Teya cackled throwing back her head, "Such a fool. You cannot command me." She whipped her dark powers out lightning fast. People screamed and started to run but Nicole stood strong in front of the black power. "Such a brave little princess in the face of a queen. You can't open the gateway because you aren't the leader these people think you are."
"That's where you're wrong." Nicole leaned her head back taking in a deep breath, "I can feel all the gateways just as sure as I feel the wind on my cheeks." She smiled then called the blue flame to cover her body in a rush of power that forced Teya to cower back covering her face. "I just need the people to see the truth about you and what better way than to let you show them." Nicole turned to Luke, "I believe she would be a great maid, don't you?"
"I think you're right, my Queen." Luke smiled.
Slade stepped up just as Teya slung a web of black from her fingers. The dark ooze evaporated before it reached Nicole. "Kill me," she shrieked running at Nicole but two warriors pinned her to the ground.
"There will not be another death by my hand." Nicole turned her back on Teya as she was pulled away screaming. Nicole couldn't stand to have more blood on her hands but Teya had to be punished for the lives she took. Wiping her mind would be a much kinder way to eliminate the threat that Teya held.
Chapter 26
"Dad, do you really have to go back? You could stay here." Nicole begged.
James hugged his daughter tight kissing the top of her head, "I can't be living under your feet. Plus the guys back home would miss me."
"You can go back and visit them any time you want," Nicole pressed the issue. She didn't want him to leave the fae realm. Life was easy here for him. He didn't have to worry about anything other than enjoying himself so she couldn't understand why he would want to go back to his empty house. Kat was staying with Rhys so why wouldn't he stay with her?
"You can come visit me. Plus," He stepped back taking in his daughter's long white dress with a wide smile lighting his face. "You and Luke are about to be newlyweds so you will need your space."
"Space!" she laughed. "Dad there's a whole kingdom here for you to get lost in." Music started to play outside drifting in to them. Nicole gave a nervous glance out the open window and took a deep breath. "I need you here," she whispered trying hard to keep the tears away.
James took her hand giving it a tender squeeze. "Don't worry, baby. I'll always be here for you." With a smile he helped her place her shimmering crown on her head then led her out of the castle doors. Rows and rows of people sat in white chairs with red ribbons laced into the back of each seat. The garden was mesmerizing and the air was soft with the beautiful fragrance of enchanted flowers but Nicole's eyes were drawn past the gorgeous scenery to the end of the path covered in red rose petals. Luke stood smiling at her in a white suit. The happiness radiating from him filled her heart to the point of bursting and chased away the nervous knot in her stomach. "Are you ready for this?" James whispered as they stood at the end of the path.
Nicole nodded not taking her eyes off of Luke, "He's all I've ever wanted."
"Marriage can be hard."
"I've fought a war and won so I think I can handle one warrior," Nicole whispered back as they started forward.
James chuckled under his breath, "I know you can handle it…I was worried about Luke."
Nicole fought to keep the giggle under control as they closed the distance, "Me too." James handed his daughter to her future husband then took his seat. She did a quick wave to Kat who was her glowing bride's maid then turned to smile up into Luke's face, "Did you miss me?" She whispered.
"More than you would believe. Slade's bachelor's party was more of a punishment."
Nicole smiled as she glanced over Luke's shoulder to where Slade stood next to Rhys as Luke's best man. A few weeks ago she never would have dreamed Slade would agree to be part of their wedding but since the war was finished he seemed happy to just be close to her. She thought of the lump in her throat as she tried to tell Slade that she was marrying Luke.
"Why?"
"Because I love him. Why else?" Nicole had snipped at his question.
"You love me too." Slade smiled. He knew she wouldn't deny loving him so he had to try to change her mind or at the very least make damn sure she knew he wasn't going away silently.
"It's a different kind of love, Slade." Nicole stared down at the floor afraid to meet his stare. He was right. She did love him but it wasn't the love like she had for Luke. From the day she met Slade she knew he fit into her life and she didn't want to lose him but he had to accept that she was in love with Luke.
Slade lifted her chin with a finger forcing her eyes to his. "At least you admitted it finally." One side of his lips turned up showing a dimple but she could see the sadness he was trying to hide away. "If he makes you happy then I will concede."
Nicole felt her heart lift. She didn't realize until that moment she had been holding her breath as she waited for his approval. She let it out with a smile just in time for Slade to say, "But, I will be here if you change your mind. One slip by that warrior and you will be mine."
Nicole smiled at the memory. She was sure the smirk on Slade's face as he stood next to Rhys meant that he had made Luke's bachelor's party in the Earth realm a living hell.
Epilogue
After a few weeks of trial and error Nicole finally opened the lost gateway to the fae burial grounds so power could be restored to generations to come. The magic of her dreams did not disappoint her as she physically stood in the graveyard for the first time. The brittle headstones, the wild vines, and the great willow tree towering in the center were all just as she remembered. She stepped out from under the limbs of the willow and took a deep breath filling her lungs with the salt kissed air from the sea. Walking along the path she found Titania's grave. She traced her grandmother's name in the rough stone and whispered, "Thank you for everything, grandmother. I never would have found my strength without you." Sitting in silence she listened to the birds singing in the trees. The magical feeling she felt in her dreams was just as strong now as she stood in the once hidden realm.
Following the smell of the sea she climbed the green hill behind the resting ground and found herself standing on the edge of a cliff. The waves rolled in as the seagulls flew overhead on wide stretched wings. "I'd forgotten how beautiful the sea was." Titania spoke as she appeared beside Nicole. She was young again with long brown hair that matched Nicole's curls and skin so clear it was translucent. Nicole smiled, "So now what? Do you pass on to the next world?"
"Normally, that is how it would work but I've decided to stay a little longer."
Nicole's brows pressed together, "This has been your prison. What would make you want to stay a second longer?"
"To pass my powers on to a deserving child," she smiled widely then drifted away on the breeze.
"Nicole…" Luke spoke as he jogged up to her. He kissed her cheek then wrapped his hands around her waist pulling her back against his chest. "Everyone is here."
"Have they started the work?"
"Yes. We'll have this place back to the beautiful paradise it used to be soon."
"Wonderful." She smiled up at him kissing him gently. She let her eyes drift back out to the sea. "Do you think it's too late for Sage's soul to return to the spirit tree?" In the weeks since the war had ended Nicole had spent a lot of time thinking about Sage. She missed her so bad it hurt and she could see the same sadness in Slade's eyes. He may have made some bad choices in life but he truly loved his sister. They both agreed that when Nicole found a way to open the gateway to the sacred resting ground that they would move Sage's body there. Though they had never spoken the words she knew he hoped just as much as she did that her spirit and power would be reborn.
"I don't doubt anything anymore…especially when you're involved." He took her hand and kissed the ring on her finger then spun her in his arms, "Have faith. Everything will work out."
She giggled, "You'r
e just happy because you tied me down with this ring." There was no doubt for Nicole that she belonged to him and he belonged to her. Life was wrong when they were apart. A piece of her heart had been missing all her life and Luke held that piece beating in his chest. Together they would rule the kingdom of warriors and fae and live out their immortal lives together.
"I'll be happy when your barefoot and—"
"Don't say it," she laughed, "There are a lot of things I want to take care of before we make that leap."
"Like what?"
"I don't know….maybe I'd like to go back to police work for a while."
"The Queen taking on a day job?" Luke snorted. "I don't see the General letting you slip that past him."
"We'll see," Nicole winked. "Come on, we've got work to do."
The following day the graveyard was filled with fae and warriors who came to say their final goodbyes to Sage. The whole kingdom knew Sage had made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that Nicole became Queen of the Fae and Warriors. Nicole's heart ached as she ran her fingers along the engravings of Sage's coffin. The beauty of the intricate designs and the detail of the birds sitting on elaborate vines didn't ease her desire to have her friend back at her side. Nothing could ever replace the wonderful person who was enclosed inside and there would never be a way for Nicole to prove to Sage how much she loved her. At least she could give her a traditional burial in the sacred lands of her people—she deserved all of that and more.
"Are you okay?" Slade asked as he placed an arm around her shoulders and a hand on his sister's casket.
Nicole nodded taking a shaky breath before responding, "I should be asking you that question." With everything that had happened no one had been able to properly mourn the loss of Sage. Too much had happened so shortly after her death from the war, to Nicole taking the crown and then to her wedding only days after that. And they had the problem of finding and re-opening the portal so Sage could be in her final resting place. But now, as Slade and Nicole stood next to Sage's body, everything else seemed so insignificant.
Slade looked from the casket to Nicole, "I wish I would have apologized to her but I was too head-strong. I wasn't the best brother to her but she always forgave me." He gave a weak smile as he traced the lines of a dove in the wood. "I guess everyone has regrets when someone passes too soon."
Nicole nodded. Sage had passed too soon. "Well, we are going to give her a chance to be reborn in some form." She didn't say it aloud but she was praying that the chance hadn't already slipped past them as she fumbled around trying to unlock the gateway.
The sound of singing pulled Nicole from her thoughts. It started off very faint at first then, as the seconds ticked by, more voices joined in until all were singing. The melody was soft as a lullaby drifting on the wind.
Lay your head on the green moss
Rest your soul in the great tree
Though you're gone from us now
Forever it will not be
Time is no more
Bonds set free
Our love dances beside you
As you sleep beneath the tree
As the words were repeated, blurring into a spell like hum, the ground began to rumble. Just lightly at first then enough to cause Nicole to take a startled step back. Luke stepped to her side and took her hand while Slade took her other hand. "It's happening," Luke whispered with a smile.
Nicole was confused but when she glanced at Slade he was smiling too. A single tear rolled down his face as he watched his sister's casket slowly become wrapped in roots and gently tugged down into the earth. The ground closed over the hole as she watched in awe. What happened next was beyond anything Nicole had ever dreamed. The great willow lit up with a vibrant blue glow and Sage's bell like laughter played on the breeze all around them. Nicole could feel her friend's hands on her face and smell the scent of her perfume. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she placed her hands on her own cheeks.
Thank you, Sage's voice whispered in Nicole's mind. Before Nicole could speak she felt Sage drift away from her. She selfishly wanted to reach for her and beg Sage not to leave but instead she watched as Slade closed his eyes. Tears rolled down his face as he silently cried. She was sure he was saying farewell to his little sister because when he opened his eyes again the sadness was gone. A joy lit his face that Nicole had never seen in him before.
Slade pulled Nicole in a hug that surprised her, "Thank you." He whispered into her hair as he held her tight.
"No, it was all of us. I couldn't have done any of this without you," she turned to Luke and held his hands in hers. "Without all of us this would have never happened. Life is how it should be for everyone now." Nicole smiled when she looked down at the grave that cradled Sage. Bright yellow flowers, the same ones that had guided her path the day she found this magical place in her dreams, had covered the ground like a beautiful quilt tucking Sage in for a restful sleep. "Sleep well," Nicole whispered.
About the Author
Author Wenona Hulsey is an avid reader who writes in her spare time. She currently lives in Alabama where she grew up surrounded by family and friends who remain her greatest supporters and motivator. When she's not working you can find her enjoying the outdoors with sand between her toes, a fishing pole in her hand and sleeping under the stars.
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Other Works By The Author
Blood Of Fire (The Blood Burden Series) Page 22
