Page 51 of The Firebrand
“How much do you know about the realms, sweetheart?”
“I guess less than you do.” Braelyn spewed sarcasm, the tension in the room growing thick … well, like coagulated blood.
“Alarik, tell her a bit about Aeternals before I begin my story,” said her father.
“Of course.” The director rested elbows on his desk. “Gahya, the immortal Genitrix, created us before humans walked the earth, but we were extremely violent. Once your kind came along, Aeternals chose to feed from you, endangering the continued existence of your species. Because of this problem and the Prophecy of Karma which predicted the end of humanity, the Cambion from Wales gathered twelve other powerful mages of the Blood Coven. Fifteen hundred years ago, they carved Earth into three realms. We call this event the Karmic Schism. The Aeternal breeds moved to Scath.”
Braelyn let the info sink in. Though she had a million questions, she settled on a simple one. “Who’s this Cambion?”
“He was a masterful warlock, but he succumbed to the aging virus long ago. When he died, so did the secrets that could undo the realms.”
Braelyn sucked in a deep breath. “So, Earth is one realm. Scath the other. Is the third Darque?”
“Yes. Home to wildings—creatures difficult for even us to contain.”
Rein pushed away from the wall, his fangs poking his bottom lip. “Enough history. Now, George, who the hell are you, besides Braelyn’s parent?”
Her father ignored Rein’s outburst to focus on his daughter. “In time, portals between the realms opened for trade.”
“We approved only trusted individuals for travel,” interjected Alarik.
“On Earth, humans who were aware of Aeternals organized a group called the Alliance. To the unknowing, it is a for-hire security company, but their true reason to exist is quite different. They work undercover to protect the secrets of Scath. In my youth, I was an agent for the organization. Do you remember when I worked there?”
Braelyn pursed her lips. She had a vague memory of telling friends her dad was a private detective. Or Sherlock Holmes, Magnum, PI, and Rockford, all rolled into one. Then he startedStrange but True.
“Kinda. What about now?”
“I’m on the board of directors.”
Braelyn opened her mouth wide. No words spilled out, only a chuff of air. She looked down, shook her head, shrugged her shoulders in disbelief.
Her father continued. “Once we had reason to fear Aeternals, but we have amassed technology that could destroy all the realms. We can no longer be certain which species is more dangerous. Because of that, Scion Firebrands along with Alliance agents preserve the secrets of Scath.”
“How long have you known about Aeternals?” Braelyn studied her dad, unblinking.
“My father passed the knowledge to me, his father to him and so on.”
“When did you plan to tell me?”
George shook his head. “I didn’t. I wanted to protect you, prevent you from worrying. You don’t need to follow in my footsteps at the Alliance since your time is…” George trailed off, not finishing the sentence.
“How considerate!”
My own father kept a humongous secret from me. In fact, he encouraged me to scoff at fairytale creatures. I thought we were close. I thought we shared important stuff.
“I made choices.” George shifted his weight in the chair, crossing his legs, smoothing the creases in his pants. “Now that you are aware of the secret, you will defend it because it is your legacy as it is mine.”
“Of course I will. But you were wrong.”
“Perhaps, but how can you blame me for protecting what I love?” He scooted forward to rest a palm on her knee.
In response to his touch, she glared. “Isn’tStrange but Truea dangerous business for you, Dad, since it exposes the very thing you’re trying to hide? Monsters under the bed, sex-crazed demons, the bogeyman?”
“No. It’s perfect. Most of the world believes the stories we print are preposterous. If something suspicious occurs, we are in a position to investigate, to determine the truth before anyone is the wiser. The tabloid is a brilliant cover. When a story checks out, I turn the information over to Alliance agents for a resolution.”
Braelyn clenched her hands in her lap. She had pooh-poohed reported sightings, convinced the people she interviewed were crazy. Her father had encouraged her delusions. She glanced at Rein, who had told her just two days ago that few Aeternals crossed to her realm. Everyone lied.
She rose from the chair to pace the room, fiddling with her diamond stud earrings. “I’m at a rare loss for words.” Three sets of eyes followed her path. She halted for a moment, cleared her throat, and chewed her thumb. Then she returned to the back and forth.
