by Trina Bates
“All of you are infuriating in your own ways, but I won’t change anything about you. I just hope that one day our secrets can all come to light, that our worries can all come out and be taken on together... so this won't happen, so what happened with Rhett, doesn’t happen to the rest of us. Now let’s eat,” I laugh out, lightening the mood, more than ready to feed this grumpy baby inside of me, and myself. I feel so much more at ease and rub my stomach absentmindedly as I take the first bite, savoring every flavor.
With a belly full of food, and amazing company surrounding me, I happily drift off to sleep with the warmth of my men surrounding me from the sides and one behind me.
I dream a frightful dream. I never dream, so when this one hits me, I wake with a scream after it’s done.
Merrick and Rhydian are looming over me, screaming my name as Ebbin is still under me, his hand rubbing long line up and down my arms, trying to calm me.
“What’s going on, love?” Merrick asks gently when he sees I’m finally awake.
“Babe, you were thrashing, screaming, and crying. We couldn’t wake you and Ebbin said he hasn’t seen you like this for many years. Not since you first got together with him,” Rhydian tells me, his worry apparent as the lines on his gorgeous face grow deeper with his panic.
“I just had the worst dream, or nightmare, I don’t know what you would call it. I can’t tell you the last time I had either!” I shout, the anguish pouring off of me in waves.
“Bugs, what was it?” Ebbin whispers into my ear. I nuzzle back into him, trying to steal his warmth and gain more comfort. My breaths are labored, and I need water.
Rhydian rushes away and comes back, having heard my thoughts with a tall glass of ice water. I guzzle it down and take another deep breath before I start.
“I dreamt of yellow eyes, cat-like yellow eyes. So large and frightening, filled with murder, greed, lust, malice.” I pause as the shivers trail down my back and my hands clench into fists, thinking about my dream has my heart beating wildly inside of my chest, and ringing in my ears like a loud drum. “Fear is all I felt when I saw those eyes, and then it changed. There was a burning, raging fire, all over what looked like... skin. But I can’t be sure. It felt more it was skin than looked it, if that makes any sense. The fire was yellow, like the eyes, and green like the landscape of Hell. You know... the weird fires that erupt from the ground there? But it doesn’t make any sense!” I slap my knee in frustration, trying to focus and remember the dream enough to go on, and describe it right. “And then it shifted once more, into a pool that looks like it’s half tears on one side. I could see statues of angels and there were tears running from their eyes, like real tears. The other half of the pool, on the other side, those statues looked like Demons and they were crying blood. None of the liquids, blood or water, tears, whatever they were mixed… it all stayed on their own sides. After that, it would shift back-and-forth from each new vision to the next over and over, as I sat there and I watched it. I couldn’t wake up. I don’t understand what any of that means, but it felt so evil, felt hateful painful, and frightening. There’s no words to really describe everything that I felt,” I cry out taking another long drink of a new glass of water that somebody handed to me.
I sit there with my hands clasped in front of me, staring ahead at nothing but soon enough Merrick and Rhydian take a hand and squeeze them tight as Ebbin rubs my shoulders trying to ease some of the tension that has built.
-Mira, that portrayed as Hell perfectly... the green flames, the pool of light and dark, or tears and blood as you say, that signifies the souls that are trapped, and the souls that belong. It’s the pool of the undying. What you said about the eyes and also the yellow flames that sounds like Lucifer. He hasn’t been seen and I don’t know how many years, but I have heard stories…- She pauses for a moment and I search her out in the room, peering at her with pleading eyes, waiting on bated breath for her to continue. Her head is tilted to the side, she must be conferring her suspicions with Vie, then I see her head bob up and down before returning her gaze back to mine.
-Vie, agrees he says that sounds just like him, and he’s been around for a lot longer than I have. He described him as having yellow cat-like eyes for all the things that he is able to shift into. The flames on his skin are always there, they never disappear. They stay there as a way for him to draw power from his Realm, they feed him. The flames that are in the ground, he can pull to himself and feed on the souls and beings that he has under his rule.- Cynide says into everybody’s mine she’s connected to, and the anguish, panic, disgust, and tournament that are on everyone’s faces push my own fears higher.
“If you were dreaming about Hell and the Devil himself, nothing good can come of this. That means we’re up against something that we know nothing about. Something is coming, not only your father, but I think the Devil too might have come out of hiding. We must train harder, learn more, and gain more allies. No one has ever come up against the Devil and won; that’s why he is the ruler of Hell. Not even his own brothers from above could take him down,” Lyanna states, her distress apparent in her voice as she looks to each of her men and then to each one of us in the room. Her eyes are filled with misery, her temper rising. I can feel the loathing and resentment flowing from her in waves.
“If I’m dreaming about the fucking Devil, why does that mean anything? Doesn’t everybody have strange dreams?” I question, hoping I’m right and that this is all bullshit. I bounce my legs up and down trying to give my mind something else to focus on, but it does little to help.
“Sigrid, Valkyrie’s dreams are more prophetic than you would think. It’s almost like foresight; only the very strongest of our kind are lucky enough to be gifted with this power. Your friend is right, if you are seeing and dreaming about the Devil, that means that he has returned. I think I know just why that might have happened. Your presence in Hell has stirred something within the belly of that beast. He felt your powers, he felt all of us and all of our powers, and when you and I were trapped there he felt us. Something I’m sure he hasn’t felt in a very long time. That is most likely what has roused him, what’s made him return. Your friend is also right in the fact that we need to be wary; he can open a rift into any barrier, defeat any magic, and kill anything. Even his brothers from above tried and failed. The only thing he cannot defeat is his own father,” Siv says, her eyes downcast as she chews on her bottom lip. I can tell by the way her eyes are moving back and forth, in a calculating way, that she has more information, and is deciding on how to proceed.
It takes her a few moments, and in that time, I got up and grabbed everyone more water, it takes a few loads to grab so many people their own bottle, but the unease from my dreams is too much, and I need the distraction. I grabbed a bite to eat, my stomach rumbling so loud I got a few strange looks from my guys. Cheese and crackers. I need something in me if I’m going to be able to get through the rest of this.
Having made up her mind, she looks directly at me and says, “That’s why he’s trapped in his own Realm… His father. I doubt there is any way we would be able to find the Almighty of this Realm, none other than those he has given express admittance to, having access to the gates of the Almighty’s Realm, much like the tree of life and tree of death on Yggdrasil. They have gateways, but it is a true unknown how to travel between without getting stuck there if you do not have permission.”
Taking my seat back with my men, I interrupt Siv before she can continue. Something doesn't make sense, besides everything that has happened in my life. “Why would we need God for the Devil? If he’s returned, don’t you think the Almighty will come down to deal with his bratty little kid on his own? Why does that have to be our problem?” I ask, more annoyed than anything but truly wanting to know.
“I do not think he is trapped any longer. There’s been a shift and we have all felt it, even the Demons felt it. There was chatter many years ago, right around the time you were born into this world, and again right before you were born. I�
�m guessing when Gor was born. He, the God of this Realm, gave Hollows, and any that dwell here, the choice of free will. It is up to the Hollows to choose what they will do. The same as all Others. But my dear, you two are the strongest children of a Demon born in more than a thousand years that I’ve lived to see past the age of two. I can only imagine that the Devil sees what he feels. Your father might want your powers and your souls for himself but if the Devil has need of you, he will take it. And there’s nothing any of us, on this Realm or this world, can do about it,” Siv says, garnering an anger filled flare from me and my guys.
“No!” I shout, jumping up and hurting Ebbin's balls in the process when my elbow lands in his crotch. I hear his grunt of displeasure behind me as I face off with my mother. It's not her that my anger is directed at, more at what she revealed.
“I’m sick of all of the shit happening to me! Why can’t it happen to anybody else? I’m already a Demon and a Valkyrie; more powerful than fucking anybody will ever know, myself included. And now I get some stupid prophetic dreams... what the Hell is up with that, why can’t I just be a normal other like everybody else that’s in our race? I don’t want to have these dreams. I want to NOT have to deal with the Demonic father who wants to kill me and my child for our powers and our souls. I just want to live my life. And now on top of everything else that we’re going through, I have to deal with the Devil... are you kidding me?! Is this some kind of sick joke that the world is playing on me right now?!” I shout, stomping around the house.
I start slamming chairs and stools into tables and island; kicking the wall as I pass, grunting and growling as I thrust my hands in the air and anger. I finally find my way up the stairs and lock myself in Alyria’s new room, hoping that it will call my frayed nerves and ease some of the tensions I have.
I sit down in the little rocking chair and stare at the tree on the wall. Rhett where are you I need you so much right now? I need your stupid jokes, your adoring smile and even some dick jokes. I need my mind to be free of the pain that never seems to lessen or go away. I’m tired of only getting only a few moments of rest. But now even those moments are haunted. Where are you? I cry out in my mind silently, wishing he could hear me. Maybe he can and maybe he’ll be here soon. I just need him now.
After a few moments of calm and my silent plea to Rhett, that was never answered, I finally unlock the door thankful that nobody interrupted my grief filled tantrum. Quietly venturing out of the room, I look both ways, still wanting a few more moments to myself as I shut the door quietly behind me.
Mira:
I silently stumble down the stairs and give an embarrassed smile to my waiting friends, family, and lovers. I walk to the kitchen and grab some iced tea and make my way back to the couch where I sit down heavily, still trying to calm my racing heart.
“I know it’s a lot to take in, but I’ve dealt with Demons before, one in particular that trapped me. There was more that came with him, and the Devil might seem daunting, frightening, but we’re here for you. Together we can conquer this, and Hell, maybe we can even make a deal with the Devil,” Lyanna laughs out, making light of the situation, which in turn pulls a small grin from me.
“A deal with the Devil... now wouldn’t that be something? I know from reading that his deals… they come with a steep price, and usually there’s something underlying that nobody ever knows about. I don’t know if I’m ready for that. Maybe if the time comes we might think back on it. But for right now, we need to worry about the one threat that I know is for sure coming, and that’s my father. We need to come up with a plan and I think I know the perfect one.“
“So do I.” A familiar voice I’ve been waiting to hear, says from behind me.
I jump up from the couch with a smile already plastered on my face, I rush into his arms and inhale his scent deeply.
“Rhett! You’re finally back, I’ve missed you so much but, pause all of that. I want to know more about this plan that you seem to think you have, even though you haven’t been here. There’s a few people you might want to meet too,” I whisper into his neck, as I jump onto him, wrapping my legs tightly around his waist and sighing in relief when he holds me tighter and runs his hand through my hair.
“I’m sorry it took me this long. It might’ve just been a day, but it feels like forever, and I felt it within you too, that you felt the same. I’m glad I’m home, and there’s a lot that I want to tell you, but that’s going have to come later. For now, there’s someone you need to meet and that will explain a lot of this., Then I will meet your new comrades and tell you the plan,” he whispers back, still caressing my back in up and down motions whilst keeping his nose buried in my neck.
I pull away from him and peer over her shoulder. Seeing the man that was once standing in front of Rhett when I looked out of his eyes, he is now standing in front of me, and looks so much like a Rhett I have to take a double take. I hadn’t seen it before, but now staring into the man’s eyes seeing the shape, the deep jade of his eyes, the olive tone of his skin, and the white hair... I know this is Rhett’s father.
I jump down out of Rhett’s arms and walk around him. With my head cocked to the side, staring at the man, I glare slightly. I know what happened to them, and somewhat of what happened to Rhett when he was younger. Rhett's breakdown that cost him time away from his family is all this man's fault. He could have prevented what happened to Rhett, when he lost control and attacked Merrick, but he decided to abandon him. Part of me wants to punch him, but another part of me needs to know the truth. I know Rhett found his truth, but now I need to find mine, for him.
“Hello, I take it you are the woman that has stolen my boy’s heart, Mira?” he asks, his deep honeyed voice so much like a loving father’s that I have to take a step back. It’s too sweet, too enticing.
He holds his hand out for me to shake, and as I look down at it, he pulls it away before I can shake it. I glare at the space where his hand just was and then look back up into his jade eyes.
“I am, and you are…?” I wonder. The saccharine tone of my voice making him lift a brow, so I raise my own in competition.
“Rial,” he states and gives a small bow like he some foreign dignitary.
“Nice to meet you, please,” I gesture to a chair that’s open, offering him a seat.
“Thank you,” he says, passing me by, and clasping Merrick on the shoulder, giving Rhydian a gentlemanly nod as he passes them both on his way to his seat.
“So, what’s this plan?” I ask, turning back to Rhett.
“Well there’s a lot that I found out while I was gone, and in only a day. I found that my own mother made a deal with the Devil when my sister was born. My mother knew she was dying, and she feared for my little sister. She traded her own soul for that of her child. And some of the Devil’s magic. His own powers but no one knew that, not even my fathers. The deal was struck and there’s a lot more that we’ll go into later, but my little sister was already dead. He wasn’t going to give her back her soul, so he saved mine. I don’t remember any of this, but I was sick. I guess somehow he saved my soul and fixed me, my sickness was gone.” He shrugs his shoulders like everything he just said isn’t a big deal. That the fact he was dying doesn’t mean anything. It angers me, making me grind my teeth, but also worries me that he feels the way he does. I listen silently, waiting to hear the rest. “I was the one to receive the magic, the power, and the soul... but also I got all of my mother’s power as well. That’s what was locked away and making me the way I was. It was poisoning me, I couldn’t access it, it was bound and when it had enough time to grow more, it started corrupting me, little by little. Even my father didn’t know about the Devil’s own power being put into me, but he obviously had or has a use for me, and I think this is it,” he pauses, and blows out an exasperated breath, running his hand through his long hair, making some of it fall into his face.
I take the chance to brush it behind his ear and swoon when he smiles seductively to me. I’m ecsta
tic that he’s home, the war inside of him finally coming to an end, and the fact that I know everything that went on, why he was acting so off, it eases the fear that I had trapped inside of me. Now, it’s time to get things done right, with him by my side once again.
“I think what we need to do, to save us all from Alastor, is inside of me. He fixed me and what I have, plus, Gor and Merrick? We can trap him. We need to make a cell in the basement of the gym, and needs to be made out of Fae magic metals. With the Devil’s powers that I carry, and are now released, I can trap any Demon. We can infuse all of our magics together and trap him in there. We need a way to get him there though, and I think I know that too…” he wraps me in his arms, with his hands resting comfortably on my stomach, making the world right once again, I lean my head back into him and smile to myself as he keeps on with his plan. “If we can lower the barrier around the property, I can remove the barrier out of your blood and you take away the protection spell you put over yourself. That way he can sense you again. He wants this more than anything and we can lead him directly here, and be ready once we feel him crossover. I have no doubt he won’t come swiftly. If you, Gor, and Alyria are what Alastor wants, then you need to be closest to the gym entrance. When he comes, be there. He won’t be able to sense my magic if I cloak it right, and if you can lead him into the cell you can trap him when he enters the cell doors. I don’t know what you want to do then... but at least for now the Realmss will be safe,” he finishes, his eyes filled with pride and he’s standing here, practically bouncing on his toes with hope.
Shocking us all with not only the plans, but his new gifts. There’s so many questions I have for him but his plan is somewhat sound and that’s what I need to focus on.
“I just don’t know how we’re going to lure him to the cell. He would know it’s a trap. Us leaving, and making him follow? He’d know something's going on,” I say fidgeting with my hands trying to think of a way this can work.
