Realms

by Kit Bladegrave

  She glanced behind her at the door to the hall. “Four scouts should be on the return trip. Once they’re here, I’ll send them to you, and you can ask them. I have not been to the main camp in many weeks, and it’s probably changed.”

  She left the hall to go wait for the scouts, leaving us with Hank, the other pack leaders, Luca, Nora, Keanu, Bear, Phoebe, and the others who had turned into commanders during this long war. All had appeared eager enough to hear out our first plan, but now that we were starting to get into what we wanted to do, I saw the fear in their eyes. I understood that fear all too well. What happened if this plan went south and they wound up imprisoned by Baladon instead? Or worse, he caught us all and killed us? They had every right to be afraid. Being kept in a cage was the worst fate, watching your family, your friends killed slowly and painfully. It was happening to those he had captive now. There was no other reason for him to hold them unless he was draining them of their life and whatever magic was left in their bodies. I was fairly certain we’d wounded him returning him here, and if that was so, then the prisoners in the cages had less time than we might hope.

  “We can’t wait days to make this attack,” I spoke up suddenly just as Danielle returned to the hall.

  “What do you mean?” Forrest asked.

  “I mean Baladon is using those prisoners already, taking what he can from them. The longer we wait, the less we’ll be able to save. We have to move as soon as the scouts return with their report.”

  “Will it weaken him, taking our people back?” Luca growled, gripping the sword at his hip.

  “It will help if nothing else, but I’m not certain where else he’s drawing power from.”

  “We are,” Lucy said, glancing toward Luca and Nora. “They discovered it a few weeks ago, but with no one able to shift or use magic, the plans we came up with would’ve ended in our deaths. And for the moment, Baladon seems unaware that we know his secret.”

  “Secret? What secret?” Sabella perked up.

  “That he has a straight connection to the abyss,” she explained, her gaze shifting to me. “Mori?”

  My mouth had fallen open, and I was cursing, hadn’t even realized it. “Sorry, it’s just… if he’s drawing from the abyss, that’s the center of all darkness in all creation. It’s what gave birth to him in the very beginning. If he’s pulling on it, we have no other choice.”

  “No other choice than what?” Forrest glanced at me worriedly. “What, Mori?”

  “We have to close off his access to it completely.”

  “Alright so we go where it is, and we what, collapse the portal. Can’t be that hard,” Kate said, but I was already shaking my head. “No?”

  “It takes the strength of a god to close off a portal as powerful as this one.”

  “But you are one,” Kate pointed out. “And Sabella’s half.”

  “And since it’s the portal to darkness, evil, it requires something else. Blood magic. Something I know nothing about and to use it… to use it, I would taint my starlight,” I told them quietly. “We’ll come up with a way, but right now, I say we focus on the prisoners.”

  My words made a hush fall over the hall, but there was no lying about how difficult closing the portal would be. I hadn’t told them the whole truth yet, but I’d get to it eventually. It wasn’t just blood magic required. I knew what it had taken for Baladon to open that portal—sacrifices. Ten, maybe twenty? To close it would take my power, as well as more sacrifices, potentially far more than were needed to open it. We could use Baladon’s minions, but it wasn’t as if they’d willingly throw themselves into the abyss. We’d have to trick them at just the right moment to make it work.

  “Mori?” Forrest held my hand and was eyeing me funny.

  “It’s nothing, let’s get back to the plan.” I attempted a smile that failed miserably.

  I listened as the others spoke, knowing as soon as Forrest had me alone he would ask what I wasn’t telling everyone else. But one problem at a time. I paid close attention to the plan, nodding along with what made sense, and adding suggestions here and there about how to approach the cages, and get everyone connected so we could use the orb.

  I longed for this meeting to be over, if only so I could try to reach out to the other gods. Since we’d been back, I tried a few times calling to Thorne, but there’d been no reply. Though he told me they were leaving the realms and moving on, I longed to hear his voice one last time, have him tell me we were on the right path and that all of this fighting and dying would not be in vain.

  The idea of all the gods being killed and destroyed tore me apart. I wished I could visit my home, but it was too dangerous. Baladon might expect me to go there and he probably had a trap set and was waiting. He’d had months to plan his attacks in case our return occurred. And he knew we’d be coming for him at one point or another.

  The scouts—a shifter and an elf—finally arrived, covered in mud and blood, having encountered two hellhounds on their way back.

  “Were you followed?” Danielle asked.

  They shook their heads. “No, we killed the hellhounds miles away, then sprinted back here,” the shifter explained as the elf beside him caught his breath.

  “And the camp?” Kate asked eagerly.

  He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and showed us where everything was located within the boundaries of the main camp. He rattled off numbers that I didn’t hear, only paying attention to the location of the cages, the commanders, and Baladon himself, since they said he was there, walking through the camp with that staff of his, limping and holding his side.

  Good, we had hurt him. When they said the abyss was only a mile or so from the camp, I was both excited and worried at the news. Having it so close to the troops meant an easier time of getting the entrance closed using Baladon’s own men as sacrifices. But at the same time, it made it a risk to attack anywhere near it in case any of us were sucked in, instead.

  “Well?” Danielle asked after a few minutes of silence. “Will it work?”

  Kate and Sabella.

  “In theory, yes, it’ll work,” I replied. “The rear of the camp is not guarded?”

  “No,” the elf scout said. “Only the cages.”

  “And how many?”

  “Twenty massive ones? Maybe more, filled with our people.” His face hardened. “We witnessed Baladon kill at least ten while we were there, drained them of life as they screamed for mercy.”

  “Shit,” Kate whispered, as Sabella hung her head. “Mori’s right, we have no more time.”

  “How many volunteers do you need?” Danielle asked. “I’m going.”

  “And me,” Hank announced.

  Luca and Nora rose as well, followed by all four pack leaders, and three more elves. Keanu, Bear, and Phoebe were right behind them. Lucy was next to stand even though Kate frowned.

  “What? You think that wound knocked me out of the fight? Not even close, child. If we’re getting our people back, I’m coming with you. I might not have my magic, but have you seen your Mama fight with a sword?” Lucy winked.

  Forrest and Craig grinned.

  “Right, get yourselves prepared and meet at the entrance,” Craig announced. “We head out in ten.”

  The room emptied quickly, and Forrest kissed my cheek, then left with the guys to get his sword and armor. I needed no weapon other than the starlight that had returned to its full power within me. Sabella was the same, and Kate always had her shield, though she left to go find a suitable blade leaving.

  Sabella and I were alone.

  “Honestly, do you think we can pull this off?” Sabella asked me.

  “Anything we manage to pull off now is going to be a miracle,” I told her then excused myself.

  I had ten minutes. I was going to use them to try and contact Thorne again. I’d been trying since we landed here. I hurried through the fortress and found an empty corridor with an alcove. I waited a few moments to make sure I was alone, then shut my eyes hard. “Thor
ne, talk to me, please. Send me some sort of sign.”

  I waited, but all I heard was my own shaky breaths and my pulse hammering away in my ears.

  “You can’t all be dead, I refuse to believe that,” I insisted. “Just answer me. I’m begging you. What should I do?”

  When there was no answering reply, I sagged back against the cold stone, my heart sinking.

  They were all gone then.

  Sabella and I were the last links to the gods, aside from Baladon.

  I was about to walk away, to join the others at the entrance when a sudden, warm breeze lifted the ends of my hair. Stars fluttered to the floor at my feet, and a whisper of a voice brushed against my ear.

  Thorne.

  It had to be him, but all he said was my name.

  Then the breeze was gone.

  I took a deep breath, and when I opened my eyes, my body glowed even brighter than earlier.

  I was right where I was meant to be.

  And Baladon, he would pay for all the lives he stole, for destroying my family. I would get my revenge.

  Starting right now.

  14

  Forrest

  Hearing Danielle speak of the destruction caused by the war and actually seeing it were two completely different experiences. The moment we stepped away from the mountain fortress and headed west toward Gregornath, evidence of a great war became abundantly clear.

  The rolling hills of grasses and trees had been stripped of life, burnt away as if a fire had hungrily eaten every last bit of vegetation. Dead trunks, charred completely black were all that remained, sprouting from mounds of ash and dust.

  This forest, I knew this place as a child, but now it was nothing but a dead wasteland, as far as I could see. We walked across dried-out creek beds that used to rush through the lands this time of year as the snows melted. No birds sang, no deer darted through the trees. There were no signs of any animals at all as we trudged onward, following Danielle and Hank.

  The air grew thick with fog, and it became hard to see, but at least we could see. The darkness had lifted even more since our arrival, and that was something to be thankful for. I couldn’t imagine fighting these battles in complete darkness.

  My soul ached for the land. I swore to whatever life remained I would see this place restored once Baladon was killed. I longed to see green again and ran my hand over the limb of a dead tree.

  This world would not turn into another burnt one. Not while I still had breath in my lungs.

  “Forrest, what did you just do?” Mori whispered, tugging me to a stop.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Look.” She pointed at the tree I just touched.

  We all stopped and watched as the branch cracked and creaked, shedding the burnt bark that covered it so new growth appeared right. Several new smaller branches burst forth, and leaves began to bud on them.

  “You healed it.”

  “No, that’s not possible,” I murmured. “I don’t have power like that.”

  “It appears now you do,” Lucy said in an awed voice.

  The tree continued to heal itself until there wasn’t a hint of burned bark anywhere on it and leaves grew thick amongst the branches reaching toward the sky. But it didn’t stop there. The ground around the tree came to life. Bright, green grass burst out of the ash at its base, moss, and flowers with yellow and blue petals spreading out slowly from it.

  “All I did was think of healing the land.” I smiled, happy to see the green return and spread. “I don’t understand.”

  “Maybe you’re not supposed to,” Lucy suggested.

  “We have to keep moving,” Craig said, though his eyes were on the tree. “We have lives to save, and then we can worry about the land.”

  I rested my palm against the fresh bark, amazed to feel a hum beneath it. I smiled and continued on with our small party, onward toward the camp.

  My good spirits didn’t last long.

  Eventually, we came to what Danielle referred to as the frontline of the war. It was worse than what we’d already witnessed. They had dug a deep trench to try and keep up a defense against Baladon’s forces, but the spiked walls and lookout points were all nearly destroyed. I didn’t expect to see any troops in that trench, but several heads popped up as we neared. Danielle told us to stay low, and we followed her lead down into the trench. It stank of blood and disease. Those within it were muddied and covered in dried blood. At the sight of us, though, they all stood taller and grinned.

  “These men stay here?” I asked surprised.

  “We need to keep someone here to try and hold back the assaults. We have two hundred fighters here at all times,” Danielle informed us as we walked through the trench. “If Baladon was ready to take over, they could swarm this place, but he only sends in small attack parties. It’s wearing us down, though and before long, this trench will be overtaken. Come on, we can get to the tree line from the other end and be closer to the camp.”

  All through the trench, we shook hands and patted our warriors on the back, giving them what hope we could, that we were here to end the war. A few barely managed a nod, too scared or exhausted to make it to their feet. It wasn’t until we neared the other end of the trench, my spirit battered at so much despair, that I heard someone call out my name.

  “King Forrest, thank the gods, you lived.” A pair of arms wrapped around me.

  Then I realized who it was. “Magnus. You old brute. You lived? What are you doing out here?”

  His face had several fresh cuts, and his clothes were as filthy as all the rest of the warriors. “Doing what I can for the wounded, fighting when I need to. I heard a rumor you’d returned, but didn’t dare believe until I saw you. What are you doing here?”

  “Rescuing the prisoners, we hope,” I explained. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done.”

  “It’s my duty, sire, as it always will be.” He beamed at me. “You father would be damned proud of you. I hope you know that. He’s watching over you, Forrest, wherever you go.”

  The thought was comforting, and I prayed it to be true. Having my father fighting by my side, even in spirit, would do me good. “Have they attacked recently?”

  “It’s been quiet for the last few days. Strange really. Usually, he sends an attack every day.”

  “We wounded him,” I said and gave him a brief rundown on what happened in the human world. He glanced past me to where Mori stood and smiled wider. “Baladon’s been wounded, but we’re not certain for how long.”

  “Then go and good luck to you. And do me a favor? Take down as many of those rotting bastards as you can, eh? For me.”

  “I will.” I shook his hand again and caught up with the rest of our group.

  “We hit the trees,” Danielle said, “stay low and stay in the shadows. We’ll have to go around the entrance to the abyss, but there are fewer guards on this side. With any luck, we’ll reach the rear of the camp without being spotted.”

  “And if we are spotted?” Luca asked.

  “Run like hell and get out before you’re captured,” Craig told him with all seriousness. “Stick to the plan. Mori, you have the orb ready?”

  She reached for the pouch hanging from her belt. “As soon as we’re all connected, we’ll transport ourselves out of there and to the designated location.”

  There was a field a few miles south of this camp that we planned to reach. If we transported ourselves right to the mountain fortress, any enemies who got caught up with us would know exactly where we were hiding out. This way, we had a chance to kill them and not give anything away.

  Craig asked if we all were ready, then he took the lead and moved out of the trench and into the trees. Danielle hadn’t lied about them offering little to no cover, but we stayed low and just within sight of the camp.

  Minions and monsters alike were posted every ten feet on the perimeter, right in front of us.

  I waited for them to see us moving and sound the alarm, but Danielle di
rected Craig exactly where to go. She’d clearly done this before, several times, and sadly, I thought of how many fighters must’ve died on whatever previous attempts they’d made at taking over the camp.

  When we came to a clearing, Danielle motioned for us to head further from the camp and stay clear of it. We barely went a few feet when an overwhelming feeling of fear and despair struck me, making me want to give up and end it all. I sucked in a deep breath, clutching my chest. I wasn’t the only one.

  Danielle urged us forward, mouthing for us to hurry. As I passed the clearing, a chilling howl reverberated in the trees and drew my gaze to what could only be described as a pit straight to hell. No, not to hell.

  That was the entrance into the abyss that spawned Baladon in the first place.

  It was utter darkness. Cracks stretched across the ground, reaching outward as if it tried to devour everything around it. Each second we remained by it, the heavier I felt until I was nearly on my knees, wanting to stop moving completely.

  Mori took hold of my hand. Her influx of light fought back, and I managed to follow behind her and back into the trees on the other side of the abyss.

  How were we going to get close enough to close that thing without any of us getting killed was beyond me. We could barely walk around it, let alone get near enough to use whatever blood magic was needed to shut it forever.

  Mori’s eyes were wide as she stared at it. There was a flicker of regret in her gaze, but when she caught me watching, it disappeared. I’d sensed it during the meeting in the hall, too. There was more to the task of closing off the abyss than she’d let on. I’d wanted to ask her then, but there hadn’t been a chance. Now was not the time, either.

  Once we made it through this mission, if we did, I’d make her tell me. The time for secrets was over. Bad news was bad news, and I was tired of having it dished out to me slowly.

  We had no time to rest and moved on again toward our goal. Eventually, Danielle waved her hand for us to gather around and then nodded toward the camp.