KEREN

"This is just a simple reintroduction," Ethan said with his arm around his shoulders. "You've met Chalen before. Multiple times." Bulbs of light danced across the dome of the gaming floor when he led him to the small office for what Ethan called a 'pit boss'. Though the word trembled his spine when Ethan nudged him into the room. "I'll be right back."

He closed the door on the tick of the clock on the wall.

Back against the couch cushion, Keren rocked on his hips and fought to keep his breath calm and steady. A hint of lavender wrapped around Chalen's office, and Keren returned his attention to the clock. One tick, into two. Keren rested his hand on his bouncy leg. In, and out.

Where is Ethan?

On the floor, people milled about the card tables and slot games. Lights pulsed in the bar pit where a conveyor belt brought drinks to the patrons. Music pounded through the sound system of the higher rung. Keren leaped off the couch when footsteps sounded behind the door. Every tick forced his heart to speed up its pace.

It creaked open.

Keren straightened his spine and held his rapid breath. Ethan entered first, but moved out of the way for Chalen, a large man around Father's age. He held himself with more ease, unbalanced on one foot. Tongue between his teeth, he waited for the orders of bones.

"Keren." Ethan returned to his side and swung his arm around his shoulders once more. "You've met Chalen before. It might've just been a while," he said as Chalen approached them. "Chalen, Keren. Grown up a bit, hasn't he?" Keren shrunk into his shoulders at the pride within Ethan's voice when he swayed him from side to side in front of the older man. "Father spoke to you about what will happen with the business going forward and the casino in particular." Ethan sent a smile his way. "Keren?"

What? What should I do? Am I supposed to do something?

"He has grown quite a lot," Chalen commented, and though his voice scratched against smoke, it had none of the darkness within Father's. It almost lowered his guard, but Ethan's words pushed on to never trust anyone. "You must be nervous. I suppose a reintroduction is in order, and as I'm the oldest, I'll go first." He held out his hand.

Ethan nudged the back of his elbow.

Keren took Chalen's hand and shook it.

Free from entrapment, Keren held his hand against his chest for safety. Words danced on his tongue but refused to bloom into a coherent sentence or a proper, respectful introduction. Less useful than a wet puddle on the floor, he shivered when Chalen asked, "Shall we sit down?"

Sit down, Father growled.

The two words pierced his heart and soul with the cruelty behind them, and the last thing he wanted to do was sit down on another couch. Ethan plopped himself on the cushion with a huff and crossed one leg over the other. Both of them stared at him, waiting for him.

"Are you okay, Keren?" Chalen asked.

No.

Ethan tugged the back of his shirt. "He's a little nervous," Ethan said. "Father wants the basement cleaned out and the tunnel reopened. The First Insurgency War made it difficult to move supplies around, but things are changing now, and we have to adjust." He leaned deeper into the back. "This is about Keren, though."

But why is it about me? A stupid question with the context he knew, wrapped in the chains of silence.

"Of course." Chalen unwrapped a cigar.

"Father wants Keren to learn all he can about how we run things," Ethan continued with a steady, confident, unshaken tone. "Otherwise, he will stay by my side at all times, including while I'm running some of the game tables with Jesti and Urto on this floor.

Shadows flickered across Chalen's face. Heavyweight. "I'm assuming that includes the business in the sub basement?"

Ethan fell silent, a flicker of Mother when he glanced at him, where his calm smile shifted into a hard-to-read face. "Father says we need all the help we can get for what's coming," he said. "Besides, given time and training, Keren could make a pretty good dealer himself." Keren opened his mouth to protest the notion of being good at anything other than flying, Ethan rubbed the top of his head. "Only person who tied with me in Chain Winch. Not an easy feat from how many gamblers complain when they're at my table. He's got an eye for detail and a deft hand." Ethan grinned. "Learned from the best, after all."

Ethan's praise lit a fire in his heart and burned the blood of his soul, but with the pyre came a lie. What is he talking about? I've never tied with him at Chain Winch. Keren waved his hands at Ethan, who let him go. I've only succeeded in having the least amount of cards in Kingfish, and I don't think he understands that game anyway.

Unless a tie with Ethan meant catching him in the ploys of his bluffs.

Keren clung to the warmth his words gave.

"Wow, able to nearly beat the Chain Winch master at his own game?" Chalen questioned. "That's something I have to see." After a few moments without words, he nodded to the gaming area outside the one-way observation window. "Your table's been asking after you, Ethanius. It might be a good time to introduce them to Keren while I settle a couple things in the sub-level." He heaved himself by the arms of the chair with a weary sigh. "You can let the boss know I'll have those tunnels cleaned out and on the security field of our territory in a few days and ready for movement into other subsidiaries." Keren frowned when Chalen nodded at him. "He's a bit too young to be left alone with those hawks. On the off chance you get called down, be sure to set the Modi mode on the table."

"Of course." Ethan gripped his shoulder with a talon grip. A hidden reference to our absolute promise. Trust no one but each other. Family. Brothers. I trust him. There may have been a shift since we lost Mom, but I trust him. "You don't need to worry about my brother, Chalen." Keren frowned at the layer of defensiveness in Ethan's tone, an expansive shield which kept all back from their promise. "You need to worry about what's below. I'm going to make sure everyone understands that taking advantage of one of the house's guests is a bad idea."

In response, a strange flicker of unease cracked Chalen's square jaw at my brother's shielded words, but his large shoulders slumped and he left the room without another comment. Keren sighed into the cushion, happy for the non-crushing sit down.

"See? Chalen isn't too bad." Ethan let go of his shoulder. "Most people here are all bark and no bite."

One thing bothered him above all else in the moment. "Isn't Chalen your boss?"

"Only when I'm working on the floor, our family runs this casino, though the real power is in the edevium market, but you'll learn all about this over time," Ethan explained. "There's one perk to being our father's sons. Most of the time, people are smart enough not to screw around with us."

"Except he doesn't care about me enough to probably care about people screwing with me..."

"In that case," Ethan said. "I'll make sure that people understand that they don't mess around with you, or they'll have to answer to me."

Keren smiled at the thought of Ethan jumping to his defense. "Thank you, Ethan." The lie rested on his tongue, and he asked, "Why did you tell him I've tied with you in Chain Winch?"

"Give yourself some credit, Ker. You've come very close." Ethan guided him out of the room by the shoulders and down the stairway to the pit. "I'm glad that you're listening close, though."

"Ethan, you told me too."

"Keep doing it." Ethan stretched out his arms. "Anyway, I'm going to introduce you to my regular table. Jesti is usually there as well, but I think he won't be here until later. You sit back and watch how I do things."

"I was expecting Father to make me do something else..."

Ethan poked his cheek, and Keren swatted his hand. "You're fresh at this, Keren. I'm going to keep trying to keep you on small things. Numbers." He rested his hand back on his side. "It's one day, and you're with me. These guys are all regulars and easy to read."

It was one good thing among the crimson awfulness beneath his feet. Mouth shut, Keren crawled into the pit with Ethan, who stuck a wide grin back on his face as he led me to the nearest table. Several men sat in the floating seats with the holotable projecting the cards and current bets. In another section, the rules were listed in a small box.

"Ethanius, we were wondering where you spirited off to," one of the younger guys remarked. "We've been waiting all this time to play a game with you."

"As long as you got the exal to meet the bet." Keren lurched when Ethan grabbed his shoulders from behind. "Everyone, this is my little brother, Keren. Go easy on him, he's just watching and learning a few things. I don't think I need to elaborate further if you try anything." Ethan nudged him into an extra seat by his side before rolling fully into the dealer's sectioned off desk, and tugged out a deck when it peeked out of the holding slot. He leaned back into the chair and shuffled them with an unwavering smile.

"We wouldn't dream of it, Rilannan."

Terror.

Are they... afraid of Ethan?

Keren watched the game of Chain Winch play out and kept track of every card sent out into the strongest parts of the 'chain.' Every player kept their own conversation outside the ones with Ethan, and they placed their bets with copious amounts of exal Keren wouldn't want to part with. All of them joked along as if they were friends on a game night. One player, Thompson, had a deft hand to match Ethan's.

Most of them grumbled about how the game was rigged from the start.

Then why come here if you know that?

"You'll get used to it," Ethan whispered as he threw out the next winch cards. "Just make sure the house always wins in the end." He grinned at the final chain, and he threw out a kingfisher card into the middle and caused a break. Every player groaned at the loss.

You can't win every one, just got to make them lose? Keren studied the motions and leaned into the hoverseat. Listen. Learn. Watch. Three lessons Ethan pushed into his mind with his lack of trust policies to the people within their life. A normal game of cards, but Ethan observed each player like a hawk himself, and turned a normal card game into a high-stakes Chain Winch.

None of them cheated with his brother at the helm.

After a couple rounds, with Keren slipping into the consistency, the universe reminded him of the shaky foundations underneath his feet. Ethan's compearl chirped, and when he lifted his hand up to answer, he frowned. "Yeah?" he muttered, and Keren listened close. "Okay, I'll be there in a minute to retrieve it, Chalen." He hung up and turned to me. "I'm going to set the table to the Modi dealer. Just sit here and wait for me."

"I don't know how to—"

"Hence why I'm setting it to automation. All you have to do is watch the bets and make sure no one tries anything funny." Ethan's brow creased in subtle irritation when he adjusted the dealer panel and caught the attention of the players as the board changed into an easier gambling game. "Take it easy for a while. My brother will watch the game." Once he was out of his chair, Keren stiffened when he was placed inside it instead.

Information poured in front of him. Bets and money squandered.

"Ethan?"

"You're going to be fine. I'll be quick."

Listen. Learn. Watch. Trust no one. Each word resounded between his temples when Keren came face to face with the gamblers with everything to lose, and he, with only Ethan to lose.

Ethan rushed out of view, and Keren chewed on his older brother's visage of annoyance.

Whatever it is, he still doesn't want to leave me here.

"You don't have to be nervous, kid," one of the older players said. "The Dealer Modi will give us cards and we'll make fools of ourselves."

"Only if ya lose," Thompson chittered.

Keren rested his arms on the lower section of the desk as the cards slipped out from little slips within the front. Every one of the players shifted their hawk-like gazes to him.

With exal placed on the betting table, the markers lit up along the hologram.

"I'm not gonna lie, but I'm a little surprised to hear that Ethanius even has a little brother."

"I'm not, been playing at this table too long," the same older gentleman said in a calm voice, his own bet measured and careful when he placed it into his carded section. "Someone like him? Not surprised at all. Besides, I think I've heard him mention it once or twice, but the guy's hard to get a read on. Makes him a good Dealer. And keeps me from prodding him and testing my luck." He sent a knowing glare at Thompson, who shrugged.

Keren swelled at the indication.

"Ethanius holds no quarter, so I might as well test the limits of my luck," Thompson said with a pat of his recent winnings.

One of the players beside Thompson cackled. "Except you whine whenever you lose and claim the game is rigged!"

"Well, yeah, that's because I lost. I don't complain when I win."

Huh, this isn't so bad, they're kind of funny. Keren smiled at them. Money rolled into the docket and the Modi counted, but Keren frowned at the absurd amount Thompson put into his.

Keren checked on him, with his attention on the other players. Shock drove his eyebrows into his hair when a card slipped into his palm from his sleeve, a slight of hand. It joined the house cards in the gaming area, and the Modi without the eyes of a person.

He's cheating.

The fearful respect they had for Ethan, they had none for him.

You're lucky you're my son, Father scolded Ethan over and over again. You're a hothead, Ethanius Malakai. If it was anyone else, they'd have you whacked. Do you understand?

Keren kept the code of silence and the cold in his mind.