Brother Dearest

MADDIE

I wandered through the dingy arcade, surrounded by flashing lights and the chaotic sounds of video games.

When I had asked my estranged brother to meet with me, this wasn’t exactly the location I was expecting.

But then again, if my recent behavior was any indication, I wasn’t an expert at one-on-one talk.

My hang with Zayda had been a shitshow. When I woke up the next morning, I cursed myself for being so harsh with her and walking out. I mean, her boyfriend had just ~died!~ It was totally inexcusable.

But back on the rooftop with vodka in my system, I was fucking ~pissed.~

I couldn’t handle the way Zayda had shit-talked Freesia.

After all the visions I had had of the poor woman, I empathized with her. Even more—I identified with her.

Hell, it was even possible that I was her second coming!

Maybe I felt a little jealous that Zayda could have been too…

~Whatever.~

I needed to figure out more about my past, and that was all that mattered.

Which was why I was here, in the dusty arcade, peering down each dim row of gaming machines to find my brother.

Mason.

My brother had been nice to me during my short time at Xander University, practically a lifetime ago. But when I decided I wanted nothing to do with my father, I’d written him off too.

I hoped he wasn’t pissed.

In the very last row of the arcade, I saw a towering figure playing the machine closest to the wall.

I couldn’t make out his face, but he had red hair. Could ~this~ be my brother?

Mason would’ve had to have gained a lot of weight.

But he was the only soul in the place…

I continued down the aisle slowly.

The young man was fully absorbed in his game, so much so that he didn’t notice me just a few feet away.

The neon lights of the game flickered on his face, and I saw for certain—it ~was~ Mason.

From the determination on his face, I knew I couldn’t exactly interrupt him. I stood behind him, looking over his hulking shoulder.

In the game, Mason was a solitary knight fighting a fire-breathing dragon.

The graphics were old and crappy, and it was hard for me to understand how the game was prompting such dedication.

He pounded on the buttons and jammed the joystick madly, clearly at some crucial moment in the game.

The digitized dragon rushed forward, and the knight hit him with his sword.

The dragon’s health bar lowered by one square.

The battle raged on with both the dragon and the knight taking losses to their health.

After a few minutes, I found myself getting swept up in the action.

I wanted the knight to win. To beat the dragon and protect the castle…

Finally, after a fatal blow, the screen zoomed in on the dying dragon.

Instead of rejoicing, as I had predicted, Mason let out a sound like a dying animal.

“Noooooo,” he whined.

“You were the dragon?!” I asked.

He turned around and saw me.

“Of course,” he replied. “That’s how this game works.”

His expression told me that he hadn’t known I was behind him, but he also didn’t care.

I gulped. Mason looked ~a lot~ different than the last time I had seen him. He’d gained at least forty pounds and had grown a patchy, unkempt beard. His body odor stung my nose whenever he moved.

“Um, how have you been?” I asked.

He didn’t reply. He just gave me an expression that said, “Cut the shit.”

He clearly wasn’t ready or willing to tell me anything, although I was curious after seeing his transformation.

“Let’s go talk,” he said without enthusiasm.

He pushed past me, heading down the aisle to the back of the arcade.

There was a saggy blue corduroy couch in a corner. As we sat down, a wave of cigarette smoke came over us.

I couldn’t contain myself anymore.

“Mason, this place is a ~shithole!~”

He shrugged. “No one bothers me here.”

Okay. My brother had been going through some shit. But neither of us were here for talk therapy.

“I asked to meet because I want to know more about my mother. ~Our~ mother,” I corrected myself.

Mason sighed.

“What do you want to know?” he asked warily.

“Well, what was she like?”

My brother sighed again, as if that was a boring and difficult question.

“I don’t remember her well,” he began defensively. “I’m only three years older than you. Toward the end, she was really sick. She died in childbirth.”

“She was sick while she was pregnant with me?”

The thought that I’d caused her sickness made me feel bad, even if there was nothing I could’ve done. I tried to dam up the sudden flood of emotions.

Mason nodded. “She was like…sick in the head. I remember she said some fucked-up stuff.” He looked at his hands.

“What kind of fucked-up stuff?”

“Um…I don’t know.” He fidgeted. “I just remember it made me scared.”

I stared at Mason. He had changed so much since he had been my evil father’s protégé. I was glad he had gotten out from under Xander’s thumb, but it was clear he was struggling.

Was it partly because of the disturbing memories of our mother?

I had so many questions, but he didn’t seem to be the one to answer them. The memories were too painful for him.

There was only one person who could tell me what I needed to know. If I could get him to tell me the truth…

~Xander.~

“I should go, Maddie,” Mason said. He looked exhausted as he pushed himself up from the couch.

I stood up with him and pulled him into a bear hug. “You take care of yourself, okay?”

“I will,” he groaned.

He took off down another dark aisle of the arcade. Alone, I found my way back to the light of day.

STORM

I soared toward the Dusk Mountains, the trees a green swirl beneath me.

I sensed some activity and needed to respond.

It was here that Silver had led Dane and Aneurin to build their lair.

From my outings around Requiem, I could see that the brothers were flourishing. If there was trouble, I wanted to know.

As I approached, I flew low to avoid detection. When I was even closer, I landed and shifted into my human form.

As I stepped over the stream, I heard the clash of tooth and nail…

~A dragon fight.~

I hurried on until I reached a clearing in the forest. And then I could see them.

And I knew it was more than a rowdy scuffle…

It was a ~Twin Leading Breed duel.~

Loch and Hael were vicious opponents as they maneuvered around Dane and Aneurin. Their inherent connection allowed them to dance a deadly duet with their opponents.

Hael snapped at Dane’s wing, making him flounder midair.

Aneurin plunged toward Loch with his talons extended, but Loch gracefully evaded the attack.

It was clear that Loch and Hael were playing the long game while Dane and Aneurin spent all their energy trying to engage them.

The mind-link buzzed with activity.

Loch

Recruit another young dragon, and we’ll burn your pathetic commune to the ground.

Aneurin

The boy came to us!

Hael

Yeah, right.

Dane

You can’t understand what it’s like for someone to choose you of their own will.

Hael

Yet I always get what I want…

Loch

Get ready to eat dust, Dusk!

Already, the Dusk dragons were struggling with Loch and Hael.

I knew what the outcome would be.

Hael dove at Dane with his razor-sharp teeth extended. Dane twisted midair, but only enough that Hael’s teeth met his side and not his belly.

With an air-rending rip, Hael tore through Dane’s scales. The black dragon released a pained cry as he hurtled toward the ground.

With that, the duel was over. Aneurin soared down to care for his brother while Loch and Hael took to the skies.

I, too, retreated.

That the twins’ rivalry should now come to a head intrigued me. The dragons of Requiem City were clashing.

The battle was over, and Loch and Hael had won.

But it only meant a greater war was imminent.

MADDIE

I lurked at the edges of the Xander University campus like a thief.

Why had I come here anyway?

My meeting with Mason earlier in the day had spooked me. I thought coming to the university might take me closer to Xander without actually having to be close to him.

But, in the dark, the campus held no clues.

I checked my phone. It was almost 11 p.m., and Loch and Hael would be expecting me at home.

I wasn’t ~avoiding~ them, per se. I just wasn’t rushing home. I hadn’t seen them much since my little tantrum and wasn’t sure how we would move forward.

As I rounded a corner, I saw the chapel that held Freesia’s Rock.

It was surrounded by warning signs.

^DANGER ZONE^

^BEWARE OF BLOOD^

Just like in my vision!

Despite the warning, I ran toward the chapel and entered the dark space.

It wasn’t only my vision.

Freesia’s Rock was definitely, in real life, ~bleeding~.

A pool of blood surrounded the stone. In this light, the liquid looked black.

~Just like my vision.~

Drawn to the grotesque sight, I crossed the grass from the shadows.

I stared down into the blood as it congealed in the open air.

It coursed down the black rock in a steady flow.

Before I knew what I was doing, I reached out and dipped my finger in a rivulet.

I rubbed the blood between my fingers, admiring its thick, velvety consistency.

I inspected it carefully, only to find it a deeper red than was familiar to me.

Was this human blood? Or…something else?

Suddenly, I heard footsteps outside. I hastily wiped my bloody finger on my jeans.

I needed to get out of XU.

Now!