Pure horsepower—pun intended—throttles forward. I shriek, squeezing my knees to balance myself. The thundering engine makes a chortling sound. “Hang on tight, young one. I’ll drive.” His laugh puffs through the tailpipe. The wind tears at my exposed skin as I watch the speedometer climb. I hunch, lowering myself below the iffy protection of the tiny windshield as Sleepy angles and tips along the curving roads, dipping so low I feel the heat of the road on my knee. At 220 miles per hour, the world is a moonlit blur of shadows and silhouettes. The heavy fog around Silver Lake College comes into view. We zip through the moisture, racing along the narrow pathways to the acreage of green grass between the dorms and Five Point Forest.
The back tire seizes, sliding us sideways. I scream, closing my eyes, stiffening my muscles to prepare for the road rash when I’m thrown from the bike. Sleepy’s engine silences. Heart pounding in my chest, I cock open one eye, viewing the innocuous college around me. The bike sits next to the sidewalk.
“Guess this is where we part, Sleepy. Too bad you can’t come with me, I could use some brute strength. Thanks for the ride.” I slip off my helmet, hanging it on his bar.
Deep breath in, I lower one foot, moving to hoist the other over the gas tank. Sleipnir’s sleek frame shimmers beneath me. The fairing becomes a thick, thundercloud gray body with a darker shaded mane streaked with pink. Up, up we rise as broad shoulders and haunches sprout eight thick muscular legs.
“Now you’re just flexin’,” I tease. “Seriously badass, Sleepy. Is this your true form?”
“Left a little girly pink for you, but yes, I’m much more intimidating this way. Might I ask what flexin’ means?”
“Oh right, not up on Gen Z slang. It means showing off and, Sleipnir, you stand almost ten feet tall, with the body of a tank and ruins etched into your big ole teeth, pretty sure you’re scary as hell no matter what color you are.”
He huffs smoke through his large nostrils, preening his ginormous head.
A beam of navy and white light towers into the sky from the center of the woods. The jingling of wind chimes rushes us. Windy’s tinkling bells resemble a person fretting and speaking too fast.
“I know, Windy, or, Mom. Damn, I wish we had a way to communicate,” I say, though I don’t know what she’s saying, I understand the urgency behind her rapid chiming.
“The sprite says the people in the woods are preparing to wake your sister,” Sleepy says, translating Windy’s chirps.
“Yes!” I fist pump the air. “Sleepy, you understand Mom?”
“Is M.O.M code for something because you are not a child of air? The wind sprite is quite persistent.”
“Long story, I’ll fill you in later. Windy, how many men are there besides the mage?”
She singsongs a series of high and low tings.
“She can’t see them all without revealing herself. From her vantage point she counts six plus the magic one.”
“Are they all vampires?”
Windy answers, Sleepy translates. “Two vampires stand guard in front of Ranissa. She thinks the others are shifters.”
Her ringing carries off toward the trees. “She said Ranissa’s awake and she must return but urges you to hurry.”
I keep checking over my shoulder for the sound of Elon and the rest of the cavalry to show, but the night stays somber and my heart dies a little. I’ll dwell on it later, when I’m free to breakdown from the chunk of my soul razed by Elon’s absence. For now, I’ll use it as fodder to fuel my anger.
“All right, Sleepy, guess we’re on our own.” I grab a handful of his silky mane, tightening my knees as much as possible against his thick body as I hunker down. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Thick hooves pound the ground, echoing around us with the thunder of an approaching storm. Wind sweeps through my hair and his powerful legs eat up the distance to the tree line quickly. Inside the forest he slows to a walk, silencing the heavy plod of his footsteps. For a monstrous animal, he’s impressively quiet.
Red eyes stare at me from the trees, offering a second of warning before a bloodthirsty vampire drops in our path. Before I even pull my sword, Sleipnir bites off his head turning him to dust.
“Holy shit,” I gasp. “You’re a total boss, Sleepy!” I pat his sweating neck. He doesn’t respond, instead we inch closer to the clearing and the lake.
Somehow this beast of a horse blends with the trees and darkness, allowing us to creep to the edge of the opening, yet stay off the vampire radar. I will have to ask him how he’s masking our scent and presence from a creature who’s able to hear a bug fart.
At the mouth of each pathway through the dense greenery, a Wathe stands guard.
A tall lanky man with stringy hair paces along the surf, keeping his head angled at the sky where the moon is rising. Near the water two hulking red-eyed fiends kick at a crate, yelling for the person inside to wake up. A quick scan of the trees reveals many pairs of glowing eyes. Some red and a few yellow.
The oily-haired man nears the cage. A white line of light leaves his finger, melts over the thin steel bars and electrocutes the person inside. Ranissa’s red dress shimmers in the silver moonlight as her entire body jolts. Her agonized scream ricochets off the trees. My insides roil with hot fury. I tear the Tachi from my waist, moving to dismount.
“Stay, lass. We must strategize first,” Sleepy advises quietly, his colossal body feeding calming energy through my legs.
With my exceptional night vision, I watch her roll onto her butt and wrap her shaking arms around her knees. Her blonde strands hang over her face and tears streak her cheeks, but feral hatred glares from under the curtain of hair.
Nissa, can you hear me? I call, feeling the words travel between us, but when they reach her tiny prison they disintegrate.
Sleepy sniffs the air and his tail flicks, growing longer and longer until it wraps us in a cocoon. My vision clouds as his big body shakes. When the gray and pink fall away, we’re standing in a bright bleached out hallway stretching to infinity and lined with multiple doors. His vast body barely fits in the narrow space, and it’s impossible for me to dismount.
“No, Sleipnir. We can’t leave. Go back. Go!” I scream, freaking out because hiding isn’t helping my sister and we’re almost out of time.
“Relax, young one. This is the hallway of the Aether. Time slows while you’re here. You should know this place of mystical energy; it’s your birthright and the best place to keep weapons. Now is not the time to discuss the holes in your training.”
He snorts displeasure through his nose. “Why do you battle alone?”
I think back over the last weeks to the bond forged between our team, to how protective and caring Elon was. My heart twinges, wondering if it was all a lie designed by Carissa Dumain to collect her last puzzle piece. I don’t know enough about Elon’s ability to charm to understand if he’s capable of twisting my feelings.
Did I give myself to the devil himself and offer my sister on a gilded platter? We were so believing of everything they told us. Could our naivety end Ranissa’s life?
I can’t dwell on the ache or deceit. When this is over, I’ll snuggle up with my sister, demolish several pints of Ben and Jerry’s, and cry out my here, demon of the night, take my heart and virginity stupidity.
“My help is locked in the big cage. She’s the reason you only sense half of your old friend within,” I rattle off the abridged Dummies version of This Is My Life.
“The mage has trapped her with borrowed elven magic. Only he can release her, or upon his death the seal will break.”
“So, take me back and I’ll kill him.”
“He is not easily defeated, young one. If your mind fully opened to Odin’s knowledge, you’d know this. The elves are not ones to trifle with. They’ve bartered with the mage and it requires sacrifice as payment. We must stun the mage long enough to take out his guards. He is an ancient, so he will not stay under for long. The elves protect him, so
until they withdraw, we cannot kill him. The second the Elven Moon passes, he will be vulnerable.”
“But the sacrifice is my sister.”
“No. The elves are warriors, neither good nor bad. Your sister is a necromancer. Payment will be calling upon their dead so they may return home.”
“Ranissa doesn’t know how to summon the dead. He’s shit outta luck.”
“Her blood sings to the lost. From the first drop spilled until the last leaves her body, the long deceased elven will rise. The light elves will return to Ljosalfar with a nod of thanks, but the mage is not interested in the good. For each Dokkalfar—dark elf—resurrected, their borrowed power will fuel the Axis of Odin. He will then tap into the Axis. This is what Carissa will use to supercharge herself. We must stop the Culling.”
“How the hell do I stop it?”
“The water sprite you call Mom. They do not know she’s there. He walks too close to the surf. She must use her ability to tap into the Axis to shock him. Once he’s down, I will assuage the shifters along the entrances and you take out the two vampires near your sister.”
“What about the Wathes hanging out in the trees?”
“Once the fighting starts most will flee, especially once they see me. We will handle whatever remains. If the Culling starts, you must end your sister’s life swiftly or the world will fall into chaos.”
“We are two halves of one whole, Sleepy. If she dies, I die and Odin dies with us. And I will never kill my own fucking twin sister.”
“Of course, Odin would use this trickery. I don’t suppose you’ve acquired his spear?”
“Nope,” I pop the P.
He lowers his head, flicking his ears, releasing a rib-depressing sigh. “Very well, call out to the sprite. Move quick and swift, young one. As you say, let’s go kick some ass.”
“Save the cheerleader, save the world!” I fist the air. His head swivels, offering me one confused blinking eye. “When we survive this, I’m holding a pop culture reference binge watch so all you old farts will understand what the hell I’m saying.”
He snorts a chortle, but my grin fades when I remember he’s now the only old fart I have in my corner.
Once again, he transports us in a swirl of horsehair, materializing us precisely where we were. I call out to Mom, asking for her to shock the shit out of the mage the minute his toes touch where the water plays on the shore. I slip off Sleepy’s back into a crouch. My eyes gauge the distance between us and my targets. The minute Sleipnir begins his charge; the mothersuckers closest to Ranissa will go on full alert. I look up into the trees, wondering if I can branch swing but the beasties hanging out up there are too much of a risk.
“Sleepy, I’m gonna need you to buck me over there.” He lowers himself to allow me up.
I’ve got you covered, young one. Are you ready?
I inhale a deep breath, switching out my long sword for my shorter katanas. My muscles tense with power as I exhale, nodding my head. “Yes, let’s…”
The loud thump of bass rattles the trees. A roaring engine and the beat of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” cuts through the night. Thick smoke cloaks the area. I look to see what’s causing the commotion.
Sunshine yellow magic parts the trees, making room for the charging appearance of a badass Rezvani Tank. Smoke pours from the back of it when it skids to a stop.
I’d admire Lex’s flair for arriving in style if my heart weren’t beating out of my chest at the sight of Elon riding shotgun.
Off to my side, I see a huge black wolf with blue strips gleaming in the moonlight, sneaking behind the freaking out shifters rushing the tank.
NOW, NICOLE! My mom shouts in my head as my body vanishes and I hear a sizzle resembling the sound of a bug zapper frying a big bug. The mage drops as I appear in front of the vampires.
Sleepy charges, taking down one shifter mid-charge. Geri in her wolf form faces off with the lion. Kerrigan and Dusty spring into the trees to deal with stragglers who don’t run. Sleipnir joins after he bites off the head of the shifter. Lex stays in the tank, working his mojo to keep the yellow glow bright enough to blind the vampires.
Elon speeds to my side, wearing black glasses over his eyes to protect them from Lex’s spell.
My eyes meet his reflective lenses, “You didn’t really think I’d let you do this by yourself, did you, Love? I thought it’d take you a bit longer to get here since I hid the keys. Didn’t count on your beast of a horse showing up. Damn Sleipnir.”
A snarky retort hangs on my tongue, but a kick to my back steals it as I fly into a tree. My spine cracks and bark rips the skin from my cheek. As fast as the injuries appear, they heal. Breathless and tingling with Eirika’s Valkyrie energy, I push forward.
Elon’s tangled in a battle of snapping fangs with the beefier of the two vamps. While I jump on the back of the one who sent me sailing.
“It’s not nice to interrupt a conversation.” I seethe, grabbing a handful of his long dark hair. He twists and arches, but my spider monkey hold won’t break. Round and round we circle until again he slams me into a tree, jarring my hold in the second it takes for me to heal.
He lunges to bite my neck; I throw up my arm in time for his teeth to sink into the meat of my forearm. As he withdrawals I spin, kicking him in the chest. From my periphery, I watch the punctures seal.
Damn Eirika’s quick, and I swear every time she takes my injuries she leaves behind a bit of power.
My katanas fell when I hit the first thick trunk, so instead, I pull my Tachi. It makes the most awesome whizzing noise when I swish it through the air. The vamp is not as impressed as I am by the sound. He’s in full bumpy face, red-eyed beast mode, with long fangs dripping with my blood. In a blur he zips behind me, grabbing a handful of my hair, but this time he yanks my head so hard the muscles tear.
Feet spread, I twist so we’re facing the tree. Hand holding his arm bracing me to his chest, I kick my feet using the trunk to bicycle my legs until I’m in an aerial landing behind him. Sword to his throat, I hold him the same as he did me.
I should chop off his head and finish him, but for some reason I hesitate, opting to stake him instead. While I’m pulling it from my back pocket, he bucks once again biting my arm.
“Stop fucking biting me, fangfucker.” I drag my flesh from his mouth, feeling something different coursing through me. My limbs grow weak. Before I lose my grip on him, “Let’s see how you like it,” I sass, sinking my teeth into him. Elon shouts, but his blood in my mouth blocks it.
Blissed out euphoria turns my eyesight blurry. Eirika’s influence tries to stop whatever’s happening, but the blood power is too strong and I can’t stop drinking.
My heart pounds in my ears. I barely detect thundering hooves before I’m dislodged. Trapped in delirium, I watch Elon grab the vampire. He’s yelling about drinking from another’s mate, but I’m too high to understand it all. Before the darkness at the edge of my vision consumes me, the fighting around me vanishes.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Greenery and lush flora surround me. My funky haze fades as I lean against a tree trunk thick as a semi-truck. Overhead, gorgeous black roses stand against deep jade leaves.
Impossible, yes, especially when I look closer at the blooms seeing a white center spreading to the ebony tips. And the gigantic sign of this isn’t reality is how roses do not grow on trees.
In the distance the sun silhouettes a man striding through the swaying meadow. As he grows closer, I notice his broad shoulders, muscular arms, and thick thighs. Long blond hair hangs on his chest, matching the waving curl of his wheat-colored lengthy beard. He’s decked out in soft white linen from the light see-through fabric of a flowy shirt to the breezy hang of his pants. His long bare feet leave prints in the plush grass as he nears.
The blinding light behind his head hides his features until he sinks to sit across from me under the shade of the tree. One eye is hidden under a black patch but the other golden brown orb assesses me beneath
his heavy, pale brows. The narrow line of his nose splits his twin caterpillars ending in a thin point. I think his lips tick up on one side, but it’s hard to see under the hang of his bushy mustache.
“Hello, Granddaughter. Seems you’ve gotten yourself in a pickle. I’m resistant to many things, but the venom of a Berserker is not one of them. It’s bad enough that fickle bitch Fate mated you with one. Just can’t find good loyal followers these days.”
My eyes grow huge and a chuckle tickles my throat from his candor. “Odin?”
“Who were you expecting, my child? Thor? I promise he is not the hottie the movies have made him out to be. You may call me Granddad.”
I can’t keep the laugh in now. This man is not the higher power I imagined, he’s much cooler. “So my uncle isn’t a Hemsworth? Huh, interesting. As great as all this is, Granddad,” I snark, his name on my lips feels off. “I don’t have time right now. Kind of in the middle of an apocalypse.”
“Pshaa,” he waves his hand. “I slowed time to a crawl the second vampire venom entered your veins. I’m not totally useless.”
“That’s yet to be seen,” I mumble under my breath. He must hear me because he cocks a disapproving brow in the way only a parent or grandparent can. I offer a sly smile, clearing my throat. “Where are we and if you have these abilities, why do you need Ranissa and me?”
“This is the Yggdrasil. It once was the heart of the nine kingdoms. Like Fate tasked your mother with protecting the lake, I sustain the tree. We all do our parts. My time expended as it should’ve but Destiny knew I’d be needed again, thus why she captured the essential parts of me before I lost my last battle. She could’ve used it on any number of descendants along the way, perhaps quelling the darkness when it first spread but she knew who could wield it best. I’ll give the crazy bitch credit, splitting it between you and your sisters is genius I never would’ve thought of. Now for why you’re here.”
His words crawl around in my head, but one word screeches it all to a halt. “Wait, wait, wait. Did you just say sisters, as in plural, as in over one? What kind of fuckery are you trying, old man?”
A Cursed All Hallows' Eve Page 94