by Neo Edmund
The final werewolf charged up behind Red and batted at her head with a hatchet. She dropped down to her knees just in time to evade the strike. With a backward thrust of her sword, she stabbed her attacker through the chest. Finally, spinning around and swinging her blade wide, she lobbed its head off.
Wolfgang stepped up next to Red. “Not bad, Red Riding. You might save Wayward after all.”
“Before I can do that, we need to get inside the temple.”
“Easier said than done.”
Red and Wolfgang turned to face the temple door. Mia, Naoki,
Suki, and Yuki strutted down the front steps in werewolf form, armed with staves, and outfitted in sleek battle armor.
Everybody stopped cold and locked eyes for a tense moment. Mia was missing the hand Prince had hacked off. The look of rage in her eyes made it clear she was on the hunt for vengeance.
Red took a battle stance. “I’m going through those temple doors. You can either step aside, or we’re going to move you out of the way.”
Mia raised her weapon. “Bring it on.”
She and her counterparts dashed off in different directions and vanished.
“They’ve gone stealthy on us,” Wolfgang said.
“I’ve gotta learn that trick,” Red replied. Going on pure instinct, she raised her sword just in time to block a series of invisible attacks.
Wolfgang stumbled and fumbled as the girls pounded him with attacks from every direction. “Red, how are you blocking this stuff?”
“Stand back-to-back with me and listen for the sound of their staves cutting through the air.”
“Easy enough for you to say, Alpha girl.”
Wolfgang dashed over and took position behind Red. Sensing another attack, Red raised her sword and blocked it. She tried to counterstrike, but her attacker dashed away. Wolfgang blocked an attack with his forearm. He swung a fist wide, hitting nothing but air.
“They’re trying to keep us busy, and we’re running out of time,” Red said.
“Then pick your moment and go for the door,” Wolfgang whispered. “I’ll do my best to hold them off.”
“I’ve got a better idea,” Red whispered. “I say we both run for the door and let them chase us. Then at the last second, we turn and pounce.”
“Sounds just crazy enough to work.”
“Then we go on my call. Don’t hesitate for a second.”
“I’ll be racing you all the way.”
Red blocked another attack and swung her sword. She then heard the sound of Wolfgang blocking an attack. “Now!”
Red and Wolfgang sprinted toward the temple door. Red could sense Mia and her counterparts racing after them. When her feet hit the steps, she turned and thrust her sword out. One of the invisible girls ran right onto her blade. Wolfgang turned and slashed a claw, inflicting a strike on one of their attackers. The two wounded girls materialized. Suki was on her knees, gripping her stomach from Wolfgang’s strike. She was injured, but it wasn’t a fatal strike. Yuki was not so fortunate. She stood impaled on Red’s sword. The blade had pierced her heart. She stumbled backward and clutched both hands over the deadly wound.
Red gasped in horror and dropped her sword. “No. I didn’t mean to do that.”
Mia and Naoki materialized and dashed over to Yuki. They held her in their arms as she took her final breath.
Wolfgang placed a hand on Red’s shoulder. “This wasn’t your fault.”
Suki and Naoki picked up Yuki from the ground. They walked away toward the forest and vanished.
With hate-filled eyes, Mia stood staring at Red. “You will suffer for what you’ve done to my sisters.”
“Mia, don’t!” Red shouted.
Mia dashed up the wall and landed behind Wolfgang. She stabbed her claws deep into his back. He wailed out in pain and dropped to his knees. Red picked up her sword and swung it in his defense. Mia blocked the attack, slamming Red into the wall. She then slashed her claws several times into Wolfgang’s chest and throat.
“Noooo!” Red roared.
Mia bitterly locked her eyes on Red’s. “Now we are even, Alpha Huntress.”
Red lunged at Mia and swung her sword. Mia somersaulted backwards, just avoiding the attack. She raced away toward the trees and vanished from sight. Red dropped her sword and dashed over to Wolfgang. He was bleeding badly and laboring for every breath.
“Wolfgang, I’m so sorry. It was a stupid plan.”
Wolfgang smiled lovingly at Red. “What are you talking about? It totally worked.” His voice was weak and strained.
“I’m taking you to get help.” Red tried to pick up Wolfgang, but he pulled away.
“You cut that out. The Alpha Huntress doesn’t cry in the face of battle.”
“I can’t leave you here to die.”
Wolfgang wiped a tear away from Red’s eye. “When I agreed to come along, I was choosing to risk my life. I gave you my word of honor. I won’t take it back now. I can’t. The best way you can help me now is to stand up tall, march through those doors, and let Ragnarök hear your thunder.”
Red kissed Wolfgang on the forehead. “I won’t fail you.”
“I love you, Little Red Riding.”
As he said it, Red realized she loved him, too. “I love you, Wolf Boy,” she answered. She hoped they’d both survive long enough to do something about it.
Red turned away from Wolfgang and picked up her sword. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind and heart of fear and doubt. When her eyes again opened, she had the stone cold expression of a warrior of legend.
CHAPTER 29
The Alpha Huntress stormed into the Moon Temple with her sword held high, ready for the fight of her life. She had planned to let out a furious roar to announce her arrival. Instead, she stood frozen with a perplexed glare of confusion. The chamber was deathly silent and there was no sign of anybody around.
High on the wall, a clock counted down from—
5 YEARS / 0 MONTHS / 1 DAYS
0 HOURS / 14 MINUTES / 59 SECONDS
“That can’t be right,” she muttered. If the time was correct, it meant Ragnarök wasn’t coming for another twenty-four hours. It also would mean Ice had fooled her into believing she had been trapped in the palace vents for a full day.
Red couldn’t deny that it made more sense to believe it was all a trick, rather than buying into the idea of a déjà vu spell. This didn’t mean she was taking any of what she was seeing at face value. Ice was a master of elaborate deception.
With her sword clutched tight, Red took a few steps further into the temple. She found it peculiar that the air was void of even a hint of odor, and the clicking of her footsteps on the stone floor didn’t echo like they should in a chamber so large. Topping the strangeness of the situation, the five celestial moonstones sitting upon the marble pedestals had were now piles of dust. The last time she had been in the temple, they had vibrant colors and a wide range of textures.
A strange tingling sensation overcame Red as she stepped closer to the Alpha Stone. It began in the tips of her fingers, then ran up her arms and down her legs. By the time she stood in the center of the five pedestals, the feeling was buzzing throughout her entire body. It was so unpleasant that she wanted to get as far from the stones as possible.
“I bet that’s exactly what you want me to do, right, Ice Seether?”
The last time Red had stood before the Alpha Stone, it was scorched red with jagged edges. It was now dusty white and smooth on all sides. As she reached out to touch the stone, an intense bolt of energy shot through her body, forcing her to take a big step backward.
Refusing to be intimidated, Red again reached out for the stone. The tingling made her feel a bit nauseous. When her hand made contact, an ear-piercing buzz sounded. It was so dizzying that she nearly fell to the floor. In the brief instant before she stepped away, she caught a glimpse of somebody standing on the altar.
Taking a deep breat
h, Red gave the Alpha Stone a quick tap. An ear-piercing buzz again blasted out. It lasted for less than a second, but this time she clearly saw Ethan and Prince standing near the pillars of the moon gate.
“Ice Seether, I’ve had just about enough of your games,” Red said and slammed a hand down on the Alpha Stone, forcing herself to endure the continuous buzzing. Ethan and Prince were still standing near the moon gate, then she saw Dote and Ash at one end of the altar and Grenda on the other.
As for the clock, it was counting down from—
5 YEARS / 0 MONTHS / 0 DAYS
0 HOURS / 13 MINUTES / 19 SECONDS
Unable to endure the mind-scrambling buzzing any longer, she finally took her hand off the stone. Silence returned in an instant, and all of her clan members vanished. She feared that they were under some sort of enchantment, which would explain why they weren’t fighting to escape. She suspected Ice was using a spell similar to the one Grenda had placed on her home.
With only thirteen minutes remaining on the clock, Red paced around in a frantic whirlwind, trying to think up a way to break the spell. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she recalled what had happened when Wolfgang had rapidly opened and closed the front door at Granny’s house. The protection spell had caused a strange humming that made the floors and walls tremble. Dote had warned him to quit, or the place would be blown to bits.
With fearless resolve, she dashed over to the Alpha Stone and began tapping a hand on its smooth surface. On the altar, her clan rapidly vanished and reappeared. The buzzing tone quickly became too painful to endure, but she forced herself to keep going.
“Red, that’s enough,” Ethan cried out.
Red stopped tapping on the stone and looked up to see her father standing next to the moon gate. “Papa, what’s going on here?”
“It’s over. Granny cast a spell that will prevent the moon gate from opening,” Ethan said.
“Is that so?” Red gave him a suspicious look. His hollow eyes were void of all emotion. “So where is she?”
“Your granny is already heading back home. If you hurry, you can catch up with her.”
“Then come down here, so we can leave together.”
“You go on ahead of me. I’ll be along soon enough.”
“Tell Ice Seether I know she’s here. I’m not buying her freaky little head game.”
Red began tapping her hand on the moonstone. The buzzing forced Ethan to press his hands over his ears and drop to his knees in pain.
Prince appeared next to the moon gate with his hands pressed over his ears. “Alpha, you must stop doing that.”
Ash and Dote also materialized at the far end of the altar with their hands pressed over their ears.
“Red, please stop that!” Dote cried out.
“You’re going to ruin everything,” Ash said.
Ignoring their pleas, Red began to tap her hand as rapidly as she could. A low-pitched humming rang out. The walls and floor began to quake violently. The stained glass windows cracked under the stress. The others were all on their knees in terrible pain. Red wanted to stop more than anything, but feared doing so would give the spell a chance to recover.
Grenda emerged near the altar. “Red, please stop. You’re going to kill us all.”
Red had no doubt that her granny was under a spell. If Grenda were in her right mind, she would have told Red to do anything necessary to ensure Ragnarök didn’t get through the gate. Red had to be willing to sacrifice all of their lives to prevent evil from winning the night. In her heart, she knew that her clan would agree with this choice. Giving up now would only dishonor the vow they had all made.
“Ice Seether, show yourself, or I’ll blow this place to the moon.”
Red slammed a hand down on the stone and didn’t let up. A violent spiraling vortex erupted. It made her head swell with dizziness. Guilt filled her heart when she saw her loved ones lying on the floor in terrible pain, but she just didn’t have any other choice. She looked up and saw that the clock was no longer shifting between the two conflicting times.
It was now counting down from—
5 YEARS / 0 MONTHS / 0 DAYS
0 HOURS / 11 MINUTES / 5 SECONDS
Red locked her arms around the stone as the vortex pulled her feet up into the air. Her clan was sucked up off the floor and began spinning around the chamber. A deep rumbling erupted. Blinding light ignited, making it impossible to see. The quaking was so violent that she feared the temple would crash down at any second.
It all finally ended with a sonic boom. Everything faded to black.
There was nothing other than the sound of dead silence.
Red was quite certain she had reached the end of her path. Then, she flopped to the temple floor. The vortex faded away.
When her eyes came into focus, she saw her clan lying scattered throughout the chamber. They were alive and stirring, as if just waking from a deep sleep.
She looked up at the clock: only six minutes remained.
“Well played, Red Riding.” Ice strutted down the steps of the altar, clutching her jeweled scepter. Her eyes glowed purple with mystical energy. “I must confess that I am quite impressed. I didn’t think you had it in you to take it all the way.”
Red stumbled to her feet. “It’s about time you showed your freak show of a face. I was starting to think you were going to stay in hiding, like a coward.”
Ice giggled. “Red, it’s time for you to stop thinking like a foolish peasant. I wasn’t hiding out of pathetic fear. This was a test, and you passed with flying colors.”
“Right. And I suppose the flock of phantom fairies and werewolves outside were all part of the test, too.”
“Don’t forget about the creepy old goblin, the bridge troll, the fire orcs, and especially the little scuffle with Wolfgang’s mommy.”
Red gasped in disbelief. “No way. That can’t be true.”
“Oh yes it can,” Ice said with a tease. “Ragnarök has been masterminding this since the beginning. And you’ve proven yourself each step of the way. I must admit I had hoped you would fail and I’d get the Alpha Power, but you have proven your right to ascend to the status of royalty. Our master will be quite impressed when he arrives.”
Red snarled. “I sure hope you don’t think I’ll be helping that monster through the gate, because that’s just not going to happen.” She spotted her sword jammed into a wall, much too high for her to reach.
“Awwww! Did my birthday sister lose her little toy?”
“I’ll get it back soon. When I do, it’s going right through your heart, if you have one.”
“Red, do not be like that now. Do yourself a favor and accept the inevitable. Ragnarök will be your master one way or another. The sooner you stop fighting that, the less you will have to suffer.”
“After putting my clan in such terrible danger, he’ll be the one suffering.”
Ice walked over to Prince, still lying on the floor. “It is hilarious to hear you say that, considering how willing you were to sacrifice your so-called clan to defeat my spells.”
“The sacrifice was their own choice.”
“Well then, let us find out how far they are willing to go.” Ice shot a beam of mystical energy from her scepter. A green moonstone embedded in a choker around Prince’s neck ignited with a pulsating purple luminescence. “Just remember that you chose this path. I do hope you can live with it.”
“Ice, don’t do it.” Red watched in fear as the choker began to tighten up around Prince’s throat.
“Release me, wretched witch,” Prince wheezed as he gagged and pulled desperately at the silver chain strangling his throat. It took only seconds before he began to lose his strength and black out.
“Ice Seether, you’re so gonna get it for this!” Red yelled out.
“As if that is ever going to happen,” Ice sneered, as smug as ever.
Ice blasted Red with a beam of mystical energy from her scepter. Red
flew backward several feet and slammed full-force into a wall with a painful thud.
Ice laughed hysterically. “In just over four minutes the moon gate is going to open. You are going to help Ragnarök come back into this world, or I am going to kill your friends.”
Prince looked Red in the eyes. “You can’t let her win, my huntress.” With a final gag, he flopped lifeless to the floor.
“Ice Seether, you’re a monster!” Dote screamed out as she stumbled toward Prince.
She was halfway to him before Red grabbed her. “Dote, let me handle this.”
Dote put her arms around Red and broke into dreadful sobbing. “Red, this is all wrong. You can’t let such evil win. Promise me you’ll make this right.”
“You have my word on it, Dote.”
Ice again laughed. “Do not blame me because things got all out of joint tonight. As you said, the sacrifice was his to make. You chose not to save his life. Now the big question we must ask is who will be next.”
Red gasped in fear as she noticed the others had amulets chained around their necks. “Ice Seether, I’m warning you. Leave this temple, or this will be the last thing you ever do.”
Ice pointed her scepter at Red and Dote. “No, this is your last chance, Red Riding. Do as I say, or watching your precious little loved ones die will be the last thing you do.” She blasted a beam of mystical energy from her scepter.
The amulet around Dote’s neck lit up and squeezed her throat. “You’re going to have to do a lot better than that to take me out.” Dote held out her hands and blasted Ice with an energy vortex.
Ice stumbled off balance and almost dropped her scepter, and in doing so broke the beam that was choking Dote.
“Oh, dear, I nearly forgot the little dodo bird has a bit of spunk to her.” Ice shot an energy blast from her scepter at Dote, this time trapping her inside a mystical bubble.
“Ice, where are you getting all this borrowed power from?” Dote fired an energy vortex from her hand. It rebounded off the inside of the bubble and hit her in the face, knocking her out cold.