TWO
A few phone calls and a couple hours later, Russell and Sebastian were sitting in the lobby at Temple. Russell was gazing at the opposite wall, methodically turning his coffee cup in his hands, his eyes glazed and blank. Sebastian wasn’t looking too good himself. He had to remind himself a million times not to chew on his lip, which is what he did when he was thinking about something too hard. He was fidgeting with everything in his reach from the glossy magazines on the side table to the cuffs of his dress shirt. Russell and Sebastian had changed upon arriving at Temple. This was out of respect, not requirement. Psyche wouldn’t care if they showed up in their underwear, unlike Grandma. If Grandma had seen them in their outfits from earlier, she would have laid an egg.
Sebastian decided he had enough sitting and stretched into a standing position so he could start pacing a hole in the floor next to a window overlooking the moonlit gardens. Russell heaved a sigh behind him, and Sebastian turned to see his brother scrub his face with his hands, his cigarette shaking between two fingers. “I don’t get it, Sebastian,” he muttered.
Sebastian rested an elbow on the window sill and propped his hand in his springy hair, which he was sure was frizzy by now. He may be an Arrow, but they all had their setbacks. “It has to be turf wars.”
Russell threw his head back onto the armchair, looking at the ceiling. “But how the hell?” His foot tapped nervously. He leaned his head forward to pinch the bridge of his nose with his hand. It made Sebastian motion sick to watch him shuffling from position to position. “I mean, have you ever heard of this?”
Sebastian just set his coffee cup on the window sill and watched the breeze shift the branches of the magnolia tree outside, shaking his head. No. He’d never heard of this. Even nightmares had some sense of realism, and this was the farthest thing from reality he could imagine.
Russell looked up at Sebastian from behind his hand, cigarette smoke billowing to the ceiling. “Victoria said most of the blood was drained from his body. She said…” He gulped and leaned forward to place his elbows on his knees, his hands holding his arms as if he was trying to hold himself together. “She said he had burns all over his mark. It was like whoever did that to him was trying to …I don’t know.” Russell jumped up. “Hell! ‘Trying to,’ nothing! They did it!” He walked over to Sebastian, his face pinched in worry and fear. He reeked of cigarettes. Leaning closer to where Sebastian stared out the window, Russell’s brown hair fell into his eyes as they pleaded with Sebastian to help him make sense of it all.
Sebastian sighed as he leaned back. “I don’t know, Russell. All I can figure is the only ones that have anything to gain from this are the Lead Arrows.” Sebastian and his brethren were only one half of the Arrow family. He was a Golden Arrow. His step-family, the Lead Arrows, were as dark and heavy as their names. Frankly, they gave him the creeps.
Russell leaned closer, his eyes only inches from Sebastian as he whispered, “But did you think they’d ever figure out how to do it? Did you think they’d ever find out how to kill us? Shit!” Russell stepped back, gesturing wildly with his hands. “I never thought we could be killed.”
Sebastian just turned his back to the window, leaning on the sill, fidgeting with his hands. “It’s been done before. In the old stories, immortals have been taken down from time to time.”
Russell leaned on the old window. “This isn’t supposed to be like old times. This isn’t anything like the Fall. We’ve been established here for centuries. And Jeremy…” Russell stopped at this, his eyes filling as he looked back across the huge, empty lobby. Sebastian placed his hand on Russell’s shoulder. He knew what Russell meant. Of all of the Golden Arrows, Sebastian never would have thought that anyone could have taken down Jeremy. Jeremy was one of the best. After centuries of peace, they’d lost a brother, and it was a well-aimed attack. Jeremy’s murder struck each of them to the core, a statement among statements. Jeremy had been one of the first, an older brother to them all.
Russell and Sebastian both turned toward the sound of footsteps as Evans approached from the entrance. Her radiant blonde hair swinging at her waist, her slim frame rushing up to meet them. “Sebastian?”
Sebastian hated the horrible moment of searching and hope in her face. She was waiting for him to tell her it was all a lie. He found he couldn’t speak, so he just opened his arms. Her face registered shock as she realized what he couldn’t say. She took an instinctive step back as her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes spilling over with tears. She shook her head as Sebastian approached, her eyes closing. “No,” she whispered. Evans’s hands went over her face as Sebastian enveloped her into his chest, her sobs shaking them both. He held her head to his chest as she wept. After a few minutes, Evans turned to look at Russell, her beautiful, timeless face lined with shock and grief. Russell sighed and pulled her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head. “How did you hear, love?”
Evans’s shaky voice vibrated as she said, “Victoria called me. She said someone had found Jeremy. That he was…” She choked up, unable to finish. It didn’t matter. Her sobs were almost worse than hearing it said. Sebastian looked at Russell.
“It won’t be long before everyone’s here.” Russell had his arms wrapped around Evans. Sebastian recognized the look on Russell’s face. He had seen it a hundred times before. It was the look of protection and duty. Russell may be shaken by what happened to Jeremy, and Jupiter knew they both had a million questions, but Russell could always be counted on to step up when push came to shove. Russell looked down at their sister.
“Let’s go get a drink, Evans.” Evans shakily wiped her tears and nodded. Sebastian reached over to give her arm a squeeze. She lifted herself up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek before Russell steered her away toward the kitchen. Almost immediately, Victoria walked into the lobby.
“Sebastian,” Victoria said. She approached in her militant stride, her supple figure tucked into a black office suit of her rank. He smiled slightly as he embraced her in greeting.
“Hey, Victoria.”
She gave Sebastian a quick hug before she took a step back to look him over. “You’ve looked better.” He tried to chuckle, but the sound had little humor. Victoria’s dark, wavy hair spilled over her shoulders as her head cocked to one side, studying him. “Are you going to be okay?”
“That’s a good question for all of us right now, Victoria.”
She crossed to the window, leaning against it to look at Sebastian, crossing her arms over her chest. “Mom is ready to talk to you. I’ve called the other Golden Arrows. We’ll have a meeting in just under an hour, but she wants to talk to you first. Where’s Russell?”
“He took Evans to get a drink.”
Victoria’s eyes softened at the mention of their sister. “Is she okay?”
“Russell is helping her, but she’s pretty upset. We all are.”
Victoria nodded and took his arm in hers, walking toward the main office, where she knew their mother waited. “We’ll all be here to comfort each other.” Her voice cracked on the last word. Sebastian would have reached over to hug her, but she separated herself from him and turned, leaving him at his mom’s office door. “I’ll be here after.”
He grinned, knowing his tough sister would rather he punch her in the face than hug her in a time of grief. Sebastian exhaled heavy as he looked at the heavy oak door in front of him. He knocked twice, firmly, and heard his mother call, “Come in, Sebastian.”
Sebastian walked in, closing the door softly behind him. Psyche’s office was dimly lit, the soft light making the rich reds of the upholstery seem even darker. The walls were papered in a soft beige color, the trim a rich oak. His mother sat in an armchair to the right of her desk, and she rose as he walked to her. Sebastian gathered her small frame into his arms, placing his chin on top of her long, blonde hair. He felt her sigh against his chest. “Are you ok, Mom?”
Psyche pulled back and looked at Sebastian’s face. She honestly only looked a couple years older than he. Her unlined face was the color of peach rose petals, her eyes a sea foam green. Her frame was supple, and young. She, like all of them, was timeless. She was known for her beauty, and there was a reason for it. After all, Psyche was the one who captured the heart of his father. She was a legend. Despite the shocking beauty of her form, her eyes were filled with grief. She patted Sebastian’s arms then moved to sit in her chair, gesturing him to the chair opposite.
“I just don’t know what to think of this mess.” Psyche held all the composure of royalty, but he could see she was tired. She shook her head, looking from her hands in her lap to his face. “You saw no one?”
Sebastian sighed, stretching his tall frame out from the chair, leaning an elbow on the arm. “By the time we happened across…” He found he could not say Jeremy’s name, especially not in front of his mother, who looked at him with those sad eyes. Sebastian cleared his throat and shook his head. “No. It was obvious he’d been there for some time.”
Psyche sighed and closed her eyes. “Yes, that’s what Victoria said too.”
“You don’t think it’s the Lead Arrows?”
Psyche shook her head, adjusting the lapels of her vest, practical yet professional. “Mars assures me his people were not involved.”
Sebastian nearly snorted before he stopped himself. “Mars? Do you really think we can trust Mars?”
“He’s never given me any reason not to.”
Sebastian shook his head as he shifted, uncomfortable with the topic. “Maybe not to you, specifically. We both know Mars has been known to use whatever means he deems necessary for his ventures and damn the consequences.”
Psyche lowered her hands to her lap and held him in her gaze, which, despite her soft beauty, was sharp and direct. “Sebastian, I know you do not approve of Mars and his methods, but his service is much darker than ours and just as necessary. He’s never given us reason to question his motives when it comes to the relationship between the two Arrow families. We have an alliance for a reason, and that’s because one of us cannot survive without the other.”
Sebastian decided to bite his tongue, for now. Mars had always stayed just one toe to the wrong side of the line, leaving it there to determine how much he could get away with before someone stepped in. Sebastian consider his mother to be overly soft-hearted or naive. Jupiter knows, she’d seen enough to fill hundreds of mortal lifetimes, but she tended to turn a blind eye to Mars. That was mainly because, while the Golden Arrows’ business was that of love, the Lead Arrows’ was that of hate. Sebastian thought those circumstances made her more tolerant of Mars’s methods than she should have been. Her only concern was to protect the alliance and keep balance in the mortal world. It was something Sebastian weighed constantly, every minute, in his own work.
Psyche snapped Sebastian out of his daze. “Where is Russell?”
“He’s with Evans.”
Psyche took a sip from a glass at the corner of the side table. “Oh, my. I imagine she was a complete mess.”
“Yes. Russell will take care of her.”
She smiled, “Yes, Russell would, wouldn’t he? You always can depend on Russell to put his own needs aside when others’ needs rise.”
That was precisely why, of all his family, Sebastian spent most of his time with Russell. They suited each other in that way. Russell was goofy, hyper, and a bit finicky, which Sebastian never was. Russell was always game for a laugh while Sebastian was always serious. However, Russell always fought with an arm of steel and a heart of gold.
Psyche raised one well-groomed eyebrow, a talent Sebastian envied, and asked, “And how did your little experiment go?”
Sebastian thought back to his adventure in the night club. He tried not to shudder, thinking of the near-disastrous ending. He attempted to keep his face even as he replied, “Very well.”
Psyche chuckled, “Had some trouble, did you?”
Sebastian just shook his head and tried not to smile as he fidgeted with his cuffs. “How do you always know when I’m fibbing?”
Psyche leaned forward a little, her blonde hair shimmering as she shook her head. “That’s my job, dear. What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t know my own children?”
Sebastian chose his words carefully. “It did go well. I still have some kinks that need working out.”
His mother’s eyes lit up in interest. “And the mortals? Did your plan work as the normal approach would have?”
Now Sebastian grinned, eager to share the results with her. “Yes. Four mortals, though Russell needs to get credit for one.”
Psyche gasped, and she nearly stood before remembering to remain composed. “Four? So many in one night?”
Sebastian nodded and tried not to look too proud of himself.
“Well! Well…” She shook her head, surprise clear on her face. “I must admit, I never considered you would be able to reach a four month quota in one night.”
He chuckled before correcting her. “Three month quota, Mom. Russell really does get one.”
Psyche looked him shrewdly. “Bailed you out, did he?”
Sebastian tried not to look guilty but was sure he failed miserably. “I’m hoping he’ll forgive me when he figures out he’s got a one month vacation coming.”
Psyche stood and moved to her desk, trailing one hand along the surface as she walked, considering. “I’m impressed. I’m looking forward to being able to offer an alternate method.” She looked at him with intensity, leaving no doubt of the seriousness of the situation. “The less contact we have with mortals, the better. Especially now. We cannot afford to bring mayhem to our family at a time like this. You are both going to need time off from your regular duties to help with the issue at hand. In this way, your timing could not have been better.”
Sebastian stood and walked to his mother, placing a hand on her shoulder. Psyche patted his cheek, smiling softly. “I want you to be aware. If you’re going to continue this project, you must perfect it, be absolutely sure of it. We cannot afford any mistakes. And you’re only going to get a month’s vacation.”
He wasn’t really upset at this news, because he suspected he would be needed. “To help with the arrangements?”
She squeezed his wrists before walking around to her office chair, sitting, and pulling a file open. “For that, and I also need to send you away on state business.”
Now he was curious. His mother had never asked such a thing of him before. “Where?”
“Rome. I need you to meet with Mars.”
Sebastian stopped himself just before he protested. Resentment flooded through him at the thought of having to meet with the leader of the Lead Arrows. Before he could think of a proper rebuttal, Psyche silenced him with a look. “I will be busy with other arrangements for our current tragedy. Surely you will not ask me to leave our Temple at this time?”
Sebastian exhaled, returning his vision from red to normal. Also, he felt the sting of shame. What was he doing? He could put aside his personal feelings for Mars for one visit. For Mom. And Jeremy. “No, of course not. When do I leave?”
Psyche handed him a packet with his plane ticket. “The flight leaves at 4 am Saturday, May 7th. That’s next weekend. You will be expected at the Rome Temple from Saturday through the end of the first quarter review, which will last about one week. Your father is already there. I have explained the situation, and we both agree it is best if one of us stays here at all times. We need to have a meeting with all Golden Arrows to discuss the events of the evening and what it means for us. That meeting will be later today at 6 p.m. Please be present.”
Sebastian nodded and tucked the ticket into his jacket pocket. “Of course.”
Psyche stood and moved to the window behind her desk. Dawn was coming fast, and the light crept into the garden, covering the already fairytale-like courtyard in a pink hue. Sebastian saw his mother wipe her eyes discreetly. He approached her from behind, handing her his handkerchief. “Thank you, Sebastian,” she said as she took the white linen and wiped gently under both eyes. She cleared her throat and looked over the gardens. “This is going to change everything for us. Dear Jupiter, that one of us would go this way.”
He placed a hand on her shoulder as a knock sounded on her office door. Regaining her composure, Psyche turned, handing the handkerchief back to Sebastian as she answered the knock. “Yes?”
The door opened to reveal Victoria, looking as competent as ever. Her dark head bowed as she introduced her arrival. “Mother, Hans and several others are here and waiting.”
“Very well, Victoria. Sebastian, you may go join the others. I will come out and we’ll have a moment of silence and prayer with everyone present.”
Sebastian nodded to Psyche and advanced toward the door as Victoria ducked out of sight again. He stopped just before he walked out to look back into the office. “Mom?”
“Yes, Sebastian?” Psyche approached her desk again, barely sparing him a glance.
Sebastian tried not to shuffle like a child as he considered how to phrase his question respectfully. “I was just wondering, not because of myself but because of the quota, especially since I am going to the fiscal meeting in Rome. Why only a month off? I will likely only be in Rome for a week or two.”
Psyche sat as she looked at him, shuffling as she glanced toward where he stood. “Oh, sweetheart.” She shook her head, failing to keep her face clear. Her sad eyes lifted to look at him as a tear spilled over.
“The extra month working is not to fill your quota. It’s to fill Jeremy’s.”