by Unknown
Cain dropped the spell of immortality as he clashed with Ramsey. Gwen sucked in a breath as the two beasts fought, rolled over the destroyed floor, and flung each other against the walls, leaving large cracks where they had smashed into.
As the two came together once more, a horrible growl sounded and the beast that was Cain, fell to the floor, his immortal dagger sticking out of his heart. Ramsey thrusted his arms up into the air, laughing.
"Now, Gwen!" Ulrick yelled.
Gwen shot out her arms and blasted Ramsey with a stream of supreme magic. Without warning, another stream of the bright light joined hers, pulsating into Ramsey. Gwen glanced to the side. "Grandmother?" she choked out.
"I thought ye could use some help," she cackled. "Now, focus," she said nodding toward their target.
Ramsey bellowed and roared in pain as he rose up into the air and tossed and turned, trying to fight off the magic. Suddenly, the beast disappeared and a naked Ramsey writhed in the air. His scream turned to agonizing terror as his body broke out in flames. The dark spirits rose up and began consuming him, eating his charcoaled flesh. Within moments, nothing remained, except a few ashes that disappeared into the bottomless chasm below.
All spirits sunk back below, into the pits as the red glow and smoke faded and soon disappeared. Once more, the great hall turned dark and silent, only now, the room sat in shambles. Gwen glanced over and found her grandmother laying down, propped up on one arm. "Grandmother, are you all right?" Gwen cried.
"Go to him. The spell needs to be said. Ye need to finish him."
Gwen nodded as Grimmly and Ulrick made their way over to Gwen's grandmother, joining her side. Gwen ran up to Cain's lying form on the ground. Hastily, she grabbed the spell from his grip, and with shaky hands, held the parchment and read.
At first, a black wind began swirling around she and Cain, and then it looked as though the wind formed shapes of the horrible creatures they had just sent back to the depths of the earth. They reached out for her, but their grasp now went through her, substance-less. Gwen focused on the chant and once finished reciting it, started over again and again. Suddenly, she hunched over, crying out.
"Gwendolyn!" Ulrick yelled, jumping up to run to her, but the grandmother held him back.
"She needs to do this on her own," she said.
Gwen clenched her teeth as she continued the chant. On their own accord, her arms reached down and her hands gripped the side of Cain's face. Suddenly, terrified, clear blue eyes stared up at her.
"No!" Cain yelled, "Gwendolyn, please stop!"
"Dinna listen to him!" her grandmother yelled, "the spell isn't finished yet. You're not done!"
Gwen squeezed her eyes shut, the pain too much to bare if she continued staring into her beloved's eyes. Suddenly, Gwen's mouth opened on a scream, but instead of air going out, it was reversed and sucked in. The evils within Cain began flying out in a black cloud from his mouth.
A bright light shimmered between them as Gwen continued to suck out the demons from Cain. The evils screeched out in horrible screams as they left his body, taking their markings with them. One by one, the tattoos began disappearing as the demons left Cain, only to search out the one who now called to them, inviting them into her body, inviting them to take her, in place of Cain.
As the last tattoo vanished from Cain's skin, the bright light exploded between Cain and Gwen, sending her flying back onto the stone floor. The hall abruptly turned quiet and still.
Ulrick and Grimmly looked at each other and then ran over to Cain. Cain lay motionless on the floor. His eyes lay closed, his skin clean and healthy looking, like it had all those years ago. His blond hair lay windblown across his face, covering one eye. He suddenly woke.
Upon seeing the clear blue eyes, Ulrick and Grimmly stepped back. Cain slowly sat up. He glanced down at his naked form, the destroyed hall around him, and then up to Grimmly and Ulrick. "Where's Gwen?" he asked with a raspy voice, barely audible. Grimmly and Ulrick slowly looked past him over to the still form sprawled out across the stone floor.
Cain's gaze darted to Grimmly and Ulrick, panic filling his features. He rushed over to Gwen. "Why aren't ye helping her!" he yelled over his shoulder as he kneeled beside her, his hand pushing the hair away from her face.
Grimmly and Ulrick looked at each other once more. It was Grimmly who spoke. "We aren't helping, because...because," he choked out.
"Because she's gone," Ulrick finished quietly. "She gave her soul for yours."
"No," Cain choked out, leaning his forehead down to hers, tears running down his cheeks. "Why would she do this! I told her I wasn't worth saving!"
"She seemed to think differently," Ulrick said quietly. "Here," Ulrick said as he walked over and held out the rolled parchment, "she left this for ye. 'Tis the spell for immortality."
Cain stared over his shoulder at the parchment. "Burn it," he gritted out.
Suddenly, a cough sounded from Gwen. Cain's head whipped around, as he leaned closer, holding her head with one hand behind her neck. "Gwen?"
Ulrick and Grimmly rushed over. Ulrick kneeled by Gwen, opposite Cain. Grimmly leaned over Cain's shoulder. "Sweet Jesu," Ulrick muttered, "I think she's alive."
Cain ran his hand down her cheek. "Gwendolyn, can ye hear me? Gwen...please," he choked out.
Ulrick peered up. "Cain, she canna be alive," he said gently. "She took all the evil from ye. If she is alive, she willna be the Gwendolyn we ken." Cain quickly glanced down when he felt her stir in his hands. Her eyes opened. Bright green. Ulrick sat back. "I dinna understand," he whispered.
Gwen blinked a few times before being entirely cognizant of what went on around her. "Cain," she whispered, placing her hand on his cheek. "Ouch!" she cried out suddenly, "Get it off of me!" Scrambling for the amber necklace from around her neck, she exposed it from under her bodice. The amber burned a bright, red orange.
Cain grabbed the gem in his fist, yanking it from her neck. He flung it from him, sending it skidding across the floor. Gwen rubbed at her chest. Glancing down, she noticed the bright, pink patch of blisters where the amber had laid.
"I dinna believe it," Cain muttered, "it worked."
"What did?" Ulrick asked, completely confused.
"The amber I made for Gwen ten years ago. I placed a myriad of protection spells on it for her, but...I wasn't able to give it to her, until recently. I never knew if it worked, never got the stone to glow."
"Could the magic inside of her have 'turned it on' so to speak?" Ulrick asked.
"Aye," Gwen's grandmother said, coming over to join the group.
Gwen looked up at Cain. She ran a trembling hand through her hair. "I-I don't have the magic inside of me anymore," she said quietly. "I don't feel power in me."
"It went in the amber with the evils," Ulrick said absently. Everyone glanced over to him questioningly. Ulrick shrugged. "Remember, how the evils somehow hooked onto your white light Gwen? They took it. Your power must have gone into the amber with the demons." Everyone glanced over to the amber necklace. It pulsated a bright red glow as smoke began to radiate from it. Suddenly, it began sinking into the stone, melting into the earth, the evils going back down to the pits of hell.
"My magic is gone," she said sadly. "I'm just a normal lass," she barely said.
Cain brushed her temple with his thumb as he smiled down at her in his arms. "And I...just a mon."
* * * * *
EPILOGUE
Cain gazed out over the rolling hills. He was home, a place he had searched for his entire life. His head lay on Gwen's lap as she ran her hand idly through his hair, her protruding stomach resting against his temple. Every now and then the babe inside her womb would move, kicking out softly against his head, making him smile.
"Cain?" Gwen asked. "All those months ago, in Ulrick's library when I was under that awful spell, you told me goodbye...why?"
A fleeting smile crossed Cain's mouth at the memory. "I was saying goodbye to Gwendolyn. After meeting
ye, and falling in love with 'Gwen', I knew the new version of ye was the only one I could think about, the better ye." Gwen laughed as Cain leaned up and kissed her softly on the mouth.
He just settled down, watching the clouds float slowly across the unusually warm spring sky, as footsteps sounded on the other side of the large oak tree, he and Gwen sat under.
"Intruding?" Ulrick asked with a smile as he sat down next to Gwen, leaning back against the tree.
"Doesna look like it matters," Cain said with a laugh.
Gwen smiled, looking down at her husband and then over to their best friend. Things couldn't have turned out better. After the battle, seven months ago, Gwen had realized she had indeed lost her powers, but had gained the life that she had once dreamt of, with Cain.
After leaving Ulrick's crumbling castle, their entire party, all of Ulrick's army, and any of his serfs that wanted to join them, traveled back to Julianna's run down Castle Knightly. After months of piecing it back together, partly by manual labor, and partly with Ulrick's and Gwen's grandmother's magic, they had all truly found a home.
Grimmly not only had his daughter once more, but a grandchild on the way as well. Gwen's grandmother was ever doting, happy to finally be in her grandchild's life. Ulrick had his best friends back and a place where he felt needed and useful. Cain had a wife he loved more than anything, and a bairn he couldn't wait to hold in his arms. And Gwen...Gwen had her dark immortal just the way she wanted him....
Human.
She glanced down as Cain absently ran his thumb over her wrist, over the faded tattoo she had received from saving his life. Both tattoos still remained, but they were almost completely gone. She was certain the evils had left her body, but couldn't take the entirety of the tattoos with them, the amber only able to hold so much.
Cain glanced up at her, feeling the weight of her stare. He smiled and gently kissed her wrist over the light grey ink. "I love ye." He grinned his devilishly handsome grin and wiggled his eyebrows. "Even if there is a little wickedness in ye."
And deep within the Grampian Mountains, in a dark chamber, no bigger than a small closet, no one heard the last Immortal, Gideon, roar...
THE END
###
* * * * *
Here ends Book Three in the Immortal series.
If you loved Immortal of Darkness,
you won’t want to miss Immortal Warrior, the final book in the series!
AND COMING SOON...
A new series by Alexis McNeil
The Demon Chronicles: Lucian’s Book
* * * * *
About the Author
Alexis McNeil graduated with an Associate’s degree in Computer Aided Drafting. She resides in Pennsylvania with her husband and two children, where she juggles her time as a mother, wife, writer, and part-time kitchen designer.
Connect with Me Online
Twitter: http://twitter.com/alexismcneil
http://www.alexismcneil.com
Table of Contents
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