by Sela Croft
“Something’s not right,” Noah said.
“Considering our brush with sorcery,” I said. “It’s unwise to ignore the signs. The only reason we’re here is because of sorcery. How else would we have stepped through a magic mirror?”
I contrived to bring Amalia over to talk to us. Noah and I shared our observations. I half expected the sorceress to dismiss our concerns as silly. It seemed outrageous to claim the Callie walking about wasn’t my sister. After all, who else would she be?
Our thoughts weren’t laughed at. The opposite occurred: Amalia investigated. While we waited off to the side, trying to look busy, she left to check out the situation. It wasn’t long before she returned with Natasha by her side.
“It was clever of you to notice the oddities,” Natasha said.
“I couldn’t help it. She’s my sister. I’ve been close to her since birth.”
“I observed Callie, without her perceiving the attention,” Amalia said. “After casting a scrutinizing eye, there is no doubt that she had the mark of sorcery.”
“How can you tell?” I said, alarmed for my sister.
“It’s an aura that not all can perceive. And she has a five-point star emblazoned on her thigh.” Amalia looked at me. “Only my experience with magic allowed me to see it. The star is not visible to the naked eye.”
Disheartened, I sighed. “What now?”
“It’s obvious that we’ve been tricked by Seth; I’m sure of it,” Amalia said. “The Callie who is with us is not your real sister.”
Stunned, I just stared at her.
Amalia’s confidence in her observations didn’t wane. “What I’m saying it that this Callie is a fake; she’s a substitute.”
Natasha glanced at me. “I’m sorry, Rosamon. It was a very clever ruse. I didn’t see it coming, and it was so well done that I didn’t perceive the switch.”
“There is only one thing we can do,” Amalia said. “The imposter must be killed…immediately.”
My heart pounded. Kill my sister? No! Even though, it wasn’t really Callie, the idea was still abhorrent. “Please…Amalia. That is very rash.”
“I agree,” Noah said with a shocked expression. “Let’s think this through.”
“We should consult with Florian, at least,” Natasha said. “He is a leader here, along with you.”
When Florian joined us and heard the news, he was also concerned. “This is bad. We cannot allow our operation to be compromised. For all we know, this imposter has infiltrated so she can relay inside information to our enemy.”
“We can control that,” Noah said. “Since she doesn’t know that she’s been discovered, we can act normally around her. But we can take measures to ensure that she doesn’t have access to sensitive information.”
“I agree, and I have another suggestion too,” I said. “This false Callie is my only link to my real sister. For that reason, she has value. We just need to figure out how to use it to our advantage.”
Natasha stepped up. “This substitute Callie might be the key to defeating Seth,” she said. “We must find a way to use her for our purposes. It’s the only way to save Rosamon’s real sister, as well as the rest of us.”
Amalia didn’t look pleased. “It’s a risk. We can’t predict what the imposter might do, or what connection Seth has with her.”
“I feel we have to take the risk,” Florian said. “Any advantage we can gain on Seth, we must take. Opportunities are limited. We’ve been granted this chance to use his own trickery against him.”
“If we do it well,” Natasha said, “he won’t be the wiser.”
Amalia nodded. “I can see the benefit.” She paused. “And I do like the idea of outsmarting Seth.”
Chapter 29
Logan
Upon my arrival in Shadowland, I received some disconcerting news. Raulia greeted me at the central office, stirred up by recent events. She’d keep the realm intact during my absence, but just barely.
She paced the room, her blue eyes lit up. “You have no idea what’s happened.”
“I suppose you’re going to inform me,” I said. It served no purpose to pressure the wolf shifter. She would tell me when she was good and ready.
“Again, you disappear and while you’re away, it’s one crisis after the other.”
“It appears so, based on your attitude. But I’m still at a loss as to what occurred…exactly.”
Raulia hesitated. “Oh, no one has told you?”
“How could they? I just arrived. I was in Oregon, remember?”
Her smirk put me in my place. “I’m not apt to forget a detail like that.” Then she plopped into a chair. “It’s been a nightmare.”
“What has been?”
“The wall,” Raulia said, “that’s what. There have been several instances of it being breached.”
If the wall no longer barricaded the realms then I could find Callie, along with my brother. “I can’t see why you’re upset. If we can cross the border, that’s a good thing.”
“If only,” Raulia said. “We can’t go in, but the Fae are able to come out.”
My gut tightened. “That could put the odds in their favor.”
“It just might. Any passage through the wall is one way. Any attempt we’ve made from our side has failed,” Raulia said. “But some creatures have made it through to our side. And I must tell you that they’ve wreaked havoc in our land.”
“This is bad.”
“Oh, and one more thing: the Fae creatures aren’t like any I’ve seen before. What Seth did to Amalia’s face was only one example of his wrath. He’s been changing the Fae forms into repulsive beasts, not like any we’ve seen before.”
“I’m going to meet with Valter to get the details.” It seemed that Raulia had relayed all she could, so I’d gain further news from the front lines.
I found my brother at the barracks, organizing the troops. “There you are,” he said and strode toward me. “I’m glad to see you.”
“I wasn’t away very long. But I heard there’s been trouble.”
“The incursions by the Fae have kept me busy.” Valter threw up his hands and flames burst forth. The fire went out as quickly as it had appeared.
My brother was handy with fire, so played with it as one might doodle or scribble. It relieved tension and was a distraction. I doubt he noticed that he’d almost singed my sleeve.
“I didn’t see evidence of ongoing battles.”
“You still might,” my brother said. “The breaks in the wall come suddenly. I’ve been able to stop the Fae with minimal losses, but there’s no guarantee that I can continue to do so. My dragon fleet and my armies are tiring.”
“We must be prepared for the Fae. It’s likely more will break through,” I said. “Give orders for all garrisons to be on maximum alert.”
“Consider it done.”
“The human faction could decide to be our allies or our enemies,” I said. “Yet there’s no reason to think that they won’t side with us. If the Fae overrun Shadowland, it will be as bleak for them as it is for our race.”
“They will defend themselves,” Valter said. “But will they risk their lives to save the kingdom?”
“When they realize what we are up against,” I said. “they will have no choice. I’ll go meet with their leaders and make the case for their support in the defense of this land.”
“It’s as you say, they won’t have a more attractive alternative.” Valter tossed a fireball in the air then caught it. “You’ll be pleased to know that the vampire hunters have been quiet. At least, we don’t have to deal with them during this crisis.”
After making my plea to the humans, I went to my penthouse to be alone. It was time to strategize and I wanted to eliminate distractions. But I hadn’t been in my living room for more than a couple of minutes, when company arrived.
It was Morrigan, and she didn’t come empty-handed. The mirrors from the cottage appeared with her, then she lined them up along one wa
ll. Yet, I had more important things to discuss than the annoying mirrors.
“You didn’t waste any time getting here.”
“I figured you needed me,” Morrigan said proudly.
I grinned at her. “An arrogant sorceress, aren’t you?”
Morrigan’s dark eyes gleamed. “Spoken as a prideful vampire?”
“Okay, I concede.” I was relieved to have her magic on my side. “It’s fortunate that I wasn’t away any longer.” I proceeded to relay what I’d learned.
“I understand Raulia’s frustration. The continual intrusions and upsets are like nails on a blackboard.”
I raised my brows.
“What I mean it that they get on one’s nerves.”
“Ah, yes,” I said. “Not to mention the casualties we suffer.” I assured her that Valter had fought valiantly, but the situation needed to change. “What are your thoughts?”
“The breaks in the wall are Seth’s doing,” Morrigan said. “He is sending his Fae minions through to see how they fare against the defenders of Shadowland.”
“They are tests?”
“I believe so.” Morrigan frowned. “And it’s only a matter of time before Seth offers up a display of force. He will soon show us the magnitude of the enemy we must fight, and the extent of his power.”
“You’re right, because it’s not his nature to stop with a few skirmishes. He intends to wipe us out.”
“We need to shift the balance to our favor.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I said. “You’re in this with us. What can you do to help turn the tables on the enemy?”
Morrigan shook her head. “That’s a problem. You forget what it took to stop Seth before. The only reason that he was frozen in a gilded cage was because he was overpowered.”
“Couldn’t that happen again?”
“I don’t see how,” Morrigan said. “It took more than one sorcerer to manage it before. And there are no great ones left to withstand him.”
“But we have you.”
“It won’t be enough.” Morrigan slumped into a chair. “Even with my aid, the use of my powers in support of the vampire race, it won’t block Seth. He’s grown too strong, and he grows stronger every day.”
“What do you predict?”
“Shadowland will be overrun. His Fae armies will wipe out many.” Morrigan stared at me. “Then Seth will have control and be free to attack the outside world with his perverted creatures, terrors of his own creation.”
My low spirits sunk lower. If what the sorceress foretold came to pass, the world would enter a dark age from which it might not recover. Morrigan saw no possibility of winning against Seth. I’d vowed to conquer him and preserve my kingdom, but my high hopes had been dashed.
Chapter 30
Logan
“What can we do?” I said, as much to myself as to Morrigan.
She didn’t offer any more solutions, so I tried to think of possibilities. There had to be a way to defeat Seth. We just hadn’t thought of it yet.
I refused to accept that the evil sorcerer was indestructible. Maybe I hadn’t been viewing the circumstances from the correct vantage point. Then it dawned on me.
“You know,” I said, looking across at Morrigan. “There’s one thing we haven’t considered.”
“What is it?”
“Seth is preparing to overrun Shadowland. He’s expecting a battle there.” I took a breath. “But what if, we move our line of defense back?”
“What are you suggesting?”
“It might be best to retreat to the outside world, and fight in the human realm.” I watched for Morrigan’s reaction to my radical idea. “The humans may not have magic, but they have weapons that we don’t. All of their technology doesn’t work in our realm.”
“I’m against that idea,” Morrigan said. “It’s untested. There’s no way to know if human weapons will work. They might be vulnerable to Seth’s power.”
“Well, you come up with something, then.” Frustration didn’t begin to describe how I felt. My love was trapped in Fae land, within Seth’s grasp. There was no time to banter about, discarding ideas. I needed a strategy, one I could act on.
“It’s preferable to defeat Seth in Shadowland.” Morrigan stood and paced in front of her chair. “You were so quick to relay your news that I didn’t have a chance to tell you mine.”
“I hope it’s about a way to win.”
“As you can see, I brought the mirrors with me.” Morrigan smiled. “I’ve managed to reactivate them.”
“Why didn’t you say so?” I strode over the mirrors to see if they were windows to the outside, but all I saw was a reflection.
Morrigan stood beside me. “There’s still more to do. I will make them work for us. They might be an effective tool that we can use against Seth. But I must determine a way to tune the connection to the sorcerer’s power.”
“Another delay.”
“It’s the best I can do.”
“I’m not comfortable with that tactic,” I said. “You have a point about using them against Seth. But what bothers me is that the mirrors are Seth’s tools. They might have secret spells that you’ll have to counteract or manipulate.”
“The situation is desperate, though.” Morrigan gazed into one of the mirrors. “It’s dangerous for me to attempt it, but I’m willing to try on the chance it will help.”
“I’ll assist you, in any way that I can,” I said. There was no other option. If the mirrors gave us an edge against the madman gaining power in the Fae realm, then I’d back Morrigan’s efforts.
Morrigan seemed pleased with my response. “I’ll take the risk,” she said. “And I suspect that a lot more sacrifices will have to be made, before success is within reach.”
“I don’t know what threat you expect from these mirrors. I don’t tremble at the thought of danger,” I said. “But I warn you…there’s only so much that I will tolerate.”
Morrigan narrowed her eyes.
“I mean it, my sorceress friend. There has been too much sacrifice, already,” I said, unwilling to face the possible consequences, if the plan backfired. “I won’t allow you to lay waste to my people or bring harm to those I love.”
“We have a chance, however slim, to use these magic mirrors to defeat our enemy,” Morrigan said. “And let me remind you that if we fail…the devastation you fear will happen anyway.”
Chapter 31
Callie
I fought the urge to go with my father, but the tug of wills was exhausting. He wanted me, and I was torn. The offer was enticing. Yet accepting was against my better judgment. Deep inside, my goodness tried to resurge but was losing that battle.
Despite my resistance, I was drawn into my father’s world of sorcerer powers.
The allure was too strong, his force overwhelming. Try as I might, there was no way to avoid his influence. When I was close to my father, the part of me who was like him blossomed. It was impossible to fight, and even my urge to escape vanished.
I hadn’t been in the presence of such authority before. Thus, I aided my father to build his army and my ego swelled with the accomplishment. He intended to garner enough troops, modeled in the way he saw fit, to conquer Shadowland.
That I cared so much for the vampire race didn’t seem to matter. In the dim recesses of my memory, I sensed my bond with them existed, but was helpless to defy my sorcerer father.
It was only going to get worse. Once my father gained control of the vampires, there would be no stopping him. His ultimate purpose was to rule the human realm, a goal that he’d lusted to attain for centuries. He’d shared his deep-seated desire for the outside world to recognize his power, along with the supernatural kingdoms.
There was no satisfying my father, except to support him. Challenges were met with violence, and though he hadn’t exhibited such with me, I had no doubt he would. If I went against him, that would be the end of me. For as with all other things, if he couldn’t control me then I w
ould be destroyed.
My power-hungry side aided my father without question. That part wanted what he did: world domination. The heady scent of ruling with no challengers was euphoric.
But the good part of me wasn’t gone; she hadn’t been wiped out. She’d just retreated into the background. And there was one loophole that my father hadn’t considered.
No matter how much he coerced me to his side—despite how much the baser part of me craved what he offered—I had something that he didn’t. My life had encompassed friends and family. I’d known love and I wasn’t sure that he had.
My solace was to withdraw, back into a world that I could handle. In my father’s life, I was a pawn, just one more to be used for his purposes. But in my world, there had been kindness and caring. I longed to have it back.
In my mind, I retreated to my memories and savored visions of Logan. Even as what I was becoming was more and more horrible, that was merely on the outside. It was how I behaved, how I was compelled to act due to external forces.
But on the inside, deep in my heart, was my unbending love for my vampire prince. I allowed my feelings to surface and the warmth began to replace the cold-bloodedness I was drowning in. I pulled back to that world, my world where love was possible, and loyalty meant something.
Logan’s glowing emerald eyes shined in my mind. His loving gaze brought me to life and reassured me that a bright future was possible. There he was, right before my eyes. My love was over six feet tall with a sexy, athletic build.
My fingers tingled as I recalled digging my hands into his thick, copper-brown hair, pulling at the spiky strands. I kissed his jaw, marveling at his strength, and loving his flawless pale skin. A jagged scar across his left cheek was a defect that gave him rugged appeal, an endearing charm. And it was a reminder that he fought for his beliefs. He was a true warrior.
It seemed so real, as if he was there and I could reach out to touch his rock-hard body. Seeing him carried me to the place I most wanted to be, to a time of my life before I’d been torn away from the man I loved.