“Unlikely.”
“Why don’t we see, then?” She flung two orbs of light at him, but Vincent waved his hand and they disappeared.
“You are no match for me, child.” He flung out a hand and sent her flying back into the dark. Her head slammed into something hard, and she lay for a moment staring up at the ceiling.
“Ana!”
Anastasia got to her feet and stared at the inside of the medical cottage. The bloody rags from earlier were gone, and it looked just like it had nearly every day for the last five years.
“What the hell just happened?” Tony asked, slowly turning around in a circle.
All four of them stood inside now.
The sound of laughing came from just outside, and she rushed to pull the door open. The village was bustling, alive as ever, and she breathed a sigh of relief. They weren’t too late—at least, not yet.
“Anastasia!” Andrew headed toward her, Leo and Shane beside him. “When did you get back?” he asked, shaking hands with Tony and Dakota.
“Glad to see you aren’t dead,” Shane said as he shook Dakota’s hand.
“Glad to not be dead,” Dakota returned.
“Anything happen while we were gone?” Tony asked.
Andrew shook his head. “It’s been quiet since you guys left. We had the, uh, funerals last night.”
“You okay?” Shane asked and Anastasia looked over to see he was staring at her.
“Yeah, sorry. Just tired,” she responded. “How’s Selena?”
“She and Sarah haven’t been out much.”
“I’ll go see them in just a little bit.” She looked to Dakota. “Let’s get you home, you still need to heal.”
“I’ll catch up with you once we get them settled,” Tony told Andrew as he and Elizabeth followed Anastasia and Dakota through the bustling village.
“So, that was a mind fuck,” Dakota said once they were inside.
“It’s what Vincent’s best at,” Anastasia responded dryly.
Tony hadn’t spoken since they’d stepped inside, and when she looked at him she could see he was barely leashing the rage inside. His jaw was tight, and his eyes narrowed as he stared out the window and into the trees. “He’s been doing that to you?” he asked finally.
“Messing with me?” She snorted. “It’s his favorite past-time.”
“It felt so real,” Elizabeth said.
“It always does. The world he crafted inside the stasis was nearly indistinguishable from reality. I could feel, taste, and smell everything.” Her words choked up at the end when she thought of the little girl she’d left behind.
Dakota, who sat beside her on the couch, reached over and gripped her hand. She curled her feet up and leaned against him, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I love you,” he whispered softly.
“I love you, too.”
“I want to check on everyone, see that they’re all right.” Tony headed for the door.
“I’ll come with you,” Elizabeth offered. “You two okay?”
“We’re fine, Mom.” Dakota offered her a smile. “Go on.”
She and Tony stepped from the room, and Anastasia pulled away to look at him. “I’m so tired of his mind games,” she whispered.
“We’ll find a way to stop him.” Dakota tucked her hair behind her ear. “But first, I really want to kiss you.” He pulled her to him and Anastasia climbed onto his lap to straddle him.
She pressed her lips to his and buried her hands in his thick hair. The melding of their mouths pushed thoughts of death from her mind as she focused on what was before her: life.
54
Anastasia
Later that night, Anastasia walked the fence line with Kaley. She had done it so many times over the years, and still, it felt so alien to her now. She looked back toward the training cottage where Gregory wouldn’t be waiting for her with a stiff drink to end the day. Dakota would be, and while that was a beautiful thing, her heart longed for her father.
He’d never come back. He’d never watch her get married, or see his grandchildren. All because his brother wanted power. She would never understand the allure of it. All she wanted was to be able to lead a normal life with Dakota, to someday give them both a family. She wanted to see what he would look like with gray hair. Handsome as ever. She smiled to herself.
“Hi, Anastasia,” a girl said behind her.
Anastasia turned around. Brady’s younger sister, Sarah, leaned against the wall. She hadn’t spoken to Sarah or Selena since Brady’s death, and the guilt from that alone was heavy.
“Hi, Sarah. Everything okay?” she asked hesitantly. Sarah’s long black hair was braided back, and at sixteen, she already had her mother’s beauty
“Yes, it is.” She smiled lightly. “Just out for a walk. I’ve been coming out almost every night since—well, you know.”
Anastasia nodded. “I’m so sorry, Sarah. I didn’t tell you and your mother before, but I am so sorry.” The pain was like a knife in her heart at the thought of Brady, and the tears threatened to fall. She missed him so much.
“Thank you. You have to know we don’t blame you, Anastasia. You were the big sister we both never had, and we missed you. I miss you.” Sarah wiped the tears from her cheek.
“I’ve missed you, too, Sarah.” Anastasia opened her arms and pulled Sarah in for a hug. It was soothing to her soul to know that Sarah and Selena didn’t blame her, but Brady’s death still weighed heavy on her heart.
“How is your mom?” Anastasia asked when Sarah released her and pulled away.
“She comes and goes. I honestly don’t think she is ready to admit that he’s gone. She keeps talking about him as if he’s going to walk in from another scouting mission any day. She didn’t even go to his funeral.” Sarah’s voice cracked, and Anastasia touched her shoulder.
“Everyone grieves differently.” Or they just bury it, she thought to herself. “This is just how she is working through things. It’ll get easier, I promise.”
Sarah nodded. “How are you doing?”
“I’m dealing,” she lied. “Trying to make it through each day, and if I do that, I consider it a win.”
Sarah smiled slightly, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
The night air chilled, and Anastasia’s breath came out in an icy burst. Her skin tingled as the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.
Anastasia spun slowly, searching the night for the source of the change. She turned back to Sarah and started to speak, stopping when Kaley growled low in her throat.
Anastasia spun, shielding Sarah and drawing her sword. “Go, Sarah.”
“What is it?” Fear filled her voice as they frantically looked for who or what approached.
“I’m not sure. Get home.”
Sarah turned and ran, and when she disappeared into the village, Anastasia focused her attention back to what was around her.
Kaley, still growling, seemed just as confused.
Anastasia opened her senses and felt emptiness. It was as if the world was void of all noise, and that frightened her more than anything else she might have sensed. That fear was what made her realize what Kaley was sensing. Trepidos.
“Go and get Dakota, girl,” she said to Kaley as she sheathed her sword. It would do no good against them and would only allow them to make her a bigger danger than she already was.
Anastasia pulled at her magic and did her best to put up a wall around her people and against the monsters. She wasn’t sure how far away they were, but if Kaley sensed them, then she knew it wouldn’t be too long until they arrived. She looked down at her hands, blue sparks flew at her fingertips and worked their way up her arm, illuminating her skin as they went.
Shadows crept closer to the edge, and Anastasia held her ground as they crept along the dirt.
“I was wondering if I’d see you bastards again,” she growled through gritted teeth.
The answer came from inside her mind. “We have missed you, baby bird.” It
mocked her just as the Brutes did.
“Can’t come up with your own insults? Have to steal from the Brutes?”
“We cannot wait to taste your fear.”
Something rammed against her mind, a battering of the walls she’d carefully erected around herself once again. “You’ll be waiting a long damn time. How about you take form and we see who has the upper hand then?”
“You truly have no idea what we are, do you, baby bird? Or who we come from?”
“I know that I don’t care.”
The light her body threw off seemed to keep the shadows away, but some were sneaking through her defenses. She heard the terrified screams from behind her and Anastasia knew she couldn’t protect everyone when they were spread so far apart. Fuck!
“Anastasia!” Dakota yelled.
She spun just in time to dodge the blade Sarah wielded. “You monsters killed my brother!” she screamed, tears running down her cheeks.
“Sarah! It’s not real!” Anastasia pulled her to the ground and shook her shoulders. Moments later, her eyes began to refocus on Anastasia.
“What happened?” she asked, dazed, and the Trepido’s chilling laughter filled Anastasia’s mind.
“Get everyone gathered in the center of the village!” she yelled to Dakota as she climbed off Sarah and pulled her to her feet. “I can block them, but I need everyone together!”
Dakota nodded and rushed Sarah away.
“You won’t win.” The hissing voice of one of the Trepidos behind her said.
She turned and smiled at it. She threw her hand up, sending light straight into the dark, and it fell to the ground, its shadow disappearing to reveal its monstrous, goblin-esque appearance.
“Anyone else want to play with me? Or try, anyway,” she taunted, hoping to buy Dakota more time.
She walked slowly behind him, wanting to get to the center of the village before the Trepidos did. The villagers would be sitting ducks until she arrived.
Dakota passed the message to Tony and Argento, and Anastasia watched, relieved as everyone gathered. Shadows followed a few of the villagers that were being dragged into the center in a panic, and she threw light at the monsters, watching in satisfaction as the shadows crumbled to the ground. These deaths did not bother her—Trepidos were never peaceful; they were pure evil and, according to Argento, always had been.
“That everyone?” Anastasia asked through gritted teeth. The Trepidos were not going down without a fight; they continued pushing at her barrier, battering every one of her defenses, and it was wearing on her. Her vision swam, but she reached deeper into the pool of magic inside her.
Dakota nodded. “What are we going to do?”
“Make them wish they had never taken Vincent’s deal,” Anastasia responded.
Carmen walked over to Anastasia and nodded. “I’m with you, Anastasia. I will hold the barrier; you handle the monsters.”
“Sounds good to me.” She stepped toward the edge of the circle the villagers had made.
“Be careful, Ana,” Dakota said.
She nodded, and after reinforcing her own mental barriers, stepped out of Carmen’s light.
“Come and get me, boys,” she called.
“You are foolish, girl,” one of them whispered.
“Your death will be so satisfying,” another said.
Their assault on her mental barriers continued, but she held steady. Something slammed into her, knocking her onto the ground. For a moment, her barrier dropped, and the invasion, the worse kind of mental perversion, pushed into her mind.
Anastasia closed her eyes against the images of the village behind her being destroyed. “It’s not real.” She held strong and pushed to her feet.
The shadows retreated slightly, pulling back into the night where they’d come, and Anastasia followed.
“She is strong, but not strong enough.” The whisper filled her mind, and she threw her blocks back up.
“That all you got?” she asked. “Drop the shadows, show me your ugly selves.”
“Ugly, she calls us? Maybe you are the ugly one, human.” The distaste in the Trepido’s voice made her smile.
“Well then, show me.” She continued following them further into the trees, ignoring the calling of her name from behind her. I will drive them away so I can slaughter them all.
Once they were hidden by the trees, the Trepidos began dropping their shadows, and soon she was surrounded by monsters. Their gangly appearance was nothing compared to their troll-like features. Oversized noses sat on large, round faces that didn’t fit the slenderness of their torso’s. Their large arms hung to their knees, before ending in claws.
“Ugly,” she taunted.
“I am tiring of her games.” One sneered at her, no longer in her mind since they were solid forms.
Anastasia’s hand itched for her sword. “Then come and get me.”
The annoyed monster began to move toward her, but another threw out its claw.
“She taunts us, and you won’t allow me to kill her?”
“She is much too calm,” it said cautiously.
“Come on! Going to let him boss you around?”
“Why are you not afraid, girl? You are mere inches from death, and you do not even see it.” The monster’s claw reached out and stopped just before touching her, in demonstration. “These humans you foolishly protect will all die. You have seen it, have you not? I know you have,” he sneered. “I can see it in your eyes. Vincent showed you what we are capable of. We will end it all.” It waved its claws around to show her what he meant. “And we are only the beginning. You have no clue what is coming.”
“I’m tired of your threats.” She pretended to yawn.
“I tire of this as well.” The annoyed Trepido from moments before charged her, and she threw her palm out. He crumbled to ash before her, and the other Trepidos began moving angrily, predators stalking their prey.
“Leave her, fools! The old woman is going to give in soon, and then we shall feast!” the leader yelled, but the others did not seem thrilled by the idea of leaving her alone, and in unison, over half of them charged her.
They met the same fate as their comrade.
“You fools!”
All but the leader and one other Trepido turned back into shadows and disappeared into the night.
“We had much better luck in that Seattle. This world isn’t worth it,” she heard the remaining monster whisper to the leader while he stared straight at Anastasia. She held his cold gaze, not willing to show even an inch of the exhaustion weighing her down.
“Let us go,” the leader finally said, then they disappeared.
Anastasia opened her senses, and dropped to her knees, clutching her head. The second she released the barriers, pain assaulted her head, making it feel like it had been split open.
Leaves crunched behind her, and Anastasia turned just in time for her world to fade to black.
55
Dakota
Dakota, Argento, Shane, and Tony, raced through the trees, searching for any sign of Anastasia. She had disappeared into the tree line, leaving him staring after her until Carmen deemed it was safe again to leave the center of the village.
The monsters had vanished before she’d even left the clearing, right after they’d knocked her to the ground, but still she’d kept moving, making him wonder if the beasts hadn’t drawn her in somehow.
“I don’t see her anywhere,” Shane called out.
“Nor do I,” Argento said. “Perhaps we should head back to the village, just to be sure she hasn’t returned.”
“You guys go ahead. I’m not done looking yet,” Dakota told them when they gathered together in a clearing.
“Wait.” Tony knelt and pressed his fingers against something dark that had pooled on the ground. “Shit.” He held his fingers up, and in the light from the moon above, Dakota saw the dark red stain of blood.
No, God, please no. “Ana!” he called out into the night.
“There is no trail,” Argento noted. “We need to go back and gather more warriors.”
“We can’t just leave her out there!” Shane insisted.
“I agree, but we are no good to her dead. Which is what we will be if we run into those Trepidos again,” Tony said sadly. “As much as I hate it—and believe me, I do—we don’t have an option.”
“You two feel free to go back. I am not returning unless I have Ana with me.” Dakota unsheathed his sword and headed for the tree line.
“I’m coming with you,” Shane called after him.
“Wait!” Andrew burst into the clearing, breathless.
“What is it?” Tony demanded.
“Elizabeth and Sarah.”
Dakota’s stomach twisted. “What happened?”
“They’re missing.”
“What the hell do you mean, they’re missing?” Tony stepped toward him. “You were supposed to be watching everyone!” Tony’s voice boomed through the trees, but Dakota barely heard it through the hammering of his own heart.
Both people he loved more than anything in the world were missing, along with a young girl whose mother had already lost one child.
What the hell was going on?
“Go back and rally the others,” Tony told Andrew “Prepare them for war. We don’t know who we’re going up against, but we have to find them.”
“Where’s Anastasia?” Andrew asked.
“Missing,” Shane answered.
“God help us.” Andrew rushed back toward the village.
“Is it possible the Trepidos turned her?” Argento asked. “They could have easily manipulated her into grabbing Elizabeth and Sarah.”
“Then why the fuck is there blood on the ground?” Dakota demanded angrily. “If she had gone willingly, why hurt her?”
“I meant no disrespect.” Argento held up his large, pale hands. “Only doing what I can to gather information.”
“I know you are, man. I’m sorry.” Dakota sheathed his sword and ran his hands over his face.
“Where do we even start looking for them?” Shane asked.
Dakota looked back at the trees. “I have no fucking clue.”
Fighter Page 20
