Authors: Unknown
“What are you waiting for, you muppets?” Phillip bellowed from up above. “Go get them!”
Two razbians charged against the tornado and Yara shouted her words even louder. The attackers managed to enter the cyclone, but before they could break through it, they were lifted up in the air, caught by the whirlwind of dirt, then thrust out like unwanted meat.
Two more plowed forth, but Yara didn’t wait for them to be trapped in the tornado. She clutched her free hand and punched the air. The wall moved with her and a snake of dirt jumped out, whacking the razbians down.
“Incoming!” Yara heard Naiah shout out, just before overwhelming heat touched her skin.
“Fuck the Gates of Hiad!” she cursed. What was that? She looked up and saw Phillip’s blue and grey dragon above, trying to break their spell with his fire balls. With relief, Yara noticed that the tornado was protecting them from the blaze but the way they were cooking inside, it wouldn’t take long for one of them to lose concentration and weaken the spell.
“Hang in there, Naiah!” Yara shouted.
But her sister didn’t look so well. “I’m melting here! It’s too much, I don’t know how much longer I can hold it!”
By the gates of Hiad! If they failed, the entire security net would collapse and the castle would be completely unprotected. It would be the same as opening the doors for the dragons to raid in. “We must hold on until the sun sets and the vamps can come out and fight,” she growled, feeling the air around them reach frying-pan temperatures. “We must!” she repeated, more for her sake than Naiah’s.
She glanced up and her hopes dropped. The sun, despite hanging low in the sky, looked like it would take a good quarter of an hour to fully hide behind the hills. The way they were going, they wouldn’t last even one more minute.
Suddenly, a powerful howl echoed in the distance.
Yara’s heart skipped a beat.
“What was that?” Naiah asked frantically.
Another howl was heard followed by humming. No, it wasn’t humming; it was the sound of a stampede.
The wolves were coming.
Chapter Three
Rafe charged forward taking three razbians with him. He had to get to Yara and stop Phillip before the bastard cooked her inside that weird cyclone of dust.
As soon as he left the fair he knew he wouldn’t be able to reach Yara in time, so he used his last resort – he went to his pack for help. To his surprise, his friends didn’t even flinch when he explained what was happening and that Yara needed them. They simply followed him. But it had taken them longer than he expected to catch her scent – too damn long. When he finally realized the zigzag trail was leading to Tardieh’s castle, Rafe didn’t waste any more time and led his small pack of wolves ahead, hoping it wasn’t too late.
Another blast of flames lit the sky. Fucking Hiad! He ripped the throat of another guard and looked around him. His fellow wolves were doing a good job and would certainly be able to deter the attack, but there were way too many razbians blocking his path; it would take him too long to reach Yara.
He spotted a tree not far ahead, curved in an odd shape. It soared up but one of its thick branches bent down slightly forming the perfect ramp. Rafe charged up the trunk. He didn’t have Yara’s tree climbing skills, and a wolf weighed a lot more than a cat, but he managed to get to its peak. Using the branch as leverage, he bounced up and lunged himself into the air, landing right on top of Phillip’s leathery back.
The dragon was taken by surprise but soon recovered and tried to shake Rafe off him. But if he thought that Rafe was going to go down that easily, he was sadly mistaken. He opened his wide jaw and sunk his sharp teeth deep into the dragon’s skin. Phillip hollered in pain and tried to claw him out. Not a chance. Yara depended on him to hold Phillip away from her. Rafe had let her down one too many times, he wouldn’t do it again. Even if it meant losing his life, he would hang onto that fucking lizard until all his teeth fell out.
Out of nowhere, a gigantic fist made of pure earth snaked out of the weird tornado and punched Phillip in the face. Rafe was swung around as the dragon lost its balance. Before Phillip could recover, a series of cross punches connected to its muzzle. The magical fist was too fast for the dragon and he soon lost his ground and crashed against a tree. Rafe was jolted in the air in the collision and landed heavily on the floor. He shook his head and ignored the soaring pain up his rib cage.
“Rafe!” Yara warned from afar.
He pushed off the floor and jumped out, just in time to miss Phillip’s blaze. But the tail that followed hit him square on the back, squashing him down. The air was whooshed out of his lungs with the impact. Before he managed to lift the heavy limb off of him, piercing pain reverberated down his body. With dread, Rafe saw Phillip’s claws impaling his legs.
“I’ve had enough of your intrusions, wolf,” Phillip snarled at him from above.
A mighty roar shook the ground. Rafe turned and gasped. Yara had broken out of the cyclone and was charging forward in his direction. Her brown eyes glowed emerald green. She hadn’t shifted, but her panther was clearly out. Her mouth carried sharp incisors and her nails had grown into long claws. She moved swiftly and elegantly like a deadly cat. She leaped up in the air and struck Phillip in the eye. The dragon howled in despair but held his ground.
Behind her, the sun finally disappeared behind the hills. In a split second, two shadows whooshed past. Razbian after razbian collapsed on the ground, split in half. The vampires had finally decided to join the party. A blond tall one ripped through the horde, just as Dyam appeared in front of the younger version of Yara, who was struggling to defend the metal cabinet behind her.
Phillip lost focus and lifted his claws while trying to catch Yara and the vampires with his teeth. Rafe freed himself quickly and went to Yara’s aid. Everyone knew that dragons were hard to kill, but only a few knew that their most vulnerable part was the heart.
He climbed up Phillip’s wing and bit hard. He growled to Yara, hoping she’d get the hint. She did. Her eyes met his, and a small smile played on her delicious lips. She deflected one more of Phillip’s attempts to grasp her, then weaved her way through his legs and emerged underneath his massive body. Rafe saw the opening. While Phillip struggled to catch her, Rafe clutched hard onto the piece of flesh and ran to the other side, carrying Phillip’s left wing along with him. With the grace and speed of a true Amazon cat, Yara lunged up in the air and plunged her combat knife deep into the unprotected area underneath the wing, successfully piercing through Phillip’s heart.
Phillip let out one last cry, then stumbled down. The once striking blue and grey scales faded into a matte green, as life left his body. The putrid smell of death oozed out of his open flesh.
“You’re bleeding,” Yara said, coming to stand beside Rafe’s white wolf.
Her husky voice was music to his unworthy ears. He turned around and couldn’t stop his beating heart from doing a drum solo. He shifted back to human form – he had to hold her, feel her warm skin against him, know she was safe and sound. “Yara,” he whispered and wrapped her on a tight embrace.
But she pulled back.
“I’m grateful for your help,” she stated curtly. “But I’m not a fool. I know you have an agenda here, and I tell you, you will
never
get hold of the bullets.”
Her coldness cut him deep, but he wasn’t going to give up so easy. “I don’t care about those bullets,” he replied. “I wasn’t going to sell them to Balaur.”
“Ha! You really think I’m a fool, don’t you?” Yara exhaled. Her beautiful features contorted in disgust. “I
saw
you hand over the box to the dragon, Rafe! I was there!”
“I was going to buy time to avoid a massacre in broad daylight, but I promise, Yara, I wasn’t going to betray you like that.”
“Stop!” she shouted. “I don’t have time for your lies anymore, Rafe. The lives of my friends are at stake; I’m not going to let anything harm them, especially you.”
Rafe opened his mouth to argue back but Yara cut him off.
“Please leave,” she said.
“No,” he replied. “Never.”
A high-pitched scream pierced the air. Rafe turned in alarm.
What was that?
Chapter Four
Yara ran as fast as she could but Naiah wasn’t where she had left her. All she found was razbian corpses littering the hill. What in Hiad? While she and Rafe were busy with Phillip, Dyam and Joel had arrived and helped Naiah protect the generator. By the looks of it, the two vampires had had another plan in mind – they had decimated the entire army. But where were they now? Where had Naiah gone?
Another loud cry echoed in the dark night. Yara climbed up the hill toward its direction. She could hear Rafe’s heavy breathing not far behind her. She wanted to turn around and smack him, punch him, kiss him. Tell him she hated him for making her fall in love with a lie. But the battle hadn’t been won yet, so, Rafe, the impostor, was now shoved to the bottom of her priority list. Her friends and her sister were far more important, despite whatever her stupid heart craved.
When she reached the edge of Tardieh’s castle, she spotted what had emitted the deafening cry. Balaur’s black dragon was circling above the mansion’s roof, breathing fire at everything he came across. Yara had never seen such a massive beast before. Zoricah’s dragon was large and powerful too, but Balaur was nearly twice as big.
Sam and the vampires were attacking from the ground. Out of the blue, Tardieh appeared on top of Balaur, straddling him, clearly trying to make the dragon lose its balance. It wasn’t an easy feat, but after a few minutes of fierce battle, the dragon shrieked one last time and plummeted on the ground. Yara saw the king jump out just before they crashed. Good thinking. With the impact, the large dragon skidded sideways, taking everything with him. The same foul smell that seeped out of Phillip when he died saturated the air, as Balaur’s inmã left his body.
It was over. They had won.
Yes! But before Yara could celebrate, her heart was pierced with unbearable pain. She clutched at her chest and cried out, unable to stop it.
“Yara!” Rafe yelled, crouching beside her. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,’ she choked out. “But something’s wrong, something’s really wrong.”
A soft moan reached her ears, carried by the wind, straight to Yara’s heart.
Naiah.
“Naiah!” Yara cried out and ran in the direction of the moans.
Dyam appeared right alongside her. “What was it?”
“Where’s Naiah?” she bellowed. “Argh!” she cried out, as her chest burnt.
“She was right there,” Dyam replied and pointed at a tree to the left.
They all froze in place. The tree was no longer there. The entire section had been swept away by Balaur’s tail.
“Oh,” Yara clasped her mouth with both hands.
Please, Apa Dobrý, please let Naiah be safe.
She ran toward the devastated tree, searching for her sister. “Naiah!” she called out.
“Naiah!” Dyam shouted, also desperately hunting the area.
With the noise, the others soon joined them.
“In here!” Rafe yelled out from a few feet away.
Yara rushed to his side, a small flame of hope warmed her chest.
Not for long.
As soon as she reached the spot, she saw her sister’s body crushed underneath the fallen tree. She must have been blown away almost twenty feet before getting smashed by the heavy trunk. Rafe lifted it up, but Dyam materialized out of nowhere and blew the fucking tree far away.
Yara rushed forward and held her frail sister in her arms.
“I’m sorry,” Naiah whispered, blood seeped out of her mouth.
“Don’t talk,” Yara replied softly. “You’re gonna be alright. Everything is going to be alright.” Yara swallowed the lump in her throat and looked up. “Dyam,” she called.
The vampire took a step forward but didn’t respond. His lips were sealed into a thin line.
“Take us to the lake,” Yara requested. “Now.”
Chapter Five
The lake was unusually calm. The water lilies were no longer white as Yara remembered, but had turned bright red. As soon as Dyam teleported them to the place, Yara took Naiah’s frail body into her arms and ran toward the lake. Water witches gained their magic through the power of emerald waters. Every time Yara got hurt in battle or hunting, all she had had to do was jump in and enjoy the amazing healing powers of the lake. Hopefully it wasn’t too late for Naiah to have the same. Her boots touched soft sand. Yara knelt down and motioned for Dyam to help out.
A poisoned arrow zipped past, nearly missing Yara’s head.
What in Hiad?
“And so the traitors return,” Yuma-ci snarled from the shore ahead. She was accompanied by three other warrior witches. They moved quickly, blocking Yara’s path.
No, no, no!
There was no time for stupid cousins! “Let us through, Yuma-ci,” she ordered between clenched teeth. “Naiah is badly hurt, she needs the power of the lake to heal.”
“Too bad then that she renounced her tribe and went off with you,” her cousin replied. “This lake is property of the water people, Opelia, and you two are not part of this tribe anymore.”
Yara felt Dyam’s growl reverberate beside her. “Let us pass, witch, or I’ll make you renounce your entrails.”
Yuma-ci cringed at Dyam’s dark words but didn’t back down. “Just like old times, you defile our sacred grounds by bringing a stranger here. And not any stranger, a vampire, nonetheless.”
Dyam roared and crouched low into a full attack mode. By Apa Dobrý, if he charged at Yuma-ci and started a fight, he’d definitely win but Yara would never be able to save Naiah in time. She had to convince her cousin to let her pass.
“Dyam, no,” she whispered. “That’s not the way.”
Suddenly, the waters in the lake churned and the familiar swirl formed in the middle of its vast surface, opening the gates of the witches’ realm. Yara’s breath got caught in her throat as the three Mothers emerged from the depths of the lake.
Oh, crap.
As per usual, Mother Nepú was in the middle. Mother Censa stood on her left, and Mother Isha to her right.
Naiah moaned in pain.
Yara glared at Dyam and shook her head in warning. Her friend clearly didn’t like it, but stood down. Yara handed Naiah to Dyam, then took a deep breath and, for the first time in probably her entire life, she bowed low. “Mothers,” she said. “I come to thee asking for clemency. Not for myself, but for Naiah.”
“She abandoned her sisters!” Yuma-ci cried out from the shore.
Mother Nepú lifted her hand, immediately silencing Yuma-ci’s rant. Then, her cold brown eyes found Yara’s.
Like every other time she had faced her mother, a chill went down Yara’s spine, but unlike the other times, she didn’t let that distract her. “Mother, Naiah never meant to leave the realm, all she wanted was a bit of adventure, that’s all. She loves you, she respects the water witch’s ways, and now she needs your help.”
“You don’t have the right to enjoy the powers of
our
Lake whenever it pleases you, Yara,” Yuma-ci started again, despite Mother Nepu’s earlier warning. “This is not a public pool, for Hiad’s sake.”
Yara glared at her cousin, struggling to contain her rage. But as she looked at Yuma-ci, something changed inside Yara. She saw her cousin for what she was for the first time. Yuma-ci was a fierce warrior who was just protecting her family. Was that so different from what Yara had done for Zoricah and Sam? Suddenly, they weren’t so different anymore. Yara’s shoulders slumped. “I know I hurt you, Yuma-ci,” she whispered. “I know now how much it hurts to be betrayed by someone you love, to be left behind by your friend, to not be chosen. I wronged you, and for that I’m truly sorry.”
Yara saw Yuma-ci’s eye widen in surprise, her rage literally melting at her every word.
“I was a fool for trusting someone I shouldn’t, I was a fool for taking your love for granted, and for not loving you back the same way. But those are
my
mistakes, cousin, not Naiah’s. She shouldn’t be punished for them.”
Yuma-ci blinked a few times, as if trying hard to contain her tears. Yara wasn’t as lucky. A fat drop rolled down her cheek as she could feel Naiah’s inmã fading away.
“Mothers, time is not in our favor, I must bathe Naiah now before it’s too late,” Yara pleaded. “Please, allow me to save her.”
All three Mothers stared back at Yara.
Damned them! Couldn’t they feel it? Couldn’t they feel Naiah’s heart failing?
The old witches glanced at each other in unison, lifted their chins and took a deep breath. As they released it, the waters of the lake flowed forth in a mighty wave, washing over all of them.
Dyam cried out in protest as Naiah’s body was taken away from his arms by invisible hands. Yara looked at him and nodded reassuringly.
She watched in silence as the healing waters carried Naiah away. Her sister floated for a moment, then a bright light exploded within her slender body illuminating the entire Lake.
Yara’s heart filled with hope.
Yes,
the lake’s healing powers were working; Naiah was going to be OK.
She gasped in awe as the red lilies glowed as brightly then turned white once again. Naiah’s body shifted with the waves, but instead of being elevated back to the shore, she sunk down, and was slowly engulfed by the emerald waters.
“No!” Yara’s knee gave in as reality hit her hard. She crumbled on the sand as hot tears blurred her eyesight.
Naiah was dead. Her inmã had joined their ancestors in the lake.
A powerful pull shook her entire body, making her muscles contract with such force. From the corner of her eye she noticed all the other witches had felt it too. Then a beautiful lotus flower, as red as the northern sun, emerged where Naiah’s body had been swallowed by the water.
Yara sunk down, too overwhelmed by grief to lift her head up. She had failed. Another water witch had died because of her. Again.
A warm hand touched her head, sending an unexpected wave of calm down her spine. Yara looked up and saw that the three Mothers had moved and now circled her.
“Save your tears, my dear,” Mother Censa said softly.
“Don’t be sad, for Naiah fulfilled her mission in this life,” Mother Isha added.
“What do you mean?”
“She brought you back to us. Now the world has a chance to survive.”
Yara swallowed a sob. “The world has a chance? I don’t understand.”
“One day you will,” Mother Nepú replied, a bit softer than her usual brisk tone.
The Mothers moved as one and glided back to the center of the lake.
“Tell your queen we have what she needs,” Mother Nepú announced. “She can come and collect it when she’s ready.”
Yara pushed off the floor and watched as one by one the witches disappeared into the emerald whirlwind. Yuma-ci turned around just before she plunged down into the realm’s portal. Her gaze was full of sorrow but the bitterness was no more. She nodded a silent goodbye to Yara then dived after her sisters.
**********
Rafe paced up and down the length of the gate. The Indian vampire had disappeared with Yara for a long time, and Rafe was growing more impatient by the minute. After cleaning up the mess the dragons had left behind, the vamps had thanked him and his pack for their help and withdrawn back into their fortress. His face to face encounter with the vampire king had been a bizarre account to say the least. The guy was nothing short of imperial but had showed true humbleness by acknowledging that without the wolves’ help they would’ve been screwed. Rafe would dare say he might even come to respect the guy one day. One day. Maybe.
His wolf friends had also left long ago, wanting to celebrate a battle well won. He rewarded them by ensuring that tonight’s drinks were on him, and promised to meet them later, even though he secretly hoped he wouldn’t return alone. After everything that happened, winning back Yara’s trust was his top priority and new mission in life. He needed her and he wouldn’t leave this place until she forgave him. He didn’t know what he’d say, but he was ready to go down on his knees and offer himself as her slave if that took her fancy.
Shuffling of leaves caught his attention just before Yara’s characteristic scent flooded the air. He stiffened in anticipation. The outline of her tall body appeared in the shadows, cast by the full moon above. She paused when she saw him standing by the gate. Their eyes met and Rafe’s heart jumped to his throat.
Yara’s chest went up and down as she took a deep breath. Utter sadness oozed out of her. Rafe’s own troubles vanished the moment he realized that the unthinkable had happened – Yara’s sister hadn’t made it.
“Oh, Yara, I’m so sorry for your loss,” Rafe whispered, truly meaning his words. “I wish I could have protected her.”
“It wasn’t your job to protect her,” she replied in a sad whisper. “It was mine.”
“Don’t blame yourself for what happened.” He took a step closer, wanting to hug her, to somehow wipe away her pain.
She shook her head and took a step back, keeping the distance between them. “I do blame myself because it
was
my fault. If it wasn’t for me, she wouldn’t have been here in the first place, she’d still be safe and alive with the witches.” Her chin trembled as words poured out of her lips.
“From what I saw, she begged you to get her out of the jungle. I was there, remember.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she replied. “Can’t you see? I brought death to my people once again.
I
brought the dragons here. If I had just stopped and thought about the consequences before I took the box at the fair, before I decided to come straight to Tardieh’s, before I let myself fall for you ...”
Rafe’s heart stopped beating. It was the first time he’d heard her say she loved him.
“I’ve always let my impulses lead the way, I never think before I act,” she carried on. “But that has to change. Too many people got hurt because of my recklessness.”
Rafe reached out and cupped her cheeks in his hands. She tried to pull away but he held her tight. “Your impulsiveness has also saved a number of people,” he replied softly. “If it wasn’t for you to snatch the bullets out of my hand, creating the diversion, Balaur would have managed to get away with them, and the entire world would have been in danger now. If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be in the darkness, Yara. You saved
me
.”
She lifted her teary eyes at him, and for a moment Rafe saw the love he felt for her reflected in her gaze. For just a moment.
She shook her head and pulled away from his touch. “I need a man I can trust, who will help me change. I can’t let my heart decide anymore. I can’t trust it, and I can’t trust you, Rafe.” Fat tears rolled down her cheeks. “Goodbye.”
“No, Yara,” he called out but she had already walked past him and gone through the mansion’s gate.
It took a moment for his brain to register that this was really it, she was really saying goodbye. No, it wasn’t happening. He had to make her change her mind. He needed her as much as she needed him. He’d help her change, he’d change too. For her, for them, for their future.
“Fuck that.” Rafe started walking after her, but a firm hand landed on his shoulder, making him stop. He swirled around and squared off its owner. Dyam. He didn’t want to, but he was ready to punch the vamp out of his way. A powerful scent hit him on the face, freezing Rafe in place. Grief, utter, unbearable grief emanated out of the vampire’s every pore. It was so profound, so crushing, that he had no words to describe it.
“Give her time, pal,” Dyam said. “She’s hurting beyond your comprehension.”
“But I can help her heal, I
want
to help her heal,” Rafe murmured back, refusing to give up.
Dyam pursed his lips together and closed his eyes. “No one can do this for her right now. She’s the only one who’ll be able to make amends with her own conscience,” he said, sounding like he knew too well what he was talking about. “Give her the space she needs, wolf, and maybe she’ll have the heart to forgive you one day.”
Dyam’s words rang true and deep. Rafe nodded and took a step back, letting the vampire cross the gate alone.
The full moon shone brightly in the sky. A faint ring of light swathed around it, the sign that winter was not far ahead. Rafe exhaled a long breath. It was going to be a very long one this year.