by J E Mueller
“Why all the concern for anyone?” I threw up my hands and walked backward for a moment. “Because it’s the right thing to do? Because I care? Who knows. We’re wasting time!” I turned to walk forward once more and narrowly avoided falling on my face as I tripped over a branch. I needed to be there now. This walking was taking just far too long.
Marcus caught up to me. “We’ll get there and get this solved. No worries.” He gave my arm a reassuring squeeze. “We always figure it out, right?”
I nodded. “That we do.” I let the words comfort me for a moment before taking a deep breath. “What did you find out?”
“The council is useless and can’t do anything to put a stop to what they accidentally started,” Marcus replied with a sigh. “They know they are in way over their heads. I think they’re afraid to ask for help. Who knows what that would do.”
“Good. They shouldn’t have been messing with deities to begin with. Though, I’m sure they weren’t actually expecting a response.” I sighed. Why would one choose to respond to this of all things? I doubted there would ever be an actual answer here.
“I agree.” Marcus echoed my sigh. “But hey, you’re on the case now right? It’ll work out. No one knows more about random magic than you do.”
I nodded, wishing I felt better equipped for such a thing. Nothing came to mind though. Even the one book Nadia wanted me to read didn’t spark any ideas. It was just a sweet, true love saves the day story. A short and sweet happily ever after.
It would certainly help if the world worked like that.
“Marcus, do you think there’s really a way?” I needed to know as I tried to make sure I didn’t fall on my face while cutting through some bushes.
“There has to be, right?” he said but before I could reply we heard the sound of something like a gunshot going off.
Without thinking, I took off running.
Rushing past trees and ducking under branches was not my strong suit, but I managed to keep upright as the greenery gave way around me. Were they fighting wolves? Could Nadia be hurt? If the staff got injured, could they be fixed or would they simply die because of the state they were in? Whatever it was, I pushed myself to run with all my might.
I felt as if we were too far away. The sound had echoed in the distance and I couldn’t pinpoint exactly how far away we were from it. Everything in me begged and pleaded with the universe, with the magic around me for Nadia to be completely unharmed. She had to be. I needed her to be. The magic inside me churned and I could feel a boost of it in my legs, letting me move somewhat faster. It was just enough to pull further ahead from the guys, but I was still able to navigate.
I could start to see some of the castle and noticed a pack of eight wolves fighting the three men I never wanted to see again, and Nadia. I could see more wolves slowly closing in and cursed the sight before me.
As I sprinted to them, I saw several suits of armor making their way out of the house to help. I hoped they would be enough, but was very concerned about the damage they could take. If they were dented could we mend that or would that be irreparable damage when they were turned back to normal?
My head spun over the different possibilities, but it didn't matter now. I had to force them away and focus on what I could do at this moment.
Screaming at the top of my lungs I tried to get their attention. “Only attack the wolves!”
Everyone seemed surprised to see me and the guys trying hard to keep up. The problem though with having everyone’s attention was drawing the wolves attention. The ones slowly drawing into the fight took quick notice of me, seeing I was nearly on their heels. Panicking, I couldn’t seem to summon my magic and pulled out my sword just in time.
Barely.
I gave the wolf a weak whack on the head with the blunt of the blade causing it to growl loudly at me. Another slunk closer, crouched down and ready to pounce. One was going to be hard enough. I couldn’t take two.
I noticed a third wolf start to circle me and couldn’t ask for help. I saw right away that my scream had pulled all the extra wolves to us and everyone, even Marcus and crew were now facing off against the furious magical creatures.
Come on magic! I tried to beg it forward as I swatted at the wolf closest to me. It dodged away as another tackled me from behind causing me to fall forward and screech. My sword wasn’t knocked from me, but I couldn’t get up with the enormous beast atop me.
Thankfully, it only lasted a moment before I felt the weight suddenly move. I glanced over to see Nadia pummel the creature until it stopped moving, giving me enough time to get up and gather my wits.
I breathed a sigh of relief that she was fine. She was here and well. We could somehow get through this.
“What are you doing here?” she hissed when she turned toward me.
I readied my sword as another wolf slowly approached us. “Those guys that got here before us are trouble,” I stated, as if that could explain everything.
Nadia growled and tackled the wolf before it could launch itself at me.
“My darling Bell!” I heard Donny declare as he shot at a wolf, hitting it between the eyes, causing it to fall over and vanish. “I’ve been looking all over for you my dear.” Slowly he made his way toward me.
“Just fuck off already,” I spat back at him, more than done with his weird obsession with me. Why couldn’t he take a hint? Why couldn’t he take a flat out no?
“Now, now, let’s get you out of this filthy wolf infested forest and talk.”
Nadia growled, pulling my attention from him to her. “The lady said beat it.”
Donny glared at her as he aimed his gun. “I won’t listen to a monster.”
Without thinking I hit his gun with as much force as I could with my sword, surprising him enough to knock it out of his hands. While Donny cursed in surprise, Higgs rushed forward. Pulling out a taser he shot at Nadia, causing her to collapse. I moved to hit Higgs in whatever way I could, but before I could reach him, Max tackled me. I hit the ground hard, the breath momentarily knocked out of me.
“We’ve spent too much damn time looking for you,” Max hissed angrily at me. “Now come quietly, so he’ll finally shut up.”
I struggled against him, letting the rage build in me as I pulled my magic forward only for it to suddenly decide to go dormant. It felt like it wasn’t even there anymore. We were very close to the castle, could that be why? I screamed and increased my struggle against his hold. If magic wouldn’t save me, I would have to make my own way out of this mess.
From my peripheral, I could see Nadia was down, unmoving. Marcus was struggling with his friends. I really needed the extra help. Desperately, I tried again to beg my magic to do anything, but it wasn’t turned off; it was as if it was never there. That scared me more than being trapped.
“Get her to the truck. I’m done with this nonsense,” Donny declared as Max and Higgs pulled me to my feet.
This was worse. My magic refused to budge. All the struggling I did was nothing to them as they started to drag me off. I could only slow them, not stop them. Still, I made every moment count and hoped by forcing them to take extra time something would click. Something had to reignite the magic I knew was somewhere inside.
Max screamed as he let go of me and I saw Nadia punch him hard in the face just in time. Max crumbled to the ground and didn’t get back up. Before I could even react, a shot fired and she fell, blood slowly coating her side.
I screamed and turned to see the monster that fired at Nadia. Fighting against Higgs’ hold on me, I escaped just long enough so I could punch Donny square in the nose before Higgs could grab me once more. He deserved worse than that.
“Now that it’s settled, you’re coming with me,” Donny growled, wiping away a trickle of blood as Higgs regained his hold of my arms.
I spat in his face and tried to kick him in the gut. He stepped out of reach as he wiped his face.
“That’s not how a good wife behaves. You’ll need to lear
n your place.” He slapped me across the face as Higgs laughed, tightening his grip on me as Max groaned from the ground.
“Never,” I growled back through clenched teeth, trying to act as if it didn’t hurt.
Tears welled up in my eyes but I couldn’t give in. Instead, I tried to kick out at Donny once more, causing Higgs to lose balance. Max slowly stood as he rubbed his jaw, making his way over to help his friend.
A wolf’s growl from the right got Donny’s attention as a group of wolves started to gather. He shot at it without thought just before being slammed into from the left by the biggest wolf I had ever seen. Donny fell to the ground, the umph of air rushing from him audible from where I stood.
The wolf’s fur was much darker than the others around us and with a sharp growl, now aimed at Higgs, it beared large fangs at him. The other wolves abruptly vanished into mist. Higgs took note of the sight and fled. Max cried in panic before joining his comrade.
Donny cursed as he tried to sit up but the giant wolf knocked him back over, placing a paw firmly on the center of his ribs, causing Donny to gasp for air.
I watched him reach for his gun before screaming, magic finally returning. I unleashed it, causing his firearm to overheat, making him drop it on the spot.
Remove the gun, I heard Nadia’s voice in my head say.
I didn’t question it, happy that magic was working once again for me, and kicked the gun as far away as I could. Marcus ran over and retrieved it. The group of them stared at the wolf with fear and confusion. I could see the questions in their eyes but I had no more answers than they did.
Tie him up.
I looked around frantically for rope. “Where’s something to restrain him with?” I asked causing the guys to dig through their bags. Jon produced a rope and the giant wolf nodded down toward Donny. I motioned for everyone to come over as I headed toward the real beast here. The guys were too happy to help tie him up.
“When we get back to town…” Donny started to growl before the wolf swatted at his head, knocking him unconscious.
The wolf seemed to grin widely for a moment before turning to me, magic lighting its body for a brief moment before suddenly it was Nadia standing there, as human as I had seen her in portraits.
I rushed to hug her. “You were shot!” I had no idea what more to say.
She hugged back before clutching at her side. “And you were trapped, held hostage.” She gave a small laugh. “Glad we got that figured out.”
“But how did the curse break?” I looked around noticing just now that the knights were normal people dressed more like bodyguards ready to go out. They cautiously made their way toward us, unsure what to do next.
“You’re a dummy.” Nadia hugged me tighter. “The book, the stupid sweet happily ever after book.” Nadia shook her head and laughed as she pulled away from me for just a moment before squeezing me again. “I was trying to get you to see that true love breaks it, but I didn’t realize exactly how I felt until he tried to take you from me.”
Nadia gave me a smile as I blinked in surprise unsure what to say. With an amused shake of her head, she gave me a kiss on the cheek and turned toward the guards. “Lock him up.” She motioned to Donny. “We’ll figure that out in a moment. Someone get that bratty council on the line. We’ve got a lot of conversations to have. Now.”
Marcus held out his phone. “It’s the direct line. Not that I needed it or anything.” He blushed slightly as Nadia took the phone.
She stood there for a moment as the guards dragged away Donny’s unconscious form. “Councilwoman Speers, it’s been a while.” Nadia smiled with unrestrained glee. “Why yes, this is Nadia Valentia. I believe you all owe me more than an explanation. Gather everyone and come here tomorrow afternoon. Tell everyone to bring a dish. You’re going to need the food to help brainstorm a way to get over the PR nightmare this is going to cause.” She hung up without waiting for a reply or explanation. “Now, where were we?”
I smiled at her before hugging her tightly. “Let’s go inside.”
Two months later I was in the library at Nadia’s sipping tea while I went through scrolls. Several were miscatagorized and we were trying to figure out exactly what Daeum had been summoned. It was a fun project for me, and gave me something to do while Nadia re-established herself in the high court. Her community now remembered her, and the council was under a lot of heat for mishandling the situation. It was largely agreed upon that she should have been given help, a regent advisor, and required therapy for what had transpired in the past.
Nadia, having had well over a year to think through this, picked out several world leaders she wanted help from and had the council pick from there. Every situation she seemed to handle with grace, though there were a few points she was still hesitant on.
“Here is that file you wanted madame!” Luce stated much too chipperly as he handed me a folder.
“What’s that for?” Nadia asked curiously as she joined us.
“I found a few works of Daeum at a library a few cities over and asked them to send us the relevant pages.” I flipped through it quickly. “Though from the look of it, it’s most of the book.”
“Has her highness decided on a date for the ball?” Luce asked pleasantly. It was a rumor that was getting a lot of gossip. Everyone wanted to see the princess again. Everyone wanted to know when she’d take on the status of Queen.
Nadia shook her head. “No. I hate deciding these things. Ash, what do you think?”
I blinked in surprise. Why was this being put on me? “Um, well, the holidays will be starting before too long so before that. Could be a festive fall sort of thing, maybe just before Hallows Eve. You could even do a costume thing. It would certainly make mingling more interesting.” I glanced from her to Luce, knowing full well that Luce would be excited by any idea, but Nadia? She hated showing her geeky side.
“How about a masquerade?” she suggested. That was neutral enough.
“Sounds fun.” I beamed, loving the idea of ball gowns and fancy masks.
“But, why don’t we spice it up a bit?” She smirked, a wicked grin sprawling across her face.
Luce looked as surprised as I felt.
“What did you have in mind?” I didn’t even try to hide my curiosity as I leaned forward to hear.
She grinned wickedly. “A haunted house in the dungeons, which will be announced by the Phantom of the Opera impersonator.”
Luce looked like he was about to die of shock.
I squealed with glee. “Yes! Perfect. Luce, you cannot tell a soul. That’ll be so much fun.”
Nadia nodded. “Go find Mrs. Regina Pendulum. She’ll be perfect for getting this plan in motion.”
“Right away.” Luce bowed before walking away as fast as he could without running.
Nadia sat down next to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Find anything fun?”
I shook my head before pulling her into the chair beside me. “No, but I’ve missed you.”
She shook her head and laughed before giving me an actual kiss. “And I’ve missed you.”
Mysterious magic, books, and the girl of my dreams. This was the perfect start to a happy ending.
Acknowledgments
There are so many people to say thank you to, this list barely covers it <3
Audrey: Thank you so much for constantly beta reading for me, fixing commas, and putting up with my pre edit nonsense.
Geetha: Your constant need for snippets and encouragement continues to help me get projects done. Thank you. You may not know this, but your stories of your daughter helped to inspire Ash.
Kelly: I don’t know if you’ll ever see this, but thank you for always encourage me to challenge myself and write the story that needs to be told.
Olivia: I am both honored and grateful you wanted to go from beta reading to editing for me. That speaks more than words can express.
Nico: Please stop telling past me to worry about transitions later. Future me hates fixing the
m. We really need a better system. Thanks for all the sprints. You always rock my socks. Cannot wait until your ‘lava book’ is out!
To My Cats: I don’t know how I get projects done with all your nonsense. Thanks for being cute.
Elly: I’m certain you devoured this book. Miss you sis. I’m glad my words can always travel with you.
Randall: Thank you for your continued support my love. You make my heart sing even when the words feel dried up.
About The Author
Jessica is a fantasy author who formed a love of reading at a young age. While unicorns and magic sparked an interest in the genre, it was childhood friends that convinced her to write. When not dreaming up new adventures, Jessica also enjoys video games, board game nights, and sending bad jokes to friends.
Also by J.E. Mueller
Fairytales
An Unexpected Brew
For The Guild
High Fantasy
Fire’s Song (Shaudrey Universe Book 1)
Spirit’s Lullaby (Shaudrey Universe Book 2)
Dreamer’s Melody (Shaudrey Universe Book 3)
