She was going to die anyway... why not absorb the magic from the tree? Fahd's insects would have to eat the wood to get to the fleece, and while it wasn't the best thing she had ever thought of, in theory it would take them longer to get to the fleece if they couldn't absorb the magic and the bark. As it was, they were making their way through the tree’s magic at a much faster pace than Echo would have liked, not that any pace was a good pace. But if she could slow them down… Echo stretched her arm toward her tree and beckoned the magic within. There was no immediate reaction. She could still feel magic in it, so they couldn't have taken it all yet. Why had it not responded?
She glanced at the roots and her heart broke. Fahd was a monster. No care for the living. No thought of anyone except himself. His desires. His wants. His everything. There was a big world out there. He needed to be stopped, and she would help as much as she could. Jace would come for his fleece, and anything she could do to help before he got here would be better than nothing, even if she was dead when he finally arrived. She gulped down the panic threatening to take over. Echo steeled her heart and concentrated harder, reinforcing her bond with the tree, beckoning the oak to give her the magic, calling to it with all her might. Her fingers stretched to the point they shook. Her whole body's energy reached out to the oak.
Her oak responded.
Magic slowly circled around her fingers, an invisible force only she could feel and no one could see. A warm safe sense of energy. Echo smiled and stayed completely still so as not to alert the insects or Fahd of her intentions. She pulled on the magic so slowly, it barely made a ripple in the energy of the cave. Bit by bit it came to her, and she would soon strengthen, not for long, but maybe enough to help. She had no idea what she would do with all the oak’s magic once she had it, but she would be gone soon after, so she had to make sure whatever blow she dealt was swift and harmful. Enough to give Jace a chance. Assuming he came for his fleece. Her heart broke at the thought he wouldn't be coming for her specifically. He had been completely clear...he would find his fleece anywhere.
Echo glanced over to the dark entity. Fahd slumped on his throne. Was he sleeping? Did an entity like him need to sleep? She hadn't thought about it before this point. How old was he? Did a god make him? What did he think he was the king of? When he destroyed everything, there would be nothing left to rule, just him, and insects. Perhaps he would even take out the gods or fate itself. What a miserable way to live without any light to shine, without hope, and no magic. Echo drew on a bit more of the magic. A tiny ripple moved the energy about in the air, but Fahd didn't seem to notice.
She had, however, drawn the insects’ attention.
The little black creepy crawlies seemed to hesitate on the tree, little feelers going up and angling toward where she was pulling on the magic. Could they see the energy? Were they somehow in tune with it? It shouldn't surprise her, but it had. Like sugar ants, they seemed to sniff it out, and a small line of insects headed straight for Echo.
By the gods, she had no clue what to do with them once they reached her. What would happen if she smashed them? Other than insect guts on her hands and feet, how long would it take Fahd to notice a dead pile of his little creepies beside her? If he saw them, he could stop her before she finished removing all the magic from the oak. Echo's stomach turned at the new idea forming in her head. A repulsively brilliant idea.
She would have to eat them.
She couldn't risk Fahd stopping her too soon. Though the tiny line of the insects headed for her might also tip him off. Thank the gods for his shadows, which cast the small insects into darkness, hiding their bee line for her, currently. All she could do was hope the dying embers of the fire kept the insects’ whereabouts hidden inside the shadowy depths of the cave. As the small creatures slowly inched forward, dread pooled in her stomach. How would she ever be able to put them in her mouth and chew? Echo shuddered at the thought of them crawling inside her, on her tongue. Saliva filled her mouth and she pushed herself up to sit on shaky weak arms, having gained a little energy from resting, watching with horror and determination as they crawled one by one into her makeshift cage. Echo swallowed, took a deep breath, and set about the indescribable task. She had stolen a fleece, been the black sheep of her kind, taken the ridicule that came with such things, bound her fate to a tree knowing one day she would die with it. She could make herself eat the magic-devouring insects. Humans could do it, so could she.
Echo held her hand out, and they gathered into her palm. When she had enough for a bite, she plugged her nose, closed her fist to kill them, and swallowed them as fast as she could. Pretending they were crunchy nuts or rice.
Another handful.
Swallow.
Handful.
Swallow.
Her stomach churned, but she forced the contents to stay down by sheer willpower. And maybe a little luck. The tree was slowly draining, the magic getting weaker as it slid into Echo from the oak, absorbed through her skin. But she was stronger. Felt nearly revitalized. She refused to think eating the bugs had anything to do with her energy level increasing. The thought was just too horrendous for Echo to contemplate longer than a second.
More of the insects came into her cage, and specks of gold started showing through where the holes in the tree had been. Echo swallowed handful after handful until her stomach couldn't take anymore. She watched more insects rush away from the bark. She hadn't thought about what would happen if they left the tree. Her assumption had been they would stay on the bark and continue eating it. But fate smiled devilishly upon her, and they followed the magic...
Which meant they were all coming for her.
Would she be suffocated by insects if she didn't keep eating them? Would that be so bad knowing her fate was made? Perhaps she was meant to die by these creatures. After all, she was like the trees, and trees often died of insect infestations. The gods had a cruel sense of humor, letting her eat the insects that might very well be the death of her. More and more insects came. Echo tried to keep eating them as their black numbers crawled all over her cage trying to latch onto her. They bit, tiny little marks on her skin, a stinging sensation like mosquitos. The more that latched on, the more she could feel the magic being taken away little by little. This was it. Death by vampire insects. Magic eaters, killers of a mythical nymphs. If the humans ever found out, what kind of story would they weave? Echo pushed them off her. She used what little magic she had gained to throw at the bugs, keeping them away from her. She squished those she could, nearly panicking as more and more came after her. She didn’t think about all the sound it would make.
"Nymph! What have you done?" Fahd bellowed.
Echo turned to face the dark entity, the nightmare of her land.
"You will pay for this." Fahd reached into the cage slamming her against the bars, warm liquid fell down into her eye, his gray hand sliding around her neck. His hand felt like cool stone against her skin. Echo thrashed as hard as she could as insects bit into her. Stinging pain like fire ants biting her, kept her moving. His fingers slowly closed around her throat, and he smiled, as if enjoying his actions, her fear, her pain. He cut off the air completely, and veins popped along her temples. Her mouth opened and closed trying to gasp for anything, but he only tightened his grip. She tried to breathe with no luck. She slammed her hands into his death grip, over and over using the bits of magic she could to add to her strength. And then she felt the pull of air around her, inside her, as if she were caught in a vacuum, sucking her very life away.
Fahd was stealing the magic.
CHAPTER NINE
Jace heard Fahd's broken shouts, and he followed the voice through the cave. He was deep within, and he had been right, Fahd called out to Echo, so she was here and still alive! Thank the gods. His heart skipped in his chest and a weight lifted from him. The fleece and Echo depended on him still, but she was alive! If he could kill Fahd, maybe he could save her tree, plant a new one or something and get her bound to it before she f
aded away. Did nymphs fade? Or did their bodies die like humans? Jace shook his head as the thoughts crushed his soul. He didn't need to think about it. She was alive, and he'd do everything within his power to keep her that way. Having her in his arms had given him a sense of purpose, more than he had ever had with the fleece. Protecting her from the wind and debris in his shifted form made him feel like a man, someone capable and not the fuck up Demetri believed him to be.
He slipped as far back into the cave as he could go, running into a couple of walls along the way before he saw a hint of orange coming from another entrance in front of him a few feet away. The flicker would have been barely noticeable had the darkness not been so...dark. Jace scrunched down, bending his long legs, taking slow steps toward the orange light. He peeked around a rock along the side of the entrance.
The oak lay on its side, its leaves stripped, by a fire pit that only held smoking embers. Roots were broken and hanging in odd directions, mangled by the dark entity that had ripped it from the ground. There was an emptiness about the tree, as if it had lost something, its spark of life perhaps. And the insects...many of them had left, and the fleece was showing through as they crawled toward something in the corner.
Fahd's dark cloak floated around him as he moved away from the corner area of the cave. Jace had no idea how he would defeat this entity. He partially shifted, bringing forth his ram forehead and elongating his horns. He would charge him, find out where Echo was, grab the fleece, and flee. Perhaps then he could call upon his brothers to come out and help. It was a long shot, but he had to do something to get what he came for. He would not leave without Echo or his fleece.
Jace snorted, and dust whirled up from the ground. He pushed his leg back, took a deep breath, and charged with everything he had straight for Fahd. The one thing he managed to have on his side was surprise. Fahd hadn't yet realized Jace was there. His feet clunked along the ground, and the entity turned. Jace pushed his head down, pointing his horns straight at Fahd's gray chest.
Too much momentum, too fast, and before he could stop himself, surprise flourished inside him when Fahd disappeared into a whirl of smoke and Jace plowed face first into rock formations with holes, like bars. The cave wall shook, and debris fell from the roof. Pain exploded in his nose. Broken. Warm liquid, which he could only assume was blood, ran over his lips, dripping down his chin. Stars formed out the sides of his vision as he shook his head to regain his bearings. Jace stumbled. Tripping over his own feet. His arms went out to steady himself. Pain lashed along his back, a stinging burn. Jace fell to his knees astonished. He blinked, his eyes focused completely on the bars in front of him.
"You think you can harm me? Who are you to believe such nonsense? Not human. You changed into an animal earlier. You are both man and beast, and you bleed like a human."
What had happened to him? Jace wiped at his nose and stared straight ahead. Shadows danced along the wall, and glimpses of a blood stained white skirt caught his attention. Echo was here! Just within his reach. Jace's hand went out and he fell forward onto the hard ground catching a glimpse of her swollen, bloody face. Anger lashed out inside him.
He had no clue what Fahd had cut him with, but the healing process was extremely painful. It was a deep ache within his muscles as they tried to put themselves back together. Immortality had its benefits, even if it hurt. But it also slowed him down. His plan had failed. Despite his speed and the surprise, he still had lost, and if his body didn't hustle on healing, Fahd would be on him and doing the gods only knew what. Jace couldn't allow Fahd to win. Revenge was crawling its way through his heart like a spider on the web aiming for its prey.
"Answer me."
Jace closed his eyes and focused on his healing, even though he could feel Fahd’s presence hovering over him. His nose cracked again, righting itself, and he could breathe. The skin along his back stretched, and Jace imagined the wound being covered by new layers of skin. "I am an Aries Guardian. A descendant of Krios. The fleece belongs to me." Jace rolled over, still weak, but he would face the bastard, even if fate planned to deal him more pain. The dark entity had to be stopped someway, somehow. Or Jace would die trying.
"Descendant of Krios, you have lost. I will consume your magic as well." Fahd grabbed a hold of Jace and threw him breaking the bars of the cage. His back gave out, and pain shattered him. He gasped as one of the old bars broke and sliced along his side. Jace fell to the floor. Echo's bloodied face stared at him. The light in her eyes was dimming. Death would claim her this night if he did nothing. Her mouth moved as if she were trying to tell him something, but no sounds escaped her bruised lips.
Anger flooded his very being. Fahd had hurt Echo. Her beautiful face was a mask of horror. It fueled him to pick himself up despite the pain. Jace stood. He glanced at the tree, the insects rushing to cover the holes so the glow from the fleece no longer broke through. Fahd was afraid of the light. He had cowed from it on Echo's land, his bugs rushing to cover the shine then too. Did it hurt him? Jace grinned. "I sure would like to see you try, shadow man." A plan was already forming in his mind. Jace stomped on the insects crawling around, staring down Fahd as he did it. He swallowed the pain in his side and squared his shoulders.
Fahd let out a high pitch screech, sounding otherworldly as it echoed off the walls. Jace resisted coving his ears, not wanting to show any form of weakness. He needed Fahd to react. He snorted air from his nose and moved his head down so his horns pointed at Fahd. Jace charged a second time.
Expecting to lose.
Just as before, Fahd changed into a shadow form and Jace went stumbling nearly face first into the tree, but he caught himself and fell into the burning embers instead. He needed to use the tree, he had to time everything just right or his plan would fail.
Fahd's voice reverberated along the walls. "You are no hero. You can't save the day. The darkness will consume all. I will devour and rule everything."
Jace glared at Fahd and turned his feet into hooves. Then he stomped all over those damn insects as if they were a snake. Fahd came rushing toward Jace in a floating fury with his black cloak bellowing out behind him and his eyes bulging in anger. "Wherever darkness resides..." Jace said as he picked up the oak and swung it as hard as he could. Fahd turned into his shadow form, and the oak went sprawling into the side of the cave, breaking into dried up pieces of wood. The fleece sprung out, and the gold glow encased everything within the cave, no shadow left as magic came off it in pulsing waves, as if it had been waiting to be freed. "So, must there be light." Jace stepped back.
Fahd's scream broke into sobbing horrific cries as he scratched out his own eyes. An image that would forever stay with Jace. He didn't bleed, but black goo came from within him. With every pulse of energy, Fahd grew darker and darker, as if burning from the inside out until nothing but ash lay on the ground where Fahd used to be. The insects had vanished.
A light breeze wafted into the cave and carried the ash away.
Echo!
Jace rushed over to the nymph crumpled on the ground. Her flesh was clammy as he lifted her up. Her eyes barely opened and glazed in cloudy white as if she had already given up. Her chest labored. "No. No, you can't go. Hang on, little nymph. I have you." Jace swallowed the lump in his throat and looked around the cave. Her tree was completely demolished. The fleece lay besides bits and pieces of the wood. Its light had dimmed.
He had heard the fleece could heal, but it was only a rumor. Jace looked down at Echo. It was a rumor worth testing. He carried Echo over to the fleece. Gently he lay her trembling body on the ground, covering her entire form with the golden fleece. It seemed to stretch and pull on its own, enveloping every inch of Echo. Jace picked them both up and headed out of the cave, not wanting to stay another second in the place. "Please work..." he whispered. His heart desperately grasped onto a small bit of hope.
CHAPTER TEN
Two full days had passed with Jace pacing the cottage and watching for improvement in Echo. The fleece s
till clung to her. In those two days, he had seen marked improvement in the nymph. Her skin had pinked, her face had healed. But she still hadn't opened her eyes.
Jace, on the other hand, was headed downhill at an alarming rate. The curse was beckoning him. Jace had never stayed right up until the day he’d be forced to leave . The pull had always been too strong. Jace fought with it every hour, forcing himself to not walk out that damn door.
The curse was making him antsy. He had one day left, and he needed Echo to be okay before he moved on. His heart hurt every time he looked at her. She had done everything she possibly could to protect her world, even gone up against Fahd. Why didn't she just tell him why she needed the damn fleece? He would have given it over...wouldn't he?
Jace thought about it, and the truth was, he guarded the fleece and didn't let people use it. The thought of letting others actually use it, had never crossed his mind, well until Echo said it. He was to keep it safe and out of mortal or immortal hands. If she had come to him before he knew her, before he had to fight with her against the dark entity, he probably would have said no. The little nymph had no choice but to steal it from under him. Jace's skin prickled, the curse urging him, reminding him he couldn't stay. In that, he both envied and hated Echo. She had roots here, literally and figuratively. She would always have a home. Something he hadn't even realized he wanted until he'd met her. He had been perfectly content wandering the world, seeing new things, bedding new females. Comfortable knowing his curse was forever and home would never be a part of his existence. He had made peace with it many years ago.
But when Echo's full figure walked into his life, barefoot, dressed in white, he should have known everything would change. He had felt the power here, and fate had somehow called him to help her. If the gods or fate hadn't wanted them to beat Fahd, then none of this would be. Jace sat back down beside her bed in a small folding chair. It had been uncomfortable, but he didn't want her to wake up and have no one here.
Ram Wild_A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance Page 5
