Realms

by Kit Bladegrave

  “It’s just a small burn.”

  I pouted, but he guided me out of the greenhouse and back into the house. He said nothing else to me as he led me upstairs to our room and closed the door, blocking out the constant hum of noise from downstairs.

  “Sit,” he instructed, then went to the dresser.

  I plopped down on the edge of the bed. He returned with a first-aid kit and started dabbing a white cream on the burn. I winced at first, but it soothed the injury, and I settled back down.

  “You’re worrying too much,” I told him.

  “Think I’m allowed to,” he replied without looking up.

  “Is there something else bothering you?”

  He shook his head, but his shoulders tensed.

  “We’re all going to get through this,” I whispered, and his hands stilled in patching up my finger. “Somehow it’ll work out like it’s supposed to, right? The orb will magically start working, and we’ll face Baladon, and we’ll all live happily ever after.”

  His brow rose as my tone turned bitter. “Wow, that speech certainly lifted my spirits.”

  I grimaced. “Sorry, doing my best here.”

  “No, it’s me I just. I can’t stop thinking of those we left behind. And now we’re going to be taking more to the realms with us. Probably to die, too. It feels wrong.”

  I shook my head. “You’re not making them come with us.”

  “That does nothing to make me feel better.” He finished bandaging my finger and set the kit aside. “I need to get back to the others. We’re formulating a way to trap Baladon long enough to kill him.”

  “Kill him how, exactly?”

  “Using the powers in the riddle, if they come back.” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly aggravated. “I don’t know, but we’re working on it. Get some rest before you go back at it with the orb and Abby.” He kissed the top of my head and left.

  For once, I didn’t argue with his suggestion and lay my head on the pillow. My eyes closed, and I felt myself slip immediately into sleep.

  My dreams were anything but peaceful, and when I opened my eyes what felt like hardly minutes later, I frowned. The room was pitch black, which was odd because I was fairly certain it was barely noon when Forrest had brought me up here. Had I slept all day? I rolled over to look at the window but saw nothing outside. No stars and certainly no light from a full moon. I rubbed my eyes, confused, reaching out to the other side of the bed.

  “Forrest?”

  But he wasn’t here. Was I still dreaming? I pinched my arm, cursing at the pain. I was awake, but the room… I couldn’t see.

  My pulse raced as I sat up slowly and fumbled for the sword we kept near the bed. I snagged it by the hilt and gingerly scooted across the bed toward the side near the door.

  Something was wrong, terribly wrong.

  With each shaky breath, the temperature dropped until white clouds appeared in front of my face. The moment my toes touched the floor, I gasped. It was freezing. I braced myself for the cold and planted both feet firmly on the wooden floorboards.

  The door was only a few feet away. If I could just get out of this room, find Forrest—

  Something icy suddenly wrapped around my ankle and yanked me backward.

  “Where do you think you’re going, gatekeeper?” a voice hissed from the shadows my sight couldn’t penetrate. The tendril dug into my skin, and I swung the sword, aiming for the space in front of me, but the creature, one I hoped never to witness again, only cackled with glee. “Baladon has requested your presence.”

  “No. Forrest,” I screamed, my words failing as a second tendril reached out and snagged my other ankle, biting into my skin.

  I yelled as loud as I could until I was lifted off the floor and the beast slammed into the wall. The sword fell from my numb fingers and my head spun. I tried to shout again, but a third one slithered up and around my neck, cutting off my air. I reached up, scratching at it and tugging at it, willing my power to work. Stars exploded in my hair, but they went out just as quickly, falling harmlessly to the floor.

  They lit up enough for me to see the monster holding me captive, and my heart raced so fast I waited for it to give out.

  The creature was as tall as Baladon, hunched over in the room. Horns sprouted from its head forming a crown, and it had no legs, only tendrils that kept it upright. A flicker of pain slashed down my cheek from the sharp end of a talon.

  I pulled away, still fighting to get free of the vise around my neck.

  “Mori,” Forrest growled and slammed into the door. “Mori!”

  I opened my mouth, but only a croak emerged. I tried again, and the tendril tightened as the air became charged with magic. It was going to take me back to Baladon. And the prophecy, it would never be fulfilled. I kicked and flailed, attacking with everything I had, but the beast only cackled again.

  “You will not escape, gatekeeper. Save your strength.”

  More voices sounded outside the door. Then something heavier hit it and wood cracked. A few more hits and the door exploded inward, bringing with it bright afternoon sunshine, flooding in from the rear of the house.

  The creature hissed and snarled, curling in on itself. It dragged me from the wall and used me as a shield, putting me between itself and Forrest.

  “Let her go,” Forrest snarled, raising his sword.

  Craig and Tristan flanked him.

  “I do not listen to you, dragon scum.”

  “Let her go now, or I’ll tear you to pieces and set you on fire.”

  The beast tugged me further back, trying to keep itself out of the rays of sunlight.

  We needed more light, we needed fire. I locked gazes with Forrest, pleading for him to do what I hoped he still could. His dragon fire had worked a few days ago. Would it still work now?

  He gave his head a subtle shake, probably worried he’d hurt me. But we had no other choice.

  “Do it.” I managed to rasp, until the tendril squeezed my throat even more.

  Forrest hesitated, but I felt the rip open up behind me. The monster was about to take me through it, into the realms, to Baladon.

  Forrest took a deep breath and blew fire. It wasn’t as strong as it usually was, but it was enough to burn the tendrils holding me captive. The beast shrieked, and its grip slipped, letting me tear myself free.

  I threw myself forward into Forrest’s waiting arms, then he set me behind him and charged into the room with his blade swinging.

  The monster screeched in pain as black blood squirted into the air, drenching Forrest. He snarled as he went after the beast, again and again, until it collapsed in a bloodied and broken heap on the floor.

  “Baladon is coming for you. All of you,” it warned, voice gurgling as it choked on its own blood and finally died.

  Forrest kicked it one more time for good measure, sheathed his sword, and rushed to me. His hands gently touched my neck and the scratch on my face.

  I flinched at the pain.

  “Come on, let’s get you downstairs to Abby.”

  All I could do was nod as he scooped me up and carried me out. My ankles dripped blood all over the floor, and his growl grew deeper, more violent as he noticed my other wounds. I worked at keeping my eyes open, but the attack wore me out, and my whole body hurt. I tried to speak, but all that came out was a scratchy croak. I went to clear my throat, but it was like coughing up shards of glass.

  “Hush, love,” Forrest whispered. “Whatever it is can wait.”

  For once I listened to him and just let him carry me to the kitchen where Abby, Harold, and several other witches were.

  “Mori! What happened?”

  “She was attacked.” Forrest sat me in a kitchen chair. “Baladon’s beast.”

  “Personal… guard,” I rasped, holding a hand to my sore throat.

  “That thing?” Forrest asked sharply.

  I nodded.

  “It came for you to what, take you away?”

  I nodded again
, and his hand closed around mine.

  I had no way of knowing if any more of them would come, but if Baladon was risking sending his personal guard after me to stop us from fulfilling the prophecy, we couldn’t wait much longer. We needed a plan, and Forrest would have to admit there was no more holding off on what needed to be done.

  Abby tugged up my pants’ legs and bandaged the wounds there. I turned my head against Forrest’s chest, biting my lip to stop from crying out from the pain as she tended to me. Each touch stung, but what worried me more was how that beast had gotten inside the house. Had it opened a portal right into our room? I never felt a thing while I’d been sleeping. If his guard got in once, they could easily come back again.

  “I won’t let him take you,” Forrest promised.

  I glanced up to meet his gaze. “We need to know what he’s doing,” I whispered hoarsely.

  His brow furrowed as I tried to keep talking.

  And yet, I couldn’t stop. I had to speak.

  “He’s up to something, if he’s coming after me.”

  “The rest of the sorcerers should be arriving shortly. Between our power and the coven, we’ll try and pierce the veil into the realms.” Harold gave me an encouraging smile. then said he was going to make contact with his brethren and see how close they were.

  Abby moved on, to the wound at my neck, and the small one on my cheek, her eyes darkening and several muttered curses slipping out.

  “How’s she doing?” Kate asked as she and Sabella rushed into the kitchen.

  “She’ll live,” Forrest growled. “The beast, what did they do with it?”

  “It’s gone,” Sabella replied quietly.

  I froze, worried it hadn’t been killed at all.

  “Craig and Tristan took it outside, burned what was left. There’s no sign it managed to open a portal either,” Sabella added.

  As Abby finished putting a salve on my neck to soothe the cut, she told me to get some rest and recover. Forrest asked if I wanted to go back upstairs, but I shook my head. I couldn’t even think of being in a room again. Or even closing my eyes, not after that attack. If Forrest had been a few seconds later, I would’ve been stolen away, back to Baladon’s prison.

  “Why don’t we go outside then? Rest in the hammock?” he suggested.

  I nodded.

  “We’ll send for you when the sorcerers arrive,” Abby assured me, patting my cheek gently. “We’ll place some more wards around the house and yard, as well.”

  Forrest helped me up, and we walked out into the backyard. The sun shone warmly on us, and we sprawled out on the hammock beneath the large oak tree, next to the greenhouse. I curled into his side, shaking as the adrenaline wore off. His strong arms held me close, and we swayed calmly back and forth, not saying a word. Not that we had to.

  I felt his anger simmering just below the surface, along with his fear that I could’ve been stolen away so easily. I wanted to assure him it wouldn’t have been his fault, but my eyes drifted shut, and before too long, I was asleep.

  8

  Mori

  By the time the sun was setting, Forrest and I stirred in the hammock. I felt more rested than I had in a long while, though my neck and ankles throbbed. He cupped my cheek warmly as he kissed me.

  “Feeling alright?” he asked.

  “Yes, think so,” I said, voice still a little rough, but my throat didn’t hurt as bad as before.

  “Sounds like the sorcerers have arrived.”

  He glanced toward the house, and I followed his gaze, hearing the extra voices inside, though to be honest, it was hard to tell with so many taking up residence here now.

  From the outside, the house appeared as a large, two-story, but inside the witches had transformed it into a mansion with more than fifty bedrooms, several bathrooms, and even a second kitchen where they’d been busy mixing potions.

  “Ready to go inside?”

  Carefully, we extracted ourselves from the hammock, nearly flipping it over anyway, laughing as we staggered into one another. His hand never left mine as we hurried back inside to find Abby and Harold having a heated conversation in the kitchen.

  “Something wrong?” Forrest asked.

  “No, just differing opinions, as always,” Harold informed us with a wink.

  Abby rolled her eyes. “Of the two of us, I am the eldest, and I say we do it the way I suggested.”

  “Why don’t we compromise, just this once, eh? For old time’s sake? I mean the world is about to end, Abby,” Harold mused. “Why not live a little before it does? Be adventurous.”

  “Fine, fine. We’ll see what the others have to say about it.”

  “Where are the others?” I asked quietly.

  “Already gathering in the summoning chamber.”

  I frowned at her. “I’m sorry, the what? You added that to the house, too?”

  “Didn’t have much of a choice, we needed the space. It’s beyond the old living room. Go on now, Kate and the others are already in there.”

  Abby shooed us out of the kitchen, and we went on our way to the new summoning chamber. There were no chairs, but the new sorcerers, wearing their robes, instead of the flannel shirt Harold seemed to favor, were busy drawing chalk circles and symbols on the stone floor. The witches were following them, dropping herbs from bowls. Every now and then, a blue spark lit up an area of the circle, and the witch would nod. I took it as a good sign, not even sure if this would work or not.

  “What do you think they’re going to see?” Kate asked me as I planted myself at her side.

  “Hopefully nothing terrible,” I replied. “Hopefully Baladon miraculously dead and the realms back to normal.”

  “That would be a miracle,” Sabella sighed. “Crazier things have happened, right?”

  Abby and Harold arrived a few minutes later with Keanu, Bear, and Phoebe in tow, all wanting to witness this attempt. Abby told us to remain near the door and away from the circles, so we would not get caught up in the magic. We did as she instructed, then watched as the sorcerers and witches joined together, covering every chalked line in the chamber.

  Abby and Harold were last, both raising their right hands to dim the candles, until the only light came from the subtle blue glow of the symbols.

  “If we’re able to see,” Abby told us, “the images will appear there, on the far wall.”

  “Say nothing,” Harold added. “We do not know what we will see, or who. And if the enemy realizes what we’re doing, he may try to send his minions through.”

  I stiffened, but Forrest was right there by my side to calm me. I’d faced down Baladon’s minions before, but this last one pushed me close to the edge of breaking. I’d been so close to disappearing again, so close to losing everything I had.

  My troubled thoughts faded away as the blue light flared brighter, blinding us, and magic swirled throughout the chamber, intense and electric in nature.

  Holding my breath, I watched as that magic continued to flow and move, until it slammed itself into the far wall, forming a perfect circle.

  The witches and sorcerers all had their eyes closed, and I sensed them reaching out toward the realm, using the same magic the orb was powered by. They were close to the realms, knocking, so to speak, at their door.

  The blue light turned violet, and then they were through.

  I took a half-step closer, drawn in by what I saw on the wall. It was near Torolf, but we couldn’t see much of anything. Just darkness and fog.

  The image shifted and drew closer to the castle, but then suddenly the view was cut off by a monstrous shadow form.

  “Pull back,” I yelled to Abby and Harold. “Break the connection.”

  “Mori, what is that?” Forrest asked worriedly.

  “It’s him. It’s Baladon. Pull back!”

  Two red eyes opened wide, living flames deep in their depths. Lips parted to reveal bright, white fangs. His booming laughter echoed around the chamber, deafening us all.

  “You foo
ls,” he hissed.

  I watched, petrified.

  His hand broke through the portal, snaking out, toward Abby and Harold. “You will not defeat me. You are powerless. You will die at my hands, and I will be unstoppable.”

  His hand was followed by his arm, but he didn’t reach for Abby and Harold. Instead, his fingers inched toward the blue symbols on the floor. His fingers made contact, and a shrill shrieking echoed through the room.

  The witches and sorcerers yelled right along with the sound, as if Baladon was killing them all at once. They clutched their heads, falling to the floor one after the other, until only Abby and Harold remained standing.

  The blue light lifted from the symbols and the wall, sucked right into Baladon’s grasp. He was going to kill them all.

  Abby, yelling in fury, reached out her right hand and slammed it into the symbol. Baladon’s bellow of rage was cut off as the portal sealed shut on his arm, slicing it cleanly off at the elbow. It landed with a sickening thud to the floor, bleeding out across the stones.

  Kate ran to Abby, helping her up slowly, as the rest of us moved in, checking every witch and sorcerer. Thankfully, none were dead, but I feared something much worse had just transpired.

  “Abby?” Kate was asking her softly. “Abby, can you hear me?”

  The old woman nodded, but she stared at her hands wide-eyed, looking lost. “The magic. He took it. Drained us of it.”

  “What?” Craig snarled. “No, he couldn’t have.”

  “She’s right,” Harold whispered, sitting on the stones and shaking his head. “He’s too strong. I don’t think we can stop him.”

  “We have to,” Sabella argued. “We can’t simply give up.”

  “We might not have a choice,” he replied, defeated. “I’ve never felt darkness like that, never-ending, so filled with malice. I’m sorry, truly I am, but I don’t know what else we can do.”

  I glanced over my shoulder. Forrest stood there, by himself, where I’d left him when I tried to get a better look. His head hung down, his arms crossed firmly over his chest. His gaze locked onto mine, and then, abruptly, he was moving through the room and out the door.