HIII RHEYNOAK *SWOONS A MILLION TIMES*

After years of friendship and loyalty, Lucien Northorn couldn't believe the proof that laid in front of his eyes, proving that Rheynoak Casvionel had completely lied to him.

After Venix had confronted him about the anonymous note tucked inside his book, the Hell Siphon spent day and night looking through the tribe leader's notes for any sign that backed up this proof. The thought of his only friend lying to him was a bit unbelievable, to say the least, knowing that while the tribe leader was cruel, he certainly wouldn't keep a secret like this from him for this long.

Yet as soon as he dived into the notes that he had stolen from the tribe leader and carefully read through them, the truth hit him like an arrow through the heart. It was all there, all hidden in plain sight from him. The magic within the castle had revealed what Rheynoak had kept hidden with his own magic.

Outside where there was little magic, the text was hidden in plain sight but inside his own room where magic practically surrounded him, he saw the texts on the paper, various notes that the tribe leader made about his discovery of Alesandria months before any other tribe had heard about it.

Months before he told him.

And the notes extended even further, proving that Rheynoak was already planning to assign Onyx the tasks, in fear that the 'other ones' would get to her first. Everything Lucien had said to him - every word, every fact - he was already one step ahead.

Piling the notes into order and folding them neatly on his bed, Lucien pushed himself off his soft sheets and walked over to the large table that boasted in the corner of his room alongside his wardrobe. The books him and Venix had retrieved - The Witch Book, The Book of Aysein, and the nameless forest green book were all splayed out into from of him, all the pages gone.

While going through the books, Lucien had also discovered that the hardcover interior of the books before the first page covered it also held pieces that connected together to create the incomplete picture of The Catalyst Moon. To better understand, he had carefully torn the pages out altogether in one rip and aligned them, turning them this way and that way.

They all seem to fit so perfectly, the bare hardcover interior of the books fitting together so perfectly. The picture nearly complete was nearly complete.

It boasted the nearly completed masterpiece that was the picture of the Catalyst Moon, symbols of moons and Witch signs and ancient words written around the dangerous moon that seemed to stare back at him, taunting him. It all made sense, why these books were hidden in a place no one could find them.

Even the purest of hearts could turn dark by staring at the masterpiece.

But it was missing one more piece of the puzzle that would complete the picture. Just one more. And the Hell Siphon knew how to fix that.

Picking up the tribe leader's book that laid still at the corner of the table, he opened it and hooked his fingers around the back of the book, feeling the delicate gold thread that held the book together. With one great strength, he tugged and the whole spine of pages tore from the golden strings that held them together.

Though they didn't fall apart in his hands, all the pages were crinkled as he slammed them down on the desks. Turning the now bare book that was encrypted with the final pieces of the picture, the Hell Siphon carefully turned it to the left.

Just as he had suspected, the final piece clicked together and the picture was completed. Designs that once seemed useless and not worth a single thought now came together to create a powerful picture.

The Catalyst Moon was complete. Designs and spells surrounded it, thousands of centuries old yet the ink never smudging. The actual moon was designed with ancient lettering and pictures on its dusty surface, like silver lettering embedded into diamonds.

"Holy shit" Lucien whispered to himself, burying his fingers in his hair. All of Rheynoak's lies were now revealed, staring right at him with a feeling of dread running slick through his veins. Everything he said seemed questionable now.

And Lucien knew damn right he was going to get some answers.

Getting his stuff together and shoving the books in a beige bag that sat at the edge of his bed, he neatly put the notes and the books inside, his heart hammering against his ribcage. Venix had to see this, holy shit she just had to. The BloodBone would surely be surprised by his discovery.

Thinking about her suddenly made Lucien fluster, his cheeks blossoming into a lovely pink color that spread from his cheekbones to his jaw. Ever since that kiss they shared by his bed, the mere thought of her had his heart ready to explode. The very thought of her hands stroking his cheek and her fingers threading through his hair had him spinning.

She was everything that seemed to confuse him to the brink of insanity. She was insane and unpredictable with those stone cold violet eyes that seem to freeze every time they made eye contact. Her words were like arrows sometimes and the fire burning deep within her soul was a never ending strength that surrounded her everywhere she went.

It was all the more reason why he fell for her. But thinking about that kiss, thinking about the way hesitation seemed to guide her hands through his hair and how fear seemed relevant in every kiss they shared, he had to know.

Did she feel the same love he felt for her?

Thinking about it stirred a headache inside his head, one that burned like fire and ached like an open wound. It spread throughout his body like a raging forest fire, scorching him until he could no longer think anymore.

Clearing his thoughts of Venix, Lucien pulled the bag over his shoulder and headed out the room, his heart determined for answers that would only cause more questions.

That inconsiderate Mind Siphon really knew how to dig underneath his skin.

She knew what to do, what buttons to push to tick him off but this time, she crossed the line. If she was really allowing that damned hybrid to risk her life underneath the death hands that was The Catalyst Oath, he might as well gut her now.

Looking around his office to make sure that his belongings were in place, a glass of liquor in his hands, his mind was far, far away. The journey wouldn't be easy and he knew stepping into the damned kingdom should be the last of his worries but he couldn't help but wonder.

If he didn't make it back alive, what would become of his legacy? Of his reputation that he had spent so much sweat and blood building? What would his father think of him now?

Those thoughts lingered in his mind as he placed a golden cup back to its place on his shelf of achievements, growing louder and stronger with each second he spent pondering on them. Taking another swing of the liquor in his hands, he winced at the sour taste before moving on to the swords displayed on the walls, the fine blades shimmering with strands of blood from years of wars he had fought in.

His hand ran over one of his swords, Kalei he called it, the sharpened blade still fresh as new and still strong like a diamond as it nearly cut through his delicate skin. Memories of wars he went through with the weapon flooded his memory, remembering the slick feeling of blood running through his fingers and the desperate plea for a quick death.

As he drew the sword from its place on the wall and held it in his hand, he couldn't help but wonder. If he were to die on Serius, would it be at the hands of a weak mortal or in the grips of a dagger in the hands of savage immoral?

Surely even the worst of them all had their downfalls.

Turning the sword in his hand, his attention strayed even as the door to his office open and two figures walked in. He didn't even pay attention, simply staring at the ruby head of the sword that was adorned with copper jewels. It wasn't until the heavy pang of something hitting his desk snapped him out of his thoughts.

Turning around, the tribe leader saw Lucien and Venix standing by his desk, a frown on both of their faces. "Well, what do we have here?" Rheynoak asked, a rather amused tone to his voice. His right-hand man narrowed his gaze, reaching into the beige bag around his shoulder and pulling a stack of papers out.

"I finally found your notes and your damned book" he hissed at him, throwing them recklessly on the desk. Hazel eyes burned with fire and the tribe leader abandoned his sword on the floor, walking over to his desk where he saw his notes neatly folded and the pages Lucien had ripped out of his book still perfectly stacked together.

"What the hell did you do to my book, you useless bastard?" he hissed, his eyes darting back and forth between them. "What the bloody hell did you do?" Anger taking over his body, he threw the glass in his hand. It nearly hit Venix's face, her head ducking in time and the glass crashing into the wall and splintering into millions of pieces.

"You shouldn't be the one keeping secrets, Rheynoak" the BloodBones uttered to him, folding her hands over her chest. "They always come biting you right in the back." A harsh laugh fell from his lips, dry and bitter as he hissed back to her, "Says the one who is keeping a million secrets in her soul? Tell me, how many men have hurt you Venix?" he asked.

Her once arrogant smirk fell, replaced with a snarl and a flash of her sharpened canines. She took one step forward to kill him but Lucien was already in front of her, slamming his hands on his desks. "You knew Alesandria was a Mind Siphon even before I told you," he said, keeping his gaze with the tribe leader. "You knew about her months before anyone else knew and you were planning on sending Onyx this entire time, weren't you?"

For once, Rheynoak was speechless.

There were no words left on his tongue to defend himself, his eyes simply blinking. Anger didn't boil in the pit of his stomach like he expected and his fingers didn't curl into fists. But as his eyes held onto his right-hand man's gaze, slightly moving towards where the BloodBone was, watching him menacingly, something within him shattered.

It wasn't a fragile crack he could fix but a big mess that was unrepairable. It almost felt as if his soul had shattered into millions of blown out pieces, flying everywhere in his body.

Before he knew what he was doing, the tribe leader curled his fists into a ball and punched Lucien right in the face, his knuckles cracking underneath his skin. A curse fell from his right-hand man's lips, followed by another punch and before he knew it, they were both tousling on the floor.

Curses were thrown and spat as Lucien grabbed Rheynoak by the neck and punched him several times, each hit executing a fuel fo fire and anger he had kept within his soul. He threw the tribe leader across the room before pouncing on him, pinning him to the floor with his hands around his throat. "Son of a bitch, you knew all this time! You knew it and sent Onyx on a death mission!" Lucien's voice reverberated through the room, ringing out into the distance.

A mixture of a snarl and a growl escaped Rheynoak's lips as he fought free from his right-hand man's grip, his fingers fastening around his neck. "I should have let you die a long damn time ago!" the tribe leader screamed back, aiming one punch directly at his face. Blood broke free from his nose and he cursed, letting his guard down.

Not using his hands nor his feet this time, the tribe leader threw his friend across the room, his body colliding with the wall that was decorated with his swords. His body broke underneath the impact, blood oozing from the back of his neck.

Using this as his opportunity, the tribe leader walked over and picked up his abandoned sword, swinging the weapon in his hand. He raised it so that the sharpened tip was aligned with his friend's fingers but just as the blade was about to rain down on him, a flash of light was seen and before he knew it, his sword had clattered to the floor and his body made contact with the hard wood of the chair.

"Don't you dare touch him" a raspy voice warned, the flash of violet eyes passing his gaze. Venix, stained with blood, ran over to Lucien and helped him up, cursing underneath his breath. The Hell Siphon was covered in blood, some dripping out of his nose and on his lips. Several wounds were cut around his arms and neck, a ring constricting around the line of his neck.

Yet Lucien simply wiped the blood away with his coat sleeves and snarled. "And to think I wasted years with your lying, pathetic ass!" he hissed, pounding his fists on the desk. "Tell me you're not lying! Please, I would love to hear your excuses!"

Rheynoak snarled once more, his gaze moving over to Venix who stood next to him, her eyes straying staying on him. "You did this, you blood whore!" he insulted, banging his fists on the desk. "You lured him in with your lies and now he is turning on me!"

"Please, like I would waste my precious breath on someone as irrelevant as you!" she retorted back, shaking her head. "You sent my friend on a mission that could have ended her life when you could have done it yourself! How dare you?"

A hint of a smirk and Rheynoak replied back, "Who says she is not already dead?"

Venix growled again, lunging at him. She swung her hand in a powerful slap that left a red mark on his cheek, her nails scratching him. He hissed, grabbing his jaw as if it has been dislocated. White strands of hair fell in Lucien's eyes as he shook his head, a scoff escaping his lips, "You untrustworthy ass" he spat to the tribe leader's face. "You are the ultimate definition of untrustworthy."

Rheynoak laughed again in dry humor, crossing his hands over his chest even as blood dripped from his lips. "I can't say I am trustworthy" he uttered in a rather raspy voice to the two magical beings standing in front of him. "But I am capable of light and darkness and I am not afraid to kill both of you right now."

"Go ahead, that's all you're good for anyway" Lucien hissed back, frowning. A short silence reigned between them, static and uncomfortable as red hot hatred burned between them, burning like sparks. Rheynoak broke the silence, asking, "How did you even find all of this out?" he asked, his eyes traveling over to the BloodBone. "Did she finally spread her legs open for you and tell you everything she knows?

She slapped him again without warning, twice in a row with the back of her knuckles the second time. "You are the one keeping secrets here and you are the one putting Onyx's life in danger all for the sake of this girl who seems as important as the women you sleep with."

"Which is truly ironic coming from the man who's also in love with her" his fellow right-hand man added. The tribe leader smirked a third time. "Is that why you moved on to her? Because I took the best one and you settled for sloppy seconds."

There was no mercy when Venix slapped him again, three times to be exact before aiming a kick in his gut. A groan fell from Rheynoak's lips, his hand wrapping around his stomach as she pulled him towards her with her hands wrapped around the front of his shirt. "Okay, you obviously love the hard way so let me make things simple. You are going to bring us to Serius so we can tell Onyx everything and I swear to the stars and gods, if you deny our request, I will tear your insides apart in your sleep."

An illusion of a smile pulled on her lips but it was gone before anyone could notice. "And wrap it around your throat until you choke to death."

Rheynoak had to hand it to Lucien. He has managed to find a girl that was almost as scary as the tribe leader himself.

Almost.

Scoffing, the tribe leader simply chose to nod, not seeing the reason for fighting now. "Fine, we'll leave tomorrow at dawn. Be prepared" he said to both of them, his body nearly falling backward as the BloodBone let go of him. He straightened his shirt, smoothing his hands over the material.

"But just to let you" he uttered to the both of them, "I hope the desert maggots and acid lizards get you two first."

A/N: And that is the end of another chapter!

Twelve more chapters to go and then we are done! But there is so much more to happen and I am so excited!

Okay, so the whole gang is heading to Serius! That will definitely not cause any trouble! *note the sarcasm*

Also, thank you guys from the bottom of my heart! The Catalyst Oath was a Special Winner in this years @goldenpenawards, more specifically the Creative Butterfly award for the most interesting plot! Thank you all so much! I wasn't expecting the win and I am still shocked with happiness. I can't thank you all enough for your love and support!

That shiny new badge looks amazing! *brushes off shoulder*

Thank you guys for all your constant support. It means so much to me that you enjoy this book. I enjoy writing it and to hear your feedback always makes my day!

So tell me what your thoughts are on this chapter and don't forget to comment down below and vote if you liked it.

Until next time Lovelies!

With love, May