They looked at each other, faces inches apart. Thane was frozen simply because of Shea’s sudden order, but when she lunged in and kissed him, his body relaxed.
His lips were dry, chapped, and his breath was awful, but Shea didn’t care. Like a magnet, her lips simply needed to be pressed against his. She didn’t know what it meant and she didn’t know for how long she was supposed to keep them there, but she did know it felt right. Their wings didn’t glow or brighten, but something deeper inside of her did.
He looked at her with wide, surprised eyes once she pulled away. Quickly he noticed her sprawling wings buzzing behind her, and how far of a drop it would be if they suddenly stopped working.
“What is…Shea? Shea, your wings are…” He tried pushing up off the ground, but Shea pulled his head back down.
“Don’t ask,” she said. “And you need to stay still! If he sees you moving or talking to me, we’re done. You understand?”
“You kiss me and now I can’t move? Torture.”
“Might be the only way I could have gotten in there in the first place. Just don’t move.”
They smiled and he shook his head within her palms, obeying. That same rush of excitement bolted through her as he smiled again. The mixture of panic and happiness to see him was making her sick, so she had to pick one. Somehow ‘panic’ felt easier and more natural, and most likely why she needed to kiss him. It was the only thing she could think of, but it certainly felt good.
PULL! Shea quickly grabbed Thane’s shoulders and pulled him down to the ledge, praying Erebus hadn’t noticed.
“Ow!” He fell hard to the rocky base. Shea flung a finger over her lips, telling him to shut up, then slowly floated back up to the edge and looked over.
Erebus was tying Beren and Elanor up with his tendrils and tightening his grip around Grayson and Miranda. He hadn’t noticed.
“We have to go around. He can’t see us approaching from the front. Our only chance is to surprise him from behind,” Shea said, dashing glances around either side of the ledge, trying to decide which way to go.
“Can you…Shea, can you fly?”
“I told you, don’t ask. But…yes. You OK?”
“Fine. I think the ridge of the point curls around almost all the way behind Erebus. We’ll need to find our way through the woods if we mean to come up from behind though,” Thane said.
“Alright,” Shea said, but not with much confidence. She was looking out in the opposite direction, trying to peer through the thick fog.
“What?” Thane asked.
“Goren, Avery and Foster. I told them to retrieve as many wishes as possible from the Nursery, but I don’t know what’s taking them so long.”
“There’s something you should know about Avery,” he said.
Shea looked at him, waiting for him to go on.
“She and your Mom have a little history.”
“What does that mean?” Shea said.
“Well, no, not like a history, but…” he didn’t know how to say it.
“Just, tell me on the way. We don’t have time.”
Thane was relieved he wouldn’t have to look Shea square in the eyes when he told her about his experience after they got split up. How Avery admitted her love for Elanor and how Beren had known all this time. Maybe it wasn’t important and maybe it was a bad idea to bring it up in the first place. He was just happy to see her again.
They darted off around the base of The Point, flying through the thick black fog. Wind raced through their ears and across their face and Thane loved that he was able to fly right alongside her. She said not to ask about her wings, and he didn’t, but he wasn’t stupid. Shea had run off with the wish, and suddenly Erebus has it. It didn’t take him long to put the pieces together as he watched Shea fly. Her wings were perfect and she was an even better flier than he expected. When he started to notice her hair whipping in the wind, her strong muscular legs dangling beneath her and her chest…
“So are you going to tell me about Avery or what?” Shea asked.
“Oh, well, yeah, I suppose.” His thoughts were quickly forced to refocus. They flew around the final turn and came to where the edge of The Point met the rest of the mountain. A wall of rock was in front of them, and the thick evergreen forest was just above them at the final curve. Landing quietly, staying out of sight, they tiptoed into the trees.
“I guess I should just make it quick, but after you and I got split up, your dad and his members of The Hope found me. He wasn’t real happy when I told him I lost you.”
“Not surprised by that, but why in the world would you tell him?”
“It doesn’t matter at this point, does it?”
Shea shrugged her shoulders and turned around the base of a baby evergreen.
“He explained to me everything, but in the middle of it all, Avery came storming in and almost killed him.”
“What?” Shea stopped and listened.
“Well, I don’t know about killing him, really, but she beat him up pretty good.”
“Why?”
“I’m getting there,” he said. They continued through the woods and spotted the Wishing Pool and Erebus through the trees. Thane lowered his voice. “After Goren broke up the fight, Avery said that she, well, she was in love with your mom.”
A blank stare was all Shea could muster. She turned and looked at Thane, wondering if he was serious.
“Seriously,” he said, knowing what she was going to ask. “To be honest, I don’t trust her. There’s something off with her. And it has nothing to do with how she feels about your mom.”
“Like, love love?” Shea asked.
Thane nodded.
“Avery was Erebus’ WishKeeper. Did you know that?” Shea continued. “I remember when I was little that my parents would bring her over for supper and tea. She always scared me a little. I didn’t know why at the time, but something was wrong. My parents were always whispering about her. I guess now I know what about.”
“She was Erebus’ WishKeeper?” Thane asked, still thinking through it all. “She gave me the rules parchment. Before you and I crossed over. She was the one who told me to help you.”
At this, Shea quickly turned her head. The wheels in her head were spinning at the sound of this. “Why would Avery want Thane to help me? What could she gain by having me on The Other Side?” she thought.
“At the time, I thought she was nuts, but she said that retrieving a wish goes beyond our rules of WishKeeping. Pretty devoted, I’d say. Couldn’t help but to agree, actually.” He smiled at Shea, but the smile faded when he noticed Shea deep in thought. “Look, it happens. Love is love. It doesn’t mean Avery and your mom -,” Thane tried to continue.
“No, it isn’t that. Thane, what if Erebus planned this? Avery was his WishKeeper. His Regent after that. If he could control my mom, it would only make sense if he controlled her too. She used to have pink hair.”
Thane scowled at the last of Shea’s thoughts. “What does pink hair have to do with it?”
“I’m just thinking out loud, I guess.” A sudden chilled rush of wind blew through the forest, followed by a long, bass-filled hum. Unable to figure out what it was or where it was coming from, they searched through the dark woods for any sign. The hum turned into a deafening buzz that crashed against their eardrums. They covered them, ducking against bark of the evergreen. Their eyes closed shut, hoping the buzz would subside, but suddenly two sets of hands grabbed them by the shoulders and pulled them into a thick brush of thorny bushes.
Goren and Foster pulled them in, their hands covering their own ears, and looked at Shea, nodding. Even if they tried to explain, they wouldn’t have been able to hear anything. The buzz grew and grew until finally it was directly above them. They looked up out of the bushes and there she was. Avery floated slowly in front of hundreds of thousands of black Death Wishes. Like a general leading its army, she pushed through the fog toward Exclamation Point.
Still clasping their ears s
hut, Shea and Thane shared a wide-eyed glance. The buzz slightly dissipated and finally, Goren and Foster pulled them out of the brush.
“There’s no time to explain!” Goren yelled over the buzz.
46
A Light Returns
Grayson and Miranda heard it too. The buzz was deafening, and it vibrated in their chests as it drew nearer. They looked up at the darkened skies.
Erebus only smiled. Not even bothering with a look, he hovered over The Pool with the wish in hand. The True Love Wish shuttered in fright, trying to push off of Erebus’ palm. Its attempt at escape was futile as Erebus had it locked in an invisible hold. Though it tried to bounce away, his grip was too tight.
As the buzzing enveloped the entire Point, Erebus extended his hand out and moved the wish a few feet in front of him, paused in mid-air. Stuck like a suspended ornament for all to see.
Elanor watched Avery, demented, wraith-like, as she floated to Erebus’ right-hand side. The Death Wishes revolved in a slow-moving circle above her head like a flock of individual nightmares, but all Elanor could see was her cursed friend. The thin, petite little fairy hidden behind a black cloak of forgetfulness, agony and sadness. Elanor fought through the pain that devoured her broken body, and stood. Avery looked out from under her heavy hood and met eyes with Elanor. A sudden vibration ricocheted through the surrounding swarm of Death Wishes as Avery stared. She slowly raised her wand above her head and released a pulsing black spell. It slowed the Death Wishes’ circling and quieted their hum. She was in complete control of them, despite the rush of heat generated by Elanor’s eyes.
“Avery, my dear. Right on time,” Erebus said. He looked up at the surrounding Death Wishes and smiled. “An even better crop than I expected. You always manage to exceed even my expectations. Bravo.” He reached out his hand, waiting for Avery. “No time to waste, now that we’re all here. Come, my dearest of dears. The final piece.”
“Avery, please! Don’t do this!” Elanor cried out.
She pulled her hood back from over her face, and Avery continued her stare at Elanor. Even in her sick and twisted heart, there was no other thing to look at now. While in past years, a gaze between her and Elanor would soften the darkened corners of her cursed heart, somehow the look only strengthened her anger.
From behind the Wishing Pool where the waterfall used to cascade from the Keeper statue, Shea, Thane, Goren and Foster watched as Avery calmly floated toward Elanor. They noticed that even Erebus was surprised at this - he dropped his waiting hand, impatient.
“We have to do something. If Erebus consumes all of those wishes on top of the True Love Wish…” Thane whispered.
“Look at the wish. It’s just floating there. Now’s our chance,” Foster said. He fidgeted in place, eager to make a move, but Shea grabbed him.
“What is she doing? Erebus asked her give him the wishes, but…she’s not listening,” Shea said.
“Well, we can’t just sit here and watch!” Goren hissed. Shea gently placed a hand on his shoulder. She knew that this was something Erebus did not expect. Avery was disobeying orders and though her friends were right, if it continued, Erebus would lose even more focus on the wish. It was still mere feet from him and stuck in a spell. They needed to wait just a moment longer.
“Foster and Goren, to the left. There is a nook just to side of the Pool, near Grayson and Miranda where you can set up a shot. Thane and I will go to the right. We need to release the Makers and my parents from Erebus’ hold first. We’ll need as much help as we can get when we go for the wish.” They paused before obeying orders, thinking it through and surveying the area. “OK?” Shea said, impatient.
Nodding, Goren and Foster shot off through the thicket. Thane looked at Shea, worried.
“Shea, the only thing that’s important right now is -,” he said.
“I’m not sacrificing everything just for the wish. There’s more than a wish at stake here. Right?” she said, giving Thane a curled smile. “Move quick, but out of sight. I don’t want those things spotting us.” She was talking about the Death Wishes. Floating like sentinels, they showered an ominous tone over the area as if one quick move against their master and they would rain their ugliness down upon the attacker.
Stopping inches from Elanor’s pained face, Avery’s black eyes glared. Elanor fought the urge to recoil at the sight of her and instead reached out her hand, shaking. It slowly cupped Avery’s cold, white cheek.
“This isn’t you, Avery,” Beren said softly. “This isn’t the friend I made years ago. You don’t have to listen to him.” he flinched when Avery quickly turned her head.
“I’m not listening to him,” she said through a crackled, raspy voice. Though pitch black, the corners of her eyes were a wispy grey. Beren and Elanor both noticed the retreating darkness in her eyes, but before they could say anything…
Elanor pulled her hand back as a spark of black energy clasped suddenly at her fingers. The Death Wishes, one by one, began their circling once again and small cracks of lightning bolted between them and Avery.
“Avery, if there is anyone who enjoys a little dramatics, it’s me, but I ordered you to bring me the wishes and I expect you to obey,” Erebus said. His black fog rolled off his shoulders and rushed to her. A Death Wish raced past Erebus, jolting a quick bolt of lightning around his head. His fog curled and stopped, but for only a moment. He scowled and pushed the fog harder, but Avery turned and looked at her master.
Crawling slowly to the edge of the marble ridge, Shea pulled Thane in with a gasp. The Death Wishes fired down from their circling swarm. They watched Avery spread her arms out to either side. Her wings grew larger and larger as each Death Wish exploded against her. Beren pulled Elanor away as they watched Avery consume each wish, one by one. Their black energy pulsed off her back, chest, legs - every inch of her body was sucking in each Death Wish. Her wings grew into black, sharp, dragon-like canopies stretching from her back and she continued her hard stare at a watching Erebus.
Goren and Foster dived to the feet of Grayson and Miranda. The Makers had pulled their heads away, trying not to watch as lightning cracked and storm clouds raged over the top of them. Opening his eyes when he felt a sharp stab at his foot, Grayson looked down and saw Goren punching his shoe.
“Maker! I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, but it doesn’t matter,” Goren yelled up. “You and your girlfriend need to get the heck out of here. My friend, Foster here, is going to fly up to your cuffed hands and release that blasted spell, but you can’t immediately react as if you’re free. Maker girl! You hear me?”
Miranda quickly nodded.
“Miranda, you OK?” Grayson asked. “Hold my hands and don’t let go.”
The wind swirled through Miranda’s hair as she squeezed her tearing eyes closed. Their hands clasped together as Foster pushed against the whipping wind and flew up to their foggy cuffs. Waiting for Goren’s cue, Foster charged his wand and looked at his friend. Goren held up his palm, holding him in place.
Erebus rippled with anger. The fog rolled with a wave throughout The Point. The water of the Wishing Pool crashed waves over the side of the marble and poured over top of Shea and Thane as they hurried toward Elanor and Beren.
“Mom!” Shea whispered. “Dad! Down here!” She motioned for Thane to run to their other side. He army-rolled to the base of the marble ridge, just beneath Shea’s parents. He aimed his wand at their tied cuffs, but Elanor quickly shook her head No! Shea didn’t understand, but as Avery spoke, it was clear why her mother wanted her to wait.
“To my WishingKing, whom I have followed into darkness,” Avery shouted. Erebus stood up straight, watching the Death Wishes pummel her, one by one. “For all you have given me and taught me, I have learned only one thing.” She raised her wand hand without looking at Elanor, and aimed it directly at her. “If there is something you want, you must simply take it. Whether it wants to follow or not.”
“No!” Shea screamed. Avery’s wand bl
asted with a charge and exploded a black spell into Elanor’s chest. Beren was flung from the edge of the ridge, crashing to the ground, unconscious.
Avery held Elanor in a suspended state of excruciating pain. She couldn’t move and could only watch as more and more Death Wishes exploded into every inch of Avery. She grew in size, spreading her wings out across the Wishing Pool.
Shea and Thane ran to her father, falling to his side. He groaned through an aching head and focused his dazed eyes. He was fine, but all they could do was watch the quickening build-up of a battle between Avery and her WishingKing, and Elanor dangling in her spell’s grip.
Foster held the charge aimed at the cuffs, but was so surprised by Avery’s sudden shift, he didn’t hear Goren yelling from below. Miranda kept her eyes closed, unable to watch, terrified. “Grayson! What’s happening?” she yelled.
“Foster! Break it! Now!” Goren screamed through raging wind.
Foster broke through his rising panic and released the spell against the fog-induced hold around the Makers’ wrists. A bright white light flashed and broke the tie. Their hands were free and just as Goren instructed them to do, they didn’t run. They didn’t move. Their hands desperately found each other’s and they held on tight.
A slight, white glow rimmed the edges of the Wishing Pool, and the True Love Wish, suspended there amidst the chaos, quietly brightened with a soft red glimmer as Grayson and Miranda squeezed each other’s hands tighter and tighter. No one noticed.
No one except Shea.
47
A Wish Destroyed
There were so many anxious thoughts pouring through her mind, but when Shea noticed the ridges of the water brighten, she quickly looked at Miranda and Grayson. She saw their hands clasped together and all other thoughts escaped her. Sprinting away from her father and Thane, she ignored their cries to stop. All she could focus on was trying to figure out why the Pool suddenly shined and why the True Love Wish brightened, if only for a moment.
The WishKeeper (The Paragonia Chronicles) Page 24
