by J. J. Medina
“You’re just as bat shit crazy as he is.” I get to my feet. I can’t believe Nico’s just standing there. How could I have been so wrong? “Nico, why are you following her?”
“Sarka took me in when I needed a home. She’s trying to help.”
“Nico knows what it’s like to be an outcast—we both do. Together we’ll win this war,” Sarka says.
“Hmm, I’ll pass. I try to stay away from crazed lunatics.”
Sarka hits me with another blast from her staff, throwing me into a row of chairs.
“Sarka,” Nico protests.
“It’s okay, I know what I’m doing,” Sarka says.
JP blurs past me, crashing into Sarka and Nico, knocking them into a tree. Nico’s not moving.
JP helps me up. A blast sends him flying into the orchestra pit.
Miranda rushes to JP. “Stay down.” She modifies the inanimate to life spell.
A branch beside Sarka comes to life, acting like an agitated snake. Sarka blasts it with energy and it explodes. She then flares her arms out. Wires feeding electricity to the stage shoot out of the ground. They snake around us, neutralizing our powers with electromagnetic pulses.
“Consider my offer retracted,” Sarka says.
Selene picks up a fallen branch and fuels it with energy. Holding it like a sword, she charges at Sarka. “You have to get through me first.”
Laughing, Sarka lights her staff with energy. It collides with Selene’s branch, sending sparks everywhere.
“We should not be fighting like this,” Sarka says. “We were once on the same side. Fighting to end Dagon for a better future.” She smiles. “We can work together to defeat Dagon.”
“You’re a slimy snake,” Selene says. “You slither to whatever side you think will win for your own convenience. You came to me at my weakest hour. You deceived me by ingraining your thoughts and lies in my head. This is all your fault. You and Dagon will pay.”
Their battle is intense. Sarka is aggressive and swings wildly, looking for the knockout blow. Selene is tactical and quick but looks tired. Helping me must have weakened her. Overpowering Selene, Sarka jams her staff into Selene’s shoulder. Selene falls.
“No!” I scream. My magic surges and the wires fall from my body.
Sarka looks surprised.
I fire short bursts of energy at her, pinning her to a tree. “I’m going to kill you.”
A hand lands on my shoulder and I’m suddenly immobile. It’s Nico.
With blood coming out her nose, Sarka raises her left hand. “You had your chance.” She cues the two Sethians. They fire energy beams that crash into me. The pain’s overwhelming. I fall to my knees. My soul, my magic, is being ripped away.
“What are you doing, Sarka?” Nico says. “You said you’d let her live even if she didn’t join us.”
“With her essence and you by my side, I can rule Crothinia.” Sarka laughs wickedly.
Nico closes his eyes and turns his back on me.
My heartbeat slows. My memories are fading away. I’m passing out just as I see the Sethians stagger. My powers shoot back into me. Thoughts of living revive me. The Sethians redirect their beams at Sarka.
“Nico, what are you doing?” Sarka says.
“Stopping you from causing any more pain,” Nico says.
Sarka screams. Her lifeless body sinks to the ground. The Sethians turn on each other, ripping each other’s souls out. Nothing remains but husks of their former selves.
Nico helps me up. I can see the remorse in his eyes. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t want any of this to happen.”
Selene moans. I rush to her. JP and Miranda run over to me.
“I need your help, guys.” Taking both their hands, I focus on healing my mother. A blue light engulfs her. Come on, work, work. The light dissipates. Her wound is gone. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Selene says.
She’s weak.
I help her up.
Bright pulsating lights shoot out from the vortex. An image of a war-ravaged Crothinia appears in the center. It’s the same image I saw at the cafeteria.
“Crothinia needs us. We have to stop Dagon.” I look at Nico. “I need you.”
“What? We can’t trust him,” JP argues.
“He saved me, us. We can trust him. He can help us stop Dagon. We need him, JP.”
JP shrugs his shoulders.
“What do you say, Nico?” I ask.
“Anything for you, Aria.”
Following Selene’s lead, we hold hands, forming a circle. Drawing on the energy around her, she begins chanting. We follow. Within a matter of seconds, the vortex shoots out a beam of energy that smoothers everyone, thrusting us upward through the gateway’s puncture in time and space.
Nineteen
· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
WE’RE DROPPED RIGHT INTO MY worst nightmare. Death and destruction surround us. Bodies riddle the road. Sacred monuments and buildings are on fire. This is no longer home. It’s a battlefield.
“Aria, move!” Selene grabs my hand and throws me to the ground. An energy beam whizzes past my ear. “Aria, snap out of it. You okay?”
This is all my fault. Would this have happened if I’d taken my role more seriously? I need to make this right.
Staying close to the ground, we make our way behind the shell of a building.
“Aria!”
Leung?
I look back to see Leung firing energy beams, taking out a Dagon fighter. She flings herself in my arms, almost knocking me over. Blood stains her clothes, mats her hair. Bruises mar her face.
I quickly introduce Leung to my friends.
“Where the hell have you been all this time, Aria?” Leung asks. “I’m getting tired of kicking ass by myself.”
I smile. Same old, Leung. “Earth, getting ready for this.”
“I sure hope hanging with humans didn’t make you soft.” Leung turns to JP and Miranda. “No offense.”
“I like her,” Miranda says.
“Everyone, protect Princess Aria,” says a loud, bellowing voice.
“Whoa…you don’t see that every day.” JP points at Elpson, leader of the Varonians—tree-like beings with vines for arms and roots for feet. He has several Royal Light Guards with him. They form a protective ring around us. Killing anyone that gets too close, they hustle us into the National Library.
Half of the jeweled ceiling is blown away. Hundreds of books burnt.
So much history and knowledge gone. If Dagon had it his way, we’d all be wiped out—merely a footnote in history. But that’s not going to happen. Over my dead body.
We gather around the stone water fountain—a statue depicting elders reading to children.
Elpson and the soldiers bow.
I don’t feel as if I’ve earned this respect. I want to, though.
“When Leung saw you appearing in a vision, I had doubts, Aria,” Elpson says. “You arrived just in time.”
“Not soon enough,” Selene says.
“Don’t worry, Mother, Dagon will pay for what he’s done.”
“Mother?” Elpson stares into Selene’s eyes as if he were trying to see into her soul. He smiles and bows. “Queen Kassandra, I can’t believe it. It’s been so long.”
The guards quickly bow.
Selene hugs Elpson. “I’ve missed you.”
Leung rushes to Mother and hugs her.
“You’re so cool,” JP blurts. “You’ve got vine arms.”
“Humans are so easily impressed,” Elpson laughs.
“What’s the status of things, Elspon?” Selene asks.
“Dagon’s hit every logistical area. He’s been successful, thanks to Theron.”
“What? Your father, Leung?” Her dad was one of Father’s best friends and leader of the Royal Light Guard. I can’t believe he betrayed Father.
“I’m sorry, Aria,” Leung says.
“Don�
��t be. He made that decision on his own.”
Leung bows her head. Though they’ve never been close, Theron’s still her father. I know she’s crushed.
I put my arm around her. “Dagon’s pitting family and friends against each other. We have to pull together to defeat him. Take back what’s ours. We need Father to help us defeat Dagon again.”
“He was taken to the Dark Realm. Our spies know that much. But we don’t know if he’s still alive,” Elpson says.
“He is,” I say. “I think I’d know if he wasn’t.”
“Same here,” Selene says.
The doors burst open, flying off their hinges. Over a dozen Tribites—bone-plated creatures with horned heads—storm the building. Energy beams start flying.
Selene throws a shield up around us. “Bring your father back, Aria. We’ll hold off the attack.”
“I will. Who’s with me?”
“As in going to the Dark Realm?” Miranda says. “Hell yeah, count me in.”
Leung grabs my hand. Together, we form a circle with JP, Miranda, and Nico.
“Everyone ready?” I ask.
“Space travel is perilous, but I got this,” JP says.
“Okay, C-3PO.” We both smile. “Any last words?”
“Yeah,” Leung says. “Are all Earth guys as hot as this one?” She’s practically drooling over Nico.
Nico smiles.
JP rolls his eyes.
“I missed you, Leung,” I say.
JP, Miranda, and I recite the teleportation spell. Light engulfs us.
· · · · ·
“It’s dark as hell in here,” JP says.
We’re in a tunnel. I can barely see anyone. There’s a crunch beneath my feet as I step toward Miranda.
“Why does it smell like ass?” Miranda asks.
“Get off me!” Nico says. It sounds like he’s slapping something away.
JP chants the illumination spell. His right fist lights up like a torch.
“I sorta wish you hadn’t done that,” Leung says.
“You and me both,” I say. Thousands of insects, all shapes and sizes, are scurrying away from the light.
“Where do we go?” Nico asks.
“That’s where Leung comes in,” I say. “Do you see my father anywhere?”
“I’m on it.” There’s a concentrated look on Leung’s face before she flashes a smile of triumph. “Found him. Follow me.”
I’m impressed, as usual. It took her less than ten seconds to track him down using her clairvoyance abilities.
We arrive at a cave-like chamber. A bubbling lava pit is in the center. Symbols are carved into the jagged walls. Granite slabs are everywhere. Chains and blood cover some of the slabs.
At the far end, I see Father lying on a rock, not moving.
I place my hand over his slow rising chest. “You’re alive. I’m going to get you out of here.” I chant the healing spell Selene showed me.
“No! Stop!”
Was that Miranda? I stop the spell prematurely and look back. My friends are floating over the lava pit. Four shapes materialize from the shadows. It’s Dagon’s minions. No. I need more time. A strong force sweeps me into the air. My hands feel bound, even though they’re not. I can’t move a muscle.
A woman glides over to me. She’s sightless, her eyes an eerie crystal-blue. Her face is grotesquely scarred. “The princess of Crothinia has come to visit us again. Your powers are said to be legendary. If you join us, you’d be unstoppable.”
“What don’t you assholes get? I’ll never turn to dark magic.”
“I almost believe her,” one of the other dark sorcerers says. He’s blending into the environment around him, like a chameleon. “You crave power just like us. You belong on our side. It’s foretold.” He thrusts his hand, jolting everyone toward the pit.
“Stop! What do you want?”
“Just your oath, written in blood, pledging your allegiance to us,” the woman says. “We’ll use your blood to free us from this prison. Once we get that, we’ll let your friends go.”
I wonder if they can sense the fact that I’m about to freak. Calm down. I take a glance over at Leung. She’s screaming at the top of her lungs, but there’s no sound. There’s no sound from any of them. I have a sinking feeling they’ll eventually end up dead. All I’m doing is buying more time. I’m strong enough to overcome whatever spell they bind me to. “And my father? If you let him go, you have my word.”
“Deal,” the four say in unison.
A bowl materializes in the scarred woman’s hand. She grabs my left arm and says a spell while slicing my forearm with her nail. Blood drips into the bowl.
The chameleon swings his arm out. “We never agreed on how long it would be before we set your father and friends free.” He laughs, it’s cold.
My friends fall rapidly toward the pit.
My heart sinks.
They stop inches from the lava.
“You should have killed me when you had the chance,” a familiar voice says.
I look back. “Father.”
He’s standing tall and proud. With a flick of his wrist, Father releases me from the spell that bound me. My arm heals. The blood in the bowl bursts into flames. Dagon’s servants are thrown back. My friends fly forward, landing behind me. Father sends a jagged bolt of energy into the ceiling. Tons of rocks fall, separating us from them.
I’m at a loss for words as I hug him. I hold on tight, relieved he’s okay and that all my friends are safe. I had no clue how I’d save them all.
“It’s good to see you, Aria,” Father says.
“I’m sorry, Father. You were right about everything. If I had listened none of this would have happened?”
“Hey, it’s alright. All that matters is that you’re okay. And we’re together again. I love you so much.”
I smile. I can’t remember the last time he said those words to me. I never imagined he would say them to me in the dark realm. But hey, nothing about my life has ever been normal. I’m just glad he finally said the words.
“I love you too.”
“I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but can we get movin’?” Miranda says. “Ahora.”
I smile. Leave it up to Miranda to put things in perspective.
“Aria, you must help me open a portal home,” Father says.
“Won’t be a problem with my friend’s help,” I say.
A large explosion breaks the barrier. A ray of energy engulfs us, prohibiting us from moving. The henchmen walk up to us.
“You thought you could get away that easily?” the chameleon says.
Suddenly, bugs start swarming the dark lords. One that never spoke pulls out a knife and stabs the chameleon. The other’s turn on him.
“Someone do something,” Nico says. “I can’t keep this up. They know it’s me. I feel them trying to overpower me.”
JP and Miranda shoot fire and electricity at them, knocking them to the ground.
We hold hands and quickly chant the spell. Vanish.
Twenty
· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
WE REAPPEAR IN THE LIBRARY. Roaring, a cluster of Dagon’s Tribites rush toward us. We’re surrounded, trapped.
The floor beneath us rumbles right before it splits open. Thick vines shoot up and wrap around the Tribites, flinging them into a group of dark sorcerers. They go down like bowling pins.
“Aria!” Selene shouts.
I look back to see her standing with Elpson. One of his arms is soaking in the water from the fountain. His feet, now long vines, contract back into his body.
Father runs into Mother’s open arms. They embrace as we make our way over to them.
“Cadmus, I’m so glad you’re okay,” Selene says.
Father kisses the tears on her cheeks away. “It’s been too long. But you should not be here.”
“This is exactly where I should be. With my family.” She pulls me into their hug.
>
There’s a battle waging around us and we’re standing around crying. I didn’t care. This was my family.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck prickle.
“How sweet,” a patronizing voice says.
Dagon enters the library. A group of sorcerers surrounds him. Leung’s father is by his side. The urge to lash out is instant—they sicken me.
Dagon’s eyes immediately rest on my mother. “Cadmus, I’m so glad you could join us. You’ve arrived in time to witness me retake what’s rightfully mine.”
Lust fills his eyes. He’s crazy if he thinks he has a chance with my mother. What a freakin’ weirdo.
“Your ways are a thing of the past,” Cadmus says. “Justice and democracy rule this land now.”
Dagon lets out a deranged laugh. “The people have no voice. Their leaders are lazy and weak. People need to believe in their leader. Why else would Theron and the others join me?”
The coward can’t even meet my father’s eyes. I grab Leung’s hand, knowing she’s hurting.
“You will fail,” Father says.
“And who will stop me, Cadmus? You defeated me because I underestimated human magic. Now I’ve beaten you at your own game. The four are here, just as the prophecy states, destined to rule by my side. Aria will be your downfall.”
I laugh. It sounds a little hysterical; it probably is. I’m trying not to panic. “You’ve been sniffing those nasty fumes in the Dark Realm for way too long if you think I’m gonna let a stupid prophecy dictate the choices I make. You’re going down, Dagon.”
He smiles. I want to slam my fist into his face for putting us through so much.
“You crave dark magic, Aria. Just one taste will never be enough.”
What an asswipe.
Dagon flings his right arm out. Suddenly, Miranda is in front of him. His fingers clenched around her neck.
Oh shit. What happened?
“You think you can sneak up on me with cheap invisibility spells? You’re pathetic,” Dagon says. “You should be kissing my feet. If it weren’t for me, your father would have sold you as a child to get a quick high.”
“Screw you,” Miranda spits out while turning red.
I step forward. This has to end, I need to finish him. JP pushes me back, fires a string of lightening. Dagon smirks as the electricity absorbs into him. I watch in horror as he fires it back, hitting JP in the chest. I run to him, cradle his head in my lap as I feel for a pulse, breath a sign of relief when I find one.