“We really don’t know,” Sheree said as she looked around. “Everyone has a different tale. The gist is we all had a feeling we needed to be here. Then when the fog lifted and the memories came back, we tried to get back in and couldn’t.” She looked at Ty.
“Don’t worry. Renee can get us back in.” He held Sheree’s hand tight.
The group followed the car back down the road as Nolan drove. I walked with the crowd and let Ty, Tabby, and Sheree ride in the back of the Buick.
When we got back to the invisible line between the fae-made world and the real world, the car stopped short. None of them would go close to the barrier. They told me stories of how some of them had been injured when trying to cross, while others just kept walking and got nowhere.
I stepped towards the line and felt Ty moving close behind me.
“I tried to heal a cut on Tabby’s leg earlier, like you did for Chase, but I couldn’t. When I said you could get us back, I meant you.” He held his hand out. “But I’m here if you think we should do it together.”
“Thank you, but I believe you, and I think I finally believe Oma. I have a lot of power; I can feel it. I just need to use it with confidence. I did that when we came out here. I wasn’t scared, and I’m not now.”
I spoke what I had known since long before the curse, and the ground shook. Screams sounded from behind us. The line of trees toppled over and the hills where they just came from cracked and fell.
“What’s going on?” someone screamed as the earth beneath the invisible line cracked as well.
“What is she doing?” another yelled.
“I haven’t done anything,” I yelled for them all to hear, “yet!”
The ground cracked more as I went closer to the line, and I stretched my hand through to the other side of the divide. I placed my other hand in with it and pulled them apart as if I held open a curtain, yelling for everyone to go quickly.
One by one, each of them went through. Nolan had a problem leaving his car behind, but he changed his mind when the ground broke underneath it and swallowed it whole. I held on for each of them to pass, and just as I was about to go through the barrier, a fire rose from unearthed ground between the two worlds. A strange smoke lifted from the flames and I could see a monstrous beast within them.
I moved to the other side with ease and released the barrier, but that did not stop the flames. As we ran back to the heart of town, we were followed by a stream of fire.
“I can’t run anymore,” Tabby announced to the group.
“We don’t have to run this time. We can fight him. He has no magia,” I reminded them.
“Then how is it we can see him here?” Nolan asked, bent over and trying to catch his breath.
“That I don’t know.” I turned to meet the flames as they sped down the street after us.
They stopped a few feet away and spread like lava in a pond until there was a large circle in front of us. The image came through again and was even clearer than before. The beast had horns atop its head, and when it exhaled through its giant nostrils, I swore I saw smoke.
“Ahhhh,” the beast said. “Renella and Tyson… my son and his witch.” The beast snorted again, and we backed away from it.
“Is that Ourobus?” I asked Ty as he wrapped his hands around me protectively.
“Yes, it is.”
“You did not tell her of my fate? Oh, my…” Ourobus sucked his teeth at his son and waved a talon back and forth.
“What do you want, Father?” Ty asked him.
“I wish to let you know the passage will be accessible, and you can come home again.” Ourobus snorted and coughed. Smoke billowed around him as it escaped from his mouth and nostrils.
“How would you know about the passage opening?” I stepped forward, pushing out of Ty’s hold.
“Because, little witch, of your dear mother. She’s taking a little trip, you see, to see your sister.”
“What—No! Don’t you dare—”
“What?” he interrupted. “Don’t I dare… touch her? Hurt her? Why? Because you’ll do what? You have no magia; you’re no threat to me. Even now, the veil between our worlds is thinning as your mother fades. Once the passage is down, the curse will be lifted, and that world will no longer exist. I will be me again, and without the great power to defeat me, you’re next on my list.” He coughed once more, and I realized he struggled with the fire inside him.
I tugged from deep within myself and gathered what I could with the help of my heart stone ring. “If she dies, I will kill you!” I said, thrusting my hands forward and releasing a powerful energy that knocked the beast back, and then the vision was gone. The flames had gone out—the ground cracked and crumbling beyond the barrier—and we all ran back towards the center of town.
Chapter Eleven
Ormshire: Present Day
She could feel herself letting go. She didn’t want to leave her family, but she couldn’t hang on any longer. The ring had replenished her energy many times, but now she held on by the mere threads of her own self.
After being thrown back into her cell, she was brought a bucket of soapy water and a sponge to bathe. She didn’t see the point in that if she was just going to be killed, but Ourobus didn’t just want her dead. He wanted her hung in front of the castle for the whole realm of Ormshire to witness her end.
She had been given a nice dress to change into. When she refused the dress, the guards were then instructed to dress her themselves. When they attempted to remove her clothes from her thin frame, she surrendered and even slipped on the beautiful emerald-colored shoes to match the silk fabric.
She was given one last meal, which consisted of actual food; not just cheese and bread. Ourobus was also nice enough to offer her something harder to drink. His message was if she went quickly, she need not feel it. Her thought was to hold out for a rescue, but she quickly dismissed that idea. For Ourobus to open the passage, he needed her to die, and the passage opening would be the only way that Ty and Renee could get to her.
They took her to the front of the castle, where a large pole was buried deep within the ground, an arm extended to the side. Her wrists were bound together—as were her ankles—and she was strung up by her wrists, her feet left to dangle. She saw no wood piled around, but there were whips hung next to her.
Ourobus knew she would be able to withstand the flames of fire for days with her magia. The energy to combat flames was very little. It took more energy and magia to heal oneself. The lashings started a full hour after she hung in the hot sun.
Five lashes were all she received the first time. She counted, hoping to find comfort in knowing how many to expect each time. She didn’t cry out, nor did she whimper. She gritted her teeth together and held her breath for each lash. By the fourth set of lashes, they had added more, and not always the same amount each time. She had no idea how many she would get as the men with the whips went to her. Her back dripped with blood by late in the afternoon, and all the magia she had stored in her ring was depleted. She had fallen in and out of consciousness several times and felt her energy slipping away from her.
Karen thought of the day she had given birth to her little Renella. How she marveled at the color of her hair and the fairness of her skin. As the whip struck, a new memory of her life flashed before her. Rosella’s birth and death brought tears to her eyes as she was struck for the tenth time. She opened her eyes between the tears and saw the faces that looked up in front of her.
In the beginning, they had all screamed at her, wanting the passage open and the curse gone. They missed their loved ones, and it was her doing. She wanted to set it all right, but she wasn’t ready to die.
The smoke came first, and then the fire. The lashes had stopped, only to be replaced by Ourobus’ stench. Had he left his throne room after all?
She couldn’t open her eyes again. She tried to draw from the heart stone once more, but it was no use. Ormshire had been cut off from the rest of the land. She felt a sense of dread as she
wavered in and out of consciousness again, then there was only darkness.
Karen woke with a start as she heard her daughter’s voice ring clear. She was speaking to Ourobus. She couldn’t help but wonder if they were back, and she was finally dead. She looked up and saw she was right outside the throne room. That’s how Ourobus had spit fire at her. She was in that location for that reason.
She saw her daughter then, and Tyson. They weren’t solid; it was more like a vision, and then it was gone. Karen knew they were okay. She was happy knowing they were together and would defeat Ourobus.
The world went black again and Karen felt as if she floated. She soared high in the sky towards the bright lights of the lands far away. She had seen nothing like it in her entire life. It was beautiful, and she was at peace.
Chapter Twelve
Ormshire: Past
Days turned into weeks, and still there was no change in Rosella. There was also no word from the king and queen either. Renella wondered if her message reached Hearthstone Palace at all. She wondered if her guard was attacked by one of Ourobus’ to keep her father away.
“Easy, Renella, you don’t want to blow up your sister.” Tabitha entered the room. “You know I was never born with powers, but even I know your emotions are tied to them. Keep one under control, and the other will be as well.”
“Yes, but that, my dear friend, is easier said than done.” She smoothed the blanket across her sister’s chest and pulled it closer to her collar. “I worry that she’s not warm enough.” Renella knew how absurd that was with the heat in Ormshire; the more humid realm of the land.
“How’s the patient?” Tyson bent over and kissed Renella’s brow.
“I didn’t even hear you come in.” She turned to him and held his hand so he would stay close. “There’s no change. She just sleeps. Did I finish telling you how I named her?” Renella asked with a bit of joy in her voice.
“No, darling, I don’t believe you had.” Tyson sat on the arm of the oversized chair Renella had made her own.
“When she was born, I was three,” she said with more excitement than she’d expressed in weeks. “My mother asked me what we should name her, and I said 'Renella.' Well… my mother, of course, explained that having two Renella’s would be very hard for her. So, in the true form of a three-year-old, I said ‘Rosella’ because it rhymed. We used to try to trick people as we got older”—she looked up at Tyson and Tabitha—“and try to make them believe we were twins.” She laughed at the thought. “The hair always gave it away.”
“Sounds like you were a very clever three-year-old.” Tyson smoothed her fire-red ringlets and kissed the top of her head.
“Yes, I do believe I was.” She looked up and gave him a playful smile.
Renella climbed in bed next to her sister after everyone had gone, as she had done every night. She liked to feel her breathing as she slept. She lay her head down and there was a loud explosion, and the walls of the castle shook. Smoke billowed into the open window, and Renella threw herself over her sister to protect her as rock and dust scattered through the room. After the smoke settled, she got up to see what caused it.
A large crowd of people ran towards the castle walls from the east. It was so large, in fact, one would say it was an army. Renella could see the brightly lit wings of the flying fairies and the flags of her home; the red heart wearing a gold crown.
“Rosie, he’s here. They have come for you.” She grabbed a blanket from a nearby settee and covered herself with it as she headed for the door. She ran the length of the hallway and down the stairs at such a speed, she had not seen Ourobus standing at the base.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Ourobus stopped Renella as she reached the front door. She had not seen him, nor had she heard of him being in the castle since the night Rosella was attacked.
“My father is here—your king—to retrieve his daughter. She is in need of the help of his healers,” she said as she straightened her back and broadened her shoulders to show her authority.
“Your father just attacked my castle. He is not here but for one reason, and that is war. I believe that means his actions have made your sister my hostage,” he said deafeningly. “Furthermore, Princess, you are to wed my son, which makes you a part of this family. You shall serve under me, as the Buio King.”
“You’ve made yourself a king? That is preposterous. There is one king of the four realms.”
“Yes, there is. Now there is also a king of this realm and the old lands, since they have agreed to follow me and named me their ruler.”
“Tyson will never stand for this,” she said, running back up the stairs. As she reached the top, she saw a guard leaving her sister’s room at the end of the hall. Renella quickly ran to her sister’s side. When she entered the room, she found a dagger plunged into her chest. Renella’s scream pierced the air as she fell to her knees. She could not move, could not stand, and could not speak. Tears streamed down her face, and all the energy in her body floated away.
When Tyson found her, she was in a heap on the floor. He went to her and cradled her in his arms for what seemed like an eternity. When she came to, she heard the roar and thunder outside as the two opposing forces battled each other. She stood, withdrew the dagger from her sister’s chest, went to the balcony overlooking the front of the castle, and raised her hands high in the sky.
“Don’t,” Tyson warned her.
“Why not? He killed my sister, and I was but one floor away from her. My father is outside to get her, and he had one of his guards drive a dagger into her chest. Why shouldn’t I?” she yelled at him.
“You shouldn’t because we don’t know if you’re strong enough yet, and my father came home this evening with a lot of firepower.” He pointed down at the scene laid out before them.
“In this realm, the men have control of those with power and abuse it. In mine, the women have all the power and never use it.” She shook her head. “I cannot just stand here and do nothing,” she said to the growing fight outside the castle walls.
“I didn’t say we would do nothing. We need to get to your father,” he said, pulling her inside.
As quickly as they could, they ran to the castle grounds. Just as they turned the corner by the gate, an Ormshire guard stopped them.
“You cannot be out here, Your Highnesses.”
Tyson looked at him, perplexed.
“Did I forget to mention your father has named himself a king, Your Highness?”
Renella grabbed his hand and threw up her free one. The guard went flying about twenty feet.
“We must be careful. If my father learns of your power…” He trailed off, pulling her to the ground as a blue streak of light barreled by them.
“I know!” she yelled and pulled him forward. “We need to get to my father!”
They ran through the bodies of men and women; those who fought and those who had already fallen. Men were in hand-to-hand battles; women were using magia. Men went flying over their heads and they knew the forces of Hearthstone were close. Renella stopped when she saw the lights of the fairies flying overhead.
“Princess!” a guard from her father’s army yelled for her. “This is no place for you.”
“We need to get to her father,” Tyson told him.
The guard regarded Tyson cautiously, but he nodded and pointed them in the direction of Rowan. Then he was struck from behind as a streak of light crashed into him. “Over there.” He pointed with his sword as he stumbled to catch his footing.
Renella looked up and saw her father and Ourobus battling with sword and magia alike. Rowan swung at Ourobus and missed, his sword glowing blue. Ourobus swung at Rowan and struck his chest plate, his sword bright red with fire. Rowan recoiled and quickly recovered. With his sword’s hilt, he caught Ourobus in the chin.
Just then, Renal, Queen of the Fae, threw a ball of blue light at Ourobus, striking him in the chest and propelling him to the ground. A fireball rounded a tree and headed for
Renella. She put up a hand and stopped it in the air, and there it hovered. Rowan stopped to see his daughter in action, and he did not see the fireball heading his way. Tyson knocked him to the ground and the fireball flew past them and hit Renal. Renella let her magia go, and the fireball she held dissolved and fell to the ground.
Renal’s wings grew dark and she screamed as she fell from the sky. Her son swooped down and caught her before she hit the ground. He flew with her to the top of the hill, behind the Hearthstone forces.
As Ourobus lifted his hand, Rowan sent a bolt of lightning to his chest plate. Ourobus flew to the back of his men and disappeared from sight. Soon after, his men were called back to the castle, and the gates closed.
Rowan rushed to Renal’s side and had his men set up his tent for her far beyond the sight of Ormshire. Farlow sat at her side as the healers looked her over. Tyson and Renella ducked out of sight of the castle guards. They reached the forces from Hearthstone and saw Rowan sitting outside of the massive red tent.
“Father, how is she?” Renella asked.
“She’s fading fast. The fairies will want revenge for this.” He scratched at his hair-covered face. “How is your sister?” Renella knew her father was already weary, and she did not wish to cause him more grief; Renal was a great friend.
“She’s been killed.” Rowan looked at her. “A dagger to the heart.” The tears filled her eyes and fell down her face; Renella did nothing to stop them. “He had her killed… one of his men… I was gone but a minute…to come to you… to help her,” she said between sobs.
Tyson wrapped his arms around her and let her sink into him.
“You will come home with me. We leave at sunrise!” Rowan bellowed, then he turned and headed to his tent.
“I can’t allow that,” Tyson said so low, Renella did not think her father heard him.
“What was that, boy?” Rowan bellowed louder.
“I can’t let you take her.” Tyson stood taller, one arm still wrapped around her shoulders. “If you take her now, he will come after her. She is strongest when we are together.”
The Curse of Ormshire (The Beast Within Book 2) Page 11
