"You've found me, Rowan," the delicate lilting voice of an immortal said with a flirty giggle. Elius hadn't felt this delighted or even flattered to be wooed by a mortal man since her lover had passed on aeons ago. For many months, they'd played a thrilling game of cat and mouse which had finally culminated in this meeting at clear water isle where she had spent a few days disguised as a priestess of Eos. The anti mage had found her faster than she'd anticipated but it excited her to think that he wanted her that much.Â

"Yes I have, Elius," Rowan said to the beautiful woman who had previously made several attempts to kill Syryn. "You've had me chasing you for a year. Am I so loathsome to you, dearest?"

The immortal smiled coyly at Rowan who was staring at her in a frank and unabashed manner. The man before her was such a special kind of beauty, both artful and lethal. Captivated by his striking gaze, she stared into blue eyes thinking to find deceit in them. Instead, she saw a dark soul wrapped in light and shadows. For a mere mortal, Rowan was an enigma whose overtures even she could not resist.

"Far from it," she purred. The sweet tinkling sound of bells on a thread around her slim ankles which were visible under the long gold skirt she wore, drew his attention to her feet. "Worship me, Rowan," she demanded with an alluring smile. To have someone like him pour his adoration and heart out till he was an empty vessel for her to fill; the thought evoked an image of sensuality and devotion that almost made her sigh with pleasure.

"You are not worthy," he bluntly replied.

Elius' smile morphed into something ugly but she was placated by his next words.

"But what happens between us, Elius," his curled fingers brushed past her cheekbones, achingly slow and deliberate. "Will surpass the ordinary worship you seek."

The immortal closed her eyes and shuddered at the feel of his fingers on her face. But she was still wary.

"What of Syryn?" She asked him, lifting her eyelids to regard his expression.

Rowan's look of serenity remained. Elius was curious what explanation the man would give her. The love between Rowan and Syryn was becoming an epic of legendary proportions to those who knew. There had never existed a love between two mortals that caused even the deities to turn their heads and reverse time.

"My love for Syryn will never dim."

Elius smiled. It wasn't the answer she wanted but it was the truth.

"Then why are you wandering from his side, Rowan?" She asked. Her eyes widened when Rowan took a few steps closer, looming into her space with an imperious air. Despite herself, Elius took a step back, feeling intimated by it.

"Because I'm only a man, dearest," Rowan murmured. "Can you fault me for desiring an immortal as divine as you are?"

She smiled, realising that Rowan was just as unfaithful as any other mortal man when given the opportunity to bed a beautiful woman like her.Â

"There isn't much to think about, Elius. I want to know you in the way that only a goddess can make me feel."

His lips so close to hers now. She could faintly feel his breath, feather soft on her skin. His blue eyes were ardent with something hot that burned in excitement as he gazed into her eyes.

"Do you want me?" Rowan slowly asked. His hands were placed against her sides very gently but she felt her skin scald with heat even through the cloth.

The immortal ached with desire for the beguiling man. She hadn't carnally known a mortal in many years so the heat she felt inside became an inferno that burned her self control. Elius stood on her tiptoes to press her lips against Rowan's but he placed a finger on it.

"Take me to your dimension," he whispered in a low smoky voice.

"Why?"

"Eos."

Elius hadn't thought Rowan to be a shy one. In her dimension, they could have as much fun as they wanted without the knowledge of the deities. And since it was her base, she would be more powerful and in control. Elius liked the idea very much.

"We shall go then," she answered with a smile.

____

"Are we lost?" Sebastian asked Artemus for the third time that day. They were moving through a forest, following a map that directed them to walk parallel to the river till they reached the gate near a double waterfall. The group had followed its directions, walking by the river for several hours without encountering any waterfalls.

"We shouldn't be lost," Artemus replied with a slight frown. "Unless.."

"What?!"

Lucien kicked a stone into the river and it landed with a loud splash.

"We took the wrong turn at the crossroad."

"But we didn't take a wrong turn," Magnus interjected. "I know we didn't."

Artemus studied the map once again. The nearest gate to their location was the one near the double waterfall but none of them had ever taken the road that way. Even so, it shouldn't have been so difficult to find the location when they had a map for it.

"Where's Alka?" Lucien suddenly asked as he looked around. The plant mage was nowhere to be seen.

Artemus looked around as well and realised that his younger brother wasn't with them.

"Alka!" He yelled to the forest. "Alka! This isn't funny!"

The group was now tense, listening intently for what they hoped would be a response from the missing plant mage.

"Fuck..." Sebastian cursed. "How did we not realise he wasn't with us?"

Artemus was frozen, unable to think clearly because his mind was all over the place. He forced himself to calm down and think rationally about the predicament. What could have happened to Alka?

"He was with us just a minute ago," Akida told them. "I am certain of it."

"Alka!" Lucien shouted through cupped hands. "Where are you?"

If they weren't worried before, now everyone was stressed out like they were trapped in a burning house. Alka's disappearance wasn't just unusual, it was mystifying. It seemed so improbable for him to disappear without anyone having an inkling of it.

"Let's retrace our steps," Artemus told the others. And without waiting for them, he began to walk back in the direction they'd come from. Their previous lethargy and boredom were replaced by tense alertness.

"We'll find him," Sebastian quietly told the anti mage. He placed a hand on the man's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "I promise you we will."