Sword of Light (The Four Keys Book 1)

by J. C. Lucas

  “Don’t worry, Andie!” Teagan called, still running. “In ten minutes or so, they’ll be back to normal!”

  Relieved, I took a deep breath and sprinted after them. I only hoped that the sprites would cause just as much trouble or more for Freya. I just worried that she wouldn’t be as kind to them as Teagan had.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sweat dripped onto my eyebrows as we ran at a full speed. My pack bounced against my back, and my legs ached. This time Hunter led us while Teagan ran behind me, neither looking winded at all. Whenever we made it back home, I was going to have to join a gym and get into better shape. I still needed Hunter to teach me how to be a good fighter.

  The air was gradually turning from crisp and cool to humid and warm. The trees and tropical plants beginning to thin out the further we ran, and the ground was softer. Looking down, I saw shells scattered in the brown dirt that looked to be mixed with white sand. Somewhere in the distance, there was the soft swooshing of water.

  “I think we must be near an ocean or lake!” Teagan exclaimed just as Hunter stopped suddenly, throwing his arms out wide. We crowded beside him, peering around to see what the issue was.

  In front of us, a massive gorge stretched as far as we could see in the fog that hung low around it. A rickety-looking rope bridge stretched out into the dense cloud, preventing us from being able to see the end of the bridge and what was on the other side.

  “Where does that bridge lead, Hunter? Can you smell anything? Do your wolf senses give you the vision to see through the fog?” Killian pummeled Hunter with question after question, and I pictured smoke coming out of his ears like they do in cartoons.

  He huffed out a breath, not even looking at Killian, who was practically glued to his side. “I don’t know where it goes. I smell seawater, and no, my eyes don’t give me x-ray vision, fog vision or future vision,” he deadpanned. “All I have is superior night vision.”

  Emric snickered as he wound between us, hopping onto the bridge and then confidently sashaying across it, while Charlie flew ahead into the fog. The rest of us looked at each other. All our faces showed uncertainty at the thought of crossing this dangerous bridge, especially when we didn’t know what was on the other side. Surely Charlie would warn us if any danger was ahead.

  Well, someone had to make a move, so who better than me? Regardless of the mental images I had of falling off this death trap, I took a deep breath and charged ahead. Hunter and Teagan protested when they saw me move, both thinking that they should go first.

  I knew I needed to do this. Not just to prove to myself that I could, but to show them that I could lead and push forward when I needed to.

  I gave them both a stern look, and they clamped their mouths shut mid-sentence, cutting off excuses why a big bad boy should go before me. There was a light touch on my shoulder as I grabbed ahold of the rough brown rope on either side, and I turned to see Luna sitting there. Guess she wasn’t keen on the idea of flying into the fog alone.

  “We’ll do this together,” she firmly stated.

  I nodded once, taking a deep breath, and gingerly stepped onto the ropes forming a crisscrossed path underneath my feet. I had to be careful that I didn’t lose my footing and slip through one of the openings.

  Slowly, I stepped forward, and the bridge immediately began to sway from side to side. I gulped, worried that it might come apart under my weight. That alone made me want to hurry across it, but I knew that wouldn’t be a smart decision.

  “Guys, I think we should have each of you wait to get on until one of us is at least fifty feet away. This thing is swaying pretty bad already, and I’m not sure how much weight it can take at one time. I’d rather not find out. I’ll call out to you after I take fifty steps.”

  “Andie, if anything happens or you need us, yell right away. I can change to the wolf and get there quick.” I glanced back over my shoulder at Hunter and saw the serious and concerned look in his eyes.

  “I will.” My voice shook slightly. My palms were damp as I gripped the rough rope tightly and took a hesitant step forward, then another. I continued slowly, counting each step and keeping my eyes on the rope below to make sure I didn’t step through one of the holes. It comforted me some that I couldn’t see anything below or around me. As scared as I was of what might be out there, not knowing might just be better.

  It was quiet the further I went. The only sound I could hear was the constant, gentle flow of water coming from somewhere up ahead.

  “You’re doing good, Andie. Better than I could have expected...” Luna muttered beside my ear. I faltered a little at her strange words. They sounded somewhat encouraging, but the way she said it just didn’t seem right. I glanced at her, and her face looked serene, no malice at all. I guess I was imagining things with all the stress I was under. Beginning again, I continued counting until I reached fifty steps.

  “Okay, next one up! I’m at fifty steps!” I called back behind me, hoping that the guys could hear me.

  I felt the slightest movement as one of them stepped on. Knowing I needed to keep the space between us, I looked down and began the treacherous walk once again. Luna stayed quiet on my shoulder, most likely trying to keep from distracting me, and I was thankful for that. Any misstep could be disastrous.

  After counting out another forty steps, I stopped to take my bearings, and I noticed the fog around me was beginning to dissipate. I could see light glinting off something ahead but couldn’t quite make out what it was yet. As I strained to see, I began to hear the call of birds somewhere. The noise reminded me of seagulls that would always steal my food when Nan took me to the Gulf for vacation. I knew land had to be somewhere up ahead, and boy was I ready to get to it!

  I continued, and before long, I saw what lay ahead. There were only about twenty-five more steps, then the bridge led onto white sand that sparkled from the rays of the bright sun beating down on it. Waves rolled ahead of the sand, and groups of birds swooped and swirled above the water, diving in, disappearing into the dark liquid before bursting out again with strange-looking sea creatures in their beaks. My heart beat fast as I slipped on the rope under my feet in my hurry to get to land.

  “Ahh!” I gasped, catching myself against the side of the scratchy rope, my eyes drifting down below it. Fear gripped me as I saw the pit that we had traversed over was full of bones. Some looked to have been from humans, and others from huge creatures.

  Straightening, I noticed a cave directly under where the bridge ended, and I knew I couldn’t make a sound. I suspected that whatever left all those bones down in the pit lived in that cave. I really hoped the guys stayed quiet on their way over.

  Looking at Luna, I put my finger to my lips. She just smirked and nodded. Confused as to why she found this funny, and not understanding why she wasn’t concerned, I frowned at her and turned back to finally step off the bridge. My feet sank into the sparkling sand.

  I had seen white sand before, but nothing like this. I leaned down to grab a handful. It was soft, and there were bits of what looked like mica in it that shone like diamonds when the sun hit it. While I examined it, Luna jumped off my shoulder and flew off around a rock formation.

  Letting the sand drift through my fingers, I looked around, wondering where Charlie and Emric had gone, but I knew if there were any issues, Charlie would have let me know by now. My bracelet glowed on my arm, the green light solid now.

  We had to be almost to the treasure! Excitement and anxiety poured over me all at once. I questioned whether I could do this, but I had no choice.

  Looking toward the water, I was astounded to see an island rising in the water, far out in the ocean. Blinking to try and clear my eyes, I looked again at the sea. Yep, that was a castle that towered up into the sky. The massive building took up most of the island from what I could tell. Spires rounded high on all sides.

  A grunt sounded behind me, and I whirled to see Killian sway as he finished crossing the bridge. He looked positively green. I gues
s the swaying wasn’t kind to his stomach, and he had a touch of motion sickness. My thoughts were confirmed when he doubled over, throwing up what little he had eaten onto the sand beside him. I approached him slowly, afraid that if I ran toward him, it might make his sickness worse. He held up his hand to me as he purged some more before standing up and wiping off his mouth.

  “I’m okay... I just really did not like that bridge. And those bones under us? Yeah, that did it. I just need a minute to breathe.”

  Looking over his shoulder I saw another figure approaching on the bridge. Teagan was looking down at the mouth of the cave. I could see in his eyes that he had come to the same conclusion as I had about it as he hurried off the bridge.

  “Andie, Killian, are you both all right?” he asked as he swiped his hand through his hair, the sun making the caramel color brighter than before.

  “Yeah, just a little anxious.” I waved my arm behind me, and they finally noticed the island. “I’m guessing that is where the first treasure is. The bracelet is fully lit up now.” I lifted my arm for them to see.

  “Where’s everyone else?” Teagan asked, his eyebrows knitted in confusion as he looked around.

  “I have no idea. When I got here, I didn’t see Charlie or Emric anywhere, and Luna flew off around those rocks.” I pointed toward the outcropping, curious about what was on the other side. Before I had a chance to walk around and see, a low rumble sounded from the pit beneath the bridge.

  My eyes widened as Hunter flew across the end frantically, his eyes wide but determined. As he hit the last ten feet, a huge, gruesome gray claw reached up, talons ripping through the rope that looked so much like twine in the monster’s hand. The bridge reeled side to side as Hunter tried to hang on. There were fear and anger in his eyes, and they flashed yellow as his hands gripped the sides.

  I held my hands over my mouth as the claw hit the rope repeatedly. I couldn’t see the monster that it belonged to, and I didn’t want to. Fear for Hunter choked me, and I couldn’t scream if I tried. Killian made as if he were going to go toward Hunter, but Teagan held him back as the claw swiped again at the bridge, striking Hunter so hard that he flew over the side.

  I couldn’t keep the scream from tearing out. My eyes burned, and my chest felt like it was compressed with pressure.

  “No, no, no, NO!” I yelled, running over to the edge, not caring that the monster was down there. All I could think about was Hunter. On my hands and knees, I frantically looked down into the pit of bones and saw Hunter being dragged into the cave. I still hadn’t seen the monster, but from the way Hunter’s body looked as he was pulled into the recesses, he was knocked out or dead. No way would he have gone down without a fight. I racked my brain for a spell, an idea, anything to get him out of there.

  Laughter sounded behind me, and if it were possible, the fear I felt ratcheted up a notch. It was an evil laugh that I knew well.

  Freya.

  My stomach dropped to my toes when I turned and saw her standing there, surrounded by Fomori. They looked even more formidable in the sunlight, every grotesque feature visible, evil grins on their pocked faces. Freya looked smug and stood confidently as she faced us, this time wearing a black leather suit with her hair twisted in a knot at the back of her head.

  “Oh, Andie, Andie, Andie.” She tsked, shaking her head and smiling. “You didn’t actually think I would let you get away, did you?” Her eyebrows rose and the smile dropped from her face. “You never had a chance!” she hissed at me.

  It was then I noticed that Luna sat on one of her shoulders, and on the other sat Sola. Both waved at me when they saw that I had finally seen them. Anger pulsed like lightning through my veins at the knowledge that they had been in on this all along, betraying our group to Freya and the Fomori.

  “How could you, Luna!?” I shouted. “Why even bother pretending you were helping us?” I waved my arms around while Freya laughed at my antics. I had to get my temper under control. I realized that I was playing into their hands.

  “I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not.” Luna flew toward me, hovering a few feet in front of my face. “I told you the truth about Coeus and Asteria though if that’s any consolation. Asteria did cast us out, but she had a good reason.” She shrugged her shoulders and then chanted a few words, Sola doing the same. The air around the two of them changed, oily black smoke wafting around their little bodies, stretching longer and swirling faster until I couldn’t see them anymore. Then the inky darkness faded, and there stood a full-sized Luna and Sola in front of us, their wings gone.

  “We never had a spell cast on us except the one we placed on ourselves to make you believe our little story. Asteria cast us out when she discovered that we decided to work with the Fomori. We were the Titan’s personal spell masters, and well, you can imagine that didn’t go over well with Coeus or Asteria.” She cackled.

  Now some of the things that she had said to me made perfect sense, and I didn’t know why I hadn’t listened to my intuition. They had led Freya right to us, and Luna most likely kept her updated the entire time on our whereabouts when she would always disappear. Frustration and hurt boiled inside me.

  I was certain that they had done something with Emric and Charlie but held onto the hope that the two were still hiding out to help us in some way. We needed all the help we could get. Freya was mighty all by herself, but with the Fomori and the witches? We had our work cut out for us.

  I couldn’t let them capture me; we were so close to Finias and the treasure. Killian and Teagan crowded beside me as we faced off with Freya and her minions. I knew Luna and Sola had a lot of power on their own, and Freya was extremely powerful as well. Whatever Teagan and I did, we’d have to protect Killian. As far as I knew, he had no powers, although there were times that he didn’t seem precisely human, and I hadn’t asked him before.

  Teagan gathered power beside me, and I was sure that the group in front of us was aware of it as well. He grabbed my hand, and I knew that he wanted me to lend him some of mine like I had before.

  “Whatever happens, you have to find a way to get to that island, Andie.” He glanced at me and saw the hesitation in my eyes. Shaking his head, I knew he was telling me that I didn’t have a choice. I had no idea what kind of chance we had against Freya and the Fomori, but I couldn’t let everyone down. It was going to be up to me.

  Teagan pushed Killian behind us at the same moment he sent a blast of magic toward Freya. The ripples were visible in the air before the concussion hit her and the Fomori.

  Seeing my chance, I grabbed the beanie out of my pocket and put it on, instantly becoming invisible. I ran around the group while they were still down. Out of the corner of my eye, a black figure leaped at one of the Witches, yowling and scratching.

  I felt a wave of relief and gave thanks that Emric was all right and able to be here and help us. I only wished that Hunter was here too. Anger grew in my chest and fueled my resolve to be successful.

  The sounds of fighting grew distant as I ran to the shoreline. Despair filled me as I looked around and realized that there was no way across it. Glancing back, I saw Teagan locked in a deadly battle with Freya and the Fomori. He was bleeding from various cuts on his face and arms, and I knew that he was wearing down. Emric kept Luna and Sola busy, scratching and biting them, causing deep wounds. The look on his face was fierce as he swiped out, knocking Luna back with more force than seemed possible. As he did, I watched Killian, who didn’t seem to care that we had warned him to stay out of the fight. He snuck up behind Sola, raising a small boulder from the pile nearby, and smashed her over the head. She instantly crumpled to the ground, blood trickling from the wound into her hair.

  On the ground nearby, Luna struggled to get up after seeing her mother go down. Her face screwed up with hate as she stared at Killian. She screamed and shot a spell at him, flames erupting from her fingers, flying directly at him. He didn’t try to move away, even though he clearly saw them coming.

  Calmly, he sto
od still while I watched in shock as the fire parted and flew around him, hitting the rocks behind him before dissipating. It was as if he were protected by an invisible field surrounding him.

  He definitely had some sort of powers, and I would ask him all about them later, but for now, I had to figure out a way to Finias.

  Turning back to the water, I racked my brain to try and figure out a plan, think of a spell, or something that would get me over there. Nothing came to me, and I felt desperate. I would swim if I had to, but I absolutely didn’t want to. There was no telling what kind of creatures were in that water that could kill me.

  Chapter Seventeen

  A sudden gust of wind blew my hair back as a shadow fell over me from above. I grabbed ahold of the beanie to keep it from flying off my head. If Freya saw me, I wouldn’t have a chance. Tilting my head back, I looked up at the sky to see what was blocking out the sun.

  A winged stag was descending from the air. It had huge antlers that branched from its forehead, and front legs that were hooved. Its back legs were clawed like a falcon’s with massive talons that curled, glinting sharply in the sunlight. In place of a tail were long elegant feathers. White wings stretched out on either side of the stag’s body, gracefully turning it through the air. I had never seen anything like it before. As it glided closer to me, I could feel that it didn’t mean me harm. I didn’t know how, but I knew it was true.

  With no sound at all, it landed right beside me and looked directly into my eyes. How could it see me when no one else could? As we stared at each other, one of its eyes winked at me, and a deep voice rumbled.

  “Hellllooooo, Andie...”

  It was Charlie, and I had never been so happy to see him and his ever-changing form.

  “Don’t worry. They can’t hear or see me. Only you can. Hop on, I’m your ride over there!” His deep voice stunned me, and I didn’t think twice before grabbing a patch of the scratchy fur on his neck and swinging myself onto his back, relieved that he was okay and that I now had a way to the island.