by Martha Woods
Chapter Seven
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“Of course, she isn’t resting,” my father speaks up as he steps through the door, followed closely by my mother and Marcus.
“Technically, I’ve been resting for four days, Father,” I respond as I motion for them to come closer. I’ve been sitting with Aaron for the better part of the day, having him jot down all the details from my travels, a rough draft of step-by-step instructions for other warriors to pass through token traps, and we have added additional details to his maps. My mother comes to the table and brushes the papers out of my way. I’m annoyed by their intrusion on my work, but I don’t gripe when Marcus sets down a large tray of food in front of me. I immediately smell the comforting aroma of the stew and my mouth begins to water as I look over the large salad with fresh fruit on top.
“You may be excused, Aaron,” Marcus says to his friend who looks relived to be done with our work. I’ve been questioning him constantly since we began working and I was enjoying sharing my ideas, no matter how crazy, with someone else. Aaron collects his maps and promptly leaves the room.
“Please sit,” I offer to my family as I pick up the fork and gather a large bite of the salad. The taste of fresh vegetables is exhilarating as I quickly take a few more bites before I set a small stack of papers in front of my father.
“And what is this?” he asks as he titles the first page towards the fire so he can read my handwriting clearly.
“It is my suggested course of action and my strategic plan for invading the supernatural realm and destroying the gates. But we must also destroy the pit in order to prevent them from making any more,” I explain as I take a few more bites while my father reviews my work.
“Your methods are very detailed, Anastasia. Do you think we will have enough resources to send all of our warriors to the supernatural realm on such a short notice?” he asks as he begins shuffling through the papers.
“If we all work together, I’m confident we can gather our forces from all over the Earth. By using the alliances, we can gather the resources needed and prepare for a final battle,” I say confidently as I turn my focus on the stew. The warm liquid helps sooth my body and I don’t slow my eating pace simply to appease my family. Surely, they can understand my appetite.
“We must speak with the other generals in the morning. We must organize our forces from the top and then work our way down. We can begin sending out the messages in the morning,” my mother confirms as my father hands her my notes, allowing her to review my work.
“We can’t wait that long. We must act not. Time is on our side since things move slower in the supernatural realm. My presence in their world will have stirred the hornet’s nest. If we are going to be successful, we must act before they can organize themselves. Their armies must remain in the north long enough for us to get through and start our attack on the gates. Since they can travel faster than us, if we can make it to the gates, at least we’ll have an escape route if need be,” I explain through mouthfuls.
“I agree with, Anastasia. If we act now, we can gather our people and all the resources we’ll need to successfully send our people to the supernatural realm and attack from outside the towns, taking the creatures completely by surprise,” Marcus speaks up. I give him a nod, happy to hear he is on my side.
“Having the ability to be anywhere we choose in the supernatural realm is a good advantage. If we can appear before gate three, we can move both north and south to destroy the remaining gates and the pit. But we will require every warrior to participate,” my father explains.
“What do you mean by remaining gates?” I ask, confused by his words.
A proud smile crosses his face as he looks at me. “You were successful at catching gate five on fire. It seems your blue hell fire is particularly effective against these creatures and highly flammable to the objects in their world. I don’t know what we did do deserve you, but the gods must surely smile upon us to have sent you into this world at this time. Even I am starting to believe we might see an end to the supernatural realm before I pass on,” my father explains. His words are truly comforting as I reach across the table and grip his hand, and then I reach for my mothers. In turn, they reach out and gather Marcus’ hand, and even though Marcus and my father have often argued about things like this in the past, it’s good to see them look at each other without anger.
“Mother, please summon the generals to the conference room and I’ll prepare my final report. Marcus, meet with your team and start determining what resources we’ll need and where we can set up enough cots for our warriors to leave their bodies and pass through. My instructions will need to be read by every warrior so they can successfully get through to the supernatural realm and to their designated spots. With so many creatures being released back into their realm, it won’t take long for the realm to discover what is happening. But they won’t have time to organize themselves against us. And Father, you’ll have to return to our people on the front line and instruct them with what we plan to do. By attacking on three different sides, we will be successful,” I say, holding tightly to my family.
“It will be done,” my mother says softly as she looks over at her husband and for a moment they exchange a serious look. For the first time, we’ll all be going to battle together. Though Marcus and my mother will remain here to organize the masses, I’ll be entering the supernatural realm to lead my people and hopefully meet my father in the middle. We will only have one chance to attack this realm with our full forces. Once the creatures realize we can reach them without gates, we’ll never be able to surprise them again.
I release my parents and quickly take a few more bites of food before I stand and follow them out of the room. I grip firmly onto my father’s hand, knowing the next time I’ll see him will be on the battle field. He does the same with my brother before embracing my mother and holding her for a moment. Then he turns and walks down the hallway without saying a word.
“I’m going to meet with my team and create a realistic idea of everything we’ll need. Once we finalize the list, I’ll meet with the leaders of each race and start requesting supplies and support. We will probably become over capacitated real fast, but it will be a necessary evil,” Marcus announces in almost a whisper. I appreciate his tone of voice because we would hate to alarm anyone before the official command can be made by the generals. Without another word, I follow my mother to the conference room. She takes a moment to speak with her staff before they leave the room and quickly hurry to summon everyone. The night is still young and it won’t take long to gather everyone.
“Tea?” my mother offers as she sits at the head of the table and I sit next to her at the long, empty table. I nod my head in agreement as she pours me a cup. It feels strange to be served by her, but I enjoy the interaction. I watch her over the rim of my cup as she smiles at me. I can’t help but smirk as I set the cup down.
“What is it?” I ask as she sets down her cup and folds her hands.
“Well, I was just thinking that this would be a perfect time for you to be bonded to another warrior. It will give you an advantage when the battle is over, to help your journey back,” she says, excitement clearly in her voice. My gut tightens since I didn’t expect to have this conversation with my mother today. I don’t have the heart to tell her the truth, so I try to think of a way to divert her thoughts.
“I agree that being bonded will be beneficial, but I’ve never put thought into whom I should choose. Honestly, I’m not that worried about it,” I say, looking towards the door, hoping the generals would hurry up and get here.
“It’s not trouble really. I’d be happy to pair you with a warrior before everything is finalized,” my mother responds, clearly not shaken by my response.
“Thank you, Mother. But that won’t be necessary. We have other things to focus on,” I suggest, trying to get away from this conversation as quickly as possible. I can tell she wants to say more, but the
n she begins to look at me and I can’t help but lock eyes with her. For a moment, I begin to fear that she might have started to expect my hesitation when the door finally opens and the varies leaders still spilling into the room like a flood.
My mother final takes her eyes off of me as she stands and begins her speech. “Generals, I thank you for assembling yourselves on such short notice. Many of you can suspect why I’ve called this meeting. My daughter has successfully entered the supernatural realm through a token trap. She has detailed her journey, making it easy for any warrior to follow in her brave footsteps. With this breakthrough, we’ll be able to assemble our forces and prepare for a surprise attack,” she begins. I enjoy watching her confidently talk to our leaders, as though she has no doubt in her mind that we will succeed. “We have already begun to assemble the necessary resources needed for our warriors to pass through token trap and enter the supernatural realm. It will be up to you to bring every warrior under your command to the Kingdom, educate them on the method Anastasia has developed, and help them to know where they will be reporting once they make it through. When our forces have made it through the token traps, there will be no stopping. Battle will commence immediately as we work to destroy the gates and the area that has been called the pit. We have received details that the creatures are trying to build gates in the north to allow their armies to pass through. We must crush them now, once and for all, and seal their realm from ours!” As my mother’s voice raises, so does the excitement and anticipation in the room. The generals cheer, thrilled of the idea of being able to end this war.
Next, it is my turn to stand and address the generals. I speak, giving them a simple story of my travels in the supernatural realm. I describe the process I used to pass through a token trap, reassuring them that a trapped creature will worry more about their own freedom than leading a warrior into their lands. I describe what I saw in the pits and how important it is that we act now before they have time to build their own gates and attack us first. The moment I have finished speaking, the generals stand and bow in turn, giving me their thanks for being the first warrior to travel this way and creating the way possible for our people to succeed. I do my best to imprint this moment into my memory, the feeling of immense pride mixed with the respect I have gained from my people as their leader.
“The faster we assemble our people to the Kingdom, the sooner we can begin our attack and end this war once and for all,” I finish speaking and move to my mother’s side as we all stand and face each other.
“You are dismissed,” she says, ending the meeting and allowing everyone to leave. We don’t have a moment to lose and more than likely we all will be up late into the night trying to organize as much as possible.
“Now you must rest, Anastasia. There is no more you can do tonight. Every bit of information you have collected can now be passed on. But by the morning, you’ll be expected to help organizer our people for their journey to the supernatural realm,” my mother says as she places an arm around my shoulder. I enjoy the comfort from my mother a moment longer before I step away and head for the door.
“I’ll come find you in the morning,” I say before I step into the hallway and quickly make my way to the Mathews quarters, as fast as my sore body will allow me.
I don’t bother knocking as I push open the door and step inside. I’m happy to see everyone is still awake as they sit around the fireplace. Even Morgan has made an appearance as he sits next to John, going over the book in his hand, in what seems to be great detail. Elizabeth is chatting fiercely with Darien, and by the look on her face, it looks like Elizabeth is truly enjoying their conversation. The view in front of me is another moment I want to remember forever. This happy moment right before all chaos breaks loose and I’ll once again find myself in the supernatural realm.
I calmly walk over to the couch and sit next to Darien, and without hesitating, I lean into him and lace my fingers with his. “You’re looking much better,” he mumbles into my hair as he kisses my forehead.
“When did you two become such love birds?” Elizabeth asks with a wide smile on her face.
“Near death experiences can do that to a person,” I reply with an equally wide grin.
“It’s good to see you awake, Princess,” Morgan pipes in as he closes the book and hands it to John. John responds by standing and placing it on a nearby book shelf.
“For the moment,” I reply as I look at him. In that second, we exchange a knowing stare before John can return and take Morgan’s focus away.
“Well, Master John, you must be a tired young boy after such a long day. Might you consider retiring for the evening so you can prepare for a new day?” Morgan suggests in his best British accent. I can’t help but imagine what type of book they must have been studying, but the sound causes both John and Elizabeth to laugh.
“I think you might be right, Master Morgan. Till next time,” John replies as he gestures like he is tipping his imaginary top hat, causing another round of laughter from us all.
“Come on, John. Let me help you get ready for bed,” Elizabeth urges as she grabs John’s hand and leads him to his bedroom. Morgan seems to tense as he looks back at me, showing me his true character once the children are out of ear shot.
“The King and his men have started to assemble,” he begins as he moves to a chair closer to me. “What exactly are you planning, Anastasia?”
I can’t help but roll my eyes as the serious tone in his voice. All I want to do is cuddle on the couch with Darien in peace, but the vampire who hears everything obviously wants his questions answered tonight. After all, by tomorrow night we might already be on the battle field. “I have succeeded in my task, Morgan. Now I will teach my people to do the same so we can organize a surprise attack and destroy the gates. We actually have a fighting chance and we must act before the supernatural realm attacks first.”
“And what did you see that makes you think they could attack us?” Morgan quickly replies, very attentive to what I am saying.
“They’re trying to build their own gates, Morgan. They plan to send their armies through when they have completed them. If we don’t act now, we may not get another chance,” I explain. Morgan takes a moment to think about my words. He understands that we wouldn’t be able to fight off an entire army if the battle was ever brought to Earth. To many people would die before our warriors could travel far enough to contain them all.
“How can I help?” Morgan eventually asks as he leans back into his chair. Though I wish he could travel with me, I wouldn’t be able to say for sure that vampires could survive the trip, let alone passing through a token trap.
“The Kingdom is going to be flooded with people from all races as we work together to gather the resources we need and have enough staff on hand to monitor the warriors while their unconscious. I want to make sure this family is safe while I’m gone, no matter how long that may be. Before you sleep this next day, I want you to move them to my chambers where I know they’ll be safe.” I pause and turn to Darien who obviously looks concerned. “It will be cramped, but I know you won’t be bothered by anyone there. I can’t guarantee you’ll still have this space by tomorrow with so many people coming to the Kingdom. You won’t be assigned a task so you’ll need to make sure you and the children don’t get in any bodies way, especially while I’m gone.” Darien tightens his arm around me and tries to give me a reassure smile.
“I will watch over them, Princess. This I can do for you while you fight for us all,” Morgan replies as he reaches over and for a moment rests his hand on my knee before he stands and leaves the room.
Before Darien can speak, I press my lips against his and quickly invade his mouth with my tongue. I’m already unbuttoning the top of his uniform as he pulls me onto his lap before carrying me to his bedroom. Once we are on his bed, I quickly undress and help Darien toss his pants aside so I can enjoy the feeling of his bare skin against mine.
“All I need from you
Darien is to make this night the most memorable one I have ever experienced,” I whisper to him as I pull him on top of me and continue kissing him. I enjoy the feeling of his hands on my breasts as I wrap my arms around his back.
“I will do my best,” Darien says in a deep voice as he shifts his weight between my legs and begins creating a trail of kisses down my body. I clear my mind of all thoughts of tomorrow as I focus solely on my love and everything he is doing to pleasure my body.
Chapter Eight
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I feel someone tugging at my shoulders as I open my eyes to the dark room. At first I think that Darien is trying to wake me, but I still feel him sleeping next to me. Carefully, I roll over and finally spot Morgan standing over me. He gives me another nudge before leaving the room. I take a deep breath and look back over at Darien, enjoying the way his face looks while he is sleeping. He looks at peace and unaffected by the danger we all face. If we don’t succeed at destroying the gates and the pits, we might have an invasion to deal with.
I move slowly from the bed and grab my clothes off the floor before I begin to dress. Once I feel proper and put together, I leave Darien’s room and step out into the bright common room. Morgan had built back up the fire, causing the room to warm and glow. I watch as he cracks John’s door and peers inside. But then he closes it again once he hears me walk across the room.
Without speaking, he points to the front door and I follow closely behind as he leads me into the hallway outside. Despite the early morning hour, the hallway is full of people as they rush past us. It’s still too dark from them to notice me and far too busy to care. There is so much work to get done in a few hours that there is no time to waste with pleasant greetings. Despite my title, as my people prepare for battle, we all become the same rank with the same purpose and duty.
“The night has been as busy as a beehive, Princess. And I doubt I’ll get much rest in the day. But it will be best if you make an appearance before someone comes looking for you,” Morgan starts as he glances around the hallway. It has become obvious that the Kingdom has opened its doors to all races as a fairy, werewolf, and elf all walk past us. It appears that the alliances have been called on and they have responded immediately. “Now go before anyone notices us. I’ll move them now before the sun comes up.”
