by Lisa Randall
“We know of him, Magnus.” Rai said. “Be well.” And he took off on the gargoyle to join his people.
The portal was in a building in the center of the city, and it was underground. As we got closer, I began to recognize our surroundings from looking outside of Viktor’s window in our dream-walking. Pushing my senses out, I felt Viktor, and another dark being, were near the portal, as well as a few demons. The others felt it too and we all rushed to the building. It was another large building, but the doors weren't human sized, they were large enough for Red to come in with us this time. It got me thinking about how many demons had come through here if they needed to put in special doors for them.
In the center of the building stood the portal, a magical swirling vortex just hovering in mid-air. Standing next to it was Baal, who had Viktor in chains, still badly beaten. I could tell he was weak, but still strong enough to fight if it came down to it. He looked a little happy but shocked when we entered, and kept glancing to me then the portal, as if I would know what to do with it.
“Ah, we have guests. Why didn’t you tell me we were going to have company, Viktor? Hmm?” Baal said, and I could tell by the look on his face that he knew we had been coming, and he had been waiting for us.
“Why didn’t you run?” I asked. Not that I minded. I really wanted to kill him; his aura was the worst I had yet to see, including Pandora’s.
“Well, what would be the point in that? Seeing as how I wanted to see you anyways.” He said, eyes never leaving me.
“And why is that?” I asked.
“I need you in order to open the portal for good, of course.” He smiled.
“I would never do such a thing. I would rather die than open it for good. We came here to destroy it.” I spat. I noticed Red wasn’t fighting with us and looked around for him. He was frozen in place on the ground, mid-step. There were glowing patterns on the ground beneath him, and figured it had to be some kind of magical trap meant just for him.
“Oh, but I don’t need your cooperation. Just your blood.” Baal said, and signaled the demons in the room to attack. There were only a few, but they were strong. Much stronger than the one I fought when I first awoke. I was fighting a demon that looked like a scaly ogre with horns, and briefly thanked Howlite for helping us to train for this moment. He wielded a huge double headed axe, and soon my flaming sword was clashing against his. I could hear the others fighting, and glanced at Baal and Viktor, still standing by the portal, watching the melee with a smile on his face.
I think he is observing our skills. I thought to Rai. I didn’t want to show Baal any of our powers if I could help it, wanting it to be a surprise for when we fight him, which I know will happen, one way or another.
Rai agreed with me, and sent a message to the others. Hopefully we could defeat these demons without using too much magic before we got to Baal.
I finally got a glancing blow on the demon I was fighting and watched at the fire on my sword seems to light him on fire all over his body. Soon he was writhing on the ground, trying to put out the flames. His rolling around only increased the flames and soon he stopped moving. I was shocked to see that the flames on my sword worked like they had before, when I didn't have a weapon, and I could tell Baal and the others were scared of it. I went over to Rai and helped him take out his demon quickly, and then we went and helped Alice and Selena, who could handle their own, but the desperate look in Baal’s face made me want to hurry this along.
Baal pulled Viktor to him by the chains and was yelling at him about what I was, and who. Apparently, he thought I was someone else, just as Viktor had all those years ago. They thought I was Hecate.
*****
I could hear Baal yelling at Viktor, telling him that she was supposed to be dead. After a moment I understood. They thought Helen was Hecate. We only knew about her from what Viktor told us in a rare moment of clarity, and from the form Baal sometimes took when he visited Viktor. I had to admit, the likeness was a little eerie, but they were completely different.
Baal seemed to get control of himself and turned to Helen saying, “Solidify the gate. Now. Or I start killing your friends. One. By. One.”
“I refuse. Even if I knew how, I wouldn’t do it.” She said. I could tell she was trying to control that power inside of her, the one that killed Pandora and her first demon. I didn’t know what to think about that power, except that I was glad she had it, since it has saved her so many times. Except, sometimes, the power didn’t feel like it belonged to Helen. It felt like a completely different person.
Baal didn’t waste any time, raised a finger, and shot a beam of energy right into my chest, and time stood still as I fell to the ground, and died.
Chapter 24
“I told you I would kill your friends. Now, solidify the gate, or you are next.” Baal said. At least, I think he was talking to me, he sounded so far away. All I could see was Rai, falling to the ground, and he stopped moving. That connection that I always felt around him was gone, and I knew he was dead.
I was devastated, tears running down my face, and I think I heard Selena gasp at something. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t turn my face from Rai, his eyes were locked with mine. Baal was getting impatient and walked over to me, tried shaking me to get my attention to listen to him, or he would kill the others, and I felt something inside myself break. I stopped trying to control that power that was struggling to get free ever since I saw Baal in the flesh. I felt my power rise to the highest it had ever gotten, even when training in the other dimension, and I focused it all on Baal. Instantly, he was bathed in white flames, and turned to ash within seconds. I turned and bent down to Rai, hugged him, and let loose the same power, but with a different intent. This time, instead of killing, the power wanted to heal, and I didn’t want to stop it anymore. If anything, I added more power to it. Then, miraculously, Rai’s arms were around me, and he was telling me everything was going to be okay. He showed me in his mind how he refused to leave when his body died, watched Baal die in flames, and even felt the power I put into his body, calling him back.
I almost forgot about the portal until it started becoming less stable, wobbling in the air like it was running out of energy. It was flickering on and off, the shape becoming less of a circle, and more like a blob as its shape kept changing. There was a crackle of energy, and I could feel the other demons on the other side. It sent chills throughout my body. I didn’t know what to do, how to turn it off. But apparently the power within me knew. It drew me closer to the portal, and I could feel Rai tugging at my arms, trying to get me away from it. I put my hand up to touch it, I was so close to it now. My hand just centimeters away from it, I sent a jolt of power into it, intending to close it, and it did.
We all stood there, not ready to believe everything that just happened. We killed some demons, Baal was dead, I revived Rai after he was dead, and closed the portal. It sounded simple, but I knew it wasn’t over yet.
My power was now drawn to Viktor. Nobody tried to stop me this time; we knew he was a victim in all of this, mostly. He wouldn’t meet my gaze as I got closer to him. Finally I was in front of him, and he looked into my eyes. Searching for something.
I unchained him with just a touch, the flames eating away the entire length of chain and shackles, until nothing was left, burning it like it was paper.
He looked down to his free hands and flexed them a few times, as if he couldn’t believe everything either. The power was still surging in me, like a tidal wave. It urged me to take Viktor’s head into my hands, so I did. Then I did something that surprised me even more. I kissed Viktor on the forehead, sending healing power into his mind and body. When it was done, I backed away. I knew using this power always made me sick, and I was expecting to pass out, so I went and stood next to Rai and fainted.
*****
I caught her before she was anywhere close to the ground and watched as the strange power began to move around Helen’s body. It was her bright white flames, and they
began to cover her entire body. I feared for her, but then realized the flames weren't burning anything. After a moment they settled back into her body, and she began to glow.
Helen opened her eyes and I instantly knew it wasn’t her. I could still feel her in her mind, but it was like she was sleeping. She looked at me and smiled, then turned to Viktor, and ran into his arms.
“It is I, my love.” She said.
“Hecate? Is it really you?” Viktor said in awe. “How?”
“It is a very long story, one that I will tell you some other time. But for now, my love, you must come away with me. We no longer belong here, in this strange world.” She said, stroking his face as Helen had done moments before.
Viktor nodded, and she placed a kiss on his forehead. Viktor’s body seemed to disappear, leaving his soul behind, still holding onto Hecate.
She smiled, then turned to me and said “Do not worry, I too, will leave. When Helen wakes up, the strange power will no longer be inside of her, and she will no longer be sick from using magic. That was my fault, I’m afraid. It was the spell keeping me inside of her. I entered her as she became a vampire. Please do not hold this against me. I just wanted to find Viktor again, and free him from my sister’s curse.” All I could do was nod.
Then she turned to Selena, and gave her a hug, giving her a rush of power as well. “What was that?” she asked.
“I give you knowledge of your peoples, as well as knowledge in healing; so that you may forever help others find peace.” Selena had tears in her eyes and thanked Hecate, who moved on to Alice.
“Alice, I also give you knowledge of your peoples,” she said, giving her a hug. “I also give you knowledge of all the protective spells that I know, so that you may forever keep your people safe from harm.” Alice thanked her, tears in her eyes as well.
She then came up to me, and I wondered what she would do. She came up close, and kissed me on each cheek. “I give you the knowledge that you seek. With Helen’s help, your combined powers will be able to return the world to what it once was. It may be slow at first, but you will have the time.” She said with a smile. “May you help others to see the sky once again.”
Turning back to Viktor, she smiled, and fainted. As I caught Helen, I saw Hecate’s spirit leave her body. She joined Viktor and took his hand, and led him to somewhere we could not see, disappearing once more, never to be seen again.
As they left, Helen opened her eyes and smiled, and I knew everything was going to be alright.
Epilogue – 6 Months Later
The barrier dome was still holding steady around the small city that we all now lived in, keeping the radiation and acid rain out. The gargoyles had helped to find a deserted city that wasn’t too badly damaged by the Human Wars, and it was now home to many creatures. I was still not used to seeing witches, shifters of all kinds, gargoyles and humans all living in the same area. I knew I wasn’t the only one.
The gargoyles help to keep the peace, but people mostly come to Rai and I for help settling disputes. I guess they think we are the leaders here, but really, there are no leaders. Everyone here is just trying to get along the best we can.
We soon found the source of all the problems that everyone seemed to have with one another. It all stemmed from not having enough food. Everyone was afraid someone was going to take their food. A few days of people fighting over food and we realized we needed to start growing our own food. We pooled together our resources, with a little help from the gargoyles, and started working on a community farm. Everyone worked on it, and everyone got their share of food once it was ready to pick.
With a little magical help from the witches, we were able to create a decent sized lot, pushing magic into the seeds to help them speed up their growth just by a few weeks. Everyone was starving now, and if we had to wait any longer, things were going to get ugly.
I walked by the lot, just to give it a glance, and was happy to see many sprouts at various stages of growth already starting. When Rai and I put the barrier dome up, we worried about how long we could sustain it. With the knowledge Hecate had given us, we were able to find a way to keep it going. All we had to do was link it with the outside radiation for a power source, and it would fuel itself. People could come and go, but the radiation and all of the other harmful things would get left outside. Even the acid rain was purified before letting into the barrier, giving these people an experience they never had before: rain, just rain. No pollutants or bacteria. The barrier even cleansed and helped to heal those who entered. Eventually, we knew there would be no more radiation to fuel it, but that was ok. That was the whole reason for putting it up. It also cleared up the sky inside the barrier. People were scared at first, not knowing what the sun or moon or stars even were, and were afraid they were going to fall on us. After a while, people began to find it beautiful, and I was glad that people could once again feel the sun on their skin.
Rai and I had plans for the rest of the world. After we got things settled here, we planned on moving to another location. We didn’t know where, but we knew if people wanted to be able to leave the barrier within their lifetimes, we would have to have more than one barrier dome going in the world, filtering out the radiation that now saturates the earth.
I was walking through town, greeting people and seeing if anyone needed anything, when I saw it. Near the water’s edge in the small lake in the town, there it was. A small patch of grass, slowly trying to break free from the hard dirt. I pushed some magic into it, and watched it take a life of its own. Soon, for a few hundred feet all around me, there was grass taking root. I smiled, knowing the world would be as it should; sooner, rather than later.
Alice and Selena were now the town’s story tellers. Given the knowledge of their past by Hecate, they couldn’t wait to tell others. They also taught others how to read and write, and were currently planning on finding ways to write this history down for further generations.
They both also helped train other witches, as well as shifters. Selena now knew and understood what other shifters go through, and was able to settle many feuds that had been going on for generations. Alice helps train other witches in protective spells, as well as working with Selena in healing spells.
I found Rai talking with Magnus, now healed up and counseling others that had been tortured. I walked up to Rai, who excused himself from the conversation, Magnus winking at me as he walked away. I giggled and ran up to Rai, putting my arms around his neck.
“Now that everything is getting settled, I have a very important question for you, Helen.”
“What is it?”
“Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” I laughed, and kissed him, wishing for many more perfect days such as this.
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Thank you for taking the time to read my book! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please feel free to leave any reviews at your favorite retailer!
Thanks,
Lisa Randall
About the author
I have been reading books ever since I was able, and I will never be able to stop. Reading has always been a part of my life, and I have wanted to try my hand at storytelling for years, but life has a way of getting me sidetracked. I plan to write many more stories in the future, so stay tuned!