Page 13 of The Erion Triad

Instead of the familiar battle horns that grew in adolescence, their temples were now the smooth skin of children.

“We look ridiculous,” Juliran snorted.

“I guess we fit in like this. Sort of,” Zaen said, although he ran his fingertips along his smooth forehead with a frown on his face.

“Do you still have your markings, Zaen?” Juliran said.

Zaen lifted his top to reveal the black and blue swirls on his abdomen. Either one or all of any Trio were born with them, and Zaen was the only marked of his brothers. Instead of their usual shifting colors, the colors in the swirls didn’t change, but remained a static neon blue. Many a time, Juliran had teased his brother when he’d been unable to hide his emotions through the swirls and changing colors in his markings. It would seem they wouldn’t behave like that here. Zaen tucked his shirt into the waist of his pants.

“We fit in close enough not to draw attention, that’s the main thing. I suspect we will have to take Lucie’s world as we find it,” Kyel said.

“What do you mean?” Juliran said. “Can’t we just find her and bring her home?”

Kyel’s gaze gleamed in the low light. “Lucie has been tortured, brother. We don’t know in what state we’ll find her. She may not be able to withstand another shock if we try to pull her out of whatever we are in too quickly. It is up to us to soothe her. Calm her. Make her understand that her life is with us so she might feel our mate bond. If the entity has brought her here, it must be for a reason. We need to watch out and make sure she is protected at all times.”

“I will do anything necessary,” Juliran said. He suppressed the feeling of helplessness that swamped him.

He knew there was something holding her back, but was unable to understand exactly what. Or how horrific it was.

She should be happy. Joyful. Secure in the knowledge of their love, but she had doubted all along. If anything, they had to get to the bottom of that before she had any chance of healing and fully accepting them.

Maybe that was the brunt of the matter. They hadn’t tried hard enough, hadn’t been able to break the shell surrounding her for her to feel secure. It was down to them to rectify many things.

Shouting, laughter and pumping music emanated from a building behind them. Juliran made out a tune with a steady beat.

Inside the building, many people sat next to windows, sharing meals. Females bustled around, all dressed in a similar fashion: a uniform of red and white checks with a frilly white apron tied around their waists. It seemed to be in a slightly different style to those sitting and eating.

A woman passed by a window, and his heart stopped. “Brothers, it’s Lucie! We’ve found her.”

He strode towards her, but a hand on his arm held him back. He turned to face Kyel.

“Remember, brother,” Kyel said. “We do not know what to expect. We will greet her, but she is in a fragile state of mind. The laws of physics may not apply here. This is not a real world. This is her mind’s construct. However she is, we will need to go with what she believes to be real. Work with her, not against her. I ought to suggest… her mind might have blocked us out altogether. We are not a part of the world she has regressed to. She may not even recognize us.”

Juliran nodded. Trepidation washed over him as his brother’s words sank in.

“Time is not on our side either,” he said.

They had no idea how long it might take for the entity to drain her fully, or trap her mind in the shell it had created. Her body was on the brink of shutting down and she was already weakened. So many variables. Too many.

“Come. Let’s see what we find,” Zaen said.

They walked into the eating house, Juliran’s heart thumping in anticipation. She might only have to see them, and they would be able to sweep her away and back into reality.

He peered through the crowd, his gaze bouncing off strangers, and then landed on her. “Lucie!”

She was talking to people seated at a table, writing on a pad of paper. She perked up and looked over in their direction. Juliran steeled himself for her reaction, but there was none.

She finished speaking to the people seated and then came towards them. She was… different. Her body was more filled out, not skin and bone as she was in reality, but still too thin. And she looked tired. Strands of hair had escaped a once-neat bun, and the bags beneath her eyes told of fatigue. Her steps were heavy, as though she had to fight to take each one.

Her familiar scent washed over him and it took every ounce of willpower in him to force himself to remain standing where he was, to not gather her into his arms and hold her against his chest.

“Lucie. We’ve found you,” he said as his breath whooshed out of him.

He stepped towards her, but Kyel’s hand on his elbow held him back. He was confused for a moment, but Kyel’s steely gaze was trained on Lucie. “Easy, brother.”

Frowning, Juliran looked back at Lucie to see what had stopped Kyel. He thought he saw a spark of recognition in her eyes, then a second of confusion and she winced, putting a hand to her temple. She blinked a few times, shaking her head a little, as though trying to clear her mind. When she looked at them, her eyes were dazed and strangely blank. “How do you know my name?”

Juliran’s heart sunk into the pit of his stomach and his heart stuttered in his chest. Their mate didn’t recognize them! Although Kyel had warned him, he was still totally unprepared. All he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms, hold her and protect her like a mate should. The urge was overpowering.

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