“Addix!” Zaira screamed in anger, realizing he’d ripped Merta’s beast out of her body, knowing it would cause her pain and not caring.
Ignoring her, he galloped closer to the woman chained to the tree, the demon that had him under its spell.
With Mercury busy fighting off hellhounds and Merta unable to get up, Zaira had to destroy the demon. She didn’t know who the woman was that the demon was impersonating, or how badly it would hurt Addix to see her image destroyed. The one thing she did know was that if he reached her, the demon wearing her face would surely kill him.
“Mercury, grab Merta and get through the portal!” she commanded, then summoned the power of all the mana she held inside her. She was a master of weaving through realms. It would take a lot out of her but she could work within this one.
She reached out and as if grabbing for air, grabbed the very fabric of the realm and yanked it loose. With a circular movement, she spun it like a lasso, shaking loose the illusions it had created.
The shadow demon bewitching Addix lost its form as he stood only a breath away, releasing him from its spell. The hellhounds scattered, their claws slipping on the ground until they were once again shapeless shadows.
Zaira let go, releasing the fabric of the realm. Exhausted, her mana drained from performing such a powerful spell, she fell to her knees as the very scene the Realm of Nightmare had created spun away, now looking like nothing more than a large black blob.
All that remained were the four of them and the swirling portal in an otherwise pure sea of white. “Hurry. Through the portal,” she instructed the others. “This won’t last.”
Mercury made it to the portal with Merta in his arms before the realm proved her correct. A cacophony of screams erupted, drawing Zaira’s attention. She turned to see the black blob stretching, the realm’s fabric unfolding as the shadow demons stampeded toward her, taking on an assortment of nightmarish shapes. Skeletal unicorns breathing fire, hellhounds with mouths dripping acidic saliva, and what looked like lost souls from hell itself bore down on her.
She’d saved her friends, but had pissed off the realm in the process. It now attacked fiercer than before.
She tried to make a run for it, stumbled, and everything faded to black as dizziness set in. As her body started its descent to the ground, she tried to summon her magic in a last ditch effort to transport herself out of the realm, but there was not enough mana left for the spell.
THIRTEEN
The cold woke her. She opened her eyes to find herself on the hard ground, propped against a rock shelf, slanting toward the wall at an angle that allowed her to recline. She felt the damp coolness through her clothes.
“Mercury and Addix are getting some wood so we can build a fire.”
She turned toward Merta’s voice and saw her approach, rubbing her hands together. Past her, she could see the mouth of the cave. Moonlight spilled through it, and reflected off the snow covering the ground at the entrance.
“I hadn’t planned on us staying in this frigid realm. How long have we been here?”
“Long enough to find this cave.” Merta sat next to her. “Long enough for Addix to heal me and for them to get you settled. We’ll leave once your mana is restored. Even Addix can’t help with that.”
“You were in tremendous pain in the Realm of Nightmare. His healing ability must be powerful.”
“It is. Unfortunately so is his ability to take away my beast. Sucks ass.”
“I imagine so. Doesn’t it anger you?”
“Yes, but he doesn’t do it to hurt me.”
“But it does hurt you, and it was uncalled for back there. You weren’t the enemy. You were protecting him, all of us.”
“Yes, but I understand why he did it.”
“I don’t.” Zaira frowned. “Who was the shadow demon pretending to be?”
“You don’t know her?” Merta’s brow crinkled.
“No. I’d never seen her before, but obviously he cares a great deal about her.” A little flame of anger flared inside her chest. Jealousy, most likely, which was utterly ridiculous considering the amount of time she’d been away from Addix, but still it was there. “Was she someone he’d been with in Imortia?”
Merta’s nose turned up in what looked like disgust. “Um, no. Nothing like that. Ask him about her. It’s his story to tell.”
Zaira nodded, understanding Merta’s reluctance to share what must be a personal story. “You know, while we were there I saw something Mercury feared, something I feared and something Addix feared. I don’t recall the realm attacking you.”
“I don’t fear anything.”
“Everybody fears something.”
“Not me.” Merta shrugged her shoulders. “My parents were mortal servants to the queen of Imortia. They had no magic and no real power. I was expected to be a servant just like them, but I couldn’t stand the thought of a life where I had to clean up after people. If I was to serve the queen, I intended to do it on the battlefield. I wanted to be a guard.”
She grinned before continuing. “Everyone laughed at me, of course. Why would the queen allow a mortal with no magic or superior strength to be a guard? I was determined to prove them wrong. I trained constantly. I sparred with the guards. I didn’t back down from any challenge. When some of the more brutal guards decided I was more annoying than amusing and tried to really hurt me, I hung in there. I never backed down. I learned very early on not to fear anything.”
“Why?” Zaira asked curiously. “Why was it so important to you?”
“Well, for one thing, I wasn’t going to clean up after that bitch.”
Zaira laughed. “But you wanted to be one of her guards? Why protect her if you didn’t like her?”
“Because protecting her meant protecting Imortia. I hated Fairuza, still do, but I love Imortia. It’s so beautiful and there are good people there. Being one of Fairuza’s guards was in a way, protecting them. Protecting the realm. That was what I wanted.”
“And you didn’t fear battle?”
“No. Pain passes.”
“Death doesn’t pass.”
“We all die. Well, those of us that aren’t immortal,” she added with a little smile, realizing who she was talking to. “Death will happen no matter what and I’d rather die in battle than die all old and helpless. So no, I don’t fear death.”
Zaira thought about this. Everyone feared something. No one made it through the Realm of Nightmare untouched by its power. “Do you fear losing? Being a guard was so important to you, surely you fear losing in battle?”
“No, because if I lose one fight I will get up and win the next.”
“What if you can’t get up? Do you not fear being hurt that bad?”
“I always can get up, and now I can fly. I heal when I shift shape. What is there to fear?”
“A bigger enemy that flies too?”
“Challenge is good. Helps you get better. I welcome challenge.”
Zaira studied the shifter. There was no arrogance in her eyes, only honesty. She looked at the strong body that had been writhing in pain not long ago. “You don’t fear Addix taking away your dragon again?”
“Pain passes. I don’t particularly enjoy it, but I do not fear it. Fear is a useless emotion. I will never allow it to stop me from doing anything I want to do.”
“And what do you want to do?” Zaira asked, intrigued.
Merta stared back at her, blankly, for a moment before sighing and resting back against the same wall as Zaira. “I wanted to protect Imortia. I still do so I’m here, helping Addix get you there so you can end Fairuza. Truth be told, I’d rather be the one to end her but I’ll take this job if it’s the closest I can get to actually doing the deed myself.”
“Fairuza forced the dragon spirit on you?”
“Yes, right after I killed it.”
Zaira jerked her head toward Merta. “What?”
“Zaira found this spell that allowed her to entrance dragons. She wanted them
to guard the palace just like the gargoyles. However, one of the dragons was particularly ill-tempered and her magic didn’t have a complete hold over it. It turned on her. I hated her, but all I’ve ever heard is that if the queen died, the realm would die with her, so I did what I had to do.”
“You slayed a dragon?”
“Yes.”
“That’s pretty hard, even for an immortal.”
“It sure wasn’t easy.” She laughed. “Honestly, I think it was too hell bent on ripping Fairuza apart to notice me.”
“So why did Fairuza force its spirit on you? She did it to me and Addix as punishment. You saved her life. You should have been rewarded.”
“In her mind, it was a reward. I didn’t feel the same way seeing as how she wanted me to guard the palace as one of the dragons. She actually expected me to sit on a turret all freaking day. No way in hell that was going to happen.”
“So you escaped?”
“No. I told her to kiss my scaly red ass and then I got punished.” Merta grinned.
Zaira laughed. “What happened? How does one punish someone who fears nothing?”
“You send them to a realm very few could survive.”
“But you did.”
“Yes.”
“Were you afraid there?”
“There was no time to be afraid there. You were too busy dealing with pain. Then I met Addix and we got out.”
“Where was there?”
“That’s enough, Merta.”
Zaira looked up to see Addix and Mercury entering the cave, wood in their arms. They dropped their piles close to where the women sat and Mercury went to work stacking a pile for the fire.
“Zaira needs her rest,” Addix added. “Her mana was seriously drained. Rest should help it replenish faster. I’m sure she’s very tired.”
Zaira didn’t miss the stern look he gave Merta before turning back toward the mouth of the cave.
“Where are you going?” Zaira asked.
“Nowhere far,” he answered as he left the cave.
“Ready for you to do your fire thing,” Mercury said to Merta, then looked around. “Is there space enough for you to shift?”
“Barely,” Merta answered before scooting over far enough to allow her to shift into dragon form without bumping into anyone. She breathed fire onto the stack of wood and shifted back into human form.
“That was pretty badass what you did back there,” Mercury said, settling in across from Zaira. He rubbed his hands by the fire. “You like, ripped the face off that realm. How’d you do that?”
“Magic,” Zaira answered. “I summoned all my power to rip away the fabric of the realm, shaking loose all its illusions.”
Mercury frowned. “Fabric?”
“All realms have fabric. Even yours.”
“Earth?”
“Yes.”
“You could just rip the face off it?”
“I don’t think there is a witch or sorcerer powerful enough to do that. Your realm is far larger than others, and not as susceptible to magic.”
“I don’t follow.”
“And you won’t,” Merta advised. “I grew up in Imortia, surrounded by magic, and I don’t even get all of it. I think its just part of these people, as normal to them as breathing. I don’t think you can ever fully understand it. It’s best to just accept it and move on.”
“And be thankful it’s there,” Mercury added in agreement. “You saved our lives, White Wolf.”
Zaira tensed. The title normally didn’t faze her. It was who she was to her people, what she was. The mystical white wolf, the wolf who watched over the packs from afar, but now it didn’t seem right. Not now that Mercury knew they were not just a pack, but true family.
“That title seems a little strange now.” Mercury seemed to pick up on her thoughts.
“I double dog dare you to call her Great-Granny Zaira,” Merta quipped.
Zaira directed a glare at her that would have caused any of her wolves to tremble, but Merta only grinned. She had to chuckle. “You really aren’t scared of anything, are you?”
“If there’s something capable of scaring me I haven’t met it yet, and you don’t strike me as uptight. I figure you appreciate humor.”
She nodded, but said nothing. She had laughed all the time in Imortia, with her father, then with the staff at the palace. And with Addix, her smile had never faltered. She missed it, the fun. Life had not been fun in far too long.
“Some serious thinking going on there.”
“Yes.” For a long, long time, but she wasn’t free to relax just yet. “How are you holding up, Mercury? That last realm wasn’t an easy one.”
“No, it wasn’t, but I have a hell of a story to tell when we get back.” He smiled.
“Have you eaten? It’ll be easier to get a good meal in one of the other realms. I’ll get us out of here as soon as I can.”
“Don’t worry about me, White Wolf. I’m good. It’s time for you to take a breather and let us take care of you.” He stood. “We owe you that much, all of us.”
Zaira watched him walk toward the mouth of the cave, her eyes growing wet.
“Mercury.”
He turned.
“Call me Zaira.”
“Sure. Zaira.” He smiled down at her before leaving.
“Your wolves love you no matter how distant you try to be. It’s a good thing.”
“I’m not so sure of that.”
Merta parted her lips to say something but stopped as her gaze shifted to the mouth of the cave. “I’ll go help Mercury with whatever he’s up to.”
Zaira watched her leave, sliding past Addix as he approached.
“You should be resting,” he scolded as he sat next to her.
“I am. I haven’t moved from this spot.”
“You know what I mean. That was a hell of a stunt you pulled back in that realm. You took a major risk.”
“I had to.”
“I know.” He swallowed hard. “I’m sorry. I failed everyone back there.”
The guilt in his eyes stabbed her in the heart. “That realm can get the best of anyone.”
“My unicorn form was useless. Other than taking away Merta’s beast, which I shouldn’t have done, I couldn’t do anything else.”
“There is no weapon greater than your own fears, materialized. Hard weapon to go against.”
He nodded, stared at the fire, and didn’t say anything.
“Who was she?”
“It doesn’t matter, Zaira.”
“Yes it does.”
“It was just an illusion. Not real. It doesn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t matter? We could have been killed. I’d say it matters.”
He looked away, shamed. Zaira felt horrible for going there, but she had to. Whoever the woman was supposed to be, her image was powerful enough to hurt Addix, was still hurting him.
“Who was she?”
“There was no one there, Zaira. It was a shadow demon. You know that.”
“You know what I mean. You hurt Merta because of that woman’s image. Who was the woman the shadow demon pretended to be? Why was she chained and surrounded by flames?”
“Just drop it, Zaira. It wasn’t real. It doesn’t matter.”
“If it didn’t matter you wouldn’t be so secretive about it. Tell me so I can help you.”
“You can’t help me. It’s too late, alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s dead. All the magic in the world won’t change that. Believe me, if it could, I’d have found a way to save her.”
“Who is she? Why did the realm attack you with her image?”
“She was my sister. The shadow demon used my sister against me because it knew I failed her just like I fear failing this whole thing.”
FOURTEEN
“How did she die?”
Addix choked down a hard swallow. “She didn’t yet, but she will. Fairuza cursed her, and I guess you could say she c
ursed me as well. She was afraid that giving me the power of the unicorn would make me too great an enemy so she gave herself a little insurance policy.”
“What sort of insurance policy?”
“My sister lives as long as a queen sits on the throne.” He looked at Zaira, saw the compassion in her eyes and felt horrible for what he was about to say. “You see, if we just end Fairuza and you don’t take the throne, she dies. If we don’t end Fairuza, she continues her reign of terror. That includes sending hunters to attack your wolves, harming the unicorns, and torturing my sister.”
“So you’re saying your sister will die unless I’m queen, or unless we just leave Fairuza alone?”
“Yes.” He stared at the fire, watched the flames dance, and wondered how his sister was doing. If Fairuza had grown crazy enough to kill unicorns for greater power, there was no telling how the people in her care were being treated. “I know you don’t want to be their queen and I can’t force you to be, but if I let her die …”
Zaira’s hand rested along his forearm. “You won’t. We won’t.”
“I don’t want to guilt you into taking the throne. I’d thought you would want to, but now I know you would rather return to your wolves, in their realm. But I don’t want to lose my sister either.”
“I know. Guilt is a heavy burden. Lay it down. I’ll do it because it is the right thing to do. Fairuza has to be stopped, but I can’t let an innocent woman die. That must be why the unicorns wanted me brought to Twilight Springs. In case I hesitate to take the throne, I’ll remember what happened to them, what will happen to your sister and my wolves.” She sighed. “You’re positive that only I can take the throne from her?”
“Yes. You are the only one.”
“Then there’s nothing to discuss,” she said softly, defeated, as she rested her head along his shoulder.
He sat there long after she’d fallen asleep and the others had returned, feeling worse than he’d felt in a long time. To save his sister’s life, the woman he loved would have to give up the life she wanted. And she’d have him to blame, dashing his hope of winning her heart once more.
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