“And we feel there is a reason there are four,” he stated. “Four Beasts. Four couples prophesied. We feel, the way forward, is not that you act as one. We feel it is likely they will not move as a pack. We believe that each prophesied couple will need to strike out on their own to…”

He hesitated.

Everyone listened closely.

And then he finished.

“Hunt.”

Well…

Shite.

Queen Elena

Red Room, Sky Citadel, Sky Bay

AIREN

“I don’t give a fuck what he suggests,” my husband declared. “It’s lunacy for us to separate.”

I had to agree.

“I do not know,” True murmured.

“True, it took the four mightiest witches in our realms to kill one of them, and it was vulnerable when they did, and two of them perished in the doing of it,” Cassius reminded him.

“I’m aware of that, Cass,” True said patiently.

“And you wish to separate?” Cass asked.

“I wish to divide and conquer,” True answered. “But to do so, I feel we must not be hunters.”

“And how do you suggest doing this? For I do not wish to be following in their path, ten steps behind as they slaughter more families, entire villages, leaving panic, mayhem and anarchy in their wake,” Mars put in.

“I feel we should become the hunted,” True declared.

No one spoke.

“What is the most magical place on Triton?” True queried.

“The Enchantments, of course, True, but obviously, although I don’t want them anywhere, I have grave issue leading them there,” I said.

“If we could take them to the place where the Green King and the Sky King and the Fire King drove their magic into the earth, the sky?” True inquired. “Break them from each other, make them chase us. Not realizing their brethren are being led to the same place. And when we get them there, surround them and do…whatever it is we’re meant to do.”

“I don’t like it,” I said.

“I don’t either,” Serena said.

“This is not the most magical place in Triton,” Aramus said.

Everyone looked to him.

“We must drive them to Mar-el,” he declared.

“Husband,” Ha-Lah said softly.

“Why?” Mars asked.

Aramus looked to Jorie and stated, “I know how the Mer captured him.”

“Aramus,” Jorie rumbled warningly.

“I see there’s something going on between you two,” Cass remarked. “But I feel it’s important to note we don’t want to capture them. We want to kill them.”

“I do not know much about this, but isn’t what’s important, in the now, that we first find them?” Farah asked.

“We need to speak,” Jorie said to Aramus.

“Perhaps we can go to The Cauldron?” Silence suggested, her gaze moving between her sisters. “To, maybe, perform another ritual, seek where they are?”

General discussion broke out, no one agreeing on a way to move forward, everyone becoming more frustrated as we talked.

This followed us into dinner.