Angered Seasons: Volume Four (I Will Survive)

by Chester, Mireille

  I started back into the house.

  “Get back up there!” bellowed Lane.

  I choked on a sob and pulled my bow. Somewhere behind the house, Max and Glade had started up a blizzard. Large flakes blew over the house and onto our balcony. The sudden temperature drop caused the rain on our bodies to crystalize and my fingers cramped around my bow.

  Jenny rubbed her hands together and blew on them, her entire body shaking.

  I pulled back an arrow, my arms fighting the motion. “Fuck.”

  “We’re coming up!” Lane shouted the warning as he, Shawn, Grant and Jason turn toward the house.

  “Shawn!” Jenny screamed as her brother was knocked to the ground by a gust of wind. Whichever of the brothers had thrown it, it didn’t matter. Shawn hit the ground with a grunt and didn’t have time to scream before his entire body froze over. Another gust hit Grant, though this one didn’t turn anyone into ice. He scrambled to his feet and kept coming.

  I pulled Jenny into a hug, her sobs shaking both of us.

  Lane burst through balcony doors and caught himself on the railing as he slipped on the ice that now covered it. “Get on the roof!”

  I glanced down and saw the pack of Yellow eyes, at least fifteen of them, making their way into the house. Jason boosted Jenny up and she gave me her hand as I followed. Next came Grant, Lane, and finally, Jason.

  “You two stay back.” Lane held the hatchet up, ready to hack away any part of a sprite that managed to show itself over the edge of the roof.

  “Are you guys okay?” I tried to assess their injuries while staying out of the way. Jason had a cut along his bicep, another over his left eye, and I’d noticed he’d been limping. Lane’s jeans were torn and he was bleeding. The whole left side of his face was swollen.

  Grant glanced back, the split in his lip widening with this grin. “We’re fine.” He wiped the blood away with a stiff arm.

  I flexed my fingers, willing them to hang in there. I silently begged Max to go back to tornadoes and thunderstorms.

  The house shook with the sudden force of an earthquake. An earthquake! I’d lived in Prince Albert all my life and I’d never felt an earthquake. I scrambled up the roof so I could straddle the peak in case things got worse. Not that it would matter, really. I didn’t think this house had been built to withstand any kind of ground shaking.

  Jenny cried out and joined me.

  “Lane!” I watched as the men struggled to stay on the edge of the roof. Under us, windows shattered and the house groaned.

  Max looked up at us his eyes wide. Glade took his distraction to throw another gust of wind in his direction. The younger of the two managed to deflect it with a blast of his own. The swirl of snow and ice hit me in the chest. My breath left my lungs with a sickening whoosh. I felt the house disappear from under me and found myself free falling backwards. I stopped abruptly, my body snagging on something thick, hard, and cold. I felt the skin rip from my arm as I slid down whatever I’d hit. My other hand reached back, hoping to stop my descent before there was nothing left of my limb. The movement caused me to slip forward and I was once again falling.

  The ground met me, unforgiving, and my legs gave out with the impact. Somewhere in the wind, I heard Lane scream my name. The pain rolled through me in waves and I struggled to stay conscious. I had to move. The Yellow Eyes wouldn’t take long to find me here. My eyes met Max’s and a strange calm came over me. Even through the silver, I saw it. That look. The one we’d tried so hard tame. I smiled and lay my head back down on the now snow covered ground. Maxy was about to lose control.

  It was obviously a look Glade had seen before as well. His eyes widened and suddenly, he wasn’t the cocky immortal he’d been portraying all this time. He wiped at the blood running down his neck.

  As abruptly as it had started, the snow, wind, and rain stopped.

  “Max.” Glade took a step back. “It’s been fun, really, but you need to calm down. This wasn’t my idea, little brother.”

  Silver swirls of power slithered around Max. The ground started to tremble, the air began to move. A flash so bright I had to close my eyes appeared from above. The sound that followed it was a low hum that quickly turned into an octave so high and loud I covered my ears, tucking my head into my arms to try and muffle it.

  The ground heaved and just as soon as it had started, it was over. I peered out from under my arms and was shocked. The Yellow Eyes that had been alive were now laying still, not one of them breathing. I gazed over to where Max had been and swore.

  “Holy fuck, Maxy.” I tried to stand but stumbled.

  “Gabby!” Lane was running toward me and was soon kneeling at my side. “Grant, Jason! Go check on Max!”

  The pair ran to where their friend was now laying on the ground, his chest moving up and down the only indication he was alive.

  “Where’s Glade?” I had to clear my throat and ask the question again.

  “He’s gone.” Lane helped me to my feet. “I didn’t see much of it, but it looked like he exploded then vanished.” He smirked. “Yeah, I know how that sounds.”

  “Dude! Whatever Maxy did to Glade, it left a crater back there!” Grant had a hold of Max’s feet as he and Jason carried him toward the house.

  I leaned against Lane. “Remember what he said about the dinosaurs?”

  Lane grinned. “Yeah.” He led me to the house. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  I kissed him softly. “I think this is over.”

  “God I hope so.”

  Brat barked and followed us into the house.

  Epilogue

  I take a sip of my warm beer. It’s been four days since our big battle with Glade and so far no more Yellow Eyes have shown up. Max’s fever is finally down and I’m thinking it will be safe to move him if he doesn’t wake up in the next day or two.

  I lean my head against Lane’s shoulder. “How’s your leg? I saw it was bleeding again.”

  He shrugs. “How’s your arm? You’re not getting an infection, are you?”

  I shake my head.

  One second, I’m looking at Bella eating grass ten feet from the porch, and the next, I’m staring into swirling yellow and silver eyes.

  “Jesus fuck!” I scramble backwards onto the deck and when I’m standing, I make one of those useless mental notes that I managed to avoid spilling my beer. It finally clues in that Mother Nature herself is standing in front of me and I can’t help but gawk. She’s beautiful; milk chocolate skin, long black hair, and eyes that never stop swirling silver and yellow. She’s hypnotizing.

  Terra looks at me with unveiled contempt. It’s obvious that she’ll never share her son’s love for the humans.

  “I’m here to see my son.”

  “Good for you.” I cross my arms across my chest even though it hurts like a bitch. “He’s sleeping.”

  She glares at me and it crosses my mind that she could probably kill me with a blink of those phenomenal eyelashes.

  “It’s okay, Gabs.” Max is leaning against the door frame. He offers me a tired smile which disappears the instant his eyes meet his mother’s.

  “What do you want?” His silver glare won’t back down from hers.

  “To talk.” She actually sounds shy.

  “So talk.”

  She shakes her head. “Alone.”

  He glances at me. “Can you give us a minute?”

  I nod and head down the stairs where Lane takes my hand. “We’ll be around back if you need us.”

  We spend the next ten minutes in silence, looking at the crater formally known as Glade.

  “I’d like to say I feel sorry that I vaporized him, but I can’t.” Max comes to stand with us. He catches my glance backwards. “She’s gone.”

  I smile. “So? How are you feeling?”

  “Exhausted. Other than that, not too bad. How about you?”

  I see him looking at my arm and I shrug. “I’ll live. So, your eyes?”

  He grins. “Permanen
tly silver.”

  “That’s kinda cool,” I laugh.

  He nods and inhales deeply. “I…” He pauses and Lane puts a hand on his arm to encourage him.

  “I have to leave.” Maxy’s eyes look past me and I know that Jenny is back.

  “What?” She drops the water bucket she’s carrying and runs to us. He pulls her to his chest and smoothes her hair.

  “I have too. It’s the only way this will work.”

  I frown and try not to show how upset I am. I swallow the lump rising in my throat. “Why?”

  “Earth is mine to look after now. She said I earned it. I can’t do that from here. The magic I need, it’s over there in the other realm.”

  Jenny’s sobs fill the air and I hug both of them. The poor girl has literally lost everyone she’s ever loved.

  “So what’s going to happen?” Lane, of course, is thinking ahead, because that’s what he does.

  Max thinks for a minute. “First things first, I’ll get the weather back on track. We need to get some food growing and stuff so you guys don’t starve. It’s going to take a long time before life gets back to normal. Terra managed to fry anything electronic with one of those storms of hers. You’re going to have to start from scratch.” He smiles apologetically. “Now that the sprites are gone, those who were strong enough to survive being possessed will find their way home. It’s going to be a major clean-up effort, I imagine.”

  Lane nods.

  Max grins. “But not you. You get to go home to the farm and relax for a change. You’ve done enough to help me and I don’t mean just this end of the world shit, either.” He gives me and Jenny a squeeze. I pull away so he can say goodbye to her.

  “I’ll come back every now and then.” He tilts her face gently. “And if you ever need me, all you have to do is call.”

  She nods, tears streaking down her face. He kisses her gently then turns to us.

  “I need to get going. Can you tell the rest of the crew I’ll be back to say hey?”

  “For sure.”

  He gives a small wave and vanishes as is the Nature/Time family habit. I give Jenny a squeeze.

  “Come on. Let’s get home. I feel like making a feast for supper.”

  She smiles. “I think there’s a roast we could cook up.”

  “Perfect.”

  “With homemade bannock?” inquires Lane.

  I kiss his cheek and laugh. “Sure thing.” I swing up behind Lane on Bella and wait until Jenny gets onto Fatty Lumpkin. “Do you know what?”

  “Hmmm?”

  I look up at the sky and wonder if Max can see us from where he is. “I think Maxy’s going to make a good keeper.”

  Lane grins. “I think you’re right.” He gives Bella a squeeze and we make our way home.

  Books by Mireille Chester

  Adult Novels

  The Chosen One Trilogy

  Crossover

  Journey

  Destiny

  Angered Seasons (the serial novel)

  The Worst Birthday Ever (volume one)

  Zombies, Aliens, and Meat-Eating Vegetarians? (volume two)

  You Mess With the Bull, You Get the Horns (volume three)

  I Will Survive (volume four)

  Young Adult Novels

  Knights of Dorathan

  Chael’s Luck

  Tales of Quelondain

  Tyler’s Story

  Reluctant to Rise (coming 2013)

  Middle Grade Novels

  Faerie Dreams

  Sweet Dreams (coming soon)

  About the Author

  Mireille Chester was born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1979 and moved to Saskatchewan when she was eight. Writing is one of her many passions which also include reading, drawing, painting, animals, and the outdoors. She is a stay at home mom and wife.

  Mireille lives with her husband and their three children. She hopes to keep readers entertained with her magical worlds and enjoyable characters.

  http://mireillechester.blogspot.com is where you can learn more about her books and follow her blog.