Grampa was breathing hard, his chest heaving, but he lowered his sword and scrubbed his face as though waking from a trance. His eyes changed from eerie green to normal.
I looked at Valafar, shook my head and sighed. “I hardly know you so—”
“I am your father,” he roared.
I winced, feeling the pain in his words yet helpless to alleviate it. “I know. I’ve accepted it. But I’ll never be the person you want me to be.”
“Don’t say that,” he begged.
My heart pinched. “I’m sorry. I can’t fight for your side. I just can’t. You said you wanted me to choose sides. I’ll do it now. This,” I gave a sweeping wave that included Bran, the trainees and the Cardinals, tears streaming down my face, “is my family. I’m a Guardian.”
“How can you decide without knowing what I can offer you?” The scar on Valafar’s face twitched, pulling one corner of his mouth up and his eye down. “Live with me for awhile. See what your life will be like before you choose.”
Silence followed.
The idea was preposterous, yet I could see how he’d think it was fair. “You already described what I should expect if I were to stay with you. Revenge on those who hurt me… commanding respect…the world at my feet…mortals and immortals bowing down to me.” My voice steadied. Tears slowed down to a trickle. “That’s just not me.”
His voice whipped out. “They’ve brainwashed you, turned you into a disrespectful child.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way.”
“Yeah, sorry.” His voice was low, but his thoughts were lethal. The bastard turned my child against me. With him out of the way, the others can’t stop me.
The Cardinals’ attentions were on me, including Grampa. No one saw Valafar lift his hand, the one without the sword, the one capable of creating omnis. His intent was clear. He was going to kill Grampa.
Don’t do it. I aimed my blade at him. The beam of light singed his wrist.
He dropped his sword and jumped back, rage burning in his eyes. You’d vanquish me? Your own father?
If you give me no choice.
The others yelled out something, but I didn’t catch their words. My eyes stayed locked with my father’s. His gaze narrowed, lips curled up into a smile. You’re a lot more like me than you think, my child. You’d kill to save those you love. Kill to avenge their death, the same thing I did to your mother when I thought she killed you. Remember that.
My hand shook, my breathing choppy. I bit my lip to stop myself from calling him a liar. But he was right. Our way of life was violent, and yes, I’d kill to save those I love. Nausea bubbled to my throat.
A hand landed on my wrist, another on my shoulder. Bran. He pushed my hand down until the dagger pointed to the ground. “Don’t. He’s not worth it,” he whispered.
I surged against him, my heart galloping hard. Across the cave, the Guardians surrounded Valafar. “Leave,” Grampa ordered him.
Surprise flashed across Valafar’s face. “You’re letting me go?”
“It’s my granddaughter’s wish. But come anywhere near her again, and I won’t be so generous.”
“She’s my—”
An enormous crash shook the ground, cutting Valafar off in mid-sentence. Everyone braced themselves as the rumbling continued.
Valafar’s gaze locked with mine one last time. Don’t let Coronis lock on your psi energy. No matter what happens. His sword leaped into his hand. He glanced at Grampa. “We must have a rematch sometime, old man.” Then he disappeared.
23. THE FINAL BATTLE
I stared at where Valafar had stood, not understanding his warning. Did he think Coronis would come after me and the dagger? Wham-bam! Another crash rocked the ground. A fissure raced across the roof of the cave.
“Trainees, head home,” Grampa ordered, hurrying to my side. “Remember the point of entry—the Twin Peaks Pass, south of the island. Go in pairs. Watch each other’s back. Any Hermonite tries to stop you, take him down. We’ll find Seth and the others, and finish this.”
“Sir, we want to help,” Remy yelled to be heard above the thundering noise.
“Your turn will come, son. There are older trainees and mid-level Guardians out there to do this. Get out of here. That’s an order. Go!”
The words barely left Grampa’s mouth when the roof of the cave flew back with an earth-shattering bang. Snow, icy blocks and rocks rained down on us. Caws and howls assaulted our ears. I gawked at the gaping hole, my heart hurtling to my throat. Fiery energy balls sailed across the moonlit sky and exploded like fireworks. Giant creatures with bat-like wings zipped back and forth, lobbing weapons and dodging hits. The unlucky ones dropped from the sky aflame and in screaming agony.
A shriek pierced the air and a red beam shot across the exposed cave. “I want the girl. Bring her and the dagger to me,” a woman thundered.
Coronis?! My heart stopped.
Bolts of red light bombarded the exposed cave. Cries of pain and anger came from all around me, and I knew my friends had been hit. I didn’t feel anything. A force lifted us in the air and sent us flying. Bran’s grip loosened around my arm, and I was flung free, only to get a mouthful of snow as I skidded across the frozen ground. I rolled to my side, tucked my head and knees to avoid injuries. My back slammed against something hard. Pain shot through my body.
Hell had broken loose, and we were trapped in it.
I looked up and gulped. One of the giant creatures stared at me with yellow eyes. Human body. Head of a raven. Wings like a bat. Coronis’ guard? Spiked weapons hugged his arms and back, and the rubies on his black uniform gleamed wickedly at me. Both our gazes landed on the glowing dagger, which had been ripped from my hand when Coronis zapped us from the cave.
Come. The blade flew to my shaking hand.
“I found her,” the guard bellowed.
“Don’t hurt her. Bring her to me,” Coronis roared.
I waved a hand and zapped him as he reached for me. He slid backward on the ice, his beak opening and closing in incensed caws. I thrust the blade at him. “To Tartarus.”
The beam cut him in half. He burst into flames and howled as he disappeared into the snow. I rolled to my knees and scrambled to my feet, cold slipping through my thin clothing.
Someone called my name. I turned to see Bran flying toward me, wings flapping fast, sword swishing as he fought two raven-heads. A whirlwind of snow behind him swept anyone in its path. The twister, which appeared to be gaining momentum and widening, sucked in one of his attackers. The other burst into flame, impaled by Bran’s sword.
Give me your hand, he telepathed.
I raised my arm, but something hit my chest and hurled me through the air. I spun around and landed on the snow again, my bones rattling. I checked my chest, stomach, expecting a gushing wound or blazing flesh. There was nothing except for the throbbing pain from hitting the ground. I realized why. The dagger protected me from the direct hit. That explained why Coronis’ red rays had injured the others while I just felt the aftershock.
I scrambled to my feet, searched for Bran, Grampa, any one of our people. The place swarmed with fighters—in the air, on the ground, raven-heads, some with facial features of weird creatures, and angelic ones like the ones from the warehouse. It was impossible to tell Guardians and demons apart. I identified a few from their glowing green eyes and Moira from her hair. Moira lobbed giant-sized energy balls, the resulting light showing her face and the fangs protruding from her upper jaw. A Guardian blasted demons off their feet while others barraged them with arrows and ninja stars. Where were the trainees, Grampa, Janelle? Did Gavyn make it out with Celeste?
Someone sent a half a dozen Hermonites flying. Grampa. His left arm hang off his shoulder at a weird angle. Was he hurt? I started toward him. He yelled something to me and leveled his weapon at a woman. Coronis? Ash-blonde hair whipping around her pale, narrow face, a blood-red gown garish against the white snow, she had to be at least seven feet tall. I followed the light
s streaming into her extended fingers, and my heart stopped. The demoness was draining powers from Remy, Kim and Sykes. Our gazes locked. Her eyes, red and blazing, shot pure terror through me. My muscles seized. Where was Grampa?
“Kill her,” someone yelled. It was Valafar. I recognized his voice.
I couldn’t. I was frozen in place. As if she knew, Coronis threw back her head and let out a maniacal laugh. Then she was gone, along with the trainees. The evil sound of her laughter bounced off the mountains surrounding the island.
“Follow her,” Valafar yelled.
A surge of adrenaline shot through me. I turned to find him. He and his fellow nature-benders wore white fur coats, blending with the landscape. “To where?” I yelled.
“The castle. I’ll find Falcon. We’ll be right behind you.”
A shadow loomed over me, and arms plucked me off the ground. Bran. We shot upward, the icy wind stinging my eyes. Behind us swarmed Coronis’ guards. “Head to the castle,” I yelled.
“No. Your grandfather ordered me to take you to the pass and head home.”
“We can’t leave yet. Coronis has the trainees. She took them to her castle.”
“I’ll come back and tell your grandfather.”
“There’s no time. Teleport me to the castle first. Then come back and find him. Did Gavyn and Celeste make it off the island?”
“I don’t know.” He muttered a curse, then teleported. One minute we were above the battle ground, the next above a courtyard outside a castle carved into the rocky surface of the mountain. Semi-circular stairs led to the portico. The raven-heads appeared behind us. They were so many. No way could we fight them all and rescue the trainees, too.
Bran landed and lowered me to the ground. The raven-heads followed, their boots crashing ice as they drew closer, weapons drawn.
“Push the blade into the ground and order it to freeze everything,” Bran said.
“What?”
“It’s something my grandfather told my dad. He’d been trying to master it when he was captured. Try it. See if it works.”
Sure, why not? I raised the dagger, drove it into the frozen ground. It slid in like a knife through butter. Freeze the demons.
A pulse rippled through the ground like an earthquake, and one by one, the raven-heads in the courtyard froze in place. The din from the battleground disappeared. Wherever she was, I hoped Coronis couldn’t move her evil butt. The flyers, I noticed, were still moving. Going on instinct, I pulled the blade from the ground and pointed to the sky. Freeze!
Green light shot from the blade and whizzed through the sky like a launched rocket. It exploded in mid-air, spread out like an umbrella over the valley skies. One by one, the flyers froze, along with their energy balls.
I looked at Bran, gulped. He was frozen, too. I waved the beam on him. Move.
He blinked at me, then his eyes narrowed. “Did you…?”
I grimaced. “Yeah…sorry. I wish I knew it could do that back there in the battle field. How long will they stay frozen?”
“I don’t know. Just promise not to zap me again.”
“Promise. Come on, let’s get the trainees.” I skirted around the frozen guards. “Hopefully, Coronis is frozen, too.”
Bran gripped my arm, pulled me to a stop. “We need to get your grandfather and the others just in case she’s not.”
I tried to pull my arm away, but his grip tightened. “I hesitated, Bran. It’s my fault she has them.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Earlier, I came face to face with Coronis and froze. I could have taken her out. Because of me, she took the others.” I yanked myself free and ran up the stairs.
“You can’t blame yourself. She’s powerful and intimidating. To do this right, we need the Cardinals.”
“Valafar said he’d find Grampa, but he’s probably frozen, too. You go and find them, I’ll be inside. Find Gavyn and Celeste, too.”
Bran muttered a curse, pulled out his sword. “No. I’m not leaving you here alone.”
I stopped. “Saving Celeste is your first priority. Go find her.”
“Keeping you safe is my first priority. Let’s go.”
He was crazy, but there was no time to point that out. We raced to the entrance of the castle. The massive doors were open, but the hall was dark. A shaft of light fell from one of the rooms. We headed toward it. The glow and the vibrations from the wavy blade intensified. It lit up the rotunda with its massive pillars and myriad statues of Coronis. As we approached the opened door, I spied red carpets, stained glass windows and gilded mirrors. Bran, a little ahead of me, muttered a curse. Blood drained from my head when I saw why.
Coronis, eyes glowing red eyes, stood before an ornate throne, white light streaming from the eyes of at least three dozens guards into hers. She gripped a dagger similar to mine except the wavy blade was red. The trainees were nowhere to be seen.
Even frozen, she still drained people’s powers. A groan came from Bran, and I whipped around. He was on his knees, his hands clutching his head. The evil bitch was draining his powers, too. The dagger must be protecting only me.
I searched for Bran’s psi energy. He was strong, but she was draining him fast. Rage exploded through my body. No, she will not have him. Knees shaking, hands clammy, I aimed.
Her head turned like an owl’s. Evil eyes locked onto me. “Did you think you could freeze me, you stupid girl?”
I let her have it. The force sent her flying across her opulently decorated throne room. She spun in the air, her shrieks of outrage filling the room. Red light shot from her weapon and cut across the room, leaving behind scorch marks on the walls and furniture, breaking glass and mirrors and sending shards flying.
I didn’t teleport out of the lethal rays fast enough and got hit. The impact threw me against the wall. I crashed down a few feet from the trainees, piled up against the wall like sardines. Dazed and disoriented, I struggled to my feet and just managed to get away from another blast of her death ray. It was impossible to hurt her when she had a shield, too. Every time I tried to get her, she teleported out of the way or recovered faster than I did. I needed help. I looked around for inspiration, anything to distract her while I revived my friends.
“Give me the dagger, and I’ll let you and your friends live,” she screeched.
“No. Let them leave, then I will give it to you,” I yelled back.
Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t dictate terms to me, you little imbecile. Do you know who I am?”
I didn’t answer. I was studying the guards on the floor and remembering my conversation with Bran. I hope the dagger would follow my orders, however insane.
“I’m Coronis, an immortal, the most powerful being in all the worlds. Unstoppable and invincible, demons tremble in my presence….”
I aimed the beam at the guards. Revive, get up and attack her.
I dove behind her throne as the guards stirred and jerked to their feet like zombies. Coronis stopped bragging. Her howls filled the chamber as the guards flocked to her. She sent them flying across the room one by one. They landed, stood and went after her again.
I sprayed Bran with light. “Restore.” He stirred, staggered to his feet. I turned and radiated the trainees. They jerked into consciousness, looked around with dazed eyes. Their gazes landed on Coronis battling the zombies then on me.
I pointed at the entrance. “Go! Before she notices you. Get help.”
“No, we’ll finish this here and now,” Remy yelled back. He waved at shards from the floor and turned them into tiny, sharp weapons. “Get ready, Kim”
Kim swung her hands around, churning the air. “I’m ready when you are.”
“This should go down in history.” Sykes generated an alpha ball, left it daggling in the air and created another, and another, and…until tens of them hovered above and in front of him.
“Trap her rays with yours, and we’ll finish her off,” Bran said from beside me, his wings swelling and eyes tu
rning crimson. He looked behind me, his eyes widening.
I whipped around to face Coronis and gulped. The guards were gone, scorch marks the only evidence they were once there. And her dagger was aimed at me. A shrill barrage of words spewed from her mouth. Her wings whooshed out from behind her, the force whisking objects around the room like a tempest. Like her guards, she didn’t have a single feather on her wings. Her features shifted until her face and head became like a bald raven’s, grotesque. The torn fabric of her dress clung to her bony body.
“Valafar is an idiot for not telling me about you,” Coronis sneered, her voice a cross between human and a raven’s caw. “If I’d known of your existence, I would’ve done anything to find you, raise you as my own. We would’ve ruled the world, side by side. Now I must treat you the way I did Tariel. Keep you and your friends here like animals, breed you to whomever I please. This time, I will own and command my father’s ultimate creation.”
I raised my hand and pointed the dagger at her. “You’ll have to pry it out of my dead fingers,” I shouted.
A shaft of red light shot from her blade toward me. I watched it draw closer and closer as though someone had slowed time. A glowing green stream shot out from my dagger and collided with hers, resulting in a blinding orange flame with purple swirls. The glow filled the room, hissing as it hovered in the air, making it difficult to see what the others were doing.
“That’s my dagger…the Guardians had it for thousands of years…it’s my turn,” she shrieked.
A loud thud reverberated in the hall as needle-sharp objects flew across the room and sunk into Coronis’ body. They popped right out of her, the wounds closing and healing instantly. Kim and Remy threw more darts.
Coronis’ skin started to shrivel as Bran curled his fingers toward her and drained water from her body. With less and less liquid, she couldn’t discharge Remy’s micro weapons, and her wounds stopped self-healing. She tried to shift her dagger and zap the others, but my green beam trapped hers in a gridlock. She shrieked and cursed as the green light swallowed her red one. It drew closer toward her hand until it reached the blade, consumed it and then lit the guard. She let go of what was left of her weapon with a cry.
Awakened Page 30
