's attention again. Seris nodded. "I'll start immediately."

"Thank you."

She disappeared moments later. Already moving. Already working. I smiled. Then looked toward the ocean. "Kael?" The familiar Leviathan voice immediately echoed through my mind. "I heard everything." A wave of relief washed through me. "Already sending word?"

"To every beast that will listen."

Good. I smiled. "Thank you." Warm affection flowed back through the bond. Then faded. The giant Leviathan already moving to complete the task. I looked around the room. "We need a council meeting after the feast tonight." Everyone nodded. Plans would need to be made. Defenses. Evacuations. Wards. Preparations. So much preparation. Before I could think any further, Calren suddenly grabbed my waist. I squeaked. He pulled me against him and kissed me. Thoroughly. When he finally released me, I was laughing. Then he smacked my ass hard enough to make me yelp and squeezed.

"CALREN!"

The bastard looked entirely pleased with himself. His arm tightened around my waist. "You belong to us, Aeloria." My face immediately heated.

"Oh my gods."

"Don't you forget it."

The other men looked far too amused. Traitors. Every single one of them. I pointed accusingly.

"You're all ridiculous, possessive buttheads."

"Maybe," Zorath agreed.

"Definitely," Dorian added.

I rolled my eyes. Then smiled. Gods, I loved them. Every single one. "Anyway." I stepped away before Calren got any more ideas. "I think I'm going for a swim until the feast." The ocean was calling. The beach was calling. And honestly? After everything I'd learned today...I needed a little peace before tonight changed everything.

So I headed for the shore. The sea would be waiting for me. As always.

The beach was blissfully empty. Exactly what I needed. The ocean sparkled beneath the late afternoon sun, as waves rolled lazily against white sand while seabirds drifted overhead. For the first time all day, nobody was asking me questions. No chaos gods. No council meetings. No world-ending prophecies. Just me and the sea. I sighed happily and started pulling off pieces of my armor. The leather chest piece hit the sand first. Then my bracers. Then my boots. I was halfway tangled between removing one stubborn shoulder strap and pulling off the rest of my gear when a whistle echoed behind me. A very appreciative whistle. I nearly tripped over my own boots.

"AELORIA!"

Laughter exploded behind me. My half-removed leather armor promptly tangled around one arm while I attempted to regain what little dignity remained. I spun around. Nyra stood twenty feet away grinning like she'd just won a war. "Oh my gods." She laughed harder.

I pointed accusingly. "You almost killed me."

"I absolutely did not."

"You did."

"I absolutely didn't."

My cheeks were burning. Which only seemed to amuse her more. The silver blonde haired warrior slowly looked me up and down. "Oh you are definitely hot as shit."

My jaw dropped. "Nyra!"

"What?"

"You are shameless."

Her grin widened. "And yet here you are."

I hated how much I liked her. Eventually she tilted her head toward the water. "Swimming?" I glanced at the ocean. Then back at her. "Swim with me?" Nyra looked around dramatically. "Hmm."

"Nyra."

"Let me think."

"Nyra."

The grin returned. "Absolutely."