Jedrec greeted the Titans standing guard outside Lucan’s study and they opened the door for us. Lucan sat behind his gigantic desk, immersed in the wording of a very old document. The rest of his desk was cleared off, save for the scroll that he leaned intently over.

Kiran escorted me to stand in front of Lucan, pulling me tighter to him and slipping his arm around my waist protectively. I wanted to face Lucan with the unabashed courage I knew I possessed, but Kiran’s anxiety spread quickly over me, and I doubted every one of my thoughts and actions over the last several weeks.

Lucan looked up from his document and frowned. “Thank you, Kiran. You can wait for Eden in the hall,” Lucan dismissed his son with a nod of the head, but Kiran stood his ground.

“Father, anything you have to say to Eden, can be said in front of me,” Kiran argued, clearly annoyed at his dismissal.

“Son, what worries you? I would like a moment with your fiancé, nothing ill-mannered comes from my intentions. I will return her to you shortly,” Lucan smiled confidently at his son, the benevolent smile that he used to bestow grace and compassion on his subjects. Kiran bristled next to me in response. “Besides, Eden doesn’t mind a conversation with me, do you?”

I gulped. A moment alone with Lucan was the opportunity I had been waiting for, although I instinctively knew now was not the time to attack. And so the fear set in, not fear of the man, but fear of his intentions. What did he want?

“No, I don’t mind,” I replied through a fake smile.

Kiran sighed, clearly not happy with my response. He turned me into his body, kissing my forehead and enveloping me with his shielding magic. I caught my breath, moved by his affection. He had kept his distance for weeks now, and the irrational, weak girl part of me worried he stopped caring about me.

“I’ll be right outside the door if you need me,” Kiran whispered into my hair.

“Why doesn’t my son trust me anymore?” Lucan demanded after Kiran left the room and the doors shut with a final thud.

“I wouldn’t know anything about that,” I spat. “He seems to trust you just fine.”

“And is that why you hold back from him?” Lucan narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher the truth.

“I hold back from him, because like you, he is my enemy.” The words I didn’t even mean fell from my mouth, venom seeping into every syllable. I wouldn’t let Lucan continue to keep the arrogant smile every time he looked at us together. I wanted him to stay worried, to believe I hadn’t fallen into his plan.

“Are we still enemies?” Lucan laughed, although the coldness in his eyes told me he obviously believed we were worse than that.

“Until one of us dies,” I answered, feeling the truth beat with my heart.

“If only either of us were capable,” Lucan’s lips turned into a sinister smile. “Now, for what I’ve called you in here for. Do you know what is sitting on my desk?” Lucan gestured his hand toward the old document and I shook my head. “Please, take a look; I want to know if you recognize it.”

I walked over to the desk and examined the old scroll. The words were not written in English, but in some foreign language that did not even begin to make sense to me. I dipped my head closer to the manuscript and inhaled the earthy scent. I had to hold my hand back from running my fingers over the rough edges and smoothing out the aged wrinkles. The language filled up the entirety of the page, at the bottom seemed to be signatures of some type since they were written with different penmanship and in the center of the page the words were obscured by deep, crimson stains that splattered across the entire document and obscured some of the words.

A blood oath.

My head snapped to Lucan with the realization that this paper held some serious significance. “What is this?” I whispered, wondering what this had to do with me. I only signed one

oath with him, and that one seemed null and void now that Avalon got his magic back without any help from me.

“That is the original blood oath. The one our forefathers signed to establish the monarchy,” Lucan explained and my eyes fell back to the parchment, wishing I could read the contract. “You probably don’t recognize your grandfather’s signature, or that of my ancestor Derrick. There are three other signatures on there as well. They belong to the other three original Oracles. Amory’s signature was placed there to acknowledge his refusal of the crown. The signatures of the Oracles representing the Transmogrifiers and the Mediums are there as well, acknowledging they agree to the proceedings. And the final signature belongs to the Oracle who represented the Titans, a man named Seth. In this document he pledges his allegiance and the allegiance of his people to protect the throne for the elected king. The document is very clear in stating that the Titans will protect the crown to their death, at the cost of their lives.”

Lucan fell silent, and a chill crept into the room. “Interesting,” I mused, trying to figure out where Lucan was headed with this.

“Very interesting, Eden,” Lucan’s voice took on a hard edge, growing menacing. I backed away from the desk, afraid of the ominous look in his eyes. “After understanding the content of the oath, I was hoping you could shed some light onto why my Titans keep dying!” His voice escalated to shouting and his magic pressed against me angrily.

I forced myself to breathe through the pressure, pushing back with my own magic. I struggled against Lucan, wondering how he could be so much stronger than me. I was the Oracle, I could live forever, and we shared Amory’s magic, so why could Lucan crush me so effortlessly?

“I don’t know what you mean?” I replied honestly.

“You don’t know what I mean?” he scoffed. “I have had a team of Titans pursuing your blasted parents since they left here. They have been face to face with them before and survived, walked away to pursue them another day. Yet, when faced in the path of you or your brother they drop like flies. Why Eden? Why are you so different from your mother?” His question was asked with a malice that radiated through him, shaking his body and causing his magic to reach out and choke me.

“I don’t know,” I gasped for air. I threw my magic forcefully against Lucan’s in self-defense, hoping to alleviate some of the pressure. My otherwise powerful electricity did nothing against the strength of Lucan’s energy field.

“Of course you don’t know,” his voice quieted but somehow filled with a greater disgust. I felt myself being lifted from the ground and then slammed into the wall. My head smashed into the stone, I felt the hot sticky blood drip down my neck and the vertebrae in my spine snap. My magic moved quickly against the injury, but nothing could be fast enough to erase the sickening pain caused by the attack.

“I do, Eden, I know why,” Lucan continued. He didn’t finish his explanation though, before he sent a wave of cruel magic against me. His magic pressed against me, as if it could slice my body into a million pieces. My magic flared under my skin, truly panicked by the strength of his power. The pressure was too much, I felt sure my body was going to combust, and the realization that I couldn’t do anything to stop Lucan from annihilating me crashed down on me with an even heavier force.

I felt Avalon join me in my struggle to fight. He was always with me, always connected, but his magic became a palpable force that I could use, that I commanded in my effort to push back against Lucan’s crushing force. Still, even with our combined power I couldn’t even move Lucan’s magic off me, not even for a moment of reprieve. Avalon’s magic turned to panic along with mine as we realized how pointless our exertions were.

“Put her down,” Kiran threatened from somewhere behind Lucan. Instead of listening to his son, Lucan’s grasp tightened and I cried out in pain. My vision started to blur and there was a high pitched ringing in my ear that threatened my consciousness. “Father, put her down!” Kiran shouted, sending his own magic against his fathers. He stayed respectfully nonviolent with Lucan himself, but Kiran’s magic assaulted Lucan’s electricity with a force not even I was capable of.

I felt the smallest amount of relief, my vision came back together and a flash of heat washed over me, igniting my fear again. Kiran’s magic came in a new wave of aggression and Lucan tilted his head to the side contemplating what to do with me.

“Father, let her go!” Kiran shouted and with one more surge of his magic, I felt even more relief.

Lucan looked to his son, shook his head in an irritated way and then let me drop to the hard floor in revulsion. Kiran rushed to my side, picking me up off the floor and helping me stand.

“You will never again hurt her,” Kiran growled, his magic wrapping around me soothingly.

“You let your love for her blind you,” Lucan scolded, as if Kiran were a small child.

“And you let your hate for her mother cloud your judgment,” Kiran retorted sharply.

“Do not ever speak to me like that again, or I will take her from you and you can decide yourself how to live with the consequences. Then you can judge me,” Lucan threatened.

Kiran chose not to respond, and instead moved me toward the exit. His hand gripped me tightly around the waist, even though my magic had healed my broken body and returned air to my burning lungs. Still, I let him guide me from the room, more shaken up at the fact I was helpless against the force of nature that was Lucan’s magic than the reason he felt the need to murder me.

I shivered next to Kiran, pressing my body closer to his warmth. We stepped over unconscious Titans that Kiran had apparently taken out in order to get to me, before hurrying back to our tower.

Two months ago, I would have counted Kiran as the same kind of villain that Lucan was, no matter what emotions I had for him. But in this moment, I knew they stood a universe apart. Kiran was the good guy. Despite our past, despite his blood ties, he was truly good.

Do you think Lucan believes the blood oath is directed at us? Avalon’s voice was in my head and I recognized his unease as he clutched at my emotions. He hated being so far away, so helpless. His magic had fought with mine and still we couldn’t do anything against Lucan.

That would be my guess. I responded a little amused. I guess I would be pissed too, if I realized the army I felt so secure behind was devoted to my mortal enemy.

He couldn’t have killed you. Avalon assured me, hoping to instill some confidence.

Yes, but there was nothing I could do to stop him either. I admitted, hating that I felt so weak. Avalon, if you and I together can’t stop him, then how do we ever expect to kill him?

We will figure it out, Eden. That monster cannot continue to hurt our people. Or you. Avalon growled. I could feel his intensity resonate in my blood vessels.

“Stop conferencing with Avalon, and let me know that you’re all right,” Kiran demanded, pulling my attention to him.

We were in front of the apartment door, and I had to think back to how we got here. I didn’t remember at all. I tried to smile reassuringly, but I knew I couldn’t even fake confidence.

“I’m fine,” I lied, still internally shaking from Lucan’s power.