First And Last

by Stacey Kennedy

  Whatever happened, it happened with us together. “Yeah, I’m ready to go knock on ol’ scratch’s door.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The moment we landed in the Underworld, Kyden’s hand tightened around mine. His protectiveness flooded me as we stood staring at all six Demon Lords and the entire Underworld standing strong behind them.

  Traitors!

  One thing was clear, however, they were here for a fight. Their gazes locked on me. Their determination shone fierce as they glared my way.

  The night was so dark. We stood on flat ground with open fields surrounding us. Behind us was the community of houses. I could feel the darkness all around me. The only assumption was that the return of the Demon Lords had given the Underworld a renewed strength.

  In the middle of the field, a pentagram was drawn. A really big pentagram, the size of a baseball diamond. We’d either interrupted their plan to begin the ritual to draw strength from the rune, or they were just getting ready. Whatever it was, my need to stop this engulfed me.

  Mammon smiled cruelly as he stepped forward. “We want her.” He pointed at me. “Only her. If you leave now, we’ll spare your lives.”

  An icy shiver raced through my blood. Fuck, he sounded scary. Before I had a chance to answer, Kyden stepped in front of me, shielded me with his body.

  “You will not have her,” Kyden roared.

  Mammon cackled, the rest of the Demon Lords followed suit. It was bizarre to say the least. These guys could have been your Sunday night football buddies. They just appeared so normal. Sure, I could sense the dark power within them, and their eyes told me they were anything but human, but it was hard to grasp how evil they were when they look so friggin’ ordinary.

  “As you wish.” Mammon continued to laugh and the crowd behind him tensed, expectant of the awaiting battle.

  “Be strong, all of you. Let good prevail.” Talon stepped forward beside Kyden, raised his sword, and let out a battle cry as he lunged forward.

  It took all of one-point-one seconds for all hell to break loose.

  “Quickly,” Kyden shouted at me and pulled me against his back so his body sheltered me.

  Quinney, Tyde and Misa took protective stances surrounding me. I was safe from all angles from what was coming towards us, and by the looks of it, six very pissed off Demons—well their weird black smoke, to be exact.

  My guards shimmied into their black form and screams poured out around us. Wind roared through the air. Magic created loud rumbles along the Earth’s floor as fire ran along the ground around us. Witches fought witches. The Guardians and werewolves fought the warlocks. The Demons however weren’t fighting, they were protecting the pentagram. Assuring no one would get near to free the humans.

  It was impossible to tell who was who. The battle was a complete blur before me. Fear mixed with anger was all-consuming as it drifted through the air. Breathing was difficult.

  “Nexi,” Kyden shouted. “Now.”

  Just as his words ended, the Demon Lords hit his shield, and the emotion that went through our bond stole my breath. Nothing had ever been so dark.

  The Demon Lords screamed and searched for a way to get to me, but were unable to. Quinney, Tyde and Misa circled me to provide a barrier that the Demon Lords couldn’t break, while Kyden provided a shield against them. The Demons were shit-out-of-luck. They couldn’t drain and consume me.

  The sky filled with light as magic erupted all around use. God, I could only pray that no one was being hurt.

  Only a split second had passed and exhaustion settled into Kyden. The horror he must be facing as the Demon Lords tried to sneak their way through must be horrific. But he grunted deep, and determination coursed through my blood.

  I needed to end this. I raised my hand to draw the rune when suddenly a soft cry stopped me. The sound meant only one thing…a child. I peaked around Kyden’s back to see a young girl stood in the middle of the battlefield sobbing.

  What the hell was she doing here? She wasn’t a supernatural, just a normal four or five year old girl. A sweet little thing, soft curls, big brown eyes that were wide with fright. Her little arms trembled as she watched the battle before her.

  “Help her,” I screamed.

  “What?” Kyden’s voice came out strangled.

  “The child,” I yelled. “She’s going to die. We have to help her.”

  Kyden broke his focus and glanced around. With the distraction, a demon pushed his way through. Kyden lost a little strength and sank to his knees. Instantly, he rebounded and lunged himself on top of me. We both tumbled to the ground. He went rigid against me as the Demon Lord attempted to enter again.

  Thankfully, his attempts were useless and Kyden’s shield held strong.

  Kyden quickly pulled me up, brought me close to his back, and I noticed the sweat forming on his body.

  This was beginning to wear on him. I couldn’t waste another second.

  As much as I knew this needed to end, I wouldn’t sacrifice the child. If I didn’t intervene she was going to die. I pushed past Kyden and ran as if my life depended on it, which it did. His loud roar came right behind me, as he stayed right on my heels. “What child?”

  A breeze swept past my back as he tried to stop me. My feet hit the ground hard, sent splices of pain with each step that jammed into my lower back. I never stopped running toward her. She was so frightened and terrified.

  The child was surrounded by magic. I screamed, prayed she’d be all right. She alone, was my only focus. Time slowed, every second felt minutes long.

  To my complete horror, a large wave of energy headed right for her. Her wide eyes grew wide and her face streaked with tears. Without thought, I drew on my magic, no real a plan, just knew I had to stop this. I dug down deeper than I ever had, and with a push that came soul deep, my magic poured from within. I gave into the power that sat deep within me and let go of all my restraint. Heat and adrenaline gripped me.

  The blood coursing through my veins boiled as my insides began to burn. I’d never felt anything like this before. Never had my magic been so powerful. There was no pain, but it was explosive. My body felt that in any moment I’d disintegrate into tiny particles.

  Just as the power grew to an uncontrollable level, the burst from my body and the cause of that, forced me to fall to my knees. Since I was running at full speed, I did a complete face plant in the dirt and skid across the ground. The moment I stopped, I jumped to my feet, spit out a mouthful of dirt as I took in the scene around me.

  Nothing could have prepared me for what was before me. Nothing at all. The world had stopped. Everyone held in limbo. Time no longer existed as it froze.

  Royally confused, I glanced back at Kyden. His expression was fierce as he was broke into a run, completely frozen in time. It looked so ridiculous it was almost funny, but I just couldn’t find it in me to laugh right now. Considering that behind him the Demon Lords were in hot pursuit.

  Zia had her hands raised to the sky as witches were drowned in water. Azar had obviously just blasted his energy out, since the air appeared to ripple around him. Warlocks were pressed hard to ground with horror caught in their expressions.

  Talon had just decapitated a witch, her head was in mid flight. Valor attacked a Warlock as Briggs had bitten into a Witch’s throat with Rynn on her leg. Go Rynn! I couldn’t help but feel a bit proud, even in the current circumstance.

  Sabi and Ryker were back-to-back, working together. Sabi provided protection against the magic as Ryker used his sword to finish the job.

  It only took seconds to see that the rest of our crew was safe and all alive. That provided instant relief, but then the shock of the situation set in. Holy shit, what had I just done? Stopped time? How was that even possible?

  A whimper drew me away from the battle and I glanced back to the young child who smiled up at me. She was the only one not frozen in time, besides myself of course. Which made me wonder what tha
t was, but first, I had to give her some serious hell. “What are you doing here?”

  She didn’t answer. Instead, her smile grew and she waved at me.

  I stomped forward, ready to give her a serious spanking. Okay, I’m not one to do the whole physical punishment thing, but hell, this little stinker deserved a good throttle.

  “Oh that smile isn’t going to work on me, little one,” I snapped at her. “You shouldn’t be here. But first, we’ll take you somewhere safe, and then, you’re going to explain to me how you got here in the first place.”

  The smile on her face remained as she reached a tiny hand out to me. I took it immediately, struck with pure power. A sense of lightness fluttered inside me as a greenish-blue light spread throughout the sky.

  Then, the world faded around me. There was no danger or evil—all that filtered through me was heavenly delight—happiness and an odd weightlessness. Strange but true. I wasn’t here or there but floated through a gateway that was taking far too long. Portals I’d experienced were quick and forceful. Not this one, it was quiet and gentle.

  When the sensation dissolved and my feet were firm on the ground, I had the real sense that I wasn’t alone. I blinked once, then a world came into view. Butterflies fluttered smoothly as lush green grass sparkled with dew. Flowers of all sizes spread throughout the grounds, all exquisite colors with odd shades that were soft, yet bright somehow. The world glittered with beauty before me.

  “Welcome, Nexi,” a soft voice sang behind me.

  I spun around to see the loveliest woman. Her hair was long, nearly to the ground, blonde with a slight white shine to it. It wasn’t just her hair that glowed; her whole body did, which only intensified as she smile. Her baby blue eyes drew in smaller as kindness spread across her face.

  She didn’t feel like a theat. Was she a human? No, she didn’t feel human, but didn’t necessarily feel supernatural either. Best get answers and quick. “Where am I?”

  “This is the realm of the Fae.” She waved out.

  “Holy shit,” I gasped.

  She laughed and it sounded songlike—blended together with nothing more than an air of joy.

  My mind worked quickly to piece this all together. How in the hell did I get here? The battle, the Demon Lords, the kid. Now, it all made sense. “The little girl, she wasn’t real, was she?”

  “It was an illusion created to bring you toward the gateway.” She winked. “We knew you’d be obligated to help her.”

  “Well it worked.” As much as all this fascinated me, I had much more important things on my mind. “I have to get back to Kyden and the others. They need me.”

  She shook her head and her hair flowed around her in a wave. “You’ve stopped time. They’re unaware that you have left. I promise they’re safe.”

  “How can you be so sure?” I asked urgently.

  “Please trust me, Nexi, no one will be hurt while you’re gone.” She smiled gently and eased my worries.

  If they were all safe, I could indulge myself here. I examined her a little more. Intrigued by exactly who she was and why I was here. “Who are you?”

  “I am Aaliya.”

  Oh, wow, now I took notice of her. This was her. The creator. The most powerful being known through time. My shock must have shown on my face because she laughed again.

  Suddenly, beings began to appear slowly around us. Thousands of them, all looked human with the only difference being the glowing light that exuded from them—a bright aura of white light.

  “Er…” I couldn’t manage anything else.

  Aaliya stepped forward and took my hand. “We’ve waited a long time for you to return home.”

  I burst out laughing. “Come again?”

  Aaliya’s face showed no sign of deceit. “Come…” she pointed to the ground below her feet, “let’s all sit and I’ll tell you a story.”

  Everyone complied. It was only right I did the same. I hesitantly stepped forward and sat next to her.

  As I did, she began, “Long ago, we connected our realm with the Earthworld due to her energy source. It made us stronger and more powerful. Since then, we’ve become her protectors. We see to her survival because it secures our continued existence.”

  There was so much of what she just said that made my jaw drop, but I suspected this was only the beginning of my shock. “And just how did you do that?”

  “As the Earthworld evolved, it basically became a sponge, soaked in the energy fed by the sun and because of that it provided a perfect outlet to siphon power from. Since joining the worlds, we as Fairies, have flourished.”

  That explained the glowing bit.

  “When God and Satan’s power grew stronger so did human followers—they all began to divide within the two leaders—believed what they were being told was the truth.”

  I found myself leaning toward her, my entire body tense. I took a deep breath to settle myself and straightened my spine. No need to sit on top of her.

  “The Fae had long been in hiding, secret from the Earthworld, but a vision I had needed us to act.” She glanced around at the crowd who were all locked into her story, then she looked back to me. “The vision that came to me told me I needed to intervene. If I didn’t, the two would see to the Earthworld’s end. We couldn’t allow that.”

  “Obviously, they didn’t object to this?”

  “That’s right. It was in the best interest of God and Satan to leave these realms. Start worlds of their own. It was a way for them to get what they wanted, and they held no objection to doing this. But, as you know, it only grew worse.”

  “Right. So you had to banish them?”

  Her gaze met mine and looked terribly sad. “I had the vision to create two realms within the dead. Now, we know them as Heaven and Hell. The vision spoke of the necessity to banish God and Satan to be locked in their depths.”

  “But God was good. Why would you banish him?”

  The corner of her mouth arched up in a soft grin. “He was good, you’re right. His ways indeed coincide with ours, but we stay neutral.”

  “Oh, like Switzerland?” She frowned with confusion. I waved it away. “Never mind, please continue.”

  She nodded and happily obliged. “It’s not our place to interfere with what takes place in the Earthworld. Our only thought is to ensure she survives, and that is where my abilities grant me a view of the future. Glimpses of what could be, and steps I need to take to stop problems. Not all the answers are given, and never do I see the effects it will have after. At that time, all the vision told me God and Satan needed to be banished there.”

  She looked so sad, and without thought, I grabbed onto her hand. I was a little stunned that I had just made such a move on someone I’d never met before. She smiled down at our joined hands before those troubled eyes met mine again.

  “It saddens me to this very day what unfolded within the Earthworld, the division of religions, the wars and the death. Many humans of good heart were destroyed.”

  “But why didn’t you stop it then?” This just didn’t make any sense. “If you saw what was happening to the good ones, why didn’t you help them?”

  “My vision never told me to. We only act on what the visions show me. Fate has a plan and I’m here to guide it. My choices always follow it. I never act on my personal feelings, no matter what I may feel is right.”

  “Where do you get these visions from?”

  “It’s an inborn ability that guides me to see that the Fae succeeds. We’ve yet to truly discover, who or what, it is that grants me this right.

  Wonderful! She was basing things off something that she had no idea where it came from. Didn’t seem like the smartest of choices, but who was I to question her. Fate had already proved to me the wonders it worked. I couldn’t doubt it now.

  “All right, I get everything you’re saying, but what I don’t get, is why I am here?” The long awaited question needed to be voiced.

  �
��Long ago, I received a vision of you, but it was not clear. It didn’t show me how this would unfold at the time, but what it did show me was that you needed to be born.”

  That was a bit hard to swallow. “You can’t be serious?”

  She nodded without hesitation. “It wasn’t until recently that I fully began to appreciate why that need was so important.”

  After a long pause, I urged her, “Which was…”

  “The vision started with a youngling, who after some time, we discovered was Tyrianna.”