“I don’t care about any of that. I need to find my brother.”

He paused for a time.

His gaze still warned her, but Fate wouldn’t listen.

“Very well,” he said.

She returned to his side, thinking only of her brother and her desire to free him.

Nigel repeated his trick with the guard at the palace gates, then watched as Fate dashed off through the yard.

She sprinted by the well to the large pillars around her brother’s balcony. Gripping the vines, she attempted to climb and slipped on the snow covering her shoes. By then, her emotions had weighed down upon her shoulders. She ripped off her shoes and tossed them to the ground. Nothing would stand in her way, for she simply couldn’t let anything take Abyssus away.

Fate had often read about daring adventures in books. She went on journeys with bold characters and experienced life vicariously through their suffering and triumphs.

Yet life was nothing like books. This pain was real and treacherous.

Her fingers, arms, and legs throbbed. Every inch traversed felt like a mile, and after a while, she thought she might never reach the top. Unlike the protagonists in her books, she had no training, no experience with true pain until now.

She clung to the pillar with all her might as her face flooded with tears. Little by little, she finished her journey up the pillar and dragged herself over the edge of the railing. Her skin burned like fire, so she rested against the cold stone.

The balcony doors rattled and Abyssus knelt down beside her. “Sis!” He embraced her with all his might.

Fate expected to lose control of her emotions the moment she saw him, but for some reason she managed to collect herself. She shot up from the ground and grabbed him by the arm. “Abyssus, let’s go. Let’s go to the Capital!”

“Wha—but, Firmus....” He turned back to the shadowy door.

She pulled his arm again. “Abyssus, we can tell the High Queen about what Neco has done! We can take Firmus away from here! Come with me!”

“I can’t leave him! I don’t know what Neco will do to him.”

“I don’t know what he’ll do to you. I can’t leave you here. Come with me!” She looked into his eyes, pleading with him, and the more she tried reasoning with him, the harder it became to choke down her tears. “Please, Abyssus, come with me. We have to go now.”

He gently pulled away and stepped back. “I will go and get him. Wait here.”

Fate reached out to him as he ran off into the darkness. She gasped in fear for her brother. “Abyssus, come back!” Every cell of her existence seemed to scream: Abyssus! Come back, please!

Footsteps echoed through the palace, up the stairs, and down the hallway. The palace filled with the shouting and rumbling of guards on a hunt.

Fate paced the room, searching for a place to hide. Using the balcony railing and the open doors, she hoisted herself onto the roof and lay flat to listen.

Soon the guards entered the room below.

Fate noted Fortuna’s voice amongst the others who had entered the room: Neco, Abyssus, Firmus, and several soldiers.

Fortuna initiated the first conversation, “Abyssus, where has she gone?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Abyssus said. “You took her away from me. You took my sister. Give her back!”

Neco droned, “We shall make this simple. If Fate does not return to the brothel, then Abyssus will no longer have any reason to remain in Macellarius. He shall be... removed if necessary.”

Fate’s eyes shifted back and forth as she listened to the discussion. She couldn’t imagine a world without Abyssus. He was the only being in existence that made her life worth living.

Fortuna sprang back into the conversation. “Wait a moment, he’s just a child.”

“Yes, a worthless child. I have no need for worthless things.”

Fate shook her head over and over. She wanted to beat it against the roof tiles to shake herself from the nightmare, but it was no use. Unless she interfered, her brother would be lost.

She jumped down from her hiding place and turned slowly to face the others. “Just once, let me be with Abyssus. Just once more. I want to play with him like usual.”

Neco laughed spitefully. “In return for what, exactly?”

“My cooperation.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I will stay at the brothel and I will follow orders.”

He raised a brow at her suggestion. “And that’s all?”

Fate’s eyes filled with tears, but she refused to cry in front of Neco. She clenched the fabric of her dress and met eyes with Abyssus as she gathered her resolve. No matter how much he protested, she promised herself that she would do everything in her power to protect him.

Swallowing again, she choked down her tears. “I will become your wife and I will do as you wish without objection.” Although she made her vow, she knew in her heart that she could not resign herself to Neco’s will. She would never marry him; she just needed to protect Abyssus, even if it meant lying.

“Anything?” Neco waited for a nod of verification. “Very well.”

“I wish to spend some time at the brothel first. Then once more—just once—I would like to return to see Abyssus.”

Neco exhaled through his nose, glowering subtly. His emerald eyes gleamed in the moonlight. “And for this request, Abyssus shall become my property.”

Fate took a long look at her brother. “Why are you keeping us apart like this?”

Neco crossed his arms. “Why, you ask? You look at me so coldly, with such hatred. You have only yourself to blame for being a spoiled girl. You’re always clinging to your brother, always chasing after him. You shall one day return to me, Fate, once you have learned how to please your future husband. If you will not do it for me, you will do it for your brother.”

“You can’t keep him from me.” She glimpsed at Abyssus.

His violet eyes, like her own, glistened with longing and guilt.

Firmus ran his hand through Abyssus’ dark hair to comfort him. It seemed as though he wanted to do more for Abyssus, that he wished to stop Neco, but something held him back.

Fate’s gaze shifted from Firmus to Fortuna in an attempt to understand. The two Ignis Ancients could have effortlessly killed Neco if they wished.

She sensed a hidden purpose behind their cooperation. The longer she studied them, the more she thought they resembled two wild cats waiting to spring on a gazelle. She wanted to understand their strange behavior.

Neco dug his fingers into his sleeves. “What will you do? This is your last chance, Fate. If you accept, you may come see your brother again.”

Fortuna pushed Fate behind her. “She will accept. In exchange, Firmus shall become Abyssus’ personal guard. If any harm shall come to Abyssus, then Fate will be freed from the brothel.” She brushed her long willowy fingers across the side of her face, revealing a satisfied smirk.

Neco released a low grunt of discontent. He settled for some time, debating on the proposal. He repeated it carefully while checking for loopholes, “Fate will come visit Abyssus once more. He shall be under my control, but Firmus will be his guard. If all remains in agreement, Fate shall return to me and become my wife.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Fortuna leaned back, supporting the weight of her bosom against her arms. “If your brother interferes, then neither of us shall have a say in the results. We each hold our end of the agreement.”