Even if I hadn't been expecting Simon's father, I would have known him in a crowd. His sons took after his side of the family, clearly. The purple aura surrounding him, though? That was all my brother.

Simon went to stand beside his brother, their arms crossed in mirror images of each other. I stayed near Simon's side while the rest of the pack filled out the room.

"Well ain't this just one big happy family?" the man drawled. 

"Simon is here, Connor," Asher said. "Will you tell us what you want now?"

Connor picked up an apple from the tray Jesse, Asher’s mate, had set out.

"My brother sent him," I said, not taking my eyes off the man.

"Astute, brother mine." Connor's voice shifted into my brother's familiar lazy disdain. "What gave it away? My dashing good looks?"

"The same thing that gave Della away. Your aura permeated her soul, Sinsaya." I stepped slightly in front of Simon.

"Pesky things, auras. Not that they've given me much trouble with you out of the picture. You just had to go and escape your pretty little prison, didn't you? Did you finally realize your game of self-sacrifice was worth shit?"

"I'm coming for you, Sinsaya."

Sinsaya took a bite of his apple, crunching it loudly, small pieces flying from his mouth to the floor. "I'm sure you are. Which is why I'm here. My pretty little Della bird told me all about your rescue mission, back when she was trying to make her way to me. The best of a broken, worthless lot, that Della." He sighed. "But a bit of a nag. She only mindspeaks when she's asleep, you see, so your little nighty-night potion gave her plenty of time to chatter at me. It was a relief when the artreans finally shuttled her off to their little home. Anyway, I knew you were rising, but I figured I had another hundred years, maybe a few, until I had to deal with you. Yet here you are, unfortunately alive."

I would take another thousand years of maddening silence if I didn't have to listen to my brother drone on and on ever again. "So why send your mouthpiece? Why not come for me yourself?"

"One..." Sinsaya took another bite and spoke while chewing. "Connor here hasn't seen his kiddos since they were bitty cubs, and I thought he deserved a chance to see them. Two, I just wanted to let you know it's already too late. Whatever schemes you had in mind, I'm already two steps ahead of you, brother. It's just too bad you couldn't have stayed in your ice palace a little longer. Your animal friends really should have taken better care of their pets." He dropped the apple core to the floor and reached into his shirt pocket to pull out a photo.

My brother's evil grin slid away and Connor's body slumped to the floor, the photo fluttering to the ground. Dallas caught Connor before he hit the ground, and Simon and Asher hesitated, frozen. 

I placed a hand on Simon's arm. "My brother's attention is gone, but he still has control of your father."

My words spurred Asher to action. He knelt beside their father and placed a hand on his forehead. He turned back to Simon. "I can't hear him."

"It's probably best to sedate him as you did Della. You don't want my brother using him again."

"How long will we have to dope him up?" Simon asked.

"Until my brother is dead," I answered grimly. I stepped forward and pulled down the back collar of Connor's shirt. Sure enough, there was my brother's mark. "He's a conduit."

Simon looked down at his father with disgust. "I can't believe our father would agree to work for that bastard. No offense, Ryeth."

I laid a hand on Simon's shoulder. "I doubt your father had much choice. My brother does not care for rules or moral guidelines."

Simon helped his brother carry their father into Asher's office, and after administering a sedative, they returned. 

"Do you think your brother was just trying to scare you with the whole 'you're too late' thing?"

"Absolutely," I said. "But he's up to something. If he wasn't in the middle of some scheme, I have no doubt he would have come for me. He was one of the main trouble makers before the Council made the decision to retreat, drawing all Ancients into slumber."

"What do you think he's planning?" Asher asked.

Dallas had retrieved the photo and handed it to Asher. "We'll need to check with Phoenix, but what do you want to bet these are the kids that escaped us when we attacked Wamp?"

Asher's jaw tightened. "He's going after the children? Caspar, what can you tell us."

The seer was a quiet presence in the room. It was impossible to miss his large form, but he did his best to fade into the background. "I don't... know." He spoke slowly, as if the words pained him. "I think one of the children has a shielding gift—I haven't been able to see them at all, and I have looked. I should know what the children look like, however. Phoenix shared their images with me."

Asher handed the photo over.

"Those are the missing children," Caspar confirmed.

"We have to rescue them," Simon said, his anger blooming in the back of my mind.

I cleared my throat, drawing all eyes to me. "I can't help but feel as if this is a diversion. My brother is rarely so transparent with his plans. I feel as if he's trying to draw our attention from his true purpose."

"What would that be?" Asher's face didn't give away any hint whether he believed me or not, but he was listening.

I closed my eyes and thought, feeling Simon's attention zoom in on me. I replayed my brother's words. What could be his true plan? "I don't know," I said finally. "I do know that whatever steps we take, I need the assistance of the rest of the Council, or whatever remains of them."

Simon followed my thoughts quickly. "You're saying we have to go back to Antarctica?"

I nodded. "Removing the Ancients from this world has proven itself a failed solution, but many Ancients are too dangerous to simply let loose. We need to release the rest of the Council, deal with my brother, and then figure out a better solution for the others."

"We cannot dismiss the possibility that your brother actually does mean the children harm," Asher said.

"Mila's gift is tracking," Ryan said. "I know we've been scrupulous in letting the children be children and not use their gifts in this war, but perhaps we should request her assistance this once?"

Asher nodded.

"And I will be the one to pursue the children." Caspar's statement made the room go silent.

"We need you here," Asher said quietly.

Caspar shook his head. "No. I have seen my departure coming for a long time, though I wasn't sure the events that surrounded it. No matter what path I pursued, this is where I take my leave of the pack."

"Some paths are fixed in time," I told him. "If you see no other way, then perhaps this is one of them."

"Does that mean... you're not coming back?" Simon asked.

Caspar heaved his giant shoulders in a shrug. "There are many paths. I cannot say. But it will be some time, at the least."

Asher went to Caspar and laid his hand on the seer's shoulder. They stared at each other silently, perhaps mindspeaking, perhaps just sharing an unspoken moment. "This is your home," Asher said firmly. "Whether you are here or not."

Caspar looked down and cleared his throat. "Thank you." His already raspy voice was nearly unintelligible.

So we will be without our seer? I wasn't sure whether Simon meant to direct his thought toward me or not. I pulled him toward me and wrapped my arms around him.

You may be without your seer, but you will still have your dragon.