Her black and gray vision flickered into color, and she saw a spectrum of hues, shapes, teeth, and claws, mingled into a fast-changing medley. All species growled, wailed, howled, and yelped, attacking and defending.
“Back! Get back!” Amber screamed in her mind. But Jasmira started to run, her eyes on the bloody combat. She slammed into an invisible wall and flew back once more, landing on her back. She lay sprawled on the ground, trying to shift into her leopard form. But her enhancing Spirit held her firmly in the human body.
She lifted a rock off the ground and swung it forward. It went sailing through the air. Amber’s invisible wall wasn’t there anymore. One of the Mahrasets charged toward her and, before she got up, grabbed her ankle in a vice-like grip. Jasmira snarled and repeatedly kicked the beast with her other foot. The Mahraset grunted but didn’t loosen its hold. It turned and started to drag her slowly to the battlefield.
Jasmira yelled in frustration and tried to hack at the creature with her sword. But each time she came a couple of inches too short. Rocky ground scraped her back, and a sting of burning pain ran along her spine. The monster hauled her over sharp rocks, and she felt a fluid heat soaking her back. She gritted her teeth to keep from screaming.
“No. You’re not taking me to Jatred. I will kill you first.” She squirmed, pulling herself higher. She slashed at the Mahraset again. This time her Hoplite blade connected, cutting deeply through the green fur and red-brown skin. The monster roared in pain and let go of her ankle. Jasmira scrambled to her feet, took several hurried steps back, and then ran full speed toward the Mahraset. She jumped high and swung the blade again, stabbing the beast at the base of its neck. The Hoplite sank through the thick muscle, all the way to the bone, slicing one of the main arteries.
The Mahraset’s green blood sprayed in a fountain of shining drops. The monster staggered, one huge hand pressing the wound, the other flailing around in confusion. The blood seeped through its large fingers, staining the muscular chest and stomach, and running in rivulets down to the soil. The beast collapsed face down with a ground-shaking thud. The soil opened and sucked the dead body in with a wet, revolting sound.
In her peripheral vision Jasmira saw another Mahraset running to her. It snarled and snapped its crooked, misshapen teeth. When Jasmira turned her head, it slammed into her and fell on top of her. She yelped, the air leaving her lungs. It felt like being rammed by a bulldozer. The beast got up, growling. It grasped her braid and pulled her off the ground. Jasmira yelled and held the base of her hair with one hand. She tossed the sword up in the air, with the hilt pointing toward the field. A moment later she caught it like a knife. She swung her arm back and jabbed the blade into the Mahraset’s heart. The beast wheezed and coughed, blood spewing from its ugly mouth.
“Two down, a million more to go.” She wiped the green blood off her face with the hem of her shirt and glanced around. Penelope fought like a well-oiled machine, slashing and thrusting with her Karambit blade and the Kodachi sword. She was covered in both, red and kiwi-colored blood. Deep slashes covered her arm, most likely from one of the Garhanans’ claws. The wounds were dripping blood, but slowly healing.
Jasmira ran in the opposite direction, flanking the Winter Shifters’ battlefield. She had to get away from her Goddess. So far Amber’s renewed attempts to capture Jasmira were eradicated, thanks to Crystal’s tactics. The Winter Goddess knew exactly what Amber’s plan was. She would do anything to prevent its execution.
Frustrated, Bastet slashed her fire-whip from side to side, whispering ancient words in a long-forgotten language. Her green eyes turned silvery-white, and her lion-headed body transformed into a girl dressed in a simple knee-length tunic. A quiver of golden arrows was slung over her shoulder. She held a hunting bow in her outstretched hand. She was the Greek goddess, Artemis. With preternatural speed, the Goddess pulled one of the arrows from her quiver. She positioned it in the bow. The arrow left her bow and burst into flames. It headed straight for the Winter Goddess.
Morrigan’s muscular figure became thin and long. Her skin took on a blue hue. Her graying hair loosely cascaded onto the gaunt, narrow shoulders and back. She became the Hindu god Shiva. Three eyes on Shiva’s face blinked in unison. His outstretched arm stopped the blazing arrow within an inch of his flattened palm. Two long snakes entwined the god’s arms, like the shiny, moving bracelets.
His bony body started to fill in and swell. His skin lost the blue color. His hair curled and thickened, taking on a lush young appearance. Shiva’s simple loin cloth became a white gown. It tightly hugged two round breasts that emerged on the god’s chest. A stunning Greek goddess, Aphrodite, faced her opponent. She clenched her teeth when she saw that Artemis had already become the Norse goddess, Freya.
Freya slowly moved in a circle around Aphrodite, who watched her with a smirk on her beautiful face. The battle was still going strong around the two gorgeous women. Aphrodite pulled a long thin dagger from the folds of her dress. Bending her knees and outstretching the other arm to the side, she leaned forward, waiting for her foe’s next move. Freya yanked a short stout knife from one of her leather gauntlets. She jumped forward, jabbing the knife at the other Goddess. Aphrodite swiftly moved to the side. A gust of freezing wind tore at her gown. She transformed into the dark-skinned Thoth—Egyptian god of moon and wisdom. His head of an ibis cocked to one side, and his black eyes blinked.
In front of him, instead of Freya, towering over the battlefield, stood god Attaa Naa Nyongmo. Bright sun behind Attaa outlined his muscular body. His chocolate-brown skin shimmered. Thoth opened his long beak, and a huge puff of icy air blasted at Attaa. Hundreds of sharp icicles rushed toward the African deity. Attaa twisted his huge body to the side from the waist up. He missed the flying weapons by a small margin. He tilted further to the side, stretching and growing his limbs into thick tree branches. The rest of his body became a stout tree trunk. The branches encircled Thoth, weaving themselves around the Egyptian god like fat snakes. Thoth screeched in anger and transformed himself into a monstrous glistening figure, constructed of packed snow and ice. The monster ripped its enormous arms through the tree branches, tearing them off the trunk. Immediately, more branches grew, surrounding the icy-being.
Jasmira was far away from both Goddesses. She spotted Tyrrell hacking through the Mahrasets. He wielded two short swords with precision only equaled to masters. Jasmira’s vision changed to colorless again. The salty taste in her mouth intensified. The Dasht-e Kavir felt hot against her skin. She saw Jatred. His normally jet-black hair was ashy. Thick strands were plastered to his scalp. Her heart hammered in her chest. Her hands got sweaty. She had to keep going. She needed to get to the other side of the field, back to the Summer warriors, far away from Amber.
She couldn’t move. Something kept her feet rooted to the ground. Her chest felt heavy. Jatred chopped and stabbed the enemy, never leaving his uncle’s side. No one paid her any attention. Even the Mahrasets were too busy fighting to notice her standing there, watching.
Jasmira tried to run, to put some distance between her and Jatred. But some invisible energy pulled her forward. And then she understood. The Dasht-e Kavir! It wants to go to the Amulet. Her thoughts were frantic. Her enhancing Spirit was one of the most powerful of the Summer Realm. But even he was helpless against the Universal powers trapped in the Amulet and the Dasht-e Kavir.
The ranks of both Shifter armies were severely decreased. But hundreds of Winter and Summer creatures of torment kept arriving, replacing the slain ones. The scale of the battle started to tip away from the Shifters’ side, despite the enhancing Spirits’ abilities and powers.
The air smelled of blood, sweat, and anger. The ground had frozen and thawed many times. It now looked ashy between the brown-red and dark-green puddles of blood. Garhanans, Mahrasets, and the Shifters took on the same grim hue. A mixture of three kinds of blood and dust covered every inch of their bodies, their own colors no longer discernible. Frost and snow kept solidifyin
g their fur and hair for a few moments, only to give way to a heat wave that thawed everything again.
Jasmira took a few slow, labored steps. It felt like wading in deep water. The Dasht-e-Kavir pulsed with red light through her ripped, dirty shirt. It started to lift off her chest, pressing against the fabric. It pulled her forward hard, and she obeyed. She walked among the savagely fighting Shifters and Mahrasets, unscathed. The jewel kept her safe, encircled in the protective shield of the Universal powers.
She extended her arm and touched Jatred’s shoulder. He froze, his sword raised on its way to sink into one of the green monsters’ flesh. The Amulet released a brilliant fan of white rays, right from Jatred’s chest and through the fabric of his shirt. He looked down in awe. The powers trapped in the Amulet formed a sheltering barrier around him. He turned his head and looked from Jasmira’s face to the red light shining brightly from between her breasts. Jatred looked scruffy, with the blood dried on his skin, hair, and clothes. Small ribbons of fresh red blood trickled from a few spots on his head and body.
“Jasmira,” he whispered, confused.
“I can’t be here. We can’t be together now. Too much is at stake,” Jasmira whispered back.
CHAPTER 58
In-Between the Realms. Date in Human World: November 19, past midnight.
Jatred stared at Jasmira as if they were in a quiet, secluded place, and not lost in the midst of a deadly battle.
Her vision was still black and gray, but she forgot it wasn’t real. In her head she heard a quiet chant of the far-away voices, soft but somehow disturbing. “J?” she prompted.
Jatred slowly shook his head from side to side, without taking his eyes off her. “I still don’t remember you.”
“I know. That’s not the point. I have to go now, but this,” she gestured at the red light, “is keeping me here, with you.” Her voice cracked and she choked down the tears.
Jatred slid his sword into a black-colored scabbard and reached both hands behind Jasmira’s neck, trying to unclasp the Dasht-e Kavir.
Her eyes opened wide and she gasped, “What are you doing?”
“I think the Amulet wants me to get this one closer.”
Jasmira pulled Jatred’s hand away from the clasp, looking straight into his eyes.
The Dasht-e Kavir lifted from under her shirt and rose up. Like a magnet, the Amulet pulled it closer. The Amulet slid from under Jatred’s shirt and levitated to its twin, still clasped around Jatred’s neck. They both watched warily. They heard a deep murmur of voices, and this time not in their heads. Thousands of the ancient Spirits of both Realms swirled above them in anticipation of what was about to happen. Over the sounds of both battles, they heard Amber scream in fury and Crystal laugh viciously. Blinding serpents of lightning rolled over their heads. A flare of zigzagged light joined the sky to the field on their left, another on their right, then the next—behind them, and again to the right.
The Amulet and the Dasht-e Kavir were almost touching. The light coming off each jewel intensified. Jasmira’s hands were on Jatred’s arms, fingers clutching him like talons. He grabbed her shoulders, his face twisted in fear. The elongated bright rays shot from the gems, illuminating their faces and bodies in a white and red glow. She shrieked, feeling unbearable pressure around her neck, where the chain cut into her skin.
“Kiss him! Kiss him, you foolish girl!” She heard Amber yelling in her mind. “I will restore the memories erased from his mind, and the powers of the Universe will be ours. Now!”
“Stay away from Jasmira, Prince Jatred.” His eyes opened wide when Crystal spoke in his head. Panic carried through her voice.
Jasmira squeezed her eyes. She turned her head away from Jatred, attempting to lean back. But she couldn’t overcome the magnetism of both jewels. Jatred cried in pain and frustration, trying to do the same. But the Amulet and the Dasht-e Kavir gravitated toward each other even more. A blinding burst of white and red light exploded when the surfaces of both gems touched. It stretched over the battlefield in an enormous, flat disk of power. They threw their heads back, eyes slammed shut. Their screams of pain and horror were swallowed into an increasingly growing chant of ancient voices.
Amber’s furious shrieks pounded in Jasmira’s head. Jatred heard Crystal shouting in harsh voice, chanting incantations in an ancient form of Gaelic, each word uttered carefully. The Winter Goddess’s power surpassed the Summer Goddess’s magical abilities. Amber’s connection to the Universal forces was weakened by her living too long in the Human World.
Jatred forced his eyes open and looked at Jasmira through the haze of light coming from the united jewels. Their bodies seemed to melt into the blazing glow. Her hair came undone and rose off her shoulders, quivering as if from a breeze. Static kept snapping through the strands, and Jasmira’s eyes turned completely white. Her arms were covered in spiraled script. It crawled and twisted on her skin. The text shone burgundy. Single letters kept separating and slowly flaking off. They resembled tiny red fire sparks, burning brightly, and then disappearing all together.
The chains on Jatred’s and Jasmira’s necks pulled forward, parallel to the ground, and both jewels were now connected, melting into one blazing ball of swirling red-and-white fire.
“No! No!” the Summer Goddess screeched, shaking uncontrollably. Her body stretched and shrunk by turns, shifting from one of her shapes to another in a bizarre kaleidoscope of forms.
Crystal stood a few steps away, panting. She held her swords to the sides. Her completely black eyes started to change, the pupils shrinking to vertical slits. She raised one of the blades over her head. The light from the Amulet and the Dasht-e Kavir channeled to it, mimicking the lightning above her. Blue fire ran along the blade. With the Goddess’s commanding pose and a flaming sword in hand, she resembled the angel Uriel.
Slowly, without taking her eyes off the Summer Goddess writhing in pain, Crystal lowered the sword. She pointed it at Amber. “Go back to your Realm.” The light shot from the blade in a zigzagged stream of fire. It hit Amber in the chest. She opened her mouth in horror, but the scream didn’t come. She was gone, removed to the Summer Realm, and only the acrid smell of burned flesh wavered in the air.
The Mahrasets disappeared with their Goddess. The battle came to an end. Crystal dismissed the Garhanans, sending them back to her Realm. The Shifters of both Races remained in the field, all of them hurt but healing. Some stood, looking around; some lay down or knelt, covering their faces with their hands. The wolves and leopards shifted back to their human forms. All the ancient enhancing Spirits left the Shifters’ bodies and now weaved through the crowd, looking for their loved ones, and mourning those that were slayed.
Jatred cradled Jasmira’s limp body in his arms. He stared into her calm face. She looked like she was asleep, peaceful, and beautiful in her own way. Her hair was caked with dried green and red blood, and her cheeks were smeared with dirt. The Amulet hung from her neck, shining bright-blue on her chest. The very middle of the gem, deep inside, pulsated with red light.
Tyrrell crouched down beside them. He pressed his fingers to the inside of Jasmira’s wrist, trying to feel her pulse. His brows were furrowed, but then arched and he gasped. “She’s alive. I can feel her pulse. Faint, but it’s there.” He grinned at Jatred, who opened his mouth in a happy surprise.
Crystal appeared, towering over them. The cool sun behind her made her face look dark, hidden in shadows. Two large ravens sat on her shoulders, watching Jasmira with their small black eyes. The Goddess knelt on one knee and slowly moved her hand over Jasmira’s heart and the Amulet. “She’s coming back. She carried a big burden. The Summer Race has a brave Queen,” Crystal’s voice reverberated in their heads. She stared at the Amulet, noticing the red dot throbbing inside. “It’s changed.” She smiled and touched the gem with her fingertips. “The Magicians. How clever. And they kept the Amulet’s twin a secret,” the Goddess whispered. She stood abruptly. The ravens cawed and took to the wing.
/> Lusia, Bogdan, Andy, and Ivona staggered over, followed by Lusia’s parents, and Erik with his family. Every inch of their bodies, visible through shredded clothes, was covered in red and green blood. Georgeta was wincing and severely limping. She leaned on her father for support. Erik’s face, neck, and chest were covered in bloody scratches. He was already healing and seemed not to care about the pain. Each of them bowed to the Goddess.
Georgeta sat down with a heave. “I will never look the same at anything that’s green. Yuck.”
Lusia put her arm around Georgeta.
“On a scale of one to ten the broccoli will be at a fifty.” She tried to smile but only managed a sad grimace. Her lower lip trembled, but she bit on it, inhaling deeply and squeezing her eyes shut.
“I have to look for Penelope,” Erik said to no one in particular. “How is Jasmira?” he asked. When Jatred told him that she will be fine, he nodded, turned around, and jogged off to look for Penelope.
Jasmira’s eyes fluttered open. The first face she saw hovering over her was Jatred’s. He beamed at her.
She smiled back and croaked, “I can hardly feel my body.” With the corner of her eye she saw the Winter Goddess watching her in silence. Jasmira stiffened. She turned her head to look at Crystal and rasped, “Give him the memories back. It’s over. We are not a threat anymore.”
Crystal was silent. After a while she said, “I can’t. Once the memories are gone from a Shifter’s mind, they are lost.”
“But Amber said she can do it.” Jasmira frantically scanned the area, trying to spot the Summer Goddess.
“Your Goddess lied to you, child. I’m sorry.” Crystal sounded sad. There was no sign of her normal youthful appearance. Instead, she looked ancient. She straightened and said, her voice booming over the battle field, “Shifters of both Races. Return to the human world now. It’s time for the Spirits to go back to their Realms.”
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