Forged by Greed

by Angela Orlowski-Peart

  “Now go find Tyrrell. And stay close to him. He was matched with a very powerful enhancing Spirit too,” Jatred’s mother said in his mind.

  He wanted to ask about the battle, and why they died on that plane ten years ago, and about so many other things. He wanted to know if their death was caused by Amber, as he suspected, and which college he should choose. But they had already shrunk to their comet-like forms and zoomed off toward the Goddess, leaving him confused. She must have summoned them. “All of them,” Jatred added aloud, seeing thousands of tiny fire balls hurriedly following his parents to where Crystal stood with the first Royal couple by her side.

  “Jatred!” Bogdan ran to him with Lusia, Erik, and Georgeta in tow. Andy, Ivona, and both of Lusia’s parents were right behind them. A moment later Erik and Georgeta’s parents joined them.

  Bogdan bumped fists with Jatred, grinning. Erik did the same. Lusia and Georgeta ran up to him and hugged him fiercely.

  “So you all got enhancing Spirits?” Jatred asked.

  Everyone confirmed, and Andy gently grasped Jatred’s upper arm. “We can’t find Tyrrell. But I’m sure he’s somewhere close.”

  Jatred told them about how he fleetingly saw his uncle at home, right after retrieving the Amulet from the vault, and about Crystal summoning him back to the Realm.

  “We got summoned all of the sudden too. One moment we were at the house, and the next we were in the Realm,” Ivona said somberly. “It’s happening, just as we were afraid it would.”

  “Crystal said that Amber’s got the army and will fight. The army!” Jatred exclaimed. “What army? Summer Shifters? Why would we want to fight them? We know so many of them, some are even friends. Are we the army too?” Fleetingly, he thought about Jasmira.

  Andy’s composed voice clashed with Jatred’s. “We are the army. And so are the Goddess’s Garhanans. All of the enhancing Spirits have been chosen by Crystal from among the best and the bravest. But you need to be close to Tyrrell.”

  “The Garhanans.” Jatred spat the words as if they tasted bad in his mouth. He shook his head and added, “My parents said I have to find Tyrrell too. They were here, in the Realm.” Jatred felt calm again.

  “Yes, all our ancestors are here.” Erik’s father stood by his son and daughter, his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “We spoke briefly with some of ours too.”

  Panic washed through Erik when he thought about Penelope, for sure summoned to fight on the Summer’s side. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth.

  “Wait.” Bogdan stepped closer to his father, a look of dread flickering through his features. “Dad, the Garhanans? Why?”

  Andy sighed and smiled a sad smile. “What we are facing now is not just the Race Historians’ debate, not book knowledge. We are going to a real battle.” He shrugged, trying to appear unmoved by his own words for the sake of others. “Son, you don’t know it yet, but, because of your enhancing Spirit, right now you possess skills, knowledge, and powers that have never, and may never again, be known to you. Trust the Spirit. He or she will guide you. You won’t even need to think how and what to do. You are a warrior now. We all are.”

  “The Garhanans blindly follow the Goddess’s orders. They will fight not against us but with us,” Ivona added. Somehow she looked bigger, tougher than usual. Her motherly smile was gone. The softness around her eyes had vanished, replaced by cold determination.

  “Wow, you both make it sound like this is not a big deal. Hello, is nobody freaking out about all this?” Bogdan looked genuinely baffled. “Mom?” he peered closely at her, but she turned her head, listening.

  “Tyrrell is coming,” she announced.

  Everyone followed the direction of her gaze.

  In his mind, Jatred heard Tyrrell shouting his name. He rushed away from the group, pushing through the crowd of Shifters. “Uncle!” he bellowed. “Here. Uncle.”

  Tyrrell’s chocolate-colored face appeared in the surrounding assembly of Winter Shifters. He looked relieved when he spotted Jatred, and soon they embraced, laughing in each other’s arms. Finally, Tyrrell held Jatred at arm’s length. “I was so scared. You disappeared from the house in an instant. I didn’t know what the Goddess’s intentions were.”

  “But she summoned you right after, yes?”

  “Yes, she did. And every Winter Shifter on the planet, as I see. Son… I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.” Tyrrell’s voice momentarily cracked. He cleared his throat, tears welling up in his eyes. He fiercely hugged Jatred, fighting back the tears. Finally, he smiled sadly and said, “You’ve got a strong and clever enhancing Spirit inside you. I can feel him.”

  “You can feel him?”

  “Of course. And if you concentrate, you will feel mine. She’s one of the best warriors in the history of our Race.”

  “She?”

  “Yes. In fact, she’s your direct ancestor. The first Royal couple’s daughter.” Tyrrell’s face relaxed. His large hands still held Jatred’s shoulders.

  Jatred peered into his uncle’s eyes for a few quiet moments, and then broke into a wide smile. “I can feel her too. Damn, she’ll kick some major butt. Wait…” Jatred’s brows knitted together in concentration. “Man, it’s one big family—my Spirit is yours great great grandson. Oh, he’s anxious to fight.”

  By then they noticed that the rest of their friends had formed a tight circle around them. Andy clasped Tyrrell’s hand, and so did Erik’s and Lusia’s fathers. One by one, Georgeta, Lusia, and each of the mothers hugged Tyrrell.

  “It’s time,” Jatred said, turning his face to where in the distance Crystal stood on a hill top. “We’ll get the weapons now. The Goddess wants to speak with me.”

  Bogdan opened his mouth to protest, but a calm look came over his face when his enhancing Spirit took over his emotions. He nodded in agreement and, together with the rest of their party, followed Jatred. A colorful sea of tens of thousands of Shifters parted in the middle to let the Winter Prince pass. Most of them have never seen him in person, but the Spirits of the Realm made sure everyone recognized Jatred and pledged their loyalty to him.

  The Winter Goddess kept her iris-free eyes on Jatred. Her skin was covered in even more red and black tattoos than before and gleamed silver, outlining her body in a gently pulsing halo. The tattoos moved in a slow, sinuous motion over her skin.

  He heard her voice in his head, “Prince Jatred. Trust the enhancing Spirit. He is your ancient ancestor, just like the Spirit assigned to your guardian, Tyrrell. Your power, speed, and skills are tremendously augmented, and so are those of all your Shifters. Be strong for your Race and your Goddess.”

  Jatred’s heart started to hammer in his chest, but his enhancing Spirit calmed him down. Crystal kept her eyes on Jatred, watching him closely. He asked her with his mind, raising a strong mental shield so nobody but her could hear, “Why can’t this be resolved peacefully? Why do we have to fight the Summer Shifters? Some of them are our friends—”

  “You think of me as a monster. I do not want this fight either, Prince Jatred. But there is no other way. She won’t have it any other way.” The Winter Goddess’s voice was quiet and sad.

  “You mean Amber?”

  “I tried to stop her. I erased your memories about Jasmira to prevent the scale of the Universal powers tipping to the Summer side. I even tried to kill Jasmira in the earthquake—”

  “What?” Jatred bellowed.

  “I knew you wouldn’t understand. And there is no time for a lengthy explanation. The Summer Princess’s house had Amber’s protection, just like all my Shifters have my protection. I found a way to destroy a part of the mansion during the earthquake. But she escaped unharmed. The old Queen, Jasmira’s guardian, was injured, though. I doubt she was able to join Amber’s army today. Jasmira is there without her guardian. You must stay away from the Summer Princess. And, most of all, stay away from Amber. She will try to repair the damage I’ve caused.”

  “I am not going to hurt Jasmira
, or anyone else.”

  Crystal loomed over Jatred. He saw a flash of rage the moment she spoke, her completely black eyes opened wide. “Summer creatures of torment are dangerous. You will have to fight them. I will keep Amber away from you. But don’t forget this: she will try to restore the memories that I had erased, so you and the Summer Princess remember the love you both shared. This is Amber’s only chance to gain control over the unleashed powers of the Universe. If she succeeds… this world will never be the same. And your Race will cease to exist.”

  Jatred didn’t say anything, just clenched his jaws.

  “Now go and join your Shifters. You are their King.” The Goddess nodded to him, and then looked over the thousands of Shifters, all in their human forms.

  She addressed them, her voice thunderous and commanding, “Your Spirits will choose the best weapons and tactics for the battle. Rely on the Spirits, trust and embrace them. They will lead and protect you. Their ancient knowledge and skills are unparalleled, and they will give you courage and power. Now look inside you and let the Spirits guide you.”

  As if on cue, all the Shifters closed their eyes. Silence descended over the Realm. Tiny snowflakes started to fall, landing on faces, shoulders, hair, and clothes. A strange aura of calmness came upon them. Some held hands; some raised their arms and faces up to the cloudless sky. Crystal inhaled deeply, closing her eyes too.

  And then everything happened so quickly. A blast of freezing wind whipped through the Realm and whirled the walls of snow around the army of Winter Shifters. Thousands of voices joined in an ancient hymn. Words whispered by the Spirits of the Realm in language long-forgotten, carried over the chorus. The Goddess’s chanting rose and fell above it all. Her voice was strong and clear, the words of an archaic form of Gaelic uttered in precision and filled with powers known only to her.

  CHAPTER 55

  Human World, November 18, before midnight.

  Jasmira woke with a jolt. She lay in a recliner by her grandmother’s bed. They were in one of the private rooms in Saint Andrew’s hospital. The room was small but tastefully furnished. A beautiful vase with a large bouquet of fresh white roses adorned an antique table in the corner.

  Jousenne was deep asleep. Her chest rhythmically rose and fell under a burgundy cashmere blanket. Jasmira felt sad and scared. She touched her grandmother’s hand, enjoying the familiar feeling of her skin. Sudden panic clutched her chest, and the room spun in front of her eyes. She tried to scream but she couldn’t find her voice. Red and yellow flames swirled around her in a compact mass of fire. The intensifying heat singed the spinning air.

  Jasmira’s feet landed with a thump on the grass in the Summer Realm’s meadow. She lost her balance and tumbled down, onto the field of flowers. Sweet fragrance of the blossoms and the buzzing of insects enfolded her. She blinked, confused, and shielded her eyes from the bright sun, high up in the sky.

  I’m in the Summer Realm? Jasmira quickly got up and turned around, her speed preternatural. Amber and the first Royal couple looked at her from a few yards away. Banafrit and Hêtshepsu were in their leopard forms, huge and imposing. The Summer Goddess stood over ten feet tall. A long tight tunic accentuated her slim body. Her head wasn’t human, but instead was that of a snarling lion. Amber was the Egyptian Goddess, Bastet, and she was mad. She did nothing to disguise her anger.

  Jasmira instinctively took a step back. Dread washed through her, and her throat constricted. She turned her head from side to side, trying to see what might have upset Amber so much. But the serenity of the Realm was unchanged, and there was nobody else besides her, the Goddess, and the pair of ancient leopards.

  “Princess Jasmira,” she heard Amber’s voice in her head. “Why is Jousenne not healed yet?”

  “I… I… don’t really… know.” Jasmira was shaking from fear. “It was the earthquake. Grandma broke her hip.”

  “It was Crystal, not the earthquake!” the Goddess thundered. “She broke my protection over your house. I am still angry with you, because you failed to keep Jatred in my Realm. I had such a perfect plan. And you ruined it. You stupid girl.”

  Jasmira winced. This was a new side of Amber that she had never before experienced. She chanced asking, stalling for time, “What was your plan?”

  The Summer Goddess regarded her in silence and said, “I told you before. You and the Winter Prince have to be together. This is the only way to capture the ten-thousand-year powers of the Universe. To give your Race the ultimate power.”

  “You mean, give you the ultimate power. So you can rule over this world.” Jasmira couldn’t believe her own bravery. She was still trembling, frightened.

  A terrifying roar was the answer to her blatant statement. “Don’t test me, Princess Jasmira!”

  Jasmira balled her hands into fists to keep them from shaking. Her nails dug into the flesh of her palms. Sweat ran down her back, soaking into the fabric of her shirt.

  Amber folded her arms across her chest and smirked, looking at Jasmira. Her eyes were the color of young leaves. They didn’t have any pupils. “Conveniently, you and the Winter Prince live close to one another. You go to the same school. You are the same age. And you fell in love with each other right in time. Everything was going according to my plan from the beginning. I got rid of your parents and his parents. They were useless. I needed the Royal heads of each Race to be together. It was impossible to make it happen with them. I needed only you and Jatred. If only Crystal hadn’t messed it all up.”

  “I trusted you. You were like a mother to me. You greedy murderer—”

  “Oh, the drama. Cut it out.” Amber waved her hand dismissively, interrupting Jasmira. “Your role is to serve me and your Race.”

  Jasmira’s face twisted in rage, and she opened her mouth to shout, but three enhancing Spirits of the Summer Realm appeared from nowhere and dashed toward her. She saw them but didn’t have time to react before one of them entered her body, outlining it for a quick moment in a silver-like aura. Jasmira shuddered, and her rage immediately gave way to poise.

  “Much better.” The Summer Goddess smiled. “Now, my daughter, listen carefully. The enhancing Spirit of the Realm will make you strong. He will give you unmatched skills and strength. Focus now on connecting with the Spirit. Let him lead you. He is my best warrior. He will keep you safe.”

  Jasmira nodded, confused. She tried to remember why she was so angry before, but she gave up and concentrated. Her own thoughts and feelings mixed with the unknown—with those of the enhancing Spirit of the Realm. He had a strong hold on her, calming any fear that tried to resurface.

  The first Royal couple trotted toward Jasmira, their watchful eyes on her face. Right in front of her, the ancient leopards turned to the side and passed her. She turned to look. A huge crowd of Shifters stood a few yards behind. And even more were arriving. Jasmira took in the multitude of Summer Shifters summoned by the Goddess. They came from many countries.

  There were tens of thousands of them; white and dark-skinned, adults and teenagers, some looking scared, some simply curious, the others—completely in awe, seeing the Summer Realm for the first time. Most of them could never envision becoming the warriors in a place that looked more like a fantasy movie, so different from their twenty-first century lives. The enhancing Spirits of the Realm raced about, looking for the matches and entering Shifters’ bodies.

  One of the Spirits zoomed around Jasmira. It stretched and grew, until it became reminiscent of a woman. Her dark skin shimmered as if sprinkled with gold. She said in a rush, “My daughter. I can’t stay with you. The Goddess can’t see me here. But I will try to protect you in the battle. And so will your father—“

  “Mom,” Jasmira gasped. She tried to touch Asteron, but her hands slipped through her mother’s ethereal body.

  “Listen to me. Stay as far from Amber as you can. Run, hide, do whatever you can. And do not let her get you close to the Winter Prince. I have to go. I love you so much.”

  Jasmira
wanted to run after Asteron. But her mother quickly disappeared. Jasmira’s enhancing Spirit calmed her anxiety.

  It didn’t take long before the Goddess approached Jasmira. She loomed over her. Amber’s lioness head was huge. “You must find Jatred. Stay close to him all the time throughout the battle. I will reverse the damage Crystal has caused, and he will get his memories back. You two will be together again.”

  “A battle? What battle?” Jasmira shrieked. Her heart raced, and blood pounded in her temples. She put her hand protectively over her chest, feeling the Dasht-e Kavir against her chest. Amber can’t see it. She can’t know about it.

  And then Jasmira’s vision went colorless. The Realm, the Goddess, and everyone around looked black and gray. She heard a low murmur of chanting voices, just as before, when touching the Dasht-e Kavir for the first time. A familiar salty taste invaded her mouth. She winced and swallowed. The taste disappeared, and the colors around flickered between regular and black-gray spectrum. It happened a few times until all the hues were normal again.

  Jasmira didn’t understand what the Goddess was saying; just knew she heard Amber’s imposing voice, but it sounded as if spoken in a foreign language. She only caught a few words, ‘battle’, ‘fight’, ‘the Garhanans’, ‘power’, ‘responsibility’. She felt confused and dizzy. Too much was happening around her, too fast. Her vision went blurry and she staggered, almost falling to the ground. A sudden blast of ancient energy shot through her. The enhancing Spirit inside her was hard at work. Jasmira’s thoughts were once again crystal-clear, and she focused. She just didn’t know exactly on what.

  The Goddess finished her short, imperious speech to all the Summer Shifters gathered in the Realm. She raised her arm, hand balled into a fist. Her lioness face was set in a snarl, her thin feline lips pulled back from sharp teeth. She opened her hand, and a ball of fire blasted from it toward the cloudless sky of the Realm. It whirled above the Shifters, growing and stretching into a huge flaming disc. It moved down, forming a spinning inferno wall around them.