by Jaye Shields
“No, Tera. Rest.” He swept Tera off her feet and laid her back in bed. With that, he walked out of the bedroom, and down the hall past a kitchen full of gossiping Wiccans and out the door.
Chapter Eighteen
Although he was back in the Realm of the Fog, Tera’s dry words hung in the air like poison. Sabin had expected as much, but she had seemed so happy the night before, he didn’t guess that she would be so quick to sabotage it. He would just have to teach her not to be afraid of love. But for now, he would give her space.
Sabin folded his arms across his chest as he stood in front of the cell where his fellow Knights of the Fog were still trapped. His mind was immediately assaulted by the soldiers in a whirl of questions and insults.
“Let’s do this out loud before I get a headache.”
“You should not have left us in here for such a length of time.” Rowen spoke levelly. “It did not take us long to realize that we had been fooled.”
“Sabin does not think himself above cruel and unusual punishment. Having us sit here like dogs with the scum that we sent here ourselves,” Zeth growled as he stood, his face just inches from Sabin’s, separated by a clear mystical barrier.
“I apologize, comrades. There is much we need to speak on.” Sabin assessed each of the Knights, as if weighing just how angry they might be. After all, they had been locked up near a week’s time. “I have done much fighting this past week; I hope that I do not have to battle the three of you once more.” Meeting Zeth’s glare, he continued. “Should I summon High King Breasal for our meeting?”
Sodor broke the silence. “Let us not further embarrass ourselves in front of the High King.”
Rowen nodded, placing a calming hand on Zeth’s shoulder. “Yes, we have done much of that lately. Let us behave like Knights, not brutes, and discuss what has happened.”
Sabin nodded and released the mystical barrier that separated them. To his satisfaction, he did not have to waste time trading blows with Zeth. Instead, the warrior simply glared at Sabin. “This is not over. You will not get away with locking us up while you feasted on the delights of your Dryad.”
Fists clenched at his sides, Sabin fought to obey his own orders of civility at the mention of Tera. “Let us speak at Rowen’s estate.” The Knights nodded and made their way through the prison. Sabin did pause for a moment to stare into the cell containing the three Quetzalem. Sabin glared at the copper-winged demon that’d been in Muir Woods. “I’ll be back for you.”
Stepping out of the prison, Rowen reached forward, his hand beginning to glow against the foggy air. His palm traced a slit through the fog, creating a portal to his home in the Aerion Realm, the plane of wild horses where the group could find privacy. The realm was a gift from the Gods to the immortal horse Aerion, born from Poseidon and Demeter. Now the place was a haven for many species such as the Pegasus, centaur, and unicorn.
Rowen’s medieval castle stood tall against a golden sky, surrounded by an eternal field of green. The Knights entered and made their way through the empty home to sit in the library. Rowen spoke to his comrades mentally. Would anyone have a drink?
Sabin shook his head, but Zeth and Sodor accepted some old-fashioned mead.
Sodor was the first to speak. “I would apologize for shooting you, Sabin, but I have already served enough punishment in the prison. And, you must know, we thought we were doing what was right at the time. It looked like you had not only deserted, but abetted a demon’s escape.”
Rowen agreed. “It only looked worse to find you with the Dryad. After all, men have done many ill deeds to appease a woman.”
“Yes, but in this case, it was you all who committed the deeds the Goddess of Chaos set in place.” Sabin gritted his teeth as he communicated telepathically with his comrades.
“Yes. Not long after you sent us to prison, we were visited by the Goddess of Chaos.” Rowen sounded disappointed in himself. “I realized that night in the park that something was off when you took the bullets as you did.”
“Tell us, Sabin, what happened after you fell through the portal?” Sodor questioned.
“I fell with the Nunanish who promptly became a cloud and fled. I couldn’t locate the Nunanish demon with so many humans around. The portal was above an island filled with people, so I swam to the nearest shore to search out the Nunanish. I quickly realized that I was correct in its location. The area had already been infected with violence so I fogged the population. Before I could seek out the fleeing demon, I was attacked by Tera.”
“The Dryad.” Zeth grumbled.
Sabin smiled. “Yes, the one who, if I recall, maced you and gave you a kick that almost knocked you on your ass.”
A smile crept to Zeth’s lips for the first time. “That tiny can packed quite a punch. Leave it to humans to create such a mundane weapon for such powerful use.”
Sabin continued. “The Nunanish went into hiding instead of infecting more victims. It was then I began to wonder who was behind the demon. As we all know, the Nunanish are not known for their restraint.” The Knights nodded in agreement.
“After our meeting, I did not encounter the Goddess until a couple of days passed. Eris must have seen that I would halt the violence and chaos she tried to unleash on the human city, so she took her revenge on me once more. She lured Tera and I to the forest where the Nunanish had manifested itself.” Sabin’s eyes simmered with anger that was not lost on the other Knights. “And there, Chaos used the copper Quetzalem to torture and kill Tera. He hacked apart her tree and tried to burn it with his flame. He sits in the jail now. I am not ashamed to say that I would have killed it had I had sufficient time. I took care of the Nunanish.”
“And the Dryad?” Rowen’s voice reflected obvious concern. The closest friend to Sabin, the Knight recognized he was disturbed.
“She is fine now. I witnessed the healing powers of her forest. That is why I could not return sooner.”
Sodor and Rowen nodded, but Zeth still seemed perturbed. “I would see High King Breasal punish Chaos.” Zeth’s voice was sharp like gravel.
“You know it’s not so easy as that. She is a Goddess. You recall the Trojan War — she went unpunished for that as well, and it was all her fault.” Sodor explained.
“The Goddess of the Hunt has taken Eris into her own hands.” Sabin smiled. “I have a feeling that the lithe huntress is quite content to subdue the Goddess who harmed her Dryad. My Dryad.”
“Your Dryad, huh? Good for you.” Zeth rang pessimistic, but it was nothing new. “All may be well for now Sabin, but make no mistake, you break one law and I will send you to that prison. I have not gained a taste for being caged like a dog.”
Sabin nodded.
“All right then, let us get back to work comrades.” Sodor held up his drink in salute.
Rowen slapped a hand against Sabin’s shoulder. “Good to have you back.”
Glad to be righted with his fellow Knights, Sabin replenished his artillery and stepped back into the Portal Realm. But his mind was still in San Francisco.
Chapter Nineteen
Three days later, Tera sat in the corner of her coffee shop sipping a soy latte. The place was full tonight because it was Sparrow’s evening to sing. She always scheduled her friend to sing the day before open-mic night to encourage new talent to come to the shop. At the table tucked away in the corner, Tera sat with Sparrow’s aunts and mom.
Sparrow puttered around her designated space, sipping lavender lemonade and tuning her guitar. The crowd was a mixture of young and old — some stood near Sparrow ready to jam, and others kicked back at the tables cradling coffee or wine.
“Welcome, guys. Thanks for coming.” Sparrow’s voice was both sultry and ethereal as she spoke into the microphone. “There’s freshly baked lemon-ginger scones; just see Bianca at the counter for your order.” She winked to n
o one in particular before hitting the first strum of her guitar. “So this first song is dedicated to our patron coffee shop saint. Some of you who like rock music might recognize this White Stripes cover, but I’m gonna tweak the words just slightly for our girl.”
Tera cringed and shrank back into her dark corner. Only the twinkle lights framing the ceiling could shed light on her horrified expression. On each side of her, Melissandra and Morgana both patted her knees under the table.
Sparrow strummed the bluesy guitar riff and smiled mischievously as she began to croon the first lyrics of a song specially designed to make Tera miss Sabin even more.
Melissandra took the soy latte from in front of Tera. “Should I get you a wine instead, honey?” Before Tera could respond, Melissandra received an emphatic nod from her sister, who grabbed the latte cup and whisked herself to the kitchen for the superior libation.
Glaring through the darkness at Sparrow, Tera listened to the cold, hard truth. It had been three long, torturous days without Sabin. She was an idiot to refuse him. And judging from his distance, he had taken her wariness as complete rejection. Would he ever come back? Like Sparrow chided in her song, would Tera really be heartbroken for so long?
And not just heart broken. Her body longed for Sabin’s touch. She wondered how he became such an expert in the art of pleasure. He’s probably with another woman right now. Her body nearly withered away at the thought. As if on cue, Melissandra appeared with a very full glass of red wine.
Sparrow’s bluesy cover continued on and Tera tried to drown it out by filling her ears with the sound of gulping wine.
Morgana’s voice interrupted. “Is he really that good looking? I only got a quick glimpse and I was semi-buzzed during the ritual.”
Choking on her wine, Tera moved her glare from Sparrow to her aunt.
Melissandra piped up. “You didn’t see him when he stormed out of the house? Oh man, what a specimen. I wouldn’t kick him out of my bed!”
“I didn’t kick him out of my bed,” Tera yelled, her voice dimmed by the speakers blasting Sparrow’s vocals and guitar.
“Oh Melissandra, you wouldn’t kick anyone out of your bed,” Morgana teased.
“Will someone please tune me into what’s goin’ on?” Egret, Sparrow’s mother, seemed slightly perturbed to be left out.
“Remember the silver-haired beefcake that stormed past the kitchen the other day? He’s Tera’s immortal lover. A Knight of the Fog, a guardian in the Portal Realm,” Morgana explained.
“With eyes of transparent aquamarine, perfect for getting lost in,” Melissandra described.
“You got all that from him storming past the kitchen?” Morgana teased.
“What?” Egret was open-mouthed.
Morgana took a sip of Tera’s retired soy latte. “Yep, fresh out of the portal above the Alcatraz prison.”
“No wonder so many prisoners escaped.” Melissandra chuckled.
Finally the song ended and Sparrow bowed to much applause, clutching her cherry-red guitar to her stomach. “You guys don’t mind another cover do you?” She got on her tiptoes to catch a peek of Tera in the back, and smiled in her direction. “How about you? Ready for another one?”
Slowly finger-picking an iconic intro, she began an ethereal version of a grunge ballad, her voice slow and angelic. Tera tried to enjoy the song for what it was and not think about the warrior she hungered for.
Sparrow’s angelic voice turned raucous and raspy as she rocked out with her acoustic guitar to the chorus. The standing-crowd head banged as Sparrow began the song’s solo. Her tiny frame and angelic face were a unique contrast to the hardcore dance her fingers wove upon the neck of her instrument.
“Okay, this next one is for my laid-back wine drinkers. And for my standing crowd, it’s a slow one, but unfortunately, fire code says no lighter-waving.” The enthusiastic crowd gave a teasing, “Awww.”
“This is a love song.” She began to strum her last song of the night.
Tera’s heart sank. What she wouldn’t give to feel Sabin’s touch. See him smile. Watch his aqua blue eyes turn stormy with sensuality. She may live with a coven, but he had been the one to bewitch her.
“So are you going to go to him?” Egret begged the question that they all wondered.
Tera was silent, and Morgana interrupted. “Can creatures of this realm travel through portals? I’m sure if we could we would have known about it.”
Finally, Tera spoke up, Sparrow’s guitar humming in the background. “Sabin did mention that Dryads can access the portals.”
“What are you waiting for, Tera?” Egret questioned seriously. “You don’t want to become an old maid like me.”
Melissandra huffed. “You’re the youngest so don’t you dare call yourself an old maid.”
Tera contemplated Egret’s words. Egret had been utterly in love with Sparrow’s father. Or at least the idea of him. After a one-night stand, he was never to be seen again and Egret’s body was found unconscious on a shoreline near where they met. It was a night that had been blocked completely from the sweet woman’s memory. All she could remember was meeting the man that stole her breath away. The rest went black. Egret had never been with a man seriously since, her heart still belonging to Sparrow’s mysteriously disappeared father. Perhaps believing he was her one true love was easier. Easier than wondering if she’d actually been victim of a nightmare. After all, it’d certainly looked that way when her sisters found her. Who knew what really happened that night.
“Yes, Egret, I will go to him.” Tera smiled at the beautiful woman across the table. She looked much like Sparrow, faint creases of wrinkles only beginning to hint her age. But her blue eyes were tainted by sadness. She wished that Egret could once again find love, but she realized the truth in her words. Tera could not be a hypocrite. She herself needed to pursue the love she had found. Sabin was her heart’s only desire.
Chapter Twenty
In the Olympian Realm, Artemis challenged the ruling authority on Eris’ deeds. The verdict had been that the Goddess was innocent. She shouldn’t have been too surprised, as many misjudgments had been made over the years when it came to the Olympians. After all, she had seen the Goddess Queen Hera punish many innocent women who had been victims of Zeus’ seductions. And Eris, the Goddess of Chaos and Strife, was an original, born from Darkness and Night itself. When the court held at the ancient Greek Pantheon let out, Artemis glared dangerously at Eris.
Eris scoffed and raised her chin indignantly. “How dare you seek to embarrass me in front of our peers, you filthy excuse for a goddess. You think I, born from Nyx herself, would be punished for this? Ha!” The Goddess of Chaos sneered at the streaks of mud across Artemis’ cheeks and mud handprints on the firm belly of her torso.
The two were a stark contrast as they stood toe to toe, challenging each other. Eris was known for not being able to keep her mouth shut. Artemis, on the other hand, was a Goddess of few words. In the Olympian Realm, their home, both were corporal. Eris’ body was voluptuous, whereas Artemis’ body was feminine strength and toned muscle. Eris’s face was often twisted with contempt, while Artemis had a youthful face and calm, knowing eyes.
But now Artemis’ voice was full of lethal intent. “Do not disturb a Dryad again. The court failed me today. Next time, I will take matters into my own hands.” She parted her full plum-colored lips into a subtle smile, her tiny pointed canines revealed. “You know how I love a good hunt.” With that, she strode away.
• • •
The Realm of the Fog was business as usual. Sabin had only had a few minor occurrences to deal with, mostly with attempted illegal entrance into the Hedone Realm. A lot of demons tried to get their rocks off in the realm of incubi and nymphs, but reproductive species were not allowed to enter.
In the Portal Realm, the fog was so thick that onl
y the upper half of most bodies were exposed, and small creatures such as gargoyles and dwarfs were left to clumsily navigate the fog. In the distance of his jurisdiction, he noticed a succubus trying to enter a Human Realm portal.
“Headed to Paris?” Sabin put a firm hand on the succubus’ naked shoulder. Speaking in the language of the succubi, he questioned the sex demon. “I don’t see a contraception tattoo.”
The succubus turned to face him appreciatively. The naked pink body was voluptuous and aching for pleasure. The more hungry a succubi was, the more pink its flesh became. “I’m in a rush, Knight. If you seek to satisfy me, I can do away with Paris.” The succubus licked its lips, the forked tongue peeking out suggestively.
“You know that a succubi cannot travel to the Human Realm without an activated contraception tattoo. Your kind is only allowed to travel to the Human Realm if your presence does not leave lingering evidence of otherworldly existence.”
“Punish me, Knight.” The succubus ran its hands against Sabin’s long expanse of hard body and her tongue flicked out quickly to tickle his chin.
An impatient growl escaped Sabin and he grabbed the succubus savagely to him. His patience with females of all species was dwindling. Tera’s curt rejection still hung in the forefront of his mind and dug holes in his heart. He would just have to take his frustrations out on the succubus.
• • •
Tera sneaked up to the roof of Alcatraz, the retired prison. Escaping from her tourist group had been easy enough despite the lingering eyes of the male tour guide. Now she stood atop the fog-draped prison trying to decide how to access to portal.
“Open sesame.”
When her short demand didn’t work, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Sparrow, who picked up on the first ring. “Hey, doll face, how’s the Portal Realm?”
