by Mary Duke
I could feel my muscles begin to tremble, and I couldn’t tell if it was out of fear or rage. Before me stood Jadea, the woman, the queen my mother had remade herself into.
This woman, this monster, had killed thousands in the ten years or so that she’d taken on this new body, and dove down the path for absolute power.
“If I remember right,” she said. “I had to force you to turn around, even in the last few days we had spent together.”
I shook my head as rage overtook any fear that ran through my body. “That was before I discovered who I truly was. That was before I knew the reaches of my own magic.”
Jadea took her hands from her hips and took a few steps towards me, as her eyes studied my own.
“That scared little boy is gone; he died.”
“Is that so?” she questioned as she continued to close the gap between us.
“Indeed it is.”
“Please enlighten me. How is it he died; who had the pleasure of ridding my life of the worthless weakling that was to carry on my family’s legacy?”
I swallowed hard, hoping she didn’t notice. I couldn’t lose control. If I faltered even for a second, she would push harder, and I’d lose. “I realized what was holding me back, who was holding me back…and I killed her.”
Jadea hesitated for a moment. “You know I never got to thank you for that. You completed the spell for me, did you know that? Did you know you were the one who set all of this in motion? Hmmm,” she said as she circled back around in front of me to watch my face. “I bet you didn’t know that, did you? Of course not. Why would you; as I understand it, you always have someone else to blame for everything that goes wrong in your life. Isn’t that right?”
All my thoughts began to spiral. Her attempt to worm her way into my head was working, and she could sense it.
“Their deaths, all of them, they’re all because of you. Their blood is on your hands, Zavery. Just as your friends’ blood will be soon.”
I tried to grab ahold of her shoulders, but my hands just squeezed the air. She wasn’t here; it was a spell, one of her tricks.
“Tell me where you are,” she said appearing again before me. “Tell me or I’ll find out on my own, either way. They will all be dead soon.”
I bit my bottom lip; I wasn’t going to say another word.
“I was hoping you were going to choose this route,” she smiled before reaching for the sides of my head.
Chapter Five
SNO
“What’s wrong with him?” Illiah questioned looking up at Zavery’s dragon.
Alec blew fire into the air in frustration.
“Someone’s inside of his mind,” Hayes reached out to all of us.
“Someone?” Illiah repeated.
“It’s Jadea,” he answered. “His mother.”
“How? Why? What is she doing to him?”
“Who?” Thanatos questioned.
Illiah looked to Hayes. “Why didn’t you connect to both of us? Should he not know this?”
“I am your dragon now, Illiah. Not Thanatos. What I tell him and what you tell him is entirely your decision.”
“Illiah, tell me what’s going on!”
“We have to get them out of here,” Illiah said. “Where can we take them that’s safe? Somewhere magic can’t reach them…”
Thanatos grabbed ahold of her shoulders. “Tell me what is going on, and I’ll give you an answer.”
“The Queen, Jadea, whatever you want to call her…Zavery’s mother…She’s inside his head. She wants something.”
Thanatos scanned the tree line around us before bending down and putting his hand on Zavery’s forehead.
“What are you doing?”
“Believe it or not,” Thanatos snapped back. “I’m quite good at magic.”
“And?”
“And you’re right. We need to get somewhere safe, somewhere magic can’t penetrate.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s after his location.”
“Where can we go?” Illiah asked, hoping Thanatos had an answer.
“You don’t know much about the Dark Mountain, do you?” He smiled.
“Actually, I don’t. My father hated it…and my mother…well, she followed in his footsteps.”
“Follow me then,” Thanatos said as he picked Zavery’s trembling body off the ground and climbed on the back of his dragon.
I woke up just before we entered the mountain, tensing as I realized I was clenched in Eris’ claws.
“It’s about time you came back,” Eris said reaching out to me.
“How long was I out?”
“A few hours.”
“Really?” I questioned, trying to remember everything Ayana and I were talking about. “I didn’t think I was there that long.”
“Time passes differently in all realms, my dear.”
“Right,” I agreed as she landed, keeping the leg that held me up so I wasn’t crushed.
As the echo of the dragons’ wings faded, Zavery’s cries replaced them.
“I thought you said it would stop when we got inside?” Illiah questioned Thanatos as he slid off the dragon, Zavery still in his hands.
“It will. You just have to will her away, close her out of the mountain.”
“I didn’t let her in.”
“I know that… Anyone can enter the mountain, but they can only stay if a keeper allows it.”
“What do I do, just tell her to leave?”
“I doubt it will be that easy,” I said, putting my hand on Zavery’s head.
“She’s right,” Thanatos agreed. “This is going to take energy. Switch places with Sno, then put your hands on either side of his head.”
“Okay, then what?”
“Acknowledge that she’s there, search for her.”
“Okay,” Illiah said again, as she grabbed the sides of his head, not sure how any of this worked.
“Do you see her?”
Shocked, Illiah nodded. She could see her; she could see Zavery. It was as though she was there with them.
“Good,” Thanatos replied. “Now tell her she isn’t welcome here, and that as keeper of The Dark Mountain, you banish her from its land.”
Illiah did as she was told and watched as the Queen began to fade, as she fought to keep her grip on Zavery. “She’s gone.”
“Good. He’ll be safe here now.”
“Safe from what?” I questioned confused. “What the hell happened?”
“While you were asleep…” Illiah began.
“Well, I wasn’t exactly asleep,” I shot back. “But go on.”
“That woman, his mother, Jadea, the old Queen…” Thanatos said. “She tried to find out where he was.”
“Why?” I said aloud before I realized how stupid it was to ask him.
“That’s a question you’re going to have to ask him when he wakes up,” he replied, as he laid Zavery against his dragon.
“Right,” I said sitting down beside him.
“And if you weren’t asleep, where were you? Did she reach out to you as well?”
“No, she didn’t reach out to me….Ayana did. As for where I was, I have no idea; she kept calling it her home though, so I’m assuming somewhere in the Realm of the Gods.”
“You were with Ayana?” Thanatos questioned, the concern now gone from his voice. “Did she say anything to you about me? What did you tell her of our plan?”
“Relax. You weren’t brought up at all. We only spoke of Zavery…and our future…what has to be done.”
“And what’s that?” Illiah asked.
I thought about it. “I don’t remember.”
“What do you mean you don’t remember?” they both questioned at the same time.
“Well, I remember that we talked about Zavery, and that he was losing his mind…and that I had to be the one that kept him together….And I remember her telling me…oh...”
“Oh, what?” Illiah said sitting down in front of me.
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“I remember her telling me that I would only remember parts of our conversation when the time was right.”
Thanatos laughed.
“Do you find that funny?” I questioned.
“Not necessarily,” he answered, as a smile crept across his face. “Gods though…they can be a real pain in the ass.”
“Well, you’re a God, right? Can you just undo the block or whatever it is?”
“I could, but I won’t.”
“Why?” Illiah and I said at the same time.
“Because if you were there, she knows I’m here. And though Ayana may be the youngest, she’s far from the weakest. I’d rather not piss her off.”
I sighed. “So, now what?”
“First, we wait for him to wake up. Then, I’m going to give him this,” Thanatos said pulling a ring from a small sack he’d got from his pants pocket.
“What is that?”
“What it is doesn’t matter. What it does, now that matters.”
“Okay,” I said sarcastically. “What does it do?”
“It cloaks him from that nasty little locator spell his mother used to find him.”
“So,” Illiah asked me as Thanatos slid the ring onto Zavery’s finger. “Is that all Ayana said to you? Just that Zavery was losing his mind?”
“Kind of,” I said not wanting to relive all the memories she had brought up, both his and mine. “She said we had to find a way to get through this together, he and I. That when the end finally comes, we’ll need each other,” I shook my head as once again her words crept down my spine sending chills across my body.
“If Ayana said you had to do something, I’m going to go ahead and back her up and say to do it too.”
“Wait…” I questioned looking to him as he paced back and forth. “I always thought you and your siblings didn’t get along?”
“You don’t have to like someone to agree with them. My siblings and I were all born with our own unique abilities or gifts, whatever you want to call them. One of Ayana’s greatest gifts is just knowing something. I used to hate it when we were younger. We would find something new, and she just knew what it was or what it did. Though, to be honest, it was hard to be mad at her, because most of the time she was just as surprised by the words that came out of her mouth as the rest of us were.”
“Really?” I questioned.
“Yeah,” he nodded “Even with normal conversations. Someone would stop to see her, and before they could even say hello, she knew exactly what they were going to say, as they’d already had the conversation. Now you’re telling me if you knew someone like this, and they told you something, you won’t believe them because you didn’t like them?”
“Well, that depends,” Illiah answered before I could say a word. “That would depend on if the feelings were mutual. I mean, if I knew someone believed in me, and I hated them, I could always be…”
“Ayana isn’t like that,” Thanatos said, defending her. “She prides herself on being an honest and up-front person.”
“Something tells me,” I said. “That the ill will and feelings between your siblings aren’t exactly even.”
He ground his teeth together. “When you’ve been around someone for almost a thousand years, you’re bound to go through spurts when you can’t stand to see their face.”
I just nodded, not wanting to push the subject any farther.
“Besides, some of my siblings are more malleable than others, and those are the same ones that would do anything to make my mother happy.”
“Yeah, about those siblings,” Illiah said. “Can I have a list of their names, and what their abilities are…you know, being as I agreed to kill your mother and all.”
“Wait,” I said, shocked. “You were serious about that?”
Thanatos smiled again. “I sure as hell wouldn’t make an empty threat and throw it in my mother's direction.”
I muttered under my breath, “Fantastic. Just what we needed, another impossible task thrown on our plate.”
“Nothing is impossible,” he assured me. “That is as long as you know what you’re doing.”
“Well, I’m sorry,” I snarked back. “I have never killed a woman who came back from the dead in another woman's body, who has the ability to harness hundreds, if not thousands of souls, because of some ring that shouldn’t even exist…nor have I had to defeat a god's evil twin, let alone kill the mother of the gods, who’s been around for what, a million years?”
“One thousand five hundred and seventy-three actually…as of last week.”
Zavery gasped for air, causing the choice words I had for Thanatos to fade from my mind.
“Are you okay?” I said turning his face towards me, as Kegan too peered at his eyes from over my shoulder.
Zavery slapped my hand away. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Thanatos leaned in a little closer. “I don’t buy that.”
Zavery’s lip curled in disgust. “What the hell does it matter to you?”
“It matters because your friends want you alive…it matters because my little sister believes your life has purpose…but most importantly when the time comes, I’ll need something from you.”
Chapter Six
NYX
“This is stupid,” I told Evolet, as I snapped my fingers making my outfit instantly change.
“No it’s not,” she replied back as she pulled the comb through my hair.
“They all hate me,” I snapped. “They’re plotting against me. I know it; you know it…just admit it.”
“I know of no such thing.”
I snapped my fingers again, causing the bright red dress to disappear and my usual black cloak to appear.
“If you don’t go, you will get your wish; Vera may just hate you.”
“You know, Evolet…I’ve always appreciated your honesty.”
“Really?” she questioned confused. “You have an odd way of showing it.”
I chuckled. “You’ve been by my side for what, two hundred years?”
“Four hundred and ninety-nine…”
I turned and looked at her, “I was being serious.”
“As am I. Come the beginning of the new season, and it will be five hundred even.”
My breath caught in my throat as I thought back. Had that many years truly passed since the death of my husband?
Seeing I was lost in my thoughts, and knowing how easily I would become consumed by them, Evolet changed the subject. “If you are appreciating my honesty this evening, my goddess, I would like to suggest that you wear the emerald green dress; it truly brings out your jade eyes.”
“You know, you’re right.”
“I know.” She smiled.
I closed my eyes for a moment, remembering the last time I had worn this dress with him. It was one of his favorites.
“Mom!” Vera said walking through the door. “There you are.”
“Here I am,” I replied opening my eyes.
Vera smiled. “I’m so glad you decided to wear that one! I may have planned the whole party theme around it.”
“Of course you did,” I said taking one final glance at myself in the mirror before walking towards her.
“It was dad’s favorite. He would always talk about your eyes, and how they mesmerized him.”
My heart skipped a beat.
“Mom,” Vera said softly, taking my hands in hers as I met her in the doorway. “It is your birthday. He would want you to be happy.”
I nodded. “I know. I just wish he was here to celebrate with us.”
“Me too. But, you do have all of your children here to celebrate with you.”
My heart sank. I did not have all my children here with me, nor would I ever. Even if my relationship with Thanatos was salvageable, there wasn’t a chance at a relationship with Hel.
Evolet nudged my foot with hers. “You’re staring into the abyss again.”
I sat back up straight in my chair and turned my attention to Ioana, one of my younger
daughters, who was telling a story about one of my birthdays when she was a child, back before our life became so complicated.
Then I heard her, the voice that haunts my nightmares. “Funny,” she sneered. “That’s not how I remember that night.”
I rose to my feet, my mind instantly becoming useless. Holt, my oldest son, joined me before grabbing ahold of my arm to attempt to pull me behind him.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Hel said winking at me, before taking an empty seat that sat across from me, her father's seat. “I’m not here to kill you. At least not today.”
“You have no business here,” Holt said, taking the words from my mouth that I was unable to say.
She looked down one side of the table and then the other. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She smiled sarcastically. “I thought mother always enjoyed celebrating her birthday with all of her children.”
“You. Are. Not,” was all I could manage to say.
Hel ignored me. “I see that I’m not the only one who was not invited,” she said slapping her hands down on the table. “Now, which one of you can tell me where I can find my twin? He and I need to have a chat.”
“We,” Holt said locking eyes with her, “Got rid of him the same time we got rid of you.”
Chapter Seven
JADEA
I flipped the table, sending the candles and herbs flying across the room.
“What’s wrong?” Quint questioned.
“I had him!” I growled. “He was in my hands.”
“Did you find out where they were?”
“No.”
Quint studied me, trying to decide whether or not he could trust me.
“I had him, I was inside his head. He was crumbling…and then she shut me out.”
“Sno?”
“No, the other one.”
“Illian’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
“How did she shut you out?” Quint questioned crossing his arms, not believing me.
“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully, as I took a second to think about it.
“What exactly did she say to you?”
I paused. I was so focused on keeping my link with Zavery, I hadn’t processed what Illiah had said.
“What is it?” Quint questioned as I smirked.