“Eh? You mean the house of the exiled princess and Zol of the West tide?” the old woman asked as if to clarify the boy’s question.

“Yes, that’s exactly the house I’m talking about,” Sebastion said politely. “I’d like to know what happened there,” he explained.

“That was such a long time ago, young man. I don’t know if my memory will serve me right. I do believe there were rumors that that Zol feller went and cheated on the princess,” she said, squinty eyes looking up at Sebastion. “He ended up having a baby boy with one of the local women,” she added. “Their house is on the other side of the hills to the east. That poor boy,” she said, shaking her head as she began to teeter away.

The nine year old Keturai blinked up at his cousin. “Bastion… You said you’d be ready for whatever we discovered. Do you need to sit down for a while? I mean, that’s some pretty big news to find out,” he said, concern filtering through his ruby-red eyes.

“No, I’m fine,” Sebastion said in a low voice. There was a look of determination played on his face. “So my dad was unfaithful to my mother and I have a long lost brother. No big deal,” he added, shaking his head.

“That old woman said ‘poor boy.’ What to you think she meant by that?” Keturai asked as they made their way through the old market.

“I’m not sure. There’s only one way to find out, though. We’ve got to visit the woman who had the affair with my father. Maybe my brother is still there,” he said hopefully.

“But, Sebastion…” Keturai began, thick gray wolf tail swaying in his wake. “You don’t even know their names.”

As the two boys made their way over the hills, the same pair of blue-green eyes followed them as the towering figure remained careful to distance itself from them. It was watching. It was waiting.

After nearly an hour of searching and gathering information, the boys finally had what they needed. There they stood, outside of a small cottage-like house.

“So do you think this Luna Rose person will be willing to talk to you?” Keturai asked.

“I can only hope. The people here said her husband was away, so maybe she’ll be glad to have company,” he said with a shrug. Raising a hand into the air, Sebastion knocked on the door three times. There was some rustling around inside before the door finally cracked open.

“Yes? What is it you want?” came a fluid female voice. The face of the woman at the door was pale and held sharp, almost feline features. Her hair was long and black, the same color as her eyes. Those black eyes examined Sebastion for a moment. They seemed to grow large with astonishment, she the woman seemed to calm herself slightly.

“I-er. Are you Luna Rose?” Sebastion asked after taking a deep breath. The way the woman looked at him made him nervous. Her felt sweat forming on his brow as his violet eyes tried to stay calm as they looked back at her.

“Yes, that is who I am. Who are you?” she asked, her voice sounding awkward. Sebastion glanced at Keturai who returned his glance with one that suggested Keturai thought this woman was crazy.

“My name’s Sebastion-”

“I thought that’s who you were. You look just like him,” she interrupted. “Why is it you seek me out? Has my heart not suffered enough?” she asked, sounding as if she were offended now.

“Well, I, uh, that is. I’m trying to discover the truth behind the deaths of my parents and I think you might have some valuable information for me,” Sebastion spat out, stumbling over his words. He felt his cousin shift uncomfortably next to him.

“True, true, I bet I do,” she said in an airy tone. “Are you seeking out my son as well?” she asked.

“You mean, my half-brother?” Sebastion replied with his eyebrow rose in slight confusion.

“Yes, Orion, son of Zol. You will not find him here. He and my daughter ran away several years ago. I believe they’ve headed south,” she said. “All I can tell you is that I was in love with Zol and your mother took everything from me. My husband grew angry and hit me. The only way I could get him to stop was to beat my son. It was the only way to appease him. I don’t blame the children for running away. Three years… So young… Please find them,” she said quietly. She then shut the door.

“Well… That was awkward,” Keturai said, looking up at Sebastion.

“Yeah, no kidding. At least we have a name now,” he said brightly. “Orion,” he said to himself. “We’ll definitely find you.”

The wind picked up the conversation between the boys and the crazed woman. Their words met with the ears of the mysterious figure. A smirk spread across its face. It seemed content with the knowledge discovered throughout this day. “You will find this ‘Orion’ just as I have found you, my prince…”