by Lacey Thorn
But her mind connected with something else instead, someone else instead. Suddenly it was as if she stood in a field of fog. She was alone and then the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen stepped out to stand beside her.
You waste time.
“I waste nothing,” she countered.
You let emotion rule instead of knowledge.
“He is dead!” Serenity screamed.
And? The goddess questioned. What is death to someone who wields the power I’ve granted you?
“What?” she asked.
Can you not feel it buzzing under your skin? Think, Serenity. What limitations do you have?
Her mother’s words came back to her as if she stood on the temple grounds once more.
“They are strong, but when the triad is completed, when you are all together as one, some of your magic will enhance theirs. Once this occurs nothing can separate you, not even death. Remember that. The three of you have within you the power to survive even mortal death.”
Will you let him die? The goddess asked softly as she melted back into the fog.
Serenity came back with a jolt that knocked her down to her knees by Theron and Thedan. It was exactly where she wanted to be. With her right hand she grasped the shaft of the arrow where it protruded from Theron’s chest while her left still held the Staff in line with her body. Another spell and she pulled the arrow free as if it had never entered his flesh, except for the red of the blood that coated the tip. She flung it aside with a cry that would rival any warrior.
“I will not let you die,” she screamed.
Warriors were all around them, but although she could penetrate the barrier she’d formed around her mates, they could not.
“Theron! Thedan!” a woman cried out.
Thedan glanced up. “Rory,” he whispered.
“We will not let him die,” Serenity said again and placed the Staff on the ground beside them. She reached out and took Theron’s left hand and placed it over his chest. Then she grabbed Thedan’s left hand and placed it on top of Theron’s so that their new marks were aligned. Finally she placed hers atop theirs.
There was a glow, a sizzle of magic that quickly escalated to a burning flame. Then she could see it. Her hand began to glow, and that glow spread quickly to Thedan’s and then Theron’s. It kept spreading.
“What is this?” Thedan whispered, awe in his voice.
“Don’t move,” Serenity pleaded.
She could feel the flow of energy between the three of them. Power to survive mortal death. She leaned into them and Thedan slipped his free hand around her shoulders, tugging her even closer. Both of them were careful not to move their left hands off Theron’s.
“I love you,” Thedan murmured.
“I love you too,” Serenity breathed.
“Any love left for me?” Theron asked.
Serenity and Thedan both cried out and squeezed him tightly between them.
Serenity peppered kisses all over his face, moving her hands to touch his chest and any part of him she could. “You’re alive,” she cried, finally letting her lips find his. She breathed him in, tears trailing down her cheeks. She’d lost him. For the briefest of moments he had died, as he’d said he would. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” she said. “Ever.”
“Don’t you see,” he replied. “Nothing can separate us.” He sat up and turned slightly to include Thedan. “Any of us.”
Thedan made no attempt to wipe away the moisture that shone on his cheeks. Instead he pulled Theron to him and hugged his best friend close. “I…” he started to say but Theron interrupted him.
“Nothing,” Theron said again.
The two men nodded and clasped hands.
“Look at that,” Serenity said with awe and turned Thedan’s left hand over, then Theron’s. She turned hers so that they could all see their marks and how they had changed again. The black of Theron’s, the grey of Serenity’s and the white of Thedan’s had all merged and now the three colours were braided together and outlining all three marks.
“The symbol as I saw it in my vision,” Theron said. “The ancient mark used to invoke the power of the goddess.”
“I believe we just did that,” Serenity said laughing.
“I have a feeling this was only the beginning,” Thedan said.
“What makes you think that?” Theron asked.
“I just saw…” Thedan stopped, then blinked and shook his head. “By the goddess, I just had a vision.”
“Welcome to my world,” Theron said and laughed at the bewildered look on Thedan’s face.
Serenity smiled. Her mates were alive and back in harmony. A flash of white caught her eye and she reached out to pick her Staff back up. It was a good thing, too. Because they still had a lot to do.
Chapter Eight
Serenity wanted nothing more than to go to a room and spend a few hours with her mates, but that would have to wait until other matters were dealt with. The three of them had plenty to discuss. Like the way their marks had changed. Like how they had just brought Theron back from death. Or how about what would happen now? But for the moment they were inside, being led to the king’s private office and Serenity had awaited this moment for too long.
The door closed behind them and she let her gaze take in the people allowed into the room. They were all here. Aslan, Aurora, Lynx and Rory. There were others as well, warriors, mates, but none of them could hold her attention the way these four could. These four she’d been waiting her entire life to meet.
“What the hell happened out there?” Rory demanded as she walked over to Serenity, Theron and Thedan.
“We survived,” Thedan said dryly.
Theron gave a snort of laughter and Serenity smiled.
“What did you do to them?” Rory asked, coming up to stand facing Serenity.
Theron and Thedan both went to step in front of her but Serenity just laughed and took them all by surprise when she grabbed Rory and hugged her close.
“I’ve waited forever to meet you,” she gushed. “Seeing isn’t the same as this, could never be the same as this.”
“What?” Rory appeared uncomfortable as she glanced around the room.
Everyone seemed amused.
Serenity let her go only to move to Lynx and give her the same big hug. Then to Aurora and finally she moved to Aslan. When she stepped back from him, tears were streaming down her cheeks. She was choked with emotion. These were more than just people fighting the same battle with her. These were family, blood, and the possibility of connections she’d never had before.
Theron and Thedan pulled her into their arms and kissed her softly on top of her head.
“I’m fine,” she whispered. “Just a little overwhelmed.”
“That is deep magic you have and wield so well,” a low voice said.
Serenity glanced over at one of the giants who stood beside Lynx.
“You are Danuja,” she said and he nodded. She bowed her head to him. “Damikan.”
He grinned and then laughed. “I am Merced and this is my brother, Micah.”
She looked towards the other Danuja and after a moment nodded to him as well. “Damisau.”
“What?” Thedan asked.
“Merced is the king of his people and Micah is the religious leader,” Serenity stated. “I am honoured to meet you both. I was assured that I would meet a man who would understand my power and perhaps offer help and support. That he would be a brother to me.” She laughed. “But you have mated Lynx which makes you even more a brother.”
Everyone looked at her, not understanding her strange statement, and she shook her head. She was letting emotion rule—happiness. It was time to put that joy aside and do what she needed to. The first thing was to reveal the story to them. And then to deal with the fallout.
“I’ve handled this all wrong,” she said. “Perhaps we should sit down. I have a lot to tell you, share with you, and it might take a while.”
“Perhaps, you c
ould start by telling us who you are,” Aslan suggested.
“Yes, you’re right, sorry.” She waved her hands motioning for everyone to find a seat, including her two mates. They already knew what she needed to disclose, thanks to the bonding that occurred at their mating. “My name is Serenity. I am the daughter of Serena, Priestess of the Goddess and I am a direct descendent of the Goddess herself.”
“So no one too important then,” Lynx said dryly.
Serenity laughed again. “There is so much for me to tell, to communicate,” Serenity stated. “I’m just not sure where to start.”
“Let’s try at the beginning,” Aurora said.
“Yes, at the beginning.” Serenity nodded. “I’ll start with our mothers and what happened all that time ago.”
“You know what happened?” Aslan asked, coming to his feet.
“Yes,” Serenity confirmed. “I know exactly what happened.”
She paced around the room for a few minutes gathering her thoughts. There was so much to discuss with them. Four mothers whose stories needed to be known.
“Four women. No titles today, I won’t differentiate that way. I just want to talk about four women who experienced more than any of you know. Ona, Lydia, Raven and my mother, Serena. You all know what they were-queen, shifter, native, and priestess. When Ona woke up that day, she knew it was to be her last day. She’d been granted a vision by the goddess and shown the steps she needed to take before the day’s end. Her end.” She stopped and let her gaze go to Aslan and Aurora. He had moved while she spoke and now stood behind where his sister sat with her mates. His hands rested on her shoulders and Aurora had placed one of hers over his.
“The first thing she did that morning was head straight to the nursery to see her twins. She sat for hours just rocking you and cuddling you both close. I can’t imagine her thoughts then. No mother should ever have to face such a goodbye.
“Lydia came in and Ona left knowing that she had other things to do. Her first stop was to pick up a key, a very specific key that would open a locked cage. No one saw her take it or slip it into her pocket. I’m not sure exactly what she did for the rest of the afternoon. I’ve not yet had my death foretold so it is useless to even imagine her thoughts or emotions.
“I know that later she went to visit my mother at the temple here. My mother had been granted a vision as well. She was to flee and head to where she lives now. There she would be protected. She didn’t know that Ona was to die until Ona shared it with her, and in her last moments with her friend, my mother cast a spell that would prevent Ona from feeling any pain. It was all she could do.”
She looked at Aslan and Aurora and was not surprised to see both of their cheeks wet with tears.
“Ona headed back to the nursery then to say her goodbyes to you. She knew how you would be separated. She arranged it.”
She witnessed something flash in Aslan’s eyes and saw him shake his head as if in reluctant memory.
“When Lydia came in she tried to convince Ona to flee with her. Lydia didn’t want Ona to die. But Ona made her promise to take Aurora away. Ona knew that Aslan would be safe but Aurora would not. Wilhelm would see to the safety of one and the death of the other. This was her way of protecting you both. Plus, once Aurora was declared missing, once her death was discovered, she had faith that her brother would see to Aslan’s continued safety.
“When the time came she left and headed to meet Wilhelm in his chambers. That is where she slipped the key to freedom to Raven with the caution to wait until the others were distracted and then slip free and disappear.
“Wilhelm wasn’t the one who killed her, though, he was the one who wanted her dead. But for a more human reason than is thought. But it was a Danuja woman who made the killing blow that night, a woman he still keeps at his side.”
“I’ve seen this woman,” Merced interrupted. “Questioned why she didn’t turn her power against Wilhelm. He used her in opposition to me and when her power could not break me, he tried to make me want to play protector for her.”
Lynx took his hand and squeezed it.
“She will die,” Aslan said.
“Slowly and with much pain,” Aurora vowed.
Serenity nodded. “But there is more to tell. More that you have to know. You may not understand, may find it hard to believe, but please hear me out.”
She waited until they all seemed to agree before revealing the truth that would change the entire dynamics of this group.
“There was a secret that all four women kept for a long time. Only one of them shared it with her child.” She let her gaze meet Rory. “Raven was the one who told her child who her father was.”
“Wilhelm,” Rory spat out with what appeared to be self-disgust.
“My mother tried to keep this secret from me but the goddess wouldn’t let her and I learned the truth early in life as well.”
“What secret?” Lynx asked.
“I, too, am the daughter of Wilhelm,” Serenity said.
“He wouldn’t have dared rape the priestess,” Rory said.
“No.” Serenity shook her head. “My mother wasn’t raped as yours was. He tried to break Raven through magic, through pain, but in the end he sought to break her soul by violation in order to pull her magic from her. He thought that if the legend of the queen’s sword was true then any native must be able to grant another her magic. Your mother was already pregnant with you when she escaped from here. But she wasn’t the only one.”
Rory’s mates each took one of her hands while a native woman moved to stand behind Rory in much the same fashion that Aslan was doing with Aurora.
“But you are not alone. Two other women fled that evening as well and both were pregnant. Priestess Serena had been having dinner with Wilhelm for a while. They shared wine and talked for hours. He was amusing, witty, and at times, appeared enthralled with her. One evening they made love, or at least that is how my mother viewed it at the time. But Wilhelm wanted her magic. He planned to soften her with romance and find a way to strip it from her. He continued to woo her, make love to her. And it might have worked if she hadn’t stumbled upon him making love with another woman.”
She moved her gaze over and locked with Lynx.
“No,” Lynx denied, and Serenity watched her sister clench her hands so tightly into fists that they turned white.
The two Danuja took a hand each and unclenched Lynx’s fingers before linking hands with her.
“I’m sorry,” Serenity said. “Lydia was in love with Wilhelm.”
“No,” Lynx screamed out.
Serenity just nodded. “He was one of the few who didn’t care that she was a shifter.”
“That’s a joke,” Aurora said.
“He was using her too. Not to steal magic, because he didn’t see the ability to shift as being of great magic.”
“His loss,” Aurora said, looking at Lynx.
Serenity agreed with her. “True. Lydia was the nanny and often a close confidant to Ona. He hoped she would know things that he couldn’t get from anyone else. So he played on her affections. Made her believe that he had feelings for her.”
“And now he may have killed her,” Lynx whispered.
Serenity was startled. “No, Lydia is alive and well with my mother at the temple.”
Lynx gave a shaky sigh. “Thank the goddess.”
“My mother will keep her there, guarded and safe from Wilhelm until this is over,” Serenity promised. “She will know when it is safe to venture out.”
She could see the connections being made inside Lynx.
“So that means that I am Wilhelm’s daughter as well.” Lynx sighed.
“Yes.” Serenity nodded. “There is more.”
“What more is there to tell?” Aslan asked, sounding weary.
“There is Ona. Her husband was gone the night you were conceived. Wilhelm slipped a potion into her drink and came to her that night. She saw her husband, Wilhelm’s brother, but it was Wilhelm that lay
with her. Wilhelm who fathered her children.”
“No,” Aurora yelled, coming to her feet. “I will not share blood with that vile creature.”
Rory gave a laugh. “I hear you.”
“I have waited a long time to meet you, though I have often watched you through one of the globes at the temple. Aslan, my brother, I saw you surrounded by friends, laughing and growing, yet always searching for the sister you knew you had. Aurora and Lynx, raised as sisters, yet unknowing of the truth. I envied you that. Rory surrounded by love and acceptance. I watched you all.”
“How can you know this for certain?” Aurora questioned. “How do we know that the story you are sharing is truth and not just another of Wilhelm’s tricks?”
Serenity sighed and turned to pick up her possessions from her mates. Theron handed her the Staff and Thedan gave her the bag. “Two things will reveal truth. Blood and magic. When combined there is no room for doubt. I bear the Staff of Light.” She held it up in her left hand then turned her wrist so they could see it as well. “And bear the ancient mark of the goddess, as do my mates.
“But these are merely my gifts and show nothing but a small reflection of the powers I hold.” She turned and handed the Staff back to Theron. She reached into the bag and pulled out the weapon belt and displayed it for all to see. “When Ona asked my mother to hide the sword, she gave her this belt to take with her. It is the sheath for your sword and holds a very old and sacred dagger also. I was given the job of bringing it to you, Aurora.” She moved across and placed it in Aurora’s hands.
“Your mother hid the sword?” Aurora asked softly.
“I may have left that part out,” Serenity said with a smile. “But only because there was so much more to share.”
“I don’t doubt that you believe all of this is truth,” Aurora said. “I just question that truth myself.”
“I understand,” Serenity said, “which is why I have one more thing to show you. This is a memory orb given to me to share with the four of you to verify all I’ve said.”
