The Final Link_The Gateway Saga

by Erin Thornton

  “Guards!” Yavari yelled to the top of the stairs. They must have been waiting for things to get out of control because they hadn’t come down sooner. If Yavari thought she could persuad Aggie with the blade to Mathius’s throat, she’d underestimated them.

  Unfortunately, the amount of guards that flooded inside were more than what anyone bargained for and it filled the space. It was now hard to see the women, the men took to battling the guards. Mathius drew his blades and his magic traveled through them. Upon contact, it was as though they had been lit with Hell’s fire. Instantly, they were set ablaze, in a fire black as night and hotter than anyone could imagine.

  Gryson fired balls of magic toward oncoming attackers, keeping them from Aggie who still stood behind him. She was focusing all her energy on protecting the children from the fight. The wolves grabbed any guard within reach in their jaws ripping them to shreds in an instant. Then as though he heard Aggie’s worry, Xavier appeared amongst them all, sinking his teeth into an unsuspecting guard approaching Aggie from the side. It was as though they were all told to attack her as she was the weak target.

  Thankfully her men stayed close, but somehow, the guards were multiplying and for every one they took out another three appeared. They needed to end this and do anything it took to save these kids. Aggie only hoped that Yavari was bluffing about breaking the restraints or she would take pity, not wanting her nephew to die as she said before.

  Every once in a while, one of the guards got a little too close for Aggie’s comfort and she would throw out a kick to the head or a right-cross to the jaw. She channeled as much energy into those as she could spare in order to do the most damage. None of them were as strong as Xavier so they went down fairly easily.

  Another child, a little girl nearby where Aggie stood, let out a blood curdling scream in one long breath, then suddenly stopped. Aggie glanced quickly to put eyes on this tormented creature and noted that she was now unconscious.

  “What did you do?” Aggie growled at Alentra in an accusatory tone.

  Alentra laughed haughtily, “Nothing, I just took what was waiting for me it will be more than enough to finish this and get one with my plans.” With that she let loose a storm inside that rivaled a tropical storm one would see in the coastal regions on Earth. Aggie fought against her impulse to cower. There were kids to protect at all costs.

  Yavari cackled at the turn of events, “You can’t win this. She has an endless supply of power and at midnight, it will be permanent.” Aggie had no idea what time it was but she knew it had been a few hours since it went fully dark. So, time was approaching quickly and they didn’t have much left. The men were beginning to sweat with the excursion of energy trying to keep the guards at bay. Aggie still didn’t understand where they were all coming from.

  “Enough!” Aggie was fed up with the antics of these two and she was willing to risk the power by attempting to break the chains herself, in an attempt to save the lives of the children. She was finished waiting on Yavari. She conjured a tornado in her mind and sent it quickly. Navigating around her own men the concentration was excruciating. She felt something drip from her face and chalked it up to sweat like she saw on the guys fighting alongside her. She pushed through the pain and exhaustion. Dancing through the room, Aggie grabbed each guard and worked her way to the front by the stairs where Yavari and Alentra never moved. Without another word, she scooped them up and entangled them both inside this twisting wind.

  She felt Alentra’s magic pressing against her own but she just pushed herself a little more. Another drip fell from her face but there was too much at stake so she brushed it on her arm and pushed harder. Fighting against the similar magic countering her from inside, Aggie fell to her knees to avoid losing control. Then she felt hands fold over each shoulder, one at her hip, and one on the other side mirroring that, then an entire strong body press to her back.

  Aggie knew it was her men and their strength gave her strength. She pushed back to her feet and fought through until she felt the magic lessen to a manageable level, as it evened out throughout her body.

  Aggie wasn’t sure what to do, she needed to get the kids free. So, she dropped the wind shield from around the kids and that gave her a boost in power to keep the enemies contained. Then she threw her mind into the tornado to seek out Yavari. In one last burst of power, she separated Yavari from the twisting windy mess and wrapped her in a muddy lightening infused mold so only her head was still out.

  “This is your last chance to save your nephew. You said you led us here because you wanted to save him. This doesn’t look like saving him. How do we release their bonds?” Aggie’s voice sounded different, but she didn’t care. Anything to get her point across. It was more demanding and more powerful than her usual go with the flow voice.

  “Please, please don’t let me die.” Yavari’s pleading was a given for anyone in her position. Aggie didn’t want to hear her pleas but rather a solution to the problem at hand.

  “No! You will die if you don’t free these children from whatever you have them trapped with.” Her voice grew in intensity and power. It wasn’t very human anymore.

  “I’ll release them, but in doing so it will kill Alentra. I can’t keep them all alive.” Yavari was stammering and stuttering, like a child learning to speak. She was scared and Aggie knew she should be. Aggie wasn’t playing and she was tired of people attacking them. Another drop dripped from her face, but a hand caught it this time. The same hand that was resting on her right shoulder, wiping it from her face without a word.

  “All I care about are the children, she made her bed and she will lay in it no matter the consequences. These kids shouldn’t have ever been put through this. No matter what you were told by this Master of yours.” Aggie released one of Yavari’s arms. “Know that if you try anything funny, I will kill you without a word.”

  Closing her eyes, Yavari’s hands glowed slightly and one by one the children’s hands fell to the ground. Some that were awake grabbed their wrists to rub the blood back into them. Mathius approached the young girl who was still out from the power absorption moments before. He picked her up from the floor and was gone in an instant. Aggie didn’t need to ask where he had gone. Eldon would be waiting for them and Aggie knew she would be fine.

  “What kind of demon are you?” Aggie asked the now physically defeated Yavari.

  “My mother was Gardarene, but my father was part Pockla. It seems my brother and I don’t share the same father and I was blessed with the power to make things and people invisible. It came in handy when I wanted to leave the castle as a child. Then I discovered I could hide other things with it as well. It allowed me to block my magic under a cloak, never to be noticed by anyone.”

  Mathius came back with Kyrel hot on his heels, they scooped up two more children and were gone in the blink of an eye. Then and only then did Aggie relax because they had most of them out and the odds were in their favor.

  Xavier stepped between Aggie and her line of sight to Yavari.

  “Wee one, I fear you pushed yourself too far.”

  “Why would you say that, we won didn’t we?” Aggie was baffled by his approach and she looked around and saw Alentra unconscious under the pile of all the guards that were slowly disintegrating into a pile of stone. Yavari seemed to have been creating guards from the bricks of the house itself. That was why they were coming and seemed to be never ending.

  Xavier reached up and wiped the space between her mouth and nose, only to come back red with blood. He slipped his finger into his mouth and closed his eyes in satisfaction. “Like a rare wine, only to be had on special occasions.” His voice crooned his delight at the flavors dancing on his tongue. Aggie’s eyes were wide with disbelief. Perhaps he was right, she had pushed herself too far. She felt her body draining as she pushed harder and harder to get the information she needed and to save the children. Though she didn’t care about herself in that moment, it was all about the children.

  Then i
t hit her, she had been preaching to the guys to let everyone own their strengths. If they say they have something under control then trust them to handle it. That is just what they did for her in that moment. While they saw her fading, they never stopped her. They only gave her what they could and that was to know they were there for her no matter what.

  Chapter 22

  Eldon had the kids well in hand, by the time Mathius sifted everyone back to the castle. They did a final sweep of the invisible house and found no trace, other than sleeping quarters and the room the kids were held in. The thought made Aggie shiver even after it was all over.

  “How are they?” Aggie wanted to get a handle on the situation before anyone dispersed for the night.

  “Three of them are fine, as is the Prince, just a little groggy and malnourished. Gryson had to put a dampener on their powers. He said it would wear off over time as they aged and came into their powers naturally. They are just too young to have that much power all at once. It could actually kill them.” Eldon was very serious, but still took his time and checked Aggie over for any residual pain. “How are you? Xavier said you took a beating out there but you look perfectly fine.”

  “I’m fine, I just pushed myself too far when I took on Alentra and Yavari at the same time. I handled it though, no loss of consciousness for me, but I can’t say the same for them.” Yavari and Alentra were taken to the depths of the castle, beyond the dungeon. Aggie didn’t even know that was a thing, but she chose not to visit it and trusted that they guys had them secure. Had Alentra not died in releasing the children, she would have been sentenced to death for what she had done. Yavari, after finally came around helped in the end free the children, would be given the chance to live but would be spending many more years locked away for her treachery. “Wait, did you say three of the children are fine? What about the fourth?” Aggie panicked and her heart started to race. The last things she wanted was any of the children to have not survived.

  “No, she is fine. Gryson said she was hit hard during the fight.” Aggie thought back and realize he must have been talking about the little girl. “The problem is she exhausted her powers through the link. Without even a drop remaining, they can’t regenerate on their own. She was essentially stripped of her powers and I have no way of returning them to her without resulting in her death. You saw what the link did to her last time. With the strain on her body, there would be nothing to block her from the severity of the impact. She just can’t support it anymore.”

  “Can’t we wait until she is more recovered and then do it?” Aggie was grasping at straws, but she couldn’t bear to see another kid so severely damaged and have to handle this for the rest of her life.

  “I’m sorry, the longer we wait to restore her powers, the more her body becomes resistant to them. It would be like pushing something too large, into a hole that is too small. You might get some of it in, but without the entire piece making it through it will just come right back out on its own.” Eldon knew he was delivering bad news, but it was like a doctor telling you something bad. They have to do it no matter what, so it’s better to just rip the band-aid off quickly.

  “What can we do?” Aggie let out a long, low sigh as her shoulders slumped forward, her body drooped in defeat.

  “Gryson is with her now. We decided it would be best to give her the same treatment he gave Navian. At least then she would have pleasant memories of what happened and that she lost her magic years ago and already come to terms with it.” Aggie wished she had a better way of showing her gratitude and pride in her men. Reaching up she threw her arms around Eldon squeezing him tightly.

  “Thank you for everything you have done here today. Without you this could have been far worse. Now if I’m not needed any longer, I’d really love a hot shower to work out all this aggression that built up today.”

  “After that I’d love to take you out to be a part of the rest of the Walpurgisnacht Roodmas Day festivities.” Mathius appeared out of nowhere obviously catching the tail end of her conversation with Eldon. “The weather has already returned to normal. So please, wear something cool. I don’t want you to overheat.”

  “That sounds absolutely wonderful.” Mathius bowed a bit to Aggie and she nodded toward him. Making her way back to the twins’ room, she was surprised to find her own room ajar. Deciding to peek inside, she saw Liel standing just over the threshold and out of the doorway. They shared a look but no words were said, Aggie glanced around the room and realized it was back to its previous glory. It was as though nothing had happened.

  “What is going on?” Aggie couldn’t hide the confusion in her voice as she turned to Liel for an explanation. They had been so busy preparing to rescue the children that she hadn’t even though of her own room since the fire.

  “The castle personnel have worked round the clock trying to get this ready for you. I’m only sorry they didn’t have it done sooner or that any of this had ever happened to begin with.” This was the first time Aggie and Liel had been able to have a private conversation. She noticed a change in him but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

  “It is beautiful, I wish I knew who to thank for orchestrating all of this.” Aggie wanted to thank everyone personally but knew that was most likely an outrageous list.

  “It was my honor to provide this for you. It was the least I could do for you since you are doing so much for us.” Aggie wasn’t sure if she heard him correctly, but after thinking she realized it was Liel who had handled the restoration project. Without a second thought she placed her hands upon his chest, even though he was taller than her, pressed up on her toes and she was thankful when he leaned down to meet her. Their lips pressed together innocently and Aggie knew right then that there was more to Liel and she couldn’t wait to discover what.

  *****

  After taking a very long hot shower, Aggie stood wrapped in a towel, trying to figure out what to do. She spent her entire shower thinking about how this outing with Mathius felt like a date. She thought given what they have just been up to, that it was silly to think of something so trivial. Now she had to figure out what to wear. She was trying not to over think it. Though for some reason, she still wasn’t able to conjure up clothes for herself. It made no sense that she could create a tornado from nothing but a thought, but something as simple as clothing was eluding her.

  Holding onto her towel tightly, Aggie walked around the room trying to clear her head. She ran her hand along the table that looked exactly like the previous one and she remembered her first day. It felt like so long ago and not just a handful of days that had passed. She approached the wardrobe and remembered all the beautiful dresses that were hanging in it, one in each of the guys’ signature colors. She wished she had the chance to wear any of them before their tragic end.

  Running her hands along the wood, it hummed underneath her fingertips. Like the nature and her magic were having a conversation. Then on a whim, she gripped the handles and pulled open the doors. There in the vast space, where there was room for plenty of hangers to rest and hold countless outfits, was one lonely dress.

  Nothing too fancy, but the color of the moonlight, it almost shimmered. The prettiest sundress she had ever seen. Quickly she shed her towel and slipped the light fabric over her skin. It hung perfectly. With an asymmetrical hem, that fell mid-thigh down to her knee. The neckline dipped low revealing the line of her breasts and it sat upon the thinnest straps that tied at the top.

  Aggie twirled once just for good measure and giggled at the creation. She was worried she had zapped her magic in the fight and that it might be gone. Was it just that I can’t work this like the guys? Did I have to have a connection to my natural resource in order to make this? Testing her theory, Aggie reached for the door of the wardrobe, yet again. Feeling the hum again, she waited for the feeling to subside and then jerked the handles open. There laying on the floor were the daintiest sandals that matched the fabric of the dress perfectly. Slipping them on the strap ran between her
toes and buckled around the ankle. Nothing fancy, but the most comfortable shoes she’d ever worn.

  Deciding that since she wasn’t sure if this was a date, she would just let her hair dry naturally in some loose beachy waves. So as not to keep Mathius waiting, she made her way out of the room. Then quickly remembered they hadn’t discussed meeting anywhere and he wasn’t in the hallway. So instead of standing there like a fool, she made her way to the triage area that Eldon had made up for the kids. Most of them were sleeping, but the girl who she’d last seen passed out was wide awake looking out the window.

  “Hello, there. I’m Raleigha. Who are you?” The sweetest little voice called out to her, as Aggie approached her bedside. With bright turquoise eyes, that reminded her of Kyrel’s when his magic touched them.

  “Hi I’m Aggie. It’s nice to meet you. How are you feeling?” Aggie kept her voice low so she wouldn’t wake the other children. They had all been through so much, rest was going to take precedence for a while as they recuperated.

  “I’m okay. I just woke up and I feel much better.” Aggie didn’t ask her anything else for fear of saying the wrong thing. “I wish the doctor would let me go so I could go to the festival, but they want us to stay inside this year.” The little girl looked so forlorn, but Aggie understood that they didn’t need anything too over stimulating after what they had just come out of. Rest and relaxation was all they needed for a while.

  “How about this, I’ve never been to the festival could you tell me your favorite thing that I just have to see? Also, if you could have one thing from the festival what would it be?” Aggie knew this girl had given up so much and while all the kids had been through Hell and back, she had sacrificed more.