by Jana LaPelle
“This,” she hisses and gestures wildly about, “is not what I signed up for. I want my due, and I’m determined to rule this realm, and as soon as I have brought Faerie to its knees, I will do the same in The Mortal Realm.”
Luc chuckles softly, and the sound is not one of amusement but bitter disappointment, “Then you will seal your fate. Now give me what I have come for,” his tone brokers no more room for discussion.
The Morrígan pushes her luck when she says, “He’s not yours to take, Lucifer.”
As quick as a snake the male’s right arm thrust out, and his hand encircles her throat, lifting her off the ground and slamming her back against the far wall. Electricity seems to crackle all around him, and he leans in close, his voice deadly calm, “You forget your place sister, do not mistake this conversation as anything more than what it is. You will hand the young god over to me, or I will take him with or without your permission, and I want the keys to the binding cuffs you have placed on him. Morríganna, for the last time, the name is now Luc.”
Luc releases his hold on her unexpectantly, and she crumples to the floor, clutching her throat, and craning up to look at him as she wheezes, “Take him, he’s not worth your wrath. I only have the means to place the binding cuffs on him, I do not have a key, or a means to remove them. Why would I need that?” She looks entirely too smug in her declaration, and my heart sinks at her words. If these irons remain, I will not be able to fulfill my duties to Ashlinn. My attention is drawn back to Luc when he swears.
“What have you done? You know these shackles were dismantled ages ago for a reason and a purpose, they were deemed dangerous to us all! You understand that their purpose was to subdue those of us, gods, goddesses, and the Fallen that were out of control, but you have intentionally sought it out again and placed it on this young god with no provocation, simply based on your whim, with no means to remove them?!” I watch as The Morrígan shrugs, it's evident that she could care less and the weight of my burden multiplies one hundred fold.
I watch in rapt fascination as Luc backhands my tormentor, and I take supreme satisfaction as her head smacks against the wall behind her, blood trickling from her mouth from the assault. Her demented laughter echoes about the chamber, “You think you intimidate me?” Her wicked cackles echo within my mind, “You have no idea as to who you are dealing with, brother,” she screams back at Luc, “I will bring you all to your knees.” She spits the blood that has gathered in her mouth to the cobblestone floor. “Take that wretched soul and leave this place and leave me to my own devices. The Realms of the Living are not your concern, are they dear brother?” She sneers. “You have no power here!”
Luc inhales deeply and ignores her taunt before muttering, “I have more power in my little pinky than you will ever have, you little twit.” He enters my cell tossing my ruined leather pants in my direction. I stand while shrugging into them and the boots he throws my way, he assesses me, his jaw set in a hard line when he rounds on The Morrígan again, “You are delivering me damaged goods, Morríganna. Make no mistake, you will come to regret your actions. I certainly hope your precious Lainn is worth all the trouble that will come your way from raising him from my domain. Soon the delirium from his first days back in the realm of the living will wear off, and he will once again be pining for his long-lost Fandra, fealty pledge or not, he will want you dead once he learns the truth of his kindred’s untimely demise and he will learn the truth. I will see to it personally.”
The screech that erupts from Morríganna is ear-splitting, and she springs toward us in a blur of inhuman speed only to have Luc lift a hand as if swatting a gnat away, and she goes flying down the hall outside of my prison cell and once more she finds herself sprawled on the floor. Quickly she gains her feet and turns back to Luc, her jaw set in grim determination, “The wheels are set in motion, Luc, you will see they will all bow to me, and there is nothing that you can do. Now take your prize and leave. You are no longer welcome here,” she sneers and then her form shimmers before shattering and morphing into a hundred black ravens. The sound of their beating wings and their caws are deafening before they exit the dungeon.
Clearing my throat, I say, “I think you may have pissed her off.”
“Well, she pissed me off first. She is deranged, and there is no talking to her, she is way past the point of no return. Everything she does from this point on will seal her fate. Now, you’re coming with me.” His voice is all sorts of pissed off.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask although I’m pretty sure that I have just exchanged one prison cell for another, and I don’t know which one is worse.
“Come, Guardian of Life, it’s high time you get acquainted with The Underworld.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“No, you don’t. A soul for a soul and I will have my due, damn it. Morríganna doesn’t get to show me up in front of all The Realms and not suffer the consequences.”
Muttering under my breath, I ask, “How is she suffering the consequences? I’m the one that’s going to Hell.”
Chapter 2
(Ashlinn)
I can’t sleep.
I haven’t really slept since that night. The night Alaric was taken from me. For a moment I just breathe as I steady myself. Every time I close my eyes the image of Alaric flying backward through The Morrígan’s trace trail is permanently etched on to my retinas. I’m haunted by those last few moments, and I can’t help but question my actions over and over again even though I know that Alaric was right, there was really nothing that I could have done differently. We all did what needed to be done that night. Over the course of the last several days, I find that I’m continually strengthening my resolve to be the warrior he needs me to be right now. I will do whatever it takes to get him back. It’s only been three days. Three very long and draining days. Each time I attempt to find him while dream walking, I’m always pulled to the western territories, but then at the last moment, I’m repelled as if I’m being forced away by an invisible barrier. So far it’s my only clue as to the direction that we must go in order to find him, but if her majic wielders have erected protection wards, then it could take forever to pinpoint where they are hiding him away. I’m frustrated beyond belief, and I’m tired and have no right to be or whine about my feelings. I have no idea as to what Alaric is suffering, I have no idea as to where I can find him, and make no mistake, he is mine to find, and I know he needs me right now. I know it down deep in my soul. All I know is that our bond is still in place, but that gives me little comfort because I know that my nemesis will be taking every advantage of the time she has him in her grasp. God, I miss him so, and my heart aches from the loss. I know that the she-bitch is tormenting him and taking pleasure in it, and I can’t stomach the thought. The twins have been irritable for days, and I can’t say that I blame them, given my current mood.
In my many hours of distraction, I went to The Twilight Realm and gathered Mom’s Memoirs last night. I sat and read them while I should have been sleeping, where no sleep was found, hoping to find answers to my many questions. This morning when Lexie brought Sammy over to check in on me and the twins, I gave them over to her to read. Currently, I’m watching and waiting for her reaction. Jasmine is perched on her shoulder, sprite size and the two are utterly immersed in the story of Mom’s past. I know that I for one was utterly blown away, she never once let on that she knew anything. Mom knew so much more than we were led to believe and her knowledge is game-changing. I know that Jaz and Lexie are close to the end, but for the moment I’m distracted by Lillie, Lachlan, Sammy, and the pups. The five are so cute with one another. I can tell that Lillie and Sammy are continually gravitating toward one another. Lillie is obviously more mobile than Sammy being that she is older, but the two end up together more often than not. Which leaves Lachlan chasing after his little sister. I shift my gaze to Lexie when she sighs, lowering the leatherbound book in her hands. That’s when our eyes meet, and I can almost see the wheels turnin
g as she processes everything that she has just read.
Jasmine’s wings begin to flutter. She lifts off of Lexie’s shoulder, and the next moment she is faerie size. She starts pacing before turning to us, “That’s just crazy! Your Mum must have been amazing. She was so brave and strong. That part when she writes about…” Suddenly she’s in tears, and I know exactly which part she is talking about, “Your Mum was an extraordinary woman, that’s all I have to say.” Drying her tears with the backs of her delicate hands, she smiles and says, “Let me go entertain and keep an eye on the babes while the two of you talk about, well… what all this means.” She waves her hand at the open journal in front of us and then turns a pointed look my way, “And then afterward, we find Alaric and wage war on The Morrígna. They have to be stopped before something horrible happens.”
“Like a freakin’ rift being torn between our realm and The Underworld? News flash, Jaz, that’s already happened if what Morgwais said has come to pass. I need to trace over to the Isle of Tears and see how terrible the damage is so far. Maybe we’ll catch a break, and it won’t be so bad.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that Ash. The Realms are in for difficult times ahead. The southern and western territories are aligned as are the northern and eastern territories. The dark and light fae are gearing up for an epic battle. A civil war that has been brewing for some time now. If the dead, demons and Fallen have an open doorway into this realm, then we can only pray that the gods and goddesses step up and choose our side in the war to come. Now, I have a tickle attack to see to.” She smiles, and I watch as she shrinks again in the blink of an eye and flies over to play with the twins and Sammy. She sparkles in the sunlight that’s streaming through the windows, and her wings are fluttering furiously as she dives in to attack Lachlan. Her tickle attack has the desired effect, and his little throaty laugh makes me smile before turning my attention back to Lexie. I know the children are in good hands, their little giggles, jibber jabber, and cooing are proof of that. Jasmine is the ultimate baby mobile. Although I’m really connecting with her bloodthirsty side right now in my need to find Alaric, for now, I’ll put that aside, along with her promise of war. Turning my gaze back to Lexie, I can see she is still assimilating everything. I ask the question that I’ve been wondering about since completing the read, “Is it true? Blood memories? Do you have them? If so, why haven’t you said anything about this, Daerok? Good God, we have The Morrígan and her sisters to deal with, and now there’s another threat. Daerok is a freaking lich king, he and his druid followers have managed to become immortal. His an ex-druid. Not just any druid but their exiled leader!”
Lexie looks at me with wide eyes before she replies, “Remember when I forged the charm to protect everyone from The Morrígan’s curse? Remember how I was suddenly caught up in what I would call an information dump or download? I’m still processing all that information, it was a lot all at once to suddenly have access to. I can’t tell what is from my forefathers and what is from the Druid Order, it's all a jumbled mess. I have no recollections of my grandfather, of Colin that Memē speaks of in these books, it’s all jacked up in my mind, and I’m still trying to make heads or tails of all of it. I don’t think that Daerok is a viable threat at this point, but I believe that he will be at some point some way down the road, but I wouldn’t count him out. Right now he is confined to The Mortal Realm but what if he finds a way around that? What if the rift between Faerie and The Underworld also affects The Mortal Realm? If so, all bets are off, and he will most definitely side with The Morrígna. He wants to be reinstated as the leader of The Druid Order.
“I do believe that what my grandfather imparted to Memē in her Memoirs to be true. How else have I been privy to all this information? I’ve not talked to Nemus about it, but that’s my next step, and after reading this I now understand why I have felt compelled to place Nemus in a place of power within the Druid Order. Ashlinn, you should know, your druid Guardian will be the next Luminary of the Druid Order here in Faerie. You were right in your assumption that his place was not as a Guardian but something more.”
I nod, thinking that Nemus’ role in all of this has just been better defined. “Okay, so Nemus will be named the next Luminary for the Druid Order. How long have the druids been without a Luminary?”
Lexie sighs, “Since Daerok was exiled to The Mortal Realm. That was ages ago. From what I gather, they have been waiting for me to show up to bring order and name their next leader.”
“I guess that’s our next step then. Maybe we should talk to Dagda when he gets back tonight about how to move forward with all of this.” I pause and take my sister in, “Are you okay? That was a lot to take in. Everything she did was for us. She…” My words fail me, and I nibble my lower lip as my eyes prick with tears remembering all of her sacrifices so that we could make it to our individual awakenings. Taking a deep breath I lean over and take Lexie’s hands in my own and declare, “I will not fail her, not now, not ever. She will always be my Mom. She lost so much to get us to where we are today. I will not forsake her.” I swear.
Lexie grasps my hands in her own, “We… will not forsake her.”
Gripping her hands, I whisper, “I’m so tired Lexie, I haven’t slept since that night,” my voice is strained, “Will you… will you sit with me for a bit? I just need to catch an hour tops, but I don’t want to be alone, my nightmares have been epic. I know that I need to be doing something to find Alaric, but I’ve tried everything and so far nothing. I don’t know what to do next. I’m… I’m desperate Lexie, I can’t lose him.”
Lexie is around the table and pulling me into her arms before I can blink, “Shhh, Ash, you won’t lose him, you won’t. You are still connected to him, there is no way that the two of you have come this far to be separated. Now come with me, and I’ll lay down with you.”
Lexie walks me over to the bed, we lay down like we did when we were children facing one another. She grasps my hands in her own and says, “You’ll find him, Ash, I know you will, but I think you’re trying too hard.” She places her thumb in the middle of my forehead and whispers, “I want you to think of nothing and then slip to the place that lies in between.”
Nodding, I whisper, “Okay, thank you, Lex.” Her words have a hypnotic effect, and my eyes begin to shutter closed, and for the first time in several days I drift off to sleep.
Chapter 3
(Alaric)
Luc traces, taking me with him, and I find we are back on the Isle of Tears in the Sea of Hope. There are still the telltale signs of the battle that took place just days ago, and I have to ask, “Why have you brought me back here?”
“Your kindred needs to see this to understand what the realms of the living are dealing with. Unfortunately, Morríganna has lost her fucking mind, and she is willing to go to unforeseen lengths to accomplish her end goal, but you already knew that, didn’t you? At least by the looks of the wrath she has unleashed on your back.” He watches me for a moment with an oddly penetrating gaze before his hand snakes out to grasp my shoulder. A wave of power washes over me.
I’m startled when my connection to Ashlinn flares to life, it doesn’t last but a moment, and it was so unexpected that I didn’t even have time to actually reach out to her. Snapping my head back to the Prince of the Fallen, I ask, “How did you do that? How were you able to…?”
“I didn’t know if it would actually work, not really. I need for your kindred to know where you are, once we cross realms the only way she can follow is through the rift. Make no mistake, that abomination needs to be sealed, but it will take a small army of majic wielders all working together to do so.”
Disregarding everything else he has said I focus on the part about Ashlinn following me into Hell and retort, “But I don’t want her to follow me, not into The Underworld! I need her to be safe with the twins until I can find my way back to her. Are you crazy?” About that time, I sense her and turn to see her beautiful ethereal form as she walks toward us. She must have be
en asleep when our connection flared to life. She’s wearing jeans and a halter top, and she’s barefoot. I’m not sure if I’m happy to see her here in her dream walking form or not because I know now she will find a way to follow us. The look on her face is murderous. Damnation, she has seen my back.
She looks at me and smiles sweetly, a secret promise blossoms between us before blowing me a kiss. Then she turns her attention to Luc, her tone is full of rage, “I demand that you release him at once. Are you responsible for the lashes to his backside? I will kill you if I find out that you have done him harm. Who are you and where is The Morrígan?”
“My, my, you are a little spitfire aren’t you? No wonder Morríganna is so enraged at the power you exude, all wrapped up in a tiny little package. Now little goddess, don’t get all pissy with me when I say that Morríganna took from me and I demanded recompense so I, in turn, took from her. Alaric here is going with me on a little journey to The Underworld. It was the only way to settle the score between us. Let me introduce myself. My name is now Luc, once known as Lucifer, the Prince of the Fallen and The Underworld. You will need to come to me to discuss the terms of Alaric’s release.”
“Absolutely not! Ashlinn, you are not to follow me into The Underworld.” I quickly interject, sidestepping the entity before me, placing myself between them.
Ashlinn turns to me and says quietly, “I’ve missed you Elf-Man, and I will kill her for torturing you just so you know. Now hush and let me find out from the Prince of Darkness here what I need to do to get you out of Hell jail.”
“Ash -”
“Alaric, quiet. We need you back,” she admonishes, before turning her attention to Luc, she demands, “Take his cuffs off, and then we’ll talk.”