by Debbie Long
“It isn’t them.” Lucas adds. “I would feel it if it was.”
“How would you feel that teach?” Loki snickers when Lucas shoots him a look.
“I am a witch. I have connections with all of our circle. They are not hurt, though they are in anguish of losing a loved one.”
“That much anguish would mean a relative.” I turn to Beth, who is wearing a worried look. “What family does Cole have?”
“A brother and his parents.” She looks around as tears spring to her eyes. “You don’t think it is them, do you?”
“With what I am feeling and sensing, yes it has to be.”
I hear footsteps in the corridor. We all stand as the lock clicks open with dark magic, and a demon enters. “You have been summoned dark ones.” He sneers at me, and I recognise him from my home. He was loyal to my father, guess that has shifted. He was always a power-hungry asshole. “After you.” He steps to one side, eyeing the others in the room. “You lot, stay.” He laughs as he closes the door on the shifters and witch.
We follow him down the hall, surrounded by dark demons of the highest level. Not as high as us, but high enough that we are significantly outnumbered.
I walk in silence, taking in my surroundings and how to escape and get word to Vlad. He will help and get the girls to us. I know he will.
Ash
“How are we going to get out of this mess?” We are down to the last few, and we have no idea if the others will return. “We need to get word to the academy. They need to be warned about what is about to come.”
“And how do we do that, Ash? We are stuck in this damn room and whenever any of us.” Storm points to himself and me.” Touch that bloody door we get zapped and thrown across the room.”
“I am aware.” I rub my face in frustration. “Grrr, what do we do?”
I hear a snap behind me and whirl around. My eyes widen when I see a portal opening. It glimmers a blue colour, like the ocean. A man steps out, dressed in a blue tunic and a crown on his head.
“Hurry fae, before they return and the portal closes.” He drags the girls in, they don’t fight it and go willingly. “Hurry.” He says again. I can see the portal begin to flicker, so I jump through dragging Storm with me just as the portal closes and the door opens to show an angry demon and a smirking Cole.
Cole
My shifter friends and Beth are safe with Kyle’s father. All we have to do is get Lucifer out of my castle before his army grows and all is lost.
Chapter eleven
Morgan
The fighting stops as soon as they see us. How did they get here so fast? We all started at the same time. There is no way they would have made it through all the obstacles to get here in a day. I knew they wouldn’t play fair. This whole thing was rigged for us to lose.
My eyes flicker to the flag. It is just there, but I see Eros smirking. The black team and the silver team are standing facing each other, all breathing hard. Eros breaks away from his team to stand before my sisters and me.
“Ah, the little fae creatures. Do you honestly think you are about to win? This whole thing was rigged from the start. You have your father to thank for that.”
“You can stop with the dramatics. We know our father is a traitor. We never trusted him in the first place. And we also know that he intends to destroy all fae kind with the help of Zeus. We also know that Zeus wants us dead because we outrank him in power bestowed on us by your ancestors. The thing is, we never wanted that power, nor did we ask for it.” I say to him calmly. I can feel my power growing as I speak, so I take a step forward. “We do not want your world. We just want to return to ours. Do you think it is right that we are forced to be here and fight against you when our people need us?”
“Why would we believe you? You could go back to your people, save them and come for us.”
“Oh, for god’s sake Eros. They don’t want this realm.” Heracles snaps. “I have told you this. They just want to save their kind from destruction. Don’t you want the same thing? I know you have a girlfriend in the elemental realm. Do you want her to die?”
“Of course, not and she won’t. Mother told me she will be safe.”
Heracles laughs. “You believe that old crow. She doesn’t want peace with the fae, she wants them destroyed or at least watch them destroy themselves. It’s all a game to them. Like last time with the wars.”
“They didn’t cause that.” Now he sounds unsure. I can see his mind working. I can see the realisation dawn on his face. “Shit! They told us to kill them.”
“Yeah, they did. When have they ever been the rules to kill another in these stupid games?”
“You’re right Herc. Why didn’t I see it before.” Eros shakes his head. He looks towards me and steps aside. “Take it. End this.”
I step forward, but I falter. “What if they don’t keep their word? What if they just kill us anyway?”
“They can’t Morgan. Their word is the law, they must abide by it.” It is Daphnae that answers. “Take it Morgan, Clarissa and Violet. End this game and return home.”
“What happens if we all hold it at the same time? We can all win this.”
“We have never tried that before. It would work though, and only the team captains need to touch the flag.” Heracles shrugs his shoulders. “We will also help you with the war that is brewing in the elemental lands.”
I see Eros stiffen. “That’s what I can feel.”
“We need to hurry Morgan before Lucifer gains more power.” Clarissa urges me forward.
I stand by the flag. Daphnae, Heracles and Eros stand to my left, right and in front of me. We all hover over the flag.
“On the count of three, touch the flag, and we will be sent back to the main chamber.” Daphane looks at each of us. “Ready, three, two, one.” We all touch the flag at the exact same time.
The sky flashes. Forks of lightning zigzag across the sky that has dimmed to a dark blue. I feel a tug on my stomach that makes me heave. Then another blinding flash of light and we all tumble to the marbled ground of the main chamber where an angry Zeus sits.
The pain in my stomach lessens. I groan as I stand and try not to heave again. I flinch when another thunderclap booms above me. I try and not smirk at Zeus, but it happens anyway.
A portal opens, a shimmery white that looks like a little electric storm. “Step through and leave those weapons behind. They do not belong to the fae.” If looks could kill, we would be dead where we stand. He looks to the gods and demis with a scowl. “I will deal with you all later.” He turns away dismissively.
We don’t waste time. We unbuckle the weapons with a heavy heart and drop them to the floor where they clank and echo. With one final look at this beautiful place, we step through and back to our own world.
We didn’t expect Daphnae and Heracles to grab the weapons and jump through after us. The portal shut down and we all wince when we hear the roar of Zeus.
We all stare at the place where the portal was a crack up laughing.
“Morgan” when I hear that sweet voice of my mate, my heart jumps. I turn the same time as my sisters, and we all leap into their arms, laughing and kissing them. “I have missed you.” Kyle, says breathlessly.
“I missed you too.” I nuzzle his nose. I look into those blue eyes that are alight with happiness.
A cough draws my attention. “I hate to break this up, but we need to go.” Heracles has an amused smile on his face, but we know time is short, and we have been away far too long.
“Your right.” He hands us our weapons that hum happily in my hand. I smile when I feel the connection. This will always be mine, no matter what Zeus says. I feel something shift in me. I shiver as my magic comes back, circling me like an old friend. I hear Kyle gasp. When I turn to look at him, he gestures to my hair that is a solid dark blue colour. Also, my wings have popped out.
“Wow.” I hear Daphane say. “You three look amazing. The magic and power coming from you, well, I have never felt
that before.”
“Same. Not even with my father and he is the god of the sky.” Heracles walks around us. “Do you think you can take on Lucifer when your powers have just come back? You haven’t rested either.”
“I do feel a bit fatigued.” Violet says. “I am worried about Ash and Storm. We have never been split up like this before, and I feel strange.”
“Me too. I need Damon, Loki and Lucas back with us.” She snuggles into Theon who holds her tight.
“Don’t worry baby, we will get them back.” Loki presses his face into her curls. “So where too?”
“My lands. I feel that the autumn lands have been corrupted.” Kyle frowns and I rub his arm.
“We’re going to freeze.” Loki mutters.
Kyle laughs. “No, we won’t. Where my castle is, it is far from the snow lands. We will be warm, and we all need to change before going there. I don’t know how my parents would feel seeing me in this skirt thing.”
“I don’t know son, you look quite fetching.” I turn to see a slightly older version of Kyle, though he has a beard. Oddly, the fae don’t age the same as humans. He looks more like a brother, then a dad. Kyle hugs his dad, and my heart melts. When they pull apart, the winter king continues talking. “We have some of your friends at home son. We need you girls. That fool has taken over autumn and now summer. His men stand guard. They are like locust spreading.”
“Lead the way, old man. Let’s see what we have to deal with.” Kyle gives his dad a cheeky wink who lets out a booming laugh.
“Still as cheeky as ever.” He opens a portal.
Kyle gapes at him and splutters. “How?”
“Mother earth has been kind. She lent me this to help you, and this will be the final time I will ever use this power before it is returned.” Sweat breaks on his brow. “Now hurry though, I can’t hold it for long.”
We all scramble through just as demon spring out of nowhere. The winter king shuts it down as he steps through on a snarling demon’s face.
“That was close. Where the hell did that come from?” I ask.
“They have been springing up a lot lately. We don’t know how he has so many followers in such a short time. Lucifer’s power has grown immensely, and fear has struck the lands once more.”
“Then let’s go stop him.” Violet turns and gasps. I follow her eye line and blink at the scene in front of me.
“Wow” Is all I say.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Morgan
Walking through the winter lands is breath-taking. The mountains are alight with white fluffy snow. The villages surround the castle that is sat in the middle, looking like a scene from Cinderella. But what drags my attention away from it all, is the sea that sits behind the castle. It is vast, and I swear I see people swimming in it.
We walk towards the castle. People openly stare as we pass. Kyle walks ahead with his father but turns to pull me towards me, holding my hand. The crowd gasp and applaud. I duck my head as my cheek blossoms a bright pink from people taking my hand and stroking me. I can hear Violet and Clarissa snickering behind me, and I turn, shooting them a glare. They just smile at me.
When we finally pass all the people and walk across the bridge to the front entrance, I breathe a sigh of relief. We walk past all the guards that are situated along the bridge. They look at Kyle as we pass, giving him a little nod of the head in respect. Once inside, we pass more guards.
Walking along the halls reminds me of the house we stayed in with the gods. Everything is so white, but with blue and not gold. There are statues of the past kings and queens. The last one is of Kyle’s mother. The space next to her is empty, and my guess is that is where Kyle will be. The stone building looks so cold, but all I feel is warmth. There are fountains inside, spraying the clearest water that smells like a lake. It is gorgeous in here and makes me wonder what the other castles look like.
“Do you like it?” Kyle whispers to me.
I nod, still looking around and feeling like home. “I do. Is it weird that I feel like home?”
“Not at all. Your mother belonged here, so do you.”
“I guess, but it feels different.”
“In what way?” Kyle looks at me curiously.
I think for a minute before answering. “I don’t know. It’s almost like I can feel everything.” He looks at me with a frown. “I know I can feel that anyway, but here it’s amplified. I can feel sorrow too. I think it’s Cole. Why would Cole be so sad?”
It’s his father that answers. “His brother was tortured and killed by Lucifer.” I can’t help the gasp that comes from me. Even the others gasp. “Now that he has proven no one will get in his way, the boys have no choice to do as he asks. At the moment, they are infiltrating the summer lands.”
“What about spring? Have they gained access to Trey’s lands?” I ask.
He nods gravely. “They have. They have killed many guards, and now demons litter the lands like a dark plague.”
“Why haven’t they come here?”
“They can’t come here without winter royalty to allow them to cross the borders. A long time ago, during the first war. We had security put in place that no dark entity can cross the borders that contain the villages and the castle.”
“Right. So, for now, we are safe?” Daphnae asks from my side. I jump slightly, she is so quiet. She laughs, and I shove her away with a smile.
“We are safe.” The king smiles. “Do not worry. We have our guards on high alert around the borders. The demons have tried, but they die when they get to close.”
“They die?”
“They do. It was another precaution we put in place when the spring lands were taken over.” The king looks tired but smiles to reassure us. “We have another problem, though, and you will soon hear it from the queen.” He turns to a near door, opening it.
We all follow him in glancing around the big hall. Again, I am struck by the resemblance of the god’s chamber. On a dais sits the queen in a high-backed white and blue throne. She sits regally, her back straight, her hands clasped in her lap. The dress she has on is exquisite. The blue gown is cinched in at the waist. The corset pushes up her boobs, and the skirt flow’s around her like water flowing. When I look at her face, I see Kyle. Her pale blue hair is up in an updo. Her soft face that looks so innocent, but her sharp blue eyes tells me different.
We all head to the dais and bow our heads, even Kyle. When I look up, a huge welcoming smile blooms on her face. She stands, her hands outstretched. Kyle smiles and walks into her waiting arms, and they embrace. I see so much love in that one hug that it makes my chest ache. Kyle breaks apart from his mother to look at me.
I turn my head as tears well up in my eyes. Violet and Clarissa are the first to be at my side. They circle me, pulling me in for a hug. They too, are crying silently. We have lost so much, and with everything going on, I haven’t really thought about it till now. Our mothers all died to save us. My father died at the same hands as my abuser. Even though I never really loved him, I do feel bad that he had to suffer for so long. I know none of us counts Lucifer as family because he isn’t. All he cares about is what he can gain.
“I wish mother was here to help us.” I whisper through my tears.
“I do too.” Violet adds. “They are the only ones who truly know who we are. I feel different now we are back. Like we have a purpose, a higher purpose.”
Clarissa stays silent and pulls away.
“You okay sis?” Violet looks at her in concern.
“Yeah, just miss my mother, that’s all.” She turns away as Kyle approaches me.
I look up to see his mother and father looking sadly at us. The winter queen steps of the dais and takes my hands in hers. “I knew your mother.” She starts with a smile. “We were best friends growing up. I knew something was wrong when she left. Then I found out about you and wondered who your father was.” She looks sad again, and this time tears form in her eyes. “I know she wouldn’t have gone to him willin
gly. I doubt any of your mothers would have.” She looks at Violet and Clarissa. “Your mothers were high in society and had their pick of any man if they didn’t find their mates. It just strikes me as odd that they would go to Lucifer.”
“Well, we can’t ask them, and no one else knows why they were with him and why we were all born.” Violet looks agitated. To be honest, I feel the same.
“Actually, you can.” Daphnae looks at Heracles who nods his head.
Heracles steps forward to look at Clarissa. “You have Hades power. You can step through to the afterlife, but you only have a certain amount of time.”