Release (The Protector Book 3)

by M. R. Merrick

  Chapter 24

  The massive tree stood behind us; multi-colored flowers and dark green leaves were a backdrop for Tiki. We stood in a circle linking arms and I knew there were too many of us. Tiki could transfer a few people without any issues but not seven. Elyas had interfered last time and said he wasn’t strong enough. She had given Tiki the extra power he needed, but here we were again, with more people than he could handle.

  Tiki raised this concern several times but I deflected it, telling him it would be fine. I didn’t know that it would be, but I had to go on faith. I’d pleaded in my mind, begging Elyas to show herself, to give us the strength to travel there, but there was no response. She didn’t appear and her voice didn’t echo in my head. So I pushed us forward on insecure hope.

  I silently prayed, begging for Serephina to grant us her strength. To give Elyas permission to aid us and move us forward. There was still no answer, and my nerves clenched as Tiki’s power surrounded us.

  The black portal opened under our feet and the pressure built. Tiki’s eyes locked with mine, and I could see how tired he looked. It had cost him more magic than it should’ve to open a doorway this large. The black expanded beneath us and began to fold on the air.

  Beads of sweat dripped down Tiki’s face. His forehead creased, his jaw clenched, and he started to tremble. The black built up around us but the magic could not be sustained. The portal began to fade, swallowing itself inch by inch.

  Tiki’s knees started to weaken and he struggled to remain on his feet. Rai gripped my shoulder and tiny claws poked into my chest. I felt streams of blood trickle down my back and neck, and Tiki’s hand nearly crushed mine.

  I ignored the pain of his grip and kept my eyes locked on his. My elements flared with his power and heat nipped at my throat. Water crashed against the flame and I felt smoke at the back of my throat. Please, I thought, picturing Elyas’s face, when she silently came to our aid.

  The smell of fruit wafted around us and Tiki looked relieved, as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. I thanked the gods as the magic revitalized the darkness, pushing it up around us. It enveloped our bodies, the pressure grew, and everything vanished.

  I took a deep breath and held it in my lungs as the light of our dimension left. My grip on the others was firm but I relaxed my body, letting the portal press around me. It tried to squeeze the air from my lungs, but I didn’t cede to its demand. I remained calm and let the darkness swirl until the portal opened up beneath me.

  Neon green exploded from the pinhole of light, and as it grew, the light grew warmer. Different shades of green appeared, lighting up the doorway in an emerald rainbow.

  Cool air swept over my skin, and I inhaled it, my lungs nearly ready to burst with their desire for oxygen. Pine needles and wet dirt filled the air with their scent. A hint of smoke wafted in the distance, and the smell of ashy wood invigorated me, making the air element inside me pulse to life.

  I kept the magic deep in my soul, not satisfying its urge to be freed. It fought against me, but it remained in my control and the impulse lessened as I denied it release.

  Tiki and Karissa’s grip tightened on my arms, gripping either side of me like they would tear me apart. My muscles tensed as Karissa’s claws came out; she was having trouble containing her beast.

  I flexed my muscles and let my magic ease her. Water and earth mingled together, whirling through my arms and into her hands. The last thing I needed was her scratching me. I had no desire to eat raw meat and walk around on all fours. Not for all the added grace in the world.

  Karissa’s body relaxed as the magic flowed into her and her claws retracted. The portal began to move, revolving around us as the opening grew. The tops of trees came into view, and as the gateway expanded, it uncovered a forest that went on for as far as I could see.

  A glint of something flashed as we neared the entrance. It looked like the head of a man. Not a real man, but a statue. Something inside me told me it was the statue we needed, but it was a long way off in the distance.

  The pressure of the portal became absent as it spit us into this world. The air churned around me as I fell to the ground. The link we all had with one another broke and everyone began to flail.

  I tried to remain calm and balanced as Tiki had instructed, but with legs and arms hitting me and swinging about, it was impossible. I called to my air element and let it come to life. The hands slapping against me drifted away as my speed slowed and theirs remained constant.

  The air circulating around me grew thick and became a near-physical object. I guided my body lower like an unseen hand. The magic inside me had control of the air, and I controlled the magic. All the adrenaline from free falling faded, and the element’s warmth danced inside my soul.

  Rai leaped from my shoulder, cutting through the air while I descended. I hadn’t figured out if I could stop myself in the air completely, but as I neared the ground, my descent was a slow and even pace. Leading myself through one of the holes in the canopy forest—no doubt made from one of my fallen allies—I floated through the trees, unscathed from the fall.

  My arms extended and I began to walk on the air. Like a staircase, I took the final steps and touched the earth, filled with a sense of power and confidence.

  The happiness was short lived, however, and darkness replaced it. Moments after I touched the ground, flashes of black dots filled my vision and pain tore through my left leg. I screamed and my knee buckled, my body dropping to the ground. I curled my legs into my stomach; the pain was intense as if someone had sliced a blade across my heel, and the ache wound its way up my leg.

  My teeth ground together and I rocked back and forth while taking quick, hard breaths. I groaned and squeezed my hands on my legs, causing a different type of pain I hoped would distract from the rest. It didn’t.

  I closed my eyes and called to my water element, and as it came, so did more pain. I dropped the magic and screamed again, slamming my fist to the ground and cursing. Dirt shot up around my body with unnatural force, and a shock of pain moved through my arm, a welcome relief from my leg.

  Everyone was on their feet, standing around me and looking unsure what to do. My fingers scraped the earth, digging deep into the dirt until the pain subsided. Faint throbbing pulsed from my knee to my calf, and although it still hurt, the pain was no longer unbearable.

  “What should we do?” Karissa’s voice echoed through my head.

  “I don’t know,” said Garrett.

  “Give him air. Everyone back up and let him breathe,” Vincent commanded.

  Their faces blurred in and out of my vision. Black dots swarmed in the blurred light, but I shook my head, trying to push them back. As the throb shifted into a dull burning, I took a long, deep breath.

  My heart pounded in my chest, ready to break free of its cage. I could feel something running down the back of my leg but I didn’t want to look. The burning was constant, with a piercing pain coming at random intervals. I felt glued to the earth.

  “Are you okay, Chase Williams?” Tiki crouched in front of me, Willy standing beside him.

  “I…think so…” I said, still trying to catch my breath. “I just need a minute.”

  I reached down my right leg and grabbed the ankle of my black cargos. I took a deep breath and pulled them up over my knee.

  Blood ran from my knee to my foot. My white socks were now dark red, soaking up the fluid as it ran down my leg. I closed my eyes and took another breath. What the hell was happening to me?

  Willy gasped and shook his head. “I can—can’t lo—look at this,” he said, pacing back and forth until he settled for crossing his legs on the ground.

  “As a wolf, you hunt and eat animals,” Vincent said. “How can the sight of…never mind. The last thing I want is a better understanding of you.”

  “Shut up!” I screamed between breaths, glaring at Vincent.

  “My, my, a touch emotional, aren’t we?” Vincent scoffed. “It’s just a
scratch.”

  “Just a scratch?” I turned my calf over to display the gash in the center of it. It was nearly six inches long, and although it wasn’t as deep or as wide as the pain had led me to believe, there was a thick flow of blood pouring out of it.

  “Perhaps more of a slight laceration…” Vincent licked his lips, staring at the wound. My eyes burned through him and he cleared his throat before turning his back to me.

  Veronica stepped towards me and I pulled a dagger from its sheath.

  “Don’t take another step,” I said in a low, serious tone.

  She stopped and her blue eyes studied me, trying to determine if she should proceed. I could see the desire in her eyes as black veins rippled beneath her skin. Her bottom lip trembled as her tongue slid over it. Vincent touched her shoulder and guided her away from me. “Come, my dear. Let’s take a walk.”

  “But I’m hungry now!” Veronica’s voice carried a low growl and she stomped her foot.

  Veronica shuddered and a strange look came over her face. With her head tilting to the side, staring at me, a disturbing smile came over her lips.

  “We’ll find you something,” Vincent said in a soothing voice.

  The smiled faded and Veronica looked slightly confused. The veins beneath her skin disappeared and she let Vincent lead her away.

  Garrett stepped forward and pulled his shirt over his head. A white muscle shirt beneath it showed off his defined arms and muscled chest. “Here,” he said, kneeling in front of me. He tore the shirt in half and began wrapping it around my leg. The pressure that followed caused more pain than I wanted, but it was necessary.

  “Give me a hand,” I said, reaching forward.

  Garrett locked his grip in mine and pulled me forward. Attempting to walk caused searing pain in my leg, and I dropped back to the ground and cursed under my breath.

  “This isn’t going to work,” I said.

  “Does that mean we get to go home?” Vincent’s face reappeared in front of mine, a hopeful smile playing across his face.

  I didn’t respond with more than a glare, and disappointment replaced his excitement. “So we’re staying. Lovely…”

  “You need to heal this,” Karissa said.

  “I can’t. It hurts when I try.”

  “Then try harder,” she demanded.

  “Karissa’s ri—right,” Willy said. “We can’t do this if you can’t walk.”

  I looked between the two of them and then up at Tiki. Although he looked concerned, Tiki shrugged and remained silent.

  I closed my eyes and pulled up my element. The water came with ease and swished from side to side, sending a cool rush through my limbs. Moments later, it felt like a thousand knives were piercing my body and I cried out.

  Heat burned the mostly healed cut on my chest, tiny daggers cut across the wounds in my back, and a hammer covered with spikes smashed itself into my leg. I fell back against the cool earth and stared up at the sky. Thick white clouds rolled across it and I took steady breaths, forcing my focus where I wanted it to go.

  I didn’t let the magic go; I pushed through the pain by digging my fingers into the ground and screaming through gritted teeth. I pictured water washing away the blood, and cool ice numbing my calf.

  My focus wavered as barbs of pain tore into my arm, but I didn’t stop. I thrust the elements through the wound and a riptide of magic knitted skin across it, soothing the pain.

  “Ch—Chase,” Willy said, but I ignored him. I could feel the pain in my leg subsiding, and I pushed forward.

  “Stop,” said another voice, and a burning ache covered my arm.

  The pain in my leg faded to the point I thought it was healed when somebody slapped me. The magic was torn back inside me and shock covered my face as I stared up into the bright yellow eyes of Vincent. He looked focused and his glare was intense.

  “My god, hunter, you are as stupid as you look, aren’t you?”

  “Did you just slap me?” I asked. I wanted to be angry, but I was overwhelmed with surprise.

  “And that’s our answer,” Vincent said, shaking his head.

  “Chase, are you okay?” Karissa asked.

  “I think so,” I said, stretching my leg out in front of me. “My leg doesn’t hurt anymore.”

  “What about your arm?”

  “We should’ve listened. We shou—shouldn’t have told you to do that…now we’ve made things worse,” Willy said, worry in his voice.

  Red liquid spilled down the side of my left arm in a dozen tears, and small bumps lined the outer edges like I’d been bitten by some sort of bug.

  “It’s your ma—magic,” Willy said. “It’s hurting you…”

  I untied the strips of Garret’s shirt from my leg. The pain was gone, and although the blood stains remained, the wound had vanished. I took the shirt and wrapped it around my arm, reaching to Garrett for help.

  Garrett finished the wrap job and tied it tight in a knot. Small prickles of pain vibrated beneath the bandage, but it was minor compared to my leg. I rolled the sleeve down and pushed myself to my feet.

  “Are you going to be well enough to travel?” Garrett asked.

  I nodded. “I’ll be fine. I don’t need my arm to walk. I can deal with a damaged arm. Let’s get going.”

  “Wait, that’s it? Aren’t you even slightly concerned about what’s happening?” Vincent asked.

  “Of course I am, but we’re here for a reason. I can’t use magic in this world, lesson learned.”

  “Oh, I don’t think it’s just this world,” Vincent said. “What about all those cuts Rayna patched up?”

  I thought about it a moment and shook my head. “So what?”

  “So, I think your magic is the source of all your problems.”

  “Not all of them,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Why would you care anyways?”

  “Excuse me, careless hunter, but I have a vested interest in you now. I can’t have you withering away to nothing because you can’t keep it in your …wherever it is you keep your magic. You have an obligation to help me.”

  “Of course, how could I not see this being your problem? How selfish of me.”

  “Well, not so selfish now that you recognize it.”

  “Let’s just find the statue, grab the soul piece, and get out of here.”

  “I saw the statue,” Tiki said. “When we came out of the portal, I saw something over there.” He pointed down a path of trees and plants covered in feather-like flowers.

  “I saw it too,” Willy added. “Can we ju—just go and finish this? This place is giving me the cre—creeps.”

  “Of course it is,” Vincent said. “Is there anything you’re not afraid of?”

  Vincent turned to Willy and Willy immediately lowered his gaze. “I’m no—not afraid of everything,”

  Vincent laughed. “I beg to differ. Have I truly scarred you for life all because of one measly death?”

  Willy didn’t answer. A dark red color crept up his face, and his brown eyes locked with Vincent’s. The color quickly took over all his skin and he stepped forward. A low growl rumbled in his throat, and his fingers began to crack and shift.

  “Don’t kid yourself, boy.” Vincent stepped up to meet him. His skin flashed and instantly turned clear. Black veins crackled against his flesh, and long talons dropped from his fingers. “Although I regret some of the things I’ve done, I will not cower to you.” Vincent’s voice wasn’t his own. It was deep, demonic, and spine-chilling.

  Willy’s beast retreated immediately, and his fingers shifted back into place. He stepped back and his eyes searched the forest floor. Willy’s skin cycled through multiple different colors, finally settling on a cool green.

  “That’s what I thought,” Vincent said, letting the color return to his face.

  “That’s enough,” I said.

  Vincent smirked. “Sooner or later that boy is going to have to learn how—”

  I grabbed Vincent by the shirt, ignoring the spikes of pai
n in my arm, and lifted him off the ground. I swung him above my head with a hunter’s strength and slammed him into the ground.

  “Let me make something very, very clear,” I said through gritted teeth. “I respect Willy a hell of a lot more than I ever will you. You will show him that same respect or you can be damn sure my body will be bursting with wounds when I set you on fire. And if it comes to that, I promise you those flames won’t be put out. Not again.”

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Garrett said from behind me.

  Veronica’s hand was above her head, long talons raised into the sky and ready to strike. Garrett was next to her and his hand had shifted, pushing thick, black panther claws against her throat.

  Veronica eyed him and took a step back. A scowl took over her face. “I’ll have my chance.”

  Vincent was motionless against the ground and his eyes were locked on mine. I waited for a smart-ass response but nothing came.

  “Are we clear?” I asked.

  Willy watched, his brown eyes glassy and his hands shaking. Vincent glanced at him and nodded.

  “This is strike one. If you or Veronica do anything that I even consider a threat to him or anyone else here, I’ll kill her without question. That will be strike two. I don’t think—”

  “I nodded, didn’t I?” Vincent asked. “That means we’re clear.”

  “I want to make sure I’m very clear.”

  Vincent cleared his throat. “Crystal.”

  “Good.” I released my grip and wiped the sweat off my hands. My arm was throbbing, but I tried not to show the pain in my face. “Anything else we need to get out of the way?” I asked.

  Nobody responded.

  “Veronica, do we have an understanding?”