First Eclipse

Tim picked at the tape on his arm. Fauna had stuck it on really well. He glanced up when Prince Leone, his mate, and Mac appeared. The prince had to know this area very well to do that. Mac came toward him.

Getting the edge off his skin, Tim ripped it off in one continuous motion, sacrificing any hair that the tape touched.

"I guess your trip to the mountains didn't work out."

Tim scoffed. "Not for the purpose intended."

Mac held out a phone and earbud case. "I figured you'd lost yours, or you would have called."

Taking them, Tim reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. "It broke my fall."

Mac eyed the shattered screen. "Ouch. That's almost as bad as Bart using his to hold that elevator open."

"Yeah." Picking up his bag, Tim jammed the dead phone into the pocket. He looked around at the others. Kara hadn't come back yet. Was Fauna's injury more extensive than he thought? Turning the new phone on, while he put the earbud in his ear, he kept an eye on those arriving. The second the screen background appeared, he dialed into the group call.

Prince Leone approached him. "Are we going to have a signal once we're in there?"

Tim shook his head. "We tried the spare porter Princess Cristy put in the backpack, and it didn't work."

"That's what I was afraid of."

Tucking the phone into his pocket, Tim pulled out his case and sword strap. "Sir," he glanced at the prince. "How did you get here so quickly?"

Leone looked around and then pointed. "Great fishing spot just beyond that grouping of trees."

Tim frowned. "It can't be coincidence."

"What isn't?" Prince Emil was behind them.

Tim motioned to the cave. "That they used this location." He looked up the mountain. "That we fell through after leaving the cabin-" He turned back to Leone. "-that you and the captain used to use." Leone studied him for a moment and then looked at his brother. "He's right. Shit."

The captain was talking on his phone as he walked toward them. He hung up. "Kara will be back in a minute with the others." He looked from Emil to Leone. "What?"

Leone waved his hand around. "It's like they studied us to know places we used to go."

Rafael scowled. "That would mean..."

"You've had a rat very close to the family." Emil nodded. "Who knew about this place?"

Leone and Rafael exchanged a look. "Besides family? Our guards."

Emil stiffened. "Any that still work for the family personally?"

Rafael shook his head. "No. They're long retired." He looked at the ground for a second. "Shit."

"Yeah." Leone rubbed his hand over his forehead. "I don't even remember names..."

"I have to talk to Victor." Rafael turned on his heel and strode away.

"Good find." Leone nodded to Tim and then jogged after his brother.

"How big is this tunnel system?"

Tim looked at Emil. "I'm not sure. It felt like we walked for days, and then I remembered about using an illusion to hide, so we went back and found the tunnel that led to here." "There's potentially more ways in?"

Tim nodded.

Emil touched his ear. "We are going to need to send some down that hole. There's more than one way out." He glanced back at Tim. "-and illusions are used to hide them." "Fun times." Arius' voice came through the earbud.

"Fauna is good as new." Kara's voice was very welcome in his ear. Tim felt some of the tension drain out of his body. How did the princes and kings ever focus on anything when their mates weren't with them? "The doc is coming over with his portable ultrasound thing to take a look on the inside. Rea wants to know if she'll be needed to check for portals."

"She needs to recuperate." Prince Quinton growled through the phone.

Prince Victor walked away from the Fa Terra princess. He touched his ear. "We have Princess Aireese and her guard here. They've just assured me they will know if magic is in play aside from the known illusions."

"Okay. Be there in a minute. I'm just waiting on a few more guards." Kara answered.

Tim felt better that he'd be going in again with more than enough backup.

"Abe, Michael, and I are going to drop down from the hole and follow the long tunnel." Prince Leone motioned for Tim to go over to him.

"You better take someone with magical skill, Leone." King Troy's said, sounding very kingly.

Tim hurried over to Leone.

"Ava has just informed me that Firo has sent for Aslac. He'll go with you." Emil walked over to Leone as well.

Leone touched his ear and then looked at Tim. "Tell me where I'm going."

Tim nodded. "Once inside the area with the tables, there's the cavern she uses. Another short tunnel with four other spaces that others stayed." He looked at the captain as he came toward them. "There's one tunnel out. The hidden one that leads here is about fifty feet in. I don't know where the other direction goes when you go straight because we went back to check for illusions."

Leone glanced at Rafael and nodded. "So, expect the unexpected. Got it." He nodded to his brother and then went over to Prince Michael when he appeared.

The captain looked at Tim. "Fauna wanted me to give you a message."

Tim stiffened.

"Take your weapons this time, and don't hurt the rodents."

Tim grinned.

"Why the rodents?" Emil gave him a curious look.

"She got them to run along the tunnel to distract the women so she wouldn't see us when she passed by the crates we hid behind. Without that, this would have ended differently." Emil nodded. "All right. The rodents get a free pass today."

Rafael looked around. "How didn't we know this was here? Leone and I spent a lot of time here."

"It's probably been hidden with magic for a long time." Emil shrugged.

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"Magic used to be cool," Rafael mumbled. He looked back at Tim. "Are you good to go?"

Tim nodded. "I wanted to look in her little space but was afraid we'd get zapped or worse."

Rafael smiled. "We have a few that will remove any surprises." He patted his shoulder once and then walked away.

Kara appeared with a large group. Tim was shocked she'd ported so many. She lifted her arms and then pointed to her mate. "Thirteen. Beat your record."

Woods, Bart, and Gudrun all laughed. Detrick and Sith immediately went over to Kinsley. She would complain that she didn't need guarding, but none of them listened. Bronx, he was surprised to see, but if the seer was staying somewhere safe in Alterealm, he wasn't needed. Although her definition of safe and everyone else wasn't quite the same. Prince Arius and his mate, along with Prince Quinton and Tim's huntress, had also hitched a ride with Kara. He didn't even know Daxx had left. The three he never expected to see stepped out of the group of large bodies. He recognized Tera and Karma, and the third Gemini woman was Sparx. She rubbed her hands together and then what looked like electricity came out of her palms. Very appropriate name, he thought.

"Sparx is with us." Someone called out.

All three of Fauna's housemates zeroed in on Tim and started walking toward him.

Prince Emil put his hand on his shoulder. "Just apologize," he said quietly, then looked at the three women. "Repeatedly, if needed," he said, walking away.

Tim tried to determine whether their expressions were good or bad for him, but they were right in front of him before he had decided. "I'm sorry, Fauna got hurt." He meant it.

Karma snorted. "According to her, she would be dead if you hadn't saved her."

Tera threw herself at him and hugged his waist. Tim looked down, and he was sure he saw a moth in her hair. "Thank you for saving Fawn," she said, releasing him and stepping back.

"Yeah." Sparx nodded, looked around, and lifted her arms. Small lightning bolts flew from her palms. "Where do you want me?"

Princess Bethany looked at Paisley. "You're with us." She smiled.

"Excellent." Sparx walked toward her.

King Chase appeared a few feet from him. "I haven't been here in a hundred years." He smiled. "The exploration can now begin."

Daxx frowned and walked toward him. "I thought you were away so Alona could..."

"We are back," Alona said on the group call. "Honestly, we spent more time worrying over everything else than relaxing. I'm going to go see Voila."

Michael touched his ear. "Yes. Please. She has a bit of congestion, and Autumn won't let her go."

"Poor little one. I'll go help out."

"Thank you, Alona."

"Okay." Chase turned in a circle. "Someone bring me up to date."

Prince Victor walked over and then pointed to Bronx and Detrick. "You two are tasked with protecting our kings. If anything life-threatening happens, you are to get them out of there." He looked from one guard to the other. "Even if you must put them over your shoulders and run."

Detrick and Gudrun both nodded.

"How to ruin my fun, big brother." Chase rolled his eyes.

Troy emerged from the edge of the entrance. Tim hadn't even seen him arrive. "He's doing his job, Chase. Live with it."

"Right." Chase patted his chest. "Brother king, we must survive."

"You will without a scratch, Chase," Alona said loudly over the call.

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"Of course, Dutchess." Chase sighed and went over to his twin.

Sith came over to Tim. "I just listened to that Fauna woman sing praises of Tim." He looked him up and down. "How you dangled by one arm that was all sliced open, and then Tarzan'd the both of you down the rocky wall."

Tim grinned. "She's not really exaggerating."

He looked at his arms.

Tim held the one he'd hurt up. "The captain gave me a quick fix."

Sith looked surprised. "You probably have more royal blood in you than your own by now."

Tim laughed. "Some days are harder than others with the job we have."

Sith snorted. "I'm just glad to be here. I've been bored."

"Well-" Tim looked at the entrance. "-if the evil twin returns, you won't be."

"Everyone, listen up." Leone walked up the path toward the entrance. "Abe, Michael, and I, along with Aslac, are going to go down the hole that tried to swallow Tim and Fauna." Leone glanced at him briefly. "Karma and Kinsley are going to stay at the hole or close by and alert us if anyone comes along."

Tim noted that Karma looked quite pleased with her assignment.

"I guess I'm the failsafe if anyone slips." Kinsley sheathed her weapons.

Emil smiled. "I believe that is the idea."

"Mmm."

Prince Leone avoided looking at her. "Kara, you and Tera find higher ground. You're our warning system if that woman returns."

Kara nodded and picked up her bow. "Are you sure you don't want me just to shoot her and knock her out?"

Leone looked at Rafael.

Rafael shook his head. "Stay out of sight unless it's dire."

"And if anyone else comes?" Kara looked from Leone to her mate.

Leone shrugged. "Knock them out. One evil woman will be enough for us to handle."

Ava snorted. "Oh, I've got her number this time."

Firo appeared with another man from FaTerra. Tim scowled in their direction. They were all too pretty for males. Maybe they used magic to hide how they really looked. He'd seen some of them in action, though, and he'd take the magic they had.

Daxx approached him. She looked amused. "I gave you a day off, and you find trouble."

He smiled. "Just lucky that way." He shrugged.

She laughed. "Good. I've been losing my mind checking locations that had no bodies." She glanced at the entrance. "No one to fight?"

Tim shook his head. "Maybe some will show up."

"We can only hope." She nodded to him and then walked toward her mate. "Let's get this party started, people." She pulled her weapons off her back.

Tim grinned. Never a dull moment.