by Kim Faulks
Her knees dug into my ribs as Rowen straddled my chest. She grasped my wrist, pinning my arm above my head and leaned close. “He’s mine. You hear me? Mine!”
From her mouth came lies. For when I looked in her eyes, I saw the truth. Fear lingered in the sparkling green starburst. Fear—not for herself—but fear for me.
His snigger couldn’t draw me away. Under the mask of pain and the torment I saw my sister—the real one. The one I’d fought for—the one I’d killed for. And all anguish and the heartache just seemed to melt away.
The vise around my ribs eased. I inhaled the dust and the dirt. The scrape of boots sounded, but I couldn’t drag my gaze away—not now that I knew the truth—not now I’d finally found my sister.
“Hush now. Don’t upset yourself woman. You know you come first with me—always first. Your sister can sleep on the floor outside our room. How’s that? You like that better?”
He brushed Rowen’s hair, soothing her like a wounded animal, and with each stroke the spark faded in her eyes, and the mask slipped into place once more.
Marcus
The vision dug its claws into my mind and held tight. I gouged my fingers into the dirt and dragged myself toward Abrial. The wolf’s blood stuck her matted fur against her body. I strained to find a rise, a tremble… anything. Please be alive. Please be alive.
The warmth leaked from my body as I crawled. My shirt stuck, something squelched as I moved. I held my breath and wrenched my leg upwards and kicked against the ground, let the movement was so slow. My foot barely moved. So tired. So heavy. My fingers skimmed the ground, then the bristles of her fur and came away inky.
No. The word lodged in my chest, sending a shard of agony tearing through me. Did you hear me! Do. You. Hear. Me! The wolf’s rust colored fur blurred. “Yes, she’s worth dying for.”
Feathers brushed my mind, so soft, so careful. Inanna whispered. I’m glad you agree dragon. The ground stole my warmth, leaving me to shudder and the shaman’s words mingled with my mothers. Now, let me ask you something else. Something more important than killing, or death. Something more important than pain, or sacrifice. Tell me Taurus….
Is she worth living for?
I opened my mouth to speak and finally understood. I'd somehow forgotten, just like the legends—like the wars, like the terror and the fear—like love. I’d forgotten love… how does that happen?
How does one survive?
There will be a sacrifice. There will be blood… and there will be torment. Are you ready for that? I now knew the price I had to pay.
“Give her life. Do you hear me? I’ll do anything you ask. But protect her, give her life.”
Our blood joined together to form a crimson lake. The tide of blood ebbed, then lingered on the crest of the motion, before rushing toward me. My blood. Her blood filled me, searching for the hole inside my chest, filling me with the scent of the wolf. My words nothing more than a mumble. My thoughts scattered above me, just like the stars. Mother….
The last plea hovered on my lips, until the wind snatched the words away. I shifted my head to where the lone figure stood on the hill.
Zadoc turned to stare at me and the moon shone black against his skin. He raised his hand. The tip of the knife dripped with blood. Bodies littered the ground like fallen leaves in a storm. No one touches a woman, or a child and lives, Marcus. Not while I breathe fire and walk this earth. No one….
The shaman’s voice ripped through the sky. “The power was too great. I warned him. The dragon bleeds out, but the wolf sustains him.”
“No!”
A cry pierced my head. My sister’s tortured sound wrenched a single beat from my chest. Xael! I opened my eyes to see my sister’s fury. Her spiked tail shot from behind her body. Her black serpent skin shone in the sun as she reared her tail back and struck. Three barbs drove into the tree beside the witch’s head. My sister wasn’t ready to kill—not yet. “Bring him back to me. Do you hear me old woman? If you value your fucking life you’ll bring him back to me.”
I tried to lift my hand as the bright colors blurred into one. “Xael.” My voice was barely a croak. “Xael, stop.”
Her head turned, fire winked in those thin pupils. “Marcus?”
I caught the shaman’s lips move as I shoved my palm against the ground. “The shell of the Guardian you knew is dead—but the dragon lives. The dragon breathes… The Bloodletter is alive once more.”
Was that a smile on the old woman’s lips? I clenched my jaw and pushed my upper body from the dirt. Boots beat the ground, heading toward me. I yanked my gaze up. Victor’s storm blue eyes held mine as he grasped my arms, helping me to my feet. But it was the rush of elation which pinned me to the spot. Happiness, protection, fear, love, hope, anger, hatred, defiance all mingled with the scent of earth and musk. I knew that scent. Abrial. I closed my eyes and felt her energy as though I could touch her, as though she was standing right in front of me. But she wasn’t in front of me—somehow, she was inside me.
“Marcus, what happened?” Isaiah’s panicked voice ripped the last trace of darkness from my head. “Are you okay? What the hell happened to you?”
“I….” I sought the old woman’s gaze. “I think I’m now part wolf.”
“What?” Evander’s eyes glinted in the sun as he knelt. “What did you say?”
I shook my head searching for the tether right back to green eyes and red hair. “I don’t know, somehow I’m connected to her. Yet I feel… myself.”
“Connected, yes. But not one of.” The witch’s words dragged my gaze down. “You wanted the wolf, and now you have her.”
Her thin mouth curled. Eyes sparkled as she turned back to my sister and glanced up to the massive spikes protruding from the tree, next to her head. “Now Scorpion, swallow that venom in your eyes and get off me.”
Xael’s top lip curled. I shuddered at the sound of her hiss. Bark cracked and the tree wept as she wrenched her talons free. “One day, old woman, we’ll finish what we started a long time ago, and this time no one will stop me.”
The movement was slight as the old woman nodded. “And on that day when you wear my blood, maybe then you can finally forgive me.”
Xael stepped back, her gaze never wavered as her tail slid back into her body. “I doubt that.”
A shadow passed over me. I jerked my head upwards and found my Aries brother. “Zadoc.”
My brother reached out his hand. I slapped his palm tight. His silhouette blocked the sun, casting a shadow. And for a second I was back in that never-ending night, staring up at the warrior. His pledge ringing inside me.
“You were with me in spirit, will you stand with me in flesh? Will you come with me to find Abrial? She’s with the Echo pack—”
“I know where she is. I tracked her east, until I lost the trail.” Zadoc growled. “There’s a dark magic around that place. I can’t get in. I doubt any of us could.”
Abrial’s energy buzzed through my veins. I knew I could get in, but going in alone would be suicide.
“I can try to get you through, but I’m weak.” The old woman muttered. “Maybe if I had….”
“I’ll help.”
I yanked my head toward the sound and inhaled the scent of wolf. Xael growled, taking a step toward the woman. “And who the hell are you?”
The wolf met her stare, and stayed true.
“Stop Xael.” Victor strode forward, placing himself between the two. “She’s part of the pack. She might be able to help us.”
“And what if she can’t? What if this is all for nothing? This pack, this wolf… and this damn ultimatum from our Creators. We were fine before. We were safe before, and now….”
“We’re exposed.” I finished for her.
“Yes we’re damn well exposed. I want our old life back, Marcus. I want our family back. Just us, no one else… just us, okay?”
The tremor in her voice rocked me. I crossed in front of my brothers and reached for her. Xael lifted her head
and I caught the shimmer of tears for a second before she melted into my arms. Hard bones, brittle spirit. I felt one more than the other as I brushed my hand against her hair. “We’re dying Xael, because we were born to fulfill a role, to protect the innocent—to keep the balance. We haven’t been part of this world for a very long time, but we should’ve been. We should’ve been right here in the thick of things protecting those who need us the most. I know you’re scared, I’m scared too. The seasons can change. The world can change. Our home can change. But, I promise you one thing, our love for each other, that will never change.”
Odessa took a step, drawing my focus. “I can hear Abrial screaming now, just like I hear the others. Your shaman and I can get you through. But after that, you’d be on your own.”
I dropped my hand. The time had come. “I understand.”
Odessa shook her head, taking a step to stand beside Victor. “I don’t think you do. I’ve never felt power like this before. It’s taken from more than the elements. It’s colder, older. Darker than anything I’ve ever known.”
“The wolf’s right. I’ve felt something like this once before, but it was many years ago and my memory is not what it used to be.” The shaman whispered.
“It doesn’t matter. Inanna has already shown me.”
“You’ve seen this, Marcus? This battle?” Zadoc growled. “You’ve seen us defeat this dark magic?”
A dark hooded man strode toward me. His blade sliced the earth in his wake. “I saw a demon. There maybe one, or more. I’m not sure.”
“Are you sure?”
I shuddered with the memory. We will all fall. “What if we can’t defeat the magic? What if we fall?”
“If we fall, we fall. It’s already written. Let’s go and get your wolf, brother. If the Gods are willing, we’ll all die together.”
Zadoc moved without a sound. A shadow is all I saw, so a shadow is what I followed. We covered the ground quickly, keeping to the mountain, then down the ridge to where the fresh pine stood.
The old witch lingered inside my head. Her words were like claws picking apart my thoughts, weeding out the strong from the weak. But the weak was all I had left.
Because you’re dying.
Those words sliced through my mind, leaving a gaping hole for others to follow. Turn around, leave. She doesn’t love you, don’t you get that by now? My steps slowed. Zadoc’s shadow lingered for a moment, then disappeared.
Don’t listen to the demon. The old witch snarled. It’s a trickster. Get your wolf and get home. Hurry, my power’s weakening.
“Everything okay?”
I jerked my head up at the sound to stare at my brother. “Yeah, I just….”
“You feel it too, don’t you?” He turned his head to stare through the trees. “I don’t know what it is, but it gives me the creeps.”
I narrowed my gaze, scanning the trail, then turned back to Zadoc. “Are you okay?”
The moon glinted on bare scalp as Zadoc turned to stare at me, resurrecting the vision. Everything was just the same, my brother with me hell-bent on this path of darkness and danger. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You’ve never said anything like that before. Nothing scares you.”
“There’s always a first.” His voice changed, turning huskier, mirroring mine. “There’s a first to love, and a first to die. Will you die tonight, Marcus, or have you led me here to die for you?”
His body changed in front of me. Brown hair covered his head. His long face turned square, accentuating the hard line of his jaw. I flinched as those hollow orbs held me. The eyes of the bull. The eyes of my dragon. My eyes.
“This is a trick. You’re not real.”
“Oh, but I am.” The demon took a step, dragging a glowing sword along the ground. But the blade wasn’t what chilled me to the bone. The demon looked exactly like me, it even sounded like me. “And I know the truth. They’ll all fall, because of you. Zadoc, Bastian, Victor… even Xael. Every single one. The rivers will run red with their blood and the stars will fall from the sky as the mighty fall. No one cares about the Guardians, Marcus. You’re nothing but faded memories.”
Odessa cried out, snarling. The sound echoed inside my head like an empty drum, mingling with the shaman’s words. Run! The wolf screamed. Don’t let the demon find you. Run!
My heart lunged as I shot forward, careening through the trees with the echo of steps close behind me. The hunter breathed down my neck, matching every step. His icy breath stole the warmth from mine. His dangerous thoughts stole every good memory, leaving despair behind. The wolf feels nothing for you. You’re weak, dragon. And this world has no use for the weak.
Those words took hold. Torn wings. Shattered horns. I’d been weak for a long time, but the fire raged inside—a fire for Abrial. I narrowed in on the soulless piece-of-shit speeding for me and growled. “You’re wrong.”
I caught a shadow thrash through the trees. The blur kept pace, matching me stride for stride as I pumped my arms and ploughed the dirt with my boots. Whispered chants from the witch and the wolf filled my head. I shuddered with the sound.
Dragon. I can’t hold him. The old woman’s voice broke under the strain.
I clutched the trunk of a pine and sucked in the cool night air. “Don’t fail me old woman. Not now.”
The smell of wolf invaded me, dark and sultry, and underneath the scent Abrial waited for me. Marcus. Her voice rang like a whisper against my ear and the fire in my veins burned brighter.
She’s calling me. My snarl slipped free from my lips as the glowing sword shone in the dark like lightning across the night sky. Abrial’s out here. I can feel her close. I opened myself to the connection and felt a faint touch in the corner of my mind. The touch lingered, growing with intensity until she smothered my mind. Please stop. Don’t hurt her. Take me, that was the deal. Me for her… me for her.
Her torment severed the connection. I slapped my fist against my chest, trying to hold on, but she was gone. “I’m coming for you, little wolf. Hold on.”
“Are we going to take this bastard, or just look at him?”
I turned to stare at the shadow watching me from the trees. The raspy sound of his breaths filled the silence. “Zadoc?”
“Who else would follow you on a night like this? You were running like a bat out of hell. I didn’t think I’d ever catch up.” Leaves crunched as the dark blur came tearing through the trees in front of us. “Let’s kill the bastard and be done with it.”
I nodded and shoved from the tree as Zadoc circled right. The shaman’s chants faded to whimpers.
I can’t… too powerful. I can’t dragon. I’m sorry. I’m not strong enough. My hold on the old woman slipped and her power left me bare and abandoned. A battle cry ripped through my mind, standing the hair on my arms. I wrenched my head up to see lightning slash the sky as the white blade sliced the air in an arc.
The power of hell rose up and swallowed me. And hell waited for neither man, nor beast. The black power cloaked mine like a wet blanket, smothering the shift. My dragon reared, charging to the surface as shards of ice sliced my head. Zadoc screamed.
I wrenched my gaze toward the heavy thud, catching the towering outline of my brother as he rolled. The dark blur thrashed, scattering leaves like a winter storm. Zadoc! “Leave him be! I’m the first. It’s me you want. Take me.”
I want to make a new deal. Abrial’s voice slipped through my thoughts. Take me, that was the deal. Me for her. The edges of the demon’s cloak swept the ground as I fell.
The hood slipped to reveal pale skin where his mouth should be. This beast could neither laugh nor smile, yet I felt his triumph like poisoned thorns in my mind.
It’s over dragon. Abrial is mine.
I closed my eyes, waiting for the blade to cleave the air.
It’s over.
I bowed my head as the wind whipped, pivoting on the ground at the last moment before driving upwards. My thighs screamed with the force as I swung, aim
ing for bones, hoping for blood. My fist swept through the beast as though he were nothing but air. I stumbled and swung to watch the blade aim for my middle. This time the demon wouldn’t miss.
No! The sound tore through my head. The tiny wolf filled me, shattering every thought and for a second I hovered between worlds, neither alive, nor dead as the blade sliced my middle. I slumped to the ground, clutching my belly as a tsunami of power rocked me.
My ear drums popped with the blast of energy and the world became one low buzz. The trees rocked, branches flailed as the wolf raged. I turned my head, caught on the gaze of the demon as he swayed like the trees.
The white light of his sword, dulled for a second. I counted the seconds in the dull thud of my heart as the demon wrenched his head toward me, then shattered into a million pieces.
I sucked in the air, gripping hold of my belly while my pulse raced, swallowing the hum inside my ears. The trees calmed, swaying gently before they stilled, stars blinked, then were gone and still I drew breath. The ground thundered with vibration, boom, boom, boom. The dark shape of my brother loomed overhead, holding out his hand and for a second I lay there, breathing, alive… and stunned.
Zadoc’s face came closer. His lips moved, the heavy bass of his voice melded into one. I filled the blanks. “Yeah, I’m fine. No… I… it was the wolf, Odessa. But I can’t find her now. I can’t… she’s gone.”
His mouth opened, then closed.
I nodded. “I know.”
He reached for my hand and for a second I was sure the blade met its mark. I splayed my fingers, probing my shirt to feel the flesh underneath.
“Are you okay?” Zadoc’s voice sharpened.
I lifted my hand to stare at my fingers. No blood. Thank the Goddess… no, thank the wolf. “I think so.”
The woods were silent, as though there’d been no battle moments before. I grasped his hand and climbed to my feet.
“We must be close, that bastard had to be their last line of defense.”
I nodded, scanning the trees. “Through there.”