River opened his eyes and the first thing he saw were unruly waves of dark chestnut hair, a sharp clenched jaw line and amber-brown eyes. It took a second before River realised he was being carried in Atreus’ arms, registering the firm and strong arms under and around him.

“What the…” River said, his throat thick with sleep. He squirmed in Atreus’ grasp, only for his body to refuse to cooperate, too stiff, sore and tired to move the way he wanted to.

“Calm down and stay still,” Atreus gruffly told him, his brow knotting even tighter together in his peeved annoyance.

“What did you do to me?” River asked, desperate to make a fist and defend himself but his hands were too swollen and sore from his allergy. “Where’s Cerys?!” He shifted his head around to see where they were, where his sister or Clementine were, but instead he found them coming up a winding greystone driveway to a huge wooden house with green rooftops and a towering stone chimney. 

“I didn’t do anything to you,” Atreus bitterly replied, reaching stone steps that led up to a wooden porch and climbed them with no hesitation. “Aside from carrying your passed out ass because Cerys was too weak and Clementine decided to fuck off with her before I could say otherwise.”

“Too weak? Where is she? Where’s my sister?” River pressed his hand against Atreus’ chest, struggling to grab at his brown sweater vest and cream coloured dress shirt.

“See for yourself,” said Atreus, uncaring for River’s fruitless grabs of his clothes. He walked into the foyer, French wooden doors opening on their own in welcome, but as they had crossed the threshold, pain reignited across River’s body, an aching sting flared across his skin.

A whine escaped River, his vision blurring as he shuddered to breath out the hurt. His breaths deepened, skin burning and itching, begging to be torn off his body. It faded away before he knew it, only a dull ache and itch lingering. He wished he had stayed asleep in his dreamless void.

Atreus lowered him onto a plush leather couch, gentle as he rested River’s head against a cushion and carefully placed River’s limbs down. He said nothing, but a tenderness formed across his face, sympathy for something couldn’t ever understand.

River was about to ask him where they were, when the rise of voices from another room startled him. He couldn’t see as the couch blocked the view behind him, but Atreus seemed just as intrigued as he was, holding a finger up to lips.

He squatted in front of River, as if to act busy, and from Atreus’ fingertips, purple smoke conjured a small moth. The moth flew away, River’s gaze following it until the small magic creature disappeared out of his sight. Another flash of violet stole back River’s attention and Atreus had made a floating window, whatever the moth saw displaying for both men to see.

“How?” River asked in a breath of wonder and Atreus smiled.

“Magic,” he teased.

In the floating window, a room came into view where Cerys sat at a round table, opposing three people River didn’t know. A woman with green hair, her hands neatly folded on top of the table, and besides her was a hulking figure of a man, his beefy arms crossed over his chest, and lastly was a man all too familiar.

“These are the three Heads of Astera’s Embrace. Cordelia and Sol,” Atreus explained, and pointed to the green haired woman and the large man beside her before he continued. “They’re the dual Heads of Juniperus, the largest coven here who usually take in the majority of our refugees. They’re also Clementine’s parents, along with Cas, but he isn’t here.”

“How many covens are there?” River asked. “In Astera’s Embrace.”

Atreus replied, “two, but there are some families here that keep to themselves, practise their traditions and beliefs. Coming to Astera’s Embrace doesn’t mean you have to submit to any coven, but the doors are open.”

He turned back to the floating window and pointed at the familiar man. He was dressed in a crisp suit, his leg folded over his knee as he leaned his arm behind the back of his chair.

“This is Alaric, my father,” Atreus said and River parted his mouth.

Atreus’ father’s dark locks of chestnut hair was brushed back with a stubborn strand curling over his forehead, fine creases of age around his mouth and eyes, though took nothing away from his handsome features.

River glanced at Atreus, noting the similarity between the two from their hair, long noses and sharp jaw. Though Alaric’s expressions were hard to read, his eyes hard and empty, Atreus showed his feelings off like a picture book. River’s lips quirked, realising that like his father, he too had a handsome charm.

Then immediately River scrunched his face up, disturbed by his thought, and Atreus noticed his expression with his own peeved repulsion.

“Your father is a Head too, right?” River quickly asked. “Of your coven? I assume you aren’t part of Juni… Juni-what?”

“Juniperus,” Atreus rolled his eyes but continued as he said, “and yes, he is the sole Head of my coven—Zenith. We’re much smaller in comparison to Juniperus but far stricter in our practices, in our ways of handling magic. We’re powerful because of it, which is why we are tasked with the protection of our wards and the well-being of our land.”

“And the reason why you’re such a hard ass?” River asked, only to meet Atreus’ displeased scowl. River smirked, a small laugh leaving him.

“How can you be so heartless?!” Cerys yelled, her voice carrying through the house, but heard clearly from Atreus’ conjured window. She stood from her seat, her hands splayed against the table. “He’s innocent in this matter, completely! I understand if you don’t want me here, but River is a mundane being hunted for something he has no control over!”

“Perhaps, but he’s tied to you, and you’re tied to the Blood Witch,” the woman, Cordelia, responded. “It's a risk we cannot take, a sacrifice we aren’t willing to make.”

“Please,” Cerys begged and hung her head down. “He’s being tracked by them but I don’t know how! They found him in the forest outside Astera’s Gate, hunted him so quickly I couldn’t even keep up. I can’t defend him from Morana’s entire horde, her numbers grow everyday and more, and more of her lower, lesser Servants are being granted permission to Ascend—to sacrifice the living for magic.”

“Outside of the Gate?” Alaric snapped, rage rising in his tone. “You brought them to our doorstep?”

“What are you fretting for?” Cerys asked and sat back down in her seat, arms crossed under her chest. “Zenith’s more than capable, you just said that, and Atreus proved it when he helped me put an end to the monster they made. Even he supports us.”

It was a bold ass lie and River dropped his mouth, looking to Atreus who looked as enraged as his father. He went to stand, but River reached out to stop him.

“Is daddy dearest going to be okay with you not only barging in on their discussion, but eavesdropping?” River asked and Atreus clenched his teeth, exhaling from his nose before he settled back down. “Good boy.”

Atreus snapped his head to River, but River ignored him, paying mind to Cerys and the three Heads she faced alone.

“There’s no doubt of Zenith’s capabilities,” a deep, thundering voice came from the second Head of Juniperus—Sol, Atreus had called him. “But you expect, with the Blood Witch on your tail, for us to harbour you and gain her ire?”

Cordelia added, “which is exactly why we are saying no.”

“You’ll have her ire anyway,” Cerys said, “Morana is chasing power and this land you share is rich in magical aether, your impenetrable wards are proof of that. You know this—you’ve bled in war amongst your own for it.

“She’s not strong enough yet, she can’t even break my wards, but believe me, she won’t give up. She’s obsessed with this impossible pursuit of…” Cerys paused and shook her head, a deep breath leaving her before she continued. “She’s getting stronger with each sacrifice and eventually, these wards will fall at her command.”

“We won’t be safe here?” River asked absent-mindedly and swallowed down his nerves.

“That’s impossible!” said Atreus, eyes glued to the conjured window. “Astera’s Embrace has never faltered, not once.”

“If they’re so good then why do you need to protect it?” River asked and Atreus snapped a harsh glare on him.

“It’s not about protecting the wards, it’s about protecting everyone inside!” Atreus answered. “I can’t expect you or your sister to understand the desire to protect others when clearly she doesn’t care about another person’s life.”

“Give us refuge,” Cerys said and both men turned their attention back to the conjured window. “In turn, I'll give you everything to stop the Blood Witch, Morana.”