Wish upon the Stars (Original Superhero cultivation sci fi litrpg)

[Malcolm Tent]

We were attacked six times on the road to Bloodcrest. None of the attacks were particularly successful, and Lark didn't even need to get involved, but it was still a stark contrast to my relatively peaceful journey on the Void roads not too long ago. It didn't bode particularly well for…well, anything.

Still, over a span of five days, it wasn't TOO crazy. It was, at the very least, a good distraction from the fact that my wife had now been waiting for another month plus. It was frustrating and scary, but I kept my eye on Yama to watch the chain, and I was able to confirm that she and the baby were both safe. In fact, the baby was growing like a weed. The chain looped through Callie's had been getting thicker over time, and I could see how strong she was becoming.

I wondered if the fact that there was only one chain made twins impossible, but given how weird twins could be in terms of souls and abilities, it was also possible there WERE two of them and they just shared one link. Or it could be a factor of them not being born yet, it was hard to say this early.

Still, distraction could only do so much, and when we came within sight of the entrance to Bloodcrest I couldn't help but be relieved.

"Oh hey, another door," Bethy chirped excitedly. "I wonder where this one goes? Maybe to a secret garden full of flying fish? Or like…a mountain of candy." She paused. "Actually, I feel like logistically a mountain of candy would be a problem. Like there would be no way to keep it all clean, it would probably mostly go to waste. You'd need a special environment."

"True," I said with a chuckle. "One of our honeymoon destinations was a candy planet, I think. I didn't think to ask how that would even work."

We arrived at the end of a long line. I was kind of shocked to see so many people out here, given we were in the Void. We hadn't really spotted many humans on the Void roads up to now, just a few stragglers in the distance who made a point not to get close. Here though, there were dozens of people lined up and waiting, so we could only queue up for entry with all the others.

My mom laughed as she got in line behind us. "It's an ecosystem thing. On a fully candy world all the particulates are candy. The dust, the rain, the oceans. A fully enclosed candy ecosystem remains untainted as long as outside factors don't pollute it. Most places like that take measures to prevent visitors from dirtying the place up, purification artifacts being among them. My dad actually does business with some of them."

Bethy perked up. "Can you schedule me a visit? I want to make CANDY wine! It'll be my next big thing. I can sell it at my concerts, delicious candy wine that you can only get while listening to me sing!"

I paused. "That…actually doesn't sound bad," I admitted. "I don't like wine much, but candy wine might be ok. I do like sweets."

Zeke sneered at me. "Philistine," he snorted. "Your childlike palate simply can't appreciate the complexity of a sophisticated vintage. Unlike those of us with more refined tastes. Where did I go wrong?"

I rolled my eyes. "I once saw you accidentally drink drain cleaner because you put your whiskey bottle too close to it on the counter," I said dryly. "You don't get to play the sommelier card you crusty old drunk. Although…how the hell did you even GET drunk on Callus? There's no way you had B-rank booze lying around."

"I didn't," he snorted. "I got lightly buzzed at most. I just pretended to be drunk to give you the freedom to gain life experience."

To my complete shock, scent of truth…detected honesty. Kind of. I was pretty sure that was at the very least shaded in his favor, but still, if there was ANY truth to that statement it recontextualized a lot of my childhood. Zeke hadn't been an absentee guardian, really, but he'd mostly left me to my own devices. It had worked out and he was always there when I really needed him, but I was shocked that had never come up before.

I was snapped out of the confusion by a hand waving in front of my face. "Toll?" demanded an impatient voice.

Blinking, I looked up to find a pair of beefy men in heavy armor glaring at me. One of them had absurdly long hair and a clean shaven face and the other had a huge bushy beard and was bald. It was quite the contrast. I looked at my dad, who reached into a pocket and withdrew a familiar stone. Infinity crystal. He tossed it to the nearest guard who literally bit down on the stone to test its authenticity before waving us in.

"Infinity crystal?" I asked him as we entered.

He nodded. "Bloodcrest is in the Void, and space is in short supply here. Or at least they always need more of it. Infinity crystals are currency here. I always carry some on me just in case, as well as every OTHER type of currency I've seen. Always pays to have a full wallet."

I made a mental note of that. Keeping various currencies on hand for traveling did seem smart, given how much space I had in my Domain. My ring was convenient still for transport… I froze. Everyone turned to look at me, standing just through the door and into the city. "The rings!" I sputtered.

Dashing over to the wall, I tore free a piece of paper and a pen, scrawling a message and dropping it into the paired ring. I stayed stock still, waiting for a second before a message popped up in return. I held it aloft, checking the paper. "I forgot about these things," I read aloud. "I love you too, and obviously you're coming to save me. Good to know about the time difference, I'll be waiting."

I grinned at the others triumphantly. "Our wedding rings," I said excitedly. "They're connected. A shared space that works between dimensions. Even divine artifacts can be put through them. It's how we got the scythe to Black Sorrow after Rackham!"

With a one week to one day time dilation, she had minutes to respond on her side when only seconds passed on mine, which was a relief, but just knowing that she was safe, even discounting Yama, was enough to make me weep with gratitude. I didn't even remember where we GOT the rings, a wedding present I was pretty sure, maybe from my mom, but knowing they provided a connection still was too comforting for words.

My mom was at my side in an instant. "She's alright? Thanks the gods, here give her these!" She started digging out items, shocking them towards me. "These will be good for the baby, and these will help with morning sickness, and this is to help with her feet swelling." She piled items into my arms frantically, and I couldn't help the warm smile. I knew she was worried about Callie for my sake, and because she cared for her, but seeing how much effort and time she put into helping her through the pregnancy.

I tossed it all into the ring, along with a note for my wife. Naturally, she responded in moments, and I smiled as I passed my mother the note. Shaking off my new state of jubilation, I turned to the others. "Alright," I said cheerfully. "We got some good news, but we have a job to do. Dad, who are we meeting up with first? I'd prefer not to break out Yama in the city's front porch. I doubt anyone will be able to tell what I'm doing, but doubt isn't fact."

"Agreed," he said after a glance around. "I think House Ralkyne is probably our best bet. We left things on good terms and they were pretty powerful. Which is nice because it means they're useful AND I didn't take advantage of them too badly. Some of my contacts may be…less than thrilled with me."

"I don't think I want to know what you did," I said, vividly remembering him forcibly conscripting souls on the heirworld. "These Ralkyne people DO actually like you, though?"

"They paid up front," he shrugged. "Too powerful to bully or threaten. Too stable to tempt."

I snorted. "Good to know you have standards. Do you remember where they live? Or do we need to ask around?"

"Nah, I know where they are," he assured me. "Though we need to head to an old haunt of mine first. All my directions are relative to that place, I have no idea how to get anywhere from here. It's not too far though, I don't think. I want to say…that way?" He pointed off to the left uncertainly.

"Oh, well if you're sure," Zeke said acidly. "I'm glad we're not leaving this up to chance."

My dad smiled sweetly at him. "How I about I leave YOU up. On the moon."

"We're in the Void dipshit," Zeke taunted. "There isn't even a moon HERE. Maybe instead of stealing souls you should have charged one of those suckers you conned some common sense."

Lark sighed. "This is truly fascinating interplay," he drawled. "And while I would LOVE to see Elijah send Ezekiel on a lunar sabbatical, we ARE on a job here."

My mom rolled her eyes. "Just tell us where we're going, Eli. What is this old haunt of yours?"

"The Hollow Pumpkin," he said immediately. "It's not far from here. I can't actually see it from here but it's not hard to recognize. Follow me." He gestured in the same direction he'd been pointing, and we all trailed after her. I'll give him credit, he did seem to navigate the streets smoothly, finding alleys and turning down side paths I hadn't noticed. We walked for about ten minutes, before stopping in front of…

I glanced at my dad. "You're kidding me," I said dryly. "I assumed it was a BAR called the hollow pumpkin."

"It is," he shrugged. "It just happens to also be housed inside an ACTUAL hollow pumpkin."

"Well, at least they don't need a sign," I sighed. "You know how to get to our destination from here, then?"

"I do," he admitted. "But it would be smart to check in there. You can look into the link once we're inside. Then once that's done we can use it to pin down which gate we need to access and contact the Ralkyne with all the information. It'll make negotiations easier."

Sighing, I nodded as Bethy squealed with delight. "I bet they have PUMPKIN wine! I bet pumpkin wine tastes so good. I'm totally going to grow pumpkins to make wine out of. Vampires have a natural affinity for pumpkins, you know. There are always pumpkins around when people dress up like vampires."

I opened my mouth to respond, but Abel clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Just…let her have this one," he said dryly. "Plus once she actually tries it she'll change her mind. I've had pumpkin juice before. It's not great. I can't imagine the wine is any better."

Since she heard him, Bethy just huffed and started telling him off, the two of them heading into the building with my parents following behind, accompanied by Lark, Crell, Alanna, and Fade. As I watched them go, I couldn't help but smile. This was far from over, and obviously I wasn't feeling completely better, but the relief of making contact lifted a heavy burden from my soul. Beyond that, all my friends had been doing their best to keep me engaged and upbeat, and I appreciated it. I had the best family in the world. Now I just needed to go make sure it was complete.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

The Hollow Pumpkin was surprisingly crowded. I don't know why the word hollow had convinced me the place would be completely empty, but when we stepped inside, I was shocked by just how noisy and energetic it was.

Groups of Ascendants at tables, doing shots, playing cards, occasionally doing something crazy like breathing fire. Once group was playing darts, trying to get the projectiles through moving smoke rings blown by a nearby witness. I winced as one of the darts went stray and hit someone in the face, though he seemed more annoyed than injured.

"I missed this place," my dad grinned. It was honestly weird to see the expression on his face. He smiled sometimes, but it was usually either malicious or the soft kind he rarely sent at my mother. I'd never seen him look so…wild and free.

"Well, well, well," came a lazy drawl from behind the bar. "If it isn't the wish devil himself. I thought I recognized that handsome scarlet mug of yours, Eli."

My dad rolled his eyes, turned to smile back at the woman behind the bar. "Surprised you can recognize anything Serena, given your penchant for dipping into your own product. You still have to order an extra three kegs a week for your own abuse." He snorted, nodding over to us. "Shane, Sasha, come over here and meet a friend of mine. Serena and I go way back. I'm the reason she owns this bar, which is why I drink free here. Serena, this is my son Shane and my wife Sasha. Don't be yourself."

She flipped him off. "I'm so sorry you two have to put up with this insufferable ass. I only knew him for a few months back in the day and I was already sick of him by the time he left. And I never said you drank free here. I have a business to run."

My mom snickered. "Don't let him bully you," she advised. "Eli will push and push until you set some boundaries. We'll be happy to pay for drinks."

Serena shook her head. "I was just giving this idiot a hard time. I'm not gonna charge you. I wouldn't have been able to build this place at all without him." She glanced around fondly, taking in the building.

I followed suit, studying the place, and I had to admit it was kind of cool. The interior of the pumpkin had been hollowed out, but rather than just leaving it to dry, it seemed like they'd coated the walls in some kind of varnish. The texture and look reminded me a lot of dark wood, and it really brought the inside of the bar together.

Along the walls, big iron lanterns hung burning, casting a flickering glow across the slate grey floors (which I was pretty sure had been made with ACTUAL slate), and the furniture was built in a strange boxy design aesthetic with rounded corners that seemed to compliment the pumpkin shape.

"Where did this place come from, anyway?" I asked with interest. "Like, where do you get a pumpkin this size?"

"The Garden of Coloss," she said with a frown. "One of the nearby gates. It used to be the realm of some giant plant god. Everything in there grows huge, but the larger plants are sentient. My family fished this thing out after a huge fight about three hundred years ago. My brother was set to inherit, but Eli…took care of it."

Bethy lit up. "Oh! Did he kill him?"

"What?" Serena asked in confusion. "No, he just helped him get a job working for another local family. Honestly, what's wrong with kids these days?"

I chuckled at that. "Just Bethy being Bethy, she doesn't mean anything by it."

The bartender snorted. "Whatever. My brother needed help acquiring some skills that helped him land a job. Eli hooked him up and he made room for me to take over this place. It was a favor I appreciated, though I doubt Eli himself thought twice about it. He probably only warned me it was coming out of habit. Why reap one benefit when you can reap two, right?"

"That does sound like him," my mother chuckled. "Well, I won't insist if you're sure. I suppose we'd like drinks then. Bethany, I believe you wanted to ask about pumpkin wine?"

"Pumpkin wine?" the bartender asked in confusion. "Who would make pumpkin wine?"

Bethy slumped. "Oh," she sighed. "I really wanted to try that. But I guess pumpkins aren't great for making drinks or whatever."

"What? No we have pumpkin drinks, they're just not WINE," Serena scoffed. "We have pumpkin BEER. Does this look like a damned vineyard to you? The only wines we keep on hand are the local specialties and that weird mushroom wine my brother tried to market before he handed me the place. I've owned it for years and not a single cup of that stuff has ever sold. I spilled a bottle of it once and I think it ate a hole in the floor."

My dad winced. "I remember that stuff. He kept trying to pay me with a case of it. Liquid shouldn't LUNGE."

"It doesn't do that anymore, to be fair," she added brightly. "Well, not unless the mice get too close. But I think I'd consider that to be more like pouncing at this point. We keep it in the basement now though. The cold keeps it docile."

"No," I said immediately as I saw Bethy's contemplative expression. "Under no circumstances are you allowed to buy any of that."

Bethy glared at me, stomping her foot and turning to pout at her dad. He just shrugged. "You swore yourself to his service," he said casually. "Means he's the boss of you. If he says no mushroom wine that means no mushroom wine."

I shot him a deadpan look. "Gee, thanks. I'm so glad to have you here to immediately pass the buck as soon as she gets upset. Truly, I see the courage of the strongest mortal in the universe."

"True strength is knowing when to turn and walk away," he said sagely. "Also my daughter can get very loud when she's upset and she sulks for weeks. Not worth it. But hey, now it's your problem. You and your sister. I just get to spoil her rotten and leave you to deal with all the annoying parts. Thanks for that."

I just stared at him. "Aren't you supposed to be some menacing figure of mystery?"

"Menace and mystery are overrated," he shrugged. "I usually only bother in public. Right now, I'm on vacation."

Chuckling, I turned back to the bartender. "I'll take a…" I glanced at the scrawled menu hanging behind her. "Wizzlefisker?" I frowned. "What is that? And why does it sound like it's covered in gears and probably steaming?"

She snickered, turning and grabbing a large bronze mug. Stepping over a series of taps behind the bar, then started pulling, mixing about a dozen liquids together. Then she grabbed a stick or something out of a nearby barrel and plopped it into the drink. The stick had a metal pinwheel on it, and when she flicked it, the pinwheel let out a high pitched shriek and sparks erupted out of it.

I gave her a blank look, then shrugged and took the mug, taking a cautious sip. "This…what is this? I don't know what the hell I'm drinking."

"Pineapple, orange, grape, apple, a few other assorted fruits cut with brandy and a dash of rum. My own personal blend. The secret is the ratios. If any of the juices are too dominant or not dominant enough it unbalances the taste. If you do it JUST right it combines into something that doesn't really taste like anything else you've ever had." She winked at me. "I'm a Mythic Mixologist."

I chuckled as I took another sip. "This is weirdly delicious. I kind of can't stop. Anyway, you have a place I could use for a bit of quiet self reflection?"

She snorted, then tossed me a key off a nearby hook. She pointed across the building, to a door under a set of stairs bolted right into the outside of the pumpkin, ones that led up to a smaller second story. "We rent that room out for private parties. Should work for what you need."

I nodded as the others ordered their drinks, scooping up the key as walking over to the door. I pushed it open, bumping it closed with my hip, and then set my drink down on the well crafted carved wood table. Then, without hesitation, I triggered Yama. The word was consumed with strings and threads, karmic ties and chains and bonds covering the space around me. The most important was exactly where I knew it would be, right in my heart, strung through with a single ch- I froze.

The red chain within Callie's larger shining chain. It wasn't a single chain anymore. It was two. The two chains were wrapped around each other tight, so I barely noticed until I looked closer. But it had split. I just stared in awe as I processed what I was seeing.

Twins. We were actually having twins. A lot of people had made jokes, comments, even predictions. Hell, I'd made them. But seeing the single chain I'd convinced myself we'd all just been off base. Now though, now I could see it, definitive proof we were going to have two babies.

I reached for a piece of paper, about to send a note through the rings…but I stopped. Callie had said she didn't want to know. I didn't want to ruin the surprise. It wasn't like she was going to be more protective of two babies than one. She'd do her best for our kids no matter how many there were. I smiled mischievously and put my hand down. She'd been the one who asked me not to confirm it. I was just doing what I was supposed to. Eventually though, I snorted and wrote a note anyway. Then I folded it and wrote "Baby secret: spoilers", and dropped it into the ring.

This way she could make the decision for herself, and the worst that could happen was that she figured it out from context based on the tag. I also debated on sending over some juice or something for Callie, maybe the same drink I got minus the brandy and rum. I decided against it because I was worried Belsara might notice the cup so in the end…I just sent her a video.

Picking up an old scan ring, hit the record function. "Hey Cal," I said softly. "I'm sorry it took so long to get in touch, I know it's been months for you. I realize I explained the time difference but I still feel bad. I'm sure you'll be careful listening to this, just like you are with the notes, probably checking them in the vault, but I wanted you to see my face and hear my voice. I wish I was there with you guys, and I will be soon. Just…be safe, be careful, and I know I love you so much."

I slipped the scan ring into the paired rings and waited. To my surprise, it reappeared within about thirty seconds. Which made sense given the time difference, I guessed. When I took it out, I saw a new video saved.

Hitting the button, I watched a holographic screen appear, and almost melted with relief as my wife's face appeared. "Hey hon," she said softly. "We can't do too many of these, because I DO have to watch them in the vault and I can't be in here too much. But I got your notes. ALL of them. Thanks for ruining the surprise, you jerk. All three of us love you too. You be safe too, and we'll see you soon. Love and miss you." The recording cut off, and I stared at the ring for a moment…then I watched it again. I played the video four more times before tossing back my drink and double checking the heading. Then I headed back out to the others.

 

[Malcolm Tent]

We spent a while at The Pumpkin. Bethy DID, in fact, try pumpkin beer, and she drank way too much of it, and we all universally agreed that Bethy wasn't allowed to touch beer ever again because whatever Maenad nonsense made her immune to wine didn't work on the stuff apparently. We weren't kicked out, but we WERE asked very firmly to leave and come back another day, and none of us could really argue.

Rather than head right over to House Ralkyne, we decided to stop at a local inn my dad knew to rest before meeting our potential allies. If it had been before, both the stop and the rest would have been unthinkable to me, but after actually hearing Callie's voice and knowing she was ok, I was more willing to take my time. I was still determined, but I wanted to go in as deliberately as possible. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, as Abel had said to me more than once during training when I was starting out.

When we woke up the next day, we headed right over to meet them, and it didn't end up being a long walk. The place we arrived at was…unsettling. It was carved from the stone of a cliff, one that had been pared down over time into a huge hulking building that seemed to all be one big piece. Built right into the side of a mountain, the walls and entrance were formed from dark, jagged stone shot through with veins of flickering ruby gemstone. It was gorgeous to look at, but something about it seemed almost malicious, like the rock was watching and waiting for us to turn our backs.

"This place is creepier than I remember," my dad said, squinting up at the towering edifice. "Suddenly this feels less like a good idea."

My mom smacked him upside the back of the head. "Don't say that out LOUD in front of Shane," she scolded. "It's way too late to back out now." She shot me a warm smile. "It's fine, honey, we'll be out of here in no time, tracking down Calliope and my TWO GRANDBABIES!" she all but squealed the last part. Or rather, she did squeal it, and I had to wince at the volume, even as the sentiment made me smile.

My mother had been ecstatic when she found out that we were having twins, and had been at least partially responsible for Pumpkin Beer Bethy when she INSISTED on making multiple toasts to the babies. It had been sweet and deeply appreciated, at least until it resulted in our expulsion from The Hollow Pumpkin when Bethy somehow bit the building and started draining it of Impact, causing the roof to partially collapse.

"Can I help you?" came a quiet, almost whispered voice.

We all jumped, turning to find a massive, pale man with long dark hair looming over us. His eyes were deep set and surrounded by dark circles, and his back was hunched, as if he was bending over to avoid some invisible doorway that was too short for him to walk through. His gaze was weirdly intense, and his eyes burned with a strange dark light that reminded me of way the red glow reflected off the stone behind him.

My dad grimaced at him. "Dawkins," he said distastefully. "You're still here. Lovely. I'd hoped you were dead by now."

The tall man's eyes flicked to my dad, who he'd been studiously ignoring. "Ah, the peddler. Come to sell more of your snake oil? Why, it feels like it was only yesterday you were here, making a general nuisance of yourself and being a bad influence on the young lord and lady. I confess, I too had prayed for your demise, I suppose my pleas for divine mercy went unanswered."

"Then I should probably thank you," my dad said sweetly. "Given how unpleasant you are there's a strong probability at least one or two of my miraculous survivals in the last fifty years were the gods spiting your prayers."

"Hello," my mom said, stepping between them. "Apologies for my husband, we've been trying to house train him but he's having some trouble learning to go outside. Please don't take any offense. We're here to speak to House Ralkyne." She waved sheepishly. "My name is Sasha, and this is my son Shane and all his friends."

One thing I hadn't really consciously noticed about my mother up to this point was how…persuasive she could be. She was a warm, caring, charismatic person, and she just had this sort of natural charm to her that made it impossible to ignore her.

Most of the time it wasn't obvious, but when she actually turned it on, it was easy to see why she was the only person I'd ever even heard of who could influence my father. It was impressive to see her dazzle a random person in real time though, and I wasn't really prepared to watch the conversational whiplash as Dawkins shifted gears from vocally hating my dad to being charmed by my mom.

"Oh, well…I suppose that's alright," he said uncertainly. It's hard to be pissed at someone who is being genuinely friendly to you, and my mom had always managed to sound incredibly sincere whenever she spoke. It was definitely coming in handy here. "What are you looking to discuss?"

"We need a guide," my dad cut in. "Specifically, we want to hire Stanley."

Dawkins whirled to glare at him. "How DARE you! The young lord is not some…servant for you to employ at your convenience! He is an honored and dignified member of House Ralkyne and far beyond such petty concerns as your nonsensical errands."

"Well damn, Dawkins," my dad said acidly. "I didn't realize you'd been adopted into the family. That IS what happened, isn't it? Because you MUST be a member of the Ralkyne line to be making definitive statements like that on behalf of the heir apparent. You must be pretty high up, too, if you expect him to listen to you."

The big man's mouth snapped shut, and he glared at my father. "I will…" he bit off his words, grimacing like he was physically forcing them out. "Alert the young lord to your presence," he hissed. "And defer to his judgement."

"Of course you will," my dad said with a smug grin. "Because you're a very good dog, aren't you? Who's a good boy? You are! Yes you are!"

Dawkins looked seconds from lunging across the gravel at my dad, but eventually forced himself to calm down and then whirled and stalked away. My dad grimaced as he left. "I REALLY don't like that guy." He said idly.

"We noticed," I glared at him. "But what the hell, dad? We need these people to help us, why are you antagonizing their doorman?"

"Because he's not a doorman," he corrected. "Dawkins is more like a butler. And he's not THEIRS. He works exclusively for Culver Ralkyne. Culver is the nominal lord of the house, but he's a recluse and is rarely around. Dawkins does odd jobs for Stanley and his sister Violetta, but is mostly a spy for their father. Neither of them can stand the man, and they take a special joy out of seeing him angry."

I blinked at him. "Wait…that was a show for the people we're here to see?"

"No," he said bluntly. "I just really hate that guy. But it will also most likely amuse Stanley. As for Dawkins himself, I could care less what he thinks or wants to do to me. If he tries anything I'll turn him inside out and drown him in a tub of lemons. Seriously, I cannot begin to describe how deeply unpleasant of a human being that old man is. I've met actual slimes that are less slimy, and cuddlier cacti."

My mom nodded. "Noted. I'll keep an eye on him. Do you think I played that wrong, then?"

"Nah," he waved her off. "Your instincts were good. Dawkins isn't completely ineffectual, and having someone in his good books won't hurt. I doubt Stanley and Vi are going to hold basic politeness against you. This way, we get the best of both worlds."

I blinked at them. "Wait…you guys did that on purpose?"

"Your father was being aggressive," my mom shrugged. "Which meant I could be passive. You'd be surprised how many situations require both carrot and stick. Why do you think I smacked him. It was one of our signals, telling him how I planned to proceed. There were a few verbal responses that would have changed my trajectory, but he let me run it my way, which I always appreciate."

That was actually really impressive. "How many scenarios have you guys gamed out like that?" I asked carefully.

"More than a few," she smiled. "We've been married for quite a while, Shane. We might not have a soul bond like you and Callie, but we know each other about as well as two people can. Chances are good that if you catch us bickering or interacting in a way that seems odd, there's a reason for it."

I thought back to the number of times I'd watched them snipe at each other. My mom being occasionally pushy, my dad being a grump. Thinking back, almost all of those times had been when something else had been going on. Maybe I'd needed distracting or maybe the situation was tense. Maybe they'd ALL been for other reasons and some of them were just ones I hadn't been able to put my finger on.

Seeing my silent contemplation, my mom just smiled. "Trust, Shane," she said warmly. "Is the most important bond a husband and wife can have. Remember that. Your connection with Callie is magical and special, but it's not all you need. All the empathic sensing in the world is useless without trust. Your marriage doesn't work so well because of the soul bond, it works because of how you use it. To open up to each other. To communicate. That's what makes the two of you such an amazing couple, and it's going to be what makes you even better parents." Her eyes took on a sad shimmer. "Better parents than we were, by far."

My dad put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, and she gave us both a forced smile. I could tell she didn't want to burden me with her guilt. Her wish was granted by the most unlikely of accomplices. Dawkins.

Returning in a huff, the butler stalked out of the opening in the cliff house angrily. "The young lord and lady await you in the solar." He said stiffly.

My dad nodded casually to him, then grabbed my mom's hand and tugged her along behind him as he strolled inside. Shooting a glance at Abel, I gestured my friends to follow as I trailed behind them. Abel caught up pretty quickly. "So, your dad was right, this place IS creepy."

"I know," I admitted. "But there's not much to do about it at this point. We're here, and my mom is right. We need them. We don't have time to do this the slow way. My heading from Yama tells us where to go generally, but there are quite a few gates around here and most of them are protected."

We needed Stanley as a guide to tell us which gate we were looking for. If we just followed the chain, we might stumble into one that was just between us and where Callie was, or run into one we couldn't access at all. The Ralkyne were power players here, and they were exactly what we needed to find the right gate. Which meant I'd play whatever games they wanted and go into the creepiest houses they had if it got me this meeting and their help. Callie was waiting, and I was going to be there as soon as I could.