First Eclipse

"All right, everyone, let's figure this out." King Troy stood by the wall with Capri and Prince Victor.

Bethany sat down beside Prince Leone. "I think the first thing we need to figure out is what to do about that woman." She looked around. "The men that were there we can handle."

Paisley nodded. "She's got some strong magic, and so far, I don't think anyone has gone toe-to-toe with her."

"Ava did." Flora nodded. "She stopped her when she was doing her voodoo on-" She looked at Karma. "—all of us."

Reagan glanced at Ava and then at Firo. "They weren't face to face," she said, giving Ava an apologetic look. "I can only assume that up close it's more powerful."

"Ava is hell powerful." Karma smiled.

"While I will not argue that-" Firo had been standing back out of sight but was now walking across the room toward Ava. "She has yet to understand her full capabilities, and for one to take on that other woman, it's a risk we should not take." He touched Ava's arm as he walked by and stood behind the table.

"I agree with that." Troy nodded. "We don't understand what she can do, so it won't come down to one person."

"I'd imagine" Capri looked around the room. "-she is like myself, and the possibilities are endless."

"That's not good news," Quinton mumbled.

Capri gave him an amused look. "I know. I have always felt I missed one of us-" She motioned to the table where most of the Gemini sat together. "I don't know why I didn't know I had a twin."

"If she's like you, Capri, we're in some deep trouble." Em came in the door and hurried over to the table.

"I'm afraid she may be right." Capri clasped her hands in front of her and looked around the room.

Kinsley stood up. "So, what if we go into the camp when she's not there, take out the minions and deal with her another time when we're more prepared?"

Several of the royal family discussed this among themselves.

Ava didn't look impressed. Fauna reached over and touched her hand. "It's better this way," she said quietly. "Once you know more about what you can do, then you can handle anything she tries."

Ava held her look for a moment, then glanced over Fauna's shoulder to where Firo was standing. she exhaled. "Yeah. I don't like it, though."

Fauna looked around the room. The guards and mates were all having hushed discussions too. She turned to see that Tim wasn't talking to anyone, he was looking at her. She quirked an eyebrow at him and he looked away. They needed to finish that talk, she remembered and then heard Capri's voice on the other side of the space. What was happening right now was more important.

"We'll do what Kinsley suggested." Troy motioned to Victor. "Gudrun and Detrick have reported more coming back since we were there."

"Do they have a number?" Quinton crossed his arms over his chest and gave his brother an emotionless look.

"No. We still don't know how many were there to start with."

"Or if more are due back." Leone shrugged.

"We can go and look." Bastian smiled. "Tell you how many, how big, how ugly?" He nodded.

His guard gave him a bored look.

"You can do this completely undetected?" Troy asked.

"A distraction would help." Trendan looked at his guard. "Ulric and I could go in on one side and Bas with Tor on the other," He shrugged. "Cover more ground faster."

"What kind of distraction?" Troy took the same pose as Quinton.

"Something to get everyone moving, so we don't have to try to peer through windows," Trendan said.

"Yes, sadly, we can't walk through walls." Bastain grinned again.

Fauna knew that he and Nova were finally together, and she found it amusing that he seemed in such a good mood despite everything that was going on. She looked over a Tim, and he tilted his head and stared at her. She frowned, not understanding why.

He cleared his throat. "Fauna could send some animals to set off their barrier spell." He glanced at her and then held her look. He was right. She hadn't thought of that.

"How does that work?" Daxx was sitting on the edge of the table.

Fauna sat straighter. "I did it to send that woman the other way earlier. I called animals from one direction to run in another."

Daxx smiled. "That would work again?"

Fauna bit her lip and couldn't help but look at Tim once more. "I think so. I could send a few from one direction to run through their barrier. Too many, and that woman would know I was behind it again." That she didn't want.

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"I like it." Bastain gave her a thumbs up.

"Chances are they'd send men into the bush to see what stirred the animals." Rafael looked at Troy. "That would give them a chance to get in without suspicion."

"Yeah, but what are the chances that the woman goes into the bush looking for Fauna?" Karma leaned on the table. "If she's out there, how do the Solrelm guys get out of there?"

"Don't worry about us." Trendan glanced at Fauna. "We've been doing this a long time. We'll get out again and meet up with everyone."

"Still" Troy nodded to Rafael and Leone."―get a map of the area so we can plan where they enter the encampment and where Fauna will send the animals from." He looked at Tim. "You'll be with her to port her out of there as soon as she's done her part."

Tim nodded and then looked over at her. His expression was very serious, making her wonder what part of the plan she hadn't understood.

"Is there a best time for you to go in?" Troy looked at Trendan.

"Dawn is a good time." Trendan looked at his guard. "So, we're not tripping over anything in the dark."

Bastain laughed. "At least no one can see if we do."

Again, Tor gave him a side-eye and then shook his head. Fauna had to wonder what it was like to be the personal guard of prince crazy, as some of them like to call him.

Troy pulled out his phone and looked at it. "That gives us three hours. Let's get teams ready." He looked at Rafael. "I want four small teams set up around the encampment that can come to aid or get the others ported out of there." Rafael nodded. "Meet back here in two and a half?"

Troy exchanged a look with Victor and then nodded. "Yes."

Everyone started talking again.

Capri came over to the table. She looked at Ava and then Karma. "Just Fauna goes this time."

Ava scowled. "Why?"

"Because the rest of us need to be at that meeting with the Interealm team to discuss the grid search." She held Ava's look. "That is just as important and necessary to put a stop to all of this."

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Ava sighed. "Fine. But you can't put it off forever. I'm going to get payback on her." Ava pushed away from the table and stood up.

"I know," Capri said softly as Ava walked over to Firo.

Fauna felt bad for her. "I'm sorry that it's your sister, Capri."

Em nodded, sending her curls dancing.

Capri looked at her for a moment. "We may share some DNA, but I believe that's as far as it goes." She leaned down and put her hand over Fauna's on the table. "You ladies are my family. Forever." She smiled. "Does anyone see the irony?" Em looked around. "That Capri, the first woman born in the time of Gemini, has a twin?" No one spoke. "You know, the symbol of Geminis is twins." Still silence. Em sighed. "Okay then."

"It hasn't been lost on me," Capri said quietly. "Each one of us was born in the time of Gemini under a solar event of one sort or another." She looked at Ava. "Ava was under a dark moon." She turned to Fauna. "You were the first eclipse of a new millennium." She nodded. "All of us were meant to be for an important reason." She looked a little sad to Fauna. "My twin was also meant to be, to have a place in all of this."

"Would have been nice if she was our side."

Capri smiled at her. "Then everyone would be different, and I don't wish for that." She studied them for a moment. "I'm happy with having found all of you." She tapped her hand on the table. "Get some rest before dawn." Turning, she went over to talk to King Troy.

Em leaned over the table. "Has anyone ever wondered how she knows it was a dark moon or eclipse and all the other things?"

Fauna turned to her. "I just figure it's part of why she is."

Karma nodded. "I don't care what moon event or star I was born under. I just know that there's a reason I am this way, and that's good enough for me."

Flora snorted. "You say that now. At fifteen, it was a totally different melodramatic scene with you."

Karma rolled her eyes. "At fifteen, everything is dramatic; it's right of passage." She pushed away from the table. "I'm going to take a short nap. Once they explain this grid stuff to us, I'm on a road trip to start checking them off." He looked at Fauna. "You stay close to the big hero and get your butt back here safely."

Fauna looked over to see Tim talking to Prince Rafael. "I will." She knew Tim would keep her safe; she just wondered if he really wanted to, though. As if he knew her thoughts, he turned his head and looked right at her. His gaze locked on hers and she could still see he had secrets, even from the other side of the room. Once they went and did what was needed, she was coming back and demanding to know what was really going on.