by Unknown
“Abandoned you?” I scoffed. “From what I've heard, you left him. He gave you eternal life, that's more than most people get. It's all that she wants,” I gestured towards Rebecca.
“It's not enough,” Salma said calmly. “He lives safely tucked away in his own little world while I was made to roam this human one. I was cast out from my people and forced to make more like me, just so I would have a community of my own.”
“You made more vampires, even though you hated what you'd become, just so you wouldn't have to be alone?” I narrowed my eyes on her. “And what, you want my sympathy? Blue didn't make you a monster, you became one when you forced your existence on others.”
“I'm a monster because I didn't want to spend eternity alone?” She huffed. “We all do horrible things because we don't want to be alone. Being alone is hell.”
“Lady, you have no idea what hell is,” I narrowed my eyes on her. “But keep me here long enough and you'll find out.”
“I've known hell, Godhunter,” she said sadly, “and I see the scars of it in your eyes as well. I'm sorry to bring you more trouble but if there's one thing I've learned in my long life, it's that you must do anything you can to become as powerful as possible. Only then are you safe.”
“Safe,” I whispered. It was the second time she'd mentioned the word. “Yeah, I know all about not feeling safe. I know how your breath stops but your heart keeps going faster and faster. How every shadow looks like death and every eye seems to be turned in your direction. Safety is why I started hunting gods in the first place but ironically, it's only landed me here.”
“Safety is why you're here,” she admitted. “I want enough magic to make my own territory, to have a place no one can take from me and no one can take me from. I want to stop hiding. Stop running.”
“I can relate to that but do you happen to know how to create a territory?” I lifted a brow at her.
“I assume the knowledge will come with the magic,” she paused when I laughed bitterly.
“The God Realm was created with help from the fey,” I shook my head at her. “They didn't have the knowledge to build it on their own. If you don't know the process, it won't matter how much power you have, you'll never be able to create your own territory. In fact, I don't even know if there's enough room for you to create a new territory. The God Realm is built over the Human Realm, the space is finite. You'd probably have to steal another god's territory to get one.”
“I think I'm okay with that,” she got a horrible look in her eyes. “And I know just the candidate.”
“You'll never be able to claim my territory,” I warned her. “I've got over seventy werelions who would destroy you.”
“I didn't mean you, little egotist,” she laughed. “I meant Huitzilopotchli. I think he owes me, don't you?”
“Ah, no,” I gave her my duh look. “I don't think he owes you anything. I think you're out of your mind. You know, I've met some evil, crazy bitches in my time but drinking baby blood takes the cake. You are a monster.”
“I don't care what you think of me, Godhunter,” her eyes went soft as she looked down at my belly. “It doesn't matter. What matters is what I think of you and I think that you've just proved yourself to be even more valuable. I'll wait till your child is born and then take the power in its blood but meanwhile, you'll help me lure Huitzilopochtli here and when he comes, I'll drink him dry too.”
Chapter Seven
I tried everything to break free of that circle. I used god spells, tried to call for Trevor, and reached for Thor through our old bond. Which then inspired me to see if I still had a connection to Blue. Turns out, I did but it didn't matter because between that blood circle and Rebecca's new wards, nothing was getting out. All of my magical connections felt muted, blurred out by interference. Like a screen full of static.
I even pulled on the power of my nine pointed star. I figured it couldn't hurt, that damn star was revealing new tricks all the time, but all it did was give me a jolt of power. Power which was useless against the circle. My own blood was working against me. My own magic trapping me. It was the perfect cage and if I wasn't so damn pissed I'd be impressed by Rebecca. I finally fell into a frustrated sleep and ironically, that was where my salvation was waiting. His name was Morpheus.
“Morph,” I sighed in relief as I hugged my friend, who happened to be a dream god.
“Hey, V,” he hugged me tight and then pulled back to look me over with eyes of cobalt mist. His midnight wings were pulled in tight to his back, so I couldn't see the sprinkling of stars within them, and his trim shoulders were tense. “We've been looking everywhere for you. Trevor and Kirill heard you fighting with Odin but when they got downstairs, both of you were gone and neither of you were answering your phones. They went to the Human Realm but you weren't at home in Hawaii or at Moonshine and then Azrael showed up and told them you had a fight and he let you walk out of Hell alone.”
“I bet that didn't go over well,” I gave a huff of a laugh.
“They were furious at him,” Morpheus nodded as he waved a graceful hand out to the side. A luxurious white leather couch manifested next to us, in the middle of the field of flowers I'd been dreaming of. He gestured to it and we sat before he continued. “Trevor punched him.”
“What?” I stood up but Morpheus pulled me back down.
“Azrael started to do his freaky Death face but then Kirill pointed out that they were both; vasting time behaving like children vhile voman ve love is missing,” Morph imitated Kirill's Russian accent perfectly. “Then Az pointed out that you were totally safe in his Dad's territory and that he actually knew for a fact that you'd made it through Hell because Salem said you had tea with him.”
“Yeah,” I smiled, “he was showing me his new place. It's really amazing. He has a recliner. A Lazy-Dragon recliner!”
“That's great, V,” Morph rolled his eyes. “But do you wanna tell me where the hell you are now? Since I know it's not in Hell.”
“I'm at that crazy bitch's house,” I huffed. “She abducted me for Blue's vampire ex-girlfriend, who wants to drink my baby's blood so she can become a goddess.”
“What the fuck?” He blinked at me. “Which crazy bitch?”
“The one who summoned Azrael into a magic circle,” I clarified. “Remember? I had to torture her to get her to free him and Azrael got all bent out of shape about it.”
“Oh, that crazy bitch,” he grimaced. “There are so many of them running around these days.”
“You're telling me,” I grimaced back.
“Now, who wants to drink your baby's blood?” Morpheus cocked his head. “And before you tell me, may I just say; gross.”
“Right?” I agreed indignantly. “I don't know her name but she was the first vampire Blue made. His ex-lover who also happens to be yet another crazy bitch.”
“I'm telling you, they're everywhere,” Morph shook his head and I laughed.
“You're getting good at making jokes in dire situations,” I congratulated him.
“I've learned from the best,” he shrugged. “Hang in there, V. I'm going to go tell the others where you are and we'll be right over. Both those crazy bitches are toast.”
“Thanks, Morph,” I hugged him.
“Anytime,” he stood up and a door appeared to his left. He gave me a wave as he walked through it, out of the Dream Realm.
Chapter Eight
Something woke me but I wasn't sure what. It hadn't been the dream of Morpheus. I was completely relaxed after he left, knowing that my men would soon arrive to rescue me from the clutches of the Evil Vampire Queen and her Sadistic Sorceress. I'd fully intended on getting a little more shut eye before they got there and kicked some Aztec ass but yet again, my plans fell through. I was wide awake and a shiver was coasting over my skin. Something strange was afoot.
“Now what?” I searched the bright room.
Rebecca hadn't even bothered to turn off the overhead florescent lights when she and the Queen
of the Damned had left, and the space was pretty open. There was nowhere for anything to hide. Not that it mattered though, I would have seen the redhead right away, even if the room was cluttered and filled with shadows. I sat up straight and looked her over as she stared at me intensely.
Hair the color of freshly spilled blood fell in waves to her hips and her pale skin seemed to glow like a pearl against the bright background. There were gold scales at her temples and a sharpness to her features that shouted dragon but her eyes were almost human, a rich chocolate brown. No wait, the pupils within those eyes were slit, it was just harder to tell with such dark irises. This was a dragon-sidhe, I knew it absolutely, and I also knew that she couldn't possibly exist.
I got up and went to stand at the edge of the circle so I could see her better. She came closer, her warm eyes filling with tears as she looked at me. I had a sudden urge to touch her, hug her and comfort her, though I had no idea why.
“Who are you?” I whispered.
“My name is Samara,” her voice was low and pleasant.
“That's a pretty name,” I smiled and she laughed, a sudden burst of sound which felt familiar. “What's so funny?”
“I'm not surprised that you like it,” a tear slipped down her cheek. “You chose it, Mother.”
I felt the air rush out of me and I gaped with the breathlessness of a fish cast on land, as I took a better look at her. The hair; so much like Arach's. The scales; definitely mine. The angles of her face; his. The eyes; mine and Arach's combined. There were more combinations of Arach and I but her physique was all me. She was a curvy thing, not a body type often found in fairies.
“I've startled you, I'm sorry,” she said. “I don't have a lot of time and I need to convince you to return with me.”
“Return with you where?” I frowned. “How can you be here?”
She held up a hand and on it was my Ring of Remembrance, the same ring that sat on the table a few feet away from her. My jaw dropped as I looked from her hand to my ring and back again. I took a deep breath and realized that I was in the same position my father had been in when I'd gone back in time to see him. Which meant...
“I'm dead, aren't I?” I whispered.
“Yes,” another tear. “You died when I was seventeen and I've missed you every moment since.”
“I'm so sorry,” I whispered but part of me rejoiced to see her, this beautiful living proof that Arach and I would have more children than the one I carried. Our marriage would last and the dragon-sidhe would flourish.
“You don't understand,” Samara sighed. “I can't tell you anymore about the future, it's against the rules of the ring, but I need you to know what happens.”
“Why are you here, Samara?” I asked slowly.
“I told you,” she swallowed hard, “I need you to come back with me. Once you're in the future, I can tell you everything. I can show you what's happened. That's the loophole. I can't change the past but you can come forward and see the future, then return here and change it before it happens.”
“The ring is for remembrance,” I frowned. “I can't travel forward, honey.”
“Yes, you can,” she vowed anxiously and drew closer. “You can go forward into a future where you don't exist anymore. The ring was never used to travel to the future because it was impossible to know whether a faerie would still be alive or not. If you did go forward to a time when you still lived, you would join with your future self just as if you were visiting the past. But where the past is already set and you just become a visitor, the future is not and your old self would battle with your future self until one of you won.”
“Won?” I lifted a brow.
“You'd lose yourself to the future either way,” Samara nodded. “If your old self conquered the new, you'd have to remain to keep your body alive. If your future self won, your old self would be destroyed. But that's not even the worst part. Either way, your past self would be lost to its own time and that means it would not be there to make your future.”
“You're making my head hurt,” I sighed and she grimaced at me. “Basically you're saying that I would unmake myself. Going forward in time is a bad idea.”
“You'd unmake yourself and possibly a lot more,” she nodded. “That's why it isn't done but that's not the case here. I know exactly what time to take you to. A time where you won't be alive, so there won't be any complications.”
“How do you know all of this?” I asked.
“Alaric told me,” she said simply.
“Alaric?” I smiled. “He speaks to you?”
“He's been with me since your death,” she swallowed hard. “Him and Faerie.”
“That sassy minx,” I chuckled.
“Mom, you have to come back with me,” she pleaded. “I can't tell you anymore. Just trust me and come.”
“I wouldn't even know how to do it,” I shook my head. “How do I go forward?”
“All you have to do is take my hand,” she smiled. “We'll go back together. My momentum will lead you through.”
“Did Al tell you that too?” I asked as my pulse began to race. It wasn't just me anymore, I had my son to consider and he was twitching inside me in reaction to my unease.
“Yes,” she picked up my pile of jewelry carefully, with the hand she didn't have the ring on, and tossed them across the blood line to me.
I caught them and quickly put everything on but then I stopped as the thought of my son brought on another concern. “What about your brother?” I put my hand over my stomach and my son went still. “He can't go forward into a time when he's alive.”
“It'll be okay. He hasn't been born yet so he's still a part of you,” she said quickly but there was something around her eyes, a hesitation that bothered me.
“Samara?” I asked in that tone all mothers use with their children when they knew their offspring wasn't being entirely truthful.
“Trust me, Mother,” she begged.
“Okay,” I sighed. “What do we do about the circle?”
“I can break it but as soon as I do, the sorceress will know, so we'll have to go immediately,” she stared at me hard. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I can possibly be,” I nodded.
She grinned brightly and lifted one finger. Its nail lengthened into a talon, light flashing off its sharp point as it lowered to the pointer finger on her other hand. A quick movement and blood flowed from her fingertip. She bent and drew a line of blood across the line made with my own, as she muttered a spell. There was a sparkling flash of light and then the ward exploded with a sound like breaking glass. She lunged forward and grabbed me as I asked the ring to take me with her... my daughter.
Chapter Nine
We appeared on the Road of Neutrality in front of Castle Aithinne in the Faerie Realm. My hand clenched around Samara's as I looked over the castle. It had been molded from the mountain range bordering our kingdom and served as a gate to Fire as well as a royal residence. Lava flowed languidly to either side of Aithinne, serving as indicators of where the castle ended and solid mountain began. Between those ferocious flows, the soaring stone was hollowed out into hundreds of chambers, with windows cut through the rock to let in air and light. The spires of mountain peaks served as castle towers, hollow all the way up to their sharp points. At the bottom of the castle, a cave formed an entrance, with a metal-plated drawbridge that could be lowered across the magma moat.
It had all been so glorious once. The cinnabar colored stone was carved with detailed designs of fire fey and fire creatures which had been illuminated by the glow of the twin lava flows and magma moat. The carvings would come alive at night, dancing in the wavering, warm light. The drawbridge had always been lowered so our fey could wander across it, into the nearby Forgetful Forest or picnic on the lawn in front of Aithinne. The royal carriages used to be lined up to the side of that lawn and goblin guards would meander about.
There were no goblins meandering today. No carriages waiting or faeries picnicking
on the lawn. The grass was charred in places and several trees in the nearby forest were smashed down to stumps. I say smashed because the stumps were jagged things, surrounded by splintered pieces of wood. I could hear movement within the forest but it was quick; the scared scurrying of faerie creatures.
Then there was the castle. Aithinne's face was pitted and scarred by what could only have been magical attacks. The carvings were barely visible and the windows were all covered with metal plates. Some of the towers had taken damage as well, their previously pointed tips now as blunt as a broken sword.
“What happened here?” I whispered as the drawbridge lowered and a contingent of red caps came surging out of the castle.
“Princess, what are you...” It was Fearghal, my most trusted goblin leader, and when he saw me, he fell to his knees and started to cry.
It was the most pitiful thing I've ever seen; a red cap crying. I ran forward and hugged him. Those bulging, massive arms drew me in and held me tight as his hulking shoulders heaved with sobs. Even on his knees, he towered over me and I ended up swallowed by his embrace. The other red caps closed in around us, laying hands on me like I was a miracle or a saint who could bless them if they simply touched me.
“My Queen,” Fearghal sobbed. “How have you returned to us? Has Faerie brought you back? Has she returned with you?”
“Samara brought me forward from the past,” I pulled away, reached up, and wiped the tears from his leathery cheeks. “What's happened here, Fearghal?”
“War, Queen Vervain,” he whispered. “War between the kingdoms of Faerie.”
“Civil War?” I asked in shock.
“Nay, there was nothing civil about it,” Fearghal grunted as he let me go and got to his feet.
“What is all this...” Isleen appeared around the edge of red caps. She froze and just gaped at me for a moment before she ran forward and barreled into me. “Vervain,” she whispered as I caught her. “Oh Vervain, you've come too late, my Queen. Far too late.”