Wynter Reign

by Emmy R Bennett

  “Garrick,” I stop, “where’s my father?”

  “I haven’t seen him.”

  The world shakes inside me. Worry begins to spill over.

  “Wynter,” Aunt Fran interrupts my thoughts, “he must be fine, otherwise we both would have seen him by now.”

  “It doesn’t make it any easier. What if the Underworld captured him?” The last person descends below. If Dad isn’t dead, then he must have been caught. Why aren’t he and Garrick together?

  Garrick shifts to a dragon. “Climb on. I’ll bring you down to the valley below safely, My Princess.” I nod to Thane, the soldier who is now healed from his wounds. I can tell he’s still weak, though. “You first,” I say.

  “Aye, My Lady, I must respectfully decline, you are to go before I.”

  “What is this, the eighteenth century?” I concede and climb onto Garrick’s back, holding tight to the back of his scales. Thane smirks, and my aunt shakes her head, as though to warn me to be nice.

  Garrick takes off, and we glide down the valley. This ride is much different than being on the back of Namari. Utter silence envelopes me, and I don’t have the invitation into Garrick’s thoughts like I did with my dragongryph. Aunt Fran has already popped down, beating us there to the makeshift camp that has already begun to appear. Before I have a chance to open my mouth, she says, “I have to go now. The gates need defending.”

  “And then there was one,” I say aloud.

  “You know, Wynter,” Garrick begins, “you’re not alone. It is our sworn duty as members of the Kingdom of Ashengale to protect you at all cost.”

  “And yet by protecting me, this is what the kingdom has suffered.” I gesture to the wounded residents of Ashengale. Some moan in pain while others tend to the wounded. Some bathe in the river a few yards away, washing off the sweat, blood, and dirt. “Does my protection warrant such pain from our people? Look around, Garrick…”

  I step away from him and begin to aid with some of the injured. At least I can alleviate some of their pain by attempting to heal them.

  Nearly an hour passes, and I hear a screech above in the sky. Several dragons come flying towards us, and my necklace begins to glow. “Garrick, are those friends or foe?” I ask, pointing.

  He looks up from what he’s doing and chuckles. “That would be Lord Gottfried and some surviving soldiers, My Princess.” I can see someone is riding upon his back, and I can only assume it’s Geneviève. Relief settles my bones, knowing Dad is safe.

  Garrick steps up to greet our new guests. “Glad to hear you made it through the battle. Is it clear to come back yet? Wynter has been helping heal the wounded. How many did we lose?”

  Dad dips his head in sorrow. “We lost many refugees, more than our own. Many innocents died today. Not many dragons though, as you know, the Island makes us stronger. I think we might have lost one shifter. The rest were Pine Willow Elves, and those humanoids who migrated to our island for protection.”

  “How will we know when it’s safe to go back?” I ask. “And Dragonscale, why isn’t he here?”

  “He’s still at the castle tending to the wounded.”

  “I’ll get to work, gathering the people ten at a time, and take them to the castle,” Geneviève starts. “It’s good to see you again, Wynter. Will you help me with the organization?”

  “Sure thing.” I look back to see Dad in a deep conversation with Garrick.

  “I notice Fran isn’t here with you. Is she okay? She couldn’t possibly die, since she’s already dead,” Geneviève says.

  “Yes, fine. She’s gone to guard the gates of passage. Said something about keeping the evil from entering our world—and Sarmira.”

  “That only means one thing—”

  “Yes, it’s already started,” I say, “apparently early. Something about a full moon on Earth.”

  “We need to get these people to safety and in the mountain.”

  “We just came from there. Is it safe? Clearly, you missed the memo.” Anger builds inside me.

  Genevieve smiles, resting a hand on my shoulder. “The intruders are gone, rest assured. We must tend to the injured first,” she says. “Once we have everyone to safety, you can call to Namari.”

  “How many were there?” I hear Garrick ask Dad.

  “I don’t know,” Dad answers. “We need to get her to the Underground Valley, where it’s much safer than out here in the open.”

  “Underground Valley?” I ask, turning. I don’t think they realize I can hear them. My question goes unanswered, but not without Dad giving me a concerned look.

  “How will she be able to complete her trials if we take her there?” Geneviève says.

  “Do you see any other choice?” Dad asks. “Geneviève, are you almost finished with gathering folks to port out?”

  “Yes, this is the last of us.”

  “Very well,” he says. “Wynter, call your dragon, please. We need to get you to the valley before round two occurs.”

  “Round two? Are you telling me to expect more attacks?”

  “Of course. Your trials are far from over, my dear. Call him now, please.” Dad’s tone is firm and urgent.

  I blow into my whistle and call Namari, and within seconds, he soars through the sky, gliding down in my direction.

  I smile at the sight. He’s such a beautiful creature, bellowing as he lands to show his strength to protect.

  I’m excited to see him again, and I don’t hesitate to climb upon his back.

  “He will be able to shield your whereabouts.” Looking at Namari, he says, “Take her to the Underground Valley. We’ll be right behind you, and make sure you’re not followed.”

  “You still think I’m being followed, Dad?”

  “I’m not taking any chances, besides, it’s not a secret that you’re my daughter. They could still follow me. Now, get going!”

  Without hesitation, Namari takes off, and we’re flying through the air over the ocean.

  “Where are we going, Namari?”

  “Somewhere safe. It’s a small island off of Ashengale. Only way to the Underground Valley is by ship. An invisible ship, that is. It’s the headquarters of Dragonscale’s lair.”

  “But I thought that was Ashengale.”

  “Sort of. It’s where his people reside and are protected, and where most of the family functions occur, but where we’re going, it’s more of a military guard post. It isn’t far from the large island. See there, that rock sticking out of the water?” I peer above his head to see a small island in the middle of the ocean, and as we draw closer, I can see it has many fir trees. There is a cave opening to one side, and Namari takes us there, landing flawlessly onto the sand.

  “Now what?”

  “Now, we wait for the others. Stay upon my back, though, so I can cloak you. If we were followed, they’ll see only me and not you.”

  Chapter 33

  Cory Storm

  The Past:

  The Cottage at Storm River Manor

  “Tell us, My Lady,” Arryn begins, coming into the bedroom, too, “what happened?”

  She grabs my hand. “When I was sleeping, I was on the same plane as Wynter was a few days ago. Moyer has a dream stamp on both Chad and me. It’s very dangerous for me to go back to sleep now that I have woken. She will find us, find this cottage. She’ll know where we are.”

  I hear the wolves howl. “But you need your rest,” I argue. “We can handle Moyer.” Arryn gives me a worried look, knowing Blair is right. If the sound of the wolves outside is any indication, Moyer knows already.

  “No, you can’t fight her. Not now. She’s built an army so powerful you will need a much bigger team then you have.”

  Chad begins to stir, moaning in pain. I can feel his discomfort.

  “Sounds like your uncle is about to wake. Prepare another glass, he will be thirsty,” Blair says.

  Seconds later, I hear Chad say, “Water.”

  “How long have you been awake?” Isalora asks, comi
ng to Blair’s side first, and taking the cloth from her forehead. She checks Chad next and hands him a glass of water.

  “Only a few minutes,” she says. My mother sits up more, struggling to gather strength.

  I help her with pillows and grab a glass of water setting by the table and handing it to her. She smiles. “Thank you.” She takes a sip and continues, “When the evil witch discovered what we were doing, she put a stop to our preparations. They ambushed us. We were in the process of getting two of the children beyond the Iron Gate of the Hall of History, when Cole came out of nowhere.”

  That explains the children in the cells.

  Blair looks up at me. I know she hears my thoughts.

  “One of the children claimed that their brother was down in the basement, but she didn’t know if he was still alive. That it had been a long time, and she was convinced he was dead. She begged us to check.”

  “Is that how you got caught?” I ask

  “No. We got caught running through the library. Cole was waiting for us behind the counter, where the door is to the Hall.” Blair swallows, gulps air, and begins to cough.

  Chad continues, “We were surprised by Cole. Didn’t even have a chance to open the Iron Gate leading to the Hall of History.”

  “What about your cuffs? I see they are back on both your ankles.”

  My mother nods. “Moyer put it there.”

  “But I don’t understand. I released your cuff. You should have been able to overpower Moyer and Cole, both.”

  She chuckles then winces, followed by coughing. “Sorry,” I say. “Here.” I refill the glass she holds.

  “You don’t understand, my son. There were too many of them. Way more than we could handle.” She huffs, flashing a side grin, as though she’s annoyed. “There was one Shadow Walker I didn’t recognize. A young girl, maybe Wynter’s age. She had dark hair and eyes. I could see right through her. I realized this girl was Moyer’s secret weapon. She had powerful magic. Not quite sure how she acquired it, frankly. With the flick of her wrists, she slapped cuffs around Chad and I both.”

  Lira comes to mind, remembering the day Wynter and I were bound the same way in the Grengore Mines.

  “How did you acquire a second key?” Dom asks, sounding perplexed. “You mean, Chad was free from the binding, too?”

  “Geneviève left her set in the drawer at the Hall of Secrets. Shortly after you all left to go back to the cottage, I found Chad and brought him to the Hall of Secrets, where Stella and Geneviève still remained. There I released my brother from his bindings. She still had her key, remember? Rory had tossed it to her when they hung from the cage in the Grengore Mines.”

  “How did you know about that?” I ask.

  “Geneviève gave me a quick run down.”

  “Right, duh. Of course.”

  “Seems we’re right back where we started,” Thom blurts. “We can’t possibly defeat this battle without the strength of them.” He points to both Chad and Blair with annoyance and fury.

  “There’s still a second set,” I state.

  “Where?” Dom asks.

  I let out a laugh of frustration. The irony of how things play out. She insisted she keep that darn key. “Rory has it hidden under her skin.”

  “Of course, she does,” Thom and Dom say at the same time. They glare at each other.

  “I can’t leave my brothers behind. And what about Red and Rory.” Rory, the druid, that has been loyal to the Storms for generations. “She saved our lives this afternoon. We can’t leave her.”

  Blair grabs my hand and tightens her grip. “Cory, she has your brothers fully changed. They both are gone. Neither one can be saved now.”

  “What are you saying?” I release her hand and step away. The frustration inside me builds.

  “Listen to me, Cory, there is no time for you to panic.” She coughs more and tries to catch a breath. Zak hands her another glass of water. She looks up at him. “Thank you.”

  “You don’t need a location spell. I overheard Isalora mention—” She's interrupted. Blair looks over my shoulder.

  “How much did you hear?” I turn, stepping closer to my mother.

  "She must be healing faster than I had first anticipated," Isalora remarks.

  “I’ve been awake for a few minutes. The dryness in my throat got the best of me. Nothing new about that. I like to assess the situation before making myself known. Besides, when I first came to, I didn’t know where I was. I had to make sure I wasn’t still in the hands of that wretched witch.”

  Isalora grunts.

  “Hang on a minute,” I interject, turning to face Isalora. “You’re a ghost.”

  “News flash…duh,” she spouts, sounding annoyed to be reminded that she’s lost her life.

  “Can’t you pop into the Hall of Secrets?”

  “Hmm…now there’s a thought I hadn’t realized. Yes, I could. It would be dangerous, of course. I have to pass through the plane of Undead to do it, but it’s possible. Risky but doable. Most of the dark undead spirits are guarding the gates to other realms, but they may not be guarding this particular hub, because they know it’s been sealed for eternity.” She paces back and forth in the bedroom. “Very clever, my dear boy. Yes, this might work. I need to prepare an antidote now that you both are coherent,” Isalora says. “It will remove the dream stamp, so you can safely sleep.”

  “Why didn’t you mention that you could do something like this before? I mean, we risked our lives to get Stella to safety.” Frustration begins to build again.

  Blair motions to grab my hand. “No, Mother, I want to know why Isalora hasn’t been forthcoming with us.”

  Thom and Dom appear to hold their breath, and Zak stares at me, stunned.

  Ignoring me, Isalora says, pointing to Arryn, “Make sure they stay awake.”

  Arryn nods. “Yes, My Lady.”

  Irritated with Isalora’s avoidance, I follow her into the family room where the younger children still play video games. Akira lies next to the smallest boy, noticing us, and yawns.

  “Are you going to answer me?” I demand. “Isalora?”

  She turns to face me. “What do you want me to say, Cory? I can’t predict the future like Jeoffrey.” She glides to the open kitchenette where it looks like she has shelves of herbs stashed in containers, and begins to bring out ingredients, setting them on the counter. I watch this ghost begin to work on a recipe. “What are you doing now?”

  “I’m making a lucid spell. It will dissolve the dream stamp Moyer has planted, as I said before.” The wolves howl again, sounding like they’re closer than a few minutes ago. Isalora stops and listens, too. “You hear that? They’re gaining our scent.” She brings out her mortar and pestle.

  “And, I’ll ask again… Why didn’t you give this to Stella?”

  “Because she was already awake, Cory. Can’t give a lucid spell to someone who has had a dream stamp planted while alert. One reason why you had to compel her, remember?” She gives me a stern look. “Cory Storm, what’s gotten into you? This is something you should know already. Do I need to examine you myself to find out if there is something wrong with your brain?”

  “I don’t know. I seem to have lost some of my recall ability. Like I’m forgetting the most obvious things.”

  She peers to my waist. “It’s that dagger you have tied to you. I’m sure of it. It’s the only new thing that has happened to you.”

  “You mean this?” I take the blade from my holster and hold it in my hand. The jewel on the hilt begins to glow.

  “Can I see that?” She stops what she’s doing and comes forward, putting out her hand.

  I give it to her to hold. “This dagger looks very similar to the one Wynter’s father gave to me the night Sarmira took my life. Only difference between that one, and this, is the stone in the center.”

  “The Elementals said it was Azurite.”

  “Yes, I can see that.” She hands it back to me. “I believe you have the Blade of Hop
e in your hands.”

  “Yes, that is what Terra, the Elemental told me. She also said there are souls trapped within it.”

  Isalora tilts her head and firms her lips. “That explains the memory loss. Your head is overwhelmed with others who have died at the hand of that blade.”

  “Perhaps it’s a curse to have it in my safekeeping?”

  She shakes her head. “No, if the Elementals pressed you to have it, then it’s your destiny to hold onto it. Besides, that dagger has been missing for centuries, and suddenly it’s in your possession? Sounds to me you’re its rightful owner. Now, you need to figure out why.”

  She goes back to her mortar and pestle, grinding herbs. “After I finish this, I’m going to get the key Geneviève has.”

  “But that means you will risk the underworld finding your soul and crossing through the plane of the undead… you might not come back.”

  “We don’t have a choice, Cory. Blair and Chad need to be released from those bindings. Without their full power, there is no chance of fighting what we’re up against. The full moon will come up tomorrow evening. Redmae’s last night to turn human before the Super Blue Blood Moon at the end of this month—the only window we have, before the curse on Redmae is rendered permanent.”

  She pours the herbs into two mugs and then grabs the hot water boiling on the fire. “Although it’s rare, of course, to have two full moons in one month, it’s our only option at the moment.” She hands both cups to me. “Here, give these to Blair and Chad.”

  “What, you’re going, now?” I ask, taking them from her.

  She glances to the kids that are engrossed in games. “Prepare the children to port back home. I’m going to go get the key.” Before I have time to protest the idea, she pops out of sight.

  Chapter 34

  Wynter Storm