Rivers of blood and sand
Chapter 2

When we entered the front room of their house, we discovered utter chaos. The walls and floor were covered in a canvas-like material, and it was a good thing it was because it was a mess in there. Globs of paint were scattered across the floor, I assumed it was their palate to dip into as they painted.

Letting out a low chuckle, Reed stepped into the room, careful to avoid the wet paint. Alora and Ari were covered in the most paint, somehow getting it down their arms, legs, and clothes. Alora had colorful streaks across her face and splatters in her hair. Harmony was the cleanest and still managed to get some on her hands and clothes. From the blue paint coating Jade’s feet, it wasn’t hard to guess who the footprints along the canvas belonged to.

Honestly, I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was, but this was one of the last things I expected to walk in on. Taking off my heels, since there was no way in hell I was risking slipping and falling, I carefully took a step on a blank spot on the canvas. The material was rough against my feet.

Ander and Koa followed me into the room, varying degrees of amusement filling their expressions. “You know what? I’m not even going to ask.” Ander held up his hands, shaking his head. He managed to avoid the paintings and globs of paint and ascended the stairs on the far left side without looking back.

“There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation!” Jade called out after him.

“No there’s not.”

“I’d love to hear this so-called explanation.” A smirk lit Reed’s features as he surveyed their artwork.

“We’re teaching Lor all the important shit she needs to know. We even made maps and descriptions of some of the courts,” Ari said gesturing at the map of our realm that was painted in the center along with some roughly painted cities around it, with arrows pointing to where they belong on the map. The other “important shit” she needed to know included: plot points of movies and books, ways to string cuss words together, and other random shit I couldn’t see at this angle.

Koa made his way to where Jade knelt and bent down to whisper in her ear. I wished I hadn’t been able to hear him, but unfortunately, we all heard his whispered words. “Not before you take a shower. You’re all sweaty and gross.” Jade laughed giving his shoulder a shove.

Koa dipped a finger into the nearby paint and swiped it across her cheek, chuckling as he moved out of hitting range. Jade swore at him, but her words were marred by the smile lighting her face and her laughter as she watched Koa leave the room.

Reed's arms were crossed, his eyebrows pulled together as he glanced around the room. “How are you planning on not getting paint everywhere when you leave?” I also frowned as I realized there weren’t any towels.

“There’s water at the exit,” Harmony said pointing to the doorway that led to the hall.

“I’m still curious why you couldn’t have painted it on normal canvases,” Reed said, but there wasn’t any chastisement in his tone or face. Mirth sparkled in his eyes as he pressed his lips together.

None of them responded, instead, Ari looked at him like he was an idiot.

“Don’t even try and con me into helping you clean up.” Reed pointed at Ari and Jade, avoiding the paint as he made his way up the stairs. Before he disappeared from view, he stopped on the top step and said, “Don’t forget to add the Fire court cities.”

“The sandstone city is boring to paint,” Jade called after him as he disappeared from view.

“How long did this take you to do?” I asked, impressed with their dedication.

Ari shrugged. “It wasn’t as bad as you’d think.”

“Did I forget you were coming for a visit?” Jade asked, a frown pulling down the corners of her bow-shaped lips.

“No, I’m just here on an errand.” I pressed my lips together, realizing if I had visited more I wouldn’t keep getting asked this question. In the past three months, I’d only visited a few times. It wasn’t like I didn’t like them or didn’t want to be around them. I’d been busy these past few months. I wasn’t avoiding any of them… Okay, maybe I was avoiding Ander, but it wasn’t like I didn’t have a good reason.

Her almond-shaped blue-green eyes narrowed as she stared me down. “You’re being vague.”

Raising an eyebrow, I tilted my head to the side. When she huffed out a sigh, I bit back my grin and counted back from three in my head. “Will it be a quick visit, or will you be staying the night?” Jade asked as I counted down to one. Just as I knew she would.

I hesitated. “I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense.” Ari waved her hand, sounding offended by the idea. “You’re always welcome.

“You can use the room next to mine,” Harmony offered. “And don’t worry all of the rooms are soundproof.”

A soft sigh of relief escaped at the thought of not having to listen to Koa and Jade screwing. There wasn’t enough alcohol in the realm to make me forget that. Even though Koa and I weren’t blood-related, he was my brother in every way that counted and nobody wanted to hear their brother having sex.

“Alright, well I leave you guys to…this,” I said, planning on getting the hell out of here before Jade started trying to question me. In my haste to leave, I wasn’t as careful as I should’ve been and slipped on a puddle of paint that I failed to notice, falling on my ass.

Jade cheered as Ari yelled out, “We got one!”

Boy was I glad they were the only ones to witness this embarrassing moment. Sighing, I climbed to my feet and groaned when I saw the paint on the back of my legs, hands, and feet. After shooting them an exasperated look, I left the room and stepped into a puddle of water I hadn’t noticed as I entered the hallway. A slight tingle ran through my feet where they made contact with the impossibly blue water. When I removed them, they were free of paint everywhere they’d been in contact with the energy-infused waters.

That wasn’t all I discovered in the hallway. I found the furniture that had been absent in the living room. Lining one side of the hallway, were the oversized sofa, the armchairs, the coffee table, and all the decorations. The hallway was wide enough to accommodate the furniture and still have room for me to walk without bumping into anything or having to squeeze. A relief since I was in no mood to crawl over their discarded furniture.

I passed a doorway where Harmony’s scent overlapped the most and continued to the room next door. It was a simple guest room, with all the necessities a visitor would need. A large bed sat in the center, with a nightstand sitting next to it, and an armoire.

Setting my bag and heels on the bed, I stripped out of my nice pair of shorts and sleeveless top that now had splatters of paint, and took a quick shower. After drying off, I changed into a high-waisted pair of ripped jeans, a light gray shirt, and a pair of boots. I pulled my curly hair back into a ponytail and then strapped the handle of my retractable short sword and push dagger to my thighs.

Not wanting to linger and be at risk of being stopped by Koa, I hurried down the hall and slipped out the back door. Their house was in front of the Wilds. The dense line of trees was the territory marker that you’ve now entered neutral territory. A place where no ruler or council member had jurisdiction. It wasn’t a place to wander about. At least, not without carrying a bunch of weapons or backup. Good thing I was armed, since I wasn’t in the mood to bring backup.

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