Her Sky Mates

by Lark Sterling

  The Bat Shifter looked scared and nodded his head. Iris smiled at him. "Good. What can you tell me about any recent movement of your Bat species in this area?"

  Alo pulled the older man's arms tightly back, and he winced. "Okay. There's been several Bat Shifters through the area, and I've heard they're moving toward the mountains."

  Iris narrowed her eyes. “And Hellforth?”

  The Bat looked at her with fear. Iris sighed, knowing full well he wasn't going to tell her that, at least not yet. She nodded to Alo to release his arms. "I need to know about this, and it doesn't just affect everyone else, it will affect you as well. Is Hellforth real? Is he back amongst the living?"

  As Alo moved from behind him, Iris watched the man's eyes shift toward the table. Before she could react, he lunged at the table, grabbing a vial as he fell to the floor. She tried to stop him, but she wasn't fast enough and watched as he poured the liquid down his throat. He began to laugh, foam seeping up through his clenched teeth, his bellow growing higher and higher in pitch. Suddenly, his eyes shook back and forth violently, and he dropped dead right then and there.

  Iris closed her eyes, shaking her head. “Dammit.”

  Alo sniffed at the vial, setting it back on the table. "It's a very potent poison. It looks like he only had that one. If that's true, and he was willing to take his own life in order not to answer your questions, then I think that in itself is an answer. In my opinion, there's no more doubt, Hellforth is back."

  A shiver ran down Iris' spine. "And if he's back… that means he has his sorcerer doing his bidding."

  Chapter Thirteen

  “So, he killed himself right then and there?” Arsenio asked, shaking his head.

  Frodi crossed his arms over his chest and began to pace. "Well, at least we know the truth about it. We know he's back, and we know somewhat of what we're going to need to face. You have to be careful. I'm shocked that no one attacked you on your way to his basement shanty."

  Iris swirled her wrist, creating a ball of energy in her hand. It was like a rolling mist, deep purple like her mother's. "I think I'm getting the hang of how this magic works in my human form. When I'm in my Griffin form, my gifts are different. I concentrated on what I wanted it to do, hiding Alo and me from the eyes of anyone who would do us harm. It's quite possible Bats were watching the whole time, but if my magic were working, they wouldn't have seen us."

  Frodi lifted an eyebrow. “Well, let’s hope that you’re right. So, what’s the plan now?”

  Alo grabbed his bag and slung it on his back. "I have a pretty good idea where we might find some of the Bats. I want to go spy on them, get some information about what's going on. The more we know, the better off we'll be."

  Iris grabbed her bag, as well. "I'm going to go with him. I want to hear these things from the mouths of the Bats, and I want to be as prepared as possible."

  Frodi nodded. It was apparent he didn't like her going off, but he knew he could trust Alo. "I'm going to continue to do my research on Hellforth and gather as much intel as I possibly can. I've got a couple of people that I can reach out to."

  Arsenio yawned. "I've been up for about five days, so I should probably get some sleep to recharge myself. Of course, if you need anything, just signal me."

  With that, they split up, Frodi heading back to his room, Arsenio falling face down into his bed, and Iris and Alo making their way out of the hotel. Before they could reach the door, Alo gripped Iris' arm. "You think you could try some of that magic again? If we can make it to right outside, to the field you met Brier in, we could fly down into the caverns. I think with one loop around; we'll be able to tell if there's anyone out there or not."

  Iris shrugged. “It’s worth a try.”

  She used her magic to shield them both, but still pulled the hood of her cloak up over her face as they left the hotel. She was pretty sure the spell was working, finding that no one paid any attention to them, some almost running straight into them, and they had to dodge and weave their way to the edge of town. Out in the field, they both glanced back at the people going about their daily business. Iris and Alo had been out all night long and were getting ready to do it again. The sun hadn't crested the horizon yet, which was good because they needed to move quickly within the shadows in search of the Bats.

  They both stripped down, shoving their clothes into their bags and those bags into the harness. Iris stepped inside and shifted into her Griffin, flapping her wings across the wavering green grasses. As soon as Alo had shifted, they took flight, heading as high as they could go to circle around the caverns before diving down. As they passed over a narrow crevice between the jutting rocks, Alo motioned with his beak down into the center. "There's some sort of structure down there. I don't see any people, but that doesn't mean anything. It's quite a particular place to put a house."

  “I agree,” Iris replied.

  Alo took her lead, the two of them swirling down until their feet touched down onto the stony surface below. Alo helped Iris drag her harness over and hide it behind a large boulder. She rejuvenated her magic again, putting a shield over them, hoping that it worked. They crept along the edge of the stone surface and turned into the crack, squatting low as they darted between the house and the smooth walls of the mountain. Crouching by the window, they could hear people inside.

  Iris put up two fingers, letting Alo know that there were two dark Shifters inside. He nodded at her, scooting a bit forward to hear them better.

  "He's the most powerful Shifter in existence," one of the voices said. "We should've known it, Hellforth was nearly indestructible in his last life."

  The other whimpered slightly. "I don't know. I don't like this at all. Who's to say Hellforth isn't going to turn us in, or kill us all together?"

  The one with excitement in his voice scoffed. "He's not going to kill us, were part of his family. Besides, it's almost over. Hellforth plans on extracting the stone from the ice on the full moon just two days from now. So, you can go along with the plan, or you can be left behind."

  Iris motioned to Alo, pointing back to where they had come. He nodded, and they slunk back out of the split in the rocks, making sure not to be seen. Iris wasn't sure if they hadn't been caught yet because of her spell or just simply because they were stealthy. Either way, it wasn't a time to test it out. When they reached a safe distance and gathered their things, they transformed back into their Shifters to keep from being overheard.

  “I knew it was gonna happen soon,” Iris said telepathically, anger spilling from her tone. “If he succeeds, my sisters, and all of the Shifter race will be in great danger.”

  Both Alo and Iris took off into the air, trying to put some distance between them and the Bat Shifters. They flew down through the cavern and landed on a small plateau, quickly changing back to human form. Iris’ feet slapped against the stone as she paced back and forth, livid but scared at the same time.

  Alo stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, turning her toward him. "We know the plan now. You know when he's going to be there and what we have to do to get the stone. You are not alone. Not only do you have Arsenio and Frodi, but I will follow you, and do everything in my power to help you stop him."

  He pulled Iris into him, their two naked bodies pressing together, finding comfort in each other's arms. As Iris laid her head against his chest, the beating of his heart sent electric pulses through her veins. She could feel the intensity of his need, and the connection between them was otherworldly. Iris felt as if the owl in him was connecting her to everything else around her. The smells became stronger, she could hear even the smallest chirp of a cricket, and the scent of his skin was enticing.

  Lifting her head, he was already looking down at her. Slowly he pressed his lips to hers, running his tongue along the edge of her bottom lip. She groaned lightly, her eyes closed, unable to take herself away for even a moment. She could feel Alo's hands slide up her sides, and grip underneath her arms. He lifted her, wrapping her legs around
his waist and turned, pressing her back against the mountain wall. They kissed deeply, passionately, and the world around them disappeared for just a moment.

  "If we don't find food for tonight, Hellforth is good to kill us anyway," a voice said, echoing from behind them.

  They both froze, a purple mist swirling around them. Watching as the two Bat Shifters walked past them, Iris realized they couldn't see them at all. Very slowly, Alo lowered her back down to the ground, and they stood there watching, listening until the two Bat Shifters had disappeared out of sight.

  Iris looked up at Alo, running her hand across his cheek. "As much as I'm enjoying this, we need to get back. We need to begin to prepare, and the other two have to know what we figured out."

  Alo kissed her forehead and nodded, grabbing her hand as they raced over to where they had hidden their things. They watched out for the Bat Shifters as they turned into their animals and took off in the opposite direction. They made a loop around the caverns and headed back toward the field, landing softly in the grass. As Iris began to walk toward the town, tossing her robe around her, and pulling up the hood, she glanced back in the direction of the caverns, narrowing her eyes.

  Hellforth thought he was invincible, but she was going to show him just what it was like to be a mortal.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “The lore of Hellforth, at first, it looks as though it might be embellished, for story purposes,” Frodi explained, unfolding a large text on the bed in front of Iris and the others. “But upon further inspection, it seems as though the stories may not be a good enough representation of the hell that he brought to earth.”

  Iris sighed, tilting her head, and holding it up with her hand. “Great. That’s always what a girl likes to hear before she goes to kick someone’s ass.”

  Frodi chuckled. “Trust me, he may be considered a mighty Alpha, with dark magic simmering from his fingertips, but there’s one serious flaw in all of that.”

  Iris picked up her head, lifting an eyebrow. “What’s that? It’s hard to get a date?”

  Arsenio chuckled, pounding Iris' fist with his. Frodi shook his head with a smirk. "Yeah, probably that, but he can't use that dark magic without the stone."

  "Wait, so he's a mortal that can change into a Bat but has no powers without that one specific set stone?"

  Frodi nodded. He flipped the page in the book, showing one scene with the Ancestors in the Fields of Moribund casting spells across the veil at Hellforth. "When he was killed, and his soul rejected from the Fields of Moribund, the Ancestors took that opportunity to take away part of his soul. It was the part that housed the ability to use his magic. He needs the stone to replace that part of him.

  However, he has a sorcerer, Mangus, who has prolonged his own life with magic just to see this whole thing through. Mangus is incredibly dangerous and had sworn himself through a blood oath to stay alive until he could bring Hellforth back and retrieve the stone."

  Iris narrowed her eyes. "This is sounding too good to be true. So basically, we need to take out the old geezer somehow, and then Hellforth will be no different than just fighting a normal Batch Shifter?"

  Frodi wrinkled his face. "Not quite. Even without the depths of his magical abilities, he's still very dangerous. Hellforth is vicious and bloodthirsty, and all of the dark creatures across the planet, not just Shifters, are joining his forces. Some are coming here while others are setting up camp so that when he retrieves the stone, they can create one massive takedown. We just need to figure out when all of this is supposed to go down."

  "We already know that," Alo replied, standing in the background listening carefully. "When we were out today, we found something, a small shack between the cracks in the caverns. There were two idiots inside talking and happened to mention that Hellforth will be extracting the stone on the full moon. I'm assuming there's something relevant about the full moon."

  Frodi pinched the arch of his nose. "There's a special magic that goes along with the moon. He thinks if he can tap it, it will help him coax the stone from its cold frozen grave. He's not wrong. We need to get to that stone and fast. I can only imagine though; he probably has a barrage of Shifters and creatures there protecting the area."

  Iris stretched her arms out to the sides and nodded. "I wouldn't put it past them for even a second. Think about it; this is his opportunity to take over the world. If he thinks there's any chance that I or anyone else could get to the stone first, he's going to protect it with his life. Though, if I were him, I'd wait till someone else extracted it, did the dirty work, and then killed them for it."

  The guys looked over at her curiously. She rolled her eyes. “Not literally, that’s not what I would do. What I mean is he’s not very intelligent when it comes to plans.”

  Frodi shook his head. "The thing with the stone is, it's loyal to the one that finds it, and the only one that can take it from him is someone who shares a bloodline with the last known holder of the stone. It always drifts toward the light but can be used for dark purposes. Your great-grandfather was the last to hold that stone, and your blood is the only thing that can take it from him if he gets a hold of it. But I'm warning you, if he does, I'm not sure we'll have the chance to take it from him. We're talking about magic on a whole other level here. Magic that none of us has seen in our lifetime."

  Iris curled her lip and groaned. "Well, then we need to ready ourselves, be well-rested, do some training, and most importantly, map out exactly how we're going to attack. We can't go running into the situation without a plan. From what we've learned, the atmosphere on the peaks is dangerous enough alone to kill us. If we were walking into a battle without a plan, we might as well let the wind drift us down into the spikes below."

  Arsenio nodded. "It's important that you get your rest as well. It's going to take every bit of strength that you have, every bit of magic and power for you to pull the stone from the ground."

  Iris made a muscle, a small one but one, nonetheless. “I’m pretty strong. Not Arsenio strong but strong.”

  Alo chuckled. "I'm pretty sure he means strength as in your powers, not as in your physical strength. Though as your Griffin, you're pretty badass."

  Iris blew him a kiss, winking. “So how do I even get the stone from the ice below?”

  Frodi dropped another book on top of the one already sitting on her bed. "You have to summon it. The whole reason why Hellforth has the sorcerer with him, beyond just coming back to life, is because, without dark magic, the stone will only rise for the worthy one, which is you. But it just doesn't pop from the earth when you walk up to it. You have to have full control of your magic, at least as much as you can get by that point. It will recognize you and will call for you, it will even fight to get to you, but the protections around it are strong and true, and so must be your intentions. You can't walk into that situation with revenge in your heart. You have let it go for the few moments while you're trying to pull the stone out."

  Flashes of the Griffin sanctuary coursed through Iris’s mind, but she shook it away, knowing that she didn’t have to forget about revenge forever, just long enough to retrieve the stone and keep it out of Hellforth’s hands. She pulled the book toward her and started to read the summoning spell. It seemed short and easy enough for her to memorize, but she would make sure that she went over it several times.

  As Iris yawned, the guys got up, each kissing her on the head before heading to the door. She smiled at them as she dropped the books on the ground and pulled the blankets back. Iris was exhausted and wasn't even going to act like she wasn't. The men saw the signs of it before she had yawned, and they left her alone in the room to get some sleep. As she pulled the blanket up over her, she could feel the overwhelming weight of the world on her shoulders. Iris didn't admit it very often, but she felt lost. All the anger had drained from her, and now she just didn't know what to do anymore.

  She did the best to let it go, the amount of tiredness she was feeling, making it a bit easier than usual.
She fell asleep slowly and began to dream of the beautiful face of her mother. Iris smiled, instantly feeling that struggle slip away from her. Her mother reached out and put her hand on Iris's face. Iris closed her eyes and leaned into her mother, so thankful that she was able to come to Iris in a solid form this time.

  “After last time, I didn’t think that I would ever get to feel my beautiful mother’s hands again,” Iris said with a sigh.

  Omera grinned, pulling her hand back and turning toward the scenery in front of them. “I pulled some strings. I could tell that my daughter needed me. No, I take that back. I could tell that my daughter thought she needed me.”

  Iris scoffed. "Trust me; I needed you."

  As her mother began to walk forward, Iris noticed the beauty of the field where they stood. It looked so familiar to her, but at the same time, she had no memory of ever actually been there. "Where are we?"

  Her mother chuckled. "That's kind of the favor I had to call in. The laws of the universe are finite, and even the Ancestral Counsel can't break them. But that doesn't mean we can't bend them. You're walking with me in the Fields of Moribund. It's not all fields, of course, but this is one of the places that I come to think and contact my daughters when I'm missing them."

  Iris was in all, always wondering what it was like on the other side. As she opened her mouth to ask questions, still curious, her mother turned quickly to her and took her by the hand. "We don't have forever, though. And I need to tell you something. I don't have more information, but I can see resolve beginning to fade and your anger taking over. You always were feisty."