by Martha Carr
But Lucius wasn’t done, yet. He had waited eight hundred years for his revenge, always watching life moving on without him. He wasn’t going to be denied. With his last breath, he lunged forward using the weight of his body to propel him the last of the way, sinking his claws into Rhazdon’s chest, even as she whispered the last of the spell. There was a satisfying smile on his face as he collapsed to the ground, pushing deeper into her flesh, even as his body was shifting back into the form of a Light Elf.
Leira ran over to Rhazdon, even as the dark mist was creeping back toward her, this time more slowly. Leira grabbed towels from the counter and pressing them against Rhazdon’s wound, watching the white linen turn a rapid crimson. “I can’t stop it. Tell me how to stop it. You have to have a spell for this too.”
Rhazdon looked up at Leira, locking eyes with her only inches apart. Her body was growing limp as she shifted one last time back to the beauty she had been all those years. She was young again, for just a moment.
“I’m sorry,” she said, as she drew her last breath, gasping as the life ran out of her and her body quickly turned to ash, running through Leira’s hands, sinking into the mist as it continued to rise, pulling at Leira’s feet. Leira shook her head, anger and remorse coursing through her.
She stood upright, pulling in all the energy she could, dropping the bracelet as the light quickly spread through her, balancing out the darkness, opening up the void. Leira’s eyes widened as she looked directly into the world in between and saw thousands of desperate faces looking back at her.
“Leira, no…” She looked toward the door in time to see Correk rushing in, Perrom and Ossonia right behind him.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her eyes shining as she looked at Correk and the mist pulled her closer toward the edge. Correk reached for her hand, unwilling to let her go as Perrom held him back, using the energy of his bionic arm to stop his friend. Leira smiled for a moment at Perrom, grateful Correk was out of harm’s way, even as the tips of her shoes went over the edge.
Ossonia saw an opening and slipped past Perrom and Correk, pulling in her own energy to shove Leira back just as the void opened wide, sucking her inside of the darkness as it closed around Ossonia’s surprised face. Leira’s eyes widened in horror and she summoned the energy within her, willing it to tear the void open again, the energy lifting her off the floor. But Leira could already feel the absence of the dark magic. The world in between was closed and with Ossonia inside of it even as the light sought to claim her for its own.
Perrom dropped his grip on Correk and screamed out, swiping at the air where Ossonia had just been standing, helpless to save her.
Correk slid across the floor, grabbing the artifact as the light continued to build in Leira, lifting her higher. He pulled her down closer to the ground, the bracelet digging in against her exposed stomach, all the while pulling her body toward him, pressing his chest tightly to her as the light did its best to push away the energy that sought to control it.
Every muscle in his body was at the breaking point as he held onto Leira, refusing to let go, the stone in the middle of the artifact spinning as it turned to liquid, pummeling back against the light.
The baker crawled in front of Tess, pushing her toward the secret passageway behind the enchanted oven. “Hniga dyrr soemiligr landi.” The old door creaked open as the baker helped Tess to her feet and picked her up, carrying her down the stone steps of the kemana as the oven closed behind them. He had kept his word, his cigarette still clenched in his mouth.
The light began to give way, even as the energy still pulled through the middle of Leira, her toes still off the ground, burning through the scar on her abdomen. Correk held on tightly, unwilling to let go, the artifact pressed between them, his face inches from Leira’s.
Leira grabbed onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing the side of her face against his, her fingers gripping his skin as the energy finally ebbed and the room grew quiet.
Leira’s feet came down to the floor as Correk slipped the bracelet back on her wrist. “Never again. Make that another one of your rules.”
“The agents…” Leira ducked around Correk, her arms slipping from around his neck as he tried to stop her.
“Don’t Leira, it’s over. The dark families are gone, and the shifters ran off.” You don’t want to see what remains. He left the rest unsaid, reaching out to grab her arm.
But she was already halfway out the door even as Correk turned back to his grieving friend.
“Ossonia! Ossonia!” Perrom was still screaming her name as if he would get an answer.
“We’ll find a way to get her out. I promise you.”
***
Leira ran down the side alley, listening for any signs of a battle or a wounded survivor, her heart pounding in the eerie silence. She ran into the space between the buildings and found the alpha shifter standing guard next to a fallen body.
Leira instinctively formed a fireball in her hand, ready to throw it as the alpha turned and looked at her.
“It’s you.”
The purple energy glowed in the palm of her hand. The shifter backed away from the body, lowering his head. “You’re protecting him…” Leira let the flame die out as she saw who was lying there. “Alan… no…”
The alpha backed away further, turning to watch the street as Leira ran to Alan, pressing her fingers against his neck. Still alive. There was a burn mark down his chest from a Wizard and he was still gripping his gun. Leira picked up his head and rested it in her lap.
“Alan, hang in there. Help is coming. Hang in there.”
He opened his eyes and tried to smile at Leira as small red bubbles formed on his lips. “Leira.” His voice came out in a throttled gurgle as she tried to surround them both in energy, but nothing was working.
“Alan, please, hang in there.”
His eyelids fluttered as he raised a hand and touched her face, letting it drop to his chest and breathed his last. Leira ran her hands over his chest and face, trying to bring him back but it was too late. It was only then that she looked up and realized they were all dead. None of the agents had survived the attack. “The war has begun. It’s too late to stop it now.”
Yumfuck came running down the street, out of breath as Leira sat back, still holding onto Alan. He came to rest by her side, still eight feet tall, protecting Leira as Correk took his place by her side. Eventually, General Anderson arrived and the street quickly filled with other agents, reclaiming the dead.
Somewhere in the middle of the chaos, Lucius slipped away, freed from the curse but still a shifter, looking for his pack.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Leira sat in the large room of the Garden Grove ranch in Buda, watching her grandmother fuss over her mother who was dressed in a long, cream colored wedding dress and a ring of roses atop her head. They were in a large villa getting ready for Eireka’s wedding to Don, at last.
Two weeks had passed since the battle on the streets of Paris and Leira was still numb from the losses. She was grateful to have Correk next to her when she tried to sleep, jerking away in the night, replaying the last moments as she curled up next to him, feeling his even breaths next to her. She tried not to think of Perrom’s anguished face as his father came to take his son home. Perrom looked up at Leira as he stepped through the portal and she reached out to him, but he turned away in pain.
“It’s not your fault, Leira.” Correk wrapped his arm around her, grateful she was safe, even as he mourned for Ossonia and Perrom, swallowing hard to hold back his grief.
General Anderson had cleaned up the streets and sent out a press release about terrorists and heavy losses, suppressing any reports of crazed wolves or strange beings with wands. But this time the rumors persisted despite his efforts.
Still, he had ordered Leira to say nothing.
Alan Cohen and his team were given medals posthumously that would be buried with each of them in order to keep the secrets. After their hastily
arranged funeral, Leira turned in her resignation. In the end, Hagan did the same, settling in at the sanctuary and volunteering his services to Leira if she ever needed them.
“Once a partner, always a partner,” he had said, gently patting her shoulder.
Still, today was her mother’s wedding day and she had managed to keep the news from her all this time. She was determined not to slip now. Let her have this day. Leira took a deep breath and smiled at her mother. It was easy to do. Eireka Berens was so happy, turning around in her dress and touching the roses in her hair, the engagement ring sparkling in the light.
“I’m so glad the two of you are walking me down the aisle. It’s just perfect.” Eireka’s joy was bubbling over. “Look, even your father sent a gift.” Eireka held out a pale blue finely woven handkerchief with an embroidered B on it. “The note said it’s an artifact that brings joy to the one who holds it. It’s my something old.”
“Oh, thank you. I was a little concerned that was going to be my role.” Mara winked at her daughter as Eireka let out an easy laugh.
Leira smiled and stood up, silently thanking her dad. I will need to go see him soon. Maybe I can tell him everything that’s happened. “I’ll be right back.”
Mara looked over at Leira, her eyes narrowing as she studied her granddaughter but she said nothing, instead smiling at her daughter and taking her hand.
Leira found her way outside and went out to the lawn where the guests were waiting, their chairs all turned toward the trellis at the end of the aisle, covered in vines and long, billowing white curtains draped on the sides. Leira stood back in the shadows and pulled in the energy from the ground, grateful to be using it for something to make someone she loved happy. She set out an intention and smiled as small blooms appeared on the vines and the scent of lilacs wafted across the grounds. The air glittered with flecks of gold in the sunlight as the guests all felt a lightness of being and couples reached out for each other’s hand and friends smiled and laughed.
Leira made her way back to the room and held open the door. “It’s time, Mom. You look beautiful, even radiant. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen you this happy.”
Eireka Berens stepped down from the small platform she had been standing on in front of the full-length mirrors and held out her arms, bent at the elbows. Mara put her hand through one side as Leira came and did the same on the other and the three Berens women made their way outside, together.
They paused at the back of the aisle, waiting for the music to start and everyone to stand. Leira took the bouquets from the wedding planner and handed the smaller one made of magnolias to her grandmother, and the larger one with trailing green vines to her mother, keeping another smaller one and holding it in front of her waist.
“Ready?” She looked at her mother, who smiled and kissed her daughter on her cheek. Eireka nodded and Leira gave her arm a gentle squeeze as they set off down the aisle. Toni and Jack were seated together and Turner Underwood was right next to them. All of the regulars were bunched up near the front, waving and cheering, just like they had done at the bar for years. Estelle sat on the aisle, an unlit cigarette dangling in her mouth as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.
Leira saw Correk, standing tall in the front next to Don, dressed in a black tuxedo, his long silver hair hanging down past his shoulders. She smiled at him as Mara looked between the two of them and leaned across her daughter to whisper. “Well, it’s about time.”
Eireka looked up, surprised and smiled, crinkling her chin. “Thank goodness. I thought you two would never catch on.”
Leira felt her face warm and whispered out the side of her mouth. “Today is all about you, Mom.”
“When you’re a parent it’s never completely about you. You’ll see some day.”
“Okay, enough, we’re almost to your groom. Be the bride for now.”
They got to the top of the aisle and Leira and Mara took turns hugging Don and Eireka as they stepped back. Leira went and stood next to Correk, taking his hand, grateful he was there. He squeezed her hand and she felt the comfort of his energy surrounding her as she watched Eireka and Don exchange their vows. My family grows a little bigger today. Despite everything, this is another good day. I can take this in.
Correk leaned over and whispered, “Where’s Yumfuck?”
Leira smiled, letting out a laugh. “He said he had something he needed to do for Mom. I suppose we’ll find out what that means soon enough.”
The minister looked up and held his arms out wide, smiling. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Don dipped Eireka backward and said, “I’ve waited a very long time to be able to do this.” He kissed his new wife as the crowd cheered and Leira’s last surprise rose out of all the bushes. Hundreds of butterflies took flight, rising in the sunlight and hovering for a moment over the wedding as the guests looked up in surprise, gasping in amazement. Two white doves came and settled on the front of the trellis, letting out soft coos as the bride and groom, smiled and ran down the aisle, clutching each other’s hand.
***
Don and Eireka waited till all the guests were gone before stepping through a portal to the sanctuary in Oriceran to spend their honeymoon. The Gardener of the Dark Forest had set up a cottage deep in the wood away from anything else. Yumfuck had gone ahead and spread the word among all his thousands of siblings and cousins and other related trolls, and they had gotten to work covering the cottage in flowers and lighting the roof with small orbs of light that floated just above the cottage in the moonlight.
The newly married couple stood at the doorway, shaking as many of the little paws as they could before Yumfuck smiled and waved to his family, signaling it was time to leave. Eireka and Don watched as the trolls quickly faded into the darkness, singing as they went, filling the air with music as they closed the door gently behind them.
***
Mara sat outside on the grounds of the twelve-acre ranch looking out over the hill country of Texas. She had taken off her shoes and her feet were propped up in a chair. Correk had gone inside to gather up their things as Leira took a seat next to her grandmother.
Mara reached out and took her granddaughter’s hand and squeezed it tight, holding her hand to her chest. “Some day you will tell me what has put such sadness in your eyes, even as you have found such joy. It’s okay, you don’t need to protest. I know how you hate to lie, so I won’t press you. You’ll tell me when you’re ready and I’ll listen. Like I’ve always done for you. You know, I watched over you the best I could, even when I was trapped in that ugly place.”
Leira winced thinking of Ossonia and looking around, wondering if the Light Elf who saved her could see her now. She swallowed hard, digging her nails into her palm. Mara noticed and reached over to open Leira’s hand. “Do your best not to waste the precious time you have with regrets. It helps no one. If you have to make an amends about something, do it by the way you live your life. Make it count, be happy, choose for yourself the way it should look. Trust me, I plan to do the same.”
“I think I can do that. I love you, Nana.”
“I know you do, child. I’m going to get going. I’m leaving for Virginia in the morning. Time for a new adventure of my own. Turner Underwood’s school is getting ready to open and I want to be there when it does. After all, I’ll be the new headmistress.”
“I would have thought parenting me would have knocked the idea of raising a few dozen more right out of you.”
Mara let out a hoot of laughter and stood up. “Quite the opposite. You have always been the light of my life, along with your mother. I wouldn’t have traded this adventure for anything. Even the bad parts because they all got me to this day. Come here and hug your Nana and promise to visit me often. You’ll love Charlottesville. I’ll teach you how to ride a horse.”
“No thank you on the horses, but yes on the visits. Thank you for loving me and always setting such a kickass example. You’re not the typi
cal grandmother, you know.”
“I’m a lot like you, Leira. Full of spit and vinegar mixed with magic. You’ll see that life still has a lot of good in store for you, even as things turn darker. I know some of what happened in Paris.”
Leira looked down at the ground, shutting her eyes and pressing her hand to her chest.
“Rumors like that travel fast through the magical community. Can’t be sure what’s fact and what’s fiction, but it doesn’t matter. What’s clear is that the tipping point has been reached. Times have changed. Be careful out there while you try to hold the world together.”
“I’m not trying to do that. Just do some good when I can with a swearing troll by my side.”
“And a hunky Light Elf.”
“That too.”
“Smart girl. Go give ‘em hell, Leira Berens. Let them know there’s hell to be paid.”
In full.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
“Is that everything?” Leira looked back at the open door of the guest house. Correk was walking by her with the last of the boxes to the waiting U-Haul parked just in front of the bar. Her magic with parking spots was holding up for one more day. The troll was riding along in Correk’s pocket, wrapped in a new pair of blue panties for the road and the green Mustang was loaded down with snacks for the road trip. Everything was ready.
“That’s the last of it. Yumfuck and I will be at the car. You go say goodbye to the guest house.” He smiled as he turned and walked toward the gate on the side of the yard. Estelle watched from behind the bar and waved at Correk as he left, a swirl of smoke around her head.
