Broken Dove

by Kristen Ashley

  Fucking witch bitches.

  I couldn’t think on them. Not yet.

  I was about to help with the Baldur situation when I was pulled back with a forearm at my throat.

  Pol’s.

  He jerked me two steps back but I twisted in his hold, coming loose. I ducked and shuffled away.

  He reached a steel hand to me but didn’t get it close.

  This was because Cora tackled him sideways.

  Not prepared for her, they went to the ground and I saw Pol getting ready to aim a blow of his steel fist to her head so I went for it. Lunging, I wrapped both hands around it and yanked it back.

  Circe and Finnie must have dealt with Baldur because they showed and Finnie aimed a kick of her boot to Pol’s crotch.

  Always a good choice.

  Pol groaned, stopped struggling (and admittedly winning) and he curled up on his side, both hands cupping between his legs.

  Cora ran to the doors, put her hand to the handle and it was immediately dwarfed by the large dangling circle.

  This didn’t faze her. She pushed.

  I ran to her and pushed.

  Finnie and Circe joined us and pushed.

  “Use your magic!” Finnie shouted to Circe.

  “That wasn’t my magic,” Circe replied.

  “What was it?” Cora cried.

  “Our magic,” Circe answered.

  “Where… is…Valentine?” Finnie asked on a grunt, pushing.

  The voice sounding was actually shaking with humor when it stated, “Most amusing,”

  “Ugh!” I groaned then demanded, “We need to form another huddle, ladies!”

  And when I did, suddenly we all fell forward when the doors swung open.

  We righted ourselves and I stilled, staring at Franka Drakkar standing outside the doors.

  She didn’t look at a single one of us as she strolled right in.

  Strolled.

  Right.

  In.

  We didn’t get the chance to make a break for it. The instant Franka passed the threshold, the doors slammed shut.

  We all turned and watched as she slowly made her way across the expanse toward the witches.

  “What the fuck?” I heard Finnie whisper.

  “I’m not sure this is good,” I whispered back.

  “You know her?” Cora asked.

  “Stay quiet and together,” Circe cut in.

  We again huddled.

  “This is interesting,” Helda said, her eyes cast down to Franka who stopped at foot of the steps at the bottom of the dais. She tipped her head to the side. “You would have made a good ruler. But soon you will be nothing.”

  “You should have asked without taking my Antoine,” Franka replied, and I had to hand it to her, she was good. Ice cold even in times like this. She sounded calm as could be.

  “Antoine? Who’s Antoine?” Finnie asked.

  “Shh!” Cora shushed.

  “Prepare,” Circe warned.

  Oh shit, I thought.

  “This is your flaw. He was nothing. The lesson comes too late but I shall give it to you regardless. You shouldn’t waste energies caring about nothing,” Helda said to Franka.

  I could tell that wasn’t the right thing to say with the way Franka’s body language changed.

  “So be it,” Helda went on.

  “Yes,” Franka replied. “So be it.”

  And that was when it happened.

  She moved, going into a crouch, twisting her torso around at the same time. Her arm extended and from her hand, a shimmering wave of emerald green shot out.

  At that moment, from the ceiling a body fell.

  Landing on his feet in a crouch at the foot of the dais was Tor, strangely wearing jeans, a chambray shirt, and brown boots.

  He straightened out of the crouch pulling a gun (yes! A gun!) out of the back of his belt. He aimed it at Edith, who was coming out of her throne, and fired.

  She fell back and down, hitting her throne which threw her forward. She rolled down the steps, trailing blood the entire way.

  She barely came to a rest at the bottom before Tor turned his gun toward Helda.

  But Derrik was on the move and he was moving swiftly. I sucked in a shocked breath when he took Helda’s head in both hands, slammed it into the arm of her throne and let her go.

  She slumped in the seat.

  That was when Lavinia rose up in a shower of icy sparks that, when they dropped to the ground, up sprang miniature creatures which immediately grew into not-miniature creatures with pointy Spock-like ears. They were also wearing little hats with feathers poking out.

  And last, their bodies glowed ice blue.

  Instantly, massive troll like creatures and the bird head men popped up by the dozens everywhere.

  Fuck!

  The creatures with hats didn’t spare them even a glance. In unison, they threw up their hands and a wall of ice encased Minerva.

  Just as they sprang up, the trolls and bird men all made popping sounds and disappeared.

  Whoa.

  Minerva had not risen from her chair but seconds after the wall of ice surrounded her, she came out of it, floating high, her body arched back, and a blood-chilling shriek filled the air, making our group huddle closer when a bleed of liquid blue poured from her hovering body into the stone.

  “On your knees!” Tor ordered, stalking our way, gun up and my eyes flew to the side to see Pol up.

  “I’m thinking that’s not Tor,” I mumbled.

  “It isn’t,” Cora whispered. “It’s Noc. Tor’s twin from our world.”

  Apparently Cora’s guy’s twin was a good guy.

  Lucky her.

  “Knees!” Noc shouted.

  I looked back at Pol who was grinning.

  Uh-oh.

  “Knees!” Noc bellowed.

  Pol dashed to the side.

  Because he was an asshole, he did this toward me.

  He didn’t make it.

  This was because a wall of man formed in front of me.

  I had his back so I saw he was a man wearing a cloak.

  A man carrying a sword.

  A man who didn’t hesitate using that sword.

  He swung it out in a mighty arc and I heard a body hit the ground. A nanosecond later, I heard another, quieter thump that included a sickening roll.

  “Okay,” Cora murmured. “Gross.”

  Apollo turned to me.

  I stared up into his furious jade eyes.

  Jade eyes that were beautiful—furious, murderous, whatever, I did not care. I just loved those eyes. I would love those eyes forever as I would love the man who had them.

  Not to mention, I was freaking beside myself I was looking into them right then.

  So I ignored the bloodied sword (not to mention the drops of blood on his face and clothes) and ran into his arms.

  Those arms closed around me.

  I felt his lips at my ear and heard his deep voice say to me. “You are safe now, my dove.”

  I just knew he’d find a way.

  I took in a long breath and held on tight as I let it go.

  “I’m guessing you didn’t take his other hand,” I said quietly.

  “You are correct. I did not.”

  Bye-bye Pol.

  I closed my eyes.

  “It is done, Frey Drakkar.”

  I opened my eyes and looked to the side to see a pointy-eared man had his gaze aimed our way.

  Apollo loosened his grip but didn’t let me go. But I could look further around.

  Frey was there. As was Lahn. As was Tor (the real one, or the other real one).

  All was well.

  I looked to the vaulted stone ceiling. Thank you, God.

  “He is mine,” Lahn grunted and stalked forward.

  I should have known with the way he was stalking but I didn’t think. So I didn’t look away and saw Lahn bend over a scuttling Baldur and raise him from the floor by his hair.

  Luckily, his back was
to us but I still heard the unmistakable crack when Lahn’s arms moved swiftly.

  Then, with no ado whatsoever, Lahn dropped Baldur’s lifeless body to the ground and turned, stalking back to his woman.

  He’d broken Baldur’s neck.

  Bloodless, at least, but still.

  Guh.

  “I believe she is yours,” Frey said and my eyes went back to him.

  He was looking at Tor.

  So I looked to Tor to see him nod, bend and kiss Cora on her forehead and then he moved to the thrones.

  Lahn disengaged from Circe and fell in behind him. Frey disengaged from Finnie. And Apollo let me go.

  They all moved toward the cage of ice.

  The be-capped creatures that I figured were elves shifted back as they did.

  Apollo was the first one to whip his sword around.

  He went for a second pass and Frey pulled his sword out of the scabbard at his back.

  Around they both went and Lahn unsheathed his.

  Then they all rounded their swords as Tor walked up the steps.

  They let fly.

  I gasped as the swords struck the wall of ice and it shattered, blowing out. But suddenly, the shards arrested in the air in unison before they tinkled to the ground like harmless bits of crushed ice.

  When they did, Minerva’s body fell to her throne.

  And when it did, Tor moved up the rest of the steps.

  I watched her focus on him.

  “This can’t happen,” she said, her voice no longer sounding all around but coming direct from her mouth, her face was stricken. “I’m a god.”

  “Gods have faith. Gods have loyalty. Gods have love,” Tor replied. “You were never a god.”

  “But—”

  That was her last word.

  Tor swung his sword and Minerva’s head flew to the side.

  Okay, I could put up with some gruesome, I’d proved it.

  But enough was enough.

  I looked away.

  I looked back when I heard, “I believe this one is for you.”

  When I looked back, I saw Valentine lounging casually against the black throne. Helda was still unconscious, slumped in it.

  Derrik was not far from Valentine’s side.

  Apollo moved up the steps that way. I saw him look to Derrik before he looked back to Valentine.

  “We all go,” he declared.

  “Of course, chéri,” she replied and lifted up her hands.

  No sooner did she do that then the vast room filled with green mist.

  She was a strange one, but it couldn’t be said that Valentine wasn’t something.

  “Here we go again,” Finnie muttered as the mist enveloped us.

  The room faded away.

  This time, we didn’t fall.

  But I cannot tell you how happy I was when the frozen tundra and snow-tufted pine trees formed around us.

  Safe.

  Alive.

  Home.

  I saw movement and looked that way as I felt the others shifting in around me.

  The movement was Apollo. My view was from the back and he was walking away but I saw he was carrying something in his arms.

  I didn’t have a chance to see what it was before he thrust his arms forward and whatever he was carrying flew through the air and landed in the snow.

  I saw it then.

  A body in a black dress rolling through the snow.

  I felt an arm go around my waist and looked right.

  Finnie was there.

  Another arm went around my waist and I looked left.

  Cora was there.

  Beyond Cora was Circe.

  I slid my arms around the women at my sides.

  The men (obviously save Apollo) closed in at our backs.

  Valentine and Lavinia moved in toward Circe.

  Franka, Derrik and Noc moved in next to Finnie.

  My eyes went to Apollo when I heard him give a sharp whistle and my breath caught in my lungs when the wolves slunk out of the woods.

  Hundreds of them.

  Maybe thousands.

  I was right yesterday.

  Helda was fucked.

  He twisted to look at Valentine.

  “Wake her,” his deep voice growled.

  “As you wish, chéri,” Valentine replied then threw out her hand in an idle gesture.

  I looked back to the witch in the snow.

  She was pushing up on her arms, looking around.

  But I didn’t have much time to pay her attention.

  Apollo was speaking.

  “Justice be done,” he stated, and without delay, turned his back to the witch, his cloak flying out behind him awesomely, and he sauntered our way.

  The wolves also didn’t delay.

  As one, they pounced.

  She got out one shriek.

  Then nothing but growls, snarls and the sickening sound of moist tearing.

  I swallowed.

  Apollo, fortunately blocking my view of the carnage, walked right to me.

  When he stopped in front of me, I drew in a deep breath and tipped my eyes to his.

  His were still pissed.

  He again thought he’d lost me and he didn’t like that much.

  I had to do something about it.

  So I offered him part of what I had to offer him.

  “Are the children okay?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he grunted.

  “All of them?” I pushed.

  “Yes,” he repeated tersely.

  “The guys? Are they all right?” I queried.

  “Yes,” he bit off.

  Hmm.

  It seemed all was okay and he was still pissed.

  “All of them?” I pressed. “Frey’s guys. Lahn’s guys—”

  “Yes, Maddie,” he clipped out.

  “Okay then, do you think there’s time for me to put on my kickass dress and attend the gale? It’ll be boring, what with no intrigue afoot, but I’m thinking I’d like to try my hand at dancing.”

  He stared down at me.

  He did this for a while.

  Then his hands shot out, grabbed hold of me and I slammed into his body as I watched him throw back his dark, handsome head and burst out laughing.

  I wrapped my arms around him and smiled.

  My job was done.

  Epilogue

  A Bag Filled with Hope

  Needless to say, once the dome of protection went down and the Winter Palace was attacked by hewcrows and something called toilroys (the troll-like creatures I saw on Specter Isle), and seeing as all the windows had been blown out and not all of them had yet been boarded up, pretty much everyone was freaked so the Bitter Gales had been postponed.

  Thus, my kickass dress was still hanging in my room and I had my fingers wrapped around Apollo’s arm as he guided us behind Tor and Cora, who were behind Circe and Lahn, who were following Frey and Finnie to a sitting room in the Winter Palace.

  We entered and I saw Valentine and Lavinia sitting next to each other on a couch. Derrik was standing beside the fireplace. Queen Aurora was sitting in a chair. Franka was in a corner, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but there. And Noc was standing at the boarded window, the other Circe not too far from him.

  All eyes had come to us as we entered. Seeing as the room was huge, there was fortunately plenty of seating so I was able to take a much needed load off when Apollo claimed a chair, seating me on the arm and curling his arm around my hips.

  I wasn’t sure who was in charge of the operation. I just knew when he spoke that Apollo was going to take charge of the debriefing.

  “You first,” he ordered, his voice curt, his eyes on Derrik.

  “I infiltrated Specter Isle,” Derrik replied.

  “I could guess that part,” Apollo returned.

  Derrik turned more fully to Apollo and crossed his arms on his chest.

  “It was not difficult to convince them there was a reason I was angry and would turn traitor,” Der
rik stated confusingly.

  “I can imagine not. The question is, did you turn traitor?” Apollo inquired.

  Derrik’s face got hard. “Don’t ask that, brother.”

  “Uh…just to say,” I quickly put in to this baffling exchange. “When the rescue mission commenced, Derrik was all over incapacitating Helda.”

  Derrik’s face got soft as his eyes turned to me.

  “Your purpose in doing this?” Apollo queried and Derrik looked back to him.

  “Being with them, I could not know your plan and I could not get away to share theirs. All I knew was that both of you would have them. And I would be in the position to do something when they played out. I couldn’t do much. But in the end, I was able to do something.”

  “This is true, mon loup,” Valentine put in. “Our Noctorno of my world was sent there to dispatch Edith, as well as incapacitate Helda. This last was the difficult part that made it quite risky for him to go. However you wanted her alive. I daresay those three didn’t consider firearms entering the picture, or our handsome other world Noctorno. But I suspected it would not take long for them to recover from the death of Edith. The elves had to focus on resurrecting Lavinia so they could use her as the conduit to Specter Isle and then drain Minerva. It was most fortunate your man was there. It made things easier on us all.”

  Wow.

  Lavinia had actually been dead.

  And the elves resurrected her.

  They were powerful.

  Apollo turned his attention to Valentine. “Right, then, as you’ve explained that, it’s clear you had this plan in place, a plan you did not share, when we already had a plan in place.”

  “You did, chéri, and it was a good one. I did not see it failing. And I did not wish to cause alarm by suggesting that it would. But you must admit, it is always wise to have a backup plan, no?”

  I looked to Apollo’s profile and saw a muscle jump in his cheek.

  That meant it was wise, he just wasn’t going to admit it out loud.

  “Were you aware the witches could beat your enchantments and our women would be in danger?” Frey asked and Valentine looked to him.

  “Was I aware they were that in danger?” She shook her head. “No. Again, I did not see the protections on this palace beaten.” Her eyes went languid when she stated, “I am rather good at what I do.” Her lips tipped up. “But I did know they carried great power so I asked Noctorno to be on call, just in case.”