by Eva Brandt
She hid her discomfort well, and when she spoke, her voice was just as steady and level as the smooth surface of the icy Topaz. “Helios, what a surprise. Do the other gods know you’ve dropped by for a visit?”
“It’s not a visit,” the sun god replied. “I’ve come to stop your rampage.”
Snegurka let out a sharp bark of laughter, her cold facade slipping away as she allowed herself to revel in the damage she had done. “And how do you think you are going to accomplish that? I am as immortal as you are, and my existence is bound to that of this realm. Or have you forgotten?”
“No, I haven’t. But there are solutions for everything if you only look.”
The seriousness of Helios’s tone drove a sharp spike of alarm through Snegurka, and her amusement faded into apprehension. It’s too late, I thought with some vindictiveness. This story won’t end well for you.
“You might be correct,” Snegurka said, “but there’s hardly a need for you or any of the others to get involved. It is only normal for the powers of one season to take over on occasion, and it’s not like Jarylo can permanently die.”
“I couldn’t care less about Jarylo. You attacked my family, and for that, you must pay.”
Snegurka’s breath caught as she took in the meaning of Helios’s words. “Your family? The nymph girl in Lillia... Of course. I should’ve known.
“Well, I’d say I’m sorry, Helios, but that would be a lie. The little half-breed should not have trespassed on my territory or convinced my brother to betray me.”
Helios’s eyes flared with a blaze that mimicked my own elemental magic. “It would not have mattered if you had regretted it. A decision has been made regarding your fate, and you will not escape it.”
Fire exploded from his body, as bright and intense as the death of a star, the fury of a god who had experienced genuine fear and loss. Snegurka fought back, her own ice magic clashing with that of the sun god.
After seeing the confrontation between Cassia and her foe, I expected something similar to happen here. Instead, a strange feeling of wrongness overcame Snegurka and her elemental magic cracked and collapsed in on itself. Horror rushed through her and an image of the young Cassia flashed through her mind.
Cassia had said that more than a deity, Snegurka was an elemental being. Still, I got the feeling that Snegurka felt she should’ve been able to hold her own against Helios. Her fight with Cassia at The Bridge of Melting Snowflakes had damaged her in some way, and while she had been able to defeat Jarylo—a spring deity not known for being all that violent or harsh—Helios was an entirely different matter.
Helios’s powers blasted her back, and she landed several feet away, right next to the body of the ruler of The Realm of Eternal Youth, whom she had presumably just killed. His dead eyes seemed to stare at her accusingly, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she had lied when she’d said that he would recover from being killed.
In the end, Jarylo’s fate mattered very little, and I couldn’t have focused on him if I’d wanted to. Snegurka turned away from the body, and since her line of sight was also mine, I could only see what she did. It was just as well that her prospects were about as promising as that of the spring god she’d defeated.
Helios made his way to Snegurka’s side, leaving traces of fiery footsteps wherever his golden sandals made contact with the blood-stained grass. “You have abused the privileges you have been granted. You were meant to guard these lands and provide sanctuary and comfort for the creatures that inhabit them, just like every other king and queen of the realms of the seasons. You have failed in your duties, and for that, you will be punished.” He knelt next to the fallen snow queen and gripped her hair in a tight hold that started to burn off the silver locks. “Most importantly, you have taken from me, and so I will take from you.”
A world of pure flame swallowed Snegurka whole, taking my consciousness with it. I’d never thought I would ever experience the pain of a burn, but for a few seconds, the same chaotic, potent magic that usually answered my call seemed to consume me, because it was consuming the body and mind of my temporary host.
Despite the momentary agony, the sensation ultimately helped, in that it, at last, placed a clearer barrier between my sense of self and hers. My firedrake nature did not fail me, wrapping my mind in a protective cocoon. Snegurka was not so lucky, and through the distant haze of her memories, I could still feel the shadows of the pain and anguish she had experienced. She was trapped, and no matter how much she flailed and tried to escape, she could not break free of whatever prison Helios had built for her.
I didn’t know how long she must’ve suffered in this way, but when her memories became clear once again, the first thing I saw was Cassia’s familiar figure, standing in front of me and scanning my—or better said, Snegurka’s—form with a grave expression. She was older now, and I remembered that she had mentioned having been fifteen when her father had actually granted her the powers of the avatar of winter.
We were in a ritual room, and Snegurka was upright, tied to some kind of slab. The only other people present were Helios and another woman, a brown-haired nymph who must have been Cassia’s mother. Elaborate symbols covered the otherwise smooth floor, creating a circle that practically teemed with magic. I could not have understood them on my own, but Snegurka did, and she grasped the reason why she was here and what Helios was planning. “You’ll pay for this, little half-breed,” she snarled at Cassia. “No matter how long it takes me, I’ll make you pay.”
A shadow flickered over Cassia’s face, and in her now ice-blue eyes, I saw a sadness that Snegurka could not comprehend. “If that is to be my fate, I will face it, just like you will have to face yours.”
Snegurka tried to strain against whatever magical bindings were keeping her captive, but once again, she was powerless. “Foolish girl,” she spat. “You have no understanding of what it means to be the avatar of winter. You cannot wield this power. It is not in your nature.”
“Then I will change my nature and I will learn. There is no other way.”
Cassia’s mother interrupted the exchange, calling out to my soulmate in a gentle, but strong voice. “We are ready for you, Cassia. Come here.”
Cassia took a deep breath and straightened her back as if bracing herself for something she knew would be painful. “Of course, Mother,” she replied. The words held a grim sense of finality that made me hate this whole realm, Snegurka, Cassia’s parents and everything else that had led to this moment.
As Cassia disappeared from Snegurka’s line of sight, my own vision started to grow dark again. I didn’t know if it was because of my anger or for an entirely different reason, but I could do nothing but go along with it. The world began to swirl, and I fell through fire, ice and nothingness, into a shapeless void where I could feel nothing at all. I roared and tried to claw at myself, but I couldn’t even hear the sounds I was uttering, and if I managed to shift, I couldn’t process it.
When, at last, the darkness faded, I hastily attempted to gather my bearings. I might have encountered more success if not for the fact that, moments after I took in the change in my circumstances, I landed heavily in a snowdrift. Distantly, I was surprised that I didn’t break every bone in my body due to the impact. I might’ve been a dragon, but even I wasn’t immune to the damage inherent to such a fall.
Of course, when my head cleared, I realized that my sudden magical immunity to blunt trauma was, much like everything else, caused by the fact that I was still in some kind of astral space. This might have saved me from physical injuries, but it did nothing to reassure me, since I remained very aware that this place was, in all likelihood, controlled by my soulmate’s enemy. Whatever phenomenon had made me temporarily see into her mind had also vanished, because she was now standing in front of me, staring down at my prone form with an inscrutable expression.
“Well, that was unexpected,” she said. “You have hidden talents, Emmerich von Adalbert.”
I struggled to
my feet, still woozy from my unpleasant fall and the trip down her memory lane. As I stood, I couldn’t help but notice that this version of her looked very different from the dark ghost we’d originally fought in the amarok caverns. Her silver hair and ice blue eyes bore a striking resemblance to Cassia’s present coloring, something I didn’t feel in the least bit comfortable with. She shot me a bitter smile as if she could guess exactly what I was thinking.
“You see now what they have done, everything they have taken from me?” she asked. “You understand, don’t you?”
To a certain extent, I did, as I’d gotten a good enough look at her memories to know how much she had suffered. My abilities might have protected me from the fiery prison where Helios must’ve kept her trapped, but she was not a firedrake. She was an ice elemental, which meant that her assigned punishment had involved something that had clashed with her magical essence.
But despite the fact that I could somewhat empathize with Snegurka’s pain, I could never forgive her for attacking Cassia. I was a firedrake, and it was not in my nature to be kind with the enemies of our mates. If anything, on some level, I actually found the knowledge of Snegurka’s sentence satisfying. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to point that out, though, so instead, I replied, “I do understand, but you must also see that none of it is Cassia’s fault. If anyone is to blame for your pain, it is Cassia’s parents.” And Snegurka herself, since had she not cast the spell that had driven her insane, everything would’ve been perfectly fine.
Snegurka’s gaze darkened, and for a few seconds, I thought she would lash out at me again, just like she had outside. She didn’t. “I don’t care about that any longer,” she said instead, once again wrapping her arms around me and bringing our bodies close together. “Helios was right about one thing. If you take something from a person, you can expect that person to take something from you. It’s only fair, wouldn’t you agree?”
Was Snegurka referring to Cassia’s life and body, or just to me? Everything inside me protested the idea of being intimate with any woman except Cassia, but I wouldn’t have minded sacrificing myself if it meant Cassia would be free. Even so, I had a feeling it would not be so simple.
“You know in your heart that I’m telling the truth, that I’m the one who is your soulmate, not her,” she murmured against my lips. “There’s no reason to pretend any longer. I will claim you and your companions, and then, we can all be free of their evil.”
I tried to come up with a reply, something that would not ruin my chances of helping my female, but my mind was a blank. Snegurka appeared to be completely convinced that I was her soulmate, and if I refused her, she would see it as a reason to hurt Cassia again.
“I’ve told you a million times before, Emmerich. I’m not so fragile.”
Snegurka went rigid and ripped herself away from me. A familiar figure emerged from the mist, and I could’ve sobbed in relief when I saw her. “Impossible!” Snegurka snarled. “You should not be here. Your soul should be gone.”
The landscape around us started to change, the icy plains we were in somehow turning more... alive. “I think I’m the one who is supposed to say that,” Cassia said. “But in case your little stint in my body has you confused, you should know by now that very few things in this world are impossible. Souls are stubborn things, and sometimes, they cling to the most unexpected anchors.”
Looking away from her nemesis, she shot me a small, sad smile. “I’m here for you. I’m here for all of us. And no matter what happens, I’ll end this, once and for all.”
Nine
True Strength
Kerryn
“Well, when Her Majesty mentioned fiery pits, I admit that this was not at all what I imagined. In Terra Dracones, such places tend to actually have... fire.”
I shot Isebrand a baleful glance, willing him to shut up already. I could understand his confusion since the unremarkable cottage that seemed to be our destination didn’t have the makings of a prison in the way a firedrake understood it. Nevertheless, now was not the time to make remarks like that. I had no doubt that the garrison hid plenty of secrets beneath the surface, and despite being a recent arrival to Chronikos, Isebrand should’ve realized that too. Whenever magic was involved, nothing was really what it seemed, and that never changed, no matter what realm we were in.
Then again, I couldn’t exactly blame him for his agitation. Cassia’s sudden appearance had made it clear that she’d confronted Snegurka and had been possessed like Karasu, but it also meant Emmerich was at least in danger, if not dead. His parents were trying to deal with it, but their concern showed, and I deemed it somewhat miraculous that they had not decided to fly off on their own to look for their missing son.
“Don’t be foolish, Isebrand,” Jerika snapped at her mate, her sharp words echoing my thoughts. “You’ve seen plenty of lairs cloaked by magic. This is probably no different.”
“It isn’t,” Oki rumbled, “although I imagine the magic that was used here is unlike anything you might be familiar with. Be very careful. Remnants of the power that attacked the guardian seal may still linger, and it is not out of the question that we may run into hostile forces.”
His warning silenced the conversation between Emmerich’s parents, which was fortunate because otherwise, I might’ve had to do it. There were still so many questions I had, so many things I did not understand, so many doubts that lingered on my mind. However, if the brief explanation Oki had given us was correct, this might be Cassia’s only chance at surviving the confrontation with Snegurka, and we had to hurry, lest our hastily put together plan result in failure.
Led by the wendigo and his Yuki-Onna, we made our way toward the garrison, all the while keeping an eye out for any possible intruders. Our self-appointed task would’ve been easier had a thick cloud of magic not lingered over the area. It wasn’t solely elemental, as it also carried traces of the same demonic power that Snegurka had used on Karasu. Even so, we still felt the weight of its chill seeking out the vulnerabilities intrinsic to our reptilian nature. We had shifted forms to attempt a stealthier approach, but I suspected that wouldn’t have made a difference had we not carried the blessing Cassia had placed on us.
“This is where Mariko and I were attacked,” Oki explained as we approached the house. “He took us completely by surprise. We didn’t have much of a chance.”
It was obvious that Oki was still blaming himself for his failure. I could understand that, but it wasn’t what Cassia would have wanted. “It’s fortunate that you managed to survive,” I told him, “and you’ve both already helped Cassia. If not for Mariko, who knows what would’ve happened?”
It was more a rhetorical question than anything else. Had Cassia’s undead messenger not been there to keep some of the damage at bay and anchor her, her mind and soul might have been lost to us. It still might be, if we didn’t hurry.
Mariko seemed to sense my doubts and fears, as she let out a soft, almost inaudible sigh. “I would’ve liked to say that I connected to Her Majesty’s soul on purpose, but that would not be true. She was the one to make her way to me. Just the same, I am happy to have been of service. Hopefully, with your help, Her Majesty will be able to deal with this threat.”
“She absolutely will,” Raijin said, clenching his jaw. “We won’t accept the alternative.”
The weight of Raijin’s words killed the conversation and Oki guided us into the cottage in silence. Even if we were no longer in our dragon forms, our group had trouble fitting into the small house. It was quite tiny and unremarkable, shockingly so considering what it was supposed to hide. Once we were inside, Oki waved a hand, and just like that, the mystery of the garrison was revealed. The floor of the cottage came apart, the planks flying upwards to form a door surrounded by symbols we couldn’t understand.
As Oki sliced his palm with a claw and pressed his bloody hand to the wood, the door opened. I couldn’t see anything beyond the gateway, but I had a feeling that whatever was waiti
ng for us on the other side would be quite unpleasant.
“Necromancy,” Noboru murmured. “I haven’t seen that kind of magic in decades.”
“Very advanced necromancy,” Mariko said, “left here by the gods. But even the magic of the gods has its holes if one knows where to push.”
Well, Helios’s plan had so many holes it could’ve very well been a fishing net, but I didn’t bother pointing that out. My frustration with Cassia’s parents, no matter how warranted, was not something that would help us. “Lead the way, Oki.”
The wendigo grabbed both my wrist and Raijin’s and dragged us into the hidden chamber that had served as Snegurka’s prison. As soon as we passed the door, we were struck by an almost overwhelming, implacable heat. The contrast between temperatures drove the air out of my lungs, and I covered my mouth to prevent any accidental releases of my poison breath. That would not end well, and the last thing we needed right now was an explosion that would kill us all, release Snegurka or both.
Raijin hastily wove a protection spell around us, keeping us safe from the oppressive heat and granting me the chance to recover. “Well,” I said once my head stopped spinning, “this is certainly a fiery pit worthy of a firedrake. Emmerich will hate having missed it.”
He’d hate more than that if he was even still alive. Gods, I hoped he was. The four of us were one unit, and if Cassia didn’t have his support as well, I wasn’t sure we would be able to reach her.
“Are you sure this is going to work?” Raijin asked Oki as if guessing my thoughts. We both eyed the metal capsule in the center of the room warily, wondering if we were doing the right thing by going along with the wendigo’s plan and poking something that might have been better left alone.
“Not in the slightest,” Oki answered. “However, I believe in the power of soulmates. It is what brought me here, after all.