“Pluto, you’re 115, stop arguing with your little sister,” Mom shouted from the living room where she was preparing for her house call.
I glared at Juni, who stuck her tongue out at me, “It’s not my fault she doesn’t understand the nuances of the craft.”
“I do too! You weren’t explaining it correctly.”
“The hell I wasn’t!” I flicked her ear, “Your brain is just too underdeveloped to comprehend.”
Mom appeared in the doorway of her sanctum where we were fighting, “Pluto, behave. Juni is trying her best. She’s just young.”
Juni gave me a triumphant smirk, “Yeah, Toot Toot, I’m trying my best.”
I rolled my eyes, “You were never this nice to me or Deimos when you were teaching us.”
“That’s because your grandmother spoiled both of you,” she scoffed, turning to leave the sanctum. “Grandma isn’t here to spoil her or get her into trouble, so she gets a little bit of leeway.”
“In other words,” Juni whispered, “I’m her favorite.”
“You-“ I started.
“Pluto, come see me off,” Mom shouted, cutting off the insult I was ready to hurl at Juni.
“Just you wait until Mom’s gone, you little shit,” I whispered to her.
“I’ll be back at five,” Mom said as she gathered her cloak around her shoulders. “Juni’s already decided on what she wants for dinner. Goddess willing this ritual won’t take until morning.”
“Go, Mom. I can handle an eleven year old,” I said, shoving her out the door. “We’ll see you-“ I stopped myself from cursing her ritual into taking until morning, “when you get home.”
She gave me a pat on the cheek, “I love you.” She looked around my face and shouted, “Love you, Juni!”
“And there goes my hearing,” I said sarcastically under my breath at the same time Juni shouted back her love, causing Mom to cackle. “Love you too. Be safe.”
She waved her hand, “Always am, darling.”
I closed the door and turned to face Juni who screamed before streaking down the hall. “You can’t run from me, little sister,” I shouted after her.
I teleported directly in front of her, “That’s not fair! You can’t use your magic!”
She screeched as I threw her over my shoulder, “Learn to cast faster, and maybe you’ll actually be able to escape me.”
She pinched me hard on the back, “You got teleportation. Who knows what I’ll get.”
I dropped her on the counter in the kitchen, and put a thoughtful finger on my chin. “You know you’re right. You’ll probably just get the ability to warm tea, see in the dark, and turn the page without touching it.”
She kicked my shin and stuck her tongue out at me, “Don’t be rude, Toot Toot.”
“Ow. Why are you always so violent?”
“It runs in the family. Mom said you were a biter well into your teenage years, which is insane when you think about it.” She hopped off the counter to help put together the salad she decided on, “Even shifters stop biting by at least the age of ten.”
“When you’re fighting shifters, you have to bite them to show them who’s in charge.”
She looked at me dubiously, “That’s puppies, dumbass.”
I laughed, “What are wolf shifters if not big puppies?”
She gave a thoughtful hum, grabbing the salad bowl to move it into the dining room. “Touche.”
“Plus, once you bite a couple, as a teenager, the others leave you alone,” I said, turning around with the rest of our meal on a plate. “Sure the name calling continues, but,” I looked up at Juni, “the physical-”
I watched in horror as her eyes rolled back in her head and the ceramic salad bowl slipped from her hands and clattered to the floor. I threw the plate I was holding onto the table and rushed to catch her. “Juni? Juni?”
“Adrastea Blackwood will die tonight. Pluto Blackwood, you cannot save them both. Do not leave Jupiter or the portals unguarded. They are here.”
“What? Who are they?” I shook Juni, “Jupiter, answer me. Who are they?”
She groaned, “Pluto?” Tears began streaming down her cheeks, “Mom? I want Momma. Where is she?”
“What did you see?” I pushed, holding her tightly.
“No, no, no, no. We have to go. They’re going to kill her,” she screamed, fighting to get out of my arms.
“We have to stay here. We have to guard the portals.” I reached out to Diz and Flora in my mind, “Juni is a seer. She just had her first vision. We need to get ready. I don’t know when they’ll be here.”
I reached out to my connections in the underworld and in the fae realm, “We need help guarding the portals.”
“Request denied,” the fae connection came through first, “The portal isn’t under attack.”
“Fucking idiots,” I muttered under my breath. “It will be, and from what little information I have, the attack will be hard to hold off.”
“And where did you get this information, child?”
“My sister. She had a vision. Our mother is away for a ritual and won’t make it. I’m alone in this.”
“You have your sister. Request denied.”
“Flora, are you in position?” I linked her.
“I am,” she confirmed, “Diz is in position as well.”
“The portal isn’t under attack, Pluto. Why are you requesting assistance?” The underworld connection asked.
“It will be. My sister had a vision. Our mother is away and won’t make it. I’m alone. The fae have denied me as well, so you’re my last hope.”
Selmaz, leader of the portal guardians, appeared at my side, “You have us. What do you know?”
I shook my head, looking down at Juni, who was still sobbing uncontrollably in my arms. “Juni hasn’t said anything more than wanting our mother.”
“Can’t you call her back or teleport her?”
I shook my head, “Juni’s vision was very specific, we have to stay here and let them kill our mother,” my voice shook, “While I protect Juni and the portals. I can’t save everyone.”
“Visions can be wrong,” Selmaz stated.
“No. Not this one. Not from a caster her age.”
“What do you mean?” Another guardian, Xazor, asked as they came into the house before turning to Selmaz. “Everything’s secure. Guardians are posted around the perimeter.”
“A caster developing their primary ability before the age of forty is unheard of. Seers are messengers from the heavens. They can get it wrong, but when the gods awaken one this early, it means there’s something too important to get wrong.”
Diz trotted into the room, nipping at the heels of any guardian in his way. “Diz!” Juni cried out, throwing herself around his neck and burying her face in his fur.
“You need to tell us what you saw in your vision, Juni. Guardians are here to help, but we need to know what we’re up against,” Diz said, linking both of us. She shook her head without removing it from Diz, “Little caster, I will be your familiar in the future. I do not bind myself to someone weak. You have to pull yourself together and tell us what we need to know.”
I rubbed her back, “Juni, you can do this. We will fall apart, together, later, but right now we need to know the who, what, when, and where of your vision.” Instead of speaking, I received a flow of broken images. “They’ll be here in five. They’re coming from the east. They’re expecting it to just be me and Juni. Tell the guardians to hide, we have to let them think we’re outnumbered.”
“Got it. How many? What are we up against?” Selmaz asked in between giving out his orders.
“Maybe two dozen on their way here. They have a handful of nullers heading here, but most of the nullers are staying back to handle Mom.” My eyes focused back on Selmaz, “Can we send some guardians to help Mom?”
I knew the answer immediately from the look on his face, “I’m sorry. We can’t leave the portal.”
I looked down at my hands and nodded, “I understand. I had to ask.”
He grabbed my chin and lifted it so I was looking at him in the eye, “I truly am sorry. Let me ask.” His yellow eyes turned black as he connected with whoever was over him, “What was the exact wording of the vision?”
“‘Adrastea Blackwood will die tonight. Pluto Blackwood, you cannot save them both,’” I answered.
Selmaz shook his head as his eyes turned back to their natural color, “I’m sorry. My commander said the same thing you did about Juni’s vision. Adrastea is the price for the rest of the Blackwood line and the safety of the portals.”
“Movement in the east,” a guardian mind linked us.
“Juni, go upstairs and hide in your closet.” She shook her head, finally taking it from Diz’s fur, “Now is not the time. Go upstairs and don’t come out until Selmaz or I come and get you.”
“Diz, go with her,” Selmaz ordered. “We have everything covered here.” He turned to me, “I need you to act normal. Sit at the table. I’m going to morph into Juni or a poor copy of her anyway.”
I nodded and sat at the table, taking in a deep steadying breath as I filled my plate with food I wouldn’t be able to stomach. I pulled out my phone and turned up the music that I started playing earlier. Selmaz gave me a confused look, “To hide the fact we aren’t talking, in case they have shifters or enhancement spells active,” I whispered.
He nodded, “Clever.”
“Someone’s approaching the door.”
“Are they planning to be polite and knock before attempting to kill us?” I linked to Selmaz and the rest of the guardians, causing amusement to filter through our connection. When a knock sounded on the door, I looked over at Selmaz, “What the fuck?”
He shrugged, “Might as well answer it.”
“Pluto?” I heard Arlette Carre say as another knock sounded. “Pluto? I can see the lights on. I need to speak with you.”
I gave Selmaz a confused look, “Who’s that?”
“She’s a friend of mine from university, but I haven’t seen her in like four decades,” I whispered.
“Could she be connected to whatever’s going on?”
I shrugged, “Maybe? It’s too much of a coincidence for her not to be right?”
He tilted his head, “Probably. Go ahead and answer it.”
She knocked again, more insistent and louder this time. “Coming!”
“Oh my goddess, Pluto. Finally,” she said as I opened the door.
“Sorry, Juni and I are having dinner and we turned the music up a little too loud to hear you,” I lied, my voice shaking slightly as I sent a silent prayer to the goddess that it wouldn’t give me away. “What’s so urgent?”
“Can I come in?” She asked as she attempted to barge through the door.
“We’re really not up for entertaining right now. What did you need to tell me?”
“You’re going to want to be seated for this. Can I come in? It won’t take that long, I promise.”
“Go ahead and let her in. I’m in the kitchen cleaning,” Selmaz’s voice entered my mind.
“Fine, but make it quick. I’ve got a little sister to get to bed,” I sighed. Allowing her to walk past me, I led her into the living room where I gestured to the couch for her to sit. “Okay, I’m seated, what is this all about, Arlette?”
“Your mom’s in trouble.” My brow furrowed, “I barely escaped.” I gagged as the bitterness of the lie landed on my tongue, “fucking truthseeker,” she cursed.
“Good to know no one that knew while we were in university sold me out,” I said with a chuckle. “So are you here to distract a larger crowd coming in or are you trying to get me to go check on my mom?”
She stood and laughed, “I guess there’s no point in lying is there?” I shook my head, “I’m here to do both. In the event you refused to go to Adrastea I was to serve as a distraction.”
A loud crash sounded outside as a voice boomed, “Tonight the Blackwood family line ends!”
I looked over at Arlette, “You guys do realize it’s more than just me, Juni, and Mom right?”
She rolled her eyes, “Once you three are gone the rest will fall easily.”
I snorted, “You’ve clearly not been briefed on Aunt Eukelade.” I stood with a sigh and a shrug, “Oh well. We can’t all be good at our jobs. How would you like to start this?”
My eyes followed the light through the window as it began to multiply and spread across the exterior of the house. “Nullers have put up a barrier, but they feel weak,” Xazor linked us.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Arlette’s magic hurling toward me. I closed my eyes and said a quick prayer to the goddess, Anera. I felt her spell pass through my incorporeal body. “What the fuck? How?”
I turned my body to her, “You guys should’ve done your homework. You couldn’t spare a single high powered nuller?”
“The nullers aren’t powerful enough,” I linked the guardians.
“Fantastic,” Selmaz responded. “Get down.”
Without a second thought, I dropped to the floor.
Author: Kailan Counahan 