by A L Fogerty
The shifters of Mist Valley and Smoke Mountain never had coffee. They had herbal tea made from bark, roots, and flowers. But the witches, with their portals, had access to the entire world. She had grown to appreciate the invigorating brew, especially when it was sweetened with milk and sugar. She took a long sip and let it warm her frigid soul.
"What are we going to do about this?" Riddick asked.
"Just let her eat her breakfast," Sid said, setting the plate down in front of her.
“The demon told me Oksana is in hell with the lord of darkness,” Kayla whispered.
"We’ll have to decide whether or not to close the rift now,” Jagger said.
"How can you be so heartless?" Riddick snapped.
"I'm not being heartless—I'm being practical."
"Face it, you never loved Oksana because you knew she was mine."
"Don't be ridiculous, Riddick. We all love the baby. We raised an army to save her soul. Haven’t we done enough to prove we love her?" Jagger said.
"You're upsetting Kayla," Quinn said.
"This is all her fault," Riddick snapped. "She should have known she had evil inside her during her pregnancy. She should have said something."
"By the time the evil overtook her, she didn't care," Quinn said, dropping his fork on his plate with a loud clang.
“Expecting any other outcome is futile,” Felix added, his face grave.
"She should have tried harder.” Riddick crossed his arms over his chest.
"I can't believe you're blaming Kayla for this," Quinn growled angrily.
"He's right. This is all my fault. I cannot bear the burden of my power, and it should not have been entrusted to me."
Everyone went silent. Kayla had lost her appetite and set her plate on the floor for her familiar. "Thank you for the meal, Sid, but I don't think I can eat.”
"I asked you to wait to start this conversation until she finished her breakfast,” Sid grumbled.
"We need to make a plan to get my daughter back." Riddick slammed his fist into the table. “We should gather the army to march on hell.”
“I’ve ordered them to return home today,” Kayla muttered. “They have served us well. I will face the demon lord. The path forward is my own."
"I can't listen to any more of this." Riddick stood from the table.
Kayla watched him leave the kitchen, his slender body taut with anger. She hated to see him like that. She depended on him to lighten her spirits and fill her with the joy of his levity and his songs. But ever since the birth of Oksana, Riddick had been a different person, as if the light had gone out of him. It hurt Kayla to think that his change of attitude was her fault. There was a time when he’d worshiped the ground she walked on, and that time was long gone.
She had let her baby be corrupted and kidnapped, an unforgivable sin for a mother to commit. Sid urged her to eat more, but she couldn’t. The bite she’d taken tasted like ash in her mouth.
“You aren’t going to hell alone, Kayla,” Jagger said.
“I can’t ask you to come with me.”
“You don’t have to ask us,” Quinn said.
"When are we leaving, and what supplies do we need?" Felix said. "Those are the most important questions to ask right now."
"Exactly," Jagger replied, taking another sip of coffee. "And we can talk about that later. Right now, I need to get out there and thank the troops for their service before they leave. We, and everyone in this world, owe them a deep debt of gratitude. And I'm not going to let our family squabble interfere with their victory.”
Kayla watched Jagger leave, and anger surged in her belly. He’d called Oksana's kidnapping a family squabble. She wanted to scream and lash out at him, but she knew it would be useless. Tears threatened to escape from her eyes, but she couldn't let them. She didn't deserve to cry. She was the mother who'd allowed her daughter to be infected with evil and then kidnapped by the forces of darkness. She'd abandoned her baby more than once. To feel anything but guilt and despair in this moment seemed like yet another act of abandonment.
"I'll be in my room if anyone needs me," Kayla said.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye to the troops?" Quinn asked.
"Just make an excuse for me. I can't face them. I can't face anyone."
Kayla left the kitchen, a wave of nausea and pain sweeping through her. She saw the troops assembling in the hall and outside in the courtyard. Aaron Windspear, the alpha of Tanglewood pack, caught her eye and waved. She nodded back but hurried up the stairs. It killed her to disappoint her troops. They had given so much—their loyalty, their lives. And she couldn't even bring herself to say goodbye.
Chapter 4
Sid was disappointed. That wasn't at all how he’d hoped this breakfast would go. Kayla hadn't even eaten anything. He was going to let her be alone. She needed that. There were things he could do to help the situation by himself.
He left Quinn and Felix in the kitchen and followed Jagger out into the main hall of the building that had once been a grand hotel and ski resort. The troops were assembling and preparing to leave. Gloria would soon open a portal to Mist Valley, and the troops would travel home from there. Most of them were from nearby regions, and it would take only days or weeks to ride from Mist Valley to their villages. He found Jagger slapping Aaron Windspear on the back.
"When we started this expedition," Aaron said, “I wasn't that confident we would succeed. But here we are now. We took out the witch who sent the black ooze into our homes and threatened all the people remaining on earth. Now the allied witches can close the rift, and we can return home to our families and packs. Where is Kayla? I need to thank her."
"Kayla is feeling unwell," Sid said.
"Oh. Don't we have a great healer here? Quinn's ability to heal wounds on the battlefield was extraordinary.”
"He's with her now." Sid caught Jagger's eye, and his brother nodded in approval.
"Kayla Redclaw is the real deal," Aaron said. “She deserves the praise everyone is giving her. Please send her my love, and tell her if she ever needs us again, we will be there."
"I will do that," Sid said, taking Aaron into a brief bear hug.
The troops moved out of the hotel and into the snowy courtyard outside. Fluffy white flakes drifted in the cool mountain air. Sid spotted Gloria. The dark-haired witch waved her hands in front of her, muttering a spell to open a doorway that would lead across the country. The distance that had taken the army four months to march would only take an instant on the return trip.
Sid went to speak with the Palomino bear clan they’d met during their journey to Hell City. That clan had taken heavy losses, but in the end, they’d found victory.
"Kayla sends her deep gratitude for your service and support."
"Where is our alpha queen?” asked Emanuel Ironhide, the cousin of their alpha.
"Kayla is unwell. She's being tended to right now by Quinn.”
"I hope it isn't anything too serious."
"Nothing serious,” Sid said. “She just needs her rest."
"When will you be returning to Mist Valley?" Emanuel asked.
"We will be remaining in the fortress until the rift is closed.”
"Farewell, friend. It was good to serve with you. I hope to see you again under brighter circumstances.”
"And you as well.” Sid embraced the bear clan leader and slapped him on the back.
He called his troops and stepped through the portal. Watching them go felt like a missed opportunity. They might have taken out the demons gathered near the rift, but there was no guarantee they could ever find Oksana or close the rift without them. He trusted Kayla's decision and wouldn't second-guess it, but he couldn't help feeling a sense of regret as the army moved through the portal and disappeared into the void. Once the last soldier was through, Sid stepped out of the snowy landscape and into the warmth of the hotel.
He found Felix in the library, poring over books and scrolls provided to him by the witches. Felix l
ooked up from his work, squinting at Sid as if he barely recognized him. It was a look that Felix often got when he was deep in his studies.
"Sid. Just the person I wanted to see.”
"What are you studying, Felix?" Sid asked, taking a seat on the other side of the table from his younger brother.
"I have made a study of hell. What little information is available, the witches have compiled for me here."
"Interesting. What have you discovered?”
"It appears there are multiple layers of hell, each corresponding to a different type of evil. The dark lord himself resides at the lowest level. We must traverse all seven levels to find him."
"That sounds like an arduous journey,” Sid said. “Are there any shortcuts?"
"It's possible there could be. You know how Gloria opens portals from one place to another?"
"Yes.” Sid scratched his chin and raised an eyebrow.
"From what I can discern in these maps, there are what might be called portal stations. These stations could be used to traverse multiple levels."
"That's good news," Sid said.
"Yes. The only problem is, there is no way of knowing what portals go where."
"So we could be lost in hell for eternity."
"That is a high probability," Felix said matter-of-factly. “If we take the wrong portal or not."
“What are the odds of our success?" Sid looked down at the incomprehensible maps.
"Of vanquishing the king of hell and surviving?" Felix raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, exactly.” He looked up at his brother.
"About one ten thousandth of a percent."
"That much, huh?" Sid snorted.
"From the variables that I can discern. I'm rounding up."
"But what about Oksana?" Sid stared down at the maps, trying to make out the different levels.
"If we assume the demon was telling the truth and Oksana was taken to hell, we have no choice but to search for her there. But it is a great risk to everyone and might not be the most logical option. I’ve spoken with the witches, and they feel confident that they could close the rift now. It could be enough to restore balance. But we would have to accept that Oksana was lost forever.”
"Kayla will never agree to that.” Sid sat back in his chair, crossing his arms. The idea made him uncomfortable.
"Nor would I ask her to.” Felix frowned.
"You would risk your life and the fate of the world for an illogical choice?"
"For Kayla, I would."
“That’s what they call personal growth.” Sid smirked.
"Perhaps. We’ll tell everyone our plan over dinner this evening.” Felix looked back down at his maps.
"I don't know how they're going to take it," Sid admitted. Felix didn’t respond.
Sid spent the day trying to come up with a working plan with Felix. Kayla hadn’t come out of her room since breakfast. Riddick was still steaming, and Quinn was angry with Riddick. The last thing any of them should be doing was blaming Kayla for what had happened, but Sid understood Riddick’s point of view. He always understood where people were coming from. That was why he tended to wait silently in the background as he processed information and decided how to respond.
He knew that Quinn was the same way, but Quinn let his feelings control him more often than not. Quinn needed to completely withdraw from the family and dedicate his life to his goddess to deal with it. Sid, on the other hand, had trained as a warrior, using his feelings to hone his body and anticipate his opponent.
“I asked the witches to join us for dinner tonight. I thought that outside influence could help everyone calm down,” he said, joining Felix in the library later that day.
"I think we could also use their input in deciding how to proceed," Felix said.
Sid was glad that he and Felix had this time to discuss what steps to take. The others were so consumed by their emotions and problems that they couldn’t think straight.
"They're preparing a special meal from home tonight."
"Venison steak and boars’ ribs?" Felix asked.
"And canned crab apples. They gathered as many familiar foods as they could from Mist Valley while the portal was open."
"That was a good idea. Kayla misses home."
Later that night, Sid and the witches set the dining room table with their best dishes and silverware. They pulled out a good vintage wine and prepared the wild foods from their home region. Sid hoped it would be enough to remind everyone what they were fighting for.
He went to Kayla's door and knocked carefully, hoping to find her in better spirits than she’d been in that morning. She opened the door, the room dark behind her save for a single candle. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and she wore a robe and slippers.
"Dinner will be served in a few minutes. Would you like to dress and join us?" he asked.
"I'd rather eat in my room."
"Felix and I have been working on a plan to rescue Oksana. And the witches have prepared a special feast. I’d hoped we could all talk now that everyone has had a chance to cool off."
Kayla sighed heavily and looked at the ground. She nodded and glanced back up at him. "You're right. I'll dress and be down in a few minutes." She reached out and touched his arm. Her watery eyes widened, and her face opened with gratitude. "Thank you, Sid. I don't know how I would have gotten through this without you."
He placed his hand on hers, resisting the temptation to gather her close. Kayla needed her space, and he was going to give it to her. But she also needed comfort and warmth.
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently, rubbing the backs of her knuckles with the pad of his thumb. "It is the least I can do, my sweet queen.”
"Sid… I wish I could…"
"I know, Kayla."
She stepped into his embrace and rested her head against his chest. She took a deep breath and let it out, her little body relaxing in his arms. "Thank you for that. You don't know how much it means to me.”
She looked up at him, and her lips parted. She rose on her tiptoes to place her lips against his. The warmth of her love slid into his soul. It encircled his heart with peace. He drank in the scent of her hair, and a subtle euphoria gathered at the base of his spine.
She stepped away and smiled, her energy lifting for the first time since the previous night. "I'll get ready and be down in a few minutes."
"Let me know if you need anything," he said, turning away.
She closed the door behind her, and he hurried off to finish preparing for dinner. When he arrived in the dining room, his brothers and the witches had already gathered. The only one missing was Riddick.
"Is Riddick coming to dinner?" Sid asked.
"I told him about our plan,” Felix said.
"Did you tell him how important it was that he come?"
"I tried, but he slammed the door in my face. I took that as an indication that he wants to be left alone."
Sid let out a ragged breath, closing his eyes as he tried to center himself. "I'll go talk to him."
"He doesn't need to come to dinner," Quinn said. "He doesn't need to come with us to save Oksana either. He's just upsetting Kayla, and I won't have it."
"I'll take care of this." Sid turned away, irritated at Quinn for his rash judgment. They needed Riddick as much as they needed anyone else.
He knocked on Riddick's door, and no one answered for several minutes. He knocked again and heard grumbling and stomping, and then the door swung open. Riddick was standing there, holding a flagon of wine. His eyes were blurry, and he wore nothing but an undershirt and his hempen underwear.
"It's dinnertime. What are you doing in here?"
"What business is it of yours?" Riddick slurred.
"You're drunk.”
"You always were so insightful, Sid." Riddick pointed at his brother, squinting, one eye closed.
Sid stood steady in the face of Riddick’s mockery. "We're discussing a plan for our next mission. We need your input."
"You don't need me for anything. I blamed Kayla, but I was the one to blame. I failed her, and I failed Oksana. If I go with you, I will just fail again."
Sid sighed, crossing his arms. Riddick had always been a bit of a troublemaker, but after the birth of Oksana, he’d grown more responsible than Sid could have ever imagined. Looking at Riddick, with his red-rimmed eyes, lack of dress, and drunken speech, he wondered if the new maturity had just been an illusion.
"Please snap out of whatever foul mood you’re in, Riddick. Kayla needs you. We all need you. And if you don't come to dinner, we won't be able to plan for this mission properly."
"I don't deserve to go," he said, his tone suddenly changing from angry to despairing. "I am a failure. As a father, as a mate. I'm even a failure as a thief! The only thing I'm good for is entertaining people with my foolishness. And I’m so depressed that I can't even do that anymore!”
Riddick picked up the vintage mandolin he'd found in the City of Ghosts and raised it over his head. Clutching the instrument by the neck with both hands, he slammed it down toward the stone hearth. Sid charged across the room and caught his brother’s arm before his beloved instrument could smash on the rocks.
"You don't want to do that, brother.”
Riddick collapsed on the floor, tears pouring from his eyes. He raised his agile arms and cupped his face with his dexterous hands. "How can we go on?"
"We go on because we must." Sid rubbed his brother’s back. "You are anything but a failure. You are a good father and mate. Please make up with Kayla. She needs you to lighten her heart. We all need the old Riddick to come back and give us some levity. We depend on you for that.”
"I can't be the joker anymore. Not with my daughter in hell."
"Please try. Just because you love your child doesn't mean you have to join her in hell."
Riddick rubbed his face and looked up at his brother as if hearing his words for the first time. "You're right." He gripped Sid’s shoulder and squeezed it hard. "I can't help Oksana by falling apart.”
Chapter 5