by Rain Oxford
“What are you going to do with me?” Linda asked.
“How much did this guy pay you to seduce me?” I asked.
She glared at me. “I’m not a prostitute. He told me you were the most powerful man on this world and I wanted your energy.”
“Take her to Ghidorah,” I told Mordon. Edward untied her and Mordon took her by the arm out of the room.
“Are you okay?” Edward asked me.
I nodded. “It’s just my pride that she wounded.”
“Yeah, women can do that. Speaking of women, I haven’t seen Meri in more than a week and I was only supposed to be gone a few days. I’m going to go inform her that I’m still alive. I should be back in an hour or so.”
“Okay. Say hello to her for me.”
He agreed and left me alone in the room. Divina appeared a few minutes later and sat on the bed next to me. “Ghidorah is taking care of it?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“Good, because if a woman ever kisses you again, I will kill her. Painfully. Repeatedly even.”
“I know.”
“I couldn’t find Nila or his guard. What I did find was Vretial’s energy all over the place.”
“Why would he prevent you from finding Nila? What does he even know about the High King?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I’ll try again in a little while. I assume they won’t starve in the next two hours.”
We both sat in a comfortable silence. I felt Mordon’s trepidation a good ten minutes before he knocked on the door. I sighed, for my life would never be easy. “Yes?” I asked.
He entered the room and held out a crinkled note. “Taylor is here. They killed Jeffery. They also left a note, which Taylor read to me,” he said, handing it over.
Did you really think it would be that easy? Meet me in the woods behind the hospital or the children will be next.
I sighed and handed the note back to him. “Is Taylor okay? Is Jeffery’s family okay?”
“He didn’t have a family. Taylor gave him a few days off and went over this morning to check on him. Do you think you can handle Ilea today?”
“I don’t really have a choice. Let’s go get the kids.”
The seven of us planned our course of attack, but it mostly consisted of them treating me like spun glass. With the bracelet stopping me from using magic, I was virtually useless, but they didn’t need to make it so blatantly obvious. Luckily, nobody brought up my cat.
Everyone broke up the meet to get their last minute preparation done. I knocked on Ron and Hail’s door a little while later and opened it. Hail was sitting on Ron’s bed, leaning back against the wall. Ron was lying with his head in Hail’s lap. I knew he was still very upset over the balance taking control of him.
“Hell, can I talk to your brother alone for a minute?” I asked. My older son nodded, scooted Ron off of him, and left the room. I closed the door behind him. “Do you know that when Mordon and I were on Skrev, I was a cat?”
“Yeah. It was Ghidorah’s magic. He gave you a beast like Mordon had Rojan.”
“Did you know that my cat and Mordon’s dragon tried to fight?”
He shook his head. “I don’t see how that could happen. I mean, I guess your cat and his dragon are excluded from the balance that you and Mordon have.”
I sighed. “Then if you don’t know why, I can’t risk it. I can still shift into the cat, and I’m afraid if I do, he’ll try to hurt Mordon. I need you to destroy the cat. Can you do it?” I asked. I could feel the creature in question in the back of my mind try to fight the mental caged I had him in. I hated this, because he had saved mine and Mordon’s life… but he had also attacked Mordon.
Ron’s eyes widened, but he nodded. “Your cat can save you from---”
I reached out my hand and focused on the image of Mordon’s dragon in my mind. My fingers instantly shifted into claws and the cat’s anger bubbled into a hiss until it burst from me. Pushing him back was even harder this time. “He saved my life and I am grateful, but unless there is a way to prevent him from ever being able to hurt Mordon, I cannot take any chances. Destroy the cat.”
“I don’t want to do it. You have another advantage against the enemy and I don’t want to take that away. I… don’t want to kill the cat that saved you.”
“I know.” I sighed and ran my fingers through his hair. Unfortunately, I knew with every fiber of my being that the cat would come out without my control eventually. That was one thing I could never afford to lose; control over myself. “Please do it.”
Ron put both his hands on my chest and the energy that entered me was icy cold. I fell to my knees as my body grew numb and I realized why the cat could never live with Mordon. The cat was created from a part of me I never wanted to exist; a creation of the ferocity and wildness in my soul. He was an image of everything in me that didn’t want to be protected. Somewhere in my heart, I had the potential to snap and kill anyone who pissed me off. The cat would do just that.
Mordon, on the other hand, would never let that happen. His dragon would kill so I didn’t have to and he would smack me if I tried to do something stupid. Mordon was everything he needed to be to keep that side of me at bay. Of course the cat would hate him.
But he still saved our lives. The cat yowled one last time.
Chapter 15
Edward
The energy of Duran surrounded me the instant I returned to my world. I breathed in the scent of the forest as I absorbed the energy. My cabin before me was as it had been for many years because although I rebuilt it when it was damaged and replaced worn parts over the years, I never changed the layout or appearance of it. I liked my cabin. It had everything I needed and nothing extra that could be a hindrance.
The door opened and Meri stepped out. She looked so relieved to see me that I didn’t know what to say. After a few minutes, she sat down on one of the chairs at the porch.
“Well, sit down,” she said. I walked up the steps and sat in the chair next to her. “You were supposed to be back days ago.”
“I know.”
“I woke up this morning and heard a knock on the door. My first thought wasn’t that it was you but Dylan coming to tell me you didn’t make it.”
This is it. This is how it always starts. “Are you saying you want to go back to Kahún?”
“Absolutely not. Knowing you’re out there endangering yourself is agony, but it’s worth it when you come home. When you fight your enemies and make this world a better place, I want you to know someone is at home, waiting for you. I want you to know my heart will be crushed if you died.”
“You’re not going to tell me to leave everything to Dylan and stay home with you?” Every woman I was with wanted to be the center of my world. In fact, most expected to be. They wanted me to give up who I was to be their husband, and although it hurt, that was never an option for me.
“I would never suggest that. I knew when I first met you what kind of man you were. I know this is too important to you, and more than safe, I want you to be happy.”
This was where Meri differed from every single woman I was ever involved with; she was willing to put my happiness ahead of hers. “Are you happy?” I asked her.
She put her hand on mine. “When you come home. Have you seen Dylan lately?”
“Yes. He’s having a problem with some demons. I’m thinking maybe you should go back to Kahún for a few days, where you will be safe.”
“Since magic has returned to Kahún, I wouldn’t call it very safe. It is nice to be able to do magic, but after growing up hearing that it was wrong, I find it difficult to adapt to. It is sort of like my entire life up until that point was useless. My knowledge, my career, and my contacts were all the best around, but now none of them mean anything. I’m fine with it, because I know life can be better for my people. There were many wizards of Kahún who suffered without understanding what they were missing.”
“I imagine it was very confusing for them,” I said.
“How did
you hide yourself from Azenoth?”
“I’m not sure, really. Everyone at that time was having trouble with their books. Rasik lost his and then I lost mine. I don’t believe the connection to my book was truly severed because I think I would have died in that case, but it was very nearly so. I was able to use it to my advantage in hiding from the gods. It was pretty fortunate that I was lost on Kahún.”
“So, how was that different than when the gates were opening?”
“It wasn’t much different. The opening gates were not what attacked us or caused Shiloh to lose his powers.”
“Did you ever find out what it was?”
“All we know is that it was someone powerful enough to spy on us. Most likely, it was someone we all knew, because we were targeted differently. Nano, who is known for being an informant, disappeared. Shiloh, who has access to the most technologically advanced weapons in this universe, lost his powers. Rilryn, the escape artist, was left abandoned in the Land of the Iadnah.”
“So you don’t think any of the Guardians betrayed the gods?”
“We were all there on Duran when we were spied on. That was when Dylan and Mordon saw it become dark. I still don’t know why they saw it as dark and we didn’t.”
“Who was missing at that moment?” she asked.
“Emrys, but we found out Dylan sent him to Lore.”
“Who else? Was anyone else missing? Think back. Picture the moment in your head. Where was everyone?”
I sat back in my chair and tried to remember the details of that moment. “I was facing Dylan. Mordon was on his right and Rilryn was on his left. The griffins were there, too. Ghidorah was to my left. I can’t remember anything else because Samorde was freaking out.”
“Why was he singled out?”
“Samorde, Rasik, and Rilryn are always getting in trouble. Rilryn used to get into trouble with Ronez, but they could handle themselves. Samorde and Rasik are usually the first to be singled out by the enemy. Nano and I used to have to save Rasik at every turn, while Shiloh and Ghidorah protected Samorde.”
“You could use them as decoys,” Meri suggested. When I frowned at her, she shrugged. “I’m not saying you should put them in danger, but there is no denying that sometimes giving the enemy a hostage can be a fantastic trap.”
It hit me like a ton of bricks and I stood quickly enough that the chair I was sitting in was knocked over. “I know who betrayed us. I have to get to Dylan.”
“Kiro!” Meri screamed. Before I could react, the porch was engulfed in deep shadow. I felt the presence behind me and drew as much energy as I could manage in an instant. Forming lightning in my fists, I started to turn… and everything was dark.
Chapter 16
Dylan
Ilea and her entourage of demons were waiting for us when we arrived. I only had Mordon, Xul, and Divina with me, as Ghidorah was babysitting and Edward was still visiting his girlfriend.
When Ilea killed Jeffery, it was just to get my attention. She must have known it would get to me, which meant it was my fault. It was a waste for him to die like that. With this in mind, I faced her with the intention of ending this once and for all. Like my cat, I had no mercy.
But then I saw the demons around her. They all had a reason for being on her side, and I considered it for the first time. All the demons of this town were born here, however; these invaders had a reason for being here as well. Xul was willing to make a deal with me for just about anything in order to stay out of the void. Perhaps some of these demons really didn’t care about fighting me; they just wanted to escape eternity in the abyss.
“I’m shocked you had the balls to show up,” Ilea laughed. “I thought I would have to kill every one of those vermin you rescued. But hey, whatever, I’ll kill them after I’m done with you.”
“What did you promise your flock to make them follow you?”
“That I will crush the pathetic mortals and conquer this realm. Those who serve me will thrive with me.”
“That’s a tall order. Why didn’t you ask me to join you?” I asked. Her startled expression was exactly the reaction I was looking for. “Were you too afraid to come to me? I have a phone, you know. You could have hit me up… maybe ‘hey, Dylan, I’m conquering Earth, want to join forces?’ No, what I get is a dead body and a half-assed invitation to a duel. But I’m not bitter. Here, I’ll show you: Join my side, and I won’t send your sorry ass back to the void where you belong.”
They all stared at me in confusion. Two demons in particular kept glancing between Ilea and me. These two caught my attention because they were identical in appearance except for their hair. They both appeared to be in their early twenties with almost too thin bodies, bright blue eyes, and short, shaggy hair. The only differentiating feature in the two was that one of them had vibrant blue hair and the other had deep red hair with flaming yellow streaks.
“No, I’m serious. I am legitimately showing mercy right now. Come to the good side. My son is an awesome baker, so we have cookies and everything.” I looked at the red-headed demon. “Has she offered you cookies?”
He shook his head and stepped closer to his brother.
“None of my men are foolish enough to listen to you. You would just turn around and kill them if they joined you.”
I looked at Xul, who stood diligently to my left. “How many times have I killed you since you joined me?” I asked.
“I can’t recall, master.”
“See? He has no complaints. Really, you don’t even have to fight in this battle. All you have to do is not attack me or my side, and agree not to hurt or kill people. I’m not even asking for anyone to serve me. If you agree not to hurt or kill people, you don’t have to return to the void. Call it a ‘three-minute immigration’ day.”
“Really? We just have to agree not to kill anyone and we’re free? We don’t have to fight your battles or anything?” the blue-haired demon asked.
“That’s right.”
Ilea snarled and turned to attack them, but my wife was faster in putting a shield around them. Ilea’s magic rebounded and hit one of her demons, who instantly burst into ash. The twin demons ran to my side and hid behind me.
“We promise not to hurt or kill anyone,” they both chorused in unison.
“Welcome to Earth. You’re free. You can run off to safety and I’ll find you a nice apartment or house in town as soon as we’re done here.”
They didn’t argue, but they didn’t run away, either. Two more demons ran to my side, afraid of being attacked by Ilea. When they pledged not to harm anyone and I told them they were free, they ran as fast as they could. Others looked like they were considering it, but none of them acted.
“You free them, yet you keep him as your pet?” Ilea asked, indicating Xul.
He smirked. “I would take being his pet over yours any day.”
“You are weak.”
“And you are a bitch. With demons foul as you ruling our race, no wonder humans believe we are from Hell. It is you who makes it Hell, at least for me. You can’t imagine how sick I felt thinking I would have to see your haggish face every single day of eternity.”
“No worse than I felt knowing the best our race could offer was you. I would have been better off mating a minor demon.”
“You would have been lucky to marry an incubus. You think I couldn’t smell him on you? You are not that sly!”
“What are you talking about?!” Mordon asked.
I scoffed. “They’re mated,” I said. “I’m just trying to figure out how.”
“That’s how things work in the void; it isn’t about love. The strong mate with the strong, whether we like each other or not. Why did you think I didn’t want to go back there?” Xul asked.
Before I could respond, Ghidorah appeared with the boys. Without saying a word, he pushed the Guardian pendant around his neck. My pendant lit with a bright red light to tell me one of them had been activated.
Shiloh, Azyle, Nano, and Samorde appeared. Sinc
e Rilryn, Rasik, and Emrys were absent, I assumed they were too busy to show up. However, Edward didn’t appear either, which was suspicious.
“I haven’t exactly been sitting around idle while you prepared to fight by yourself, Dylan,” Ghidorah said.
Then others started appearing; Vivian, Nila, Tomie, Krael, Deona, Mai, Ket, Dyeba, Ishte-mor, Krayer, Shinobu, Hobbly, people I worked with in town, the people and demons we rescued… even my mother appeared. There were people I hadn’t seen in ten years and people I came in contact with but I didn’t get their names from multiple worlds. The incoming grew faster to include those I was sure I never met until I thought the woods would be filled to the brim. Then my father appeared, along with many more demons. Finally, just when I thought it was over, each of the gods except for Vretial appeared to form a solid line of support at my back. These people were all here to back me up.
I turned to Ilea, who stared in absolute shock with the rest of her army, and raised my fist to show off the bracelet. “This is my power. Not my energy,” I wiggled my wrist with the bracelet. “My power is my friends and family. You cannot beat me because I am more than magic. I will fight for what is right whether it’s difficult or not. I will never betray my friends, I will never turn my back on those who need me, and I will never let this universe be conquered. This realm is ours! If you want to live here, you do it by our rules.”
“What gives you the right to make the rules?” she asked.
“I didn’t make the rules.”
“We did,” Regivus said. “We created these worlds with our magic and our work. We created our people with patience and skill. Our Guardians defend it, Dylan more than anyone else. Dylan has our full support. It is his heart, however, that garners the loyalty of nearly everyone he comes by. Even the family and friends of those he helps are willing to stand by him. That should tell you something.”
“He has no power.”
“You are wrong,” Divina said. “You can block his magic, but not his heart. These people don’t care about his magic; they care that he helped them when they needed him just because he could. His power is something that can never be defeated. Even if you could kill him, more and more people, beasts, and demons, will riot in his name.”