Gaia Awakened
Page 14
“This cloak will protect you,” Rowan says to me. “Do not remove it until you have returned.”
He speaks a spell under his breath, opening a portal that looks out into a wintry pine forest. Jasper’s ice castle is barely visible on the horizon in the far distance, and I’ll have to hike at least several miles through heavy snow just to reach it. But even though this is simultaneously the craziest and most terrifying thing I’ve ever done, I can’t turn back now.
This is the only way to save Aidan.
This is the only way to bring back Summer.
I resist the urge to laugh as Rowan bows to me formally, as if I’m about to enter a fancy restaurant instead of a desolate world. At least the portal is at ground level this time, which means I won’t be forced to confront my fear of heights.
No, just my fear of creeps with a tendency to kidnap me.
I turn to face the snowstorm outside, clinging fiercely to nothing but the torn recipe in my hands and the winter cloak on my shoulders and all the memories that make me Paige. And then, with snowflakes swirling around me like dandelion seeds dancing in the summer wind, I step into the Winter Realm.
Chapter Sixteen
Aidan
Fuck.
I’m covered in snow. And I hate snow almost as much as I hate hellfrost. Especially when I’m in dragon form, like I inexplicably am now. Every snowflake feels like a pinprick of pain sliding deep into my scales.
Where the hell am I?
The last thing I remember is snow falling out of my mouth, right after I opened a portal to the Autumn Realm. Now it looks like I’m somewhere in the Winter Realm, even though I’m definitely still lying on the floor of Paige’s apartment.
I’m in two places at once. Which could mean I’m dreaming.
Except I don’t think I’m asleep at all.
I lumber to my feet, impatiently rustling the snow from my wings. Jasper has finally managed to truly fuck me. From the moment I felt that stinging pain in my chest, I should have known what it was. Three shards from three icicles, each containing a portion of a second hellfrost spell.
One designed to freeze me to death.
So how the hell am I still alive?
I don’t know why Jasper didn’t just kill me outright. I’m the only one who’s been stopping him from winning the war, but he didn’t even try to turn me into an ice zombie. All he did was send me to the Winter Realm alone.
No, not alone.
A movement in the distance has caught my eye. A small figure is marching through the snow, her dark hair whipping around her pale face. She’s wearing a hooded cloak that shrouds her features, but I’d recognize her anywhere.
Paige.
My dragon-sized heart sinks straight into my stomach. Why is she in the Winter Realm? Jasper can’t have kidnapped her again, or else he wouldn’t be letting her roam around by herself. And if she was trying to escape from him, she’d be running for her life instead of marching forward like she’s about to wage a one-woman war.
I draw closer to Paige and attempt to touch her with a claw, to roar at her with my jaws spread wide, but it’s pointless. She’s right in front of me but doesn’t even seem to see me. I could be dying and she wouldn’t know the difference.
I’m an enormous green dragon crouched in the snow before her, and I might as well be nothing.
I don’t believe in ghosts. But Rowan insists he’s documented plenty of spirit-like entities, so it’s entirely possible that I’m destined to haunt Paige for all of eternity. It fucking kills me that I might never be able to speak to her again.
But as hopeless as this feels to me, it has to be so much worse for Paige. Wherever she’s headed, she has no way of knowing if she’s strayed off course. The blizzard is too strong for her destination to be visible. For all she knows, she’s been treading the same stretch of snow over and over again.
She could be out here forever.
The only thing keeping her going at this point is pure grit.
I watch helplessly as Paige marches through the snow with a determined look on her face. But by now it’s apparent that she’s only here because she wants to be. No one kidnapped her. No one forced her to enter the Winter Realm. She’s just going through hell and back for something. Someone, maybe. I’m humbled by the sheer force of her willpower.
But she still doesn’t know more than a couple of spells.
She doesn’t know how to deal with the danger closing in on her.
I almost don’t notice the pack of snow wolves at first. The creatures are lurking deep within the shadows of the pine trees scattered all around us. Each one is about the size of a pony, with pointed teeth sharp enough to pierce bone, and driven purely by the urge to consume anything made of magic.
They’ll kill her before she even sees it coming.
But the snow wolves aren’t attacking just yet. I can’t figure out why. They seem to be content with stalking Paige for now. Maybe they’ve realized she’s a powerful goddess. Maybe they can sense all that earthwater inside her, along with everything else that could mean their deaths if they tried.
But then I realize they all keep turning their heads to look at something else. Every time a snow wolf gets close to Paige, they all hesitate and scamper back to the shadows of the pine trees.
It’s me.
They’re all looking at me.
I take a step toward one of the snow wolves and open my jaws experimentally, just to see what’ll happen. The creature actually gives a startled yelp and darts backward, almost tripping over its own paws as it burrows deep into the snow.
I didn’t even do anything.
Can I do anything?
When I try to exhale a breath of lightstorm, nothing happens. I can’t shift back to human form. I can’t seem to use magic at all. But at least I can be seen by the snow wolves, which means I’m in the Winter Realm in some capacity.
It’s a fucking relief to know I’m not a ghost. But without being able to use magic or interact with the physical world, I might as well be one. I won’t be able to protect Paige.
Unless...
I whirl around and catch up to her. My heart is pounding wildly, because I’m pretty sure I know what’s happening now. None of this is because of Jasper. If he was going to imprison me in the Winter Realm, he wouldn’t have dumped me right next to Paige. His realm is vast enough that he could have tossed me onto the opposite side of the map.
He isn’t the reason I’m here.
She is.
I examine Paige more closely, and there it is. A wildwind spell has been woven into the cloak she’s wearing.
Cor defendere.
This item of clothing isn’t just keeping her warm. It’s allowing the one closest to her heart to protect her.
After I fell unconscious, Paige must have entered the Autumn Realm. She would have talked to Rowan and accepted the cloak from him. I can’t fucking believe he managed to open a portal to the Winter Realm and send her through, even though his invitation was supposed to be closed. Not to mention that all of this goes against his policy of non-interference.
I’m torn between being insanely pissed at Rowan and relieved that I’m the one closest to Paige’s heart.
But I need to focus if I want to actually protect her. Can’t let myself be distracted by how I desperately want to speak to her but have no voice.
Now that I’m paying attention, I can see that Paige is shivering in the cold. Despite the cloak, her skin is stark white and her lips are turning blue.
She’s slowly freezing to death.
If I don’t do something soon, winter will kill her even if the snow wolves don’t.
I close my eyes and think hard, trying to remember the last time I encountered this particular wildwind spell. Gaia used it to help me survive the transition from human to demigod. As the one closest to my heart, she acted on my behalf by manipulating the lightstorm within me. She kept me from falling apart.
I can do the same for Paige now.
Femina calefactum, I think. Femina calefactum!
And just like that, it works. It fucking works.
Paige’s lips begin to return to their rosy color, her skin warming despite the frigid air. Her pale cheeks are flushed with heat, and an icicle on the tip of her nose is already melting. She doesn’t seem to notice her life has just been saved by lightstorm, but I don’t think she ever realized she was freezing in the first place.
And I haven’t actually finished saving her life yet.
The snow wolves are beginning to emerge from the shadows of the pine trees. They’re drawing closer to us, simultaneously lured by the sudden warmth surrounding Paige and emboldened by their own desperate hunger. They must have realized by now that I can’t touch them.
How I fucking wish I could.
As the snow wolves prepare to pounce, I reach into Paige again and use her lightstorm to create a protective shield around her. She’s instantly wrapped in a bubble of magic, as if she’s been granted her own personal microcosm of the Summer Realm. It’ll protect her from the freezing wind and the relentless snow and the deadly creatures trying to attack her.
Just in time.
A snow wolf launches itself at Paige and slams headlong into the shield. It’s instantly flung backward by the full force of summer, the scorched body crashing motionless to the snow.
I glare at the remaining snow wolves and bare my teeth, daring them to try again. Sensing their inevitable defeat, the remaining creatures slink backward with their tails between their legs, beating a hasty retreat to the pine trees.
I let out a silent roar of satisfaction.
Paige marches on, oblivious to the fact that I’ve just saved her life. Twice.
I mentally bookmark this moment as a story to share with her when we get through this and come out the other side alive. I’ll tell her all about how I could see her in the Winter Realm. How I saved her not just from frostbite but also from a pack of snow wolves. It won’t be in a bragging sort of way, but in a half-teasing, half-loving kind of way. I want her to understand what I feel for her. I want her to know that I’d do anything for her.
But that’s when I see something that makes my heart clench.
There’s a piece of paper clutched tightly in Paige’s hand. I didn’t notice it until this very moment, but I recognize it as a page from The Goddess Codex.
Rowan didn’t just open a portal to the Winter Realm and give Paige a magical cloak. He also told her exactly what she’d need to save me.
A thawing potion.
Fuck. No, no, fuck. This is why Jasper hit me with hellfrost icicles that would freeze me to death as slowly as possible. All of this has just been a ruse to force Paige to return to him. He knew a thawing potion would be the only way to reverse the effects of the ice shards in my heart. And he knew or at least suspected that Paige would do anything to save me, including enter the Winter Realm to obtain a necessary ingredient.
His blood.
I fall back, helpless with rage, my dragon form trembling in the snow. I’m larger than an elephant yet feel smaller than a mouse. Paige is marching straight into the lion’s den because of me. To save me. But even if she manages to obtain Jasper’s blood, the price she’ll have to pay for him to give it willingly will be terrible.
No matter what I just did to save Paige’s life, no matter how many times I’ve protected her, everything she’s doing right now is carrying her straight into the clutches of the evil demigod who’s been trying to wed her. Jasper will tear the cloak from her body the moment he sees it, and I won’t be able to help her after that. I’m pretty sure I won’t even be able to stay here. She’s putting herself in more danger than she’ll ever know.
But I think maybe she does know.
I understand now exactly what has Paige all fired up and ready to go to hell and back. Despite not knowing how to wield her own magic, she’s confronting death itself to save someone she loves. She’s entering the Winter Realm not as a powerful goddess, but as a vulnerable human willing to face a bloodthirsty demigod who could kill her with a snap of his fingers. It’s far more courageous than the bravest thing I’ve ever done, and I finally understand the truth. I think part of me has known it all along.
I’m not her savior.
She’s mine.
Chapter Seventeen
Paige
I stumble through the snow in my winter cloak for what feels like forever. It’s so cold in the Winter Realm that I think I’m more frozen than Aidan was in my apartment. All I can focus on is placing one foot in front of the other and repeating the movement without end. I desperately want to rest, but there’s a blistering need inside of me that overwhelms everything else.
I need Aidan to be okay. I need Summer to be okay.
I need it with the force of a thousand stars.
I can’t stop remembering how lifeless Aidan looked on the floor of my apartment. If Willow lets herself in using her spare key now, she’ll find what appears to be a crime scene. A motionless body so close to death it might as well be a corpse. Moss and wildflowers flourishing where they shouldn’t even be possible.
She’ll call the police and tell them Aidan attacked me.
Either that, or she’ll recognize him as Summer and have a heart attack.
I should have called Willow. I should have texted her or taped a note to my front door. I should have done anything other than enter the realm of a demigod who’s been stalking me for longer than I know.
But the world finally has color again, and I’ve come too far to turn back now. I have to save Aidan even if it means never seeing the Dragon’s Tale again.
I have to save Summer.
By the time I reach the ice castle, I can barely feel my fingers and toes despite the winter cloak. A deep moat protected by sparkling icicles is surrounding the castle, and a sturdy drawbridge is lowered across the gap. The front gates are wide open, as if Jasper has been expecting my arrival.
Several naked people made of ice are approaching me.
The words enter my mind, unbidden.
Ice nymphs.
Oh God.
They all look exactly like me.
I instinctively hide the recipe in the folds of my cloak. The ice nymphs take my arms, silently leading me across the drawbridge. It feels like I’m being escorted by myself in the most uncomfortable way possible. I think they’re taking me straight to Jasper, which I’m actually okay with because I don’t know how much time Aidan has left.
But with every step I take, it feels like I’m spiraling closer and closer to death.
When we enter the ice castle, the first thing I think is blinding white. Every wall is made of glittering ice that hurts my eyes, and it feels like I’ve entered a surreal theme park created by a psychopath. The walls are shifting and rearranging behind us, as if wanting to emphasize that I won’t be able to find my way back out.
As we pass through the hallways, I can hear inhuman screams echoing from behind closed doors. Other times I hear animalistic sounds, like low hisses or terrifying roars. Once I think I hear a voice calling for help, but when I pull my arm free and knock loudly, there’s no response.
When we finally stop in front of an ornate door, I already know who’s waiting for me on the other side.
I am so not looking forward to this.
Reluctantly, I enter a large bedchamber to find myself surrounded by glistening walls and ice sculptures and a soft carpet of white, fluffy snow. An enormous feather mattress has been lined with woolen blankets, while an antique silver tray on the bed presents an ice goblet and a plate of freshly baked gingersnaps.
A fireplace is blazing with bright blue hellfrost.
Jasper is waiting for me beside the mantle. A pleased smirk is twisting his lips, and he’s wearing a black tuxedo with a slicked-back hairstyle that make
s him look urbane. He could easily be modeling as a groom for a bridal magazine, if he wasn’t also an insane demigod trying to take over the world.
His appearance means he’s prepared for a wedding.
I have the really bad feeling it’s supposed to be ours.
“I’m so delighted you chose to return to me, Paige,” Jasper says. “Our last meeting didn’t quite go the way I planned, but I knew you’d change your mind about my proposal.”
“I didn’t change my mind,” I say flatly. “I came back because you froze Aidan.”
His smirk widens. “You deserved to see him for who he really is. A pathetic human.”
“I’ve always seen him—”
Jasper reaches out and yanks the winter cloak from my shoulders, eyeing the fabric with mild interest. “So you went through Rowan to enter my realm. If you’d bothered to check your bookstore, you would have seen the portal I opened for you.” He tosses the cloak aside unceremoniously. “Now tell me, Paige. What did the high and mighty ruler of the Autumn Realm want with a lowly human like you?”
I feel a chill at the loss of my cloak, the warmth instantly fading from my mind like one of Gaia’s memories. But even though I’m no longer being protected by Rowan’s wildwind spell, I still have one advantage.
Jasper just called me human.
He hasn’t realized who I am.
“Rowan said he’s trying to maintain the balance between the realms,” I say carefully. “He wanted to help Aidan.”
“By sending you to marry me?”
“I’m not marrying you—”
“Is that right?”
Jasper snaps his fingers and a freezing wind rushes over me. I look down to find that I’m now wearing a sparkling wedding dress. The delicate white fabric is embroidered with iridescent thread, and the lace sleeves and embellishments have been patterned to look like crystallized snowflakes. It’s so gorgeous I actually forget where I am for a few seconds.
When I remember again, I hate myself for letting any sign of it show on my face.
“I don’t want to wear this,” I say, searching for a zipper.