Ascension

by Jennifer Ann Reed

  Diana glanced back at me once we rounded the curve and I slammed my eyes shut. Watching a stranger in struggle with their own loss made me realize more than ever what I had to lose.

  I came undone.

  Tremors tore through my body as tears flowed freely. I knew I should remain still, but each quake brought a new searing blade into my heart. My friends and family were my whole world and Aelfric wanted to take them away from me. Then, like some crazed tyrant, he wanted to watch the world burn if it didn’t bend at the knee before him. I had suffered through tragedy, time after time because of Aelfric, but now I knew my purpose and I would not let him win.

  I would be his end.

  I dragged a deep breath through my nose and held it before I released it in the same way. Aelfric would not break me.

  My thoughts turned to planning. The path widened, which allowed Austin and Linc to float next to us as the teal haired woman walked beside Diana. They whispered back and forth, but their words were loud enough for me to hear.

  “Is she the hybrid?” The teal haired woman’s voice was as soft as tree leaves brushing against each other. “I don’t sense a wolf, fae magic, or what we’re searching for.”

  “She reminds me of Queen Meghan.” Diana glanced back at me and I turned my head. “The hair color is different, but her eyes and nose are just like the Queen’s. Even her air of confidence and selflessness is the same. It has to be her.”

  “I thought we’d feel it though, since the Queen absorbed...” The teal haired woman’s shoulders drooped as she glanced back at me. “Never mind. This girl is a human. Nothing more.”

  “True. She’s not a threat and won’t have to be dealt with.” Dealt with? Had she planned to kill me or turn me in? Diana paused for so long that I thought she was finished talking. “Maybe she can help us, though. Human or not, I have a feeling she won't give up on the search.” Was this why the Creator took away my power? To keep me safe from these women? What would have happened if they sensed both of the halves that made me whole? I shuddered, tightening my fists to suppress the tremor which wanted to shake my body.

  The more I thought about what the Creator wanted, the more I thought about Elder Dylan. The last time I saw him, he went with Amara to the vampire coven to help with Layla’s pregnancy. At one time, Aelfric planned to create a hybrid who would open the Gate of Aramath. Since he couldn’t use me, he turned his sights on Caden’s ex-girlfriend but another hybrid, Jessie, fell into his lap and in her he found his mate. Elder Dylan was the only one who knew the Creator had commissioned me and he had also helped my mother when she was called upon to be Champion.

  As an Elder of the Dire Wolf pack, his wisdom was far beyond my capabilities and I needed his guidance. He understood what it meant to be a champion and the toll it mentally took on me. He’d know what to do to get my wolf and magic back.

  My eyes popped open when I realized we’d slowed, and I wished my mouth could do the same. The view before me was extraordinary. It was unlike anything I’d seen before. Suspended high above our heads, wooden bridges with rope rails connected octagon shaped buildings. Bright lights shone from arched windows and several octagons were built on top of one another to form multistoried towers. The flora glowed around the trees the same way it did when we encountered the phouka before we stumbled on the pixies.

  Diana walked to a set of spiral stairs anchored to the yellow tree trunks. When I glanced down tingles started in my toes and ran a race up my shins. The farther we climbed my tongue glued to the roof of my mouth and felt like it had turned into a cement block. Diana stopped in front of the largest octagon. I noticed the roof was shingled with the same bark as the trees while the outer walls were made of long jade colored leaves which resembled those of palm trees.

  She opened the leafy door and we floated inside one-by-one. Once everyone was inside, she walked over to me and held her hand above my mouth once more. My lips heated as they parted, and a loud gasp escaped from between them. With a flick of her wrist, I was standing on my feet and the bindings fell from my limbs. The other women set my friends and Uncle along the walls, untethering them and then silently marched out the door.

  I stared at the interior. It reminded me of a fairytale cottage with a wooden table and one chair on the left near a small kitchen area with stone basin. On the right, a twin bed rested against the wall. In the middle of the room, a beige loveseat sat surrounded by stacks of books. “Where are we?”

  “Crann Garran. In your language it means tree grove.” She sat on the loveseat and patted the spot next to her. “My sisters and I are the Guardians of the Trees; nymphs.” I plopped next to her still taking in the room in order to keep my gaze off her. Something about her made my skin crawl and my instincts hadn’t failed me yet when it came to these creatures.

  “Nymphs?” I blinked several times and shook my head. Then, I glanced at my friends and Uncle before facing her again. This had to be a dream. “Is this a delusion? I feel like I have a first-class ticket aboard the crazy train.”

  Diana swept her lime hair over her shoulder and smiled. “The bite hasn’t affected you as much as the others. You’re not crazy.”

  “Why not?” My hands twisted in my lap. The others had eventually passed out and still hadn’t aroused.

  “I suspect it’s because you’re a hybrid. However, all I sense from you is the aura of a human. How is that possible, if you’re the heir to the Seelie Court?” I shrugged and she tilted her head and glanced past me. “They should awaken in another hour.” She turned teal eyes with thin vertical slits in my direction. “But that’s not why you’re in Oberon’s Forest. Is it?” She didn’t give me time to answer and pushed on. “The weapon is within your reach.”

  “You know about the weapon? Do you know where it is?” Her catlike gaze perused me from head to toe as she pursed her rosy lips.

  “Many years ago, it was hidden in this grove.” My heartbeat accelerated and I almost jumped from my seat. “But it’s no longer here.”

  “What?” I coughed, choking on the breath which refused to enter my lungs.

  “Queen Meghan stole it from its hiding spot.” Her eyes narrowed and I gulped as a flesh colored membrane closed over her pupils. “I will do anything in my power to get it back.”

  “Then how is it within my reach if it’s gone and you want it back? I don’t understand.” I scrubbed my face with both hands and swallowed back bile.

  “Come with me. I want to show you something first.” Diana stood and waited for me to follow. She led me outside and down the stairs. On the ground, she walked to the center of the grove. I still marveled at the town above our heads, its lights glowed like a thousand stars. “This was where it was.”

  I saw a shiny silver orb as she stepped to the side. It hovered above a crystal pink dais covered in green vines. “It's so shiny.” My fingers stretched towards the orb.

  “Don’t touch it!” Diana’s hand snaked out and knocked mine away from the object. “It’ll kill you!” I stepped back and held my throbbing hand to my chest. “It’s a fake we’ve used for years to keep the truth concealed. Your mother replaced the real weapon with this one.” We both walked around the dais, studying the decoy. “By chance, one of my sisters found out how deadly it is.”

  “I’m sorry.” The orb pulsed, brightening for a second before fading in intensity. “Why would my mother have to steal it? She was the Seelie Queen and Oberon’s daughter. And why leave a deadly decoy?”

  “The weapon was to be guarded because of what it could do. No one was supposed to harness its power and if Faerie heard it was missing a war like none before would befall the world.” She walked back to the tree with the stairs and I hurried after her. “The danger of the replacement keeps the creatures from stealing it. They know to touch the weapon is certain death, but Aelfric knows you’re different and you have the ability to use it to change the world.”

  “So where is the real one?” I tried to keep my huffing to a minimum as I climbed up
the stairs. “How can I find it?” Her serpentine eyes narrowed when she examined me again and a warm palm landed on my shoulders. Icy tendrils stabbed their way into my chest and her eyes flared before dimming as she pulled away.

  “I thought.” Her voice faded and she shook her head. “Your mother would have left a trail for you to follow. Find the trail and you will know it’s true resting place. Promise to bring it back to the grove so no harm can be done.” She’d already given me my first clue. I’d heard her conversation and the teal haired woman said my mother absorbed something and I bet it was the weapon. Now, all I had to figure out was where she put it. I nodded to Diana with no intention of bringing it back until I used it to defeat Aelfric. A commotion upstairs pulled both our attentions to the large octagon. “It seems your party has awakened.”

  I rushed past her and threw the door open. Caden was roaring as his claws grew and he overturned the table in the room. “Caden!” His ice blue gaze found mine and he exhaled. “I’m here.”

  Diana sauntered in behind me and pointed to the mess. I watched as she righted Caden’s destruction and his cheeks reddened as an apology fell from his plump lips. “This must be one of your soulmates.” Ryn stirred, but his eyes remained closed. “You’re welcome to stay on the forest floor in the safety of the grove tonight and be on your way home tomorrow. Remember your promise, Princess.” She breezed back through the door, leaving me alone with my group.

  “What was she talking about?” Caden peered out of an arched window and whistled once he realized the room was built high in the trees. “Where are we?”

  “I want to wait until everyone is awake to tell you all about it.” I opened the door and peeked out, but no one was outside. “We’re in a town called Crann Garran, home of the nymphs.”

  “So, we’re in a treehouse then.” Ryn rubbed at his eyes and he groaned as he yawned. “Among the tree folk.”

  “Yes.” He walked over and examined my tender wrists. “But I don’t think they’re too friendly.”

  “Did they do this to you?” Caden turned my other hand in his as Ryn kissed the one he held.

  “No. I did it trying to break free from the ropes the gnomes bound us with. Do you not remember.” I pulled my hands back and watched their faces scrunch up as their brows drew together.

  “The last thing I remember is being surrounded in that crumbled building. Then, I woke up here.” Caden scratched the top of his head while he glanced at Ryn. “What about you?”

  “Same.” Ryn turned to the others as Austin sat up and studied the room.

  “Where are we?” Austin moved to Allie and shook her until she woke up.

  “I’ll tell you the whole story when we get the others up.” I walked to Uncle Kalen shaking his shoulder. The hair on the back of my neck rose and I felt someone was watching and listening to us. If the nymphs were as dangerous as I thought they were, I’d keep my revelations to myself until we were near the only place these women found unsafe.

  Chapter 18

  O NCE EVERYONE WAS AWAKE, I checked the door again and I told them as much as I could until we made it to the ground. We gathered our belongings and started down the spiraling stairs. Linc kept a death grip on the railing as we descended to the forest floor while everyone else spoke about the town and its design. I didn’t care about my surroundings anymore and bit my lip the entire way down, bursting at the seams to tell them what I’d learned.

  When we were gathered around the base of the tree, I quickly marched back to the decoy that Diana had shown me. The others faltered when they saw the pulsing orb. I couldn’t hold it in any longer and what I’d overheard on our way to the grove and what Diana confessed was dumped on them. My explanation was met with a lot of disbelief and angry rumblings, but each of them circled the object and stared up into the trees.

  “This is ridiculous.” Ryn whispered as a nymph strolled by on a bridge high above our heads. “Why should we believe them? It doesn’t look like a fake. What if they only said that to keep us from taking it.” He pointed to the glowing orb.

  “By all means…test it out.” Caden’s arm brushed against mine. He hadn’t been more than a foot away from me since he awakened. “Then we’ll know what to believe.”

  “No one’s testing it.” Lucian’s alpha authority pulsed in the air and Zander ducked his head. “Understood? Everyone consented and we stopped by the dais. The orb’s light pulsed again. “Kitra? You’re sure you heard them say Meghan absorbed something?”

  “Yes. It had to be the real weapon, right?” Everyone watched the pulsing orb. “This is the decoy. She had to hide the real one in plain sight.”

  “Why absorb the real one?” Curtis squatted with his hands on his knees as he eyed the orb. “Why not use it and end this years ago?”

  “Maybe it was the only way to get it out of the forest without it being stolen by other creatures, and you know she didn’t want to start another war.” Zander backed up from the dais. “But I don’t understand why she didn’t use it.”

  “Only one reason would keep Meghan from using the weapon.” Lucian looked at Uncle Kalen and they both nodded while understanding passed between them.

  “She didn’t know how or have the ability to.” Uncle Kalen tapped his fingers against his chin. “Maybe she only needed to retrieve the weapon. What if she had another purpose for it?” He bit at his thumbnail while Lucian shrugged. Only my mother could answer his question, but she had been dead for twelve years. He stared off into space and I swore I saw the cogs in his brain turning. “So, that means she did hide the weapon, but did she stow it away in Faerie or back home?”

  “Our best bet is to start at the castle and then return to Serenade Falls.” Allie reached for Curtis’s hand. “We need to get back to Mauve and the others.” We agreed and decided to leave first thing in the morning.

  “But the decoy looks so harmless.” Ryn’s eyes glassed over and he reached out for the orb like I had earlier.

  Uncle Kalen grabbed his arm. “Looks can be deceiving. Let’s not get too close.”

  They studied the area and the orb for any other clues as far as safety allowed, and Lucian pulled out his tent. “Let’s make camp around it to see what it does during the night or if anyone comes near it.” Curtis unzipped his pack and everyone else started to unpack.

  The soft clearing of a throat and the strong scent of jasmine alerted us to a seafoam green haired woman’s presence. She was one of the women with Diana who had scared off the gnomes earlier tonight. “I wanted to check if you had everything you needed.”

  “Hello, beautiful.” Linc puffed out his chest, strutting over to her. His eyes roamed her lean body. “Is it true that the weapon kills anyone who touches it?”

  “Yes.” Her brown eyes narrowed as she took a step back. “I watched it kill my sister.”

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Linc’s head dropped and he glanced at her from beneath his lashes.

  “Thank you.” One side of her pink lips lifted, and she perused him from head to toe. “You’re very kind.”

  “I can be a lot of things.” Linc winked and moved into her personal space. “Anything you want me to be.” She giggled and I almost gagged. Really? She was falling for that line?

  “Anything?” She stood on her tiptoes, her lips brushing his ear.

  He growled and pulled her into his arms. “Yes.”

  This time she threw her head back and laughed in his face. “Like I’d have anything to do with a shifter.” She shuddered like she’d stepped in something disgusting and Linc’s face turned purple. “You’re nothing more than a worthless dog.” Caden grabbed me around the waist and held me in place as steam came from my ears; those were fighting words. Ryn stepped slightly in front of us as he and Caden nodded to one another.

  “You wound me.” Linc acted like he’d been shot in the heart and then straightened as his voice dropped an octave with a growl covering the words. “I only came on to you because desperate times call for desperate measures.
Don’t worry though, you saved me from a shower of bleach.”

  “Bleach?” Her brows drew together, and her arms crossed.

  “That means he’d have to wash the skank off.” Allie’s hands were cupped around her mouth as she leaned over Curtis’s muscled arms in the same predicament as me. She glanced in my direction with an evil grin. “Even in this realm they know that word.”

  “Skank?” Her pupils grew and encompassed the whites of her eyes. Black veins spread out from each socket in different directions. Her tongue forked as two fangs as long as her fingers extended to the end of her chin. She hissed and the sound echoed around the grove. “You really shouldn’t have said that, fairy.” Answering hisses filled the air as her sisters dove from the trees above and landed in a crouch. They stood transformed and a shadow darted behind them.

  “No one disrespects our sister!” Diana landed a couple of feet from us, spit flying from her mouth. “I helped you and this is how you repay me? The others told me to leave the filthy dogs and their friends behind, but I thought you were different. You’re just like them.”

  “To be a shifter doesn’t mean we’re filthy or dogs.” I clawed at Caden’s forearm and he loosened his grip around my waist. “Your sister disrespected him first after flirting with him.”

  “Your accusations mean nothing.” Diana’s fangs dripped a clear liquid and I knew instantly it was toxic. “Kill them all!”

  Caden’s grip dropped and I reached for my katana and the others braced for impact, but instead, a thundering roar split the air and the shadow from the forest zipped around the nymphs like a soldier of death. Each woman fell with their faces morphed in frozen screams. I searched for wounds, but none were seen. One second, we were ready to fight for our lives, and in the next we were saved once again.