Yes, he whispered in my mind with another slow nod. Please, just take it, end this, end this for me, he pleaded most desperately.
What? I asked in complete shock, and both Jodi and Steven’s exact same reaction echoing through my mind amplified the question.
I have been alive for over one thousand years, he whispered in my mind, his mind voice reminding me of wind blowing through reeds on a pond. It has been too long, this is not living, he continued, shaking his head. But I have become too weak to stand up against my daughter, Noufaro. Her love for me and for her people has turned into a sick obsession, and she will not let nature take its course. But I am ready. His mind voice found strength at that last statement and he glared at me so intently that his eyes flashed black momentarily.
You understand that if it’s your daughter that’s forcing your people to do this, we will have to kill her? I asked, trying to keep my tone sympathetic. We have tried to reason with her, bargain, even beg, but… I shook my head and let my words trail off.
She is beyond reason now, he agreed sadly. I understand what you must do; she won’t even listen to me anymore.
Will this leave your people without a leader?
No, she is not our leader, he said, and again I heard the strength still hidden inside of him.
I don’t mean to insult you, I started to apologize, but he cut me off.
No, I am no longer their king. What I mean to say is that she is not queen either. My son, Karcharias, who is older than she, is the true leader of our people.
Then why is she acting like she is? And why are your people following her orders?
Because she was able to convince a few of them that they had a right to continue to steal the souls of mortals after we banned the practice, and my son was overpowered, he explained, sadder still.
So if we kill her, then your people will still just keep doing this, I said with a mental sigh. We can’t take all of them.
No, she has imprisoned my son. When I die my powers flow to him, he will be powerful enough to conquer Noufaro and he can take command of our people again, he explained quickly, his muddied eyes widening as he looked at me, imploring me for help.
Why didn’t she just kill her brother?
For the same reason she did not kill me. If she kills her brother, she forfeits her right to the crown upon his death, his power will transfer to the next in line to the crown, not to her, he explained, and I realized how desperate she must really be to practically torture and imprison her family. If you kill me, my power will transfer to my son, and he will be able to shatter his bonds. Then he will be able to overpower her remaining supporters, and you will no longer need fear my people. That is why she has kept me a prisoner in this body, why she won’t allow me to die; while I live they are equal in power.
How do I know what you say is true? I asked carefully.
You don’t, he replied, shrugging as much as my hold would allow him to. But you are planning on killing her anyway; all I have said is that you will not be faced with killing the rest of them.
Terra, don’t argue with him over this, Fae’s thoughts drifted in my mind, and I felt the heat of Steven’s agreement right behind them. What does it matter? If he’s telling the truth, great. If not, it’s nothing more than what we were already prepared to face. I nodded even though they couldn’t see me, and the old king seemed to take it as a response to his words.
So you didn’t take the soul, she forced it on you? I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.
Yes, he whispered, nodding his head slowly. She forced it on me. I was weaker than I have ever been because my years were expiring from the last soul I had taken and I had welcomed the end and, in doing so, I could not defend myself against her and her followers.
I don’t know if I can do this, I thought at Jodi and Steven. I went cold at the thought of killing this creature who meant me no harm.
After so many years, the king’s thoughts broke into mine, you learn that eternal life is not a blessing, as many fantasize. I am weary, and tired, and I long to move on to whatever awaits me, even if it is nothing more than sweet oblivion.
Is there any other way we can do this? I asked the old king, lifting my blade in front of his face in explanation. I gripped the hilt tightly as it threatened to jump out of my hand as the power surged to life inside of it, desperate to free the stolen soul.
No, he said in a resigned voice, you must pierce my heart, where the soul lies, to release it. I nodded. I figured that was what was going to happen, but because he was going willingly and giving us information that would help us against his daughter, I wasn’t looking forward to killing him. I switched my blade to my right hand, which was still tingling with the residual numbness that hadn’t yet worn off, and gripped it as tightly as I could. The blade was alive with power again, singing and practically vibrating in my grip as it strained forward, the tip of the blade reaching for the nymph’s chest.
I inclined my head slightly in thanks and then gave myself over to the will of my blade. The blade struck out with such force that my entire body shook with it, vibrating in time with the blade. The king’s chest was ruined, the same black ooze that had poured from the first nymph welling out of him and coursing over his torso, my blade, and my hand, being washed away almost immediately by the ocean.
Again, my blade was nearing an unbearable strength, and Steven acted quickly to brace me with his fiery will to keep me from letting go as a shock of white light exploded from the mess of the nymph’s chest and the blade wrenched me forward, tracking it. My hand struck out with the blade at the white light until the two collided in a bone jarring crash and the blade grew white hot in my hand. I cried out this time, even though I knew what to expect, and Steven focused his power into my arm and hand and drew the searing heat into himself.
I opened my eyes again, not realizing this time they were squeezed shut against the pain, and looked upon the pitiful body slumped before me. His head had lulled forward, saving me from having to look into his lifeless eyes, and the little color that was left in his skin had already faded. He had been dying for a very long time, and only his daughter’s selfish desires had kept his decaying body animated. The intricate tattoo faded into his skin within moments of his death. I whispered a blessing before I released the earth and allowed the dirt and sand to enclose him. As soon as the last grain of dirt had settled, a shockwave rocked through the Earth, shoving me back through the dirt and sand and blinding me all over again.
I felt Jodi’s shock as the power rocketed through the ocean and rumbled out onto the shore where Steven stood, knocking him to the ground with the force of it. A distant wail ripped through the currents of the water, but rather than making us want to cover our ears before they bled with pain, this was a song of joy and triumph. It occurred to me then that we were hearing Karcharias’ voice as his father’s power found him and filled him.
I exhaled out of habit and felt the dirt swirl around my mouth. I steadied myself and concentrated on Jodi’s signature so that I could swim back to her and our protective cage. I pushed forward and angled to the south, grateful she was located closer to land than I was right now; the less distance we had to go to get to safety once we dispatched Noufaro, the better. I shimmied my way to the surface of the ocean floor, my face breaking through first.
How are we going to do this? Jodi asked me as we were still completely hidden from view in the swirling cage, keeping the nymphs that were still floating just outside from seeing what we were doing. But I knew they had felt the power surge through the water, and they had to know that their king was dead now and no amount of stolen souls would bring him back.
I doubt we’ll be able to cage her again, I said, looking at the wall of our cage as if I could see through it. We’re going to just have to break down our wall and do this the old fashioned way.
I was afraid that’s what you were going to say, Jodi sighed, shaking her head and turning her glare to the wall as well.
Well
, there can’t be as many of them now as there were when we started this. I’ll bet, when they felt their king die, that she lost some of her supporters, I said, drawing in my lower lip to chew on it. My heart hammered against my chest as I contemplated breaking down the only thing that was keeping us safe from those nightmarish claws and freakishly sharp teeth.
You know what I want to know? Jodi said, anger coloring her thoughts into a muddied yellow. Where the hell is this angelic help we are supposed to be getting?
Yeah, I was wondering about that myself. I guess the storm and lightening is all we’re getting, I said before squaring my shoulders. At least you can use the lightening. I bent my leg and slipped my athame back into its sheath, and Jodi flashed wide eyes at me.
What are you doing? she asked a little frantically.
I don’t want to take the chance, if I strike one of them with it, that they’ll get one of the souls. I have no idea how to transfer them back to the boys, but I don’t want to make some stupid mistake and lose them, I said, waving my hands up towards the sky, making myself sink to the ocean floor.
How are you going to defend yourself then?
The way we usually do, I thought at her with a smile when my bare feet hit the dirt floor, my knees bending with the impact. With magic, of course. Power rushed into my body and filled me with its ferocity until my eyes glowed. I looked at Jodi and noted her surprise as she looked at my face and silently asked her if she was ready. She floated to my side and faced away from me so we were back-to-back. With one last breath, we released the power that was holding our cage in place.
The air bubbles raced up to the surface of the water while the dirt and sand collapsed around us in a cloud, settling back into the ocean floor. We were surrounded. There were at least three nymphs for each of us and not one of them was Noufaro, which meant that more of her supporters were probably hidden in the shadows. Jodi was still clutching her athame in her left hand, leaving her dominate hand, and therefore power hand, open.
The nymphs gave no warning when all six of them rushed us, converging on us like rabid dogs attacking the only meal in sight for days. It was a blur of black claws and razor tipped fins that bit and cut and slashed at our delicate skin. My body was singing with pain, but it all faded to the background as I called on my power and the Earth trembled below me, rumbling through the water until one powerful shock wave after another shot through the water, striking at the nymphs, causing them to rock back and double over in pain, but still they continued to lash out at us.
Jodi called down the lightning I had all but forgotten about, striking at the nymphs with the same feral rage that they came at us with. Blue and white and purple colored the water around us, biting along our skin as one and then two of the nymphs floated lamely in the water, struck dead by Jodi’s electric power and my shock waves. But as quickly as we dispatched them, two more replaced each one. Now eight, rather than the original six, were attacking us. I felt my body being wrenched in every direction as each force of the Earth’s power rocked up and out through me.
Although the shock waves were originating from my body, keeping most of the nymph’s strikes well away from me, and Jodi’s body was almost entirely lost from sight as the lightning shot out from her, we were still being shredded. I felt as though my skin was being flayed from my body, and if I could have spared a moment to look, I’m sure I would have seen my muscles peeking from the gashes that were being opened along my skin.
Steven’s power finally began to swirl around us in a formidable vortex. The water surrounding us began to boil with rage and screams as I watched the green and gray skin of the nymphs redden and swell, varying circles bursting over their skin as it burned. My mouth was full of the taste of dirt and charred flesh, both electric and fire wrought, and I tried to push that thought from my mind as yet more claws and teeth bared down on us.
Everyone seemed frozen around me as the world took a breath. Then, in the next moment, the world spun on its axis, catching up with time, and the water rushed around us, freezing cold, stealing the breathing charm from my lungs. My body froze instinctively, and a clawed hand raked down my side, ripping open my rash guard and the skin over my ribs, letting blood flow freely in a cloud of red. If I had the breath to spare, I would have screamed, but I was suddenly moving with a new current of Artic water that rushed around us. The angels had come. I saw Noufaro’s body tumble away as the angelic power rushed her.
Jodi’s hand was in mine then, and we were being ushered through the freezing water, only to be unceremoniously spit out of the current. Pain lanced through my back. I screamed, gripping Jodi’s hand as the muscles of my back reshaped around the wings that had ripped through my back. A gust of wind from the icy storm caught us, propelling us to shore.
Noufaro had chased us to the surface of the water, her nightmare claws reaching for Jodi’s dangling feet. Karcharias burst to the surface beside her, surprising her, making her miss Jodi. His hand lashed out and as Noufaro fell dead and sank into the water, the blast of his power struck us, driving us with the North Wind to safety. We fell in a tangle of limbs and wings, but as we crashed into Steven and bled into the sand, crazed laughter burst out of me and tears streamed down our faces.
Chapter Nineteen
It was at least an hour that we laid there on the sand, crying, bleeding, and healing. Both Jodi and I looked more like patchwork quilts than humans by the time we had escaped the claws, teeth, and barbs of the nymphs. My back was a ruin of torn skin, muscles, and distorted bones. My wings hung heavy from my back, protecting us from the Northern Wind that the angels had brought down to help us. It wasn’t the kind of help any of us had expected, but Noufaro was dead and we were alive and had the two stolen souls, so it was hard to complain.
I was weak and trembling while the sand bit into my exposed skin, burrowing inside the open wounds and stinging with salt. I had always woken up from my dreams before I found out what I had to do about the strange things that happened in them, like sprouting a pair of angel wings. I felt the little electric pulses that shot through my back, into the hinges, and back again, a constant reminder that the weight on my back wasn’t my imagination. It was like the twitching of a tired muscle; they were as real a part of me as one of my legs.
“What are we going to do about those?” Jodi finally asked the question we had all been thinking, waving her hand over my shoulder, looking up and up to the reaching arch of the wings.
“I have no idea,” I said, my voice catching in my throat. Oh god, I was on the verge of fresh tears, panic induced tears. I swallowed hard and closed my eyes; this was no time to panic, we could figure this out.
“Why don’t we summon the angels?” Steven asked, both his eyebrows rising as he looked from Jodi to me.
“You mean like the coven did?” Jodi asked, and Steven nodded quickly, the idea forming in his head as we watched his face, and suddenly his excitement colored his cheeks. The heat of his body began to permeate the chill I had yet to shake.
“Yeah, I remember the spell they used to call the angels,” he said quickly, and I realized I did too, so I nodded at him to go on. “Let’s cast a circle and call them to us. They’ve got to help us.”
“And if they don’t?” I asked, and he shrugged casually, but didn’t let his excitement ebb one bit.
“Worth a try; how are we gonna know if we don’t at least try?” I nodded at him again. He was right and, after all, I didn’t have any other ideas right now. So we stood, me a little more awkwardly for the new weight on my back and the fact that my wings were so large that the tips bent on the ground behind me. I sighed, exhausted, and just stood where I was, making the center point of the circle where I was so that Jodi and Steven could cast the double circle for us.
Once Jodi sealed the inner circle, after letting Steven inside, we felt the automatic charge in the air and the world seemed to take pause for us. We remained standing so that I didn’t have to figure out how to sit back down. We all faced North, our
arms raised just as the witches had done, and we called to the angels again.
“Hail, Angels of the North Wind,” I began the spell, and immediately an icy wind battered against our shields, racing up and around in a howl, but I was careful not to break our concentration. The power that swirled around us built in ferocity as we spoke the incantation. My hair whipped away from my face, the salt and sand wicking away in the funnel of air while I fought to keep my balance. My wings swelled behind me, almost anxious to flap against the gusting wind.
“Hear my call and answer me now!” I changed the last line of the spell, demanding answer. Time stopped, we were frozen in place as the world took pause, and in another second everything sped up to catch up with time, and we were nearly knocked to the ground when the wind struck up again. I was ready for the freezing cold this time, but braced for it as I was, it still took me by surprise as it snatched my breath away and I was back in that black void, alone and terrified.
“You’ve always been afraid of the dark,” a man’s melodic voice spoke from every direction, even echoing inside my head. It was vaguely familiar, like a song you knew as a child, but had forgotten as an adult. I blinked against the icy air that still bit at my skin in this place, feeling tears forming against the cold.
“No,” I said to the disembodied voice. “I’ve always been afraid of what I couldn’t see in the dark,” I corrected and heard a soft laugh in response. The notes of the voice caressed my skin, chasing away the cold wherever it touched.
“Always ready with a quick retort,” he said, and again I felt the feather light caress on my face and arms.
“Are you the Angel of the North Wind?” I asked, feeling the words take on the tone of a title as I said them. “Are you the one that I called?”
“And always right to the point,” he said more to himself than to me.
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