Some sat in chairs; I, Eftis and the man in red stood. My eyes locked on his, my breath growing heavier with each passing moment. Petros sat in the center, as if leading them all. He observed me and decided to break the awkward silence:

  “It would be good to start with introductions, don’t you think? First, is your name truly Nikephoros?”

  I glanced around at everyone’s faces. I didn’t know what to say.

  “Tell the truth; they already know your lineage. I gathered them here,” Eftis said.

  It surprised and angered me at once.

  “My name is Leo. Nikephoros was my younger brother’s name, whom your prince here murdered along with the rest of my family.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, my friend,” Eftis said, wagging his right index finger side to side, as if saying no. “The truth is uglier than you think.”

  “Uglier than what I’ve seen? How much uglier?” I replied sarcastically.

  “You have no idea. If you knew what people endure crossing the forest to the other side, you’d wish them dead instead. The monsters’ fate in the forest is preferable to yours.”

  “Then tell me—tell me the truth. Why didn’t you from the start? If you’re the good guy, protecting me, why not earlier? Do you know how many times I nearly died?”

  “I know; the wolf told me everything—or at least what it wanted. You don’t understand. We live and feed on hope here, nothing more. Bringing you here required huge risks, and yes, your survival was one. But we can’t endure this anymore. It must end at some point.”

  “What situation are you talking about?” I began shouting, angry and confused. “I wasn’t in any dramatic or tragic situation—you put me in it. I saw my family lying dead, my comfortable life shattered, and I still wonder if this place is real or if I’ve been drugged and lost my mind. Are you mocking me, too, with your risks, like everyone else?”

  “You shout as if it’ll achieve something. Think you can defeat anyone here? Think your screams will help? Show courtesy, or I’ll show wrath. Don’t forget what you’ve learned: lion’s descendants are enemies, hated by all, whether they know why or not.”

  “And you—what are you? Aren’t you the lion’s bastard?”

  “Bastard with my mother raped. Abandoned to die in the forest, monsters were unsure whether to devour me or not. But lion’s blood isn’t all that flows in me. See, there were ten knights: the lion, the eight you saw, and the dragon. They can’t kill a knight, especially one they betrayed and paid for. Compared to the others, my form is human because my lineage never turned against the deer. But we won’t discuss that now—the time isn’t right. You must be patient a bit longer. Since you’ve come this far, we must plan our next steps. Now we can move organized. We have representatives from all ten lineages in one place.”

  The youth in green seemed more at ease but somewhat sad. He kept looking down, avoiding participation. The man in purple fidgeted his leg impatiently until he couldn’t hold back:

  “Listen, Leo, things aren’t easy. But if we succeed, you’ll gain more than any of us. Didn’t you hear the elders say Eftis hasn’t appeared since before they were born? Look at him. Does he seem like someone who’s lived over thirty years, disguised as a beggar? Eftis has been alive for over three thousand years. That’s what you can gain too—eternal life. But only if you help us.”

  “And my family?” I asked.

  “You already know what happened to your family,” the man in orange replied, “but you’re not ready to accept it yet.”

  “What do you mean, I know?”

  “I mean, this question about immortality isn’t the first time it’s been asked of you—but the second. You don’t remember your answer because you still deny giving it.”

  “I don’t understand. Tell me exactly what’s happening and stop speaking in riddles.”

  My breath grew heavier. My chest pounded like a drum. Something terrified me. I think I didn’t want to continue this conversation; something pulled me to stop. But I wanted to know. Petros’s face turned away, as did his brother’s. The man in yellow avoided my eyes. The man in purple held the green one’s hand as if consoling him, his leg no longer fidgeting. The man in orange looked at Eftis, waiting for him to answer, as he did.

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  “When I first met you, your entire family was asked the same—not just you. Each was offered the chance to live forever. I tried proving my powers beyond your logic. One by one, I offered it. All refused when told they’d sacrifice their family. Yours was yes. You looked at them all as time froze on their bodies, passed each one, and said yes—you’d sacrifice them all to live forever. Eventually, in eternity, you’d forget them anyway, you said to me. I gave you the chance; the murder, though, I never committed. Your desire simply took flesh and executed its purpose.”

  My head spun. My body failed to hold me upright. Petros caught me just in time and sat me in a chair. His words took shape in my mind. The empty hour on my birthday gained substance. I couldn’t fathom it. It seemed impossible. Yet… I lifted my head, face and eyes red, still denying, and shouted at Eftis:

  “Liar, you’re a liar. I’d never do that. You’re lying. You’re the murderer. You killed my family. You told me I could bring them back. Lies, lies.”

  “I did tell you, and yes, I lied. And I’ll tell you many more lies, that’s certain. Even these men gathered here don’t trust me—and rightly so. But what I told you is common knowledge. No one can cross to this side without following the ruler’s rules. The lion set this as an obligation: only the worst, the vilest, may pass. That’s why the forest creatures show no mercy, why the princes toy with you, why no one wants dealings with you—not even among yourselves. Because once on the other side, memories return automatically, and things get serious.”

  My head spun harder. I heard everything but couldn’t follow, couldn’t connect. Finally, I fainted in the chair.

  I woke again in the bed Petros gave me. My mind now clear, though I didn’t recall how much time had passed since the shock in the living room, or how—or who—carried me here.

  Downstairs, I heard three voices discussing—Petros, his brother, and Eftis. I couldn’t distinguish words to understand, only a slight tension.

  I wondered if I should rise slowly and head down to resume where we left off. My memory now combined his words with things that seemed locked away. I didn’t want to believe, but I couldn’t deny it. I began crying, but that made no sense either. I stared at the ceiling and wept.

  I recalled everything in the forest, everything since arriving here. It all felt deserved—everything and more. When Eftis asked, I answered, and my heart meant it. I would sacrifice my family to live forever. Even now, I couldn’t say my answer would differ.

  My tears burned. I dared not wipe them, fearing that if I brought my hands to my face, I’d tear the flesh so no one could look upon it again, nor pity or love it.

  Soon, I found strength and rose from bed. I approached the door, opening it timidly, quietly, to avoid noise. Across sat Stas in a chair. Seeing me, he stood and said:

  “Feeling better? Want me to bring food?”

  “You—don’t you hate me, fear me?”

  “I don’t know you to hate you. I loathe you, but I don’t know you. You still have a chance to earn our sympathy. We need you, but we can help too—if you give us the chance.”

  “Yes, I’d like that. I don’t feel well, but I want to go down and continue the discussion with the others.”

  “Most have left; only three remain. But that’s enough for now. You only need them. The others you’ll have to convince; these don’t care. They just want to know if you can cooperate.”

  “Lead me to the living room then, to continue from where we left off.”

  He descended first and presented me again to those in the living room. The two brothers stood; Eftis sat. Something clearly bothered them—they seemed nervous—but their attention turned to me upon my appearance.

  “You seem calmer. Feeling better?” Petros’s brother asked.

  “Yes, better. May I sit to continue? I think I’m starting to accept my situation—or rather, the one I’m in.”

  “I don’t ask you to like or forgive me. It’s true—if I hadn’t come, your family might still be alive. Though more likely another prince would’ve found you. They constantly seek the seeds they’ve sown on earth,” Eftis said.

  “I think we’d better start with our goals—tell him what we want from him, what we can offer, and what he’ll gain,” the man in red said. “Ah, yes, my name is Loupos.”

  “Stas, start preparing dinner,” Petros told his son. “Call your sister too; she should hear the truth and know how to handle it.”

  “Well,” Eftis began, “regarding immortality, I told no lie. You will become immortal if we succeed. There’s no plan, only a goal to achieve and trust in our relationships. We want to dethrone the lion and eliminate the princes. If the lion dies, you, as its descendant, can inherit the immortality prize if the next king chooses you. If the deer returns—which seems to favor you—it might grant you the lion’s title, but you’ll fight for the deer to rise, not someone else. The world has suffered much from the throne’s usurpation; we can only fear what an even more incapable ruler would bring.”

  “And how will we achieve this? I have no tools here, nor do I understand how to move. The forest creatures still seem hostile. Only the wolf appears cooperative.”

  “He’s not,” Petros replied. “He wants you dead. He cooperates because we asked—for now, only while you’re in the forest. He told us about your deal. Once back on the road, no forest creature wishes you well. What we want is to equip you for survival. From there, only our hope can follow you.”

  “I think I can agree to that,” I replied. “I don’t promise much from my side either. The wolf likely informed you of my deeds beyond my family. So yes, all you can trust is my desire to keep living—I say that with absolute certainty.”

  “Yes, we’ve understood that,” Eftis said. “Now let’s see how we proceed.”