by LJ Rivers
Jack would have wanted us to finish this, Jen had said, and that was what I aimed to do.
When I was sure the wolves were behind us, I dared a look down. I couldn’t imagine ever being able to justify using the word chaos after this. The black sea of sorcerers was still swaying back and forth, crashing at my army like waves against the shore. Fireballs painted orange and red stripes in the air, blasting against force fields or connecting with my soldiers.
Behind the ranks and files of my father’s infantry stood a row of some thirty or forty giant crossbows, each mounted on a wide platform. Judging by the size of the black-clad soldiers running back and forth, the crossbows had to be at least twenty feet wide. As soon as a bolt was released, the operator, a creature twice the height of the soldiers and with a bull’s head and horns, pulled a lever to tighten the wire again. Two soldiers loaded a spear into the spanned weapon, and the minotaur slammed its fist down to release the next deadly missile.
As if I wasn’t feeling the urgency already, I shouted at my griffin to go faster.
The mountain range rose ahead, shielding part of the city and hugging the back of the limestone castle. Our target. I didn’t want to bring the fight into the streets of Avalen, so the only way in was above the mountains. If Kit’s intel was right, that was where we would find my father.
A choir of squawks issued from beyond the mountain before a cloud of griffins rose into view. I shuddered as I counted fourteen of them. Not that I had thought this path would be cleared for us. My father wasn’t foolish enough not to have another line of defence stationed here, though I supposed I had hoped for a bit smoother sailing after the carnage on the ground. Then again, nothing was ever simple when my father was involved.
Flaming orbs rained through the air as I climbed onto Hondo’s back, finding my balance. “Don’t drop me, please,” I whispered. He stretched his wings wide, barely moving, while keeping his forward momentum.
In front, the eagles and manticores banked both left and right, avoiding the barrage of fireballs as best they could. A tortured squeal sounded as one eagle’s wing caught fire and the Shifter began spiralling downward. I released a force field, sending it forwards to shield the griffins and my friends. Flames covered the outside of the sphere, casting an amber glow onto our group.
On the other side of my protective shield, Taryn charged, clashing with the enemy. While he was a magnificent bird, he was nothing close to the size of a griffin. He wasn’t gunning for the winged creatures, however. Light as a feather, he spun underneath the griffin, came back out, and latched onto the rider’s face with his talons. He tore and clawed until his enemy fell limp to the side of his griffin, only held up by his legs strapped to the creature’s back. Alun and the other manticores were bigger than Taryn, but lacked the grace and agility of their eagle companions. The winged creatures crashed into one another, yet it seemed as if none on my side went for the griffins. Perhaps they felt a kinship to them, I wasn’t sure, but their targets were clearly the riders.
Another Sorcerer fell, then another. Three griffins descended on a manticore. One of their riders set the manticore’s scorpion-like tail on fire as the griffins hooked their talons into its body. It roared and thrashed, but couldn’t escape its enemies.
“We go around,” I yelled. “Avoid the fight.” I wanted to engage, but this was our chance, and I had to take it. For Jack.
My friends and I guided our griffins sideways, flying around the ongoing aerial battle. My knees wobbled, and I dropped back into the saddle, releasing my force field. “Come on, Hondo!”
We passed the ongoing fight and rose above the mountain.
I exhaled heavily, before my breath caught in my throat. More griffins lanced through the sky in a perfect formation, like one giant spearhead piercing the clouds. I braced myself, gathering my magic. Pullhelli, Rowan, and I were the only ones with firepower, but if Brendan got close enough, he could certainly hold his own. At a distance, however, he was vulnerable. And so was Charlie and Jen.
“You guys,” I pointed at my human friends, “stay close to me.”
Their griffins glided up beside me, and I shared a look with Charlie. She was scared, and so was I.
“Rowan, Pullhelli, get ready. Aim for the saddles, and—” I didn’t want to say it, but what choice did I have? Our fire wouldn’t harm the Sorcerers. “And the griffins.”
The two men I now called family nodded and flew out ahead on each side of me.
“What about me?” Jen asked, looking down at me as her griffin soared above.
“Your wolf won’t do much good in the air, Jen. Just ... try to stay out of the line of fire, please.”
She grunted. “Don’t worry, Red. I’ve got your back.”
Steeling myself, I climbed back up on my feet. It was more comfortable to sit, but I had a much better range and line of vision standing. I turned my palms out and started firing. Around me, flaming orbs dotted the sky as both our enemy and those of Merlin blood exchanged blows. Flaming feathers started to float around us as griffins on both sides were struck.
“Get me closer,” Brendan hissed.
“Are you sure?”
He released the straps around his legs. “Just do it.”
If I gave it much thought, I wouldn’t have done it, so I thrust my arm out, sending a force field around my boyfriend, then hurled him forward. Inside the magical sphere, Brendan drew his sword. As I set him down behind an enemy Sorcerer, I released my magic. The Sorcerer blinked, turned, and was skewered by Brendan’s blade. Another Sorcerer swung his griffin around, ready to incinerate Brendan. Instead, my brave Swordmaster leapt into the air, sword raised, and came down on his enemy with fatal strength.
I wanted to keep my eye on him, but averted my attention when a fireball burned past me and closed in on Jen. It struck her griffin straight in the chest. I quickly flicked my fingers, sending two flaming bullets at the straps around her feet. They came loose, and Jen jumped off just as her griffin plummeted.
My heart stopped for a beat. Where was she? I relaxed my shoulders when I caught her waving at me, sitting safely behind Rowan. Her reflexes were on point, even as a human. I clutched at my chest when I caught sight of Taryn and Alun, along with one other eagle and manticore, as they traversed the top of the mountain and drifted towards us.
Griffins squawked and squealed, and blood showered the skies. We had to get past these Sorcerers to get to my father. Whatever the cost. Because the cost of failure was more than I could endure.
My teeth chattered, and my blood turned to ice in my veins. I shifted my gaze around, trying to locate the source. An unnatural shadow rolled by me to hover behind Charlie. She glanced at me, oblivious to the threat.
“Char!” I screamed, preparing to throw fire at the enemy. But fire wouldn’t help against this foe, so I flung my hand out, attempting to push the darkness away with my telekinesis. To no avail. Next, I sent a force field around Charlie. She narrowed her eyes at me in confusion, and I waved frantically to indicate the danger. “Behind you!”
Her eyes widened in horror.
My father emerged from the darkness, remnants of it clinging to his robe. He reached out, penetrating my force field with a Nadredd blade.
“No! I’m here, take me!” I cried.
He peered at me, his lips curving up. With a wave of his hand, the straps around Charlie’s legs disintegrated into ash. He grabbed her waist and yanked her to him, and the shadow began folding around him once more.
She growled like an animal, opened her mouth, and bit down on his hand. He dropped the Nadredd blade, which descended fast, then slapped her. Her head snapped to the side, and they both merged with the darkness.
And then they were gone.
Magic welled in my veins, expanded in my blood, and oozed from every pore on my skin. I would not let Auberon take Charlie.
There was no time to waste, no room to tell anyone where I was going. Not that I knew where that would be. All I knew was I had to go af
ter her. Latching onto the parts of me that held both light and darkness, I expelled them from my body. Hondo squawked loudly as I unfastened the straps that held me to him. I climbed to his back and balanced on my feet.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll be back.”
Hopefully.
Bending my knees, I gathered myself, then dived headfirst into the shadowy curtain Auberon had left behind. Darkness swallowed me once more. Surrounded by an endless night, I strained to listen. The noises from the battle were gone, ripped away as if they had never been. Instead, a crushing silence filled the vast emptiness around me. I pushed my healing light a little further to the surface, afraid the darkness would overwhelm me.
The makeshift sky above me brightened, and I sensed more than saw the movement ahead.
“Ru!” Charlie screamed, yet her voice was but a whisper in my mind.
I’m coming, Char.
I sprinted across the void while conjuring a couple of fireballs in my palms. Careful not to hit Charlie, I sent them ahead of me. The orange glow illuminated my father as he carried my angel through the darkness. He turned to me for a brief moment, a crooked smile on his face. Then they dissolved.
Following the blood trail that bound us, I allowed the magic to carry me forward. I danced in and out of shadows, but every time I caught sight of him, he disappeared again.
Was he taunting me? It was as if he wanted me to find him. Not to catch him, but allow me to follow his trail to wherever he was heading. Was I riding the shadows straight into a trap? Even if I were, it didn’t matter. He had Charlie, and there was no way in this or any other world I would allow him to hurt her.
“Keep up.” Auberon’s voice echoed in the tenebrous void.
“What do you want?” My voice ricocheted back to me as my father appeared ahead.
“I need something from you, and you will give it to me.”
I kept running, adrenaline pumping, and beads of perspiration coating my brow. “This is between you and me, Father. Let Charlie go.”
“I cannot do that. Not until you give me what I want.” He tipped an imaginary hat at me, then swept away once more. I skidded to a halt on the spot where he had stood. Pulling the shadows to me, I hurled myself after him.
Chapter Thirty-Four
I slumped to my knees on a slippery slab of stone, releasing the surrounding shadows. I wiped my forehead, trying to catch my breath. It felt as if I had run a marathon.
I looked up into a vast cave. My ears thrummed with the furious roar of cascading water splashing into the outside lake behind me while my eyes settled on the turquoise surface in the distance. Tiny droplets doused my hair and neck, cooling my skin. I knew where I was, but where was Charlie? A dark shape floated through the cave ahead, shifting like a blur as it passed above the grassy hill and further into Nimue’s grove. I had to go after him. I prepared to stand when another figure appeared, stepping off the pathway and onto the rocks.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” she said. I would have recognised her evil snicker anywhere. “Guess it’s just you and me now, Princess.”
“Gemma,” I ground out while rising to my feet.
She patted the pommel on her hip, and I narrowed my eyes.
Felicia!
“That sword is mine.”
Gemma laughed bitterly. “Don’t bet on it. She’s been mine for some time now.”
I inhaled sharply and shifted my weight into a defensive stance. “Give her back. Now!”
She shrugged, unsheathed Felicia and twirled the blade once. “Come and get her.”
I charged forward, my feet struggling to stay upright as I slid across the wet surface. My eyes were set on the fox in front of me, that vile excuse for a human being who had killed my mum. This time, she would find no mercy. Unsheathing my sword as I ran, I roared like the waterfall behind me and swung my blade. It was a good sword, but it wasn’t Felicia. The force of the impact of steel against steel reverberated down my arm. The air escaped my chest when Gemma elbowed me between my ribs. I groaned and staggered back. Her fist came at my face. I blocked her with my forearm and stabbed at her abdomen. She parried and spun away from me, then came at me again. With inches to spare, I dodged her next blow, then jumped as her feet kicked the air below me. As I connected with the ground again, she swept her legs at me once more, delivering a hard kick to my knee.
Gritting my teeth, I stumbled back and somehow managed to stay standing. Pain shot down my leg, but anger was boiling in my veins. I struck her with my fist, landing a solid punch on her jaw. She crashed to her back, Felicia clanking to the ground. Fire burst from my palm to surround the blade in my hand. Blue and white flames that reached for a target. Gemma made complaining noises, clutching her side as I raised the sword higher.
Flashes of memories tumbled around in my mind. Memories of Mum. Her smile, her beautiful voice when she sang, and the tiny wrinkles of worry she would often get when she was scolding me. I missed all of it. The last time I had seen her forced itself to the forefront. She had been on top of the London Eye, and the Shifter at my feet had pushed her to her death.
“This is for Mum,” I hissed. I brought the sword down, and our eyes locked. I gasped as her feet connected with my stomach, and my sword slipped from my hand. The air expelled from my lungs as I was hurled backwards. The waterfall crashed down on me with a crushing weight, drenching me in a cold shower. My lungs constricted, and the water filled my mouth. Reaching for the light and dark in my core, I tugged at them both. The water kept gushing down, only it went straight through me. Sucking in air, I floated through the stream, then moved through the shadows and back to the slab of stone. Reconnecting with the ground, I hovered somewhere between the light and the shadows, as if my body were standing within both. My feet levitated off the ground as I spread my arms out.
Gemma scrambled on her knees, my sword in one hand while she reached for Felicia.
With a flick of my wrist, I sent a powerful blast of telekinesis at her. She screamed as she careened into the cave to disappear somewhere beyond the grassy hill in Nimue’s grove. Without touching down, I swept to Felicia. Closing my fingers around the pommel of my old friend, I tested her familiar weight, before sheathing her. Continuing forward, I strode through the shadows as effortlessly as taking breath, then found myself on the path to Nimue’s lake. Releasing the darkness, I connected with the soil and marched to the shore where a group of familiar figures waited.
My anger flared again as I took in the scene.
Gemma sneered, her hand latched around Charlie’s throat, making me pause. The flat of my former blade was now pressed against Charlie’s stomach.
Not her! You can’t have her!
Beside them were two familiar men. The Hopkins wolves who had come through the portal before my father, Osian and Rhod. Next to them stood the Satyr Yeats with Puck, his tortured slave. The Goblin boy stepped forward and opened his mouth as if to speak, when Yeats slapped him over the head. The stick figure Puck carried fell from his hand. He bent to pick it up, but Yeats blocked him. With a taunting, bleating sound, the Satyr’s thin lips curled, and he stomped his hoof on the small object. Puck fell to his knees and scooped the remains into his hands while tears sprang from his eyes. I had tried to help the Goblin slave before, and though part of me still wanted to free him, he had to want it too. Besides, there were bigger things at stake, and the main one was standing in the centre of it all. Auberon. Excalibur was sheathed on his hip, his ebony cane lay in the sand, and in his hand was an object I hadn’t seen for a long time.
The chalice.
“Let Charlie go!” I shouted.
Gemma glanced at my father, who shook his head.
“And why would I do that?” He dangled the base of the chalice between his fingers. “Do you see where this fight has led us, Princess? I wanted to do this differently, but it seems we have finally arrived where we were always meant to be.”
“What on Earth or Avalon are you on abou
t?”
He closed his hand around the stem of the chalice. “I’ll make you a deal. If you do as I say, Charlie here is free to go.”
I crossed my arms, keeping one eye on my friend, another on my enemies. “We’ve been over this already. I—”
“I’m not asking you to rule with me. That ship has, as they say, sailed. No, all I want from you is a single drop of your warm blood.”
“Huh?”
He chuckled, managing to sound both warm and cold at the same time. “This was my vision all along. You and me, here, by my mother’s resting place.”
Not entirely sure what I was about to do, I knew I would do anything if it meant saving my best friend. Problem was, so did he. “Release Charlie, and we can talk.”
He crouched, carefully submerging the lip of the chalice into the water, filling it before placing it on the blue sand. “After you give me your blood.”
A blur of darkness drifted across the lake, chills shooting up my arms. My heart skipped a beat as I realised my backup had arrived. I raised my chin. “Why? You’re not going to kill me, are you? So you might as well tell me.”
“But she,” he gestured towards Gemma, “might just kill your friend, and I have no use for her.”
“You can have as much of my blood as you want if you let Charlie go. I give you my word.”
He smirked. “I only need but a single drop.”
The cogwheels in my mind finally clicked into place as realisation dawned. “You need me to be alive when you take it.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Catching on, are we? While I have never wanted you dead, my daughter, there have been times when … well, water under the bridge, I suppose.”
How had I not seen this coming? He had had multiple opportunities to end me, and even when I had fought back, he still wouldn’t hurt me. All the times he had saved me from death, the years of watching over me. It was so one day, when the time was right, he could take my blood for some twisted plan I wasn’t yet privy to.