Chapter 29
Alchera
As my vision comes into focus again, I quickly glance around us but don’t see Riccardo.
Shit.
Ares sinks to his knees, and sitting back on his haunches, he sucks in desperate breaths of air.
There’s a glimmer of worry in my chest, and I instinctively move closer, but Raighne grabs hold of my arm, pulling me back with a stern shake of his head.
Jason darts forward and crouches in front of Ares, saying, “Your nose is bleeding. Tilt your head back.”
I watch with a weird sense of worry as Jason hands Ares a tissue to wipe up the blood before checking his vitals.
Staring at the man who tortured me, I struggle with the conflicting emotions in my chest. The hatred and fear I have for him buckle beneath the compassion that has no business being in my heart.
“He’s just exhausted,” Jason says. “The shimmer thing he did took a blow at him.”
“There’s no time to rest,” Finian mutters.
“Matt’s puking his guts out,” Dylan mentions, his tone strained and looking a little pale himself. “We could all use a minute or two to recover. ”
I glance at where Sky is crouching near Matt with a water bottle, which makes me think back to what Brenna said about them forming bonds with one another.
It seems more like some are forming romantic relationships.
Turning my attention back to Ares, I watch as he climbs to his feet, muttering, “I’m good to go.”
I let out a relieved breath, then take in the area around us.
We’re standing in a park that’s surrounded by old buildings. The few people who are out on the streets this early in the morning don’t even notice us, because they’re too busy rushing to their destinations.
The air feels tense, and it makes a shiver ghost down my spine.
Needing a moment to try and focus on sensing where Riccardo is, I pull away from Raighne and walk toward a tree that offers some shade.
“You okay?” Raighne asks.
“Yes. Just need a minute. Check on Matt and Sarah for me, please.”
“Alchera.” Hearing Ares’ voice in my mind has me looking over my shoulder at him.
“Stay out of her fucking mind,” Raighne growls.
“It’s okay,” I tell Raighne. “I have to talk to Ares at some point.”
“No,” Raighne refuses, the brutal expression on his face spelling nothing good for Ares.
“Raighne.” I give him a pleading look. “I’ll be okay. Give me privacy.”
He shakes his head at me before giving Ares a look of warning. “One wrong move, and you’re dead.”
“Got it,” Ares bites out before turning his attention back to me.
I’m relieved when Ares doesn’t attempt to move closer to me, but when his expression softens, it fills me with a weird sense of confusion like it did when he asked me to forgive him in the shack.
Wrapping my arms around my middle, I hold his gaze. “When we were in the shack, and you asked me for forgiveness, did Adeth’s control on you slip?”
“Don’t.” He shakes his head, “Please.”
“Don’t what? Talk about it?” I lift my chin. “You taught me something, you know. Thanks to you, I can now handle a shitload of pain.” I glance at his right hand, the hand I know so well, and remember when it felt like he was burning the skin from my body.
Ares clenches his jaw, and a tear slips down his cheek, but he doesn’t stop me from talking.
“I remember our last time together in the shack. Right before you left, I saw something, and I want to know if I imagined it or if it was real.”
I can’t believe how calmly I’m talking to him. I have to be insane.
“I couldn’t control what I did, but I…Alchera,” he pauses and gives me a pleading look. “I tried so hard to fight Adeth. She was just too strong, but I never wanted to hurt you. What I did to you…” he shakes his head, tortured by the guilt that’s clearly eating him alive, “it killed me.”
His eyes beg me to understand. To forgive him.
Now that he’s no longer a threat, it’s hard to ignore that he looks a lot like Raighne and Finian. Just like them, he’s good-looking, but the hell he’s lived with gives him a dark and tortured look the other two men don’t have.
It makes it so much harder not to feel pity for him.
I glance away from Ares and take in my surroundings. The wind is constantly blowing, never letting up. The sun has a sinister red tinge to it, giving the impression it’s twilight and not early in the day.
It feels like the shadows that are moving inside me are a moment away from engulfing this world in darkness.
Not looking at Ares, I whisper, “I’m not ready to forgive and forget.” I suck in a quivering breath. “My memories are different than yours. They’re not filled with guilt but with unbearable pain.” I start walking to where Raighne is standing with his arms crossed over his chest, watching Ares like a hawk.
“It’s funny, you know.” I shrug before giving Ares a last glance. “Here you are, changing into this good person and asking for forgiveness, while I’m…” I wrap my arms tighter around myself. “I feel cold and dark, like I’m becoming this malicious thing. It’s like we’re swapping places.”
“Alchera, no!” Ares snaps as he stalks toward me.
Raighne’s arm flies up, and it looks like Ares walks into an invisible barrier that keeps him from taking another step.
I move to Raighne’s side and say, “This talk …” I wave my hand between Ares and myself, “whatever this is. It’s finished. I’ve had enough.” I take hold of Raighne’s hand so he’ll release Ares. “Next time, I won’t stop Raighne. Stay away from me.”
While the others gather in a group, Raighne pulls me to the side, muttering, “You’re not becoming a malicious thing.”
Unable to make eye contact with him, I glance down the street. “We both know it’s bound to happen. There’s no stopping the shadows from growing in me. I’ll do my best to get the chosen ones to Vaalbara, but there’s no way I’m getting through this without turning into the same thing as Adeth.”
Raighne lifts a hand, and taking hold of my chin, he forces me to look at him. “You’re not turning into Adeth. I won’t allow it.”
I try to smile but fail, and before I can say another word, I notice the clouds gathering above us. It looks like they’re churning.
No.
Pressure hits me full-on, and turning to the others, I shout, “Cover your ears!”
We’re hit with one hell of a blast of energy, knocking us off our feet. Raighne falls over me, his body covering mine just as another wave hits us.
When I manage to lift my head, blood trickles warm down my neck. Then I hear and feel everything - trees screech, birds drop dead, people cry, and one after the other, heartbeats stop.
A cloud of ash blocks the sun as it fills the air.
“Raighne!”
I let out a sob as Raighne helps me into a sitting position, and when his hands cover my ears, I feel him work overtime to still the chaos in me.
There’s a deep rumbling coming from the ground before it starts to quake beneath us.
Crouching in front of me and holding my head to his chest, he shouts at the others, “We have to move! Get everyone up.”
With the ground shuddering uncontrollably, Raighne helps me to stand, and I shake my head to rid myself of the dizziness left over from the blast .
I think the volcano just erupted.
Shit.
I groan as a gale-force wind whips through the park, making the hell around us worse. I hear people screaming not too far away, and worried for my chosen ones, I glance wildly around me.
Massive gaping holes appear as chunks of earth fall away beneath people’s feet. I watch in horror as they plunge to their deaths.
This time, it isn’t just a vision. It’s the real thing, and it makes horror bleed into the darkness growing inside me.
“Alchera!” I hear Raighne shout above the wind.
A tree whips past us, one of its branches missing my face by mere inches as he yanks me out of the way.
“We have to move.” Raighne holds my arm tightly as he pulls me toward our group, that’s clearly rattled by the hell being unleashed on us.
Jason picks up Sarah, and she buries her face against his neck as sobs wrack her weak body.
“I’ve got you. We’ll get through this,” Jason tells her, his worried eyes meeting mine.
Doug is watching the disaster unfolding around us with dread tightening his features.
Get your shit together, Alchera. Your chosen ones need you.
Matt holds Sky tightly while Dylan glances around us, his military voice booming over the sound of the wind, “Let’s move, people. If I say stop, you stop. If I say run, you run. We leave no one behind.”
“I can just shimmer us to a safer place,” Ares says.
“This is where my vision of Riccardo brought us to,” I snap at him as I follow Dylan, who’s making his way to the side of the town that looks less affected by the disaster. “I’m not leaving without him.”
With Dylan guiding us and Brenna, Finian, and Griffith protecting us from behind, we make our way through the rubble and scores of frightened people.
Shit, where is Riccardo?
The ground rips open behind us, and Griffith shouts, “Run!”
We all rush away from the immediate danger while I try to figure out where we should go.
God, how do we survive this?
I keep glancing around for any sign of Riccardo, desperation filling every panicked heartbeat in my chest.
A car crashes ahead of us as we near a collapsed building, and the ground shudders again, slabs of the road cracking open in front of us.
We all cower close together, and Sky lets out a terrified scream, which has Matt engulfing her with his body to offer her some kind of protection.
I feel a hand on my shoulder, then Brenna says, “We can’t stay here, Alchera.”
A hopeless feeling settles in my gut as I look at everyone.
Dammit!
Glancing at Ares, I say, “Can you take the group to a saver place, then come back to Raighne and me?”
“We’re not splitting up!” Griffith growls. “It’s too dangerous.”
I let out a sigh, but then the shaking suddenly stops, and everyone manages to climb to their feet.
“Let’s push forward,” Dylan says before looking at me. “Any idea which direction we should head in?”
No.
Thinking back to my vision, I bring up Riccardo. I give Ares a cautious look before I step closer to him.
It takes more strength than I have right now to take hold of his arm. “Can you find Riccardo?”
His eyes focus on my face, then he nods. “Give me five minutes.”
I quickly pull my hand back, and the next second, he disappears right before my eyes.
“Can we keep moving, or do we have to wait?” Dylan asks.
“We can keep moving. Ares will find us through Alchera,” Griffith replies, worriedly glancing around us.
Pushing forward, our progress is slow. We have to climb over rubble and avoid cracks in the road.
The ground shudders hard, and people scream as everyone’s panic flares up again. There’s a thunderous eruption and rumbling in the distance, and I glance up at the sky that’s growing darker, the clouds black, red, and yellow as if it’s on fire.
As a cloud of ash begins to rain down on us, I’m hit with a wave of fear and hopelessness that forces me a step back.
I can feel as everything around me dies.
The air displaces, and as I turn to see if Ares found Riccardo, they appear. Ares has Riccardo in a headlock, and with panic etched deep into Riccardo’s features, his arm wildly flies up.
“Gun! He has a gun,” Dylan shouts, darting forward to help Ares control a fighting Riccardo.
There’s a loud bang, and the next second, it feels as if my chest is being torn open.
In shock, I stare at Ares and Dylan, who are forcing Riccardo to the ground and prying the weapon from his hand.
“Alchera!” Raighne shouts, and his arms wrap around me as my legs give way.
Shit.
Kneeling beside me, he holds me close to him. I gasp for air, but droplets of my blood splatter against his neck.
Only then does it register Riccardo shot me.
“I’ve got you!” Raighne says, his voice rough with worry as he presses his hand to my chest.
Ash floats around us, and my eyes are just about to focus on Raighne’s face when everything blurs.
When I blink, confusion pours through me. I’m lying on ash, the area around me made of millions of moving shadows.
“Alchera,” Ares’ voice sounds as if it’s a thousand miles away, “focus on my voice. Let me bring you back.”
I can feel Ares’ like a cool breeze but not Raighne’s warmth.
I hear other voices around me, and they’re filled with urgency and panic.
“I need scissors, Isobel! Now!”
I stare up at an African woman dressed in casual clothes and a white lab coat.
“Can you save her, Lydia?” someone asks the doctor standing over me.
“Yes,” she answers, her voice filled with confidence.
“Alchera!” Raighne’s voice thunders through my mind, yanking me away from the woman.
I pry my eyes open, my lids feeling heavy.
My vision manages to focus on Raighne, but then my head lolls to the side, and I see Ares beside me.
“Stay with us,” Ares says. “Don’t go to the shadowlands.”
It’s weird. It feels like I’m stuck in the Twilight Zone.
My sight blurs, and when it focuses again, I see the woman who’s trying to say something to me.
“…you just hold on for me, sweetheart. Have you given her the sedative, Isobel?”
“Lydia!” A man says, drawing the doctor’s attention away from me.
“I’m busy. Talk fast!” Lydia snaps.
“How’s the mother doing?” the man asks.
“She’s hanging in there. How are the children?”
“Only one made it. The father’s dead, too,” the man answers.
“Shit!” Lydia hisses before focusing all her attention on me again. “You’re not going to die. Just hang in there for me.”
The pain in my chest feels like it’s trying to tear my beating heart right from me.
I try to breathe, but instead of inhaling air, my lungs are filled with ashes.
“Scalpel!” Lydia orders, then I feel something slicing into my skin. The pain tears a scream from me, but I don’t hear it.
I feel hands digging inside of me, ripping my heart out.
I force my eyes open again, and past Raighne and all the destruction around us, I see a shadow move toward me.
Where Awo was all light, this creature is made of millions of shadows constantly swirling and creeping over each other.
“What’s that?” I ask, panic lacing my thoughts.
I can’t feel or hear Raighne and Ares, and as the shadowy figure comes closer, my entire body chills until it feels like ice fills my veins.
“No. Stay away from me!” I scream, but no one hears me.
The shadowy figure moves over me, and as it hovers above me, I stare at the absolute darkness where its face should be.
It moves a hand to my chest, black veins snaking beneath translucent skin, and the most agonizingly lonely feeling coats my very soul.
“No,” I gasp. “I’m not done fulfilling my destiny. I can’t die yet.”
I start to shiver fiercely as I stare into the dark abyss. “Who are you?” I breathe the words as if they are my last.
“Void.” His voice is eerily soft, and it has a pull to it, drawing me away from the light. “Join me, Alchera.”
Everything stills inside me, and unable to move, I can only stare into the dark abyss that’s pulling me away from everything I hold dear.
“No,” Ares’ voice strikes like a lightning bolt, the light so sharp in my mind it makes Void creep back to the edge of my sanity. “I won’t let you take her.”
“Ahhh…Ares,” Void hisses sinisterly. “I’ll see you soon, son.”
The icy cold disappears, and my body starts to shiver as Void disappears.
“The bullet is out,” I hear Raighne say.
“Void is gone,” Ares tells him. “Can you get into her mind again?”
“Let me try,” Raighne mutters.
Hearing them work together to save me has my eyes stinging with unshed tears right before I’m engulfed in Raighne’s warmth as he floods me.
“Is she going to be okay?” I hear Jason ask.
I’m pulled tightly against Raighne’s chest, and he peppers my face with kisses as sob after sob begins to burst from me.
“I’ve got you. You’re safe,” he murmurs, his tone strained with emotion.
Finally able to move, I lift my arms and cling to Raighne’s shirt as I gasp through the empty feeling left behind by the weird shit I just experienced.
“What was that?” I ask .
“Nothing for you to worry about,” Ares answers as he climbs to his feet. “I’ll deal with it.”
“Is Alchera okay?” Dylan asks, his tone tense with worry.
“Yes,” Raighne replies. Pulling back, he locks eyes with me. “Are you good to go? We need to move.”
Having no choice, I nod, but Raighne has to help me to my feet.
My legs feel unsteady, and I lean heavily against him as I look at Riccardo, who’s still on his knees, his face pale with shock.
Dumbfounded, he stares at all the blood on my shirt as he shakes his head, then whispers, “How? What? Christ.”
“I know it’s a little overwhelming, but you’re safe with us,” Jason tells Riccardo. “These people are here to save us, so just go with the flow.”
“I shot her,” Riccardo gasps. “How?”
“I’m Raighne, and as Alchera’s guardian, I can heal her,” Raighne explains. “Also, you can’t kill one of us with a bullet, so don’t bother trying again.”
It felt like I was dying, though.
“You were just weakened, which allowed Void to get into your mind,” Ares tells me mentally.
My eyes snap to his face. “Void?”
“My step-father for intents and purposes. He rules over the shadowlands. He’s the one who turned my mother dark.”
“Enough,” Raighne mutters. “We need to get out of here.”
It’s only then that I glance around us, and seeing all the destruction and breathing in ash, panic pours through my chest.
“I had a vision of another chosen one, but I don’t know where she is,” I admit, my voice hoarse from the poor air quality.
“Dammit,” Brenna mutters.
“Can’t we go back to Vaalbara until we know where to go next?” I ask.
“No.” Griffith shakes his head, an impatient expression on his face.
“We can go back to our house,” Doug says. “Last time we were there, Ireland wasn’t as affected as this place.”
“We don’t have much of a choice,” Jason agrees.
“Everyone gather close,” Griffith orders while pulling Riccardo to his feet. “You hold my hand and don’t let go. You hear me?”
Riccardo just nods, still shell-shocked.
We all hold hands, and the next instant, Ares shimmers us back to Doug and Sarah’s living room.
When the place looks the same as when we left it, I let out a breath of relief.
Coming to stand beside me, Brenna asks, “How are you feeling, Alchera?”
I just nod because I don’t have words to express how I feel.
“She needs to get some rest. Maybe then she’ll have another vision,” Raighne says, and taking hold of my hand, he pulls me closer to the couch. “Sit.” He looks at Brenna again. “Can you bring her some water?”
“Sure.”
Raighne sits down beside me and wraps his arm tightly around my shoulders, nudging me to lean into his side. I feel his mouth against my hair and close my eyes.
Lydia. Where are you?