Shades of Darkness

by Alexandra Ivy

  “Not exactly. I left the village determined to discover a man who could give me something very specific—”

  “Ew.” Chaaya shook her head. “TMI.”

  Keyrah ignored the interruption. “Eternal life for my daughter.”

  The low words caught Chaaya by surprise. Whirling back, she stared at her mother in confusion.

  “Eternal life?”

  Her mother sent her a gaze filled with an emotion Chaaya wasn’t ready to accept.

  “I couldn’t change destiny, but I could do everything in my power to offer you an opportunity to survive.”

  Chaaya hesitated before asking the question she’d tried to ignore her entire life. “Who was my father?”

  Keyrah’s expression softened, as if the memory of Chaaya’s father stirred the same sort of melty emotions that Chaaya felt when she thought of Basq.

  The sight was…unnerving.

  “I thought he was just a mist sprite.”

  “But he wasn’t?”

  “He was much more.” Keyrah smiled. A small, secret smile. “Aer happened to enter a glade where I was resting. It was only later that I realized he had been brought to the precise spot by his own fate.”

  An ugly sensation twisted Chaaya’s heart. “A pretty story for a one-night stand,” she sneered, then she slapped her hand over her mouth. Okay. She was bitter. And it hurt that she’d never heard her father’s name on her mother’s lips when she’d been young. But for the first time, she was beginning to accept that Keyrah hadn’t handed her over to the witches without regret. It was becoming increasingly obvious that her mother had tortured herself with the decision she’d been forced to make. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.

  Her mother waved aside her apology. “You’re angry. And I understand if you hate me.”

  Chaaya swallowed the annoying lump in her throat and concentrated on what her mother had just revealed.

  “Why do you think it was fate that brought you and my father together?”

  “We spent several weeks in a small cottage.” An unexpected blush touched the older woman’s cheeks. “He was extraordinary. So kind and gentle. When I knew I had to return home, he handed me the spear and said I was to make sure you had it with you at all times.”

  Chaaya discovered exactly what Basq must have felt like when her aunt had removed the ground from beneath his feet. Her stomach lurched toward her throat before it crashed down to her toes. And she didn’t know if it was because she’d discovered her mother had actually had feelings for her father or because the spear had been given to her by the mysterious male.

  She glanced down at the weapon, her brow furrowed. “My father?”

  “Yes.”

  Her fingers stroked the ebony shaft. “But the glyphs are druid.”

  “They are,” her mother assured her. “Aer used magic to create them. He promised they would help to protect you. He also promised that the magic would disguise the fact you were not entirely human.”

  Stunned, Chaaya lifted her hand to touch the matching glyphs that ran down the side of her neck.

  “Is that why you tattooed the same marks on me?”

  “Yes. It strengthened the spell he placed on you.”

  Something shifted inside her. Something huge. Not just because she was beginning to understand who she was and why she’d become a martyr to the cause. But she also understood her place in history.

  She hadn’t been randomly sacrificed because no one cared whether she lived or died. Fate had chosen her.

  “I sensed I was different, but…” She shook her head in bemusement. “A mist sprite. Did you ever see my father again?”

  “I went in search of Aer many times, but I could never find him. Even the cottage disappeared. No doubt it was for the best, but…” Her words trailed away in a sigh of loss.

  They shared a silence, both grieving the past that had demanded so much pain.

  “Why did you drive Greta from the village?” Chaaya at last asked.

  Keyrah’s face abruptly hardened. “She tried to kill you.”

  “Me?” Chaaya widened her eyes in surprise. “Why?”

  “She’d tried to take your spear more than once, only to be thwarted when the magic scalded her hands. I assume she thought killing you would break the spell so she could claim it as her own.”

  Chaaya held up the spear. She’d assumed it was just a weapon. Sure, it had magic. And she looked badass when she was using it in a fight. But she’d never considered it might be worth killing for.

  “What did she do?”

  “She stole you from your bed and tried to drown you.” The words were clipped, as if Keyrah was still furious after all these centuries. “If you had been a human you would have been dead before I could reach you.”

  Chaaya frowned. She didn’t remember. Either she’d been too young or she’d blocked it from her mind. That would explain why she’d been so disturbed when she’d entered this strange dimension to find Greta waiting for her.

  “What did you do?”

  “I told Greta that she could leave or die. There was no other choice.”

  “She left, I assume?”

  “Yes.” Keyrah nodded, the gold of her crown glinting in the muted light. “I heard rumors that she’d joined with a human wizard who shared her fascination with forbidden magic.”

  Chaaya returned her attention to the spear. Why would her aunt be so desperate to get her hands on it?

  “Maybe she hoped the spear could give her powers,” she murmured her thoughts out loud. Then she gasped, turning her head to stare at the immobile woman. “Or she had her own vision.”

  “Why do you say that?” her mother asked.

  “She claimed that she lured me here because she needed my spear to escape. She might have foreseen her entrapment and realized her only hope was to have the spear with her.”

  “You’re right. It’s quite possible.” Keyrah stepped toward her. “You need to leave, Chaaya. Now.”

  Chaaya nodded. Her mother wasn’t going to get any argument from her. The sooner she was away from this place, the better.

  She pointed toward the firepit. “You have to release Basq first.”

  “I can’t. Not without also releasing Greta.” The older woman grimaced. “You must leave him behind.”

  Chaaya was shaking her head before her mother stopped speaking. “No way.”

  “Chaaya, no one understands the agony of sacrificing the one you love more than I do—”

  “No.”

  Keyrah made a sound of frustration. “You can’t allow Greta to return to the world.”

  “What does it matter?” Chaaya stubbornly demanded.

  A pained expression rippled over Keyrah’s face. As if Chaaya was forcing her to remember something she preferred to forget.

  Chaaya knew the feeling.

  “During her time with the wizards, she discovered the magic of raising the dead,” she abruptly revealed.

  “Zombies?”

  “That’s the human name for them.” Keyrah’s lips pressed together in intense disapproval. “Demons call them abominations.”

  Chaaya ground her teeth. She understood the dangerous magic of the dead. The mer-folk had endured a ruthless tyrant who’d used a zombie medallion to control the Tryshu. But she didn’t care. Not if it meant leaving Basq behind.

  “I won’t sacrifice Basq.”

  “Then you condemn the world to Greta’s madness,” her mother said with blunt simplicity.

  Chaaya winced. There was a bitter irony in the realization that she was faced with the same choice that had cursed her mother. She either sacrificed the person she loved, or she condemned the world to evil.

  “There has to be a way,” she rasped.

  Her mother…faded. She could still see the shimmering outline, but she w
as no longer the solid form she’d been just a few seconds earlier.

  “Chaaya, I can’t stay any longer,” she warned.

  “You’re leaving?”

  Chaaya thought a sad smile touched Keyrah’s lips. “Unlike you, I truly am dead.”

  A wrenching sense of loss cascaded through Chaaya. “I won’t ever see you again?”

  “No, but we will always be together. You are in my heart, daughter. My love will never waver, never end.” There was a last flicker of movement, as if she was holding out her hand. “And I am so very proud of you.”

  “You might not be so proud if I release a horde of zombies on the world,” Chaaya muttered.

  “You will do what is right. Because that is who you are,” her mother insisted.

  “Who am I?”

  “A hero.”

  Chaaya shook her head, watching her mother slowly disappear. “I wish people would stop saying that.”

  Chapter 24

  It was the crackle of flames that warned Chaaya her mother’s disappearance had shattered the spell that had frozen Greta. Whirling around, her gaze first landed on Basq, who was shaking his head as if he was disoriented. Could he sense that he’d been wrapped in magic?

  “Well, Chaaya?” Greta snapped. “What’s it going to be?”

  Squaring her shoulders, Chaaya met her aunt’s fevered gaze. Her emotions had been in turmoil since the second she’d stepped into the portal to chase after Brigette. She’d been angry, frustrated, terrified, and at the same time giddy with joy to be sharing her journey with Basq. And most unexpectedly of all, at peace with her past.

  Now all those tumultuous feelings drained away. She wasn’t numb. Just…determined.

  She knew what she had to do.

  “You win,” she said.

  Basq’s eyes narrowed as he glared at her in disbelief. “No, Chaaya. You can’t.”

  Greta used her magic to lower Basq toward the flames that curled and hissed just below his feet.

  “Shut up, vamp. She’s doing the right thing.”

  “Chaaya, no,” Basq insisted, his gaze locked on her even as the fire threatened to consume him.

  “I’m doing what I have to do.”

  “Of course you are.” Greta smiled with a smug satisfaction. “You’ve already sacrificed enough in your life.”

  Chaaya snorted. She was so freaking tired of that word. Just once it would be nice if someone else had to do the sacrificing.

  “You’d think,” she muttered.

  Greta’s smile faded, her expression suddenly suspicious. “No tricks.”

  Chaaya brushed her finger over her chest. “I cross my heart and hope to die that I’m going to take us home.”

  “Chaaya, you can’t trust her,” Basq rasped.

  “I have to do this.” She held his gaze, using their bond to send him a sense of calm assurance. “We have to do it.”

  Basq stilled, his gaze sweeping over her stubborn expression. “Our duty?”

  “Yeah.”

  Basq slowly nodded, accepting that she wasn’t going to make a crazy decision just to keep him from going up in flames.

  “Okay.”

  She smiled wryly. His confidence was heartwarming but potentially misplaced. There was a very good chance her plan was just as crazy as he’d first feared.

  Shaking away her ridiculous thoughts, she held her aunt’s gaze. “You can release him.”

  Greta narrowed her eyes. “You I trust.” She glared at Basq. “Him I don’t.”

  “He’s not going to try and interfere, are you, Basq?”

  “No.” The word came out from between clenched fangs.

  “Fine.” Greta glanced back at Chaaya. “Try anything and he’s going to discover how fun it is to be burned alive.” A sick pleasure sparkled in her eyes. “Or in his case, dead.”

  Chaaya battled back the urge to stick the spear into the woman’s heart. She didn’t doubt for a second the bitch would drop Basq into the fire.

  “There’s no need for threats. I’m going to give you exactly what you asked for.”

  Greta remained wary. She wasn’t stupid. But she was desperate. Something Chaaya was counting on.

  “Bring the spear here,” Greta commanded.

  Chaaya strolled forward, flipping the weapon from hand to hand. “Do you want to hold it?”

  An age-old frustration twisted the older woman’s narrow features. “You know I can’t. But I do intend to hold on to you. You’re not going to escape without me.”

  “Hold on as tight as you want,” Chaaya taunted, clenching her teeth as her aunt grabbed her elbow in a grip that was strong enough to leave bruises. “Are you ready?”

  “More than ready,” Greta muttered. “What about you?”

  Was she ready? Not really. She had no idea if her wild scheme was going to work or not.

  Chaaya stiffened her spine. This was their only hope.

  “Release Basq and form the portal,” she said.

  Greta’s nails cut into Chaaya’s arm. “No side trips. Just take me home.”

  Chaaya nodded, and Greta slowly lowered her arm, setting Basq on the ground next to Chaaya. Then, with a last warning glare, she pointed toward a spot directly in front of them.

  At first there was nothing. Then Greta spoke a soft word of power, and a dark hole formed in midair. It hung there for a few seconds, pulsing and expanding before a swirl of sparkling colors appeared, like diamond dust scattered on black velvet.

  The hole continued to swirl and enlarge until Greta jerked on Chaaya’s elbow. “Let’s go.”

  Chaaya created a picture in her mind, making it as crystal clear as possible. She didn’t want any mistakes. Not now.

  Holding on to the image, she clutched the spear and stepped forward. Greta and Basq walked next to her, both holding on with death grips. Together they entered the portal, the sensation of weightlessness making it feel as if she was flying. Then, a second later, they were dumped out of the darkness and into a vast, empty landscape.

  “At last,” Greta exulted, releasing Chaaya as she spread her arms wide. Her happiness, however, was cut short as she suddenly noticed the strange light that filtered from the orange sky. “Wait.” Whirling around, she glared at Chaaya. “What is this place?”

  “You said to take you home. That’s what I’ve done.”

  Chaaya waved her hand toward the barren scenery. In the distance there was a silhouette of dead trees and a parched riverbed, but there was no sign of living creatures. No buildings, no roads, nothing. Just dust and air so thick it was hard to breathe.

  Oh, and evil.

  A pulsing, crushing evil that weighed against Chaaya with a tangible force.

  “This isn’t my home,” Greta screeched, her voice rising several octaves.

  “No, but it’s mine,” Chaaya said, a cold smile curving her lips. “Along with the beast.”

  Greta swung her arm to strike Chaaya, only to recoil backward as Basq moved to stand in between them, his fangs fully extended. The older woman cursed, as if frustrated by being denied the pleasure of punishing Chaaya.

  “Take us out of here or I’ll—”

  “I’d save my strength if I were you,” Chaaya interrupted in a bored tone as she pointed toward the distant horizon. “That whirling tornado of fire is the beast. You don’t want to burn again.”

  “No!” The woman sucked in a horrified gasp, her hands shaking as she waved them in a desperate pattern.

  Was she trying to create a portal? A wasted effort. There was no way out of the dimension.

  They were all stuck. For eternity.

  * * * *

  Basq had prepared himself for a surprise. Chaaya was nothing if not unpredictable. And while he’d initially been afraid she might give in to her aunt’s demands in a misguided attempt to save
him, it hadn’t taken long to realize she had something planned.

  But this…

  He shuddered at the malevolent atmosphere that pressed against him. It was like a living force that crawled over his skin. And it was only getting worse as the tornado of dust and flames spun across the flat land.

  “Can you get us out of here?” he demanded of Chaaya.

  She shook her head. “No.”

  Instinctively, he reached out to grab her hand. At the same time, Greta turned toward them, as if intending to follow wherever they were going.

  Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.

  With a taunting smile, he called on his powers. Instantly they were shrouded in a blinding darkness.

  “We need to run,” Chaaya said, her voice brittle with tension.

  “Okay.” Keeping them hidden in shadows, Basq easily kept pace as Chaaya bolted away from the oncoming beast. “Where are we going?”

  “There used to be a cottage that the beast couldn’t enter,” she said, her breath coming in harsh pants. Being back in this place was obviously already taking its toll on her. “I don’t know if it’s still here or not, but it’s our only hope.”

  “Which direction?”

  “If it still exists, it will find us,” she told him. “Right now I just want to put as much space between us and the beast as possible.”

  “You got it.”

  Without missing a step, Basq wrapped his arms around her and swept her off her feet. Astonishingly, she didn’t argue. Whether it was the knowledge he was faster or because she wanted to conserve her energy, it didn’t matter.

  “I feel like I missed something,” he said, needing to keep his thoughts distracted. He refused to consider the possibility that Chaaya’s cottage might be gone. They couldn’t have come this far only to die. “What happened while that bitch was dangling me over the fire?”

  “My mother made an unexpected appearance and did some sort of spell that froze you and Greta,” she said, leaning her head against his shoulder.

  “Your mother?” Surprise jolted through Basq. He’d sensed that he’d lost time, but he assumed it had been Greta’s magic. “I thought she was dead. Is she a ghost?”