by Mikayla Lane
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Mikal stepped aside and allowed Thjodhild to see her mate, staying close to her side. Thjodhild raised her hand to her throat and gasped at the wild look in Fiorn’s eye. She took a step towards him and was shocked when he rushed the bars of the cage and tried to grab her through the bars.
Mikal pulled her back, just as the bars sparked in a golden shower that forced Fiorn back into the center of the cage. Thjodhild breathed heavily as she stared at his bloodshot eye and his heaving chest.
“What has happened to you, my love?” she whispered quietly, afraid to get closer and upset him again.
“The truth! I need the truth!” Fiorn roared, his voice causing the golden energy around the cage to vibrate erratically.
“What do you mean, Fiorn? What truth?” she asked, taking another tentative step towards.
Fiorn looked wildly at her for a moment before turning towards the door. “He comes! He wants the truth! I need to give him the truth!” Fiorn said before he grabbed hold of the bars.
The golden energy ricocheted around the cage like a Tesla experiment, golden sparks raining down on Fiorn as he grabbed the bars and shook the cage. Mikal pulled Thjodhild away from the cage just as Fiorn reached through the bars towards her.
Grai heard Tricia’s scream through the Shengari’ at the same time that Thjodhild turned her head towards the door.
“Someone is coming . . . they broke through the portal,” she said a little nervously.
“Who?” Darina asked nervously, wondering who could get past the guards.
Grai ran to the door as it opened and he stood face to face with his son and Gibly.
“What are you doing here? Your mother is worried sick!” Grai said to the golden warrior in his most fatherly tone.
Tristan folded his wings behind his back as he hugged his father to him.
“I had to come. Lara cannot fix him,” he said as he stepped back and walked towards the cage where Fiorn was nearly foaming at the mouth as the golden energy that Lara had erected around the cage bounced around him.
“Tristan! Get back! He’s dangerous!” Grai shouted as he ran to block his son from the crazed Fiorn.
Tristan looked into his father’s eyes and smiled. “I love you, Father. More than I have ever been able to express, but you must let me help him. It is partly my fault he is like this,” Tristan said, sending enough energy to his father to make him let go.
Grai let go of his son, just as Thjodhild turned to the Warrior/Child.
“What do you mean you are at fault?” she asked, her voice quavering.
Tristan turned sad eyes to Thjodhild. “I didn’t know that he’d integrated himself into the energy here. When I told him it was time for the truth, it triggered something the energy had placed in his mind. Right now, both energies are competing in his mind. He has lost all sense of reality. If we don’t help him soon, it will destroy his mind and we will not be able to save him,” Tristan said, his heart aching for Thjodhild and Fiorn.
Thjodhild shook her head. “Wait, how did he integrate himself with the energy? He’s rarely been here since it was discovered,” she said, not understanding what was going on and worried about whether the Chimera had done this to her mate.
Tristan smiled patiently. “The colors, the auroras you see, are energy strands, portals from and to other realms. Some of those realms, I command. Others I do not and I am unfamiliar with them. It is one of those strands that forced a bond with Fiorn, if he hadn’t, Fiorn would have never been allowed to discover this place,” Tristan said, trying to help her understand what happened to her mate.
Thjodhild shook her head. “I don’t understand, if this strange energy had bonded with Fiorn so long ago, why is it doing this to him now?”
Tristan sighed.
“Lady Warrior, it is I who triggered this when I asked him to face the truth and sent him energy. Whatever the energy here bonded into his brain had to do with the truth and it triggered the problem,” Tristan explained, feeling the conflict of Fiorn’s energy from this distance.
Thjodhild still wasn’t sure what it all meant or why the aurora energy would bond with Fiorn, but she grabbed onto the hope that the chimera child could save him. She took a hesitant step towards the warrior, her steps increasing in confidence until she stood before him and took one of Tristan’s hands in her own.
“Please, help him if you can,” she said quietly.
Tristan nodded.
“It is why my brother called me here,” he said turning to smile at Mikal before he walked to his brother and pulled him into a strong hug.
There were few dry eyes as they watched the two brothers interact for the first time. Mikal leaned back and looked Tristan up and down with a big grin on his face.
“Little brother, I always knew you were special . . . but wings? Come on! How can we compete with wings?” Mikal said teasingly, the tears in his eyes betraying his pride and love for his baby brother.
Tristan chuckled and pulled his brother’s head towards his own until their foreheads touched.
“If it were a competition, I would never win against honor and courage such as yours, my brother. I am very glad you called for me,” Tristan said hoarsely, his love for his brother emanating from his energy.
The unusual brothers held each other for a moment before Tristan kissed Mikal’s forehead and turned towards Fiorn. He held his hands out in front of him, palms up and ignored the gasps behind him as a golden net of energy sprang from his hands and enveloped Fiorn, in the cage.
The moment the net touched him, Fiorn immediately calmed and the wildness left his eye. Fiorn held his arms out, the net of energy remaining around him and he looked at everyone curiously.
“What’s going on? Why am I here,” Fiorn asked warily, seeing the tears in Thjodhild’s eyes.
Tristan stepped forward and smiled kindly at the confused warrior. “Sir, there was an energy when you found this place, that is conflicting with the energy in your mind and causing bouts of . . . insanity and rage. In order to help you, I need to know everything you remember about discovering this place,” Tristan said calmly.
Fiorn shook his head and looked at Thjodhild, not understanding why his beast was silent and he couldn’t use the Shengari’ to speak to his mate privately. Giving up he spoke aloud.
“My flower, what is going on?” he asked quietly, moving to stand close to the bars.
Thjodhild ran to the cage and clasped his hands in her own as she looked at him. “Please, my love, please, just tell them what happened so they can help you,” she begged, the tears sliding unchecked down her face.
Fiorn looked confused and he tried to comfort his mate as he looked at the others trying to remember who they were. “I don’t understand what’s going on . . .” Fiorn began but Thjodhild cut him off.
“Fiorn, listen to me, you are very sick. You have to tell us what you remember,” she said, squeezing his hands tightly, hoping he’d realize the urgency.
Fiorn shook his head to try and clear it. He knew something was wrong, he could feel it, but he wasn’t sure what had happened that led to him being in a cage at Beta Base. The last he remembered, he was at the folly.
Whatever had happened must have been truly terrible for his mate to be this upset. If he was in a cage . . . Fiorn couldn’t finish the thought, but he had to know.
“What have I done?” he asked on a choked whisper. His heart sunk when no one answered and Thjodhild looked away from him.
“Oh Gods, what did I do?” he asked hoarsely as he slid down the bars to the floor.
Tristan kneeled down in front of Fiorn and laid a hand on his shoulder. “You did nothing. The conflicting energy in your mind caused you to act irrationally. It is nothing that cannot be fixed, but you need to tell me what happened when you arrived here,” he asked, trying to sift Fiorn’s energy.
Fiorn shook his head, willing to cooperate if it would make his mate sto
p crying and fearing for him.
“We’d gone too far, I pushed too hard, the only thing keeping us alive was our beasts at that point. I saw the auroras and followed them here,” he said, trying to remember what happened next.
“Tell them how you got into the canyon,” Thjodhild said encouragingly.
Fiorn shook his head slightly, trying hard to find the memories in his foggy mind. “I . . . heard a voice. I thought I was hallucinating. When it asked if I would be a guardian of the truth . . . I remember agreeing. None of us remember anything after that. We awakened by the lake on the canyon floor,” he said, looking at Thjodhild as she smiled at him.
Tristan smiled at Fiorn, understanding what happened. “You have a truth you’ve been hiding. One you needed to speak of, when I touched you earlier and asked you to reveal that truth, the energy in your mind believed that I was asking for the truth that you are protecting here and rebelled. In an attempt to protect itself, the energy began to take over your mind, making you want to get the truth and protect it from discovery,” Tristan explained, figuring out how to correct the problem as he spoke.
Fiorn nodded, keeping his eyes averted from the others.
“I know the truth you speak of, but I don’t understand what I am protecting here,” he admitted.
Tristan nodded.
“I know. We will deal with that in a moment. Both must be revealed in order to correct the energy in your mind. I will help you with the one and Lara with the other. It is time, Warrior, a mistake should never be taken this far or cause so much harm,” he said with a small smile of encouragement.
Fiorn nodded and kept his head bowed, his shame not allowing him to look up. “It was my fault that Granala Skardard, Grai’s mother was taken from Valendra,” Fiorn said to the shock of everyone.
Before anyone could say anything, Fiorn continued.
“I had grown arrogant in my belief that no one would dare attempt such a thing while I was in charge of the protection of our planet. When I heard that she’d gone missing, every instinct I had screamed at me that she’d been taken and had not gone lost in the mountains,” he said shaking his head in disgust before he spoke again.
“It had been early enough since she’d gone missing, that if I had followed those instincts, I probably could have saved her. Brought her back home. But, my pride . . ., I would have had to admit that I had been arrogant and stupid . . .” he said sadly.
Ivint erupted in fury. “You let them have her to save your pride? You let those animals torture her to save your reputation?”
Grai put his arm on Ivint’s shoulder and shook his head.
“What does it matter now? What does any of it matter? It is the burden of my brothers and I to forgive and we do,” Grai said, turning sad eyes to Fiorn.
“How the hell can you do that?” Reven wondered, wanting to tear Fiorn apart himself.
Grai chuckled.
“How should we quantify this then? If he hadn’t done what he did, I and my brothers wouldn’t be here. Would you even be here? If he hadn’t ended up on that outpost, none of your people may have survived. You could be extinct right now along with me. So how do we quantify something that led us all here?” he asked, unwilling to argue with fate and her fucked up ways.
Ivint looked at him like he’d lost his mind.
“The things your mother endured — Ivint began before Grai interrupted him.
“Would not be avenged by taking it out on Fiorn. My mother was the strongest and bravest person I have ever known. She had many opportunities to end her own life, and instead she chose to remain strong and raise my brothers and me with love. I would never have become the person I am without her,” Grai said before looking kindly at Fiorn.
“Nor would I be here at all if Fiorn had done anything differently. I and my brothers found happiness and forged friendships that we cherish, I don’t believe for a second that my mother would have changed anything if she knew what the outcome would be for her children and grandchildren,” Grai said, hoping to make them understand why he felt no animosity for Fiorn.
Reven shook his head.
“How can you forgive this?”
Grai chuckled.
“How can I not? I am just as selfish for being grateful that he did make a mistake or I wouldn’t be here to enjoy the happiness and love that I have found. Even saying that is just as bad as what you perceive he has done wrong. And my mother would never want him to be put through this. She was kind, loving and forgiving. Do not use her as an excuse to vent your own frustration,” Grai said honestly.
Fiorn almost choked on his emotions. He’d never thought to be forgiven by the mutant. His hatred for Grai had only been a reflection of the hatred he felt for himself for failing Grai’s mother and his people.
“I am truly sorry . . .” Fiorn said quietly.
Grai walked over to the cage and laid a hand on Fiorn’s shoulder.
“I know that. You made a mistake. Let’s not continue that any longer,” Grai said, holding his hand out for Fiorn.
Fiorn looked up at the mutant and put his hand in his and allowed Grai to help him stand. Grai nodded at him.
“Let’s get this energy fixed in your mind so we can talk about an alliance. There is much to discuss and we need your help,” Grai said with a smile, putting his own thoughts aside to help.
Fiorn shook his head.
“I still don’t know about any other energy,” Fiorn said, struggling to remember what happened to him.
Tristan smiled at him. “That is where Lara comes in,” he said as he waved his hand and the golden energy dissipated from the bars as the door popped open.
Grai stepped back as Fiorn walked slowly out of the cage. Thjodhild flew into his arms and he caught her up, hugging her closely.
Tristan gave them a moment before saying, “Come we must do this soon, I can’t hold that energy off for too much longer. It is very strong.”
Tristan gestured out of the door and Fiorn looked questioningly at Grai and Thjodhild before he began to walk outside. Lara sent out a shower of golden energy that kept the other hybrids from following them as Tristan led Fiorn back to the large school.
Lara looked at Tristan questioningly and he chuckled. “I think you went into the building too quickly the first time or you would have fixed this already,” he said by way of explanation.
Lara shook her head. The kid was pretty good at being evasive, she thought with a grin. The moment they stepped into the School, she understood what he meant and Lara threw her arms in the air and laughed as she skipped through the middle of the room towards the hallway.
Ivint and Grai looked at Tristan curiously. Tristan shrugged and grinned as he followed beside Fiorn down the hallway after Lara. When they got to the newly melting area, Lara threw up a golden shield so that Fiorn wouldn’t have to see Leif’s blood on the ice in the other hallway.
They stood and faced the area where Fiorn had True tried to blast through the ice with her fireballs and Lara held her hands against the hole that had been made. She turned to the others and grinned.
“Tristan, throw up a shield,” Lara said, gesturing towards the others.
Tristan raised his hand and a golden shield sprang up in front of everyone but he and Lara, while she placed her hands on either side of the hole that True had made in the ice. Within moments the ice wall began to glow with an eerie golden light.
Grai and the others watched in amazement as the wall of ice seemed to shimmer with the golden light and a tunnel appeared in the middle of the ice where True had begun the hole. Lara’s hands shook for a moment and she concentrated more deeply as the others watched something come through the shimmering tunnel in the ice wall.
Seconds later something flew from the hole, caught in Lara’s hand, before the golden light disappeared and the ice wall was again intact. Even the hole that True had made with her fireballs, was now gone, a solid wall of ice again blocking the hallway.
Lara turned to the others as Tristan
released them from behind the shield he’d erected in front of them. Grai was the first to see what Lara held in her hand and his eyes widened in surprise.
“What is that?” Grai asked as he gestured to the elaborate gold and platinum scepter in her hand.
“The truth,” Fiorn said, the wild look completely gone from him now.
Lara grinned and nodded.
“It is the Relic of Truth. The relic would not allow Fiorn to be here unless he vowed to protect it until it was time to be found. When Tristan told him it was time for the truth, the protective energy that the relic imbued into Fiorn assumed that the relic was in danger and triggered the problem in his brain. One energy fighting the other. He should be fine now,” Lara said, her excitement over the discovery vibrating in her energy.
Grai shook his head.
“I thought you can’t use that. That you could only use the Relic of Knowledge,” he said, confused.
Lara chuckled. “I can’t. But, I can keep it safe until we find the ancient prime meant to use it. And more importantly, it negates the need for the protective energy to be triggered in Fiorn’s mind again,” Lara explained.
“Wait,” Thjodhild said, holding up her hand to get everyone’s attention. “That’s it? He admits he was an arrogant asshole and caused Grai’s mother years of pain, and you take something from here and now . . . he’s fine? What are you taking and why? What right do you have to it? And how do we know that Fiorn is fine now?” she asked incredulously.
Tristan smiled patiently at Thjodhild and took one of her hands into his own.
“Lady Warrior, it was Fiorn’s self-hatred over what happened to Granala Skardard that created part of the problem in his mind. It was his own guilt that created a mass of negative energy that was triggered when he saw my father. I inadvertently set off the relic’s protective energy when I told him to tell the truth to release the negative energy in his mind,” Tristan explained, sending her patience and energy to help her open her mind and understand.
Lara grinned at the feisty shield maiden. “I will prove to you that I am among its rightful owners,” she said cryptically before shooting Thjodhild with a bolt of golden energy.