by Tara Maya, Elle Casey, J L Bryan, Anthea Sharp, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, Alexia Purdy (epub)
Chapter Thirty
All of us started talking at once.
"Where the hell did he go?" asked Spike.
"What in the sam hill?" said Finn.
"I knew that motherfucker was in on it with them!" I yelled, finally feeling validated.
"I didn't even notice a door was there," said Tony, sounding more curious than anything.
I walked up to the spot where Jared had just been. I felt along the granite surface of the obelisk, but there were no cracks, no hinges, nothing.
Spike had walked around to the other side of it, doing the same thing. "I don't think he slipped out the back or anything."
Tony stepped up to the space under the inscription. "We might as well do this. It's the only way we're going to get out of here ... unless you guys feel like going through that orc forest again. You know we're in the dead center of it right now."
It was as if him speaking the words suddenly caused it to happen. The sounds of orcs off in the distance came out of the trees and across the clearing to our ears. They were coming this way.
"So, what are we supposed to do, then?" I asked, panicking once again.
"The inscription says to speak your fondest desire. Jared said he wanted to get back to his people. I'll try that," said Tony, bravely.
Tony straightened his shoulders and looked at all of us. "I want to go back to my people."
Nothing happened.
He tried again, louder. "I want to go back to my people!"
"Try something else," Finn suggested.
"Like what?"
Finn rolled his eyes. "Duh, say your fondest desire, not Jared's fondest desire."
Tony's face turned red. "Right. Okay. Um ... let's see ... what is my fondest desire?"
The sound of the orcs' arrival was getting louder.
"Come on, Tony, hurry up!" urged Spike.
I ran up to his side. "Maybe we can go in together and save some time."
Tony looked down at me and made his decision. "My fondest desire is that Jayne be safe."
The door opened, the blackness within beckoning.
Tony and I stepped forward. Tony entered into the blackness, but I bounced off, landing on my ass in the grass.
"What the ... ?"
Tony was inside, looking back at me. "One at a time, I guess. Do it, Jayne! I'll be right here waiting."
The door swung shut behind him.
I looked at Spike, Finn, and Chase in a panic. "Do you guys know your fondest desire? I don't! I'm thinking, but I can't come up with it, I'm too nervous!"
"I have mine," said Finn.
I waved him forward. "You go. I'll come after. Watch Tony's back for me."
"I'm not sure if I feel right leaving a lady behind."
"You're not. I have Chase and Spike here."
"Fine, then." Finn went over and stood at the invisible door. "I wish I could have an ice-cold beer and a chew."
The door opened and Finn stepped through.
Fucking rednecks. If only life could be that simple.
Spike laughed. "Sounds good to me. Ready now, Jayne?"
"No. You go."
Spike looked at Chase. "You good to wait for her?"
Chase nodded once.
Spike stepped up to the door. He straightened his shoulders and said, "My fondest desire is to go home."
The obelisk stood silent, unmoving.
Spike ran his fingers through his hair. "I guess it's some sort of lie detector, eh?" He laughed self-consciously. "Okay, how 'bout: my fondest desire is to get out of this forest."
Still nothing.
I raised my eyebrow. Whatever it was, Spike was either avoiding it or he didn't even know what it was. I could feel his discomfort from here.
He looked over his shoulder in the direction of the orc sounds, which had grown increasingly louder.
"Better make it fast," said Chase.
He turned back to the door and threw his hands up. "Fine! I wish I could kiss the lips of Jayne Sparks!"
I gasped as the door opened.
He turned around, walking backwards into the opening, smiling at me with those amazing teeth. "See you soon."
The door shut behind him.
Chase's eyebrows rose in surprise, but he didn't say a word.
I was too stunned to say anything. The guy could have wished for anything in the world, but what he wanted most was to kiss me? What a horrendous waste that was - all he had to do was ask! Shit, he didn't even have to ask, he could have just done it and I wouldn't have complained. I shook my head. Life was so messed up sometimes.
Chase gestured with his head that I was to go next, but no friggin' way was I sharing my heart's desire with him or anyone else. I trusted him and everything, but as I heard what the others said, my wish became clear to me. I was a little embarrassed about how selfish it was, but there was no use denying it. Only the truth was going to open that door. Only the truth was going to set me free.
Chase got behind me, trying to push me gently by my shoulders to the door.
"Chase, you should know me well enough by now. I'm not going until you go."
"I can't leave you here."
"Yes, you can. I have it all figured out. I know my fondest desire. I just don't want you to hear it."
"Is it Spike?"
"What? No, it's not Spike."
Chase smiled. "Do you think we get what we wish for?"
"I don't know. I guess I'm hoping so."
He stepped up to the inscription and took a deep breath. He looked back at me once and then up at the words. "I want to protect Jayne from all the evil."
The door opened. Chase stepped through without a backward glance.
The door shut behind him.
I was blown away all over again. Chase's fondest desire was to take care of me. Me? Why not himself? Why not wish for a swig of ice-cold beer, or a soda? Why not anything else? He was always so quiet. How was I supposed to know he felt this way?
The thoughts and emotions kept tumbling through my head. Tony, my best friend in the world, loving, protective, smart ... Spike, the hottest guy I knew with the most amazing sexy smile, happy, positive, musical ... Chase, strong, fearless, dedicated, unassuming, deep. They all were amazing guys who I was more than fortunate to count among my friends. How did I get so lucky?
The sound of a blood-curdling roar filled my ears. I turned in a panic, realizing that I'd wasted too much time. I was no longer alone in the clearing.
The largest orc of the army of orcs was striding towards me, salivating at the idea of eating me alive. I could feel the malevolence coming off of him in waves.
The grass in the clearing was tingling. I could feel it in my feet. The Green was reaching out to me. It was all around me. The trees were no longer black. They were green, alive, connecting and linked. I sent out my last message - keep me safe.
I ran to the front of the obelisk, looking behind me. The orc was still coming, closing in on me. A legion of orcs was behind him, the earth trembling with their footsteps.
"My fondest desire is to be worthy of my friends!"
The door didn't open.
Shit!
"My fondest desire is to be a good person!"
Still, the door remained closed.
Shitfuckshit!
The orcs were fifty feet away, closing in on me. I was desperate. What was my fondest desire? Help me!
I called out to The Green, and seconds later, detected movement out of the corner of my eye. Something was coming from the forest on the other side of the obelisk, opposite the orcs. I took a step to my left, trying to get a better view.
Lining the edge of the trees and moving purposefully towards the obelisk was a group of people. No, not people. Well, yes, people, but not regular ones.
They were smaller, lighter, and clothed in green and brown.
They were tall and thin, wearing cloaks.
They were short and squat wearing commando uniforms.
They were the people of
The Green, and they had come armed with bows and arrows, clubs, axes, spears, and slingshots. The Green had sent an army to help me.
Vines came out of the forest behind the orcs, quickly slithering across the clearing to grab at their ankles and take them down. Once down, the orcs were covered in vines, incapacitated, and pulled back towards the forest - away from me.
The Green army fell on the orcs and began annihilating them.
The carnage was unbelievable. Black blood sprayed up and covered anything and anyone nearby. The burning acid saliva hissed as it landed on bodies and the ground. The screams of the soldiers of The Green echoed off the trees surrounding the clearing, as the orcs were able to escape their bonds and use their strength to bludgeon and rip apart some of their attackers.
I stood there, in shock, tears pouring down my face. My heart had stopped beating for I don't know how long and now rushed to get back in sync.
This is all my fault ... IT'S ALL MY FAULT!!
People of The Green were screaming, crying, and dying. They were being butchered. Small people, big people, short people, tall ones, black ones, green ones ... all of them. Dying because of me.
Just when I thought I wouldn't be able to take another second of it, I felt a gentle touch on my arm. I looked to see who it was.
"BECKY!!"
I grabbed her in a hug so hard I was surprised I didn't crush her bones.
She hugged me back for a second and then pried me off of her. "Jayne, you have to go now. This is not where you need to be."
I was sobbing so hard I could barely breathe, let alone talk. I had to shout to be heard above the noise of the battle.
"Becky! You're alive? You're ... holy shit ... alive!" I gasped to catch my breath. "I thought you died in that lake!"
"Things are not as they seem here, but I think you already know that. You must enter the obelisk and finish the test. They are waiting for you on the other side."
"Aren't you coming?"
"I've already been. I'll see you again, don't worry. But it's time for you to go now. You cannot get tangled up in this mess." She gestured with her head to the battle that was still raging on.
She took my hand and pulled me to the obelisk. "Say the words."
"I can't."
"Yes, you can. And don't lie or say something you think other people want to hear. Say what is in your heart - what is your fondest desire?"
I took a deep breath, glancing at Becky and then at the door. I looked again at the inscription there, carved into the stone.
Speak Your Fondest Desire. Enter To Begin The Change.
I closed my eyes, listening to the sound of the orcs roaring and the people of The Green yelling their war cries. Everything was connected. Everyone was here for me and because of me. I already had my wish.
"My fondest desire is to be someone extraordinary."
The door to the obelisk opened, and I stepped into the darkness beyond.
Chapter Thirty-One
The corridor beyond the obelisk of waypoint four was lit with torches set in old metal sconces and brackets embedded in the stone walls - stone walls that were not built with individual blocks of material fitted together, but walls that were carved right out of great pieces of rock themselves. I ran my hand across its surface as I walked. It was slightly moist and smelled of minerals.
After going down the corridor for what seemed like a long time - but was probably no more than two minutes - I saw the gentle, flickering glow of candlelight in the shape of a rectangle up ahead. As I got closer, I realized it was a closed door. The light shining behind it and seeping through the cracks had created an illusion of a glowing shape.
The door had big iron bands on it, holding the wood together and maintaining its shape. There was an iron knocker on the front. It had a familiar face on it, but I didn't make the connection. How do I know this face? I grasped it and banged it down on the metal plate resting underneath, three times. The door swung open to reveal Tony standing in the doorway.
I jumped on him, burying my face in his neck and closing my eyes, hugging him as hard as I possibly could. I wanted to be instantly transported back to Florida - back to my horrible house with my disgusting mother's boyfriend and everything. I didn't want to be here anymore.
"It's not that bad, Jayne, you'll see," whispered Tony in my ear.
"Yes it is," I answered, my voice muffled by his shirt.
"Just come in and talk to them."
"No." I refused to let go of him. "There's a war going on out there, you know."
"Yes, we know. Come on ... come inside. They'll explain everything."
I let Tony go. "They who?"
Tony turned and gestured. "They, them."
I looked in the room and gasped. Not only were all my friends there, but so were Dardennes, Ivar, Niles, Céline, the Lady of the Lake - otherwise known as the watery whore - the werewolf I had talked to and probably a few of his friends, but I wasn't sure because I'd never seen them looking so un-wolf-like - Gilly, Gander, the vampire, and last but not least, Jared. And he was standing with all the forest people.
"Ha! I knew you were in on it!" I yelled at Jared, pissed all over again.
Jared gave me a vague smile and tipped his head.
I looked at Tony smugly. "I fucking told you, but noooo, you wouldn't listen."
Tony held up his hands, surrendering to my superior intellect, or at least that's what I told myself. "You win, Jayne, you were right ... about part of it, but not all of it. Come on, let's sit down. They're about to start."
"Start what? Eating us for dinner?"
I shot an evil eye over to the wolves and the lake whore. I didn't care if Becky was still alive. That woman was still rotten to the core, and I knew those wolves would have eaten me if I had come down from the tree. I wish I'd just gone ahead and pissed on them.
I took a seat at the massive wood table where the rest of my friends were already sitting. Spike looked at me and smiled, his face turning red. I pointed at him, mouthing the words, 'You're mine later.'
He raised his eyebrows all cocky-like, welcoming my challenge.
Okay, so it's not all bad right now.
I sat down next to Chase and Tony. Chase nodded at me, and I reached over and squeezed his arm. It was nice to know he had my back. I tried to ignore the other warm feelings that came up when I looked at him. I didn't think I was talented enough to juggle two love interests simultaneously. Of course, I'd never tried, so maybe ...
Tony kicked my seat, for sure vibing me and picking up on my amorous thoughts.
Dammit.
"A-hem. Let's get the meeting started, shall we?"
It was Dardennes talking. I gave him my most powerful evil eye. I so wanted to get him alone and show him just how appreciative I was of all the lies, deceit, and near-death experiences. He was just lucky as hell that Becky was okay. Now at least I didn't have to avenge her death, which I had been totally prepared to do.
"First, congratulations on making it through the test to the end. We are all very proud of you, as we are well aware of the obstacles you faced."
I snorted at that. Obstacles, my ass.
Dardennes continued, pretending he hadn't heard me. "You have all not only succeeded in completing the test and earning your five hundred dollars, you have also qualified for the special bonus that was mentioned by my colleague Céline on your first day at the lodge."
My ears perked up at the word 'bonus'.
"Before I share the details of that with you, it's important that I give you some background. Without it, the bonus would make little sense to you. I hope that you can remain patient with me." He gave me a particularly pointed look, to which I responded with a good rolling of the eyes. "I ask that you hear me out and give my colleagues your due attention as well. We have some history to share with you."
He paused, looking to each of us for some sort of response. We all nodded, now at least curious. History wasn't my favorite subject, but I had a feeling this history
lesson was going to be different than the ones I was used to hearing in school.
***
"Many years ago, thousands of years ago, in fact, there was a special species of human-like creatures on the Earth. Today this species goes by many names, but we call it 'fae'. This species is very similar to the human species, with some key differences, one being that the life spans of the races that make up this species are much longer - for some as long as several thousand years - and another difference being that they all have what you would call supernatural abilities. These abilities are supernatural to the human species, but are in fact, quite 'natural' for the fae species." He paused to take a drink of water and let his words sink in.
I felt like Alice must have felt when she fell into the rabbit hole. Yes, when I was in the forest, some next-level freaky shit was going on. Yes, I was now talking to trees. And yes, I just saw an army of orcs being attacked by an army of ... fae. But it wasn't until sitting through this little history lesson that I finally, finally felt like I was in another dimension. That shows how fucked up in the head I was at this point.
Dardennes continued. "Within the fae species are many fae races. You have already met some of them: the werewolves ... "
At this, the pack of guys who I assumed were the werewolves who had treed us the other day, bowed their heads to us.
" ... the gnomes ... "
Gilly and Gander bowed low, and once again I was thankful I wasn't standing behind Gilly. I saw one of the wolves glance over at the wrong time and quickly look away, swallowing hard. That'll teach him to look at the ass-end of a gnome with a miniskirt on.
" ... the sirens ... "
The Lady of the Lake looked at us, without making any gesture at all, but we knew who he was talking about.
The big door opened and the guy I had nicknamed Robin Hood stepped through, nodding to Dardennes as he took his place among the fae.
" ... the Green Elves ... "
Robin Hood fae nodded his head briskly at all of us.
" ... the Dwarves ... "
Niles put a fist to his chest over his heart as some sort of warrior salute, no doubt.
" ... the Incubus and his female counterpart the Succubus ... "
