Magic of Worlds (The Guardians Series Book 3)

by Lexi Ostrow

  I love you, Alcott. One final thought, she someone how knew it was all she would have left before the blood loss would overwhelm her.

  “Hurry now, little witch. You’d best say those words before your life bleeds out onto the ground.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Her lips felt numb as she forced herself to speak. “Creature of cloth thou art, now creature of flesh and blood you be. I name you Demus. No more shall you use thy name.”

  Her mind was spiraling out of control, her eyes blurring significantly as she tried to read the vermillion writing. She could scarcely tell if she even still spoke the words on the page. Somewhere, sounding as if he were miles away, she could vaguely make out Demus. She wasn’t certain if he was threatening her or encouraging her own. Kellie wasn’t certain of anything any longer save for the fact that death was coming for her.

  It was a strange feeling, forcing her to remain active when all she wished to do was close her eyes and wait for the sweet embrace of death. Sounds were completely draining away, reminiscent of the teacher in Charlie Brown. Her eyes were failing more than they were helping and for just a moment she paused, letting them slip closed.

  “Finish! Finish!”

  She swore she heard the words, but wasn’t able to be certain. All at once she felt as if she’d lost control over her body. Her eyes snapped open and though blurry, she could she better than a moment prior. She tried to tilt her head down to continue reading and couldn’t. Demus had paralyzed her, he was forcing her to do what needed to be done.

  “You will finish, or your family will die. That was the terms of our deal.” His words were oddly clear, likely due to the control he was taking over her body.

  Hayley … I’ve got to finish. Just a little bit longer.

  “No more shall you invoke its powers. Forever more, till thy change your name is yours alone to choose.” She coughed and felt as if the dagger slipped deeper into her stomach with the action. “By the power of the Gods and Goddess of old and by my will, so mote it be.”

  A brilliant blast of light flared from Demus, leaving only his face visible. His eyes remained a deep golden, but the glow left them. She could almost sense a shift in the energy that pulsed around the man. He squatted down before her, barely more than a blurring hallucination.

  “It is such a shame you had to die for this, but I am most appreciative.” He grabbed the parchment from her hand and wrenched the dagger free from her body. “If you can still hear me, your family is safe. Alcott will still by die my hand, but your family is free from harm.”

  She felt the pain and sleepiness wash over her again, indicating that the man before her — whatever was now called — had released her. There was not much time left, she could tell. One moment she was with her murdered, and the next he had flashed away, leaving her die alone in a pool of blood.

  “Kellie!” Alcott’s voice thundered through her.

  She wanted to see him, wanted to look at him and know she wasn’t imagining him. Even if she were, she was glad he was here. She wanted him to be with her, to hold onto her even just in her mind as she slipped away from her journey on earth. She swore arms wrapped around her, pulling her close and keeping her warm as the numbness crept up every place of her body.

  “Kellie, Kellie stay with me. Please stay with me.” Alcott’s voice begged, or sounded as if it did.

  “Are you . . . are you really here?” She forced the words out, unable to ignore how dizzy the effort left her.

  She felt his lips press against her forehead as gently as a feather would touch the ground.

  “I’ve got you. Just hold on. We can fix this. We have to be able to fix this.” The next words were clear as they rocked through her, leading her to believe he was shouting. “Why did he chase after his brother first? I’m going to kill him. When he saves you, I’m going to fucking kill him.”

  Warm tears hit her face, Alcott’s tears. Her eyes fluttered closed, unable to remain open any longer. Everything was almost gone. There was hardly anything left to feel but everything left to lose.

  “Alcott,” she rasped. “Please don’t. You need to protect yourself, he’ll come for you soon.” The words took the wind from her, and she struggled to say the rest, knowing that it might be the most important thing she ever got to say. “I love you, Alcott. I’m so sorry we couldn’t have more time. So sorry I couldn’t save you.” She wasn’t sure how long she paused for, just long enough to feel Alcott shake her. “I had to save my cousin. I’m not afraid to die. I will be with my father.”

  She thought she heard him say he loved her and not to give up, but she couldn’t be certain. She was floating, unable to feel the weight of anything any longer. Just like that, her mind went black.

  “Kellie!” Alcott screamed, his throat raw from the emotion pouring out with the word. He wanted to shake her, to force her back to him.

  She was truly gone.

  He lost. Fear turned to pain, and then pain changed to fury moments later. He’d lost the only thing to matter to him and had Ryce not been selfish enough to chase after his brother he’d still have her. Clutching her close to his chest his body heaved as grief drowned him. Tears flowed freely down his face, dropping onto the lifeless body he refused to let go of. His world had ended once before and he’d never had the joy of learning love. Kellie had given him that. Without her, he would not go on. He would not continue and he would never fight for the brother again. He would make certain Dale and Breena got her safely back to her family and then he would demand to be released, to be nothing more than a construct on a page once again.

  She had done something terrible with her final actions of life, but he would not condemn her for it. There was no knowing what forces worked against her, forcing herself to take her life in exchange for Demus to gain a new name. He’d seen the process only once prior when Ryce had asked an elderly magical Guardian for the same sacrifice.

  If you’d been here you could have taken her place. The thought rose angrily in his mind as her loss filled him once more.

  “I love you. I love you. I love you,” he whispered the words over and over, rocking his body and placing a kiss n her hair. He’d never get to hear her say them again, he hadn’t gotten to say them enough when she could.

  “Alcott, give her to me.”

  He didn’t let go, not one bit. “Get away from me.”

  “Alcott, let her go. She is gone.”

  Hearing the words aloud undone him. He rose in a rush, still holding her, body trembling with a mixture of hurt and hatred. “She is gone because you chose your brother! She is dead because you were chasing a personal vendetta instead of saving your warriors! Kellie is lost because you weren’t enough. I was more than enough.” His words spewed out, only igniting his anger further. He took a step closer to the man he had often thought of as a brother.

  The man didn’t back away. He didn’t even flinch as Alcott got in his face. Had he not been holding Kellie, anchoring him to any sort of calmness he could muster, he would have ignited witch fire everywhere.

  “Fix this.”

  That caused a look of shock to register. “Excuse me?”

  Alcott pushed Kellie toward the other man without releasing he. “Fix this. Undo what was done.”

  “You know I cannot do something of that nature.”

  “No, I do not. In fact, I’d bet anything you could. You will heal her soul. We will bring her back to her body and she will live.”

  “Alcott—”

  “She will live!” He bellowed forcing the man before he to take the precious bundle in his arms.

  “I cannot undo what has been done.”

  “You will try. Damn it, damn you!” He screamed, his voice echoing off the eerie black walls.

  His friend looked at him, concern written across every plane of his face. After a brief moment, he took Kellie from Alcott’s arms and gently laid her down on the floor. “Do not hope for anything more than what I can try. I’ve never brought someone back from t
he dead. Healing an injury might not be the same thing as starting a heart.”

  He jerked his head in a terse nod and folded his arms over his chest. All he wanted was to drop down beside her and hold some part of her. However, he would not dare to touch her, not if it could possibly affect whatever was being done.

  Kneeling down, the brother jerked off his trench coat and tugged his shirt off after. Alcott felt a growl rising in his chest, knowing where things were going. It took everything he had in him not to lunge at Kellie’s only hope as the man undid his belt and tugged his pants down.

  Skin-to-skin contact.

  He should have known it would be needed, but he didn’t appreciate the idea of a stunningly built man wrapping Kellie against him. He did bend down as his friend went to tug the frilled dress off of Kellie and did it himself. He took small comfort in the fact that all undergarments remained, even though he would let the two of them have sex if it brought her back.

  His breath caught in his throat as the familiar healing glow began to radiate from his friend’s hands. He ached to touch her, to be the one to try to bring her back. But he knew that it wasn’t possible. When the man lay on the floor and cuddled Kellie close, Alcott was forced to close his eyes. Not out of jealously, but because he knew he could not watch for fear of failure.

  Moments ticked by without a sound from the pair’s direction. It felt as if his skin were crawling, walking off his bones and leaving him bare. Moments then turned to minutes and he could feel his heart beginning to race. Had they waited too long? Was it simply something that could not be done?

  A sharp gasp from the man caused his eyes to jerk open, though the blinding-white healing light prevented him from seeing anything. His arm rose up and blocked his eyes, even as he squinted to try to see anything in the brilliant glow. The smallest movement caught his eye and then the light began to fade.

  Time froze around him. Nothing moved, nothing breathed and nothing mattered as he watched to see what would happen. The man stood up, visibly weakened and took a step back. Alcott dropped to the ground beside Kellie, even though she didn’t move. In fact, she lay as still as before and her skin was just as pallid.

  “It is done.” His friend gestured to Kellie. “Please pick her up, I am rather weak. She will need to be returned to her physical location if we are to know if it worked.”

  Alcott stood, dumbfounded for many seconds. “You mean her soul is . . . alive?” he tasted the hope as tangibly as he could taste the saltiness of the tears he shed for her.

  “I have been able to start her, well the heart she had is not in this room, but I was able to start it so to speak. We must reunite both parts of her to know if what I did is enough.”

  He didn’t need to be told twice. Bending, he scooped Kellie up delicately and felt the faintest lub-dub of a heartbeat as he did so. Breath caught in his throat he had to mentally shout at himself to move through the shimmering space that had opened.

  “Are you both—” Breena started toward him and stopped.

  Kellie seemed to disappear from his arms. One moment he’d been holding her and the next she was gone.

  “Do not be alarmed. You’ve brought her physical and mental being to the same place. They have simply merged.” Ryce wheezed and pointed to the bed Dale and Breena had obviously moved Kellie to. “Go to her. See that she lives.”

  Alcott nodded and the world around him seemed to stop once more as he took four slow steps to the bed. The woman lying there, colorful hair splayed over the white pillowcase, looked so much better than she had moments prior. Color dotted her cheeks, and he held his breath as he placed his fingertips on her neck, terrified of what he would not find.

  “Oh my goddess,” he breathed out in a rush as the steady beat of a pulse surfaced under his fingers.

  Tears began to fall again, tears of joy, as he turned to look at the other three behind him. “She’s alive.” He stared directly at his friend. “You actually did it.”

  The man merely nodded. “Stay by her side. All of you. It might take her some days to weak. Kellie died and was brought back. Something I did not know I could do, and will never do again. What occurred here can never be spoken of. I do not know the reasons why it worked. All I know is that it did. I cannot save every lost soul. Saving just one has nearly killed me in return.”

  Alcott noticed that the weariness hadn’t changed on the other man’s face. Ryce’s normally golden skin was pale, closer to white. His silver eyes lacked any sort of spark and he was still slightly hunched over where he stood. A momentary wash of guilt flooded over Alcott, which was immediately replaced by gratitude.

  “Is there anything I can do?” he asked, not daring to take his fingers off Kellie’s neck. “I understand I forced you to help, but you’ve given me everything. I need to thank you.”

  A crooked, less cocky than usual smile formed on his lips. “She suffered unnecessarily. My brother clearly succeeded in renaming himself. Which means any magic tied to him is undone. If Huracan will allow me to, I can end his reign over the other side.” Though his voice was neutral the pain in his eyes was evident. “I will do what is needed to be done. We were not to interfere. We have both done so many times. I can only hope the selflessness in my actions does not bring about my own death.”

  The room was quiet. None said anything and Alcott couldn’t even bring himself to form words. In mere minutes, he’d lost everything and had it all given back.

  Finally stepping away from Kellie he kneeled before his friend. “You will always have my service. I will not turn away from any task you require of me. My life has always belonged to this prophecy and it will continue too. Whether I remain with Kellie or must find another.”

  The words drew a laugh from everyone and a small pang of fear from him. He still did not know why she’d agreed to help the man formerly known as Demus. All he could do was wish it did not change things between them.

  “Get off the damned floor. What I did for you I did as a repayment to Kellie for the burden Demus placed on her. We are to use our own warriors for such things. He broke yet another rule.” He looked at the ground, failing to hide a look of pure ire. When he looked up, it was gone. “Things are different now. The war is not yet to come, I have spoken to Huracan on such. I have many hundreds of teams to speak to, to set the record straight. I cannot do it for some time, but I wanted you to know.” He took a deep breath as if speaking were weakening him. “Nothing is as it was. Nothing will ever be normal for your kind again. All I can offer is the hope that the prophecy will not yet come to pass and my brother will be brought down for his indiscretions.”

  With that, he flashed out, leaving them all staring at the empty space he had just stood.

  “What happened there? Wherever there was.” Dale asked, sounding rather conflicted.

  How could he possibly explain all that had happened such a short time? They’d found Demus only because he’d felt the link to Kellie flare red hot, the warning that her life was fading. They’d spent what had seemed like hours searching through the realm between the world and the book worlds. They’d never even known a blank space existed, though it made sense that each side had an introduction space.

  Blowing out a deep breath, he turned to look at Kellie once more, to reassure himself she would indeed be all right. Her color was quickly returning and the rise and fall of her chest was unmistakable. He didn’t turn back to Dale as he spoke, afraid to take his eyes off of her should she wake,

  “We won. As far as I’m concerned we won. Kellie survived, Demus lost any power associated with that name and that is all I give two shits about right now.”

  “He changed his name?” Breena asked, alarm in her voice.

  Alcott nodded. “Yes. And while that could seem terrible, it has removed any protections and magics that were associated with that name. The protection Huracan placed on him when you two were first paired will have dissipated. Whatever had shielded him will be gone as well. To me, that is a win for our side.�
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  “I have to agree,” Dale said, running his hand through his hair. “Can we get you anything? Or just leave you two alone?”

  Alcott sat on the bed, his body sagging in relief to finally be unwinding. “I think I would just like to be with her, for now.”

  Dale and Breena nodded and smiled simultaneously before leaving, Breena pulling the door closed behind her. Without hesitation, he walked to the other side of the bed and climbed in. He could feel the warmth of her body and had never been so grateful for anything in all his life. Tugging her against him he wrapped his body around hers as carefully as he could.

  “Thank you,” he whispered to his friend, knowing the man was watching even though he’d left.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Not again, Kellie thought as a pounding sensation was the first thing she felt. That made twice in the last two times she’d awoken that she’d been in pain.

  I’m awake? Her eyes flew open. She wasn’t certain which stunned her more. The familiarity of the room she had been occupying at Dale’s or the fact that she was awake. She shouldn’t even be alive, let alone awake. She remembered everything, especially the part about dying. It was strange actually that she could remember what should have been her last moment alive.

  Nothing was adding up. Was it possible there was a life after death? She searched through her mind, reliving the last thing she could remember as if watching a video. She watched herself read the fucking spell, watched the blood rapidly seeping from her body and watched as Alcott did indeed appear in the strange space. But she didn’t feel any of it. Nothing, she was utterly detached and even watching such scenes didn’t make her feel anything. She was numb. Of course you are, you’re dead.