by D L Goddard
The Enchantress purred silkily, her voice sultry and full of the promise of sex without restraint. Arahir tried not to shudder at the thought of sex with the loathsome creature. But instead, he smiled secretively at her, knowing this particular look filled with such heat would convince her more than anything he could say in reply. Lirima shivered in anticipation … could it be that the legacy of her beast still lingered in his heart. Had he been able to quench the consuming desire for her she had planted into the spell when she had cursed him. The very thought that it might have worked thrilled her to the core.
It was time to go.
“Come to me my Lord, I have need of your services; please step forward away from your companions. Lord Savage my sweet, please come with me … we will have need of your services as well.”
She smiled so sensuously at Adam that he followed without thinking. Whatever Lirima had planned; it usually ended that way and Adam never minded one bit. Their after torture activities seemed to enhance the sexual fantasies they indulged in. Lirima was so very creative and as well as her many years and many partners’ experience; Adam knew he would never tire of his delicious playmate. Things were looking up; especially as he had his delicious Anya back as a side dish … life was very good.
The Enchantress raised her arms and gestured. The whole room seemed to glow for one moment before the magic vanished.
“Just in case you get any ideas of leaving the room; the doors and windows are magically sealed. I need time for what I want to do and keeping you both here to look after our sleeping beauties will keep you busy enough.”
Arahir looked back at the miserable twins, then walked forward and kissed his mate in spite of Lirima’s threats he not touch her or else. He knew then, he would never see his beloved again, a heaviness filled his heart. It had been wonderful while they had been together and it explained many things about how mixed up their bond had gotten.
“I love you my Anya … and no matter what happens … my real love will always be with you no matter what you see from here on.”
Lord Arahir, Crown Prince of Serenor and Keeper of Castle Barshael walked up to the triumphant Enchantress and vanished in an instant.
**********
Chapter Twenty-Five
There was a loud hammering on the bedroom door as heavy fists pounded against the solid oak. A loud roaring shook the twins from their misery. They looked at one another speaking at the same time.
“Alexandros!”
They had wondered where the huge Troll had gone. The Light had transported them directly to the room without their companion and until now they had no idea where their friend had gotten to. The Light must have given him directions to the bedroom to meet up with them again.
Leaning against the thick oak door, they tried to communicate with him.
“Alexandros … can you hear us?”
A roaring answered them. Mir and Val hammered on the door getting his immediate silence.
“Alexandros … can you hear us?”
They shouted as loud as they were able. Determined to send the Troll to get help from the Wizard and his Ogres.
“Listen to us Alexandros … the Keeper has been taken by the Enchantress and Savage. His life is in danger. The spell has been broken, he is a beast no more. You must get help.”
A faint voice answered clearly and succinctly.
“Where has she taken him and where is the Wizard and the Ogres?”
The twins looked at each other? They had no answers to his questions. They realized they didn’t have a clue where Lirima had taken Arahir.
“Light … could you tell us where my beloved Arahir has been taken and where Keplin and his Ogres are?”
The twins spun around to find a very wide awake Anya climbing out of bed. They rushed to her side.
“Anya … Anya love … you’re okay?”
They rushed to her side as she held out her arms, hugging them tightly never wanting to let them go. A sweet hauntingly lovely voice spoke from out of nowhere.
“The Enchantress has sealed the doorways to the dungeons; she has taken my Keeper there.”
Anya thought for one moment.
“Where is Keplin and the Ogre’s location dear Light?”
“They are heading your way Anya; I have guided them toward Alexandros.”
“Can you transport them to where Lirima and Arahir have gone? Or is her magic keeping you out?”
“I can bring them together by transporting them to the entrance of the dungeons. After that … the Wizard will have to break the magical barriers she had erected. For some reason, I cannot get past them.”
The voice sounded sad.
“I can’t get you and the twins out of the bedroom by transporting you either. Whatever that woman has done to this room is preventing me entering rooms in my own castle!”
The Light was indignant, furious she couldn’t help Anya the way she wanted.
“It’s alright my dear, we will figure it out. Just make sure the others get to the dungeons. We need to slow down whatever she is planning. I have a very bad feeling about this. She means to take Arahir from us all and I’m not sure what she is really capable of. Her soul reeks with the cries of many dead innocents and I wonder why she went to such lengths and for what reason.”
Anya slumped on the bed … the twins on either side of her. Looking into their sad faces Anya realized what had happened.
“He’s sacrificing himself to save us all isn’t he?”
The twins nodded, desperately unhappy.
“He has shut us out to stop us getting hurt as well.”
“Whh … aaatt!!”
“He told us she would not stop until Anya was dead. So … if she did manage to bond with him by breaking his and your bond and tying him to her … at least he will be able to destroy her.”
“But … but … won’t she know that? Won’t she be prepared for such an attack?”
They shook their heads; they looked so defeated that Anya’s heart felt as if it would break.
“The Enchantress has no idea of Arahir’s true nature. She has never bothered to find out what he is or the nature of the people on Serenor. Whenever our people enter other worlds or pass through the gateways, we have always tried to appear as harmless as possible. The Keeper himself is known as a fey, but we aren’t fey Anya, we are elementals, but Arahir has never corrected the notion. It has actually helped the negotiations with other worlds. Imagine how they would react if a burning flame entered their world to ‘speak’ with them. They would fear the worst. So … the Enchantress has thought all this time that the Arahir she is obsessed with is a fey, of a different race to her, but still … a fey just the same. On her world there are only two races … they coexist in real harmony … the Ogres and the Fey. So far … they have managed to live peacefully. Lirima is just an especially powerful fey from her world. I do not know the whole story, but I know her people are ready for a better, kinder, wiser ruler.”
“That’s it! That’s what she meant when she gave me the gifts.”
Anya’s excitement had them bewildered. They had no idea what ‘she’ Anya was talking about. She pulled them close in a loving hug.
“Let me tell you about a dream I had before the Light finally managed to wake me. I spoke to Seren … it … it was … amazing.”
“That’s what’s so different!”
Val sniffed along her neck as she giggled.
“You smell of our world, Seren has marked you as one of her own. You really did speak to Seren?”
The question was asked with something akin to awe in his voice. Val knew she sometimes spoke to her children, but he and Mir had not been one of those blessed with direct conversation. If you could call deep dreaming ‘direct’ conversation and very few of the people slept that deeply to touch Seren. But looking at Anya’s face softly glowing with the joy of her time with Seren … Val guessed what had passed between her and Seren obviously equated to a conversation.
She sat com
fortably on the bed, cradled in their arms. They couldn’t get out, nor could anyone get in and hard as it was … for the moment, they would have to wait. So to take their minds off the danger their beloved Arahir was in … Anya told them all about her dream including the gifts Seren gave her. She told them about everything the memory showed her and they were awed at her first blending, especially at only twelve. But when she told the twins of carrying her parents’ life sparks, they nodded immediately understanding why the link was so strong with her family.
Then, after she had answered all their questions … she laid a beginning of a plan that had been growing ever since the twins told her what Arahir planned to do. Anya now knew exactly what she was meant to do with the gifts Seren had given her. Her heart ached and her heart was hurting inside. It seemed so unfair that someone as noble and wonderful as Arahir would have thought he was an acceptable sacrifice for them all. Her heart hurt so much, she felt a lump in her throat and she began to weep.
The twins held her feeling sad and despairing. Suddenly they all looked at one another in understanding. ‘No … it wasn’t possible.’ It was right about then that the pain hit them; the closely bound trio screamed in sheer blinding agony feeling as if their hearts were being torn from their ribs. Anya more than them all felt the tearing from her soul mate … she felt she was lost, drifting from herself. Anya knew she was dying and she wept at the thought of not being able to save her beloved from Lirima. A faint voice, growing ever fainter whispered into her mind.
“I’m sorry my darling … I thought to protect you all from this, but I had no idea of the pain we would have to endure. It was too much for me I had to let it go …”
The last words faded completely as Anya felt the last links to Arahir shatter and snap, breaking their connection forever. As the last chain broke … Anya was plunged into darkness.
**********
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Stop procrastinating! Do it now before she is lost forever!”
The woman’s lovely voice was angry, furious actually. It seemed whoever she was talking to was hesitating more than she was happy with. Her voice became softer, gentler and all the understanding in the world was there for Anya to hear.
“I know how wrong this seems, but don’t you understand why you were all bound together. I would not risk losing Anya and her son, they are all I will have of my Arahir and Caranor will grow up to be the next Keeper of Castle Barshael … if … she … lives.”
The emphasis was placed on the last three words. Anya wasn’t sure who the ‘she’ was the woman was talking about, but it saddened her … especially the death of the tiny wee son.
“No! Seren please … It feels like a betrayal of Arahir. While he lies dying, we bond with his mate? How could we ever explain our actions to her? How could we ever look her in the face again with a clear conscience?”
Anya was stunned to realize she was overhearing a conversation with Seren and someone and the subject had upset both of them terribly.
“I will help you Tûval and Selmir … I will help you speak with Arahir. Will that help you do as I ask?”
“No … Yes … But if Arahir says no then we will try everything else we can except that. If at some time in the future, she wants that from us … it will be her decision for we love her beyond words, beyond life and breath. But to force the issue makes us no better than Lirima.”
“So be it my children … so be it.”
Suddenly, Anya felt her beloved Beast, pale and wan and obviously dying. She wept, sad that she had been unable to help him when he needed her the most. She reached out a hand to touch him and felt him, firm and solid as if he was really there with her. Arahir reached his arms around her and sent her his love with a tender kiss.
“Anya my love, Lirima may have broken our bond, but not even that could destroy the love I have for you and our son.”
Startled, Anya’s head jerked up to look at him squarely in the eyes.
“Our s-son …?”
“Don’t you remember my love … don’t you remember giving birth to our son? All of us, Me, you, Mir and Val inside the Light as you gave birth to the most wonderful beautiful baby boy that has ever been born?”
Arahir was gently prodding Anya back to awareness; she had been so close to leaving them completely. Anya was so weak and he realized what Seren had been asking of him, difficult and unbelievably horrible as it was … it was the only way to save his beloved. He held her in his arms and felt his heart being torn from him once more. To save her meant she would be forever in the arms of others. Did he love her enough to save her and their son? Unfortunately … he did. His resolve hardened. In a way … it made it easier to follow the course of action he had decided on earlier.
“Mir … Val … can you hear me?”
He heard the twins affirm their presence. He knew what was happening in their hearts. Unbeknownst to everyone but him … they had all been moved to the Light as the magical barrier had weakened due to the immense amount of power required for the ritual Lirima had just performed. She was resting in another room, ensuring she was sufficiently rejuvenated for the binding ritual. It was during this moment that the Light transported the twins and Anya and the baby into the core of herself enabling them all to speak to Seren. Arahir could not be brought with them, but his life spark could. It was all he was and it was enough to comfort Anya and to speak his will to the twins.
“Anya is dying …” ignoring their protests he went on, “she is dying … wake up and face the truth. Anya will die without you bonding with her. I too am dying, but I have enough to do what Seren has asked of me this final time. Somehow, whatever I have left will have to be enough to destroy the Enchantress. You cannot come where I am and this time is all we have left. I hate what I am forced to ask of you, for you both are truly honest and noble men and I know you would not do this unless I asked this of you … so … I am asking. I want you to bond with my beloved as strongly and completely that there is no room for grief, or regret. I want Anya and my son to be deliriously ecstatically happy. Do you understand me? I do not want them to ever be unhappy if you can prevent it. I want you to treat her like a Queen and I want you to give them everything their hearts desire and I want you to be making love to her so fully that she feels no pain when the final chain breaks. She thinks it has already happened, but if you do not do all I ask, when that link breaks, Anya’s light will end with it. Do you understand?”
Arahir practically roared the last words at them. Suddenly he began to fade once more. He tilted Anya’s body in his arms knowing their time was nearly up.
“Anya my beloved … I have something for you to take care of momentarily.”
He moved so swiftly, she didn’t see what he was doing but when he opened his hand, Arahir’s pure indigo spark flickered in his hand. She was speechless with fear, Anya didn’t want to lose her mate and she couldn’t do anything to stop what was happening. He flamed his hand and placed it into her heart. Tears streamed down her beautiful face as she felt the true depth of his feelings for her. Anya was overwhelmed by it all.
“When you join to Mir and Val and you must to save your life and our son’s life, I want to remember me with real joy and I hope you will tell Caranor all about me and how much I cared for you both. He will be the Living Light’s new Keeper when he is grown. She will recognize him immediately because she loves you all. Never before has she allowed any but the Keeper to enter the Light. But she has welcomed you all that is why I know she cares for my family.”
Anya was trembling so badly but she had to know what he wanted her to do with the spark.
“Arahir … wh-what do I do with your spark? Do I just keep it?”
He smiled growing fainter even as she looked.
“No my darling …it will not prevent you joining to the twins, but it will strengthen the actual bonding, ensuring I am with you even then. I know it sounds a little strange. You and I both know how much they love you and how much they would have giv
en to have met you before we joined. You will be very happy my love, no tears now, but be happy for me. I have to do this, for if she is not stopped, Lirima will bring death and destruction to thousands of other beings and that I cannot allow. I am the Keeper my love and it is what I must do.
When the Enchantress is gone, place my spark in the Light and she will care for it until our son takes over. When he first enters the Light as the Keeper then, she will give the spark back to him and Caranor will return me to Seren. I will not be lost and I will protect the castle until Caranor can do the task in his turn. It is not a difficult task my love … it is a great honor to serve and keep peace between the worlds, and being Keeper will not prevent Caranor from taking a soul mate nor from having a family. The only reason I did not already have a family of my own was that my soul mate was in the land of humans.”
Anya had gotten so lost in her misery; she had almost forgotten what Seren had told her. Seren prodded her gently. She reached inside her mind, she was never quite sure where Seren had placed the gift but when Anya concentrated on the image, it appeared in her outstretched hand.
“Seren gave me this for you … she said you would know what to do with it.”
Anya handed Arahir a small dazzlingly brilliant ball that was about two inches in diameter that glowed even brighter as the Keeper held it. Arahir looked at it in awe and a smile of real joy lit up his features.
“Thank you my love. Now I truly believe everything will be alright. Goodbye my sweet Anya, I know we have not had much time together, but I could not have loved you more if we had spent a lifetime. Thank you Seren for your gift, I will rest knowing Lirima will never again be able to harm another innocent.”
“Goodbye my son, you have served me well, do not fear for your family, they will be safe, I will take care of them for you.”
