by D L Goddard
He stood next to Alexandros and tied it firmly around his waist. Once tied the flame became live, flickering with a cold indigo flame. Alexandros felt something akin to unbelievable softness, it was like nothing he had ever felt before then; Arahir sent him a message straight into his mind.
“Come my good friend … let us run like the wind for I can sense the Enchantress, she is at the castle. We have no more time.”
They ran … they ran as if an inferno was licking at their heels. No more could they be seen … Arahir Keeper of Castle Barshael and Alexandros High King of Trolls over all Argolis moved as a blur. No one saw them pass and only when they came to a long passage that held the door to the Living Light did they pause.
Encamped before the doorway were nearly two hundred of the biggest, ugliest, meanest looking Ogres either of them had ever seen. They were lined up in ranks with maces and wicked double bladed axes. They meant business. Standing at the front was a kindly faced older man with white hair and short beard with amazingly blue eyes that looked at them shrewdly.
The Wizard Keplin held up his right hand halting them instantly. A blue sphere of crackling power curled in his left hand, a warning for obedience.
“Stop … I command you.”
The runners jolted awkwardly to a sudden stop. They needed to get to the sanctum immediately, but they could not ignore the threat the Ogres and the Wizard posed. Something in the manner of the two before him reassured Keplin and instead of the interrogation he was going to give them, he asked one simple question.
“Are you the Keeper the castle calls for?”
Arahir nodded. “I am Keeper of Castle Barshael and my mate is going to give birth any moment … I have to be there. I will answer all your questions later, but for now … please … I beg of you … let us pass.”
Keplin signaled to the Ogres. The troop parted watching the Keeper with wide eyes … for he was legendary among their people. These men had seen the Keeper … something they would share with their families. Their hideous faces broke into grins which Arahir returned, smiling warmly. Alexandros was amazed at this and swore to speak with their leader before they left for their home world. Something about all this was definitely not right and he was determined to get to the bottom of all the violence.
The portal shimmered into life almost ready for transport when Arahir felt his scalp begin to prickle.
“She’s here.”
He could feel her darkness as she stood in the hallway without even turning around. Arahir knew he was too late. The door wasn’t quite ready for them both and they knew the Enchantress was close enough to blast them if they entered the portal. He had no idea how she had made it through the castle so fast, but the smiling face of the handsome Lord Savage made fury well up in his gut. How he would love to wipe that smirk off his too handsome face … until he saw a single scar that ruined the perfect profile, making the Beast smile inwardly.
Savage was standing to the side of Lirima; she was holding her right hand high in the air with a black globe spinning slowly, seeming to give off a strange odor while a grey mist passed through it. She was smiling triumphantly. She had won. Arahir hadn’t gotten to the sanctum after all and she could sense the urgency radiating off him. Something was happening that was incredibly important to the two men who had almost stepped through the swirling doorway.
“Stop right there my Beast. I want to come with you and meet the Living Light you have been hiding from me all these years.”
Arahir stared at the Enchantress … the greedy gloating look on her exquisitely beautiful face. He would die before he let this poisonous vile witch into the place where purity and life flourished. He looked at Alexandros who shook his head imperceptibly. They both were agreed. The two men turned their backs on the portal, protecting it … not daring to enter while she held magic ready in her hand.
They were still linked and managed to communicate. They would make a stand here. The twins would have to do what they could. He prayed to Seren they would be okay. Arahir was just about to say something when four flaming arms pushed through the portal, wrapped around the waists of both Alexandros and Arahir and in the blink of an eye, covered them both in cold flame as they were pulled swiftly through the portal.
The Enchantress shrieked in fury tossing the magic straight to the portal hoping to blast it wide open. Suddenly … a blur of blue power smashed into hers, scattering the magic harmlessly. Lirima looked up in rage at the smiling face of Keplin who held another blue globe ready in his hand.
“Traitor! You will pay for this.”
She hissed like a snake and prepared to do battle with the one Wizard she thought she could trust. She had lost Arahir for the moment, but she knew she could still get the Beast another way. Even so, she was amazed at how powerful Keplin had become; he could never have dispersed her magic like that before she left. Had the human world weakened her power by her prolonged stay?
Making up her mind and changing tactics abruptly, Lirima mumbled something as she grabbed Adam holding him close. The Enchantress flung down a powder of some kind blinding Keplin for a moment, making his eyes sting; he rubbed them furiously, desperate to clear his eyesight and not lose track of her. She was far too dangerous to take your eyes off even for a second. When his eyes cleared, the hallway was empty.
Lirima found herself in a soft airy room filled with a massive four poster bed, light sheer curtains and lots of feminine touches that clearly stated a woman’s residence. Lirima began to fill in the pieces of the puzzle she had niggling in the back of her mind all this time. A smile began to form on her lips as all her guesses came together forming a complete whole. Finally she knew what was going on.
“Anya is having the baby … that is why Arahir is in such an all-fired hurry. She needs him. But when the child is born, the tired mother and new baby will want to rest. And of course … won’t the tired but worried soul mate be close beside her. Instead of frantically plotting and planning to chase them wherever they ran; this was by far the easiest way to capture not only the Beast, but the entire little family.
Savage smiled broadly as Lirima explained everything to him. They took up comfortable positions in the beautiful plush chairs. A gorgeous baby’s cradle sat close by.
Lirima smiled sweetly at seeing the cradle. Walking over to it, she placed one perfectly manicured hand on the side and rocked it gently back and forth.
“Keplin and his traitorous Ogres can waste their time looking for us all they like. I will kill them before we leave for my home, and reserve a very painful death for my traitorous Wizard. In the meantime, I intend to relax and wait for the little family. I have plans for the Beast and his mate. It is truly wonderful that after all the scheming and planning; the castle is going to deliver them all right into our hands. Once I have Anya and the child, the Beast will do anything …”
She shivered in delight as she licked her lips … imagining what doing anything will feel like … finally, she would have him … all of him at long last.
“… Anything to keep his family safe. It was going to be very interesting just to see what he will do … indeed it will.”
Lirima set out cups and glasses for refreshments.
“Would you like a chilled wine my Lord or a cup of tea?”
Savage indicated tea would be pleasant; he liked to keep his wits about him on a hunt. Wine for later when the Enchantress was in a friendlier mood and they were celebrating.”
“Well sit yourself down … we may as well be comfortable in the meantime. Do you take one lump or two?”
**********
Chapter Twenty-Two
Anya’s body bucked under the force of the contraction. Gritting her teeth to stop from screaming she tried to breathe as Val instructed. She knew they were trying to delay the birth but Anya had no idea why.
“Can’t we just let the baby come and get it over with?”
She was panting, beads of sweat pearled around her face and down her breasts.
T
here was a commotion felt at the door, the portal began to open and Anya’s face lit up.
“It’s Arahir … and … one other. I don’t know who he is with but they seem to be a friend to him.”
Then, even in the sanctum, the twins felt the crawling evil of Lirima’s magic. The twins stared at one another. Arahir was so close, but even they felt him stop resigned. He was sending them messages to care for Anya. He was just a moment too late.
As one, the twins changed shape; invigorated by being in the center of the Light, both brothers felt fully charged. Reaching through the now fully formed portal, they grabbed the bodies of the two standing directly in front of the doorway. It was strange … the portal was neither a place nor a time, but acted just like a real doorway at times. This was one of those times. As soon as the pair was through; the Light closed the portal with a clang ensuring no one followed the newcomers.
The twins were shocked to see a massive eight foot Troll tied to Arahir. Quickly … the Beast explained who Alexandros was and what was happening. Releasing the King from the tie, Arahir begged him to guard the portal while his mate gave birth.
“I will do anything for you my Keeper, no one will get by me while I yet live.”
Then Alexandros did a strange thing; he went down on one knee and bowed his head to the Beast.
“To one who is noble of heart and spirit … him alone will I serve.”
Tears were in the Beast’s eyes as Alexandros stood, humbled by the greatness of the mighty King’s friendship and his dedication to Arahir’s cause. The Beast gave the Troll a fierce hug that the Troll returned then, Arahir followed the twins into the open portal that took him to the center of the Living Light. He knew already that was where the Light had cocooned Anya and he was desperate to see her.
As he appeared out of the rainbow mist, Anya held out her arms. Arahir fell into them and kissed her frantically trying to show her how much he had missed her; how much he loved her. Anya looked up at the much-loved face of her Beast and smiled. The look carried such love that the Beast felt his heart almost stop for one moment.
“Here in the Light my love, I don’t have to say a word for you can feel all I am feeling, my love for you and how much I have missed you.”
Arahir was overwhelmed by Anya, he felt as if he had walked straight into the soul of who she was. The beauty of her, all she was as a woman and a lover, her passion for him and the love that overshadowed everything else made the Beast feel more alive than he had in millennia. His joy was so great that without warning, Arahir burst into flame.
His indigo power flared in the Light, lighting up everything around him, shocking and surprising everyone who watched. His flame slowly died and he became humanoid once more. The twins and Anya stared at the man before them. A sigh escaped Anya’s lips.
“To the wondrous, beautiful Arahir, true Keeper of the Living Light. Welcome home.”
The twins bowed formally to the unbelievably handsome man who stood himself after all this time, freed from the Enchantress’ curse by the pure love of his soul mate. He looked up as his reflection was mirrored back at him in the eyes of those who stood around him. Tears of joy glittered in his eyes, unshed but giving him a brilliance that dazzled Anya as he bent to her. He kissed her as he had always wanted to; without the fangs and claws, the mane was gone, replaced by the beauty of his glorious hair.
Anya wept at the loss of her Beast, but smiled at the joy in her mate. All she could say to him was three words.
“I love you.”
They kissed, and it seemed as if time stood still just for them. Their joy was infectious and the twins came and held them close. Arahir looked up at the twins; there was no jealousy in his heart … not here … there was no place for such negative emotions here in this perfect place.
“We will birth our son together … all of us. This child will have Mir and Val in his life, closer than anyone else could ever be. We will birth our son with the two men that love you as much as I myself love you. I don’t know why, but the Light believes the child must recognize all of us. So I will not question her wisdom. There is always a purpose in her actions and even if I do not know why she has brought us all together, right now I believe it is right.”
Any words they would have said in reply were lost in the scream Anya gave as the agonizing contraction ripped through her.
“Please … please make it stop. Help me … I don’t know what our baby is trying to do.”
Arahir soothed his soul mate; she was in real agony with the fire of the contraction. Their son was trying to burn his way out. It was time for Anya to change.
Arahir pulled Anya to her feet.
“We will make the pain go away my love. Hold my hands.”
Anya placed her small hands into his much larger ones. He smiled reassuringly at her, loving Anya so much in that moment that her knees felt weak.
“Now I want you to change with the next contraction my love. Don’t think about anything else. Change into your true form as the contraction first begins. Can you do that?”
She nodded at little nervously. Anya couldn’t understand why he wanted her to flame, but she would do everything her beloved said. Opening her mouth to say yes, the next contraction took her by surprise. She began to buckle under the pain when Arahir pulled her to him.
“Change my love, flame with me.”
Arahir burst into flame the same time Anya did. She felt the heat of his fire flickering along the edges of hers making Anya feel reassured and relaxed. Then, Anya realized Mir and Val were in their places on either side of her, one white the other black, soothing and calming her as their flame mingled with theirs. Anya felt truly complete, whole as the three men she loved were with her reassuring her and loving her as she stood upright.
Knowledge flooded through her; Anya knew exactly what she had to do. She looked down and saw her son in his sac, protected from the fire she had become. She reached down, her hand a slender tongue of flame, rupturing the bag instantly. Immediately, the baby flared deep indigo blue as he lifted away from her body, a separate entity. Instantly, the pain was gone to be replaced by the love they all felt for their son.
Holding her hand out to the flickering sprite, she drew him into the circle of her arms. He blended with her flame immediately and she felt the connection with this wee boy grab hold of her heart knowing he belonged to all of them. Arahir came toward her, his flame passing into hers as they became one entity. Anya was in raptures. Ever since she had blended with Mir and Val, she had wanted to share this experience with her soulmate. Just as she thought she could never feel anything so wondrous, Mir and Val blended with the small family, making them whole.
Anya and Arahir knew that Mir and Val belonged with them the moment their flames mingled. Tears were shed inwardly, but joy was so great that they wondered if they could take it all in. She wondered just how much joy one person could endure. They held each other, clinging together as the new life flickered from one flame to the next, recognizing each shade and nuance of the elementals holding each other. The new life realized how loved he was and his flame became fuller and richer as he gave love in return.
The small family clung together, unwilling to let go, to shatter this perfect, precious moment. Somehow they all knew without saying a word that this time would never happen again. With deep sighs, they gradually parted, to change and become human in appearance once more. The wee baby lay curled in his mother’s arms. Naked and totally perfect, he had a mop of almost white curly hair, thick and full of life, his eyes were his mother’s gorgeous green framed by the longest thick black eyelashes. The pale blonde hair and black eyelashes looked incredible together. His rosebud mouth and pointed ears looked so adorable, Anya melted at the sight of him. He was absolutely beautiful; she couldn’t get enough of him. Indigo flames flickered around the edges of his skin and Anya smoothed her hand over the flames dimming them.
She looked around the crowded faces all trying to see the baby they all called theirs.
Such love and adoration shone in their eyes that Anya was humbled by such devotion.
“What shall we call him my loves? He can’t just be the baby. He’s too wonderful to be without a name.”
The men lifted their heads, communing with one another.
“We think he should be called after his Grandfather. Caranor is his name, but we would also like him to have a second name in honor of your Father and Mother. We know your Mother was Mia but you’ve never mentioned your Father’s name.”
“It was a strange name and Mother didn’t call him by it much … she usually called him beloved one. It sounded quite formal when I say it but when Mother said ‘beloved one’ it was like a caress; it was so lovely. But I think she called him Elear. Do you know what it means?”
Arahir smiled.
“It means ‘visionary’ and from what I’ve heard of your Father, it was very apt. He wanted a better life away from the courts where Mia and he could be free. He was a very good, kind and gentle man Anya and you have every right to be proud of him.”
“I am …” was said very quietly, but they all heard her.
“So … Caranor Mela; Mela means a very special gift. And our son is a very special gift to us all. Are you happy with his name my love? Your Mother and Father are both honored in our son.”
Anya hugged Arahir happily. She knew her child would be named after the royal line, but it was so wonderful of Arahir to name their son after her parents as well. She never wanted to forget them and she would now have a constant reminder of their love.
Tiredness washed over her in a huge wave and she found herself unable to stand. Anya leant against her beloved Arahir, so happy and in love, but totally drained.
“I need rest my love. Where can we go? We need to be safe from Lirima, but even in the midst of a crisis, I have to sleep.”
