Behind the Mask

22. The Triad

Lea

I was still in Richard’s arms, and I knew he wasn’t very willing to let me go any time soon, even when I felt that Alexus and my Sun were running in my direction. Valentin surely felt my distress through our bond. 

“Lea,” Valentin called, his voice laced with desperation, he placed his hands on my shoulders and hugged my back, since My Wolf wasn’t relenting in his tight hold. I knew he needed this reassurance, as much as I did. 

“Baby, are you okay?” Alexus asked and I turned around slightly to look at him and see Alexander. My heart jumped in my chest when I noticed that my baby wasn’t with him.

“Where is Alexander?” I asked, nervously.

“He is with Livia and Avalon, don’t worry, baby,” he muttered, and I broke from Richard’s hug and sank in Alexus’ arms. 

“It’s okay, you are both safe now,” Valentin told me. 

My gaze found Liv and Avalon approaching us, my baby was snuggled in my sister’s arms, he was fussing a bit. It must have been so scary for my little one. 

Liv gave Alexander to me, and he held to me tightly, with much more strength than I could expect from a baby.

“Mommy is here, it‘s okay, baby. It’s okay,” I cooed him, bouncing him up and down gently. 

I inhaled his delicious baby’s smell deeply and placed many kisses on his head. We were both safe now, I sighed. 

“Who were those monsters?” Liv asked, her eyes traveled between the headless body and the man wrapped in the cocoon my vines created. 

“I don’t really know,” I breathed deeply. 

“They are wizards, I can’t believe that our own people tried to hurt you, Lea,” Avalon’s voice was laced with indignation. 

“They said something about a triad, I didn’t really understand what he meant, he said they are coming for me, and that I am abnormal...that Alexander and I weren’t supposed to exist.” A lump formed in my throat as I repeated his dreadful words. 

Richard growled at the cocoon of a man, and I grabbed his arm, stopping him to launch at my attacker. He flashed me an apologetic look and took Alexander and me in his arms. 

“Those wizards are followers of the triad, a group of the three mages, ancient hermits from the desert,” I heard Elric’s voice, it was atypically laced with restlessness. 

We all turned to look at him and listen to his words. 

“What does that mean and why are they after Lea’s and Alexander? Why are they after us?” Liv asked, trying to look at Elric since Avalon had her engulfed in his protective embrace. 

“More than two thousand years ago, there were many hybrids, for one could produce a child with someone other than their mates and conceiving wasn’t hard and rare as it is now,” Elric started, taking a deep exhale.

Just as he paused his explanation, I noticed that Laius, mom, and even dad were approaching us from two different sides. My scream worked as a siren, attracting them all. 

“Conflicts and wars rose at a worrisome rate, empires rose in the same disturbing speed as they crumbled. There was no stability, not even real realms and kingdoms, only sheer chaos reigned. To establish balance the Fates introduced a few changes, they made it only possible for one to conceive with their mates, which would always be an individual from their same species. Hence, hybrids wouldn’t exist anymore. However, in a further attempt to impose such a balance, the fates eliminated almost all the hybrids in some sort of cleansing. The Triad were their agents and their mission, the very purpose of their existence was to wipe all hybrids from the Realms, from the world of the living,” Elric explained.

 ~ * ~

Liv

I was listening to Elric’s words and thinking about their meaning, as I felt my devilicious wrapping an arm around me. 

I had some scolding to do, about that ridiculous fight, but it could wait. 

Mom took Lea’s hand in hers and kissed Alexander’s head, her blue eyes deep with worry. She was already going through so much, she didn’t need this added to the pile as well.

I sighed deeply, as my insides clenched for her. I looked at Elric once again, he looked worried and very down, gloomy. I swallowed hard as my mind went back to his words.  

“This makes no sense, the Goddess… she somehow used us hybrids, Lea and I, to bring the realms together, to bring peace and balance,” I thought out loud, pretty much trying to make sense of the new threat in our lives. 

Goddess, give this beech a break! I prayed-grumbled in silence, looking at the tall ceiling. 

“Things changed in two thousand years, and the very thing that brought chaos, the hybrids, were what brought balance once again. Besides, around eight hundred years ago, the Goddess took over of part of the Fates' duties, since they failed in their mission and were easily manipulated and influenced by other deities. The Goddess found Her own way of establishing peace and balance, a much better one, for She cared about the realms, loved them, and only Her eyes could watch over us attentively,” Elric explained. 

I had to control myself to not huff, Elric was so blindly subservient towards the Goddess, that he forgot the ones he was supposed to love and be loyal to, or maybe he even used the Goddess as an excuse for his bad choices. Both were equally bad! 

I felt Avalon’s tense behind me, as anger burst from his side of the bond. Was it directed to Elric or to the Goddess? 

“So, they want to kill Lea, me, and our babies! That’s just great!” I shook my head, as a tired wave of fear and frustration overtook me. 

Damnit, I just wanted peace! This was something the Goddess and I had in common. 

“Yes, that’s what they want. Mel and the children she is carrying are also their targets,” Father added. 

“I will send them all to the 7th pit of Hell, a special place I created only for General Proctor. Then the problem will be solved,” Laius almost growled, his eyes glowing red again. I took his hand in mine trying to give him some of the peace I could hardly find for myself. But well, this is one of the things about loving someone absurdly and absolutely, I couldn’t find this peace for myself, but I could find it for him, and give it for him in the infinite force of my love.

Heck, I was growing cheesy, I was glad that no one could read my mind and know about these corny (but totally right) thoughts. 

“It isn’t that easy to track them, we can track their followers easily… but when it’s about them, it’s a totally different matter. They normally attack in a sneaky way, when one least expects,” Elric added. 

“But why are they attacking now? Wouldn’t it be a smarter move if they attacked in the many moments in which we were more vulnerable? Like when Lea and I were little or when we were hiding in hell last year?” I asked, confusedly. 

Well, to face and defeat someone we have to understand them first, right? Yes, I was a rational and not totally impulsive Liv now! 

“They are acting now because this is the time they have more power. An astrological phenomenon is to happen, it happens every 31 years. When the blue moon forms a cuspid with Orion's constellation, the sky is open to a surge of power and dreams and reality intertwined, losing themselves in the joined thread. A celestial embroiling from which one could remain forevermore interwoven. Lost between the word of dreams and the dimension of the awake,” Elric explained. 

“Wait? Does it mean that they will only be powerful for a night?” Laius asked, tapping his chin with his fingers. 

“Their power increases as this date approaches, achieving its peak in this ominous night. At the moment the blue moon forms a cuspid with the constellation their power increases tenfold. They are able to channel part of Fates and even other deities ’ might,” Father added. 

Wait, those two knew about it before, why didn’t they say anything? 

They were doing it again! 

“Why haven’t you told us about this Triad before?”  Avalon asked before I had a chance to do it. We were so in sync as if he were inside my mind. Well, he was inside my mind, through our bond and our love. 

“Because we thought the threat was eliminated years ago,” Father sighed sharply.

“Next time, just tell us everything. Let us know about what potentially puts our lives in danger. We have the right to know,  you can’t keep doing this,” Mom burst out in an atypical straight and anxious way, her voice laced with determination and anger. 

Now she was someone you didn’t want to mess with since pretty much everything we loved was at risk.