Not Your Average Happy Ending

by Chantele Sedgwick

  I didn’t know what to do. What to think. I had no way of warning Ash about Linkin.

  My head hurt where I had hit the wall. Logan had a gash across his chest that bled through his shirt, and Master Time was still tied to a chair across the room. He didn’t look good either. Pale and bleeding from a nasty looking head wound.

  I grimaced as I shifted on the floor and tried to think of something to do. I attempted to stand, but couldn’t, since my ankles were tied together. I couldn’t figure out why Linkin had left us in here instead of killing us. Maybe we were bait? I could sense he was close, from the thick feel of magic that hung in the air, but he hadn’t come back into the room for hours.

  “Where do you think he went?” I asked Logan.

  “I have no idea.”

  “Can’t you use your magic to get us out of here?” I tried to use mine, but I had no idea what I was doing. So, nothing happened of course.

  He shook his head. “There’s some kind of cloud in here. Something Linkin’s done to upset the balance in our world. I can’t seem to draw any kind of energy from the room. I’m useless in here.” He sighed. “And if the four people who make up the Council are destroyed, our world and your world will be thrown into chaos.”

  That was comforting. “What can I do? There has to be something.”

  “We wait for the inevitable to happen.” He shook his head again and leaned back against the wall, defeated. “Linkin has gotten too strong.”

  “You can’t just give up,” I said.

  “I see no other option. I’m sure Ash, Sam and Dax walked right into a trap. And even if they survived, they have no idea we’re here. And if they’ve figured it out, Linkin will be ready for them. They won’t stand a chance.”

  “You don’t know that.” I knew Ash was smarter than that. He wouldn’t just come barging in without a plan.

  Aleeya groaned from across the room. Her beautiful silver wings bent and battered. She moved slightly, but went still again.

  Logan’s face was pained as he watched her.

  “You’ve changed,” a voice said. I met Leif’s eyes and he gave me a small smile. “You’re not all human anymore.”

  “I’m still human,” I said.

  He shook his head. “You glow. Human eyes may not notice, but I do.”

  I stared at him. “I glow?”

  “Your aura does. I’m sure Sam has told you that elves can see human auras?”

  I nodded, though it was Misty who actually told me.

  “What has happened to you?”

  I shrugged. “Dax did something to me. He healed me. Somehow we think he gave me his fairy power. It sounds bizarre, I know, but I can feel magic inside me. I healed a flower. And a tree branch.” I shook my head. To a normal person I’d sound crazy, but Leif just smiled.

  “You’ve been given an amazing gift. Fairies aren’t healers by nature, but in Dax and Ash’s interesting backgrounds, anything is possible.” He leaned his head against the wall again and was quiet.

  “We need to get out of here.”

  Logan sighed. “What’s the point?”

  I looked around for anything that could untie us. The rope was strange. It was like black smoke swirling around my wrists. I glanced at Logan. “Ash told me about you. About how you found him and took care of him all these years.”

  He nodded, but didn’t say anything.

  “He told me you were his hero. The father he never had. He also said you’d never give up on something you believed in. I know you believe in this world. And mine.”

  He shifted a little, but didn’t meet my eyes.

  “Well, if you don’t do something, I will. I believe in keeping our worlds in the balance. And I won’t let some psycho djinn destroy everything I love.”

  I struggled quite a bit as I got to my feet, but I was finally able to balance myself against the wall.

  “Where are you going?” Logan asked.

  “I’m going to get us out of here. I just have to figure out how.”

  The temperature in the room cooled suddenly and the door flew open. Before I could react, a force picked me up and made me float across the room until I was staring into Linkin’s golden eyes.

  “What is it about you?” he asked.

  “What?”

  “What is it about you that holds Ash so completely captivated?” The force turned me around in a circle as he stared at me. “You’re nothing but a human. Surely you have something he wants?”

  “I have nothing.”

  “I don’t believe you. You’re curious. You and your scarred face and wounded soul. You’re not the same as you once were. I can sense this, but I don’t know why.”

  “Because I made a choice.”

  He lifted an eyebrow.

  “I made a choice to stop being sad and miserable. I made a choice to be good. I made a choice to love someone, even though I thought he didn’t love me back.”

  “I made that choice as well, once,” he growled. “And look where it got me. I have nothing now.”

  “Because you made your life that way.” My voice shook, but I tried to stay in control of my emotions. If I told myself he wasn’t scary…no—he was still scary. I took a deep breath as he stared at me, trying to figure me out. “You can change, you know. Be the good guy instead of the bad guy for once.”

  He moved me closer until I was inches away from his face. He smelled like sulfur and smoke and I wrinkled my nose in distaste. “It’s too late for that.” He lifted a hand and I braced myself for the pain that was sure to come, and heard a familiar voice instead.

  “Let go of my girlfriend.”

  Linkin whirled around, surprised. I dropped to the ground, no longer caught in his strange magic. “Well, look who’s still alive. My disobedient son who thinks life is perfect and everything is happy and full of roses.”

  Ash raised an eyebrow. “What does that even mean?”

  “It means your time is up. You’ve refused to join me, therefore, I cannot let you live.”

  “Why? Because of my power? Is that what you’re afraid of?”

  “No.”

  “Then why do you look nervous?”

  Linkin was silent for a moment, and when he spoke, his voice shook. “It would be different if you knew how to use it.”

  Ash smiled. “Try me.” He caught my eye for a split second. “Kendall, get out of here. Get somewhere safe.” He backed down the stairs and Linkin followed, leaving us alone again in Logan’s office. I gasped as the smoke around my wrists and ankles disappeared, freeing me from my bonds.

  Leif was on his feet and out the door before I could stand up. “Help them,” he yelled over his shoulder. “I’ll help Ash!”

  I ran to Aleeya, who was still unconscious on the ground. Logan kneeled next to her and held her hand. My own hands hovered over her. I didn’t know what to do. I could feel my magic under my skin, but didn’t know how to bring it to the surface.

  “Touch her,” he said. “You have the power to heal.” His eyes were moist. “Help her. Please.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. I wasn’t supposed to have magic. It was so intimidating. What if I did something wrong?

  “Come on, Kendall. You can do it.”

  I took a deep breath and reached out, touching her shoulder. A warmth spread through my body and I closed my eyes, focusing the warmth toward Aleeya. I hoped to get some sort of response out of her, and opened my eyes. I sucked in a breath as her broken wings mended themselves back together. I kept my hand on her, feeling my newfound magic flowing into her and closing her wounds. She stirred as the color returned to her face and her skin glowed slightly like before. I moved away as she sat up and looked around. “Logan?”

  “I’m here,” he said.

  She met my eyes. “Where’s Ash?”

  “He’s outside. With Linkin,” I said.

  Panic spread over her features and she stood. “We’ve got to help him.”

  Logan nodded and started for the door.r />
  “Wait,” Aleeya said. “Can you heal him and Master Time as well?”

  I nodded. I touched Logan’s forehead, fascinated as the gash healed itself. I walked over to Master Time and touched his shoulder. The warmth that once spread through my body, ceased. Instead of healing his injuries, he stayed the same.

  “He’s gone,” Aleeya said. “There’s nothing we can do for him now.”

  My eyes watered. I didn’t even know him, but it was still sad. A crash sounded in the hall, making me jump. I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Come,” Aleeya said. “I fear Ash is in more trouble than he bargained for.”

  Chapter 35

  Ash

  “Ash!”

  I whirled around and saw Leif barreling down the stairs toward Linkin. Bright green magic flew from his fingertips, holding Linkin in some sort of trance. “Get out of here. I’ll take care of him.”

  I tried to open my mouth and tell him he was in way over his head, but I was too late. Linkin somehow escaped his grasp and reached out, grabbing him by the throat. I watched in horror as Leif turned to dust before my eyes. “Stupid elves. Always butting into other people’s business.”

  “No.” Not Leif. He couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t. “No!” I made an attempt to charge him, but was knocked down the stairs by an invisible force. I ended up sprawled upside down, almost at the bottom of the stairs. My side hurt where Gizelle had clawed me and I could feel the poison seeping deeper into my body. I made myself ignore it. I had to stop Linkin first.

  My attention turned back to him as he took each step one by one, his eyes on me. “I told you, Ash. If you’re going to go against me, everyone you love will be destroyed.” He smiled before raising his hands to the ceiling. My eyes widened as a streak of darkness hit Logan’s starry sky, breaking the whole thing into pieces.

  I threw my hands over my head, waiting for the assault of glass raining down from above.

  It never came. When the shards of glass reached me, they turned to sand, settling into a fine layer on the stairs.

  “Dax. I’m surprised to see you. I wasn’t planning on killing both my sons today, but since you’ve chosen the wrong side, I’ll have to remedy that.” He muttered something under his breath and I realized I had to get out of the way before he actually did kill me.

  I pushed myself to my feet, a little dizzy from my fall and headed toward Dax who stood at the bottom of the stairs. A loud crack echoed through the room and I looked back in time to see a black mark on the stairs where I had just left.

  I felt the wind pick up as I took the stairs two at a time. I threw my hand behind me, letting a stream of magic loose. I didn’t look back to see if it made its mark, but at the sound of Linkin’s pained curse, I was sure I hit him.

  “It’s about time you got down here,” Dax said as I made it to the bottom. He put his hands down, his magic settling. He was really starting to get on my nerves. First saving Kendall and then saving me. There was something seriously wrong with that scenario. But at the moment, I’d take it.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  He looked up, his eyes on Linkin. “What now?”

  “We need to get him outside,” I said. I glanced up as Linkin got to his feet. “Open ground will be easier for me to use my magic.”

  “I’m on it.” He whirled around to face Linkin and raised his hands. The stairs under Linkin’s feet shifted and groaned until they gave way. He yelled something I couldn’t understand as he fell. I wasn’t sure why I stood there watching. I’d already seen two people die already. I flinched as he hit the ground hard, with pieces of the stairway falling on top of him.

  Everything was still for a moment. I barely breathed as I watched the spot where Linkin fell. Maybe he was dead. But I knew in my heart it wasn’t true. He couldn’t be killed unless his host was killed.

  “Ash, come on,” Dax said. He pulled on my arm. “He won’t stay down for long.”

  I glanced up at the top of the stairs and noticed Kendall, Logan and my mom looking down at us.

  “Are you okay?” Kendall yelled.

  “Yes!” I moved toward her, but wasn’t sure how to get to her now that the stairs were gone. I guess I could have used my wings. I started pulling my shirt off.

  “Don’t worry about her, Ash. We’ll get her down,” Logan yelled. “You get out of here. I have a feeling things are going to get much worse.”

  I nodded and looked at Kendall for a second longer, seeing the fear in her eyes. It took all I had in me to turn around and follow Dax out the door.

  The moment we set foot outside, an explosion rocked the building. A huge rush of fire blew out the windows and door, nearly searing Dax and I to nothing. We flew to the ground, gasping for breath.

  I was disoriented. It took a while for my eyes to focus. Dax was on the ground next to me, his eyes closed.

  My body screamed in pain, but somehow I got to my feet. “Kendall,” I said, trying to comprehend what had just happened. The entire building was gone. Nothing but a pile of rubble and dust. “Kendall!”

  Linkin stood in the middle of the debris, his face in a sneer. “Like I said, Ash Summerland. Everyone you love will be destroyed.”

  My fists clenched. Rage shot through my body as I stared him down. There was no way I’d let him hurt anyone else. Even if I died with him, it would be worth it. What did I have to lose now that Kendall and my mother were gone?

  “This ends now,” I yelled.

  “Perfect,” he said. “Say goodbye to your precious world. It’s the last thing you will ever see.”

  I sensed someone to the side of me and spotted Dax. “I’m here, Ash,” he said, wiping a hand across his forehead. “We can take him together.”

  I nodded, grateful to have someone with me.

  “Don’t forget about me.” Sam appeared on my other side, his arms raised and ready to fight. “Taking down a djinn without your best friend? Where’s the fun in that?”

  I smiled, grateful for Sam’s sense of humor, even in the worst situations. I’d miss that.

  Linkin looked us over. “It’s nice to see there are at least two people who will die with you, Ash. That way, you can have friends on the other side.”

  “At least I have friends,” I said. “How does it feel to have no one?”

  He frowned. “It hasn’t always been like this.”

  I smiled. “I know, right? Weren’t you happy with my mother? Wasn’t she the best thing that ever happened to you?”

  “Ash…” Sam warned.

  “Don’t,” Linkin said. “Leave Aleeya out of this.”

  “And then she found out what you were. I bet it was hard keeping that from her, wasn’t it? Lying to her about you being something else? But then she found out what you really were and left you. Broke your heart. And now you want everyone else to suffer for your mistake.”

  “I didn’t make any mistakes. I loved her!”

  I grinned. “Shenelle told me love destroys a person. But you know what? She’s wrong. Friendship and love hold a person together. And I have both.”

  “You have nothing!”

  “No, Linkin. You have nothing. Now give me your best shot.”

  Linkin’s golden eyes glowed and his body lifted off the ground.

  “Get ready,” I said to my friends. The wind blew through the courtyard, strong, yet steady. The ground shook and I noticed Dax with his eyes closed, concentrating so hard that beads of sweat rolled down his cheek. The trees bent and swayed with the wind and I swear they looked closer than before.

  Linkin put his hands toward the sky and a small flame spread between his hands, growing into a massive fireball. It grew and grew until it covered the sky above us. Bits of fire and ash rained down from the orange clouds, starting the grass and bushes on fire. I focused my magic on the wind, putting out flames as I spotted them.

  Screams echoed around the courtyard and different creatures ran in every direction. Pixies flew here and there, dodging falling flames. I focused the on the
wind, and steered the fire away from us.

  “This is what happens when you let people in to your life. Chaos,” Linkin spat. “Pure, chaos.” He smiled as a dryad’s tree caught fire. She clung to the green branches above and sobbed as the tree bowed and burned. When the fire reached her, she dissolved into a pile of ash.

  “Now,” I whispered. The magic that had been simmering under my skin burst from my hands and hit Linkin square in the chest. He was knocked off balance long enough for Sam to bind him with strong vines. Dax opened the ground underneath Linkin, ready to bury him and his magic forever, but Linkin wasn’t going down that easily. He broke free of the vines and grabbed the end of one, flinging it and Sam across the clearing. Dax faltered for a moment, the ground closing up because of it, and Linkin sent a huge fireball straight at him. He barely got out of the way in time.

  I focused on my own magic again, concentrating on combining my fairy and djinn magic together, when I was hit with something hot. My arm burned and I fell to the ground with such force it took my breath away.

  I blinked, and noticed how red the sky was, the burning embers still falling. We were going to lose. There was no way we could win against so much power. My body was tired, my wings felt broken and my side hurt so bad I was sure I’d pass out at any moment.

  Someone stood over me and I froze. Linkin’s golden eyes met mine. Darkness swirled around him and I waited for the final blow.

  Instead, I heard the most beautiful sound in the world.

  Kendall’s voice.

  Chapter 36

  Kendall

  “Ash!” I ran across the clearing with Alyeea, dodging fire as I went. It was getting hard to breathe with all the smoke, but I was determined to get to Ash before Linkin hurt him any worse. Aleeya slid to a stop behind Linkin and raised her hands.

  “Get away from my son,” she said.

  Linkin froze and turned slowly around until he met Aleeya’s eyes. “Stay out of this. I don’t want to hurt you again,” he said.

  “But you’re willing to kill my son?”

  “Our son,” he growled, “has turned against me. You’ve turned against me.”