by Eve, Jaymin
“We’re forming a girl gang,” I told her dryly, half kidding. “If you want more than one friend.”
I mean, why the fuck not? The rest of us were our own brand of weird. This chick would probably fit right in.
She smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She started to walk again, and this time I followed silently.
Chapter 24
The snowy landscape started to scale up, like we were walking to the top of a cliff. It got steeper and steeper, but I never lost my balance, or had to reach forward and use my hands to steady myself. Just call me a mountain goat, or whatever those little furry things on the side of the cliff were.
As we elevated, I hoped to gain some perspective over this land … to truly see what was out there. But that persistent veil of darkness never lifted, not from above or below.
Whatever this place was, it hid its secrets well. Or it hid hers.
Heptashia didn’t falter in her trek up the mountain either, and again she never looked back for me. Just when I thought there was no way we could continue to climb, considering we were almost vertical now, it leveled out, and we ended up on a plateau above the clouds.
Yeah, there were clouds now, because this land was fucking insane.
“Here is your final judgement,” she said, no smile, no inflection, just a wave of her hand as the clouds drifted away to reveal a giant scale.
“Now this is more what I expected,” I said, stepping forward to examine it closely. The scale was golden, shiny like the path I’d walked along earlier, and shot through with white writing. The script wasn’t in English, and my brain didn’t automatically translate it for me, so I had no idea what it said.
It fit my knowledge of scales, with two sides balanced over a middle stand. One side was empty, nothing more than a flat space. The other side was filled with a swirling … magic, maybe. It was hard to know exactly what it was, with no corporeal part to the mass.
“This judges your future,” the woman said.
I hadn’t forgotten she was there, but I also hadn’t heard her move so close to me. Schooling my face to hide my surprise, I turned minutely. “My future? How can I be judged for things I haven’t done yet?”
Her eyes widened like she was shocked. “Easily, of course. Your path is pre-ordained. Your future actions are already in motion, even if they haven’t yet come to pass. And right now, if this scale determines that you are beyond saving, you will forfeit your life and walk forever in this land of nothing.”
Well, with that recommendation…
“And if I refuse to step on the scale?”
The model-perfect bone structure of her face started to change, morphing into something that no longer resembled the silvery woman. There was a new snake-like quality to her now, dark lines marking her cheeks, eyes larger, and pupils diamond shaped.
“Best not to find out,” she hissed, and I swallowed roughly, because … dude. What the hell was that?
“Fuck it,” I muttered. The fact that I was more than over this bullshit propelled me forward.
I stepped on the scale.
The moment my feet were flat on the gold surface, energy locked my body in place. Old fears resurfaced, and I forced myself to bring up an image of Asher. The best calming tonic I had. Asher was my peace … my sanctuary.
The magic on the other side of the scale started to swirl harder and brighter; white light bisected through the midnight energy. The woman watched it all without any inflection on her face, so I had no idea if it was going well or not. None of it actually affected her, and she didn’t care either way, but it would have been nice to know if I was failing miserably.
Red lights split the white, and then they turned black. My pulse started to pound until I could feel it in my throat. Was I evil as hell in the future, because that was a ton of black…
The woman walked forward. “I’m sorry,” she said, her gaze locked on my face. “I would have enjoyed being part of your girl gang.”
“What?” I snapped, not sure what was happening. My arms and legs moved again—I was completely free from the energy holding me on the scale.
That was the only good news.
The scale started to shake under me, my body rattling along. Trying to get free, I flailed and lurched forward, but the gap that was my exit continued to shrink smaller and smaller until I was surrounded by gold. “Let me out!” I screamed, but there was no reply, and from the tiny gap still available to me, there was no visible sign of the goddess.
I’d definitely failed this part of the test. A scary thought when it was something to do with my future, but I’d have to worry about that later. Right now there were much more pressing concerns. Like the fact I was trapped on the side of a godsdamned scale. Or that I was going to walk this crazy fucking world forever if I didn’t get myself out of here.
My energy swirled, as it had been since I arrived here, stuck, not able to be accessed. That wasn’t going to work for me any longer though, and I reached for it, yanking as hard as I could. Like when I’d gone up against Sonaris, I needed to free myself from any worries or blocks that held my power back.
This was my one and only chance; the last sliver of space between the bars on my cage was almost gone. I sensed that when it disappeared, I would be trapped as she’d predicted.
The world would fall to the gods. Millions would die.
Everyone was relying on me, and even though I wanted to curl up in a tiny pathetic ball and cry, I found some fucking strength, deep inside, and slammed my hands against the bars.
“I’m a god!” I screamed. “You will never contain me.”
The energy swelled. It pulsed and fought its containment.
“You have no control over me.” The guttural words didn’t even sound like me. “You. Do. Not. Control. Me!”
A physical fissuring started inside of me, and Heptashia’s block on my power detonated in a blast of white dust blowing out the side of the golden cage, splintering it like it was nothing more than a dandelion misting into the breeze.
As I rose up into the air, water swirled around me, refilling my strength and sanity. Being without my power was like being without the sun. At first you thought it was okay, not noticing as you grew weaker and depressed. Eventually I would have died, cut off from my energy in that way. I needed it to not just survive but to blossom.
Asher’s presence slammed into my mind and I soaked up his energy, my soul literally screaming as it was reunited with its other half.
Maddison?
His voice sounded like thunder in my head.
Asher, I choked out through our mental link. Asher. Fuck. I missed you so much.
There was nothing but silence, deadly, echoing silence. I knew he was still there, but it was beyond his ability to speak.
Are you okay? I pushed.
Another second of heavy silence.
No. Where are you?
He was barely holding it together. The words were strangled, like they were being forced out, and since this was mental speak, that told me about the state of his mind.
I took a back entrance to the underworld. An entrance, I think, that will bring us to the Hellbringers and give us a chance to take the gods out.
Thunder echoed around me, and when lightning struck the ground, I looked around, wondering if Asher was close by. Josephina had said that there was a chance of opening a path for them … had I managed to do that?
Maddison.
He drew my attention back to him.
I’m coming for you.
The feelings inside of me…
I’d never felt anything with this much intensity. It was almost too much for me to deal with. I lowered myself to the ground, trying to find an equilibrium.
Tell me what happened.
He sounded closer; my heart was hammering hard enough that it hurt my chest.
I quickly told him the condensed version of everything since I was stolen away by Josephina.
How I’d failed the
final test.
I broke free from her cage. No one can hold a god. I just had to finally admit that’s who I am. This is who I am now. I shuddered, arms wrapping around myself. I have no idea what they saw in my future, Ash, but it must have been bad.
My power wrapped around me like a protective blanket, and I closed my eyes at how soothing it felt. Asher didn’t say anything, but he was moving closer.
His energy raged. A stormy sea filled with whirlpools, riptides, and debris.
I’m on my way.
This path is only for females, I reminded him.
His chuckle was low, dark, and rumbly, sending chills down my spine. Not any longer.
Before I could ask him to explain that, I felt a tugging on my power, and then in a flash there were three very large men standing around me. Two I knew well: Asher and Braxton.
The third was a vampire … uh, vampire with dragon energy? I had no idea what that was all about, but I could see a definite family resemblance to Braxton, so I was going with another quad.
Mischa’s mate no doubt, judging by the fury on his face. I mean, all three wore faces of men who’d had their mates abruptly stolen from them.
Scary, scary men.
Before another thought could cross my mind, strong, hard arms were hauling me into his body. Our bond sent a pulse through us both, and some of the chaos inside settled. The gold of Asher’s magic burst around us, and more storms rocked across the land. Before I could figure out what that meant, or how it was possible, all of my attention was on my golden god.
Asher held me with a desperation I’d never felt from him. “Fuck,” he growled, voice hoarse. “Don’t ever do that to me again. Ever. I almost destroyed the Academy.”
“He almost destroyed the world,” Braxton bit out, sounding far less relaxed than normal. His eyes were also very yellow, and since it was bad news when Asher’s changed color, I figured it was the same for this dude.
“Where are Jessa and Mischa?” Braxton asked. “And where the fuck are we?”
Beside him, the vampire’s chest rumbled, his eyes as black as the world around us. These two, both powerful, tall, beautiful … they reminded me of Asher. Those blessed in life with more than just stunning looks, but immense power. They were not used to being scared, to being out of control—this situation had them on the edge of completely losing it.
My heart ached at the pain we had caused our mates … unintentionally, of course, but it had happened.
“They were totally fine the last time I saw them,” I said softly, still cradled in Asher’s arms. I made no move to separate us, needing this closeness as much as he did. Our bond was practically purring. “When the trials started, all of us were separated. I have no idea where they are. I’m guessing somewhere in this darkness. The goddess called it the land of nothing, but it’s a weird adaptable landscape, and … maybe there’s a chance we can bend it to our will…”
It was a random thought, but I’d never seen anything like this world. It was almost fluid in its structure.
“This land responds to Heptashia’s magic,” I mused. “Maybe we can tap into it and get it to guide us to the others.”
Another figure appeared then, stepping through the shadows, and I tensed, expecting the goddess.
It wasn’t her. It was another dragon.
“Rayge!” I shouted, surprised by how happy I was to see him.
I wiggled to get down, but Asher growled and pulled me close. Titling my head back, I was about to remind him that I was not a possession. When our eyes clashed, though, I swallowed down my argument. “You’re keeping my power in check,” he murmured, his voice a blast across my senses. “I can’t let you go.”
I wrapped myself tightly around him. “You never have to,” I whispered. “I love you more than anything, and I don’t care what that stupid scale says. If you’re in my future, it’s bright. I might not be perfect, but together we will keep each other in check. I have to believe that.”
He was already tense, his muscles hard and unyielding, but somehow his body went even tenser. There was no time to explain though, because Rayge had reached our circle.
“Where the fuck did you go?” Braxton snapped.
Rayge just shook his head, addressing me instead. “Maddison, I’m glad you’re okay.” I got an actual smile, which I returned. Asher’s eyes were drilling into the dragon shifter, but he didn’t say a thing. We didn’t have time for any of their alpha bullshit, so I was grateful.
“I scouted around,” Rayge continued. “There’s a veil just to the south. It’s a magical barrier, but I’m pretty sure that between the five of us we can break through no problem.”
A veil. I hadn’t seen anything like that, but she’d kept this land deliberately mysterious for those in the trials. Even now, as we stood atop “judgement-mountain,” I could only see darkness.
“She hid the land,” I told him, exhaustion hitting me. I rested my head against Asher’s cheek, enjoying the feeling of his skin on mine.
“It’s a large piece of land built by magic,” Rayge said. “I’d describe it as an oval shape, with some pointed offshoots at the southern end. It’s strongly coated in magic.”
“It protects the entrance to the underworld,” Maximus finally spoke up. “Our mates are either still in the trials of this land, or they’ve crossed through the veil.”
“One way to find out,” Braxton roared, and seconds later he was no longer in human skin. A very large, very intimidating dragon stood before us. Braxton was massive, his scales dark and shiny. I couldn’t tear my eyes away, trying to figure out how it was possible that a human could turn into a creature as gigantic as this. I mean, sure, Braxton was a big guy, but nothing on his dragon.
My brain attempted to explode at the insanity—the fact that I was a god and this still freaked me out was bizarre—but before I could have my mental breakdown, two more dragons stood in front of us. I barely got a glimpse of them before they took off into the air. I did have time to note that Rayge, a bronze beast, might have been even larger than Braxton.
Asher gently set me on my feet, a deep breath lifting his chest under my hands. “Fuck, Maddi,” he said, closing his eyes briefly, like he was still fighting for control.
“You’re covered in gold,” I murmured, leaning up to kiss him. “It’s kind of hot, but it’s also scary. Josephina said that the original magic is addictive, and you shouldn’t use it too much.”
He shook his head. “This is who I am now, love. I have no other magic to access. And I feel no addiction to it.”
He meant what he said, I could feel it through our bond. Since there were three bazillion more pressing concerns on my radar, I let it go for now.
Asher lifted me higher, capturing my mouth in a brutal, possessive, scorchingly hot kiss. “Wait until this is all over and I finally get you alone,” he warned against my mouth, and it probably spoke of how fucked up I was that I couldn’t wait to find out what that meant.
Reluctantly, Asher used his magic to pull us into the air, his hand firmly wrapped around mine. We followed the dragons into the darkness. Like before, wherever we moved, the mist of this land faded and we could see more, but then it closed in behind us again.
I hoped Rayge knew what he was talking about, because I had no idea how he’d managed to see anything.
“You have to look with your power, not just your eyes,” Asher said, picking up on my thoughts. “Look beyond the obvious.”
I wrinkled my nose at him. “Now you just sound like Heptashia, and since she’s legit one hundred percent crazy, that’s not a compliment.”
His lips twitched, and for the first time since he’d stormed up to me, there was a sliver of green back in his eyes.
The gold was growing on me, but green would always be my favorite.
Chapter 25
Despite the speed of the dragons, we caught up to them quickly. I wasn’t sure when it happened—probably after Sonaris—but Asher was stronger than ever. He carried bot
h of us with ease; no strain showed on his face or in our bond.
“I can see the veil,” he said, looking ahead.
I’d been too busy watching Asher to try that “looking with my power” thing, and to be honest, I really didn’t need to. I trusted Asher. I would let myself lean on him this one time.
He shifted to look my way, eyes lit up with emotions that were both dark and light. A contradiction. A perfect mystery, as always.
We’re a team, Maddison James. His voice was strong. I will always be whatever you need. If you need strength in your arms, I will lift for you. If your legs can't walk any further, I will carry you. If your heart grows weary, I will find hope in mine. And if your mind is tired, I will take some of your burden. That’s how partners and teams work. We all carry life’s heaviness at times, you more than any other, but when you have a team, you know you’ll never have to carry it alone.
Fuck.
Fucking fuck.
He destroyed me.
Fire burned through my chest and into my soul. The pain and worry and anxiety from being in this land faded, almost like Asher had taken some of it, just as he said he would. The surging in my chest was strong and brutal, like a wave crashing against unforgiving rocks, the strength of my emotions destructive, but also a perfect display of nature.
I spoke from my heart, as he had done: I love you more than I thought it was possible to ever love. You are the team I dreamed and hoped for. The family I prayed to the gods for. I will never take you for granted, and I will always ease your burdens as well. I will be enough for you.
He wrapped his arms so tightly around me that I couldn’t breathe, and it was perfect.
You are beyond enough, Maddison. You’re a fucking gift, and I will never let you go.
A small part of me feared this type of fatalistic conversation. Usually they preceded us both dying in a fiery catastrophe, and considering where we were going, and the unknown we were facing, my fears were not unfounded.
I didn’t regret it though. Asher had my chest burning in the best way, and this moment was worth any temptation for the Fates to destroy us.