Kilian's POV

“Yes, sistersss... And he comes with a guessst...”
Generally speaking, I don’t consider myself an aficionado of these twisted women. No.
But it’s my church, and they are the triplet priestesses. You don’t always get to choose your madres, right?
“Priestesses of the Three Moons, I come with In—
Man, really?..
I rattle my throat like a jerking compressor. “...Spades from Pallamir.”
I squint like a bastard, trying to get a visual of those three crones. But those crows know how to make themselves invisible. Concealing themselves in the dark, only their old frayed rags dangling down the wall tell me their withered asses are sitting on their high-raised thrones.
Guess the mere fact that they are crystal gazers is enough to propel them to royal status.
But really, there’s nothing queenly about those weasels. Queens of shrewdom at best...
“Tell us your name, girl.”
Spades looks at me with a frown that means ‘they have Alzheimer’s.’ My jaw is burning from teeth grinding too much. She better behave.
“You need some eartronics because he just told you,” she spurts.
The air starts to burr. I just hope the priestesses are in a good mood today.
“Tis herrr...”
“Yes!”
“Without a doubt.”
I don’t want to face Spades, trying to hold my gaze onto one of their frazzled gowns as these sway from the draft. I don’t think it makes a difference... This pretty wolf’s burning glare is making a hole in my left cheek, searing me to the bone.
And then I hear this hyper beast whisper, “Are you related? Because it would explain a lot! All these cryptic words and other secretive sentences that don’t mean a thing.”
“Come closer, pup!”
“Which one?!” Spades roars. I guess the ‘pup’ word is a no-no. Without a doubt, my little wolf is nervous. Because what does a wolf when it’s nervous? It bites.
“Your manners, girl,” I grind. She’s making me sweat. If only she knew how these three women could change her life in the sticky muttering of a word. They are wicked beyond black magic. My Gammas won’t even step inside for fear of discovering their death time, date, location, and precise numbers of minutes of suffering before exiting into oblivion.
“The one with a tongue of fffire,” nickers what I guess is the bony Arena.
“Just go.” My push causes her to grunt, and I can’t hide this smirk of mine.
“Your name?”
“Spades,” she flatly says.
There is some snide snickering along with some eerie whispers that are too low to make out.
“She doesn’t know her name!?”
“What a sssituation.”
“We can’t tell her. Twil change the course of Fate.”
“You wanted to meet me? Are there any agenda items, then?”
“The brat’s got life!”
“Expected no lesss...”
There is this silence these harpies adore cultivate. They do love to showcase...
“You are the one we’ve been looking for.”
“Galathena needed...”
“....The missing piece. Yesss.”
Arena chuckles loudly, eliciting a row of shushes and other ushering. These ladies are nothing but bicentenary children.
“You are the trigger!”
“The catalyssst...”
“In her death, a new tomorrow will be born.”
Death!
“Rubbish!” I shout, my nails daggering my fisted palms. “She did not ask for this!”
“Son of Galathena, it has been foretold.”
"The one who will restore balance. Give a fighting chance for Galathena’s sssoul."
“Soul?” The lass is perplexed. But not for long.
“Alpha, would you show her?”
There’s a sunk-in level beneath the Priestesses’ walled thrones, and as I lead Spades down some spiraling stairs, her inaudible cusses cut short, and I know why.
I lip against her temp, “This is why we fight.”
Before us, a soft water ocean split into infinite rivers. Spades can’t know this, but it spreads over the entire planet, and only a thin layer of crust covered in sand hides it from the world.
She’s gonna love this... In the dark, I wander along the underground shoreline, looking for a very precise stone: it must be round and flat, with smooth edges.
I look down and smile. This yellow quartz at my feet should suffice.
“Spades, watch this.” I crouch and send this stone rushing across the tranquil surface. It ripples five times before sinking into the unknown.
The liquid responds to my intrusion and begins emitting an eerie blue and purple glow as the immersed crystals awake.
Beneath the surface, an array of giant translucid blocks lit up in thousands, highlighting the silhouette of aquatic life and Valcons, one of my favorite underwater creatures. They have pectoral fins wider than jet wings, giving them the appearance of flying serpents.
Bathing my eyes in this liquid dream, I think aloud, or so my ears tell me, “It’s those crystals we fight for. They keep this ocean alive. Keep us alive. As for Daryl, he wants more than just those crystals.”
As if reading me, Spades finishes my line. “The Sea of Mil Estrellas...” (A thousand stars.)
“He wants the water, Spades. The most precious of resources.”
Her legs buckle, her expression collapsing before my eyes.
I hold her firmly as she kneels to the ground, my motion joining hers. Whatever she is mulling over, I have her in my grip.
I have her... Her emotions, her risen hair, all of her shaking being.
Another reason I was holding myself back from spewing the truth in her face was her state of mind. The discovery that one’s life was built on a lie can be a shattering experience, aside from her wolves and addiction. The girl needs pointers. And I’m here for her.
I wipe away a tear. The glow reflecting in Spades’ eyes...
She’s never been more beautiful...
I know exactly how to uplift her. “You know how to swim?” I ask.
She looks at me with those impossible eyes, and I guess it’s a no.
“I’ll hold you. Come...”
