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“I hadn't noticed,” I tell her.
“And if they do, where do they lead?” Eziah asks.
Kat shrugs. “No idea, I would rather not find out, but by all means feel free to explore and let me know.” My steps hasten at her words, and I practically trip over Eziah who shoots me a glare over his shoulder.
It feels like we have been descending forever. When we finally reach the bottom, I look up to only see the ceiling, as if we passed through the floor. I shake my head. Down here it is dark, torches line the walls and I can hear water in the distance washing against the stone floors. Kat leads us deeper when we come to some gold gates. Three gates that lead into different sections of this underground tunnel system.
“Past, Present, future,” Kat explains before pushing on one.
The gate gives way. She enters and then disappears. Eziah and I look at each other but quickly follow, only here I feel the portal, the shudder, and ripple before the pulling and pushing sensation. It's hot, extremely hot but lasts two seconds before we step into a room. Only it's not a room at all but a waterfall coming out of the stone walls filling a huge fountain base. The water glistens off the stone walls, sparkling under the dim lights. “Wow,” Eziah gasps as we step into the huge, cavernous room. That is when I spot him.
At first, he tenses, then spins around to see who intrudes in his space. The warning growl that leaves him echoes through the room deafeningly. When he spots me, it cuts off. The room falls silent as he staggers a step forward.
“Hello, brother!”
“Kaif?” he asks in shock. I tilt my head to the side, watching him and waiting for the reaction I know is about to come.
The next second, I am tackled into the fountain, I gasp choking on water only to punch him. He snarls, hitting me back while Katya shrieks.
“I see you’re still a little salty and haven't forgiven me!” I snarl, headbutting him.
“I'm gonna fucking kill you!” Bain snarls.
“Well, you better try harder than the first time!” I tell him.
“What the fuck!” Katya's voice booms loudly.
ChapterSixty-Seven
Eziah
The moment the two brothers lock eyes, they begin punching. Here I was thinking this would be an overdue reunion, something mushy, but their love language is clearly different from my family, they greet each other with fists and words of hate.. I thought my family had problems.
Kaif snarls as he is tackled into the fountain, waterfall, or whatever you call a place with water coming out of the walls from seemingly nowhere. Water splashes as Bain holds Kaif underwater when Kaif’s hand flails in the air, grabbing Bain’s ear, jerking him under with him.
“What the fuck!” my mother booms, and I glance at her.
“Should we perhaps intervene? Or maybe try to break it up?” I ask her. I can see her aura growing brighter, magnificently, when the water changes from placid to rippling then tumultuous waves. “At least referee, make sure it's a fair fight?” I suggest.
My mother’s eyes glow brightly, the water parting and rising up the walls, leaving Kaif and Bain at the bottom, punching on. They’ve taken sibling rivalry to a new level, kind of reminds me of when I ripped off Marabella’s barbie dolls heads when I was a kid. It was the only time I saw her get mad, and she beat my ass senseless, lesson learned, though.
Kaif, obtaining the upper hand, slams Bain into the rocky floor below. Bain’s eyes widen when he sees the water from the fountain hovering like a cloud above them. The next moment, my mother drops the water with the power she is using, and like a tsunami, it crashes down on them violently; waterboarding them with waters past. Bain and Kaif cough and sputter, crawling out of the fountain like drowned rats. Bain crawls out, only to come to a stop at my mother’s feet. The huge Lycan looks up at her with a grimace. Kaif falls on his back near mine, breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath.
“Are you both nuts! This is not the time or place!” my mother snarls furiously before staring down at Bain. “And you should know better, you’ve been cast here for past mistakes! Have you learned nothing, Bain?” she growls. I glance at her when she kneels sifting her fingertips in the rippling water, calming it, and the water eventually falls still. I watch her, wondering what she is doing. She must sense my question because she looks at me over her shoulder.
“Water holds memory, and here it filters before returning and consuming. It's a mystical property, Eziah, one that connects past, present, and future. You see, existence is all figurative, all happening at once but also separately.”
Bane pushes himself up, his expression still defiant, yet tinged with curiosity. “That's all fine and dandy, Katya, but why the hell are you all here? What's the grand plan?” he growls, glaring at his brother.
I clear my throat. “We're here because we need answers. We're searching for clues about Temperance's bloodline and how it came to be,” I tell him.
Bane glances warily between us all. “You expect answers from that wretched place?” Bain mutters, his gaze fixed on the water. “Nothing good comes from dredging up the past,” he says.
Kaif remains silent, his arms crossed over his broad chest. I can tell he's wrestling with his own demons, ones he's not willing to share, same as his brother.
My mother seems to grow tired of their secrecy. “Very well, feel free to stay here, I suppose I'll see for myself,” she says determinedly. With a flourish of her hand, she steps toward the water's edge. As she touches the water, it reacts to her presence, creating a liquid portal of sorts.
I follow her lead, and as we both enter the Fountain of the Past, the world around us shifts and shimmers. A moment later, Kaif steps into the portal before he reaches out, grabbing Bain. “If I am going, you are too! I don't trust you not to lock me in this place!” he spits, and my mother shoots them both a glare. The water envelops us like a gentle cocoon, washing over us in gentle waves, and for a moment, I lose all sense of direction and time.
