by D. Fischer
Astrid’s jaw ticks so hard that I fear her teeth will crack. “Explain.”
At first, she is reluctant, but Kat recites the battle on both the Death Realm and the Guardian Realm, going over each event in fine detail while her mother’s eyes go white, viewing the entire scene for herself. Then, when the women stay quiet long enough for Kat to finish her retelling, she tells them about what we’ve learned from Aiden during his time on the Demon Realm.
“The reincarnation you foresaw was not of Myla being inside my body. It was of her third birth, mother,” Kat says, thick and raw with spite.
Janine’s gaze drops to our shoes, shifting this way and that as she searches her memory for the premonition Kat spoke of. “It wasn’t you I foresaw…It was the beginning of the battles. The beginning of the end.” She tilts her identical eyes back up to Kat, pulling at her fingers. “That must be why I can’t see far into the future.”
End-inning, Gan’s memory taunts again.
Kat nods. “Because there may not be a future to see.”
Absentmindedly, I had been rubbing Kat’s arms, but I didn’t realize it until I stiffened as Janine’s words bring vibrant memories. I can almost see him, rocking in such a dark corner, babbling what I thought was nonsense. Damn crazy bastard knew what was coming well before anyone else.
“The beasty,” I murmur, reciting his exact words out loud. “A daughter of life and death. Two in one. Destruction. Chaos. She will be the end of the beginning.”
“What?” Kat barks, peering up at me in confusion.
“Gan said that to me when we were in Kheelan’s dungeon.” My face relaxes. “He wasn’t talking about you. He was talking about Myla. Not the Myla then but the Myla now . . .”
“Someone foretold this to you?” Janine asks, interested. “In the dungeons of the Death Realm?”
“Gan was but a mere human,” Kat says, brushing it off by crossing her arms. I give her a look that says, you and I both know Gan was more than just a mere human. Gan was tangled up in the mess before any of us were. It just further backs up our theory that all of this has been in play for hundreds of years.
Astrid chuffs, snapping the ends of her shawl like a bat with wings. “You know as well as I that humans have gifts too, Katriane.”
Perhaps that’s why he was chosen for the paranoia dreams in the first place – because he’d believe them more than any other would. His dreams, forced by Sandy who was forced by Sureen who was forced by her posse fee, could have been made to look like a premonition.
Using both hands, Janine wipes them down her face. “She’s coming inside, Astrid.” Her voice is affirmative, sounding as though she’s the true leader of this coven and Astrid has no choice but to obey. As though she only pretends that Astrid is in charge. Pride swells inside my heart, and I know this is a witch I can trust. I can see where Kat gets her personality from.
After greeting the entire coven, each member reluctant to shake my hand I note, we’re seated in one of the many living rooms. Fresh tea and cookies have been placed on the coffee table, and I find my stomach growling at the sweet scent of them. Old and fraying books line the walls on dusty shelves, and the couches are anciently squeaky. The original flooring is starting to crack and heave, and discolored wallpaper decorates the room. A smoldering fire crackles in the fireplace, tucked in a crumbling hearth and warming the space. As cliché as it sounds, a cauldron is situated above the flames. The contents inside bubble, wafting the smell of sage into the room.
Kat sniffs her tea before taking a sip. “Thank you for letting us in.”
“Honey,” Janine starts from the opposite couch, seated next to Astrid. “Tell me about the vampires.”
She lowers the glass from her lips and gulps the scalding liquid. “They’re attacking the humans. The shifters are trying to diminish the population swarming the realm, but last night, they fell into a trap. They’re getting smarter.”
Janine and Astrid’s eyes swivel to mine, and I meet their gaze, mine flashing wolf at the memory of my grief.
“Is this true?” Astrid asks.
“Is it not what she said?” I growl.
“We need your help, mom,” Katriane says, ignoring Astrid altogether.
Janine leans back into the couch. “I don’t know what you want us to do, sweetheart.”
“Work with the shifters,” Kat suggests with a shrug. “One pack can’t take down the entire race plaguing the humans.”
The old hag crosses her arms defensively. “Why are they even here?”
“Because we are,” I say, forcing Astrid to appoint her questions at me. I’m done with her attacking my mate. If she has anything else to say, she can say it to me. “I fear this is the beginning of the final battle.”
“Final battle?” she huffs and rolls her eyes. “If you’re to blame, then why do we need to intervene? There are many of you furry mutts. You should be able to take care of it yourselves. I don’t want my coven to be dragged into any final battle. You’re on your own.”
A gusty breeze picks up in the house. I felt the shift in the atmosphere before the blustering wind. Goosebumps prick my skin as it chases away the warmth. Papers and light objects tornado around the space, and the fire sways like a dancer with a roar that licks up the chimney. The witches in the kitchen scream, and a few rush into the living room to protect their leader.
Grinning from ear to ear, I turn in my seat, knowing full well who I will see just as a swirling vortex lowers and Erline stands where it once was. Her pale skin, bright hair, and light blue dress wink the reflection of the outraged flames. And in her eyes dances enough malevolence that even I have a hard time staring too long.
The fee of the Earth Realm tightly clasps her hands in front of her and answers Astrid as if the question was directed specifically at her. “Because I wish it.”
“Erline,” Kat greets, adorning a warm smile while Astrid curses a colorful line that makes even me blush. I look back to the wrinkled sack of skin and, still grinning wide, wink at her. There’s no greater authority than the smack of Mother Nature.
Erline marches the short distance to our couch and stands behind Kat, placing her pale hands on her shoulders. “You will do what she asks of you, High Priestess, or I will deliver the punishment myself.”
I smile at Erline’s venom, her protective instincts strong before my face falls. I don’t like the woman, but at this moment, concern envelopes me. Her skin is paler than normal, glistening with a fine sheen of sweat. I’m about to ask her what’s wrong when she pins me with dark eyes and a small shake of her head.
CHAPTER TWENTY
TEMBER
EARTH REALM
We step from the portal and onto a grass lawn in the early afternoon hours. The perfectly cut blades of grass still glean the morning’s dew, and the scent of the Earth Realm’s spring tickles my taste buds with such missed pleasure. It’s such a sweet aroma that I find it difficult to pull away from and hone my other senses.
Jaemes, however, is unaffected by it and whistles at the mansion in front of us. “I knew these existed – we’re told stories of this realm’s structures – but to witness it myself. . .”
I survey the Cloven Pack’s mansion with him, taking in each beautiful detail. “The humans are skilled with architecture and technological conveniences.”
“Indeed,” he mumbles, swapping his bow from one hand to the next.
After the Sandman was taken, we quickly devised a new plan. We took the dwarves back to Jaemes’s tribe, distracted them with the needs of the village, with sword and weapon making, and then travelled here. Wherever Sureen took Sandy, we can’t go retrieve him on our own. It’s exactly what she would have wanted, and I don’t have it in me to willingly spring a trap. We need a plan, a new one that will ensure his survival.
“How do we enter it?” Jaemes asks, taking point and charging to the house. He slings his bow over his shoulders and lets it rest there.
“Well, normally people open a door and st
ep through it,” I say, grinning as I leisurely follow him several paces behind. Perhaps I should tell him to knock first?
A few chunks of dirt hit the back of my calves and ping against the bottom of my feathers. Quickly after, a growl rumbles at my back. I turn swiftly, taking in the wolf and his crouched, threatening position. As soon as our eyes lock, confusion twists his features, and his head tilts to the side.
“Hello, Flint,” I beam, bending to match his height.
It doesn’t take long for Flint to shift back to his human shape. His bones crack and reshape, his jaw shortening from a snout, and the fur sucks back into his skin with practiced ease. I wait patiently as he darts to the edge of the treeline, retrieves a pair of slick black and yellow shorts and a gray t-shirt. Jaemes, however, walks away, muttering about nudity and the audacity of dangling balls. I grin as he turns the corner of the house, his powerful back muscles rippling under his tattoos with each stride. He searches the siding, looking for a secret entrance to the structure before he completely disappears from sight, still burbling his disgust.
A minute or so later, Flint is back in front of me and sliding on his shirt. “What are you guys doing here?”
“I can’t find one door that isn’t locked,” Jaemes interrupts, having taken a trip around the entire house.
Flint looks at me and then Jaemes. “Did you try the sliding glass door? Or hell, even the front door?”
Jaemes double blinks then repeats his words slowly. “Sliding glass door? You have glass doors that slide?” Jaemes turns to me. “Who would have a door where an intruder could see entirely inside?”
I simply blink at him. Perhaps I should have left him on our realm.
Flint sighs, but a ghostly smile tugs at the ends of his lips. “Why are you here, Tember?”
My feathers rustle against my back, and he watches them. “We have a problem.”
At the mention of those words, he nods and gestures to the house. He knows that any problem addressed should be done in front of the Alpha. Striding past us, he leads the way to the sliding glass door while flicking an amused look at my ignorant companion.
“Try not to embarrass me,” I mumble to Jaemes as I push past him.
My warning was issued in vain though. Upon sliding it open, Jaemes’s sharp inhale doesn’t go unnoticed. I fit my wings through and turn when I don’t hear the pitter-patter of Jaemes’s feet crossing the hardwood floor. His hands are running up and down the door’s edges, questioning it’s safe enough to cross. With a slow lift of his left foot, he hops through. I hiss at him.
“Evo!” Flint calls down the stairs just off of the dining room.
“Is this new?” I ask, scenting the smell of fresh paint wafting from the basement.
Flint nods. “We finished it before we went to your realm. Turned it into an entertainment area of sorts.”
“Entertainment?” Jaemes asks as though he’s never heard of the word.
“Yeah,” Flint says slowly. “Movies and such. Lots of couches.”
“Couches? Movies?” Jaemes echoes.
I run a hand down my face. “You’re a fool.”
The pack, along with Aiden and Eliza, tromp up the steps. One by one, their slight grins quickly decline when they notice Jaemes and me still lingering next to the dining table. Stress lines their faces; the day has been hard on them already.
“Kat and Dyson?” I ask Flint.
He blanches. “At her old coven’s home.”
Kenna mumbles under her breath while swiping a hand down her face. “I’m going to take a stab in the dark. You’re here because you need help. Something’s wrong. Perhaps the world is ending? Again?”
Jaemes leans over and whispers in my ear but loud enough for everyone to hear. “I like her.”
Sighing through my nose, I say, “Yes.”
“What happened?” Aiden rumbles.
I look at him then survey the group of exhausted shifters. “It’s about Sandy.”
Kenna and Evo usher us to the living space. I note how each of them moves at a slow pace and how their shoulders hunch with defeat. I frown.
“What’s going on?” I ask Aiden when we’re gathered among the couches and chairs.
Jaemes is making a trip from wall to wall, touching each picture and sniffing each decoration propped on the walls. When he gets to the TV, he raps his knuckles against it. Aiden, who stands with Eliza folded in his arms, grunts his chuckle at Jaemes.
“What does this do?” Jaemes whispers, not so quietly, to Flint. Flint leans over, grabs the remote from a chair’s arm, and presses the red button. Immediately, the screen dances to life across the mute TV.
Jaemes jumps in surprise and then, deeming the screen safe, creeps forward, nose to nose with the moving picture. “There are people in there. Are these your slaves? Is this where you keep them?”
“Oh, dear God,” Kenna shouts while Brenna, Evo, and Eliza burst out laughing. “Don’t let the people of Hollywood here you say that.”
“Hollywood?” Jaemes asks, scratching his jaw. “Is that another realm?”
With a completely serious face, Kenna responds, “Yes,” and more laughter rings in the growing tight space of shifters.
“Give him a moment to adjust,” I grit, pinning Jaemes with a glare. Eliza winks at me, finding this humorous.
“There was a vampire attack in the city,” Evo begins, cutting off the laughter. “We lost two of our own.”
“Vampire attack?” I ask, dropping my crossed arms to my sides.
“They’re everywhere,” Kenna growls while gathering her dark brown hair into a ponytail.
Brenna quickly updates us on what had transpired, on how it was a planned attack and how they couldn’t have expected it to come. When she mentions the kindness Aiden showed to the severely wounded shifter, Aiden’s nostrils flare. Disgust, perhaps? Nonetheless, it warms my heart that a demon would show such mercy.
“Strange things are happening,” Jaemes says as he slowly lowers his rump to the available chair. Once he’s fully seated, he bounces a little to test its weight and then grins up at me as he crosses his legs, mimicking Evo.
The silence stretches as I work the details in my head.
“Why are you here, Tember?” Evo finally asks, his voice quiet. Flint turns off the TV, and Jaemes scowls at him.
“Sureen paid us a little visit. She took the Sandman.”
Turning her head away, Kenna curses like my words slapped her across the cheek. Brenna gulps while Ben grabs her hand, and Evo leans forward, interested in the details. Somewhere in the house, a ticking clock times each word, each sentence of what had transpired before Sandy was taken, up to the event itself. Saying it all aloud makes me wonder how we’re going to kill a fee who can slow time, and by the expressions on their faces, they’re questioning the same.
“And the dwarves?” Flint asks while rubbing Irene’s shoulders.
“Safe.”
Evo tips his head to Ben. “We were right.”
“Oh…” Jaemes coos his interruption, rubbing his cheek against a plaid throw blanket that was draped over the back of his chair. “What animal made such fine wool?”
“A fake one,” Irene supplies, her head lolled to the side as her mate massages.
The pack chuckles at Jaemes, and he snaps open the blanket and drapes it over his shoulders. He considers me and my tense posture and grins wickedly. Jaemes’s attitude since arriving here is something resembling a spoiled child. He may have studied this realm, but it pales in comparison to the real materials and surroundings. Though void of constant magic like our realm, this one is full of luxury. I really should have left him home.
“Evo?” I press as the laughter quiets.
Armed with two plates of cookies and a bag of chips, Kelsey places the snacks on the coffee table, eyeing Jaemes suspiciously. Jeremy trails in, cooing at the baby in his arms. Evo bends forward, snatches a cookie, and engulfs it while Brenna shoots her brother an incredulous look, gingerly nibbling
on her own pilfered sweet.
“Coleman is down for his nap,” Jeremy says quietly to Evo.
Kelsey pushes her hair from her face. “Are you really an elf?”
“Little wolf,” Jaemes responds to Kelsey, one brow cocked. “What else would look this dashing? On the other hand, that looks like a naked chicken.” He points to the baby still bundled in Jeremy’s arms. The tuft of the infant’s red hair appears as soft as the scent coming from the tiny cub. “Do they covet featherless chickens, Tember? No wonder you fit right in.”
“How is it you’re still alive?” I snap at him. He wouldn’t survive a day on this realm alone. He opens his mouth to retaliate, surely something to do with status, but I sling an arm in his direction, palm out, and a tiny circle of light flies out of his mouth, stealing his voice. The light flies across the room and soaks into my palm. I lift an eyebrow at the insufferable elf, a smirk on my face as he tries and fails to speak. I’ll pay for that later, I’m sure of it.
Kelsey whips around to me, staring at my hand before I lower it. “Impressive. I could think of a few other people who shouldn’t have their voices if you’re up for the task.”
I grin as Brenna slings out her own arm and slaps Kelsey on the thigh.
“Sweet baby Jesus,” Kenna barks. “Can you all shut your trap so the adults can speak?”
“It’s the guardian,” I say, gesturing to Jaemes with my thumb. His murderous glare is still pinned at me. “Tensions are freer when one is so close. You’ll get used to it.”
“What are we right about, Evo?” Ben asks, seemingly unaffected by such a close proximity to a guardian’s effects. I nod my thanks to him for getting back to the main subject at hand.
Sitting myself on the arm of the couch, I talk with them for the next hour, blissfully uninterrupted by the furious elf. The conclusion we came to is grim. The fee are flushing us out by going after those we care for or those we protect, all meant to push us over the edge to retaliate blindly. It all points to it, and even so, we know this is only the beginning of whatever they have planned. They won’t stop until they get what they want and decimate the only people standing in their way.