Freya Snow Pup Trilogy

by L. C. Mawson

  The troops rallied in front of her, giving her a little breathing room, though not much. If they were going to hold the Knowledge Spring, the reinforcements were going to have to arrive soon.

  “How do things look?” she yelled at her commander, her hands speaking the words as much as her mouth.

  The lanky woman, with dark skin and jet black curls, shook her head. Freya felt that it was a shame that she didn’t know Sarah on Earth, but she was glad enough for her help in this realm.

  “Once again, I am going to protest your insistence on being in the field yourself,” Sarah told her with her hands. “Though, I doubt you will listen.”

  “You’re right on that account,” Freya replied with a smile. “I will not ask of my people what I am not willing to give of myself.”

  “And when you die, this all will have been for nought.”

  “We don’t have time to rehash old arguments,” Freya told her simply. “What if Damon doesn’t get here in time?”

  Sarah sighed. “Then the battle is lost. Melody and I will extract you, even if it means knocking you out and dragging you from the field.”

  Freya glared at her.

  Sarah returned the glare. “You may be frivolous with your life, but I take my duty to the Queens-guard more seriously than that.”

  Luckily, before they argued further, there was the familiar sound of the horn, signalling the arrival of their reinforcements.

  “I knew he wouldn’t let me down,” Freya said, more to herself than anyone else, as the forces in front of them directed their attack to the force at their backs.

  It didn’t take long for them to decimate their foe, even with Melody choosing to focus on unlocking the Spring, rather than help them with the clean-up.

  “My Queen,” Damon greeted as he finally approached, bowing.

  She responded by flinging herself into his arms, despite the way their armour clanged, kissing him enthusiastically.

  “My Prince,” she said with a smile as she pulled away. “They did it.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Are you completely ignoring the fact that this was your plan?”

  “No, no, I don’t mean the battle. I mean on Earth. The other us. They did it. They’re finally together.”

  “And they know?”

  She shook her head. “Not everything. Not yet.” She sighed. “I hope they figure it out. I don’t know how much longer things can go on like this. Until she accepts her heritage... I am all but powerless.”

  “Hey, we won the battle today,” he reminded her.

  “But, even with the knowledge of the Spring, we won’t be able to beat your father in this war. Not without her.”

  “The perils of living in a reflection.”

  Freya grimaced. It was hard, knowing that nothing they did really mattered. That they were at the mercy of the choices made by their counterparts. She used to think that it was so sad that everyone else walked around the Realm with no idea of the lives they were living elsewhere. Now she thought their ignorance must be a blessing. As much as she had needed to share her burden, she hated that she had told Damon the truth. She didn’t want to lie to him, but the truth was hard to bear.

  “Hey,” Damon said softly, realising where her thoughts were. “You said that they’re figuring it out. It won’t be long now.”

  “It had better not be,” she said as she held her arms close to her chest. “Right now, my only consolation is that they can’t kill me here while she’s awake.”

  “Come on, let’s get to the Spring. Once you have found what you need, we can go home.”

  Freya hesitated with her smile.

  “What is it?” Damon asked.

  “Ever since Ku and Juni left... I wonder if I did the right thing. The more our home feels like the palace it once was, the less it feels like home.”

  “We could always leave,” Damon offered, surprising her. “We could ride off into the sunset and never look back. We don’t have to wear these crowns if we don’t want to.”

  “And what of the chaos that would follow?”

  “You don’t owe the world anything, Freya. Especially not your life.”

  “I may not have a choice.”

  “You always have a choice,” he insisted.

  “And what about you? I won’t drag you along if you don’t want to follow me.”

  “I’ll always follow you, my Queen.”

  Chapter Seven

  Freya woke up late that morning feeling more well rested than she had in weeks.

  Apparently, neither of her foster parents had noticed that she hadn’t woken up before they had left for work, for which she was glad. She still had time to meet Damon, and she had needed the extra few hours.

  She flew around her room - literally, for a few moments, until she noticed and dropped back to the floor - struggling to figure out what to wear. She didn’t exactly have a lot of clothes that took wings into account. Glamours could make Humans think they weren’t there, but they couldn’t convince clothing.

  After several raids through her cupboard, she eventually settled on a silk black vest, with a back low enough to tuck under her wings, and a black and white striped skirt. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and applied her makeup carefully. She never really had reason enough to put the energy into looking good, and she was happy for the excuse.

  She eventually pulled on her leather jacket and black boots before shifting into town.

  “I was wondering when you would show.”

  Freya turned to see Damon waiting for her. He was wearing his usual black jeans, but had replaced his t-shirt with a short-sleeve button-down shirt.

  He offered up his arm and she linked hers through.

  “You look beautiful,” Damon told her.

  She rolled her eyes. “Flatterer.”

  He smirked. “I’ve actually been wanting to tell you that for the longest time, so forgive me if I feel the need to note it every now and then.”

  She found herself blushing. “Well, then. You look quite handsome yourself. And your arse looks damn fine in those jeans.”

  He laughed. “Really?”

  She shook her head. “I may have stared more than a few times. I can’t help it.”

  “Where do you want to go for lunch?” Damon asked her as she realised that it was getting close to noon.

  She shrugged before something occurred to her. “Oh! I know just the place! Mel and I helped them with a curse a rival restaurant placed on them.”

  Damon raised an eyebrow. “And they’ll serve Demons? Not all Light establishments are kind.”

  Freya shrugged. “They’re Płaczka, so it should be fine.”

  Damon frowned. “Aren’t they a kind of Fae?”

  “Yeah. Dream Fae. They’re not usually the nice kind, but Tesia and her family have been trying to live peacefully on Earth for a while now. Not all of the Fae have been super eager to get behind Peter’s plans.”

  “Peter?”

  Freya sighed. “My great-uncle. And the one behind the fairy tale mess last year. He’s got a whole, ‘let the other realms burn so we can claim the ashes’ thing going on.”

  Damon’s frown deepened. “Shouldn’t someone be keeping an eye on that?”

  She shrugged. “Mel’s Coven Head told the Council of Light and they promised to share the information with the Demons. She says they all think Peter’s just talk.”

  “And what do you think?”

  “I think that I halted his plans, but I certainly didn’t stop anything permanently. I have no idea what he’s capable of without me in his plans, but I wouldn’t want to underestimate him.”

  “No... I imagine not. Is everything that happens to you so dramatic?”

  She shrugged. “Only on particularly bad days. So, want to go to Tesia’s or not?”

  “Lead the way.”

  AS SOON AS THEY ENTERED the restaurant, the young woman at the door gave a happy cry.

  “Freya! You’re back!” After a moment she did a doub
le take. “And you have wings! Why do you have wings?

  Freya shrugged, glad that the truth spell only worked between her and Damon. “Spell gone wrong.”

  The woman smirked as she tucked her blonde hair behind her slightly pointed ears. She didn’t bother glamouring them with her own wings.

  “And you brought a friend.”

  “This is Damon,” Freya introduced. “Damon, this is Aurele.”

  “Oh? Is he your date?”

  Freya blushed furiously.

  “Actually, I am,” Damon told her.

  Aurele let out an excited squeal before leading them to a secluding corner, lighting the candles with a wave of her hand.

  “Want any drinks?” she asked as they sat down. “We’ve got a nice merlot.”

  Freya grinned. One of the benefits of having magic, Mel had told her when they had first visited, was that Human laws could often be taken as simply a suggestion.

  “We’re underage,” Damon said, seemingly taken aback.

  Freya frowned. “You drink with your friends all the time.”

  “Yeah, but more surreptitiously.”

  Aurele sighed with an eye roll. “You have Demonic blood, if I’m not mistaken. One glass of wine won’t even make you tipsy.”

  “I won’t drink if you don’t want to,” Freya told him.

  He shook his head. “No, I just... was surprised.”

  “Not used to dining in magical establishments?” Aurele asked him.

  He shrugged. “My uncle tends to keep a bit of a tight leash on me.”

  “I’ll bring you some wine while you look at the menu,” Aurele said before leaving them alone.

  “Amber kept a tight leash on me too,” Freya admitted. “But then she realised that Ms Pearson was going to die and, well, she saw the need for me to be able to interact with other magical beings.”

  “Wait, who is Amber? What does she have to do with our teacher dying?”

  “Oh, Amber is my guardian. She’s a ghost, and she possessed Ms Pearson to keep an eye on me.”

  Damon raised an eyebrow. “A ghost? Trapped in this realm?”

  “Yeah. I’m not exactly sure how she convinced Death to let her stay. I mean, she made a promise to my mother, but Mel reckons that it shouldn’t have held the power that she claims it does. Especially since her death severed her connection to the Ancient...”

  “You mean... Amber is that Amber? Our old teacher was the most powerful being of last century besides the Angel Twilight?”

  “Well, I mean, is it really that surprising?” Freya quickly glanced around before drawing up a soundproof charm around them. “I mean, I am her last descendant. Not that she told me that...”

  Damon shook his head. “Yep, that definitely beats me being the heir to the Demon King...”

  “Yeah, I tend to forget who Amber is. Also, it’s more the Demon part of Demon King that would probably concern people.”

  “Yeah, you haven’t really... Are you sure you’re okay with that?” Damon ventured, clearly nervous.

  “You mean, am I okay with the rest of your family being Demons?”

  He nodded.

  “I... Yeah. I think I am. I mean, I know Gregor. The fact that he’s a Demon doesn’t change how nice he’s been to me over the years.”

  “And have you thought about my offer? If your foster parents kick you out, I mean.”

  Freya blinked, caught off guard.

  “Jamie texted me this morning. She knew that you had been upset, and her mum knew that Margaret is pregnant, so she was worried that you might be worried about being sent away. After what you said when you got your exam results...”

  “I... You really meant that?”

  He frowned. “Of course. I said it, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah, but I just assumed you were being nice. I mean, just logistically...”

  “Who needs logistics? We have magic. And there’s no way my uncle wouldn’t agree, even if you told him that you’re the Angel. He thinks you’re great. Both versions of you.”

  Freya sighed, mulling it over. “What if this doesn’t work?” she eventually asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

  Damon raised an eyebrow before realising what she meant. “Us being together?”

  She nodded. “What if we break up?”

  “Freya, you’ve been my friend for years. I’m not going to leave you homeless just because us dating doesn’t work out.”

  She gave a hum to indicate that she didn’t quite believe him, but she nodded. It wasn’t as if she had much choice, and this seemed like she was perhaps thinking too far ahead.

  “Alright then,” she eventually said. “Though, I guess we should see how things shake out with my foster parents.”

  “Have you talked to them about it?”

  She shook her head. “They don’t even know that I know.” She sighed before he could say anything else, deciding to change the subject. “So, hey. There’s something I don’t get.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know much about the Demon hierarchy-”

  “Isn’t that irresponsible when you fight them?”

  “Look, I don’t have time to learn every aspect of the magical world. That’s like trying to learn every aspect of global history, geography and politics.

  “Anyway, Mel’s book said that the King has Royal Blood. It’s supposedly this thing where Demons have to obey the King’s orders and can’t hurt him, right?”

  “Right.”

  “But it’s genetic, and not extended through marriage. So, your aunt doesn’t have it. That’s why she has such difficulty ruling when the King’s not around.”

  Damon nodded. “So what is it you don’t get?”

  “How will you manage it? I mean, you don’t have Royal Blood either, right?”

  Damon looked away awkwardly at that. “In all honesty, I don’t know. My aunt seems to have a plan, but she’s not too forthcoming with the details. I’m pretty sure that means that whatever she has in mind has a high probability of killing me.”

  Freya’s eyes widened.

  “There’s a reason they needed me, Freya. They need someone as strong as I am. I don’t know, maybe she’s going to try to recreate the spell that originally gave Royal Blood its powers, though that was lost long ago...”

  “But why doesn’t your aunt and the King just have a child? I mean, even if it’s a political marriage, I’m pretty sure if they never ended in children, the aristocracy would have died out long ago.”

  Damon nodded, leaning in a little, despite the sound dampening charm.

  “The King was almost killed years ago. He’s dying, Freya. Whatever it is that’s killing him stops him from passing his magic down as well. He can’t have children.”

  “And he’s really the only one of Royal Blood left?”

  Damon nodded. “They keep meticulous records of everyone born with it, and there’s no one else left. The War saw to that.”

  “Damn,” Freya muttered.

  Damon frowned. “Freya, he’s the only thing keeping the Demons in line. So many want revenge for the War.”

  “But the War never happened!”

  “It never happened on Earth,” Damon corrected her. “The Humans get to pretend it never happened. They all get to live. For the rest of us, it was a genocide.”

  “So when the King dies...?”

  “Most believe that, with the element of surprise, they can enslave the Humans. Make Earth like Eden all over again.”

  Freya frowned. She vaguely remembered reading about Eden in some beginner’s guide to magic that Mel had lent her. It had been the first attempt at this Creation. No other realms, just Eden, where Light and Dark creatures warred for territory, as well as the Human slaves within it.

  If one of the Ancients hadn’t interfered, it would have simply continued on like that for eternity. As it was, the Creator came back and created the Earth and all of the other realms as a clean slate.

  Freya groaned, shaking her he
ad. “First Peter, now this. It’s like the world wants to end.”

  “Well, some theorise that that’s actually the case.”

  Freya couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

  “I mean, the Vulcan Plains fell to the Shadows over a century ago. The whole Creation shifted out of balance when that happened. The seal won’t hold forever, Freya. And, even if it does, Creation can’t sustain itself like this. Something will eventually give.”

  Freya raised an eyebrow. “This seems like something people should be working to fix.”

  “Most had faith that the Big Three would handle it. And, when they delivered the Angel Twilight, everyone was sure that she was their plan. That they had manipulated events to bring this woman of astronomical power into being. And she did manage to stop a crack in the seal. But then she killed herself. It seemed as if the Three hadn’t put any thought into the toll that kind of power can take on a person.”

  “And then she made sure no others could follow in her footsteps,” Freya figured.

  “Well, except for you.”

  Freya shook her head. “Nope. Day off, remember? No more talk of Angels.”

  Damon nodded. “I figured as much,” he assured her before deciding to change the subject. “I forgot to ask, how did the sleep potion work?”

  Freya tugged at her pendant as she realised that she would have to explain about the Shadow Realm.

  So much for her day off.

  Part of her almost missed Amber’s coddling if life was this constantly hectic without it. But then, maybe it was just a build-up of the crap that Amber had spent so long keeping at bay.

  “I dreamed,” she eventually said.

  “And?”

  She shook her head. “I normally don’t remember much of my dreams. When I dream... I travel to the Shadow Realm.”

  His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “The Shadow Realm? I thought that required intense levels of magic. You do it every night?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t really know exactly how or why. I just do. But I never remember when I wake.”

  “And you did tonight?”

  She nodded. “I have once before as well. When I was under the sleeping curse. I started getting flashes after, but nothing vivid again until last night.