by Martha Carr
Perrom felt the energy wash through him. “Thank you for that, friend. I know I’ve been gone a long time, but I had to get myself in a position where I was ready to do this.”
Correk shook his head. “You never have to justify that. I can’t even imagine if Leira had gone through to the other side. I would have done the same thing, especially after the type of injury you received. I have sat back and watched your heart break over and over, but tonight we will fix that. At least part of it.”
Perrom took a deep breath. “As long as I have her, the arm doesn’t matter. I go to sleep every night, and the thought of her in the World in Between rips my chest apart. I kicked myself all the time for not being able to do something—anything—to get her free. I didn’t want to bother you, but in the end, I knew you were the only ones who could help me.”
Correk looked Perrom dead in the eye. “Don’t you understand? You are family to us. You are my brother. It would never be a bother, no matter what you brought us. Not only are we magical beings from Oriceran, but we have gone through hell and back together. If the roles were reversed, you would do the same for me.”
Perrom chuckled. “Depends on how many gold coins you had. No, I’m kidding. In all seriousness, you know I would do it for you in a heartbeat. I would do it for Leira in a heartbeat as well. Without her, none of this would’ve been possible.”
Correk took Perrom’s hand in his. “Then let’s get her back. That way everything can be right again.”
Leira clapped her hands. “Tonight we bring Ossonia home, no matter what comes. Is everyone ready? There’s only a minute to go. We have to time this absolutely correctly.”
Everyone nodded and cheered, letting her know they were focused and ready. She stepped back, feeling the energy rushing around her body, and joined the circle. She looked down at Correk’s hand, but before she took it, she leaned into him and whispered, “Tonight, we fight with honor to the end.”
He whispered back to her, clutching her hand tightly in his. “If it’s the last good thing we do. No matter what the hell comes out of there.”
They started with Perrom repeating the first spell he’d used to make the window and the faces appear. “Move i worlds i exist im. Tul- hain close a ú- unseen. Ech- hi anand a anand na join with tuin connected haer i coin. Lothron spirits hi nin nall- tonight, tul- Ossonia forward before i flight.”
Wind began to whip wildly around the hotel room, and the window to the World in Between cracked open in front of them. As before, dozens of faces flooded the space, screaming and reaching out for their help. Perrom scanned the crowd and swallowed hard, repeating the second spell to wipe everyone but Ossonia away. “Move cín ghostlui sides, ceri- ú- nall- nin est-. Im search an i er, i er whose namesake holds close na nin chest. Ossonia, Ossonia tul- forth na nin eyes. Im thír an cin trí days a night’s a a message im gar- an thee”
The people wavered in front of him, and the ground began to shake. He looked nervously at Leira, but she shook her head confidently, moving him to the next step. He scanned the area, then his eyes landed on a woman he believed was Ossonia in the back, trying to fight her way through the crowd. He screamed the last part of the spell, “ADA ARAM. KHUBA AMAD!”
Immediately, the faces started to spiral to the sides, then disappeared. They moved like dominoes until the only face that could be seen was Ossonia’s. Leira reached out and grasped Correk’s hand on one side and her mother’s hand on the other, completing the circuit. Jackson gripped Eirika’s hand tighter and nodded at her. “We’ll do this together for our daughter.”
Leira closed her eyes and set an intention, letting the magic move out of her. It lifted her off the ground, and light poured from every orifice. “Open the way for Ossonia to come back to us!”
Everyone focused their energy, and light magic flowed wildly around the space. The wind whipped about, almost fighting against them as a tear began to open, making the way for Ossonia to come back to them. Perrom moved toward the rift, and Correk tightened his hold on his hand to make sure he didn’t let go. Ossonia pressed forward, trying to move through the opening, but it fought her.
Leira growled loudly as the energy and power increased inside her. The heat was building in her old scar, and the light was passing through her at a phenomenal speed. The symbols on her arms and neck shone brightly, flashing and flipping rapidly. She let out a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes, they glowed with white light.
The tear grew larger and Ossonia clawed at it, ripping it farther open and getting the top half of her body through. Gelatinous goo dripped out of the tear and Ossonia screamed, reaching to the sides to try to pull herself free from the World in Between. Perrom bellowed her name. The echo of his voice simply disappeared into the veil between them. She was halfway there, struggling to get free.
Suddenly, something yanked her partially back in. She flattened her arms and stopped it, but it had a good hold on her. Leira watched with fear and looked down at her arms, reading the symbols that were flashing across her skin. The breath flew out of her lungs, and she shook her head, knowing what was coming. She shook both of her hands free, quickly forming a fireball and rearing back. Her eyes darted to Perrom, who didn’t understand what was going on.
“No!” Perrom yelled, trying to get to Leira, but Correk held tightly to him, knowing that Leira would not do anything to put Ossonia in danger unless it was absolutely necessary.
Before Perrom was even close, Leira let the fireball fly. Everyone froze, including Perrom, as the fireball curved around Ossonia and landed in the darkness behind her. Momentarily, the World in Between lit up, monsters and wavering dark magic showing themselves. Everyone gasped, still holding tightly to each other as the dark mist appeared.
Lucius snarled, and his eyes shone bright yellow. “The dark mist! Don’t let it take her! I don’t understand why it wants her.”
Turner held Lucius’ hand tightly. “Calm, old boy. We must be patient. Leira knows what she’s doing.”
Lucius glanced at Turner, then back at the dark mist. It swirled in and out of the space, wrapping itself around Ossonia and attempting to pull her back as hard as it could. Her fingernails dug into the edges of the rift as she tried to keep from being sucked back in. She lifted her head and stared at Perrom, begging him to help her. Correk put his other hand on Perrom’s shoulder. “This is what you’re doing to help her. You cannot let go of my hand, not until we say it’s okay. If we let go too soon she’ll get sucked back in, and we may never be able to get to her again.”
Leira stepped closer narrowing her eyes as she watched the imprints in the floating mist around her. Embedded in it were the faces of Charlie Monaghan and the wizard. She shook her head, unable to believe what she was seeing.
The queen centered her energy and yelled to Leira, “What is it? What do you see?”
Leira blinked her eyes repeatedly, but every time she looked, she saw the same two faces. “It’s…it’s that fucking zombie wizard. The magical walking dead returns.”
Leira snapped her head toward Louie, and he straightened, knowing exactly what that look meant. He pulled the sword out of its sheath in one fluid motion. Attack it. Attack it with everything you have. Go right, then left, then right again.
Louie bolted forward and slashed at the tear, careful not to hurt Ossonia. He cut right and then left and then right again, breaking the dark mist’s connection for just a moment. Each time, though, Ossonia was able to pull herself just a little bit farther through the hole.
Yumfuck growled loudly and grew to his full height, letting out a vicious roar. Leira grabbed Perrom by the hand, rushing him toward Ossonia, and he feverishly pulled at her. Yumfuck stomped toward the rift, shaking the ground beneath his feet, and let out another loud roar, then slashed at the dark mist that flooded out behind her.
Perrom lurched forward and Ossonia wrapped her arms around his neck, desperately holding on as the dark mist pulled and yanked at her. Perrom whispered in her ear, “Hold on t
ightly. We have a plan. Just don’t let go. I will never let go of you again. Just hold on to me as hard as you can.”
Eirika yelled over the roar coming from the dark mist, “Leira, it’s okay.”
Leira shook her head and looked past Ossonia into the rift, finally recognizing what was going on. The sound coming out was the cry of every being that the dark mist had ever captured rolled into one loud wail. It was both heartbreaking and fearful at the same time, but it did not have the effect that it was trying to. Leira narrowed her eyes and stared into the darkness, not allowing it to pierce the light that swirled wildly inside of her.
“Do it. We’ll be here, and we will bring you back!” Eirika shouted.
Leira nodded at her mother, still holding tightly to Perrom and Ossonia, then whipped her head back around to stare into the darkness. She could hear the screams of the hundreds of people captured by the dark mist, their last gasping breaths, their cries for help, and the growls coming from the evilness of the dark magic.
Hagan gritted his teeth, hating the plan, but he knew it was the only way, and it was Leira’s choice. He could feel her hesitation, and he knew that it was just the dark mist surging fear into her heart. He took a step, still clasping the others’ hands, and yelled, “We can do it! Don’t let the mist put fear into you. It will do everything it can to take you. Resist! Fight to the end!”
He let go of the hands on either side of him and took up his position next to her. Leira looked him in the eyes, and he nodded at her with love, letting her know she wasn’t alone. The fear melted from her heart, and she turned and looked at Correk. He glanced at her and smiled, busy pummeling the mist with a continuous volley of fireballs. They exploded into the dark mist but barely made a mark. She knew her power was the only way.
“Prepare yourself. This is going to be a hell of a lot of energy,” Leira cautioned herself.
As if the dark mist knew what she had planned, it wheeled wildly and tugged even harder. Hagan latched onto the back of Perrom’s shirt, giving him some extra leverage for when it was time. Ossonia buried her face in Perrom’s shoulder, just trying to hold on long enough for him to pull her out. She was tired and weak, but she wasn’t going to let the dark mist have her.
Leira relaxed her shoulders and drank in what she saw—the love of the people around her, the anger of the dark mist in front of her, and the pulsing energy that flowed from person to person. All she could think about was that she hoped it wasn’t the last time. She hoped it all turned out exactly how they wanted. She focused her attention on the love she had for these people as she let the bracelet slip from her wrist and allowed the light to flow inside of her. Leira gasped at the rush of peace and light that filled her from top to bottom. It was more energy than she had ever felt before, but this time she didn’t hold it back. She let it flow freely.
It was strong and bright and spilled out, washing the room completely and enveloping everything. The light pierced the windows, brightening the outside. It flooded through Hagan and Eirika, through Mara, and even Jackson. Perrom groaned and dug his feet in as the rift opened farther and the dark mist inched back from the blast. He took a deep breath and pulled with everything he had, freeing Ossonia from the World in Between. He dragged her to the side and held her tightly in his lap, covering her face with his hands, even as the fight raged on in front of them.
The mist wailed even louder, and a hundred arms slithered out, trying to grab anyone they could reach. They had stolen its victim, and the dark mist wasn’t going to quit until it had someone to take her place. The screams of those trapped before echoed even louder throughout the room, drowning out all other sounds.
The battle between the light and the darkness began. The elves pulled in and threw energy, and the wizards and witches used their wands to launch shards of energy and light at the dark mist as it attempted to creep through the flood of light Leira emitted. Jackson and Eirika, still holding hands, ran forward. They gathered fireballs into their palms.
Jackson looked at Eirika. “You ready?”
Eirika smirked. “I’ll always be ready to save my daughter’s life.”
They both looked at the rift, watching the dark mist attempt to seep out into the room, and hurled the fireballs as hard as they could into the center. It squealed and shook but still didn’t fall back.
Ernie gritted his teeth and charged, pushing through his fears and shoving aside the memories of being trapped inside the World in Between. He released a tirade of white light that joined Leira’s, creating small explosions inside the rift. He screamed, pulling more energy through his body. “Back to hell, you sonofabitch!”
Patsy grabbed Lois’ hand and they used their magic to send swirls of energy at the rift, shrinking it a little bit at a time. Although the dark mist pushed it back open, they were making headway. They combined their energy to intensify their attacks. The glittery blue light swirled in circles around the rift, shimmering over Leira as the magic spilled out of her.
Lois looked at Patsy and nodded. “This is gonna be one hell of a story!”
Patsy chuckled, shaking from the amount of energy flowing through her. “I’m gonna have one hell of an appetite after this.”
They pushed harder, sending a surge of energy whipping around the rift. Lois leaned her head back and yelled, “Dinner’s on me!”
Lucius dropped the king’s and Turner’s hands and took a step, growling loudly. He clenched his fists and held them in the air thrusting his elbows downward as his body began to shift. The armor fell away, and his muscles tensed and released as he became his wolf. His yellow eyes glinted in the white light. He raced forward, unsheathing his claws and shredding the mist. It squealed and shrieked as his nails dragged through it, and he felt the evil he had once endured in the World in Between.
Toni and the others whispered enchantments, firing as much magic at the rift as they could. Their wands glowed brightly as burst after burst struck the dark mist’s heart. It was taking everyone in the room to fight back, but they could feel the dark energy weakening.
Within the dark mist, Charlie Monaghan fought hard, using everything he had to help Leira to win the fight. He scratched and used the energy he had inside to push back against the dark mist. Leira was barely able to focus on the fight with all the magic she was funneling. It needed one last push. She felt Charlie’s energy moving next to her and she reached out, grasping his hand.
Charlie’s voice echoed. “Together…one, two, three!”
With that, Leira pushed as hard as she could. The light exploded from her chest, and it struck the dark mist and turned it to ash as the loud moans finally came to an end. Leira’s body flew backward. The energy still flowed from every part of her. She gripped Charlie’s hand tightly and yanked him from the mist, dropping him to the floor.
The rift snapped closed, and everyone dropped their hands and wands to their side. However, the light continued to grow inside Leira, and she could feel herself being pulled irresistibly toward Nirvana. Hagan placed a meaty hand on her shoulder, squeezing as hard as he could and grounding the light. He gritted his teeth and groaned, sweat pouring from his face as the energy rushed through him. It took him to his knees, but he didn’t let go.
Correk and Jackson raced over, Jackson snatching up the bracelet en route to her. He nodded at Correk and slipped it back onto Leira’s wrist. Lucius panted hard and backed up, glancing at the others, who looked at him fearfully. He shook his wolf body and shifted back into his elf form. Patsy handed him his linen pants with a raised eyebrow. He chuckled and took them from her, stepping back with the rest of the group.
The voices around Leira became clearer and louder in her head, and she felt the energy diminishing as her feet returned to the ground. When she opened her eyes, a sense of peacefulness she hadn’t known before that day remained. Hagan groaned, and she knelt and put her hand on his chest. “Are you all right?”
Her old partner shifted his head back and forth, his hair standing up straight. He
kept his eyes closed, but a smirk moved across his lips. “Nothing some fishing, a cold beer, and a few donuts won’t cure.”
Yumfuck shrank back down to three feet and helped Hagan to his feet. “Consider it done!”
Leira and the others turned around, staring at Charlie, who was standing in the middle of the floor. A bright light appeared behind him, and he looked around him and nodded. “I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I hope that in my final moments I was able to help.”
The light grew brighter and brighter until it completely enveloped Charlie, and he disappeared into it. Leira pulled at her shirt, feeling it sticking to her scar again. She glanced down at her stomach and lifted an eyebrow. “Oh boy, a new burn.”
Correk wrapped his arms around Leira, kissing the top of her head. “You’re one motherfucking badass woman.”
Leira looked up, giving him a crooked smile. “Geez, you really do know me.”
Correk chuckled. “And love every inch of you.”
Over in the corner, Ossonia slowly picked up her head and stared into Perrom’s eyes. “Thank you. I watched you so many times, beating yourself up about me being in that place. I would yell to you, but you couldn’t hear me. When you came to me in the library, I heard everything you said.”
Perrom pressed his forehead against hers. “Everything?”
Ossonia smiled. “I love you too.”
They laughed, and Perrom kissed her gently on the lips. Behind them, Yumfuck cleared his throat loudly. Perrom began to laugh before he even looked up. “Sorry to ruin the party, but everyone kinda wants to meet Ossonia.”
Perrom nodded and helped her to her feet. Hand in hand, they walked over to Leira and Correk. Leira put her hands on Ossonia’s face. “You saved me. Thank you for that.”
Ossonia smirked. “Well, you saved me right back, so I think we're even.”
