A GROUP EFFORT
42
- MALAKAI -
A fter an hour in my father’s study, listening to everyone shoot ideas back and forth, we finally have a plan. Kailu takes off with Siveral and Hendrix to the Isle in the hopes of finding Levi and deterring Iclas’s plan a bit longer if we can.
We need time.
The matriarch said the Witch resides in the deepest parts of the Sinwood Mountains. The trek there will take some time, and I don’t want to waste another second.
I have the men help me bring Alanis’s body only after her father uses his magic to preserve her until we can reconnect her with her soul. Once they have her safely settled on the wagon, myself, the king, the Gods and Goddesses, and a handful of soldiers take off.
We travel at a brisk pace, only stopping long enough to swap out the horses pulling the wagon. The tired ones are tied to the back of the wagon to give them a reprieve. By nightfall we have made good progress, making it through the Obsidian Hills by the tunnel that runs below them. We are now only about a day from reaching Selianthe. From there, we have another day or so to navigate the rough terrain in the mountain range.
I don’t sleep much at night, my thoughts drifting to Alanis’s soul, trapped by some horrifying bitch. The anger has yet to leave my body, but the hope Ames gave me has tamed it a bit, just barely keeping the dragon at bay.
By sundown the following day, we are slowly moving along the dangerous slopes of the Sinwood Mountains. Howls in the distance make my skin pimple, reminding me of that fateful day in the Golden Vale. Alanis taking on the Amorak to save my life. I wouldn’t be here without her. None of us would be. Now it’s our job to save her.
That night I finally crash, sleep overtaking my body and my brain. Sweet dreams find me, ones where Alanis is there.
“Mal, what are you doing here?”
I look at her, mesmerized by her beauty. I reach out and brush my fingers down her cheeks. Gods, she feels real. What I wouldn’t give to hold her in my arms again.
“Mal, you can’t be here. It’s dangerous. Leave me. Do not come for me.”
Her determined voice brings me back to my senses. I’m in a room I don’t recognize. Vials of unidentifiable liquids surround what looks to be an operating table. My dream-self feels nauseous. There on the table lays a human woman. Alive, but barely.
“Alanis, what is happening?”
She gives me a sad smile. “Iclas was one step ahead. They plan to put me into this poor human. They’ll only keep her alive until the spell can be finished and allow Iclas to break his curse and let evil free. You can’t come here to save me.”
I scoff. “I am not leaving you. I’ll be there in a day’s time. I will get you back to your body and we will have all the time in the world together, you and me and Kailu.”
“It’s too dangerous. These witches are insane and powerful. They can wipe you all out in an instant. Curse you and make you suffer to die slowly. Please, please don’t come.”
I smile at her. “That might be true, but they don’t have a Witch coven and the Gods and Goddesses on their side. Let alone a pissed-off dragon.”
Her mouth gapes open, a spark of hope flaring in her sad eyes.
“I’m coming for you, firecracker.”
I wake up with a start. The mating bond must have somehow sent me to her, our souls connecting in my sleep. The bond never fully severed because she didn’t die that day, not her soul. They already have a body to put her in. We are running out of time.
I hurry, informing my father and the deities of what happened in my dream. The Gods and Goddesses look shocked at this new revelation.
“It has been millennia since a mating bond was strong enough for the souls to connect even when one was lost,” Ryta says with wonder in her voice.
“That means it is a bond that we must honor above all others,” Ames says. “It is a bond strong enough to lead this world for centuries. I think it’s time we called upon the Fates.”
“Wait just a damn minute,” I snap. “We can summon the Fates? Why the hell didn’t we do that forever ago?”
“You can’t, but we can,” Ames says. “We didn’t do it before because the Fates only respond when they feel it is warranted. If you summon them without just cause, they will smite you and everyone you love. You think us Hell Gods are bad? You don’t want to see a furious Fate.”
The Gods stand in a circle, speaking in ancient tongues and offering blood while the Goddesses kneel in prayer. I wait, silence surrounding us.
“Why is nothing happening?” Impatience drips from every word I speak. Alanis is running out of time. And then a blast of wind blows everyone off their feet.
The dust settles, revealing three women dressed in white robes, long golden hair cascading over their shoulders. Their faces are so perfect they look almost like they’re made of marble. Each has matching golden eyes.
“Why have we been summoned here, God of Hell?” the one in the center asks.
Ames clears his throat as he gets to his feet and dusts himself off. “We have questions regarding Alanis Bowman, daughter of Odessa Grim and Viros, God of Magic and the Land.”
The Fate in the middle clucks her tongue in boredom. “Ah, yes. The Witch the prophecy discussed. What about her?”
I stand up, determined to get the Fates on our side. “She fulfilled the prophecy.”
The Fate smiles and claps her hands. “How wonderful. Now your world is free. You are her mate, are you not? I can smell the bond. Where is her other mate?”
I rear back, shock and euphoria flooding my system. Oh, how I wish Kailu was here to actually hear the confirmation that his theory was true. I can’t wait to tell him, to see the joy on his face. “Currently on his way to retrieve a traitor who used Alanis for Iclas’s gain. What I want to know is why give her any mate at all if you just meant for her to die?”
The Fate closest to me answers. “It is a blessed thing to have such a strong mating bond. We did not rip her from this world. Did you not say you fulfilled the prophecy?”
I glance to the deities and find them looking just as confused as I feel. “We did. The Witches came together, causing the crescent moon to rise which released their full power, unleashing my dragon. Blood was spilled. We lost many souls in the battle.”
“Yes, yes. All good, you read the prophecy correctly, but what about Alanis?”
“She sacrificed herself. The Gods and Goddesses came together to perform the sacrifice. Ripping her soul from her body.”
“Yes. All well and good, but where is Alanis now ?”
Viros finally answers, thank the Gods, because my confusion is overwhelming me. “My daughter is laying there. Dead.” He points to her body on the wagon.
The Fates hiss. “What do you mean dead? Her soul was never supposed to stray far from her body. When she willingly chose to die for this realm, she sacrificed the one thing she had always wanted. A family. The instant her soul left her body, that would have been fulfilled. Her soul should have returned to her shortly after her full magic was unleashed. Her sacrifice was made with pure intentions, and thus only something so pure could overcome such evil.”
I feel as if I’ve been punched in the gut. “What would have happened if Iclas completed his end of the prophecy?”
The quiet Fate who has yet to speak finally opens her mouth, her voice just above a whisper: “Prophecies must have two outcomes. Good and Evil go hand in hand. Both outcomes must be an option, as one never knows what the individual’s decisions will change. With how strong Alanis’s bloodline was and the visions we received, Iclas only ever had a small chance of completing his side of the prophecy. If he would have managed, then the world would be thrown into chaos, and eventually end.”
I laugh. I laugh so hard that tears leak down my face. These fucking Fates. “Alanis’s soul didn’t return to her body. Fucking Iclas used a dark Witch to curse her. She’s holding her soul in some type of shield. They plan to put her soul into another body for Iclas to complete his side of the prophecy. They have the body. I am going to lose her if we don’t get her back.”
The Fates look between each other. The rings on their fingers glow red, causing even Ames to take a step backward.
“Iclas used dark magic to disregard the prophecy that was already fulfilled,” the Fates say as one, their voices ringing out in unison that sends a chill into my very soul. “ Our prophecy. The one we entwined and spent so many days and weeks perfecting. He has made a laughing stock of us!”
Their anger makes the hairs on my arms to stand on end. “Will you help us get Alanis back? Please?” I am not above begging.
“We do not take kindly to those who use dark magic to find loopholes. We do not take kindly to those who cheat the system. Alanis fulfilled the prophecy, so to us it is finished and he has cheated. He should have died centuries ago; he was simply lucky his Fate changed when his mating bond took place. And he made a mockery of that, too! Now he must pay. We will go on this journey with you.”
I release a breath. Gods, we have a fighting chance.
Everyone hurries to leave, the next part of the journey the most perilous. The mountains are jagged, the trails thin. We don’t have to fear creatures, none come so close to this desolate stretch of land. We arrive at the dilapidated building just before sunset, the stone facade cracked and falling in places, holes gaping in certain parts of the building. The orange sky paints a grim picture of the black building carved into the mountain itself. The metallic scent of blood and death lingers in the air.
One Fate stops in front of our group. “It is imperative that you listen to us. Malakai, find Alanis’s soul. Take whoever you need. The rest of us will clear each room of the castle. It is important that no humans, Fae, Witches, or Elves remain in the castle when we send Iclas with Ames. If anyone remains, they will perish as well. Do you understand?”
I nod and look at Viros and my father. “You two come with me. I have yet to hear back from Kailu. If he and the others made it to the Isle of Rimoldi, I have a feeling they’re in trouble. I need you all to check the dungeons here. I have a feeling these Witches may have helped Iclas more than we are aware. Leena and Hannah, stay here with Alanis’s body until I come for her.” I look to the matriarch. “Send your coven where you wish.”
She sniffs. “I will be accompanying you to find my granddaughter. I believe I owe her an apology.”
I give her a slight smile.
“It is settled, then,” says the Fate. “We will provide one hour, and then we must banish this evil once and for all. As a warning, if Iclas manages to get Alanis’s soul into another body, we will kill her ourselves before the prophecy is fulfilled.”
I growl, ready to attack. Viros holds me back, his chest also rumbling with anger. Even the matriarch’s eyes are flaring with rage.
The Fate waves her hand. “There is no other way. Now hurry.”
Before I can argue or retaliate, the Fates and the rest of the Gods and Goddesses disappear. The mountain shakes in front of us. “I guess that’s our cue.”
We enter the witch domain. Blood coats the rock walls. Bodies hang from the ceiling, completely drained of blood. Now they’re little more than skin and bones.
“Most of these witches are abominations,” says the matriarch. “Creatures that should never have existed. Their powers are not natural, as they come from a line of Witches who mated with the undead. They are, in a sense, more ghoul than Witch most of the time.”
I shudder. “No wonder Iclas went to them for help.”
I focus on the mating bond and let it guide me through the building, thanking the Gods for every second I feel it. We come to a narrow passage, rocks and debris littering the floor. The smell of mold and rust fills the air, making my nose scrunch with disgust. Witches run here and there, as if all scrambling to figure out what the hell is attacking their castle.
“Intruders!” yells a Witch with a nasty gash on her head as she sees us. The dozen or so Witches charge. I bring my sword up, ready to fight, but the action proves unnecessary. The matriarch throws her flame at them, effectively barbecuing them with one flip of her wrist.
“Impressive,” I say despite myself.
She brushes nonexistent ash from her dress. The iron door at the end of the hall calls to me. The blast from the Fates must have shaken the foundation so thoroughly that it tore the door from its hinges. I push it aside and freeze on the threshold.
I see Alanis’s soul floating above the human’s body on the table. A Witch with bright red hair and bright red eyes stands on one side of the table, Iclas on the other.
The Witch recites an incantation, her eyes unseeing as she calls on whatever evil powers she talks to. Iclas looks over his shoulder, smirking. His body is painted in blood, symbols drawn over him. It takes me a minute to realize he is completely naked.
Fuck.
It’s happening.
“You are too late.” His ancient voice all but echoes. “Soon your bond will be broken, I will absorb all her power, and then not even the Gods can stop me.”
I clench my teeth. “You can’t do this. You underestimate the strength of a mating bond just because your fated chose someone else over your sorry ass.”
His smile stretches across his face, emotion vacant from his eyes, the tattoo on his face gleaming in the orange glow of the sunset pouring in through the hole in the back wall. He chooses to ignore me, running a finger down the human’s chest. “It’s a shame Alanis must die. She seems like such fun.”
I growl, the matriarch and Viros slowly moving along the wall in opposite directions trying to get closer without notice. Before I can do anything, I am thrown into a hallucination so real that I can’t stop the vomit from racing up my throat. I keel over, emptying the contents of my stomach even as images play out before me.
Alanis’s soul enters the new body. Her screams echo through the room. It might not be her body, but it’s her voice. I watch, helpless as she writhes against the breaking of our bond. My body collapses from the pain. The bond swirls between us, fraying apart before finally severing.
Iclas roars as their bond connects, locking into place. I watch as he completes the bond and drinks a vial of Alanis’s blood before draining the human of hers. I watch in agony as Alanis’s soul leaves this earth for a final time. Iclas pulls back, blood dripping from his canines.
Darkness surrounds us, a fog blanketing the world. Demons and every evil creature claw their way up from the bowels of Hell, Ames trying to gain control. With his powers focused elsewhere, he doesn’t see Iclas strike.
The God of Hell falls.
If the most powerful God can’t take on Iclas, we don’t stand a chance. I watch in horror as every single one of my friends is murdered. The Gods and Goddesses fall as they try to defend this world against darkness.
It is no use.
There is no hope.
Not without Alanis.
“Stop,” my father commands as he strides into the room, wielding a blood-soaked sword. I feel a tremble, the matriarch throwing out her powers. The second of distraction lifts Iclas’s vision from my head. Air scrapes back into my lungs as the room rebuilds around me. I find Alanis’s soul is still safe, our bond intact.
It was just a spell.
Viros throws magic at the witch. It bounces off her shield, but not before the matriarch notices a crack in the protection spell. When she throws her flames out, it pierces that thin barrier, the flames engulfing the Witch. Her screams echo on the stone walls.
“NO!” Iclas roars. He races to save the vile Witch, but her body is decimated. With a wave of his hand, his clothes appear on his body. Thank the Gods, I don’t really feel like killing him with his dick flapping in the wind.
A dark mist seeps from his fingers, wrapping around the matriarch’s throat.
Her veins turn black.
I slash at Iclas with my sword, my father protecting my back while Viros catches the matriarch as she collapses.
Iclas attempts to throw his death mist at me, but I give him no chance, slicing across his gut. As his blood spills, panic fills his eyes, and I relish every second of his fear. No longer immortal, just your average powerful Fae.
And then he vanishes.
“Fuck!” I scream.
“Son, get Alanis’s body. We are almost out of time.”
“We need to reconnect her to her soul.” Viros snaps. “The Fates gave us a time limit and it’s almost up.”
I race back to where we left the horses. The war between witches, creatures, Gods, and my family spills out onto the field in front of this Godsforsaken mountain. The only patch of grass is now stained in blood.
I grab Alanis’s body from the wagon, dodging spells and slashing at these damn Witches as I go. When I return to the room where Alanis’s soul remains, I’m met by Ryta and Caselia, who have prepared their spell to reconnect her.
“ You came for me. ”
Her voice is a balm on my battered soul. I can hear it the closer I get.
“ In every lifetime, Alanis. I will always come for you. ”
The matriarch coughs, black blood spewing from her mouth.
Viros curses. “Iclas’s power seeped into her veins. I cannot save her. No magic can.”
My heart stutters, or maybe it’s Alanis’s soul.
“Tell my granddaughter that…that she was right.” She coughs, her lungs wheezing with each intake of breath. “Family is more important than power. I…I wasted too much time. Lost…lost too much due to my greed. No matter what she thinks of me…I loved my daughter dearly. And-and I am not disappointed in her, or Alanis.” Another coughing fit consumes her. “Pl-please tell her how sorry I am.”
I feel Alanis’s soul shudder in sadness.
“ I forgive you, Grandmother. ”
I grab the matriarch’s hand, her breaths coming slower. Her lungs sound watery. The black, vile liquid taking over. “She forgives you.”
The matriarch smiles, a tear rolling down her face. And then her expression softens, her eyes lighting up. “Odessa?” she whispers.
Viros whips his eyes back to her. “Do you see Odessa? Is she there? Gods, please tell her how much I love her. It will only ever be her. Tell her I promise to keep protecting our daughter until I can join her in the Eternal Vale.”
The matriarch smiles. “She lo-loves you more than life itself.” She coughs again, the black blood slowing. “She says to take Alanis to where you met. To tell her stories of her. To let…let her know how loved she is. How loved she’s always been. And please tell Alanis how proud…we both are…” Her voice fades, her chest goes still. Her ice-blue eyes stare at nothing.
I see the moment her soul leaves her body. My father and Viros see it, too, gasps falling from their mouths. Another bright white orb joins with her soul, the two fading away together.
“Odessa,” Viros whispers.
And I swear the second orb winks.
We all stare at the spot they disappeared, a pang of sadness filling my chest, but also hope and joy.
“We have attached her soul,” Caselia says. “The final steps must still take place in order for her to join fully with her body. Get her back to the castle and we will meet you there to finish it. Her soul is safe.”
“We need to find Iclas now . He’s injured, we could easily take him down,” I snap as I lead the way out of the destroyed building into the cool night air, clutching Alanis’s body to my chest.
I spot Captain Thelos and a few soldiers pulling injured men from an opening in the mountain itself.
The captain speaks quickly. “They are alive, just beaten severely. From what Siveral managed to tell us before passing out, Levi and a few ghouls ambushed them. Brought them straight to Iclas and the Witches. A fight broke out and they managed to kill Levi, but they were captured again and the Witches took turns torturing them.”
“Motherfucker,” I spit, glancing at Kailu’s face. His body is badly beaten, his eyes swollen, lip busted. His shirt sticks to the blood oozing from wounds on his chest and back. Anger courses through me, a red-hot rage that makes the dragon writhe to break free.
“Where does that passage lead?” I ask the captain.
“The dungeons. The entire place is falling apart, all it took was a blast of magic for me to break through that portion of rock. We cleared the entire area.”
I nod as Viros turns to me. “I must go help my brothers and sisters. Get far away from here.”
He takes me in a tight hug. “I’m so glad she has you for a mate. Someone worthy of her. Get her and Kailu back. She needs both of you.” He claps me on the back and I swallow back the emotion that threatens to take hold of me.
“Let’s go home.”
Just as we reach the slim edge of the mountain trail, a boom rattles the earth and what’s left of the building goes up in a giant ball of white flame. The screams of those who remain echo through the mountains. We carefully traverse the narrow passage, the horses’ hooves sending rocks down into the ravine below.
My father speaks softly from behind. “Let’s bring Alanis back.”
The howls and noises of unknown creatures don’t frighten me this time, because I know that I will move heaven and hell to bring Alanis home.
- KAILU -
I knew the second I entered the Isle of Rimoldi that something wasn’t right. Fucking Levi, but at least he’s dead now. I will relish the memory of my blade slicing open his jugular for many years to come.
The damn Witches were a surprise, though. They quickly incapacitated all of us, and when I next awoke, Iclas was standing across from me in some type of dungeon. The air was frigid, the floor shining with water dripping from somewhere above.
Hatred boiled in my blood. I refused to let him hear my pain even as he tortured me, as if to pass the time while the dark Witches worked to bring Alanis back. Every lash to my back I took silently, watching my blood fall to the ground. Hendrix passed out from the pain first. His heartbeat still remained steady, to my relief.
Siveral took the least of the beatings and tried his best to keep me awake, but it was impossible when Iclas’s boot connected with my flayed skin. The pain too much to bear.
Blackness overtook my vision, the sound of fighting off in the distance. I hoped it was Mal.
A golden light grabbed my attention in my unconscious state. Unthinkingly, I pulled on the tether, hope bursting through me at the familiar feel.
“ Kailu? ”
Alanis’s soft words spoken in my thoughts sent a jolt to my very soul.
“ Alanis, is this what I hope it is? ”
Her faint giggle chased away the cold seeping into my body.
“ The mating bond ,” she said . “ It’s no longer blocked by the curse. ”
I could have screamed in happiness. I knew from the moment I saw her that she was different. I felt drawn to her even then.
“ Are you all right? Did Mal get you? ”
Noise begins to infiltrate into my thoughts. Someone moving my body and shaking me awake, but I don’t want to go. I want to stay and talk to her. To my mate.
“ He’s here. ”
“Kailu come on, man, open your eyes.” The voice drags me back, my heart fighting to stay with her a bit longer.
Peeling my eyes open, I groan in pain. Captain Thelos stares down at me. “Thank the Gods. I’d rather not face Malakai’s wrath should I carry your corpse out of here. We need to get you all out before the Fates decimate everyone and everything.”
My eyes are heavy, but I lean on him for support as we trudge our way out. The pain is near unbearable, but knowing my mate is so close spurs me on.