by Mary Duke
“She is no daughter of mine. I should have listened to my instincts when she was a child and got rid of her then.”
“How can you say that?” he questioned.
“She is a monster. How do you not see that?”
“I see a child, our child, that has been outcast, because her mother had instilled fear in her siblings.”
“Do you know how many people she has killed?”
Her father just stood there.
“You do remember that she almost killed Iona, right? It’s been years and the scar still remains.”
Hel peeked over her father’s shoulder. “That was an accident,” her voice trembled. “She came after me; I panicked as I tried to get away. I never meant to hurt her. I’ve never meant to hurt anyone.”
Nyx rolled her eyes, annoyed at the mere sound of Hel’s voice. “I don’t care what you meant to do or didn't mean to do. I know what you did. We all know what you did. And I can’t let it happen again,” she said pulling a dagger from her waistband.
“Nyx!” The man gasped.
“Move,” she demanded.
“I will not.”
“Get out of my way, or I will kill you both. I will not let my children be in danger any longer.”
“Nor will I,” her father said before turning and pushing Hel into the gate.
At that moment our view changed. We went from viewing everything that was going on to seeing the memory through her eyes and feeling everything she felt.
Our hearts began to race as panic set in. We felt ourselves stumble backward, we could feel the energy from the gate pulling us in, as we watched Nyx throw the dagger at Hel, and our hearts sank as we watched her father step into its path to protect her.
Chapter Ten
SNO
“Eris,” I said calling out to my dragon. “Where is everyone?”
“I don’t know,” she replied looking to Hayes and Alec. “We can’t hear them.”
“Any of them?”
“None.”
“They can’t just be gone!” I shouted, loud enough for Zavery to hear me.
He shook his head. “If I had to guess, I would say whoever did this found a way to cut the link between the dragons.”
Hayes flew up on the other side of me, and Thanatos answered, “There is only one person who could do that.”
“Hel?” I questioned.
“Yes, my sister.”
“But why would she go after the dragons? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Dragons are magical creatures,” Eris replied to all of us.
“She siphoned their magic?”
“If I had to guess, yes,” Thanatos said as we began to descend.
“That wouldn’t kill them then, right?”
“I don’t think she would do that,” Hayes said reaching out to all of us.
A nervous chuckle escaped Thanatos’ lips. “You have more faith in her than I do.”
“You know I saw a part of her soul that no others did,” Hayes continued.
“If you saw everything that I did, then you’d remember that that flicker of hope…of good…it was gone long before she was exiled.”
“You can’t believe that. Truly believe it.”
Thanatos shook his head. “When it comes to Hel, I don’t know what to believe.”
Eris reached out to me. “They’re here… Some of them are still here. I can feel them.”
“I thought you said there was no one here?”
“They’re weak, but I believe they are still alive.”
“What can I do?” I asked.
“You look for your kind,” Eris said before looking back to Alec.
“They,” Alec said, “are our children. We will know what is needed.”
“What does that mean?” I said aloud as the two of them took off back into the sky to search the island.
Thanatos answered me, “There are only so many ways you can actually kill a dragon. Dragons that are injured beyond healing, dragons too weak to carry on, their souls are returned to their egg and they are again reborn.”
“And here I thought I knew all there was to know about dragons.”
“Ah, well there are some things that you will not find in books.”
“Over the last week, I’ve come to accept that.”
Zavery scanned the tree line. “Why don’t we spread out, see who we can find?”
Thanatos shook his head. “I don’t think splitting up is a good idea. There’s no way of telling who’s still out there.”
“Your sister got what she came here for; I have no doubt she’s long gone by now.”
“You don’t know that. Nor do you know what kind of magic seekers caught wind of the giant surge.”
“Whatever. Let’s just go then. We’re not doing anything standing here.”
I looked at Illiah. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“I,” Thanatos said, “think I may have overloaded her.”
“What?”
“On our way over here, she started asking questions, and I gave her the answers.”
“Okay?”
“I don’t think she was ready for the answers I gave her.”
A tear slid down her cheek.
I studied her face.
“It’s okay, honest,” she said. “It’s just that we are all more alike than I realized.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“I just have a hard time believing that a group of people so broken, is the key to fixing all that’s broken.”
“I hadn't thought of it that way,” I admitted.
Tamara walked out of the tree line. “What are you guys doing here?”
Thanatos whispered looking to me, as he looked her over, “Who is that?”
“Tamara,” I said loud enough for them both to hear me.
“You guys shouldn’t be here.”
“If we shouldn’t be here, why are you here?”
“A lot has changed since we met last.”
“I sure hope it has,” I replied. “But that doesn’t answer my question.”
“Since that night, since Illian’s death, and when I found out her true intentions, I’ve been hunting her.”
“You?” Thanatos questioned looking at the child. “You’ve been hunting her?”
“She betrayed my trust. She used me,” Tamara shot back.
“But you are only a child.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” Zavery replied.
“How old are you?” Thanatos questioned rolling his eyes.
“My age does not matter. What matters is what I am capable of, and what I intend to do.”
Zavery stepped up and picked several leaves from her hair. “And what is it you intend to do?”
“Well, as it so happens my plans have changed.”
“Changed how?”
“Well, my first plan was to kill her before she released Hel, however, being as the dragons are gone, and that’s how Jadea planned to refuel Hel…I would say I missed my opportunity.”
“Wait,” Thanatos said. “Did you just say that Jadea was planning on freeing my sister?”
“Your sister?”
“Yes. Hel. But she didn’t know who the person she was freeing was…not till recently.”
“You’re Thanatos?”
“I am.”
“Well, then you lot really should be here.”
“Why?” I questioned.
“Because, you,” Tamara said pointing to Thanatos. “You are the only leverage that Jadea has on Hel.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Now don’t hate the messenger, but as I understand it, Hel has figured out a way to not have to siphon magic anymore.”
“How?”
“There’s a spell, one that she found while she was wherever she was. If she gets ahold of you, she’s going to switch that part of your souls…or at least that’s the way I understood it. She’s missing that part, and you
have it.”
“That’s impossible.”
“I don’t think it is. I’ve seen parts of the spell…I listened to her and Jadea go over its ingredients.”
“Wait,” Illiah said confused. “I thought we had to find Jadea before Hel did, otherwise the end of the world would happen.”
“I hate to give Jadea credit for anything,” Tamara answered. “But Jadea knew what Hel was, she cast a spell that makes Hel unable to draw from her power.”
“That’s not possible,” Thanatos said.
Tamara raised her hands in the air. “I’m just telling you what I know. I know that Jadea had some bracelet forged, and once she got it, it would have been the last thing she needed to free her.”
“My father tried everything to come up with a way to keep us safe from her. He would have done anything to not have to banish his own daughter.”
“Well,” Tamara said looking back at the woods. “Jadea is here. Why don’t you ask her how she did it?”
“She’s here?” I questioned. “How do you know?”
“I can sense her presence, feel her power.”
“Why would she come here?”
“If the chatter is right,” Tamara said. “She’s trying to track down Hel.”
“I thought they were working together.”
“That was Jadea’s plan, however when Hel got here, she had an agenda of her own.”
“Sounds like my sister. She was gone the second she was free, wasn’t she?”
Tamara nodded as she turned to face the treeline. “She knows we are here.”
“I’m ready,” Zavery said, as he cracked his knuckles.
“She’s counting on that,” Tamara replied looking back at him.
“Well, then this will be fun.”
“I wouldn’t get cocky,” Thanatos said. “I can’t say I know as much about her as you do, but knowing what’s been said, that’s enough to catch my attention.”
Zavery rolled his eyes and ignored Thanatos’ warning. “We have a god, an immortal whatever she is…Sno and I, and another daughter of Ayana. This time she has no chance.”
Jadea walked casually out of the tree line, a smile on her face. “It is not smart to underestimate me, Zavery.”
A black orb of energy began to grow in the palm of his hand that he held at his side.
“Tamara, I thought you’d take advantage of this second chance at life.”
“As I see it, hunting you is the best way to spend it.”
“You’re a fool,” Jadea scolded. “All of you are fools. Do you truly believe that a halfling, three broken children, and a disowned and dysfunctional god can stop the most powerful witch known in our time?”
“You are mighty confident,” Thanatos said. “For someone who’s been bested by a disowned and dysfunctional goddess.”
“You do not have a quarter of your sister’s power,” Jadea sneered.
Before Thanatos could reply, Zavery cast the dark orb at his mother, which started the battle.
Tamara and Kegan were right. We had all underestimated her. Her strength had tripled since I had confronted her last. I could see the power as it radiated off of her.
The more curses, hexes, and spells we cast at her, the angrier she got. Keeping herself shielded, as well as firing off her own shots, was a struggle, but she wasn’t backing down.
Thanatos shouted to get our attention, “We can’t keep this up!”
Zavery yelled back, “This isn’t over!”
“I’m not saying it is, but we’re not even making her sweat.”
“I agree,” I said. “If anything, I think she’s getting stronger.”
“She is,” Tamara agreed.
“Great!” Illiah sighed. “Now how are we going to get out of here?”
“There’s only one way,” Tamara said as she wrapped her arms around me before she reached for Zavery.
“No!” I said grabbing ahold of her arm. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but I’m not letting you do it.”
“There is no other way.”
“We will find one.”
Tamara lifted her shirt, revealing her decaying skin. “I am already cursed, I don’t have much time left. My family, my mother, father…all of my brothers, they’ve already gone,” she paused. “If I’m going to die, let me redeem myself, let me make my father proud.”
My eyes met with Zavery’s, as he too held her.
“You guys cannot be serious,” Thanatos said out loud, as we let her go.
“There is no taking back that curse.”
“I am aware of that. But I’m not going to let a child die so I can live.”
“You don’t have a choice,” Tamara said as she took off running towards Jadea.
“Now! Run!” Illiah screamed as she headed back to where we left Hayes.
Thanatos fell in behind me and Zavery. “Did you tell Hayes to get the others?”
I answered his question, “They’re all there waiting on us.”
“Can they come any closer?”
“They can’t, the trees are too dense; they’ll risk getting stuck.”
Just as we passed into the dense trees, we heard Tamara’s shriek, and we knew we were out of time.
Chapter twelve
JADEA
When we opened our eyes, she was gone.
“Where is she?” Quint questioned looking around.
“I have no idea,” I whispered, as my heart sank in my chest.
“I guess that means I will be making her decision for her.”
“Decision?” I repeated.
“Who she’s going to choose.”
“What do you mean?”
Quint laughed and took a step back. “We can’t both get what we want.”
My breath caught in my throat. I knew that look on his face; I’d seen it time and time again.
“Don’t act so surprised.” Quint smiled as his friends began to emerge from behind the trees.
“We had a deal,” I reminded him.
“No. You spoke, I spoke, and we nodded. No deal was struck.”
I shook my head as my heart skipped a beat. “No. No. No. We had a deal. I helped you get free of your curse, and you help me get free of mine.”
“As I said, we can’t both get what we want.”
“If you do this, neither of us will be free.”
“You know, at first I thought that too, but then I thought a little harder.”
I took a step back, as the others began to come closer.
“Anyone who wields Thanatos’ power has the ability to remove my curse.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “Though I don’t wield it in its entirety.”
“Ahhh, see,” he said, as his friends began chanting. “You actually possess a raw power greater than he ever had.”
“I’m not going to free you until you free me.”
The smile on his face grew wider. “There will be no need to free you when you are dead.”
I panicked. For the first time since I’d gained real power, I lost my cool.
The woods were gone, I was now standing in what remained of my home. I grabbed ahold of the railing that lined my balcony and I lowered myself to the floor. I looked over what was once a busy marketplace filled with the people of my kingdom, as I tried to catch my breath.
This wasn’t right. This was not happening right now. I was so close to having everything I needed. I was so close to being free.
You should have killed him the first time the thought crossed your mind, I thought to myself. You should have trusted your instincts, they’ve never been wrong before.
“I still needed him,” I said aloud to myself.
“No you didn’t, you wanted him. You got accustomed to having him around.”
“No!” I screamed. “He had a use. He knew so much more about the reaping process.”
The voices that tormented every move that I made just laughed at my reasons.
I cupped my hands over my ears and trie
d my best to focus. I couldn’t afford to lose my focus right now. There was too much at stake. I have sacrificed everything to be in the position I am in right now; I wasn’t going to let anything jeopardize that.
I took a deep breath and held it in as I centered myself. Rising to my feet, I walked through the broken doors and stared into the mirror, which was one of the few things that remained intact.
I studied the woman that stared back at me. I didn’t even recognize who she was.
Every time I came here, I was less of who I used to be.
Every time I stood in front of this mirror, I told myself that everything would go back to the way it was.
I wasn’t going to do that this time. I wasn’t going to lie to myself. I knew nothing would ever be the way it was, I made sure of that time and time again.
What I did know was that when everything was said and done, and when the dust settled, the only one I cared for, the only one I truly love, the one I had done this for…he would have a fresh start.
“You know what you have to do,” I said to the woman in the mirror. “You can’t let anyone interfere.”
I closed my eyes and focused on the new place I called home. When I opened them I stood outside of the door to the summer cottage my parents had taken me to every summer as a child.
I walked inside and turned around, sealing the door. I knew Quint would come looking for me, and though I’d never brought him here, I had no doubt that his decision to kill me wasn’t just made. This was something he had been planning for a while.
I smiled and ran my hand down my long braid that fell over my shoulder. “It all makes sense now,” I said as I walked over to the shelf and opened the jewelry box, pulling out a small vial of blood.
I set the blood on the table and gathered the rest of the ingredients. Everything made sense now. So many things I brushed off, assuming he was paranoid.
As I mixed everything together and started my spell, guilt began creeping in.
When this all started, we made a deal that our children were off limits, however now that he made it known that we never had a deal to start with, anything and everything was fair game.
“Jadea,” Quint said from the other side of the door.
“Boo,” I muttered to myself. I had hoped that Quint would have gone to his son so I could have gotten rid of them both at the same time.
“Jadea, I know what you’re planning,” he continued. “Killing me won’t solve your problem.”
