“The Forger has failed to hone the weapon. The Blade is not sharp, the Stone has not been whet.”
“I—”
“The Father needs toteach, the Mentor needs toadvise,the Alpha needs toclaim.” The Sisters stood as one and turned to Cord. “The Storm has come but has not struck.”
“So, you’re saying there is room for improvement?” Cord said casually as he leaned on the back of a chair. “What would you have me do? Ada?” He looked at the Sister to the right. She looked back at him without a word. “Agatha?” His eyes flicked to the Sister on the left. “No? Aryna? Surely you have more to say?” His steel grey eyes rested on the middle Sister. “You speak in riddles and half sentences. We are Akrhyn, not mysticalAncients. You tell us to do better, but we do not knowwhatto do. You tell us to prepare for war, but you sanction a useless, senseless ball. What are we fighting against? The mass at the mountain was an illusion. We are failing because we are not beingled.” Cord straightened suddenly. “You expect so much of us, but you give us no time.”
“We gave you the Texts.”
“And then removed any chance that I could have to actually study them,” Cord retorted angrily.
“Your Mark has grown,” Agatha said.
“After it charred the skin off my back, I am sure it has.”
“Your Mark burned?” Garrick asked with concern. “What happened?”
“The Darkness happened,” Leonid spoke instead. “The Darkness trapped us both. I could not get out of where I fell after they tried to take my life, and I do not knowhow, in the name of Delfar, I do not know how he got through the barrier, but he did.” Leonid’s eyes swept the room. “He took over ten days to regain consciousness, yet no one questions his abilities. He took those days, and then he stood like it had been nothing and offered me his blood to heal me.” Leonid met Cord’s glare. “He fed me for two days. All those days he was incapacitated, yet no one came for him.”
“We were searching,” Lucas protested softly.
“You put everything on this Castor’s shoulders. He has the Mark, but he is not immortal.”
“He is the Storm,” Ada corrected.
“He is a twenty-one-year-old male who has been given an impossible task in an unknown war.” Leonid looked over to Salem. “Do the Akrhyn at the ball even know there is a war?”
“The Lycans prepare,” Marcus said. “There are rumours of the free packs fighting,” he said slowly.
“Drakhyn?” Tegan asked curiously.
“Lycan,” Marcus bit out angrily.
“They’re fightingforthe Drakhyn?” Michael asked in horror.
“Yes.”
“Marcus, that’s…” Garrick couldn’t form words.
“You are right,” Marcus said as he turned to the Sisters. “I have not done my part. I will leave tonight.”
The Three nodded at his words.
“I do not understand,” Salem admitted tiredly. “Why am I the Forger and not the Father? They are both my children.”
“You made them.” Aryna smiled to take the bluntness out of her words. “But you have not melded them. They need to be shaped.”
“And I am the Father because?” Leonid looked at them sceptically.
“Because the Mark needs more than a Mentor,” Lucas muttered.
“I am to mouldhim?” Leonid asked as he turned to look at Cord. “He is arrogant,” he mused almost to himself.
“Hecan also hear you,” Cord muttered.
“I did not think you could not.”
“This is why we are here?” Tegan asked. “For a reprimand?”