by KB Anne
“So that leaves us to fight?” he said, gesturing to himself and Caer.
Gallean removed his hands from Scott’s shoulders and lifted his chin instead. “Do not be afraid to say her name. It is not her fault Gigi left. Gigi chose to. Caer merely supplied her with the path to do so. You should thank her.”
Scott’s eyes slid over to hers. A rush of warmth consumed her body.
“Caer, thank you.”
Her midsection tingled again. She needed to learn to control her physical reactions to him. She didn’t want him holding extra powers over her, but she did appreciate his gratitude.
“Scott, you are welcome.”
The wizard raised his hands, and knives appeared in them. “Let’s begin.”
Caer’s fingers worked the knives and guided them into the target. Each time, she imagined Balor’s eye opening, and each time, her blades found their mark. It would take discipline and determination to gain access to Balor. Her plan of flying in and out of the castle, killing as she went, was ill conceived. She was a warrior. A warrior of strong mind and body. One capable of a well-formed battle strategy. Her short visit to her father’s castle had proved that she was not adequately prepared to find him even at his most vulnerable, at least not alone. But with Scott as her training partner and Gallean as her teacher, she just might find her target.
She launched a ten-foot spear across the courtyard. It soared through the air three hundred paces before sticking into the bullseye.
“Well done, Caer. Well done,” Gallean said, clapping her on the back.
Scott stared at her. She tingled again, but this time from the adrenaline that coursed through her as the spear had found its mark. It gave her confidence that she would succeed in her mission.
If she wanted to survive, she’d have to.
Oak Moon
The Goddess Chronicles Book 5
1
Portal Ripper
Portal hopping takes some getting used to. It literally rips your innards out of your throat and shoves them down your gullet before you land. Sorta like a hangover after an especially overindulgent alcohol-fueled night—not that I’ve had any of those recently, what with Alaric missing and all, but holy gods, I’m back on my planet Earth. Well, I guess Scott and I never technically left the planet, if what Gallean told us about the Land of Shadows being a part of the Earthly Realm is true. Who am I to argue with the old wizard anyway? The layers of maps he showed us in his study were difficult to dispute. The gods know I searched for an opportunity to argue and couldn’t find one.
The Shadow Realm certainly felt like we were in another dimension. Definitely a different time period. I expected knights with shining metal armor to rap their fists upon Gallean’s carved wooden door and declare us all witches and threaten to burn us at the stake.
Thankfully we didn’t land in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1700s or medieval Europe when witch burners ran rampant and took sadistic pleasure in discovering new methods of torture. Some people need to find better ways to get over their sexual repression. They’re lucky I wasn’t around then, or I would have shown them just how hot fire can get. I might not be able to harm another living being, but as far as I know there’s no manual that states I can’t douse them in gasoline and light a match. But alas, I digress.
If the Shadow Realm’s curtain of magical mist continues to lift, the world will know about the island, and if today’s populations get their environment-killing hands on it, the timeless beauty will be destroyed along with Gallean, his keep, and all the townspeople. Our modern world would probably call them heretics and burn them at the stake.
But then again, the revelation of a newly discovered island might not rank high on the Top 10 New Places to Destroy, because if the Fomorians are released, everyone in the world will either become their slave or die. Not exactly a win-win situation, if you ask me.
To be honest, I’m a little freaked out. Actually, I’m a lot of freaked out. But at least I’m back in Kildare, and I know how to find my way home from the fairy mound. I could do that in my sleep. And thus far, I haven’t been attacked by a werewolf, so as of right now, I’m winning.
Caer, however, won’t be so lucky. Scott might be in love with her, he might have spent weeks dreaming about her, but I’d hate to be in her feathers when he realizes that she ripped open the portal with her sword and shoved me into it.
Shove suggests I didn’t want to go. Of course I wanted to leave. I’m the one who asked her to do it in the first place. I just didn’t expect her to open one so easily, and in Gallean’s keep no less. I sorta froze. So yes, she did have to help me along.
Her portal-making ability ought to show Gallean that even though he might be the most powerful wizard, he doesn’t know everything about reincarnated gods’ powers. Besides, why shouldn’t a physically gifted female, blessed with both beauty and muscle, not be blessed with the ability to create portals and go invisible even in magically denied zones? The gods know I could have used those skills all those years back at Vernal Falls High.
I’m not bitter or anything.
The door to Granda’s cottage opens at my arrival. All I had to do was look at it and it swung open for me. It’s so nice to be back in a realm where my magic actually works. Like the natural forces of the world appreciate me.
Madigan’s jaw drops along with the book he’s reading in Scott’s favorite chair. “Gigi? What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you too, Maddie. I can ask you the same.”
“Oh, well . . .” he says, lifting the books off his lap and putting them on the table in order to stand up, “I’ve been staying here since you guys disappeared. Amorin said to make myself at home, so . . .” he gestures to the piles of books sprawled out across the sofa and table, “I did.”
“Why aren’t you staying with Maria? And what about Alaric? Any news?”
His face blanches. “Declan sent out a decree that anyone searching for Alaric will be excommunicated from the pack.”
Excommunicated? That sounds harsh. And suspicious. But I keep those concerns to myself. The best way to get Maddie to talk is to plod along in a happy-go-lucky sort of way and not force anything—not exactly my strong suit. These are the times Scott really comes in handy. Patience isn’t really my thing, but I guess since I’m left to my own abilities, I’ll try it out.
Get it together, Gigi. You can be calm and collected. You got this.
“Why would he do such a thing?”
There, I did it. I can be positively delightful and polite.
Before Scott and I left for the Shadow Realm, Maddie would have hung his head in shame, but now, no longer restrained by an alpha or pack position, he holds his chin high. Not cocky or threatening or anything, but secure in himself.
“The alpha role went to his head,” he says. “He doesn’t want anyone threatening his position, and he definitely doesn’t want to lose it to Alaric.”
I bet he doesn’t, the duplicitous bastard.
“And what does Maria have to say about it?”
His faces pinches as if he swallowed a mouthful of Sour Patch Kids—which I could totally go for, by the way.
Focus, Gigi. Listen to Maddie.
“She’s in charge. Declan might be the alpha, but the pack follows whatever she says.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you’re living here.”
So much for subtle and smooth. I don’t know why I’m reverting to my old disagreeable bitchy self with Maddie. I ought to be relieved that he’s been here to keep Granda company and help him and Clarissa. Old habits, I guess.
He smiles at me. “You and Scott welcomed me. You allowed me to reveal all aspects of myself. I’ve never been able to do that with anyone. I don’t feel like a freak with you.”
“You are a freak.”
His gaze drops to the floor. “I know.”
“But so am I, and so is Scott.”
A smile erupts on his face. “Thanks.”
“Sappy crap asi
de, where are Granda and Clarissa? I want to know what’s been going on the past few days that I’ve been gone.”
“Days? More like weeks.”
Weeks? Okay, put a check mark next to “time travel” as a side effect of portal hopping. “Great. Weeks then. So where are they?”
“They’re both at the Cathedral. They’ve been spending all their time there.”
“Why aren’t they searching for Alaric and Lizzie?”
“There’ve been some developments.”
I do not like the word “developments.” It ranks up there with “Fomorian world domination” and “last call.”
“What developments?”
He shrugs. “They haven’t told me, but ever since you and Scott disappeared from the cavern, they’ve been a little freaked out.”
Understatement of the year.
“Scott and I were a little freaked out too.”
His eyes shine with something resemblant of puppy love (and I am well aware of the irony of that). “I didn’t know you could make a portal,” he says.
“Neither did I.”
“And neither did Amorin or Clarissa. You break all the rules.”
“Is that what they said?”
His cheeks color with shame. “Yes.”
“There’s someone in the Shadow Realm who breaks more rules than I do.”
He rubs the crystal hanging from his neck and I forget all about goddess rule-breaking, violent acts, and portal ripping. The nightlock-imbued crystal’s ability is far more important than anything else right now.
“Did it work? Did it work on the Shadow Moon?”
The largest smile I’ve ever seen crosses his face. “I didn’t shift. Not even a claw came out.”
My heart shoots warmth through my body. I might have been harsh to him only a few minutes ago, but Maddie has become part of my family. I may choose aggressive acts over thoughtful word choice more often than not, but I really do want the best for him. “That’s amazing.”
“You changed my life.”
Oh boy. I know I’m a reincarnated goddess and everything, but I really don’t like being given credit for “life-changing” experiences. Way too much pressure.
“I didn’t.”
“Gigi, you did. The crystal stopped the change.”
I collapse into Granda’s chair. “I wonder how Alaric and Lizzie did at the full moon. It’s probably a good thing I wasn’t around.”
“It’s definitely good you weren’t, because Declan and Maria’s pack are after you.”
“There is that . . .”
“I wish I knew how Alaric did, or how he is now. The pack couldn’t read each other’s minds, but we were together for so many years, it felt like we could. I really miss him.”
Memories of the nightmares I had during my time in the Shadow Realm come back to me. The torture Lizzie put Alaric through. The screaming. The moaning. The snarls. What did it all mean?
“Hey, Maddie, could you help me with something?”
He stands at attention, thankful to finally be of use to someone. “What do you need?”
“Grab the candles and matches from the cabinet. We’re going to try something.”
“Magic?”
Heat begins generating from my fingertips as I pull the Chalice of Healing from its hiding spot behind the false wall by the kitchen.
“Something like that.”
Granda’s oak table grounds us to the space. After Scott and I fixed it with our powers, no one would be able to tell that it split apart down the middle (or that thick vines shot up through the floor). Oak is a powerful conductor of magic and a grounding element—kinda like the ground wire outside of a house. Since my arrival in Ireland, I’ve conducted most of my magic outdoors. One, because I wanted to be away from the prying eyes and actions of a father, grandfather, and ancient nun of the Druid Sisters of the Gallicenial. And two, because outdoors I feel at home. I might sleep in a house and spend most of my time indoors, but being outside feels familiar. Whether it be in Vernal Falls, Pennsylvania; Kildare, Ireland; or a Shadow Realm courtyard, the outdoors settles me. But today something tells me I need to conduct this spell indoors. Since I’ve always tried to listen to the voices in my head (even before the bossy goddess started chatting it up), I go with my gut.
When I conducted tracking spells to find Alaric, I used a map and an article of clothing. My final attempt proved successful. Well, at least it led us to the meeting hall cavern before Scott and I wound up at a wizard’s keep via portal. Something needles at my brain that the meeting hall cavern plays an important role in finding Alaric—aside from it being the place he went missing.
This time when I search for Alaric, I need to further ground myself to the space by calling on the Elements. In order to do so, I recall the spell I used when I cast my first circle in Vernal Falls and modify it with some of Scott and Dad’s phrases.
“To cast this circle from Earth to Fire, from Water to Air, join together with Spirit to guide me to the answers I seek. I give you my love, my light, as I cast this circle to show me the path to truth. The circle is cast.”
Using Scott and Dad’s wording brings them into the circle with Maddie and me, or at least their spiritual presence.
“To the East, element of Air, I give to you my love, my light, to show me the path to truth to guard us from sudden storms and protect us with gentle breezes.”
The wind, gentle as a butterfly wing, caresses my cheeks, letting me know it came.
“To the South, element of Fire, I give to you my love, my light, to show me the path to truth to guard us from raging fires and warm us with controlled flames.”
The candles’ flames shoot into the air. My feet and palms crackle with heat, albeit controlled.
“To the West, element of Earth, I give to you my love, my light, to show me the path to truth to guard us from disturbance by providing firm footing.”
The feeling of blanket covers my entire body, weighing me to the ground as the scent of fresh soil fills the air.
To the North, element of Water, I give to you my love, my light, to show me the path to truth to guard us from tidal waves and cradle us in calm waters as gentle as a mother’s arms.”
My body feels as if its floating in a warm pool of water, cocooned against the cold.
“I call to the Elements for guidance in my search. I offer the Chalice of Healing, not as a permanent token, but as an inspiration to spur ideas. My blood, however,” I raise a knife from the table to my palm, “is my token of gratitude for your presence tonight. Take the blood of a goddess as payment for the help I will be calling upon you for this evening.”
Maddie leans over the table to whisper to me as if the Elements might overhear us talking and he wants to keep his question a secret. What he doesn’t realize is that they can hear him without him even vocalizing it. I might be a mind reader, but the Elements go beyond even my ability.
“What are you going to ask them to do?”
“Find Alaric, of course.”
His eyes widen. The gold halos around his pupils remind me of Alaric’s. I wonder if it’s a werewolf thing (I don’t know enough of them personally to form an opinion on the matter) or perhaps a good person thing, or one heck of a coincidence—though in my recent experiences that line of thinking is naive. Universal alignments abound in all aspects of life.
I close my eyes and focus on what visions the Elements might offer me.
I see a rolling countryside—not helpful or specific. An underground prison—more helpful but still not specific. A flash of Alaric strapped to a table—just like my nightmares. Soon a flash of him walking around in the underground prison, but it no longer seems likes he’s a prisoner. He can come and go as he pleases. I don’t want to think too hard on the reasons why he hasn’t left yet. I also fight the temptation to open my eyes and take off searching for him, because I still don’t know his exact location. Apparently one can summon patience during times of duress.
He’s
somewhere vaguely familiar to me. I concentrate on where he is. I imagine myself walking down a circular staircase with stone steps. I descend deeper and deeper until I reach a narrow stone corridor.
“What do you see?” Maddie whispers.
“The hallway has doorways to different chambers.”
“Can you tell which one Alaric is in?”
I pull my lips in, concentrating on my surroundings. The feel of flesh further grounds me to my vision space. I enter a doorway on my right. It’s a room gilded with gold. There are intricately woven tapestries of bucolic scenes hanging from the walls. There’s even a gold statue off in the corner near an altar. I study the sculpture for a long time, not understanding what my vision is revealing to me.
“What is it?” Maddie whispers.
“There’s a large gold statue in the room.”
“Who is it of?”
My gaze falls to the long wavy hair and the full breasts. “A woman.”
“A goddess?”
“Of . . . someone’s coming.”
I hide beside the statue. Habit, I guess. In my vision state, I don’t think anyone can see or hear me—at least I hope to the gods they can’t—but still, it’s better to be safe than make an irreparable mistake. The gods know I’ve already had enough experience doing that.
Alaric walks into the room and stops before the statue. He’s just as handsome as I remember with his chiseled jaw, strong muscles, and an all-consuming sense of power.
“I used to love you,” he says. His voice sounds like he drank battery acid.
“But now?” I whisper, hoping, fearing, he can hear me.
In answer, he slashes out at the statue and gashes it with claws that have shot out of his fingers. The scrap of claw against metal sends shivers down my spine—worse than fingers on a chalkboard and far more heartbreaking.
“Well done, my son, well done,” someone says from the doorway.
I peek around the statue, unable to believe who I’m hearing.
“He’s supposed to be sealed away,” I whimper. “He’s supposed to be immured.” I take in the gold statue, the tapestries. I’ve been here before.
