by Isobael Liu
“I will enslave your Lupine mate and use him for breeding my own soldiers, my private knights. I will rule as High King after I destroy Talis.”
Lilian snarled and sliced at his throat with her sword, but he managed to dance back out of the way.
“Touched a nerve? What about your father? Should he remain alive to witness your fall? I shall keep him chained and he can watch as I take you, rape you every night.”
Lilian’s physical body reached out and grabbed a shard of glass, broken from the window. She held it with such a tight grip, her flesh sliced open and blood spilled from her hand.
“Perhaps I will force you to seduce him, your own father!”
Lilian screamed in rage. “I’ll kill you!”
Her palm glowed red, lighting up the glass in her hand, and as her astral self spun, the sword sliced through the air toward Ulwe’s throat, her physical body spun and the glass shard sliced through the air. His astral self managed to avoid the sword, but his physical body hadn’t expected an attack and did not move. She opened his throat in a bloody gash.
Ulwe screamed, in his mind and out loud. He tried to eject her from his mind, but she renewed her attack, keeping him busy as her physical body kept slashing and cutting at Ulwe, opening deep cuts and slices in his flesh.
Furious, Ulwe hacked at her with his sword, driving her back. When she stumbled, her control wavered, and it was enough for him to shove her out. Both in control of their physical bodies now, he attacked and tackled her. They fell to the floor as the shrieks and screams of the nightmare creatures flew about them.
The glass shard in her hand penetrated Ulwe when he fell atop her. In her Madness, she instinctively jerked the shard upward, slicing through innards, and twisted her hand, creating more damage to the both of them. Ulwe shrieked in pain and rage, and jerked himself backward, off her. He pulled the glass shard from his gut and stabbed at her with it. She raised her arms to protect herself, but he slashed at them, opening flesh and with one lucky shot, sliced deep enough to open veins and arteries.
With the last ounce of her strength, Lilian raised her energy until she glowed, pulsating blue and fiery red, and shot it at Ulwe. The energy ball exploded on impact, and he, with a look of shock and horror, fell to the ground, writhing in pain. His growling voice groaned and then fell still and silent. The nightmare creatures shrieked in delight, attacking his body and one another in their attempt to feed from the dying energy and his soul.
Lilian could only watch, feeling disconnected from everything around her as she lay dying. Her blood pumped out of her open wounds onto the floor beneath her and the maelstrom created in her Madness soon died, objects fell from their riotous orbit to the floor. She closed her eyes and let go.
* * * *
Matthias and Amras found her first. They had almost overlooked the room; a cursory glance inside yielded only bodies, but it was Amras who recognized Ulwe first. He jerked back and hurried into the room. Matthias followed.
Matthias roared when he saw his mate lying in her own blood, her skin pale . He threw himself down onto the floor beside her, gathered her up, and tried to staunch the bleeding.
“Lilian!” he yelled. “Don’t you dare die!”
Her eyelids fluttered and opened. A weak smile hovered at her lips.
“Always the bossy one,” she thought to him. Even her mind was weak and sluggish.
“She must go through the Chrysalis or she’ll die!” Amras said.
“I could die even then,” she sent.
“I won’t let you die,” Matthias said.
“I don’t want to do it.”
“You don’t have a choice.” Talis, with his strong words and his will unbendable. “You will not die now. You will go through the Chrysalis. As High King, I demand it.”
It was odd to feel Talis in his mind on the same mental channel reserved for mates. Matthias certainly didn’t like it, but at the moment, it was a minor problem.
“Not my king,” she protested in a weak voice.
She was cold. Matthias could feel her trembling and tried to gather her closer, to use his body heat to warm her, but he could feel her slipping further away.
Matthias was torn. He knew she didn’t want to go through the Chrysalis, but he didn’t want her to die either. Still, to force her through something she didn’t want, he couldn’t do it, even if it could save her.
The room rolled with energy and the hair on Matthias’s arms and the back of his neck stood on end. Everything fell silent, shielded from the outside’s continual battle.
Talis appeared in the room, dressed for battle, sword in hand.
He motioned toward Lilian and Matthias watched as her body stirred and lift on its own.
“She has no say in the matter, her mind weakened. I invoke the right of kings. She will go through the Chrysalis as I demand it.”
Her body floated in midair. Matthias got to his feet, worried and unsure. As he watched, her body began to glow a pale blue, and soon concealed in a shield of energy. Even the shield glowed, pulsating with silvers and blues.
Without warning, both Talis and Lilian disappeared.
* * * *
Lilian was floating on a cloud. The world was a soft blue in color, with flickers of pastel pinks, purples, and greens. It was peaceful and calm. She loved it.
Pictures floated by her, scenes of her life.
Am I dead? Did Ulwe kill me?
If so, she seemed rather at peace with the idea.
What is going on?
The lights flickered around her, creating a psychedelic light show in her mind. It was so beautiful.
Until she began to feel...
At first, she was aware of a growing heat inside of her. The sensation intensified, and the warmth turned hot, and then scalding.
She tried to take deep breaths and found in doing so, her lungs burned. She whimpered in pain and tried to move, but could not.
The pain ebbed. It gave her time to catch her breath, only to crest again, building in strength and pain, and for it to ebb yet again.
Time lost all meaning. Life lost all definition. She only knew what was happening to her body.
It was as though she lay on a bed of flames, the mounting heat licked her body and she ached as the power within her restructured her, forming a place in which to reside.
Lilian screamed, yet made no sound. She fought, but did not move. She cried, but shed no tears.
On and on it went until all she knew was this ebb and flow of pain.
* * * *
Matthias prowled the grounds, snarling. His sense of responsibility was eating at him, as well as his worry for his mate, not knowing where she’d been taken, or if she was all right. He knew she was alive, he could feel that much. He paced as he snapped off orders. The cleanup effort was going well, regardless.
Tiberius had prisoners broken into two groups, Bad Guys and Good Guys. Amras had lifted a brow at that, but Tiberius just grinned and shrugged.
Bad Guys were Agents, Knights, and others involved in the capturing, subjugating, and torturing of innocent people. The Good Guys were, of course, innocents who had been captured, subjugated, and tortured.
Many of the Good Guys were terrified of them, to such a degree they would not even look or speak to the Lupine. Several were women and children as well.
Bad Guys were dealt with in the only way possible—executed. Most were too mentally unfit to do anything with, and twisted supernatural creatures would only create more problems later.
Things were going well though. At least, up until Matthias dropped to the ground and roared with pain. His hands came up and pressed into his temples, and his body rocked. Amras and Tiberius came running, but when Matthias lifted his head and gave a roar of rage, Amras stayed back.
“What’s going on?” Tiberius demanded.
When Tiberius tried to help him up, Matthias sent him flying backward with an explosion of light.
“Impossible…” Amras sounded stunned.
Matthias dropped onto the ground, his body writhing in pain.
Amras gathered a ball of energy and aimed it at Matthias. He spoke in his language as he fired the ball at the prone Matthias. “Maer paer eil vaer shaer!”
Matthias was struck by the energy and knocked unconscious.
When Amras glanced up, he saw a young woman, one of the prisoners rescued from the compound. Her hair a bright white, not the platinum of his own or Lilian’s but white, as pure as fresh fallen snow, and eyes the color of the badi stones of the Jhal os Tor, a bluish green color which seemed neither just blue, nor just green, but changed as he watched. He could tell she was special. She gave off a feeling of magick, an aura of...well, he wasn’t sure. He just knew there was something about her.
Amras took a step toward her, but she turned and ran and before he could give chase, Tiberius drew his attention away from the young woman when he stepped up to Amras and asked, “What the hell just happened?”
* * * *
The mood of the Lupine compound was noticeably somber and quiet. Even the children walked about subdued and sad.
Everyone was on vigil, waiting to learn of their Alpha and his mate’s fate. Bonfires were lit, herbs burnt, and they waited.
After Amras had sent Matthias to sleep, the group finished up and headed back to the compound. Talis had taken Lilian back and deposited her in her room, the Chrysalis still surrounding her, still glowing in pulsating colors. Amras had Matthias placed in the room as well, next to her. Although not surrounded in a Chrysalis, it was obvious something similar was happening to him.
Talis had taken the news with some surprise. This was unheard of and he left to search through their libraries for references to any other similar instances.
Tiberius had the rescued prisoners brought back as well. Many of them had families they could contact and return to. Some did not, and they would be remaining with the Lupine until homes could be found for them.
Amras offered to take a few across the Mists if they wanted. They would be given homes and a chance to make a living for themselves there. He kept his eyes out for the young woman, but she remained elusive.
* * * *
Maressë watched the going of the Wolf Shifters from afar. They were somber despite having freed the prisoners of the Custodes Secreti, and having lost only two of their people. She was aware they kept watch over another two, a human and another of their kind, but Maressë knew better than to get involved. She had a secret she needed to keep.
Maressë was a magickal creature, a supernatural creature as they were termed, and while she was safe here, with the Lupine rescuers, she couldn’t stay. Therefore, when no one watched, Maressë slipped off into the woods.
* * * *
Matthias woke first. He ached everywhere; every muscle in his body protested when he moved, and he had one hellacious headache. He lifted a hand and rubbed at his brow.
How the hell did I get here? He tried to remember what had happened. The last thing he could remember was cleaning up after the battle and rescue attempt.
“You decided to share the Chrysalis with Lilian.”
Matthias jerked into a sitting position at Talis’s words, and then flinched as pain raced through his body.
“Easy does it. You’ll wake her.”
Matthias looked around but the only person present was Lilian, still sleeping. Better yet, there was no glowing energy field around her. He rolled over and looked at her.
If it had been possible for her to have grown more beautiful, she did and yet, nothing about her appearance had changed all that much. She still had her platinum blond hair, and her pale skin. Matthias wasn’t sure what it was, but she had changed, grown more, well, something.
He watched as she came awake in gradual increments; the way her breasts rose as she inhaled a slow, deep breath, followed by an exhale, the way her eyes moved behind the lids, the way she slowly stretched as she moved from sleep to waking.
“Am I dead?”
“Open your eyes and see,” he replied.
“You’re so serious. I can feel your emotions.”
“You’re so beautiful. There’s something about you, more than before.”
Lilian opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. Her silver eyes were like mercury, liquid and bright.
“There’s a change to you,” he whispered as he realized what it was. “An aura of magick around you.”
Like her father, and like Talis, she emanated an aura of magick, of sensuality, of being more in touch with life, yet moved through it as though apart from it.
He rolled over and stood up, anxious.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing. I need a shower. I feel like I was run over by a train.”
“Were you wounded?” The concern was obvious in her tone.
“No, I went through the Chrysalis with you, according to Talis,” he replied.
He made his way to the door. She touched his mind, but he blocked her, as difficult as it was. Mates were not meant to deny one another access to their thoughts, but he knew until he got his head straight and figured out what was different, he wouldn’t, couldn’t, let her in.
* * * *
The rejection was a sharp pain in her heart and she hated it.
She had suspected her going through the Chrysalis would be trouble and mere seconds after waking, it was proving to be true.
Climbing out of bed, she stretched and reveled in the feeling of her body. Before, a stretch had been just a stretch and while it had always felt good, this time, it was amazing. Every fiber of her being rejoiced at the sensation of muscles pulling, as blood flowed through her veins, and her heart beat in a tempo which went far beyond just a heartbeat, but even to the beat of life itself.
Movement itself was a sensual act. Air passed over her skin and kissed her with a gentle caress, and she smiled.
Nevertheless, even so, deeper down, she ached with emotional pain.
“The Sidhe feel much more keenly than humans,” Amras said.
“You know, Talis could have told me that before he forced this on me,” she sniped back.
Lilian changed into fresh clothes. Let Matthias have the bath alone, she would see how things were going and find something to eat. She was starving!
“How do you feel?” Amras asked.
“Alive,” she replied.
“It was a close call, daughter. You were severely wounded. You would have died.”
“Yes, well, I’m still deciding whether it's worth it.”
Amras met her in the hall. Khayyam was with him and seeing her, his eyes lit up, the worry faded from his face.
“My Lady!”
Lilian smiled. “Khayyam. How are you?”
“Better now that I’ve seen you well and whole. They refused to allow me in.”
Amras rolled his eyes. “The man camped outside your door the whole time you were in your Chrysalis.”
“How long?” she asked.
Amras offered her his arm and she took it. The trio walked toward the kitchen.
“Three days and nights.”
Lilian looked surprised. “No wonder I’m starving.”
“Matthias must be hungry as well,” Amras said.
Lilian tensed. “He knows where to find food.”
Amras looked at her and she shook her head.
“Give him time, daughter. He almost lost you.”
“Give him time?” she snapped. “I almost died and when I do finally wake up, he leaves me alone? How is that giving him time? He makes some odd comment about me being different and then walks away, blocking me from his mind.”
Khayyam and Amras glanced at one another, then away again.
“Maybe some distance might be good,” Amras said. “Come with me to the Summer Court. You can learn about your heritage.”
Lilian’s mind brushed against Matthias’s but he still had her blocked. The result pang of rejection made up her mind.
“A
ll right,” she said.
Khayyam looked worried. “Lady?”
“Yes,” she said. “You may go.”
Khayyam’s smile lit his face and her answering laughter floated down the hall.
After an hour, during which the three of them ate and talked together, she was back in her room with Matthias nowhere to be found. She sat down and wrote a letter to him.
Matthias,
I’ve gone with my father back to his Court.
I think the distance will be good for us. We can get our thoughts in order, figure out if this is the best course of action, and decide if we really want to be together.
Amras wants to show me my heritage and to teach me more about what it is that I am now. He’s promised I could return whenever I wish and you’re able to come through the Mists if you choose.
Until then, I have Khayyam with me. He’ll serve as bodyguard, although I doubt I’ll need one.
Goodbye.
Lilian folded the letter and wrote his name on the outside. She carried it to the bed where she propped it on her pillow for Matthias to see.
She took nothing with her; Amras promised she would have everything she’d need there.
Lilian turned and walked out of the room without looking back.
Chapter 11
When Amras talked about The Mists, Lilian had assumed he used the term as a flowery metaphor, as though “The Mists” was a fancy name for portal, or doorway. She expected some cave with a shimmering door into the Sidhe kingdom, or some form of standing stones in which her father would recite some strange yet beautiful words in his language to open the gateway to his world.
However, as they stood outside the bank of fog in the woods, her brows lifted in surprise.
“It’s fog,” she said.
Amras glanced at her. “The Mists, yes.”
“It’s fog,” she reiterated.
He grinned. “If that is how you wish to think of it.”
“I hate to tell you this, Dad, but this is fog. Just fog.”
Khayyam cleared his throat, but she detected his amusement and knew he tried to cover the laughter which threatened to spill out.