Page 18 of Curse of Ancients

Gemi didn’t give Bayu time to say goodbye or ask questions. She took off running back into the woods, disappearing from Bayu’s life. “What the fuck?”

“Fuck,” Juni repeated. Bayu groaned, and Juni laughed. “Bye-bye, bruvver?”

“Yes. I am your brother.” Bayu was glad the boy spoke English.

“We should get out of here,” Silas said, gesturing to the car.

Bayu was sad as well as flabbergasted. His mom was also gone, and his sister had been kidnapped. Bayu wanted to shout the world down. He wanted to curse Baekyo for allowing this to happen.

He knew nothing about small children. When he stood frozen, Carleigh approached, placing her palm against his cheek. “Together, my tiger.” Juni held up his hands as though they had claws and gave a little roar. Carleigh laughed, mussing Juni’s straight, black hair, and in return, he gave her a big grin. The child didn’t seem upset he’d been handed off to strangers.

Since they didn’t have a car seat, Bayu placed Juni on the bench in the middle of the second row and fastened the lap belt across his legs. Carleigh once again took the driver’s seat after passing the bag to Bayu. Instead of sitting up front, Silas took the seat on the other side of Juni, boxing him in.

After Carleigh started the engine, she said, “Silas, please text Cruz and alert him of our situation. We need to get back in the air as soon as possible.”

“On it.” After sending the message, Silas returned his focus to their surroundings.

“Does Cruz not need to sleep?” Bayu asked. The male had flown for twenty-four hours, and the trip back would be just as long.

“Goyles can safely go days without it,” Silas said.

Satisfied the male was speaking the truth, Bayu opened the bag, curious to get his hands on the ancient scrolls. He couldn’t believe Gemi dropped them carelessly beneath Juni’s clothes and toys. The first item he came across was a plush stuffed tiger. It wasn’t the white with black stripes of his kind, but Juni reached for it, growling. With his brother content… fuck, Bayu had a little brother he hadn’t known existed. His mom was gone, and Kiki, his beautiful sister, was likely being tortured. He stopped searching while blinking back tears. He couldn’t fall apart. Not yet anyway.

“Bayu, what or who are the Black Lotus?” Carleigh asked.

Bayu met Carleigh’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “According to my father, they are a group of dark mages who seek out those with power – other mages, shifters, anyone who has the barest hint of elemental magic – and take it for themselves. I will know more once I read the scrolls.”

Silas’s phone buzzed, and Juni bopped it with the tiger. “Bzz, bzz.”

Silas chuckled at the toddler. “Cruz said they’ll be ready when we arrive. He’s submitted the flight plan and received clearance.”

As angry as Bayu was with Baekyo, he was still grateful Carleigh had been brought into his life. Maybe he should be thanking her gods or the fates instead. If it weren’t for her and her Clan, Bayu would have been alone in this endeavor. He would have had to navigate getting to Kuching and back again by himself. “Thank you both for being here with me. This is not something I would want to encounter alone.”

“I explained this to you already, but it’s what family does, Bayu. What our Clan does. No thanks are needed.” Carleigh winked at him through the mirror.

Bayu returned his focus to the bag, doing his best to put his family out of his mind for the time being. He dug to the bottom where he found an ornate box. He pulled it out, then placed the bag at his feet. The box was made of silver with elaborate designs across the lid. Those were the same designs on his body. The same ones that were fading with each passing moment. He asked Silas to take pictures of his hands and arms. Silas showed Bayu the phone.

“There’s nothing there. Or is there? I can’t see them in real life.”

“Yes, thank Baekyo. I can see them.” Since he couldn’t remove his shirt while they were moving, he would wait until they were on the plane and have Carleigh do the honors once they were in the air. Bayu didn’t understand why the designs weren’t as vibrant as before. Only the firstborn mark remained as it had always been. It was possible there was some missive in the scrolls that would explain why.

Bayu opened the lid. Instead of there being folded papers or an actual scroll, there was a leather-bound journal inside. If the papers were as old as Bayu assumed, it was possible his father or grandfather had transcribed the writings. He ran a finger across the cover, and a faint light glowed at the connection.

“Ooh,” Juni cooed, leaning across Bayu’s arm. “Pwetty.”

“Did you see the pretty light?”

“Uh huh.” Juni bounced the tiger on his lap.

Bayu opened the journal. The first page read: The Council of Shen. He turned to the next page and began reading. The first few passages told of the council’s formation and listed its members, although the names were written in a language he didn’t understand. The nine members had come together to write the sacred missive for the Nuhuala. He flipped to the middle of the journal, curious as to what was written, but the words were in that same obscure language. He must have missed something by skipping ahead, so he closed the journal and replaced it inside the box, returning it to the canvas bag. There would be time to look at the documents later when he could give them all of his attention.

A file folder was also included among Juni’s clothes, so Bayu removed it to find Juni’s birth certificate and medical records. What Bayu found odd was that he was listed as Juni’s father while Gemi’s name was in the mother’s space. Maybe that was another layer of protection for the boy? Bayu scanned the form. Juni was three, and his birthday was October tenth, just two days after Bayu’s own birthday. Dammit, why couldn’t Gemi have given him ten minutes to discuss everything instead of running off? Also included was a letter. In it, Gemi gave more detail into what she’d found at his parents’ house as well as why Juni had been with her. Then she listed the boy’s likes and dislikes, his sleeping schedule, how he had recently begun using the potty, but given the circumstances, she’d put a pullup diaper on him, just in case. After scanning the rest of the information, he placed it back in the folder and returned the folder to the bag.

The rest of the drive, Bayu focused on Juni, who was chattering to his plushy. When they arrived at the airport, Silas got out first and checked the area. Carleigh came around to Bayu’s door and took the bag so he could help Juni out. Celeste was waiting for them, and they all made their way back to the jet. Bayu lifted Juni into his arms and carried him up the stairs behind Carleigh. Celeste was next with Silas bringing up the rear. Carleigh placed the bag in a storage compartment, while Bayu got Juni seated on the sofa. Carleigh sat on the other side of the boy.

Once Celeste had the door locked, she smiled at Juni. “This is a surprise.”

Bayu explained succinctly what Gemi told them. “I’m sorry to be such a burden. If Cruz needs more time, or if we need to stop somewhere to sleep, I’ll pay to get us all a room.”