by J. Clarice
An ugliness curled around Jayden’s heart.
“Glad to have you back, but we can’t stay put any longer,” Cain announced. “The vibrations have stopped. They must’ve approached something.”
His voice irked Scarlett’s annoyance, but zoning in, she realized he was right. The carving stopped.
“Do you think they broke through?” Jude asked.
“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out,” he answered.
Scarlett stood and helped Jayden up while Jude did the same with Jasper.
Cain and Trevor started with Jude and Jasper following behind. Scarlett and Jayden trailed to keep some distance.
“So, what’d I miss?” Jayden joked as she cracked a smile.
Scarlett’s mouth set in a hardline making Jayden’s smile drop.
“What happened?”
“Jenna is here, Jayden.”
Her mouth dropped with shock as an understanding set. “Oh shit, where is she?”
“Up ahead with the other traitor. She was the one who saved us,” Scarlett humorlessly laughed. “Such bullshit. She knew what my reaction would be. That’s why she didn’t take off that damn mask. What did she even have planned? Help us with what we need and then reveal herself, thinking everything would be forgiven? Absolute crap if you ask me.”
Jayden stayed quiet as she let Scarlett rant. Despite the harsh words, she could hear the tightness in her friend’s voice.
Scarlett huffed as she finished and kept her eyes out of Jayden’s sight.
“You’re not angry. You’re hurt.”
Scarlett choked. “Wh – What?”
Jayden didn’t respond and let the truth settle.
The silence suffocated Scarlett. It forced her to analyze her rage, only to find it masking her pain. From her sister confiding in someone else and resulting in their Father’s death to their mother’s demise and leaving her alone when she needed her older sister the most. It settled so deep and burned with so much guilt that… she mistook it for anger.
Knowing she wouldn’t be able to speak, Jayden continued, “I know what you’re feeling. It may not be to the same extent, but I recognize it. I thought I was angry at my father for being a deadbeat and not giving two fucks about his kids. I’ve come to realize it wasn’t anger I was feeling; it was hurt. I was in pain, so much so that I let it hide beneath something easier to project – my rage.
“I’m not saying you’re going to forgive her for what she did, but I am saying that you’re going to have to come face to face with what you’re feeling and talk it out with her.” Jayden lifted her head toward her brother. “I couldn’t imagine going through all that with Jasper, it would break my heart, but all the memories we’ve made would keep me torn.”
“I don’t know what to feel.”
It shook her to say it out loud. It made the words all the more real.
“You don’t need to right this second,” Jayden softly added. “But with the mission, we’re currently on, I’d say if there’s anything you want to make clear, now couldn’t be a better time.”
Scarlett couldn’t strike up any more words as she tumbled over Jayden’s statement. As uncomfortable as it is, she had to face the truth.
He recognized the blood that opened the scroll.
Of course, it was only one of His sons. That’d been expected.
All He cared about was the fact that they were nearing.
He could feel them.
He’d been in that Realm for too long, but He didn’t mind it. It let him perfect his skills and everything in his plan. He didn’t carry an ounce of remorse in His body. Not a tiny bit. Just the way He liked it.
They’d never see it coming.
He thanked His Nightmare parents for that. The Highest there’d been. They created the most dangerous Nightmare in all the Realms, with the old-timer’s help, of course. It’s how He was able to put everything in place.
They were all merely pawns in something bigger at play. He didn’t want to just rid the Realms of all Dreamers… He wanted to rule them all.
They broke through.
Scarlett and Jayden walked up the incline to find themselves surrounded by rocky, tree-ridden mountains. It was dull, but a forest, nonetheless. The air remained the same, and the ground was like gravel.
Everyone stood in awe.
“There are trees,” Jasper gawked. “A little greenish grey, but they’re trees.”
Raxon and Jenna popped the tunnel through a small clearing in the crest of two massive mountains. Their shape was grotesque, and to anyone with any sense, they’d know this was not a place to roam.
“We made it,” Jenna whispered as if afraid to speak too loudly. “This is the mountains of the Nether Realm, quite possibly the deadliest region to be in.”
Her words added to the knots in everyone’s stomach.
They were in unknown and the wildest land they’d ever come across. Their fear of encountering something that they couldn’t defeat was at an all-time high.
The mountains hummed the news of fresh bait. They had no loyalty to the Dreamers or Dreammares. Their loyalties were placed with the ones that housed a black hole as their heart; the ones that took souls like the mountains many cliffs; the ones that no one could ever get past alive… like the mountains themselves.
The air was eerily still, yet the trees swayed in sync.
“How are they moving?” Jude whispered.
“The mountains are alive,” Jenna answered. “This is the reason the first time I stepped in here; I knew I needed to leave. This place is a nest for Nightmares.”
They slowly backed until they covered each other’s six, forming a circle.
“Can someone please open up the damn scroll? I’d like to get out of here as soon as possible,” Jayden harshly muttered. Trevor passed the scroll to Raxon, who opened it.
“The map to Muck Mountain,” he called.
The scroll’s white page swirled, and a black line appeared with no arrow. It stilled before rotating and speeding into a blurred spin.
“What’s wrong with it?”
Raxon ignored Scarlett’s question then repeated his request to the scroll. It rolled through the same motions before remaining blank.
“It won’t go through with the request,” Raxon puzzled with a frown.
“And it won’t.” – all eyes turned to Cain. “The scroll is out of its domain. It’d been made for the Realms and not what lay beyond. We’re on our own from here.”
Their eyes skirted across the trees as they moved farther and farther away from the plains.
“How much more do you think we’ll have to go?”
No one answered Jasper’s muttered question as they trekked the grey forest.
They decided to continue away from the tunnel and walk together. This wasn’t a place to be separated. With the scroll not working, they didn’t have much resort but to head in the general direction.
Raxon led the front of the group beside Cain, their eyes scanning every inch. Trevor followed a few steps behind with Jenna and kept an eye on the twins. Trailing him was Scarlett and Jayden, who moved together while keeping to themselves. At the end of the group, Jude and Jasper walked with unsaid words.
The trees strangely swayed, no longer in sync. As if trying to communicate with no words, they danced with nonexistent winds. Their dull leaves were crisp and awakened by the fresh scent. The ashy grey bark awoke with delight at their guests.
They were alerting.
They were calling.
And they were coming.
‘I’m coming, father.’
Despite the edge that rose the hairs on his neck, Raxon thrummed with excitement. The head he carried on his back bounced with every cheery step.
He was close to seeing his father. He could feel his power calling out. He quickly glanced back at the others and turned up his nose. Those stupid, broken-minded beings didn’t feel the wave of suppressed energy.
<
br /> ‘Actually…’
Raxon quickly peeked out of the corner of his eye. Cain might’ve felt it, but he’s got his head so far up his ass he doubted it. What a waste. They could’ve had it all together.
He lightly shook his head and eyed the direction they needed to head. Raxon knew it wouldn’t be long now… before he met a new beginning, and the others met their end.
He ignored the urge to slap the shit out of his brother.
Cain couldn’t suppress the displeasure, but they were already knee-deep.
He felt it.
The tug in his veins, the darkness that whispered into his heart –
His father.
They weren’t far, and that sent his heart into a frenzy.
There were only so many ways their encounter with him could go. None appealed to Cain except for one. The one where they made it out alive with Edgar and Raxon's corpses.
Their chances of that situation were close to none. Scarlett only had one shot.
One fucking shot to ensure the future balance of the Realms. Cain felt the pressure of it and wasn’t even the one with the duty.
He fought the need to glance back. If he did, he’d go to her, and neither of them needed that. She needed her space and focus, and he needed to get his head straight. He couldn’t fuck things up more than he already had.
They were nearing the edge. The shift of space latched itself onto Trevor’s armor like the slightest of suctions and chills.
If he were marching to his end, he wouldn’t want it any other way. The love of his life was gone, and the only family he had left were those beside him.
Despite being rejected by Scarlett, he understood and respected her decision. He was at peace with the current reality. It wasn’t ideal, but most certainly necessary. The only thing he’d like to exchange were the two assholes in front of him. Watching over them was like watching two children.
Trevor expected more from Cain but knew he needed to figure shit out on his own. He couldn’t be handed an answer this time. They needed to see where his new loyalties lied. As for Raxon, he could die for all he cared. Raxon was only tolerated for his blood, and Trevor knew the second he had the chance, he’d turn.
Guessing, that chance being when they free his father.
Trevor knew he was in for the fight of his life.
‘Why am I even here?’
The occasional question would pop up in her mind, but what occupied her most was her sister.
Jenna knew she hadn’t gone about it the correct way but, what even was the right way? How would she have revealed herself to Scarlett without getting an outburst of emotions?
She couldn’t have.
She deep down knew that no matter how Scarlett found out, she would’ve reacted to the same extent. Jenna hated herself for what she did. She fucked up. She sold out her family when she should’ve confided in them instead. She put more weight on an outsider’s word than those from her own.
Stupid.
As much as she despised her past decisions, Jenna wouldn’t make those again. She wouldn’t, and couldn’t afford to.
She wanted her sister back, and she needed to apologize to a number of individuals.
Jenna was going to do whatever it took to fix what she had broken.
Jayden could practically feel Scarlett’s resentment. It was stifling.
“You can’t go on much longer like this, you know that right?” she whispered.
Scarlett bristled. “What would you like me to do then, Jay?”
Jayden lightly shook her head in annoyance. “I get it. We get it. You’re pissed at your sister for not telling you sooner and for the fucked-up shit she did. But we’re headed into what could be a trap and the end of the Realms. Staying like this isn’t going to do us any good. With that being said, I suggest you reopen that band-aide before she makes her way over here.”
“Jayden,” Scarlett warned.
Jayden didn’t hear a word as she sped her steps until she fell in line beside Jenna. “If you want to fix any of your fuck-ups, go to her.”
Jenna widened her eyes before Trevor gave her a light shove. “Go, you two need this,” he murmured.
She gulped as she nodded and slowed her walk to fall back. Jayden settled into the open space beside Trevor with a small smile.
“Do you think it’ll work?” she softly asked.
“I think it will. They would be stupid to waste this chance, especially at a time like this.”
Jayden rolled her lips as she nodded. She hoped they would. They needed this. She saw the damage it did to Scarlett and didn’t want her to continue with that pain. There was enough on her plate, and if something could be cleared, it should be removed.
There were heated eyes on her, and Jayden didn’t need to look back to know from who. She’d get over her mini fit soon enough. She saw it as doing her friend a favor.
If looks could kill, Jayden would not be standing.
Scarlett clenched her fists as Jenna fell beside her. She didn’t want to do it, despite knowing she needed to. To put to rest the stab in her heart, the throb in the back of her mind, and the numbness that infused her body every time she heard her sister’s name.
“Je... Jenna,” her voice broke even as she willed for it not to.
The single sound of her name leaving Scarlett’s lips shattered Jenna’s insides, the walls crumbled so quickly. She didn’t know how to respond, so she said the only thing she could.
“I’m sorry,” Jenna’s lips quivered.
Scarlett took in a shaky breath. “It hurt, you know… I hated you so fucking much. I blamed you for dad’s death, the downfall of Ever Realm, and for leaving me alone.”
From the corner of her eye, Scarlett saw her sister biting the inside of her cheek. Although she faced straight ahead, her glossy eyes were visible. There was nothing more her sister could say to put her hatred to rest. Scarlett knew she needed to do that on her own.
“You can’t change the past, and you’re the one that’s going to live with that.” Scarlett’s heart squeezed. Her stubbornness fought to lash out and give Jenna the same pain. The other half knew it needed to follow Grandpa Byrne’s words.
“Learn to get yourself under control and become at peace with what has happened. For if you do not, the destruction that will follow will be the end of us all.”
“It- it’s going to take some time.” Her throat tightened. “For me to fully forgive you. But I don’t hate you.”
Jenna let a second pass. “Thank you.”
Instead of disgust, Scarlett was surprised by the flood of relief that rolled through her. Her heavy heart notably lightened and kindled something within. It chipped away a chunk of the blackness in her chest – not all, but enough.
Her fists slowly unclenched, and she let silence fall—no more words.
Just her and Jenna, walking side by side.
“Do you think they’ll blow?” Jasper faintly quipped.
He eyed as the two sisters stiffly walked together.
“Don’t say that.” Jude bit her lip to stop the smile. “I think they’ll work things through in their own way.”
Jasper rolled his lips and squinted his eyes. “Nah, I’m betting they blow.”
His heart leapt at the sound of her muffled laugh. He got her.
She definitely got him. The bond was undeniable, and he had no idea how Scarlett and Cain could resist something so powerful. His fingers itched to intertwine with Jude’s, but he didn’t want to scare her away. He glanced at her and saw the interest returned.
He had yet to tell Jayden about it. He knew she wouldn’t like it since she wasn’t fond of Jude, but there would be nothing she could do about it anyway.
He finally found his one.
‘Fuck it.’
Jasper let his fingers shift until they found Jude’s. She whipped her head to him and flinched her hand. He
r reaction pinched his heart, and he couldn’t hide it.
It was too soon. ‘Stupid.’
Slowly, fingers crept between his, and he looked at Jude. She turned away, but the tilt of her lips was unmistakable.
Despite their situation, Jasper warmed from within as her touch electrified him.
A simple act of holding hands, and he was all hers.
She was breathless.
They were only holding hands. ‘I need to stop.’
Jude had a mission to stick to. But the eighteen – correction – nineteen-year-old beside had her blushing like a schoolgirl.
She hadn’t been one in years.
‘This is ridiculous.’
Yet, nothing felt more right at that time than his hand intertwined with hers.
Jude didn’t want to hide the thousand-watt smile that wanted to burst through, but she needed to maintain composure.
They were nearing the end, and because of her training, she could feel it – the moment she prepped for.
The reminder dampened the flames that engulfed her body. The weights around her ankles regained gravity, and the need to smile lessened. She had one sole purpose.
For her Queen and her people.
Jude knew she needed to stick to it, but one particular someone halted all plans.
‘Dammit.’
Lost in her raging thoughts, Jude didn’t notice the shift occurring from behind.
They sleeked toward the fresh group of souls. Like a wave, the trees stilled as they passed. They knew something the others didn’t.
Death was near.
Scarlett felt it.
An overpowering presence touched the back of her mind. Too far to get in, but close enough to know where it’d claw its way.
“Stop,” Scarlett commanded as she turned around. She stared at the space they trekked.
“What is it?” Cain asked.
They turned and noticed it as she did. The trees along their path stopped moving while the ones near them swayed.
“Something’s coming,” she whispered with dread sinking to the pit of her stomach.
“It’s the trees,” Trevor said as he glanced around. “They’re leading whatever it is right to us.”