by Richard Amos
From my dragon-riding. “Thank you for getting here in time.”
“She fled,” Karla repeated. “She was not supposed to flee.”
“We can still stop her,” I offered.
“Jake, I wish I could join you in your enthusiasm.”
“No, Karla. We can do this. We’ll regroup and do this. So what if she’ll be stronger? We’ll hit her harder. All of us, not just our group. We’ll rise against her and her posse. She can’t win. They can’t win. We can do this, Karla!”
She shook her head as Mr. Douglas got her to her feet.
“Jake!”
That was Rose’s voice.
The sleighs sliced through the sand straight for us. I pushed myself up.
“Get in!” Rose cried. “It’s not safe with those things lurking.” She gestured to the sea.
Toadies were coming. Mr. Douglas fired at them, helping Karla get to the sleigh.
Once she was in, he shot some more beasts and helped me in. After more cracks of the gun, his ammo was spent.
Randy, in the empty sleigh, threw an orb that let off a green gas that smothered the beasts. “Now go!”
We were off, reindeer in turbo mode.
“What does that gas do?” I yelled.
“Nothing. Purely for show,” Rose answered. “We need to be quick.”
“We failed,” Karla whispered.
I just couldn’t resign myself to that, no matter how shit the situation was.
Hope … the goddess said. You are the hope …
Chapter Twenty-Six
“I … need … to … find … them …”
I was fading when I shouldn’t be. What was wrong? Despite my best efforts, I could barely hold my head up as the mansion loomed into view.
The goblins were taking us home when I wanted to get back to the beast realm and help. My healing magic was still working on me, what with my throat, my missing teeth and the pain in my gums. Surely, I should be feeling better.
What’s happening? I asked the goddess.
No answer.
“We have to get you behind the wards,” Karla said. Then she commanded the wards to open for the goblins to pass through easily.
“No,” I protested. “Please … must help them …”
“You have to be safe,” Karla countered. She sounded so knackered. “I want them back here safe too, but you cannot go back up there now. You are weak.”
“All of us,” I whispered as the sleigh slowed down. “Go … help …”
Unconsciousness rose up and dragged me down into the pit of darkness.
Sunlight kissed my skin, forcing my eyelids to slowly open against its brightness.
I covered my eyes with my arm, easing them into the adjustment from dark to light. A blue sky met me, and then the rich perfume of flowers tickled my nose.
What the bloody hell was going on?
I sat up, blinking, in the kind of state when you have a lovely meal, a hot bath and are in cozy PJs and curled up on the sofa all chilled out. There was no trace of an ache in any limb or bone. I checked my throat—no wound. And I counted my teeth—all present.
I blinked again to clear my vision. I gasped. What was this place?
A ring of trees covered in pink blossom surrounded me, entangled beautifully together. Birdsong filled the air with music, and they fluttered round the trees, tweeting in their branches. Yellow, green, blue, pink, they came in all colors.
I sat on grass in the middle of three rings of expertly landscaped flowerbeds, all the colors of the spectrum in roses, tulips, pansies and species I’d never laid eyes on before. Butterflies and bees did their thing around them.
At the heart of this garden was a pond, water lilies floating on the surface. I got to my feet and headed over. A frog sat on a lily pad. It didn’t jump off at the sight of me.
No matter how beautiful this place was, the flower growing out of the water, its emerald stem a spiral ending at petals that shifted in color, shape and size, blew everything else away. One moment it’d be a rose, then an iris, changing to foxglove, bluebells—the lot. It was amazing.
A flower like no other …
“Welcome, my dear boy.”
“I had a feeling this was you,” I replied to the goddess.
“Am I splendid to your eyes?”
“Er, very splendid.” I sat down at the edge of the pond. A pink butterfly landed on my left hand, lingered there for a few seconds before taking off in search of some nectar. “I like it here.”
“Good.”
“Why am I here? Why wasn’t I healing properly?”
“You need to have a little break. I am holding you here for a while. You need it.”
“My friends …”
“You have to stay here with me.”
I folded my arms. “My teeth are back.”
“Here in this garden, yes. Let your body be for now. Enjoy your rest.”
“How can I? What if they’re dead?”
“Do you think they are dead?”
“No. But isn’t that just wishful thinking? They’re in the beast realm, surrounded by beasts in that damned palace!” I ground my knuckles into my forehead. “Shit! I have to go back out there. Isn’t there something we can do?”
“What you need to do, Jake, is rest.”
I let out a heavy sigh. “Is there anything I can do to get out of here?”
“No.”
“Then I’m your prisoner.”
“Foolish talk.”
Another frog hopped out of the water to join the other on the lily pad. “Then let me out of here to do my job.”
“Part of your job is to survive.”
“I’m alive.”
“You know exactly what I mean, Jake.”
The sun did feel good on my face. “I can’t stand it. I have to know if they’re okay.”
“Have faith,” she said. “There is no need to fear. You would know if one of them had fallen.”
“I would?”
“You are bonded, are you not?”
“Yeah …”
“And do you sense death? Have you felt the shock of it?”
“No, but—”
“You would know.”
“So, that SOS stuff works like that, then?”
“You would know.”
“Cryptic.”
“Will you enjoy my garden now?”
Enjoy was a strong word. “Sure.” It came with the exhalation of giving in. I had to ride this out until I could be free.
“What about Lilisian?”
“All in good time.”
Right.
“You are growing wonderfully,” Hecate said. “I am so proud of your progress, your survival.”
“I don’t do it alone, do I? Even the white eye guy helps me out.”
“You have your own fire, Jake, your own determination to survive.”
“But with the help of others.”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“No.” I stretched my spine. “I just don’t want you making me out to be some special little … goddess’ boy. There’s contributing factors that keep me breathing. Look how much damage I take.”
“But you are special.”
I winced. “Please.”
“You are, Jake. Others would have crumbled under the pressure. You are alive, no matter what. The longer you stay alive, so does the hope of this city being free. And the closer I get to being able to see with utter clarity.”
I didn’t know what to say, watching the flower change over and over again.
Wait … The flower …
“I was wondering when it would sink in,” the goddess said softly.
I swallowed. This was it, the moment of revelation I’d been waiting for. She was gonna tell me why she picked me to be her weapon, what it was that made me the prime candidate to kick beast arse. Blimey! Was I ready? Crap! Was I ready? Bollocks! Of course, I was! What a stupid thing to think!
“My first bloom,” she said soft
ly. “That place of storms and rocks has gone. This is my new home, my garden.”
“It’s really nice.” I scratched my left palm with my right index finger.
Oh, my God!
Fingers came up then and nail-biting commenced.
“Jake,” she began, “your blood is very special. Do you know of Hercules?”
“The half-god bloke from Greek mythology. What the hell are you saying?”
“You share a bloodline with him, Jake.”
It took a moment for me to respond. “You’re not serious?”
“I am serious, dear boy.”
Had I taken too many knocks to the head? “Which is what?”
“A weapon, just like you.”
I frowned. “Hercules went on adventures and was super-strong. That’s not me.”
“He was an instrument on earth in those dark times—dark times such as now. You remind me of him.”
“What? Why?”
“He could be reckless, and was broken by the weight of life. Yet he was determined too.”
“Are you saying Hercules is my ancestor?”
“Yes, Jake. Another made by me.”
“Wait … no. He was made by Zeus.”
“No, dear boy. He was not.”
“But he was!”
“I am telling you he wasn’t.”
My poor head! “If he wasn’t, why is there all that mythology? What’s the point of it being there?” I don’t know why I was feeling so flummoxed, what with all I’d found out about magic and magical creatures. This shouldn’t have been that overwhelming. Still, it bloody well was.
“Because stories are fun. People like stories, enjoy the glamour of Zeus. Yes, all of those gods and goddesses did exist. But they were indulged and did not care much for the goings on in the realm beyond their own.”
“Weren’t you one of them?”
“Yes. I was.”
“And you made Hercules?”
“They were dark times, Jake. The titans plagued the earth. There was so much suffering, life being brought to the brink of destruction. Humanity was being enslaved by monsters. And the gods did not show any interest. Zeus himself said directly to me that it was the way of the world, that the time of the human was over as the dominant creature. It was time for something new. He clipped my wings, so to speak, keeping me on Mount Olympus so I could not interfere.”
Another butterfly, gold and purple, landed on my hand. I let the goddess carry on with the history lesson.
“If my brethren would not act, then I would. And I did, Jake. I gave my essence to Hercules, the young man who was full of sorrow, longing for a family to call his own. I did the same as I have to you.”
“And he won,” I said.
“Yes, he did. The world was saved. Now it is your turn.”
“No pressure.” Well, I’d wanted to know why she’d picked me.
“Yes, you did.”
There she went with the mind-reading.
“Jake, I see him in you every day.”
“You would if he’s my ancestor.” The one and only Hercules. “You couldn’t have told me from the start?”
“As I have said before, you needed to grow first, to be rewarded.”
It was more of a head-fuck than a reward. Nice to know, though, even if it was completely bloody weird.
“Is it any stranger than all that surrounds you?”
“Your garden’s not strange.” I’d just been sassy with the goddess.
“I do not mind sassiness.”
That made me chuckle. “So, what happened to the others gods and goddesses?”
“Once I was restored to myself, I was left to my own devices, to be the champion of the earth. They slumber now, Jake, so deep they will never stir, nor rise.”
“Why?”
“Because they are done. Their time is over. Mine is not, for I am a part of the fabric of everything in this world.”
“So, who’s the creator?”
“That is not for you to know until you truly move beyond all that binds you to this life. Some secrets stay secret until the time is right.”
“It was worth a try, eh?” I said.
“Indeed, it was.”
So, I was a descendent of Hercules. “I think I’d like to stay here for a while.” There was a lot to process.
I spread out in the grass and listened to nature sing around me. Blimey. This little life of mine never failed to pull the rug out from under me. I wanted to know more about Hercules, about his life.
“You will, dear boy.”
“When?”
“In good time.”
“Who’s Claec?”
“I do not know.”
“You don’t see yet?”
“The shadows are clearing …”
“Not enough yet …”
“No, dear boy. But they will.”
There was nothing I could do but lie here in the sunshine.
“Indeed, Jake. Let the sunlight bathe you. Just be.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The clinical chrome of the mansion’s medical room met me as I opened my eyes. I sat up, body fully repaired and my brain stuffed to capacity with the Hercules revelations.
“Mate!”
Greg leapt out of his seat. I swung my legs off the bed and pulled him into a bear hug. He crushed me, and I crushed him.
“You’re okay,” I whispered. “You’re okay.” My eyes welled up with hot tears. “Nay? Dean?”
“They’re upstairs,” he answered into my shoulder. “Oh, mate.”
“Tell me you’re okay,” I said.
“I’m fine. Bit sore from all the fighting. We all are.”
The hug ended. Greg had a horrible bruise on his right cheek.
“Nasty.”
He nodded. “All over, but pretty much sorted with Nay and Karla’s concoctions. We’ve all taken some bloody hits, mate.” I noticed his right hand in a brace.
“Nothing,” he said, “not broken. Just needs some help what with all the skulls I cracked.”
I offered a weak chuckle. “I’m just so glad you’re all okay. How’s Karla?”
“Resting. That really took it out of her, that fight. But good on her.”
“She was amazing. She saved my life.” My hand went to my throat, trembling at how things could have gone if Karla hadn’t shown up.
He patted my shoulder.
“The wolves?” I asked.
“We fought our way out, all of us. No fatalities apart from … Missy.”
I’d met Missy once. “She was the wolf who … the blond wolf?”
“Yeah.”
“What about Lilisian?”
“I don’t know.” He sighed. “Mate, it’s Sunday night … half eight.”
“Shit! We have to go back before midnight!”
“We can’t … not now. She’s not there.”
“What? How do you know?”
“Brother Bennett told us, one of his sources said so.”
I was about to question trusting the beast priest, but then he wanted Lilisian stopped too—for whatever reason. “Fuck.”
“Anyway, the gates are seriously guarded now. We’d never get through in time if she was there.”
“Crap!”
“I know, mate.”
“So, what now?”
“I don’t know. We’re gonna be up against super-Lilisian from now on.”
“We’ll hunt her down,” Nay offered as she strode into the room. She looked exhausted, but with the same twinkle in her green eyes.
Hugging commenced.
“Babe, I’m so glad you’re awake. And this doesn’t mean we can’t stop her. You got her dragon, and Karla fucked her up good. So what if she’ll have new powers? We’ve got the werewolves on our side now.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, Sabrina wants to team up now.”
“Wow. That’s brilliant. What about the trolls and Sally, the vampire?”
“Not yet.” Nay folded
her arms. “But I’ll work on them. I think they need to step up a bit now.”
“Troll politics,” Greg said. “Gonna be messy.”
“Yeah, well. Babe? You fancy a cuppa?”
“Yes, please.”
“I’ll get them,” Greg said.
“Cheers.” Nay sat herself down on the bed next to me.
“Where’s Dean?”
“Upstairs, resting up a bit. We dropped so many drone orbs filled with his magic. Knocked him out, but it’s helped to give the good old lie of Coldharbour the boost it needs.”
“How is this one gonna be explained?”
Nay sighed. “Some awful storm is the excuse. The goblins are working like crazy to start rebuilding, so when they’re done that can be tweaked a bit, leaving out the fire damage as it’ll be gone.”
“We can’t keep doing this,” I said.
“There’s no other way, babe.”
“But how much longer can the lie be kept up?”
“I don’t know.” She took my hand. “I wish I knew what to say.”
“Lilisian said she could break our wards. Granted, she was all crazy on her dragon, but I’m worried she’s not messing around.”
“Listen, babe, I’ll always protect you.”
“You nearly died for me.”
“That’s my job.” She squeezed my hand. “I think the wards are vulnerable now, more so than ever. There’s going to be a time when we won’t have them to defend us. But I’m right here, as are the lads and Karla, and Mr. Douglas.”
“Why are you saying this?”
“Preparing you. If the wards do fall, babe, you get somewhere safe if we can’t get you there.”
“I’d never run and leave you.”
“Then you’d not be letting me do my job.”
A tear rolled down my cheek. “Nay, I can’t talk about this.”
“I don’t want you to think I’m giving up. We’ll take her down. I’m just … you were reckless back there. And the lads and I agreed to not give you any shit about it because it was also pretty awesome. Just … let us do our job from now on. We can’t let you die. You have to live.”
I wiped my eyes. “But I still don’t know how I’m gonna break this curse. The goddess still can’t see, and so many layers keep being added. Who the hell is Claec?”
“Working on it, babe.”
“Well, I have a plan to grill the white eye guy and his little beast mate. Wait, he is alive, right?”