by G. Bailey
“When I’m done here, I will get your men and make them my slaves,” she tells me, each word echoing in my mind.
“Th-then w-wh-at?” I gasp, my vision slowly blurring and darkness inching at the corners.
“Then I will destroy the world that has forgotten who created it,” she hisses, and she lets me go. My scream gets lost in my throat as I spin in the air, hearing nothing but the wind whipping past my ears. I cry, wrapping my arms around my chest as the ground gets closer and closer, and I know I have to calm down to call my wings. I have to calm down.
I repeat the same thing again and again, closing my eyes, and suddenly I’m not falling. Instead, I’m floating in the air above what I think is Vegas from all the flashing lit up buildings, with someone holding my shirt from my back. I look back to only see black wings as I hear a loud, frustrated scream in the distance. I gasp as it feels like someone crashes into me, and then there is darkness once more until the light comes back. My hands stretch out on the gravel under me as I try to stand up and open my eyes. The noise comes back to my ears like a switch coming on, and I realise I’m somewhere very public as I open my eyes to see I’m on a dirty grey sidewalk, a yellow car parked right in front of me.
“Make it known the tales community owes a dark angel a favour. Go and stop the goddess before we are forced to intervene, and your race will be blamed,” someone says, and I look up to see a man in a suit with wavy black hair and bright blue eyes. His large black wings stretch out of his back and take up a lot of space on the sidewalk. I would be freaked out that angels are real, but then fairy tales are real, so why the hell not?
I just got saved by an angel. I bet not a lot of people can say that. He looks at me in disgust before shooting up into the sky and disappearing out of my vision. People just carry on walking around us like nothing happened at all, and they don’t notice me at all.
“Who the hell was that?” I mutter to myself with a long groan, looking down at my scraped arms and feeling the bruises all over my skin. It doesn’t matter, I need to get back to the dimension and to my mum.
She has to be alive. I can’t lose her, but I haven’t a clue how to get back to anywhere from here. I’m a weirdo in a cloak with no money. I suppose I don’t look too odd to the people of Vegas. But what if the goddess attacked the Tale brothers or my dad or my grandmother? I could have lost everyone, and I wouldn’t even know about it. I sob a little, placing my hands on my knees and sucking in a deep breath. I shake with anger and fear as I try to calm my breathing. I look to my wrist and smile as I see the Lost Time Academy key on my bracelet.
I can get to one place, and it’s a start.
I unhook the key, holding it out in the air, and remember the words I said to take me there for the first time as I close my eyes.
“Lost Time Academy welcomes its blood.” I take a step forward, and when I open my eyes, I’m in the forest outside the academy. I release the key and run through the forest as fast as I can, following the pathway until I get outside the academy, seeing Warren on the steps in the distance with Quin at his side.
“Warren!” I shout, gaining his attention as I run to him. He runs to me the moment he hears me, and I jump into his arms as soon as I can. He squeezes me tightly before pulling back and holding my cheeks with his hands. He looks so upset, his eyes watery, and I’ve never seen him like this.
“We thought she had killed you,” he tells me. “Fuck, Madi, I was scared of losing you.”
“I’m okay. Someone helped me escape the goddess after she dropped me in the air over Vegas, and I was too scared to focus on getting my wings,” I explain to him as he pulls back.
“Who saved you?” he asks.
“An angel,” I say, and he raises an eyebrow. “I know, sounds crazy, but it happened. Is my mum okay?” I get too scared to actually ask any more than that.
“She is alive and sleeping,” Warren tells me. “A few broken bones and cuts, but nothing major. We have used healing gel to help her, but as she is human, I can’t heal her without great risk and neither can Knox.”
“Thank god,” I say, breathing out a long sigh.
“You okay, Madi?” Quin asks, and Warren moves his hands from my cheeks so I can see Quin as he walks down the steps.
“I’m good, thanks, Quin,” I say, warmed to know we still care about each other, and that isn’t something we can turn off. It’s just more like a family love now, and we have both accepted that. To me, this proves he has. “Where are the Tale brothers?”
“Looking for you everywhere. They should be back soon,” Warren explains. “Want to see your mum and family? They are in the infirmary.”
“Yes,” I say, giving him a shaky nod. We start walking up the stairs to the academy when a portal burns open in front of us, and Knox comes flying out, rolling down the steps. I run to him, catching him before he falls anymore and rolling him over. He is covered in burns and blood and dust. I rub his cheek as he opens his eyes.
“She has my brothers, and she will kill them if you don’t go to her in Greece.” He passes out before he can say anything more.
“I’m going to fucking kill her for this. Enough is enough.”
Chapter 16
“Make us a portal, Knox. There isn’t any other way around this, and I need to go to her,” I demand for the fourth time.
“You are angry and panicking. She will kill you; she almost did once before. Look at you!” Knox shouts back. “I could have lost all my brothers, and I will not lose you too.”
“If I don’t go, we will lose them. There isn’t any other choice,” I reply, though my voice isn’t as strong as it was a second ago, and I feel myself losing the fight with him. The problem is, both Knox and I are right.
“I am going but not with you and Warren. If I die getting them back, then Warren can keep you safe,” Knox suggests instead. We both know Knox can’t beat her, and I very much doubt I can either, but I have to remember the prophecy. I think there is a tiny chance I could beat her, and that tiny chance is worth the risk of me going.
“Knox, stop trying to protect me from this. It isn’t your job, and there isn’t anywhere on earth that will be safe from her. She is going to destroy and burn the world down. I saw the crazy in her eyes, the desperate nature of hers, because she has no one to stop her,” I say and take a deep breath. “There must be a reason she haunted my dreams, a reason she wanted to kill me. She could have destroyed the world by now, but instead, she played with me. Why?”
“She thinks you killed her sister, you told us that,” Warren says, moving away from the wall and looking at Knox as he rubs his face. “It could be as simple as revenge.”
“Then why not kill me quickly? Why drop me above a city and let me have a natural, pretty quick death?” I ask, because it doesn’t make any sense at all. I’m going to have nightmares about that fall for the rest of my life. I thought I didn’t like heights before, but that was a new kind of scary.
“I don’t know,” Warren and Knox reply. I shake my head, sitting on the edge of the sofa as the door is knocked and grandmother walks in, dad following behind her. They both look tired and worn out from all the stress, the very expression all of us have. I run into my dad’s arms, hugging him tightly, and he kisses the top of my head, before pulling me back to meet my eyes.
“When are you leaving?” he asks, because he knows me well enough to know I have to leave and try to save my guys.
“We haven’t decided if we are yet, dad,” I admit to him, my eyes drifting to Knox and back.
“Yes, you have. They are family, and you don’t leave family behind,” Dad points out and looks at Knox. “Even if it is hard to let the ones you love run head first into danger.”
“Knox doesn’t want me to go,” I gently say. “And I understand why he doesn’t. I also know in my heart that I would never forgive myself if I didn’t try to save them and the world.” Knox meets my eyes this time, and I see the fight leave him without words needed at all.
&n
bsp; “I have been thinking a long time about why the dark goddess—” grandmother pauses, looking to me. “What did you say her name was again?”
“Ailis,” I say, crossing my arms.
“Ah yes. Ailis must be scared of you for some reason. She never came at you in public, only in dreams and when you were alone. It seems she won’t attack you when you are with your men, and now she has taken some of them hostage,” she says, though she is more mumbling to herself.
“I was just saying this. It doesn’t make sense for her to be so threatened by me. To be so obsessed,” I say.
“We could go back into the past with the raven stone and find answers if you wish,” grandmother suggests. “Answers are hidden in the past, and we may only find answers there.”
“It nearly killed me last time,” I say, feeling sick in the back of my throat at the memory of that dark tale dying to keep me and Rueben alive. I’m so happy Rueben has been caught, and Knox will keep him underground in his dimension until this war is over and we can have a real trial for his war crimes.
“Because it was used wrong. The raven stone only works for the ones who know the keyword,” grandmother says. “Honestly, I gave it away to Horace for safekeeping, and he knew the word. I believe he never would have given it to anyone without the keyword as the raven stone will drain their life,” she says and places her hand out in the air in front of her. “It doesn’t matter, the stone will always appear for the raven bloodline. I only have to wish it’s returned.” We are all silent as grandmother closes her eyes, and her hand glows brightly before the raven stone just appears in her open palm. I walk over and place my hand on the stone, smiling at my grandmother. I trust her completely, even if this stone scares me and makes me think about the times I already used it.
“Corvus,” she whispers, and the stone gets instantly warmer before it starts to glow. This time, instead of pain, I feel only peacefulness.
“The Latin for crow or raven. How simple,” I hear dad say as the world around us disappears and is replaced by another room. This room is old school with stone walls, lanterns hung on those walls, and a tiny pool in the middle of the room. The pool is filled with petals, and in the middle of it is a couple, naked and heavily making out.
“Oh my,” grandmother says as we can only really see a muscular man’s back. I look away, not wanting to intrude on their moment, whoever they are.
“You must let me protect you,” the woman says, and I recognise that voice. I look back to see the goddess who sent us back in time as she speaks to the man, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. “Please.”
“You are talking about making me immortal. I’ve told you once, I do not want that for my life,” he replies with a gravelly tone.
“Then I can do something else. Something that makes sure my sister can never hurt you,” she muses.
“What do you mean?” he questions.
“With my blood, I bless the Dormiens family line and anyone that carries your blood from this time to the end of time. My sister can never kill or fatally harm you, not without destroying herself,” she says, and I feel the power of her words like a tiny brush of a touch across all of my skin.
“Wait—” the man protests, but the world fades, and I fall to the floor, gasping like a bucket of cold water was thrown over me. Warren leans down and helps me up as Knox and dad help grandmother shakily stand up.
“She can’t kill me. Not by her hand,” I whisper before clearing my throat and saying it louder. “She can’t hurt me.”
“What?” Knox asks.
“Madilynn’s ancestor was blessed by the goddess so that her sister could not hurt her. That’s why Ailis had to drop her from a great height to try to kill her and why she is so obsessed with her. Madilynn is the only one that has a chance of stopping her,” grandmother explains. “I imagine she would want all the Dormiens line killed in the end, but the one with power is the biggest threat right now.”
“And I have to stop her. This blessing can’t be wasted, and I won’t leave my family in trouble,” I say, looking at Knox, who nods his head in agreement, though I know he isn’t happy about it. Every part of my life has led me to this moment, and I made the choice to wake up the goddesses to save Sin. I have to fight for the future she gave us, or what the hell was it all for? Ailis can’t be left to destroy the world.
“I love you, Madi. Be careful,” dad says and hugs me tightly once more before letting me go to stand next to grandmother.
“I love you too. Tell mum I love her. And in case...” I drift off, clearing my throat from the emotions threatening to make me cry. “Well, I love you both. You’re the best family anyone could have.”
“There is no ‘in case’. I believe you can and will do this. All of you can stop her,” dad says, and I step back to stand next to Warren as Knox makes a portal. Dark clouds swirl around on the other side of the portal, and I can feel the coldness from here.
“You aren’t alone,” Warren says, lifting his spear up, and swirling grey energy spreads across his body.
“Never alone, Madi,” Knox says. “Now let’s go and save our family.” Warren runs through the portal first, and I follow next, jogging onto the cold sand as I look around at what is left of Greece. The once sandy beaches and the once beautiful town are nothing but a pile of rock, floating in the air in the middle of the land. Pieces of rock fall off it, crashing into the ground below, and the air around us feels so...wrong.
“I’m guessing she is up there,” I say as Knox comes through next. Before he can reply, shadows float out of the ground in front of us, slowly making a figure of a woman before Ailis is there. She narrows her eyes at me, completely focused on me as Knox runs at her, slamming a mixture of elements out of his hands at her, but she bats them away with one hand. I step forward just as she pushes all Knox’s elements back at him and sends him flying backwards into the ocean. Warren attacks her at the same time, but his grey energy does nothing but mix with her shadows as he struggles. I feel helpless as I call my power and throw dust at her in a spiral of power, but it does nothing except float around her.
“Stop!” I scream as the goddess walks to Warren through the energy and grabs his spear, shoving him backwards as she takes the spear.
“Without your weapon, you are nothing but a boy with no powers,” she says with a deep laugh as she lifts the spear in the air and snaps it. Power blasts out, sending me flying, spinning in the air before crashing into the sand, my head smacking onto the ground a few times. I gasp from the pain as cold waves brush against my feet, and I look up at the dark clouds above me as they swirl around, looking like they are gathering more power.
The same place I’m always in from my dreams.
And I can’t die here.
Anger and pain burns throughout every part of my soul as I stand up and float off the ground, knowing my wings are working for once, and dust flutters onto the sand underneath me.
“Enough! It’s me you want! Not them!” I scream at Ailis, who rapidly turns her head to me as she drops the broken spear. I look over at Warren, whose body is slumped against a rock, blood pouring from his forehead down his cheek. Oh god, Warren. He has to be okay. He has to be.
“Dormiens,” she hisses and runs at me. I go to hit her, but she grabs my wrist and throat in one motion before lifting me further off the ground. Dust pours out of my hands, but it doesn’t affect her at all, not even as it blows against her face in the harsh wind.
“When I found out my sister had protected her lover from my hand, I took the next best thing,” she tells me, and as I look into her eyes, there really isn’t anything but darkness, and there isn’t anything that can save her.
“You’re a crazy bitch, and this world is not yours,” I growl at her, trying my best to fight her strong grip on me.
“How are you going to stop me with no powers?” she says, laughing as I try to escape her. “It cursed your ancestor and broke my sister’s heart to see him so lost. That’s why she locked us away
in stone. It was an act of love.”
“She loved you too. I saw it in her eyes, in the way she looked at you,” I say, my gentle tone even surprising me. For a pure second, I feel bad for her.
“You lie,” she hisses, pulling me closer. That second is now completely gone. Crazy bitch goddess is back in full force. “And in one moment, you will be nothing but a human. See if your men want you then.” My body feels frozen as shadows wrap around me, and I can only scream as she places both her hands on my cheeks, and we float higher and higher into the air. I feel the moment she starts to take my power; it’s like an itch that only gets stronger and stronger. It starts to hurt after a few seconds, and my head snaps back as dust leaves all of my body, swirling around with the shadows around us.
It’s beautiful.
It’s deadly.
And it’s too late to stop her taking everything…
Chapter 17
“Madi!” I hear someone desperately shout near me, making me try to force my eyes open as I lie on the stone floor, feeling the rock-filled dust under my hand. I cough, tasting blood in my mouth as I see nothing but darkness all around me. I feel empty, and I know she won without even having to test calling for my powers. I lift my hands into the air, my pale skin looking so out of place in the darkness around me.
I’m just human.
And I’m going to die.
I was a fool not to run away, and now everyone is going to die with me. Tears prick the corners of my eyes as I turn my head to the side and lower my hands, meeting the silver burning eyes of Tobias. Sin and Noah are on either side of Tobias, but they are passed out and covered in blood and cuts and dust. I turn to see Warren on the ground next to me, his eyes blinking open as he wakes up, and Knox is on the other side of him, unconscious.
“Miss Dormiens, we are in trouble now,” Warren groans, coughing as he falls onto his back, and I look down to see his hand covering a piece of glass stuck into his stomach.