JOSH SLAMMED HIS fist into the steel flooronce, twice, then one last time—which was more than he had hit Peter since hehadn't even managed to touch the guy—before his anger ebbed away enough for himto swallow back any more enraged screams.

The crater created by his punches stared back at him as he stumbled to his feet.

Josh... Boomer sounded so defeated, reflecting the train wreck in Josh's chest too well.

His vision swam as he hurried down the steps. I need to tell Ioana, Josh said. Tell her how he had been right there, watching as her husband and his little brother got kidnapped by Cale's Shadow Knight sibling.

The urge to punch a wall caused his fist to twitch. He gulped. His throat ached, raw from all the screaming.

I told you to leave it to Xander, Boomer said. I wasn't any help either.

Josh stopped at the end of the stairway and looked both ways. He frowned and dragged his arm across his wet eyes. I didn't stay still because you told me to. I froze because I was scared. Even in thought, the word felt like pushing up bile just to say.

I know, but something didn't feel right. Normal fear wouldn't cut off the bond, Boomer said. Peter might have been doing something.

Josh crushed any hope before it could form. He was too surprised when he saw me to be doing that. He looked each way again before caving and punching a wall. Dang it, where do I find Ioana? At this rate, he would have to go back to the residential area and knock on every door until he found her.

Or he could ask the two people that he happened to live with who knew the Sanctuary far better than him.

The idea stabbed his chest and twisted mercilessly. He had to explain this to his parents. They would at least know how to get to Ioana, and they deserved to know what happened to Eli.

Even if it meant explaining his screw up. Just how many people had he failed that night?

You want me to ask around? Boomer offered. I can see if any of the dragons here know. Ioana's dragon isn't here for me to ask, but maybe Jodas would know.

Josh dragged his head from side to side. I need to tell them...

Despite what he said, every step toward their quarters was another stab in his chest. Dread at his parents' reaction and at Eli's fate churned his stomach. Acid crept up his throat, but he swallowed it back. He had no time to puke.

Find Ioana. Tell her everything. Trust Xander. Josh repeated the orders over and over. If he only focused on them, maybe he could avoid the memories ghosting at the edges of his mind.

A weight settled deep within Josh, and by the time he reached the door to his quarters, he felt like he'd dragged a sack of bricks behind him the entire way. He placed a shaking hand on the door. When Eli had left, he hadn't fully shut it, so all Josh would have to do was push.

Find Ioana. Tell her everything. Trust Xander.

He nudged his way inside and flipped on the light. The kitchen and living room were quiet. Peaceful. Unaffected by the storm of events he had experienced.

He arrived at his parents' bedroom door too quickly. Repeating his mantra, he stepped inside.

His mother, always the light sleeper, sat up seconds after he turned on their light. She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes.

"Josh? Why are you in our room at"—she glanced at a clock on the wall—"three in the morning?"

Josh opened his mouth, but no words came out. He mentally kicked himself. How was he going to tell Ioana if he couldn't talk?

He had no idea what expression he wore, but his mother was on her feet and walking toward him in an instant. "What's wrong?"

She stopped in front of Josh, and something within him broke. The tears flowed freely as he pulled her into a hug. She said something as she hugged him back, but whatever it was got buried in his repeated, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

His tasks burned in his mind, but for that moment, he took comfort in his mother's embrace. He needed something to hold him together before he tore his parents' world apart.

It took about ten minutes for Josh to collect himself, lead both his mom and dad to the living room, and then summarize the events from Xander's office. He finished with, "And now I have to find Ioana to tell her everything."

He sounded robotic. All the tears he had shed left him numb, which wasn't a great feeling. At least it let him get words out. He stared down at his hands, but no amount of avoiding his parents' eyes or blocking his emotions could make him deaf.

"Eli." His mom's breath caught as she covered her mouth with her hands. Her voice trembled. "My baby..." She shook her head as she slid her fingers back into her hair. "I knew... I knew that..."

She glanced at Josh and bit off her next words. He could guess what she'd wanted to say, though. His mom's reaction to him becoming a Paladin hadn't faded from his memory.

Mara had said his mom had lost someone close to her while at the Sanctuary. He'd dragged her back into this world and failed to save Eli. He was the reason it was happening to her all over again.

The knife dug deeper into his chest.

"Stop." His mom's hand appeared over his clenched fist. "Josh, look at me."

He dragged his eyes to meet her tear-filled gaze. She and his dad watched him, pain on full display. But only pain, not anger. Tension eased off his shoulders. He hadn't realized how much he feared their wrath until he didn't see it.

"This isn't your fault," his mom said.

His dad cleared his throat, but when he spoke, his voice was still thick with emotion. "It sounds like there's more to this that we don't know, especially if a Shadow Knight could get up here." He squeezed his wife's knee. "We need to find Ioana."

"Yes." She stood to her feet. She and his dad wore similar determined expressions, but the arms his mom wrapped around herself trembled and his dad stuck to her side like glue.

Josh rose and followed. The world tilted, but he trained his eyes on his parents' backs and let them lead him. Boomer's phantom presence wrapped around Josh. He gratefully focused on the new distraction.

"I think it's here. The leaders lived in this area to be close to the center of things," his dad said. They stopped at a door in the same area as Xander's office, except at the base floor and down the hall from the steps.

Josh had been so close before leaving the area. Had there been a way to avoid telling his parents? He bit his lip.  No, they needed to know.

"Might as well try," his mom said. She knocked on the door.

Movement from inside indicated they'd found the right spot. "Knocking? Really?" Ioana's drowsy voice called through the door. There was a dull thud, then the soft padding of feet. "Jeez, Xander, keeping me up this late wondering when you'll be back, and now this. The door isn't even locked—"

Ioana cut off as she opened the door. She studied them, and whatever sleep clung to her vanished in the blink of an eye.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

Nobody said anything, as if unsure who should speak. "Xander and Eli—" Josh's mom began, then snapped her mouth shut. Her shoulders shook. She hugged herself tighter. "Someone kidnapped Xander and... Kidnapped them."

The color drained from Ioana's face. She examined their faces, maybehoping there'd be some sign this was all a sick joke, before opening her doorfurther. "I think you should come in."

Despite being in a special spot, her accommodations were much like theirs. She offered them the couch while she sat on the coffee table. Crossing her arms, she looked between each of them.

"What happened?"

Josh shifted forward, and Ioana's attention zeroed in on him. Usually scrutiny by her unwavering stare would unnerve him, but now, they provided an odd sense of comfort.

He retold her the story, but unlike with his parents, it wasn't a brief overview of events. He relayed every moment as well as he could, beginning from the first time he heard Jodas growl to when he watched Xander disappear through the portal with Peter. It felt like a punch in the gut whenever he mentioned his inaction, but Boomer encouraged it with a reminder that something hadn't been right about his fear.

Ioana waited a beat after he finished talking, then asked, "He told you to tell me they're opening the seals?"

Josh nodded.

Ioana rubbed her face and spat out a few words in some language he didn't know. "None of this makes sense," she said. "A kid there or not, Xander should have been able to handle things. And Peter..." She dropped her hands, muttered a bit more, then jumped to her feet. "Josh, if you don't mind, stick with me. Joanna, Micah, you can tag along."

She sped to the door, not even bothering with shoes. Josh hurried after her, his parents right behind him.

"Where are we going?" Josh asked.

Without sparing him a glance, Ioana responded, "We have a rescue mission to get under way."

"Rescue?" Josh repeated.

"Yes." Ioana turned in the direction of the Sanctum for some reason. Even if she was a few inches shorter than Josh, he struggled to keep pace. "If they kidnapped my moron of a husband rather than kill him, they want him alive. And if Eli is their only way to control him, they'll keep your brother alive as well."

Hope bloomed in Josh's chest, and for the first time, the pain didn't seem to press down on him from every direction. He hadn't thought of it like that. His brother was a shield for the Shadow Knights, and only living shields would do them any good.

"And for the first step," Ioana said, "I need Jodas to send out a message for me. If I don't have to put a sword through his skull." 

Fun Fact: This is less a fun fact and more "thank you for fixing this absolutely stupid thing, Cross." Just last version of this, Boomer magically knew where Ioana stayed, and Josh never actually directly told his parents... They found out about the kidnapping at the same time as some others do.

Angst is fun :D And a teenage boy ripped to shreds by guilt at being the one to fail saving his brother is a whole boat load of angsty fun! Not gonna lie, I had so much fun breaking him to the point of tears :D So, what do you think they'll find when they arrive at Jodas? Will Ioana actually have to put a sword through his skull? o.o

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter down below, and if you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment! I also have a discord open to anyone who wants to join, and we have a section there to discuss the book :D It's in my bio if you'd like to join!