While the others cleaned up lunch, Simon and I slipped away for a private moment.

"So Caspar really wasn't joking? You're pregnant?"

I blew out a frustrated sigh. In all my years, I could not have picked a worst moment for this. Well, perhaps right before we sealed ourselves in the ice. That would have been worse. "Yes. I'm sorry, I'm sure you weren't planning—"

Simon cut off my apology with an embrace, followed by a gentle kiss. "I know we haven't really talked about it, and things have moved quickly, but you are my mate now. You bear my mark and I bear yours."

I really hadn't thought through all of the implications of my actions, had I? Of all the ogre-skulled, numb-brained—

"Stop," Simon said. "You're ruining my happy moment."

I blinked at him. "You're... pleased?"

"I was. Are you not?"

I rubbed my face and then placed my hands around Simon’s neck, giving him the physical comfort I knew he needed. "It's not that I'm displeased. It's just... timing. And you're mortal."

Simon shrugged. "It doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you."

"It does bother me. It has bothered me every time I lost a conduit to old age, but you... you are so much more than that."

"Tell me this." Simon rubbed circles into the small of my back. "Would it hurt any less if this morning had been different?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "There's never been anything like us before."

"Well, a wise person once told me there's no sense in worrying about things when you only have a tiny bit of the information you need to evaluate it."

"A wise person?" I smiled finally. "I'm not sure that's exactly what I said..."

"How do you know I'm not talking about some other wise person?" Simon sniffed and looked away. I leaned in and turned his face toward mine for a kiss. Simon was right. I would miss him when he eventually passed no matter whether we were mated in the way of his people or not. Hopefully, that would be a long, long time in coming.

We returned to the group. Caspar was wasting no time, and we shouldn't either. After consulting the child with the tracking gift, the pack took one final moment to watch Caspar shift and disappear into the woods.

"Now it's our turn," Asher said. "What do we need to do?"

All eyes turned to me. "I will go and wake the others, and we will consult on how to deal with my brother."

"So, what are we waiting on?" Simon asked. "Let's get a move on."

"I intend to go alone." I knew Simon would resist this idea. "I am stronger now. Once I shift into my dragon form, I will be more than capable of traversing the ice alone."

"What if something happens?" Simon protested. "What if your brother has a similar plan to go wake up his buddies, and it's just you against him and his horde?"

"My brother doesn't have a horde," I said absently, as Simon's words sunk in.

"Oh, shit. You think your brother actually has gone to wake up his horde?"

"He is my brother," I said. "As different as we are, it's not unlikely that our minds might follow the same path in something like this."

"Well then, we have even less time to waste," Simon said. "Let's go. You can tell us how we're busting your buddies out while we walk."

Simon refused to ride on my back again, using the excuse that I couldn't fit everyone, so he might as well travel with the ground crew. 

Waking the Council would be easy. We knew there was always the possibility that unforeseen circumstances would make our plan untenable, as it had now, and we'd built in an emergency protocol to wake just the members of the Council. It was simple. Any member of the Council could release any other member of the Council by shattering the gold emblem embedded in the ice outside of each Council member's vault. Just cracking it would do no good—they were keyed to the member's individual bodies. So, in the event that my brother was there, I gave each member of the pack one of my scales to pierce the emblems with. I hoped it would work.

My skin itched where I had plucked the scales—none from the same spot. I didn't wish to leave any obvious vulnerabilities. 

I didn't think to ask Caspar to warn the artreans, Asher told the group, and I heard his words through Simon. This will take us longer if we have to go all the way to their compound.

I can hurry ahead, I assured him.

But even without instructions, Caspar was watching over his pack. He had already been through the artreans' portal on his way to find the children, and Elder Talon was waiting for us.

I shifted to human form while I waited for the others to catch up.

"So this will be the final battle with your brother?" Elder Talon asked. "Once you have awoken the other Ancients?"

"Yes." I hoped I had enough time to gather the Council, but a dread feeling told me that my fight with my brother would be sooner than I hoped.

"I am sorry for the pain this must cause you, but I will not be sorry to hear he is no longer on this earth."

"I dealt with my pain a long time ago, Elder."

We shared a look, an acknowledgement of men who have both made hard decisions, decisions that were not easy, and that often ended in pain for ourselves or others. But regardless of past decisions and mistakes, we still fought for what we believed in. I still did not trust him, but I thought I might be able to respect him.

Asher slid through the portal with a slurp. 

"Once my brother is dead, I will come to you, Elder Talon, and you will have the knowledge you seek."