Witch Lies

The Order of the Cursed: Book 4

Lisa Morrow

Witch Lies

Lisa Morrow

Copyright © 2014 Lisa Morrow

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author.

All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

To my husband and children - your support gave me the strength to move mountains, or perhaps, just my pen, which sometimes felt just as heavy.

Contents

Author’s Note

Want to Reach Out to Lisa Morrow?

Blurb

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

About the Author

More Works by Lisa Morrow

Author’s Note

This series features Greek goddesses, however, I’m not sticking exactly to the myths. I wanted to create a world where there were only female goddesses. So, for example, Zeus might rule all the gods in ancient Greek mythology, but in this series, Hera is the ruler of the gods.

I hope you enjoy this fun little twist to the classic myths!

List of Greek Goddesses

Demeter- Goddess of the Seasons

Eris- Goddess of Strife, Discord, and Destruction

Hera- Goddess of all Gods

Persephone- Goddess of Hell

Aphrodite- Goddess of Love

Hestia- Goddess of Fire and the Hearth

Athena- Goddess of War

Ananke- Goddess of the Shadows

Nyx- Goddess of the Night

Horae- The Twelve Goddesses of Time

Usha- Goddess of the Dawn, Nyx’s Sister

Soteria- Goddess of Safety and Salvation

Abeona- Goddess of Outward Journeys and Time

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Blurb

There would be more tests, more challenges, of that I was certain. The order of witches had already made me do awful things, and they weren’t done yet. I wanted to save the world, but the price was becoming too much.

What was more, I knew Asher was my One. My soul mate. Fated to be with me. And yet, we might never have the chance to be together, even if we survive.

The final battle was coming. Our enemies out-numbered and out-powered us. But if we lose this fight, our lives and the lives of everyone we love will be destroyed.

So I guess we needed to win…

The Order of The Cursed is a young adult fantasy series of novellas with an epic adventure and a splash of sweet romance. It has witches, magic, secrets, and a tale you won’t soon forget.

To my readers- this story would’ve stayed buried in my computer if not for you.

1

Rose

What felt like seconds later, I awoke with a start.

Someone was bouncing on my bed.

“Dogs can sleep when their masters tell them to,” Clarissa sneered, looking down at me.

I sat up groggily.

She leaped soundlessly to the floor.

“What are you doing?” I groaned.

She grinned, an expression made sinister by the deep shadows cast over her face. “What Blair commanded me to do, and I can’t think of a better time than now.”

I scowled at her, rubbing my eyes. “Don’t you ever sleep?”

Her smile faded. “When you’ve seen the things I have, the only escape from the nightmares is simply not to sleep.”

The urge to ask whether her lack of sleep had led to her madness came and went in a flash. I valued my life more than that.

“Have we heard news of the wizards?” It was the only explanation I could imagine for why she was in my room in the middle of the night.

My question struck her silent for a moment. “We haven’t a lot of time left.”

Something about her answer made my pulse quicken. “What are we going to do?”

She walked to the window, and the moon bathed her in its light. For a second I remembered my first impression of her, a beautiful creature with the face of a goddess, and a voice like chimes blowing in the wind. Was that who she was before The Protectors took her? Or had she been broken long before?

“There,” she said, pointing to something in the distance.

I rose from my bed, squinting and rubbing my eyes. She pointed at a hill that was located on the outskirts of the city. It was taller than any others, almost sheer on all sides like a stake planted in the earth.

Beneath the soft light of the moon, I thought I made out a winding path, twisting around until it reached the building at the top. At least, I thought it was a building. Tall white pillars rose and then disappeared into dark clouds.

“What is it?”

Anger twisted her mouth, and her eyes narrowed. “I don’t have time for stupid questions. Now, let’s go. You finally need to prove your worth.”

I wanted to argue with her, but what was the point? These women had plans for me, and what they were, I could only hope was in the best interest of the people of Tarak. So, very quickly, I straightened my wrinkled dress and went to the mirror and washbasin to comb my hair, readjusting Sirena’s barrette. I scrubbed my face and teeth, before turning and nodding at Clarissa who glowered silently.

She led me out of the darkened house and into the streets of Ponya. The city was lined with street lamps that flickered in their glass enclosures, creating ever-changing shadows around us. We saw no one as we moved, and there was an eerie stillness as I listened to the sounds of our feet pounding on the cobblestone.

When we at last reached the hill, the moon had risen to its zenith. The stone road ended at the base of a dirt path that winded around the steep hill.

“What’s at the top?”

My question seemed to shake Clarissa into action, and she strode forward into the dirt. “It’s where the Oracle lives.” She snickered. “The useless Oracle.”

A real Oracle? My sense of wonder overpowered my exhaustion. These rare men and women were the few blessed with the ability to speak to the goddesses. The rest of us prayed to ears that easily tuned us out. But the Oracles, they were people who could whisper into the goddesses’ ears. They could still be ignored, yet they had a better chance of being heard than the rest of us.

What was more, the goddesses used them to send the rest of us their direct messages. Rather than bringing fires and plagues upon us when displeased, or taking on a human shape to spy, trick, and punish, they often shared their wants and needs with the Oracles. A much better method of communication, in my opinion.

But then I recalled the rest of her words. “Why is he useless?”

Goddesses’ breath, did I really ask her another question?

But, for once, Clarissa answered my question without a hint of the strange flare-ups of anger or sadness that usually accompanied her answers. “The Oracle was important, but he’s nothing more than a memory now.”

“He’s dead?”

Her breathing became labored as we continued our climb, and my pulse quickened with the effort of our journey. “No,” she said, taking a deep breath. “But the people don’t have much use for an Oracle who can’t speak to the goddesses.”

My thoughts swirled as we continued walking. How could this man be an Oracle if he couldn’t speak to them? And why had the goddesses turned a deaf ear to him?

When we nearly reached the top of the hill, a young man was waiting. He wore a white robe trimmed with gold, but his dark hair was a wavy mess on his head, falling unevenly over his collar.

“Greetings,” he said, his voice nearly as breathless as if he’d been the one climbing. “We’ve been waiting so very long for you.”

He was gazing at me, his sun-tanned face glowing with something I couldn’t name.

“Are you the Oracle?” I asked.

Clarissa snorted. “Is she everything you hoped for?”

He ignored her, his gaze still firmly on me. “Oh no, I’m not the Oracle, but I’ll take you to him.”

I shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t move. “And what should I call you?”

He beamed. “I am Jundro, assistant to the Oracle.”

“Glad to know you.” I glanced around him, trying to peek beyond the wall of dirt to the building made of pillars.

“Oh,” he said, disappointment lacing his voice. “I’m sorry. I’m keeping you waiting.”

I tried to give him my most reassuring glance. “Not at all.”

Jundro didn’t move, even after a long, awkward pause.

“Come on, boy,” Clarissa growled. “She’s not Blair. You don’t have to be in awe of her.”

He blushed. “Sorry!”

Jundro turned and led us up the remainder of the hill, but to my surprise, clouds gathered as we rose. They weren’t thick and dark as they’d appeared from Sura’s home, but pale white and wispy, drifting around us like translucent sheep. Something about them screamed magic. Not just because they were so low to the ground, but because of the strange way they moved, almost like they were conscious creatures.

“This place is blessed,” Jundro said, watching me from over his shoulder.

My sense of wonder grew as we walked among the magical clouds. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

I reached out and brushed my fingers across one drifting in front of me. It might have been my imagination, but it felt soft and cool beneath my fingertips. I smiled. This was truly a place of magic.

“When they built the Oracle’s home, the goddess Nepheia, the goddess of the cloud nymphs, blessed this place.” He paused, looking back at me. “And even though we are forsaken, the nymphs still send us clouds.”

He looked sad as he spoke, his big brown eyes reminding me of a pet dog Sirena had once had.

I struggled with something to reassure him. “Maybe the nymphs continue sending clouds because the people of Tarak are still in their hearts.”

He smiled. “Perhaps.”

I looked to Clarissa, not sure what else to say. She was trying her best to look bored, but anger boiled beneath her surface. What was going on?

“Can we move this along, boy?” she hissed. “I’m sick of watching you fawn over her.”

Red hot embarrassment rose to his cheeks and spread down his throat and over his face. “My apologies,” he whispered, before scurrying faster.

He led us at last to the Oracle’s home. Tall white pillars, thicker than any man rose in what appeared to be a massive circle. White stone steps, smooth and flawless, led us beneath the pillars and into a wide space.

Looking up, the pillars rose and disappeared into thick white clouds that filled the air not thirty feet above us. Sheer curtains of white fabric hung between the pillars, blowing in the soft breeze and creating a constant movement around us.

I stood still, my heart racing. This is how I’d imagined Unity, the goddesses’ home in the clouds. There was an air of something beyond magic, something sacred and unexplainable. The hairs on my arms stood on end as another cool breeze swept over us. A hint of rain scented the air.

If I were a sailor, I might think it was an omen, but all I knew of the sea was from books, and so I couldn’t be certain if it were a bad omen or a good one. Still, I chewed at my bottom lips, torn between fear and excitement.

Jundro guided us across the white floor, which glittered beneath the glow of hundreds of candles, flickering from their random spots built into the pillars. Our feet sounded monstrous and inelegant as we crossed the floor. In the center, stairs led down into darkness, but we continued past these to a line of more thin curtains. They shifted as we paused in front of them, revealing more steps going up, lit by small candles.

“She has arrived,” Jundro called.

We waited for another long minute, and then, as if he’d received a response, he pushed back the curtains and turned back to stare at me expectantly. I was reluctant to move past him, apprehensive of what I might find. To be in the presence of someone who could, or had, been able to speak to the goddesses was a wondrous thing.

I inched forward.

Small flames lit the way, leading up to a platform where the clouds parted, revealing more pillars. Neither Clarissa nor Jundro followed me, and I got the sense that they’d known all along that I would go on alone.

I crept up the stairs until finally reaching the top, but what I saw confused me. Leaning down, my fingertips brushed the floor. They broke through the freezing surface, sending tiny ripples through the clear substance. A light came from somewhere beneath the floor made of water, illuminating the pool in front of me.

Standing up straight, my gaze scoured the massive pool of water, now glowing softly. A tiny path of white stone rose, less than an inch below the surface. Beyond that, the path led to an island of white marble, upon which, an old man sat on a marble bench, staring into a basin.

“You may approach him.”

I spun around. Jundro had soundlessly come to stand on the step just below me. Clarissa, however, was nowhere to be found.

Kneeling on the steps, I removed my boots on instinct and ran my hands nervously along the skirt of my blue dress. Not once that day had I considered the appropriateness of what I wore. It was out of style, but practical. Next to the pristine white around me, however, the dress seemed terribly out of place.

“Just walk right across,” Jundro said, tapping his bare foot in a nervous gesture.

I rose and gathered my skirt in my hands, just enough to keep it from getting wet, but not so much as to offend the Oracle. Dipping my foot into the water, my breath caught in my throat. It was colder than I thought possible. My foot came solidly upon the stone.

Testing my weight on it, the step held.

In less time than I’d expected, I made it across the water to the island of white marble, and the Oracle.

Jundro followed, standing beside me on the island.

Only the white marble table, with the basin, separated the old man from us.

“Oracle,” he whispered, bowing low.

I followed his lead, but couldn’t resist peeking up at the old man. He was neither fat nor thin, with tiny wisps of pale white hair growing from his otherwise bald head. Dark age spots marred his head and wrinkled face, and his eyelids had fallen so low, that only tiny slivers revealed blue eyes. He too wore a white robe, only it was adorned by nothing, no gold, no intricate symbols or designs.

The Oracles mouth moved, but no words came past his lips.

“He wants you to sit beside him,” Jundro murmured.

My heart fluttered in my chest. Could I really sit beside a man so blessed by the goddesses?

Clouds gathered more thickly over our heads.

Would my presence in this sacred place offend the goddesses? I was no longer just a girl. I was a Protector, whether I wanted to be or not, and some of the goddesses were very angry with us.

“What if I anger the goddesses?” I asked.

Jundro stiffened beside me. “You are the only person in all of Tarak who the goddesses are not angry with.”

I almost smiled at his jest.

The seriousness in his face stopped me.

Something heavy settled in my stomach. There was more to this meeting than I’d considered. But what lies had Blair told this poor boy, and perhaps, even the Oracle himself?

My legs trembled as I padded around the basin and settled myself on the far end of the bench.

The Oracle rose slowly, his back hunched.

Jundro hurried to his side, but the Oracle shooed him away with a wave of his hand. The boy took a step back but didn’t go far.

To my complete horror and surprise, the Oracle struggled around the basin and knelt before me, taking my hands in his wrinkled ones.

“No,” I cried, shaking my head in horror. “You can’t.”

A man so blessed by the goddesses could not bow before me, could not kneel before me. All of Unity would scream in outrage!

But then, although I hadn’t thought it possible, things got worse. Tears ran down The Oracles’ face.

I scrambled from the bench and knelt, my hands still held gently by his. “Please,” I begged. “Whatever I’ve done, I’m sorry.”

Jundro spoke, his voice made uneven by his unshed tears. “He cries for joy. It has been so long since he last saw the goddesses, so long since he was in their presence.”

“I’m not a goddess,” I said, pleading with Jundro to listen. “I don’t know what Blair told you, but I’m just a girl. A Protector blessed with magic, but that’s all.”

The Oracle’s lips moved again, but no words came out. My heart lurched in my chest at the sight of tears running down his sagging cheeks.

“He says that you are not a goddess, but you are the only living person who can speak to the goddesses. The only person who has the power of their names.”

“Yes,” I said, my voice sounding desperate even to my own ears. “I can say a goddess’s name and use her powers, but that’s all. Please, tell him Jundro, I can’t speak to the goddesses.”

“He hears you, Rose, but he cannot believe that you understand so little about your powers.” They both looked at me, and then, Jundro knelt beside me too. “Do you know what happens when you use the goddesses’ true name?”

I shook my head.

Surprise filled his eyes. “Well,” he explained, clearing his throat. “When you speak their names and use their powers, it is like you’re brushing your thumb against the back of their hand, with a touch as light as a feather. They feel you as you use their magic, but only if they really focus.”

I shivered and pulled my hands free of the Oracle. The idea of my hands touching a goddess was horrifying, and yet, incredible. Could it be possible that my magic was really capable of such a thing?

“But— But that doesn’t mean I can speak to them. I just say their names and use powers influenced by them.”

The Oracle reached for my hands again, and I reluctantly let him take them. His mouth moved again, but it was Jundro that spoke.

“There have only been perhaps a handful of people since the beginning of records who could use magic the way you can, and they could all speak to the goddesses.”

My memories raced to the conversation I’d heard between Blair and Meisha. All those who stand beside her will fall at her feet, their blood staining her hands forever. Their words had been nothing more than frightening, but now, they took on a whole new meaning. If I could truly talk to the goddesses, I might very well be powerful enough to create the kind of havoc they’d believed so completely.

“I can’t do this,” I murmured, and then, a thought struck me. “And what about Blair?” I pulled my hands free of the Oracle and stood. “She can do what I can do, only she’s stronger!”

Jundro helped the Oracle rise, and the younger man settled him gently on the bench.

The Oracle looked tired and even older than when I’d first seen him.

Jundro sat down beside the old man and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. “Rose, I’m sorry. We’d expected you to know more, but we shouldn’t have.” He rushed to add. “Through no fault of your own.”

I didn’t know what to say, but I hung my head. “I come from a small village. We thought the best way to avoid any trouble was to keep our heads down and work hard.”

“Many villagers in the center of Tarak, away from the threat of the Undead wizards, are as unaware as you are. We just thought—hoped—.” Jundro’s shoulders fell. “It doesn’t matter. You can learn all of this, but the important thing you need to know is that neither Blair nor the Oracle can speak to the goddesses anymore.”

“But Blair can still use her magic.”

“Yes, but Blair and the Oracle were punished by the goddesses for the loss of the wizards.”

So that’s why Blair was no longer allowed to use Hera or Persephone’s names! “I understand why they’d be mad at Blair, but why the Oracle?”

The old man looked up at me, and the light caught the tiny bit of his blue irises, revealed beneath his sagging eyelids. An unexpected kinship rose inside of me. I was able to use magic from the goddesses. What would it be like to lose such power now? And what must it have been like for the Oracle to lose a power like his?

Jundro sighed. “The Oracle prefers I not speak of this. We never do. But, I think it’s important you know. Queen Gaudias demanded that he beg the goddesses to forgive us for killing the wizards. The queen ordered him to call upon Hera, and the goddess cursed him for his insolence.”

I gasped. He called upon Hera? The goddess of all goddesses? I would gladly face the Undead wizards again rather than stare into the face of someone with such power, and such a reputation for both her kindness and cruelty.

“So that’s why he can’t speak to the goddesses.”

“Yes,” Jundro squeezed the old man’s shoulder. “But, she also took away his ability to speak. And, she aged him.”

I studied the old man. “How old was he before?”

Jundro smiled. “He’s actually my brother.” My mouth dropped open, and I know I must have looked ridiculous because Jundro laughed. “He’s my older brother, but only by a few years.”

I wanted to return his smile or enjoy his laughter, but there was a falseness to it that brought tears to my eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I managed to choke past the lump forming in my throat.

“Don’t be,” Jundro said. “Because you are going to be able to accomplish what the Oracle never could, you will be able to get the goddesses to forgive us, and rid the world of the Undead wizards.”

Uh… what? My stomach dropped. Surely he didn’t think I was the solution to this mess? Did he?

2

Rose

At first I thought Jundro was joking. Only, as I stared at him, I realized he was serious. He believed I would be able to fix all the world’s problems, so I guess it was time to tell him the truth. Asher was the solution, not me. I knew it deep inside.

I took a deep breath, wondering how he’d take the information. “But I might not even need to do anything. I’ve… I’ve found a living wizard.”

Jundro stiffened and it was as if my words sunk slowly into his mind, before an excited smile spread his lips. “You’re certain?”

I nodded, holding my breath.

“That might make a huge difference… that might be part of what’s needed to finally end this war.”

My heart sank. “Part of?”

He looked to the Oracle as the old man’s lips moved. “Yes, part of, but you still must speak to goddesses. We can’t win if they’re still punishing us.”

Some of my hope died. “I can’t even talk to the goddesses.”

Talking to them wasn’t even the biggest of my problems. If the Oracle had failed to convince them, what hope did I have? And, a cowardly part of me also wondered if I too would end up like the Oracle if I chose to call upon the goddesses.

“We can teach you, but you have to want to.”

I looked away from his knowing gaze, studying my sweaty palms.

His voice was soft as he spoke, “there is no dishonor in being afraid, but you must know, your circumstances are different from the Oracle’s. He knew when he called upon Hera that it was a mistake. He’d spoken to both Artemay and Libra, and both told him that Hera would hear nothing of reversing her sister’s decision to allow the Undead wizards to return.”

“But Hera is in charge. Why couldn’t she just order Persephone to keep the Undead wizards dead?”

I looked up, and the Oracle was smiling. He tugged at Jundro’s robe, and his mouth began to move rapidly.

“Just because Hera is in charge, doesn’t mean she’s the most powerful. Persephone could’ve been in charge of the goddesses. But when they overthrew their mother, they divided up the kingdom between them. If Persephone hadn’t chosen the Underworld to prevent a war between her sisters, she could’ve been the goddess of all goddesses.”

If anyone but the Oracle had shared such an idea, I’d have called them a liar. I’d have insisted that Hera was the most powerful goddess to ever live, but it was hard to argue with someone who had actually met the goddesses. And yet, to think of Persephone as being as powerful as Hera felt wrong.

“So Hera was,” I winched, “afraid of her sister.”

“Yes, but she was also mad at us. We killed all of the men they’d blessed with magic. We’d killed half the humans they considered most valuable. Hera wanted us to suffer, but she would have punished us differently, had Persephone not granted the wizards’ revenge.”

My head began to ache, and I rubbed my temple. “Hera wanted to punish us, but she didn’t like the way her sister chose to do it.”

“Exactly.”

“Then, what could possibly change her mind now?”

“You.”

I took a few steps and dropped down onto the bench next to Jundro. “Why?”

Why did they think I would be successful where the Oracle had failed? Why were they so convinced that I was so special?

“Because of your mom, of course.”

My breath caught in my throat, and I turned to him, wide-eyed. “My mom?”

“Yes, she was favored by Hera herself. It’s said she was there the day your mother was born, and the day she gave birth to you.”

“That can’t be true.”

Jundro watched me carefully as if he couldn’t quite believe my ignorance. “It’s true, and what’s more, we have reason to believe Hera has grown tired of this war. She needs only an excuse to free us of the Undead wizards. You’re our best chance for that.”

My thoughts snapped between my mom and the heavy burden they were placing on my shoulders. “What do you know about my mother?”

Jundro’s gaze flew to the Oracle.

The old man nodded.

“We know that she was destined to end this war and chose not to. We know her decision had serious consequences... for her, and all of Tarak.”

I’d heard this before. “But what happened to her?”

Jundro frowned. “We aren’t entirely certain, but we know she had to be taken somewhere, or killed, in order to change her destiny... in order to change your destiny.”

My stomach churned. Blair hadn’t said that. And Norma had said she was alive. Were they lying to me?

“Killed?” I repeated, softly.

“I spoke out of turn,” Jundro said, panic in his eyes. “We really don’t know anything for sure. Just that it is very difficult to change a person’s destiny.” He opened his mouth, then closed it, hesitating.

“What is it?” I asked, a spark of hope igniting inside of me.

“Blair should know what happened to her.” He avoided my gaze. “And I think she’d probably tell you if you were successful tonight.”

The weight of his words fell heavily upon me. All I wanted to do was save Sirena and maybe discover something about my mother in the process. It was hard to believe all this nonsense about my destiny and my faith. And what was more, Blair had already claimed not to know what happened to my mother. Was she lying?

“I need to think,” I whispered, standing up and moving to the edge of the island of marble.

The water was still, while my mind swirled. I longed to dive beneath the freezing surface and swim until all thoughts of the last few weeks left my mind. It was becoming more and more clear to me that I had no idea who I was, and this thought frightened me.

In a world of magic and mystery, the most important thing was that I knew who I was deep down, and now I didn’t. Or perhaps I knew myself better than I ever had, except, that I was a different person than I thought. I was important, just as The Protectors had said. So what else had they said that was true? All those who stand beside her will fall at her feet, their blood staining her hands forever. Were they also right about my fate?

“Teach me to speak to the goddesses.”

“We can start right away.”

I took a moment longer, staring into the water. I would learn this power, but I would use it for good, not evil. I would prove to myself that The Fates were wrong. That Blair was wrong. I would not end up like her.

Turning to Jundro, I met his eager gaze. “What do we do first?”

“Come to the basin,” he said, his hands clenched before him in anticipation.

I did as ordered.

“Good. Now, you must speak the true names of Hera and Persephone, right after one another.”

I closed my trembling hands. “I don’t know their names.”

“Oh,” his voice faltered for a moment. “We can teach you. I’ve heard the Oracle speak these names many times in the past, and he has explained how he was able to discover their True Names… before his voice was taken.”

“And what will happen when I speak their names? Libra’s name can set you free, so what will the goddess of all goddesses’ name do? What will the goddess of death’s name do?”

His expression grew serious. “If you think of such things, this won’t work. Now, listen carefully. The goddess of all goddesses’ name must be screamed into the sky. Her name should be said without anger or dread or need, but with complete power, as if she is the one who should fear you. Her name should be screamed, just to the point that your voice might grow hoarse, but it can’t be hoarse. It must be strong and true.”

The Oracle touched his arm, his mouth moving as Jundro watched him carefully. “If there is any hesitation in your voice, it’s not her true name. Hera doesn’t hesitate. And Persephone’s name must be whispered, filled with rage and sadness. Her name should echo the outrage one feels when they lose someone they love. But, it should be spoken so softly that her name should be a whisper on the wind.”

Before I spoke my first goddess’s name, I wouldn’t have understood the instructions the Oracle had given, but now memories stirred inside of me. I knew how to call on the goddesses, even if it might still take me a while to get the sounds of their names just right.

“But how will they hear me? How is this different from simply using their powers?”

Jundro watched the Oracle for a long time before he finally spoke. “Because this time you won’t just be pulling tiny wisps of magic from them, you’ll be forcing some of your magic into them. It will flow over them like a warm rush of wind, and although they won’t have to answer your call, they’ll feel compelled to.”

“So am I calling both of them?”

Jundro laughed, sweeping his unruly hair behind his ears. “No. To open the lines of communication to the goddesses, you must always use Hera and Persephone’s names first. Even if you then call on another goddess.

“Why?”

“When their names are spoken, you will touch both life and death for one beautiful moment. You’ll channel that energy, and combine it with the magic inside of you, and then you’ll speak the name of the goddess you wish to hear your voice.”

“So, if I was calling upon a wood nymph…”

“You would speak the true names of Persephone and Hera, and then you would say the wood nymph’s name. Persephone and Hera would feel your use of their power like always, like the lightest touch upon their skin, but the wood nymph would hear your shout ring through her body and soul.”

I’d only seen a wood nymph once, a beautiful creature with eyes and ears like a deer. She’d paused at the edge of a stream. But when she saw me, she’d transformed into a tree.

“Are you ready to try it?”

I almost said yes, but then a terrible thought shattered my confidence. “If this works, what should I ask of Hera? Just to end the war?”

The Oracle’s lips moved, but Jundro didn’t speak. A series of emotions flashed across his face, and then, he grew very still. “You will say whatever you must, because if you fail, Tarak will likely fall tomorrow night.”

Taking a step away from the basin, I looked between Jundro and the Oracle. “How do you know that?”

Jundro watched the Oracle again but avoided my gaze when he answered. “The Undead wizards have discovered a way to break through the shield.”

“I know. I was there when they shattered the shield, but the last thing Clarissa told me was that they were close.”

He didn’t look surprised at my admission. “Well, tomorrow their powers will be fully recharged. The Protectors have informed us, as well as, the queen, that should you fail in your plead to Hera, we should abandon Tarak.”

I squeezed my arms, willing the suffocating tightening around my throat to fade. I’d seen the Undead wizards. If they were released on the innocent farmers that made up most of Tarak, it would be a massacre. Asher’s face came to my mind, along with my father’s, and the faces of all the families remaining in Duggery.

“We can’t let that happen.”

“You can’t let that happen.”

Shivers wracked my body. So much pressure. So many innocent lives resting in my hands.

The stone at my throat warmed, surprising me. I wrapped my hand around it, knowing it likely warned me, but also taking comfort in its familiarity.

“I’m ready now.” My voice trembled ever so slightly.

Jundro smiled and stepped around to the back of it, making certain to stay out of the way of the Oracle who peered eagerly at me.

“You can communicate with the goddesses anywhere, but it helps to be touching water. It helps even more to be surrounded by water.” He pointed. “And the white marble is said to be their favorite stone, so everything is made of it, including the basin. When you call on the goddesses, allow your hands to sink below the surface of the water and touch the cool marble. It will help channel your magic.”

“And how do I channel my magic through the goddesses?”

It was a question I should’ve asked already.

“Just as you send your magic into others at the Choosing, to search for their magic, send your magic into their names as you speak them.”

My head ached. There was so much to remember, and there were so many things that could go wrong.

I took a deep breath and reached my hands out. The tips of my fingers caressed the water, and then, I plunged them in. The cold water went to my wrists before I felt the bottom.

“Whose name should I speak first?”

“It is usually easier with Hera. There is life all around you that will add strength to her name.”

The cool water seeped into my blood, and I trembled.

“Hera,” I said, trying the sound of her name on my tongue. “Hera.” I tried again, this time louder, more confident. Her name buzzed across my tongue but tasted wrong. “Hera!” I screamed, but my voice seemed forced and afraid. I couldn’t be afraid. I must be powerful and strong. “Hera!” I screamed again, and this time, I knew it was right. Warmth exploded from my body, and the water warmed around my hands.

I took several deep breaths, trying to still my rapidly beating heart. “Persephone,” I whispered her name with revere. She was a goddess, but I couldn’t forget what she was. She would take my father’s life one day, and Asher’s, and my own. And she would enjoy it. “Persephone,” I whispered again, only her name still didn’t sound quite right. I thought of losing Asher, really thought about it, and it became hard to swallow. “Persephone,” I said again, goosebumps spread across my skin, but something still wasn’t right.

“It isn’t working.”

The Oracle turned his gaze onto Jundro, and the young man paled. “We were afraid of this. Persephone’s name took a long while for the Oracle to get just right. And in the beginning, he had to make certain… sacrifices.”

“Sacrifices,” I repeated dumbly. “I thought the people of Tarak no longer sacrificed animals to the goddesses.”

“We do not.” Jundro walked to the edge of the marble island. “Do you see that?” he asked, pointing.

I joined him by the water’s edge and squinted into the clear waters. “What is it?”

“They are handcuffs, crafted by Hephesta, Goddess of the Blacksmiths. They were created without a key. Made only to be opened in the presence of a goddess.”

“For what purpose?”

“Persephone will come for death.”

Goddess’ blood. He couldn’t possibly intend…

Jundro leaped into the water, moving so fast that it took my mind several precious moments to catch up.

“He can’t do this!” I screamed, turning to the Oracle, to his brother, but he appeared unmoved.

I dove into the freezing waters, shooting straight for him. It took only a moment to reach him, but the handcuffs were already firmly in place. I pulled at the long chains tying him to the marble floor of the pool, but they didn’t budge.

My lungs burned. I gazed into his face, memorizing it. His eyes were wide and fearful. I stared at them until the need for air seared my lungs. Then, angrily, I kicked off the bottom of the pool and shot to the surface.

Climbing onto the island, I stumbled to the basin. “Hera!” I screamed, and warmth exploded across my skin. Taking a deep breath, I whispered, “Persephone,” but still nothing happened. “Persephone, Persephone, Persephone, Persephone,” I tried her name in every tone with every inflection I could muster, but still, nothing happened.

Jundro began to jerk strangely beneath the water, and my breath came in sharp bursts. “Persephone, Persephone, Persephone,” I whispered. But still, nothing happened.

Beneath the water, Jundro stilled, and my stomach clenched. “Goddesses’ blood, Persephone, answer my call.”

The water in the basin bubbled, and I drew my hand back in shock and pain. My skin felt flushed and sweaty, but I concentrated on the inferno of golden flame inside of myself and channeled my powers outward. “Hera, hear my call!” I shouted.

Lightning crackled in the sky.

Then, she was there.

She was taller than any human, with long brown hair that flowed over her shoulders, and stopped just at her waist. Her large brown eyes were trained on me, but there was a glowing radiance beneath her skin that took my breath away. I had never seen anything as beautiful as this woman. Or as frightening.

“Who dares to call upon Hera, goddess of all goddesses?” she demanded.

“I am Rose Vidoryn.” I turned my gaze back to Jundro. His body had risen to the surface of the water, no longer trapped down by the cuffs. “He sacrificed himself so I could call on you.”

She studied me, her eyes swirling with light. “Then, make his sacrifice worth it.”

I wanted to obey her, but something inside of me refused. “He might still be alive.”

She flicked her wrists, and his body slowly began to drift through the water towards us. “No, the boy is dead.”

My mind barely processed anything. I ran, then dove into the water.

Turning my back on the goddess was enough to make me lose my dinner, but imagining Jundro dying when I could’ve saved him would haunt me all my days. I reached his still form, then dragged him out of the water and onto the marble.

“He is gone,” Hera said.

“No,” I answered, shaking my head. I felt his chest, but no heart beat within it. “No, I won’t let him die.”

I turned him on his side and shook him, beating his back, anything rather than sit helplessly.

“Would you really waste your time with me to save the boy?”

Hera stood over me.

I trembled. “You are the Goddess of Life. Would you do any less?”

My question challenged the most powerful goddess of all.

Something only a fool would do.

But instead of punishing me for my insolence, she knelt beside Jundro and placed her hand on his chest. A moment later, he sat up, spitting out water and vomiting into the pool beside him.

I could’ve cried with relief.

Hera smiled at me. “You truly are worth the gifts I bestowed upon you, as was your mother.”

I longed to ask her about my mother, but I’d already wasted precious time. “And you’ve given me so much, and yet, I’m here to ask you for more.” I took a deep breath. “Tomorrow the wizards will kill us all unless you reverse your sister’s decision.”

Her smile vanished. “I cannot take away a promise given by my sister. The Protectors are responsible for killing all the wizards, and so, they’ve been promised revenge.”

Hera’s tone left no room for argument, but a thought came to my mind. “But, my goddess, not all the wizards are dead. One remains alive.”

Her dark brows rose. “A wizard remains alive?”

“Yes, Asher,” I blurted. “He lives safely in Wintercarve, just below the castle of The Protectors.”

Amazement filled her expression, giving a soft glow to her skin. “Then, perhaps, there is something I can do. My sister struck a bargain for revenge for killing all wizards, and yet, a wizard remains alive.”

My words rushed out. “Thank you, my goddess.”

She frowned. “I think you mistake me. The wizards still deserve blood for the lives that have been taken. But when they are killed this time, they will remain dead forever.”

Disappointment left an ashy taste on my tongue. “I’m not sure that’s enough.”

Hera reached out and ran a hand gently over my wet hair. Her touch was warm and comforting.

“If you’re as extraordinary as your mother, you will think of a way to win this final battle.”

She pressed a kiss to my forehead and gazed into my eyes. “Remember that even though The Protectors betrayed me as a child would betray their mother, you are still my blessed children.”

And then, she was gone.

I collapsed onto the floor next to Jundro. Had all my efforts been in vain?

3

Rose

“So, I guess we’ll all die,” Clarissa says, dryly.

“But at least this will give us a chance.” Sura clutched the shawl around her shoulders and looked at me, concern in her eyes. “Rose, you should sleep soon. Using magic has a way of draining us.”

My body ached, and my eyes took longer and longer to open when I blinked. It’d been a long night, making the walk from The Oracle through the town seemed to take an eternity. We stood on the steps of the portal, preparing to head back to The Glass Castle, to tell Blair the result of my plea to Hera.

“Yeah, a chance to die, that’s all she’s given—” Clarissa stopped in mid-sentence, her eyes locked on the shadows of an alley near us.

I squinted into the darkness, and a man separated himself from shadows. He was lean and handsome, but something about him set me on edge.

“Go to the castle yourself; I’ve got something to take care of first.”

Clarissa moved with sure strides, but her face held an expression I’d never seen before: true concern. As she approached the man, her expression changed to one of anger, and she gripped his arm. He allowed her to lead him into the darkness of the shadows, and I longed to follow them, to unravel perhaps a piece of the mystery that was Clarissa.

“How was the Oracle?” Sura asked, staring down at her feet. “I mean, did he look well?”

“He looked… old,” I answered.

To my surprise, she winched. “Did Hera speak to him?”

“No. Why?”

And then, I realized what I fool I’d been. I should’ve asked Hera to forgive the Oracle, if not to renew his voice, then to renew his body.

“Everything happened so fast,” I explained lamely. “I never thought to…”

To what? To introduce them again? To ask her to forgive him? He’d cried at the sight of someone who could speak to the goddesses, and yet, I’d forgotten him when the moment came. I hadn’t even looked at him, hadn’t even thought of how he must have felt at that moment. And in this, I made a mistake.

“Oh,” Sura said, rubbing the lace of her shawl with her fingertips. “We’d hoped… I’d hoped, that she would forgive him. Perhaps give him his voice and youth back.”

“Do you know him well then?”

Her movements stilled, and she gazed up at me, biting her lip lightly. “I know him.”

Something about her reaction made me wonder as to the nature of their relationship, but my thoughts were sluggish. “I’m sorry I didn’t help him.”

Her gaze held mine. “There will be other opportunities.”

I leaned away from her. Her voice was like steel, either a threat or promise, I wasn’t sure which.

“I should go,” I said.

Sura was quiet for a moment. “Of course.” Something in the tilt of her head, in the way she held my gaze, made me think she had more to say, but then she looked away. “Do you know how to open the portal?”

I shook my head.

“You and Blair can travel from one place to another without the portal, but it takes a lot of your powers. The rest of us require portals to travel. All we must do is channel our powers into the center of it, and think of the place we wish to go. It helps to use our tools, if we have any. You should say the Goddess of Travel’s name, just as Clarissa uses her blades.”

“Is Blair expecting me?”

“No, we thought it best for her to hear the story directly from you.”

More like they feared Blair would be angry and take it out on them, but I didn’t mind. Their cowardice might’ve given me the opportunity I needed.

“I should go check on Brien,” her eyes widened. “I mean, the Oracle. May the goddesses watch over you.”

Sura didn’t look back as she hurried into the shadows, and I wondered once again about her relationship with the Oracle. He had once been a young man after all. Were they friends? Or did he perhaps hold her heart?

I rubbed my face. I had more important things to worry about.

Turning to the portal, I channeled my magic into the center of it and thought of Wintercarve. “Abeona.” The center flared to life, revealing a dark, snowy world. I prayed to the goddesses, I’d found the right place. The place Asher was supposed to be waiting for me.

Stepping through, the portal closed behind me. Instantly, I regretted not bringing my cloak with me. My thin dress offered little protection from the chill of this snowy night.

“Rose?”

I spun towards the sound of Asher’s voice. He was standing partially hidden behind a large rock but rushed towards me. Seconds later, I was in his warm arms.

“I regretted leaving you behind. I worried I’d never see you again.”

I smiled against his chest. This was my Asher. The boy who made my heart flutter, even as my eyes closed in exhaustion and relief.

“You shouldn’t have worried,” I murmured. “I said I’d come back.”

He pulled away from me, and I opened my eyes. My breath caught in my chest. A dazzling half-smile touched his lips.

Without thinking, I reached up and ran my fingers across the stubble on his face. He looked surprised, but then his hand caught mine, pressing my palm more firmly against his cheek.

He frowned. “You look tired.”

I felt tired, but his presence made me feel more alive than I had all night. “You need to work on your flattery.”

He laughed.

We enjoyed a long moment of comfortable silence, drinking in the sight and feel of each other. If I had any doubts about our entwined destiny, they had fled at the sight of him, at the feel of him. He was strong and solid beneath my fingertips, but there was such a pleasant softness to his eyes.

“Oh!” he exclaimed. “I have something to show you.” He started to pull my hand, but then, stopped, frowning once more. “You’re cold.”

He untied his white cloak from his shoulders and placed it gently around my own. Underneath his cloak, he wore a thick, dark blue shirt and black pants. They fit him well, and I blushed, noting the way they clung to his muscular body.

“I love you like that,” he whispered, and I glanced up, meeting his fiery eyes. “Sometimes all I can imagine is the girl who fell from the bridge, who rescued me from The Protectors. But other times, you do something like blush, and I remember that you’re still just a girl, underneath it all.”

Pressing my cold hands against my cheeks, I tried to hide them from his scrutinizing gaze. “Didn’t you have something to show me?”

“Of course!” He knelt on the ground, shifting the sword on his belt, his face glowing with excitement. “I’ve been working on my powers since I got back, testing what I can do.”

He reached out and pressed his hand against the trunk of the tree. His expression grew serious, his eyes locked on his hand. My gaze moved from his face to his hand, waiting, wondering what new magic he’d learned.

When nothing happened, I was surprised to feel a rush of relief, and then, ashamed. Asher wasn’t afraid of my powers, I shouldn’t be afraid of his. I couldn’t keep looking at the person I loved, waiting for the evil wizard within to surface.

“It’s—” I began.

I wasn’t sure what I planned to say, but a rush of cold slammed into me, bringing with it the memory of the Undead wizard, Marcalus, nearly taking my life. Shivers racked my body, but my physical response was nothing in comparison to the horror I felt as the tree slowly turned brown and died beneath Asher’s fingertips.

Sweat gathered on his brow as he slid his hand down the trunk of the tree to where the snow covered its roots. The snow fled from his touch, or at least it seemed that way, as it melted, faster and faster. A pool of liquid was all that remained, spreading until even the snow beneath my feet turned to water. And then, green grass sprouted growing rapidly until it reached my knees.

Asher drew his hand away, triumph in his voice. “Can you believe this?”

I knelt, running my hands through the strands of grass. I wanted to share his enthusiasm, but I couldn’t force a smile past the feeling of dread in my stomach. “You killed the tree.”

“Yeah, but look at the grass!”

Sinking into the grass, I gathered my knees to my chest and pressed my face against my legs. The problem with wizards was that they killed. They didn’t hesitate to take the life force from someone or something if it could make them stronger. Asher had only used his magic for a short time, and already, he was killing. Had I made a mistake in freeing him? Were all wizards truly incapable of resisting the evils of magic?

But even as these fear-induced thoughts raced through me, logic reared its ugly head. The Protectors killed young girls to fuel their magic… I had killed to fuel my magic. Was I any better?

“Talk to me,” Asher whispered, resting his hand on my back. “What have I done?”

I couldn’t look at him, couldn’t let him see the doubt and panic that filled me. He would know instantly that I feared him. And how could I love someone I feared? I wished I was with Sirena. She would reassure me, she would tell me that killing one tree didn’t mean he’d become a monster.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled into my legs.

“Don’t be sorry, just tell me. I need to know. If something I’ve done upsets you this much, I need to understand it.”

I pulled a little away from my knees but didn’t look at him. I didn’t want to see the impact of my words. “Magic shouldn’t be used for killing.”

“I’m not like those wizards. This was just a tree.”

Tension sizzled through the air, and I took a deep breath. I loved Asher, felt a connection between us that went beyond all logic, but didn’t know him. What I was about to say would reveal a lot about who he was, and I feared if he said the wrong thing, I’d find myself connected to someone who I could never trust.

“Once you start taking lives, it’s a slippery slope,” I said, finally meeting his steely gaze. “One day it’s a tree, the next it’s a person.” He opened his mouth to interrupt me, but I forced the rest of my words past my lips in a rush. “If we have any chance at a future, any chance at trusting each other, or escaping from the corruption that seems to come with magic, neither of us can use our magic to kill. I want your word on it.”

Silently, I gave my word as well. Never again would I take a life to fuel my magic. Never again.

He lay back, disappearing into the long green grass. I longed to see his expression, to read the emotions and thoughts that were surely dancing across his strong face, but I forced myself to remain still. This was a good thing. A promise like the one I was asking for shouldn’t be given lightly.

A promise given lightly was often broken.

But… but… what if he couldn’t give me this promise? What would I do?

I held my breath, hoping I didn’t have to know.

4

Rose

A few minutes passed before the sound of Asher shifting broke the silence of Wintercarve’s forest.

“I have my answer,” he said. He sat up, poking his head free from the grass. His face revealed nothing. “Come lay with me.”

I wanted to beg him just to tell me. But as I looked at his face, at the places I’d touched, I realized that his answer could change everything. If he refused to make this promise to me, would I remain with him? Could I live my life knowing that the person I loved might one day be dangerous to all of mankind?

He tugged on my arm, his cold fingers reminding me that I still wore his cloak. I untied it from my shoulders and scooted towards him. Then, spread his warm cloak over us, and snuggled into the crook of his arm.

“I want you to trust me,” he murmured, turning his head so that his mouth brushed the top of my head as we lay. “I didn’t really think about killing the tree, I was just excited about using my magic. But you’re right. Not that this could lead to me killing people, because it wouldn’t, but magic shouldn’t be used to harm.”

“You’re not afraid of hurting people with your magic?”

“No,” he said, pausing. “Are you?”

“Yes.” The word came out as a whisper, but his body tensed. I’d already hurt people, I longed to say. Instead, I admitted half the truth. “I’m afraid all the time of the magic inside of me. Of what I’m capable of.”

An image of the dead roses came to my mind, and a sob caught in my throat.

His muscles relaxed, and he used his cheek to nuzzle the top of my head. “Would it help if I told you why I’m not afraid?” I nodded, turning slightly and pressing my palm against his chest, feeling his heart as it raced. “I’m not afraid because just now, as I lay in the grass, I felt the earth’s heartbeat. It’s a sound I’ve heard before, but it always frightened me, because I didn’t understand it. But now, I do. I’m a wizard. I’m connected to the earth. When it hurts, I hurt. Killing this tree, killing the other trees I practiced with, these are hurts I’ve caused to the world and myself.”

“But the other wizards… they could hear the earth too, and they still killed.”

“They must have forgotten to stop and listen to the earth. I never will again.” He closed his hand on my own, tangling our fingers together against his chest. “And even if I don’t always remember to listen, you’ll be here to remind me.”

“But I can’t hear the earth, how will I avoid the temptations of power and magic?”

He laughed, a warm, husky sound that made my heart beat faster. “I know you’ll avoid the temptation because you care enough to be this worried about it.”

I pulled my fingers free of his and balled my hand into a fist against his chest. “But what if that’s not enough?”

His hand closed around my fist. “Then, I’ll be here to remind you.”

My entire body, every tensed muscle relaxed, and tears sprung to my eyes. Until that moment, I’d had no idea how much effort it’d taken to bottle my fears inside and carry them around with me. But now, my fears were revealed to the man I loved, and he’d done more than just listen to them, he’d volunteered to share them.

I couldn’t have hoped for more.

“If you couldn’t have guessed,” he said, tightening his arm around my shoulders. “I promise not to use my magic to kill.” And then after a moment, he added, “unless I have to.”

I smiled. “So do I.”

Now that Meisha had taught me how to sense when I used the roses, I wouldn’t do it again. No matter what. Even if it meant accessing the other Protectors magic, and opening myself up so they could take mine more easily.

“Do you believe me?”

I fought the urge to laugh. “Of course!”

He sat up just a little, and I turned to meet his serious gaze. “Then, does this mean you’ll stop being afraid of me?”

My smile vanished. He’d known all along, and I hated that my doubts had hurt him.

“You wouldn’t hurt me. I trust you.”

Relief washed over his face, and he lay back down, his muscles relaxed once more.

“I trust you completely too,” he murmured.

He. Trusted. Me. Completely. Each word was like a dagger slicing through me. I’d been treating him like someone unworthy of my trust, but he wasn’t the one keeping secrets, telling lies.

I tore free of him, his cloak spilling off of me, and rose to my feet, taking two steps before his worried voice stopped me.

“What is it?”

The cold air seeped beneath my skin, and I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself, then turned back to him. I needed to tell him about his sister, but would it make me a coward to not tell him about myself first?

I bit my lip. Of course, it would. But if I told him about myself, he’d never help me in the battle against the Undead. And besides, I had to believe his sister was wrong, that if he knew his sister was safe and happy, he could let go of his anger against the women who took her. Then, I could tell him the truth about myself, and he might eagerly help me stop the war.

“I have something to tell you something, but I’m not sure how you’ll take it.”

His arms dropped to his side, his hand still clutching his cloak. “You said you trusted me completely. Trust me with this.”

I took a shaky breath. Where should I start?

“I found your sister.”

His cloak fell to the grass. “My sister? You found Sura?”

He crossed the space between us and lifted me in his arms, spinning me around. His eyes sparkled, but his expression was still cautious, as if fearing my next words. It was a strange reaction. One I hadn’t quite expected. It seemed his mind and heart were battling, to celebrate his sister’s life, or to steel himself for the bad news.

He stopped spinning us and lowered me so that my feet touched the ground, but his warm arms still encircled me. “Was she well? Did they keep her in a prison cell as they did to me?”

“She was well.” I hesitated. “I would even say happy.”

Asher’s eyebrows rose, and I reached up, pressing my palms against his cheeks. I knew the words needed to be said, but I longed to soften them for him, to take some of the pain my words would cause.

“She’s a Protector now.”

He recoiled from me as if I’d struck him. “I don’t believe you.”

I winched. “It’s true. I spoke to her. We shared a meal. She told me she missed you.”

“No.” He shook his head, backing away from me. “She’d die before joining them.”

I raised my hands, trying to soothe him without touching him. “It’s okay. She’s not hurt. The Protectors aren’t really as bad as they seem.”

He laughed, a mocking, angry sound. “Now, I know you lie. Anyone who says the witches aren’t really so bad is lying or stupid.”

He spat the last word. I was losing him quickly. His anger and hatred of The Protectors were overshadowing his happiness that his sister was alive.

“I’m telling you the truth. I swear it.”

His face crumpled. “They killed my father in front of me. And if after what they did, she would still become a Protector…”

“But maybe—”

“And you can’t have failed to notice my face,” sadness laced his words as he pointed at the network of scars on his jaw and throat. “Nazar did that to me. She stopped me from ever being able to save my sister. But you say Sura’s chosen to become one. She’d never betray me like that.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered again.

“No.” Pain laced the word. “Don’t ever speak to me of her again.”

I reached for him. “You don’t mean that.”

“She’s a Protector. Don’t you get it? She’s become what I hate most in the world, and I’ll never forgive her for that.” His voice held a tortured anger. “You weren’t there. He didn’t even have a chance to fight back. They ended his life, like the clap of hands around a fly, and left him to bleed in my arms.”

My breath caught in my throat. “Why?”

“I’ve asked myself that question so many times.” His voice was just a whisper. “My mother said it was a warning, but I never understood.”

What could I say?

He straightened his shoulders. “I’ll tell my mother that they killed Sura, to spare her from the shame of knowing her daughter has become pure evil.”

Numbness washed over me. This was his sister. Someone he’d known all his life, and he couldn’t forgive her. He wouldn’t forgive me. I would lose him.

A chilly breeze stirred the air, racing around us, and ruffling his hair. I shivered, but he didn’t react. The urge to run to him and wrap him in my arms came and went in a flash, as I realized I was the last person who should be hugging him.

He turned away from me. “But there’s more you’re not telling me, right? I’m not a complete fool, Rose.” His shoulders fell. “I know you’re working with The Protectors because you hope to save your friend. Yet, you’re also starting to feel differently about them. Aren’t you?”

I nodded. “I need you to listen to me. Without getting angry. I need you to hear everything.”

His tone was even as he responded, “I’m listening.”

I would tell him as much as I had to, I decided, but not everything. He’d made a mistake in allowing his hatred to overcome even his love for his sister, but I couldn’t allow his hatred to condemn all of Tarak to death, not when he was the only chance we had. Even if he could never forgive me for my deception.

“You know some of this already,” I began. “But not everything. And you need to know this because without you Tarak will be invaded tomorrow night.”

“Rose—” he chided, shaking his head.

“I need you to listen,” I interrupted. “The Protectors are responsible for killing the wizards, so Persephone agreed to give the wizards an opportunity for revenge. She gave them the ability to come back to Earth in darkness, and The Protectors have been keeping a shield of magic around Tarak to keep the people safe from them ever since.

“This isn’t some lie told by The Protectors, this is what’s happening. I saw the Undead wizards and the shield, and I was there when it almost fell. For good. If it does, the wizards will surge over Tarak. The Head Wizard says they only want the lives of The Protectors and the queen, but Sazar and his brothers are with them. They won’t stop at that. They’ll kill everything that moves.”

“Impossible,” he murmured. “We’d have heard something about this.”

I sighed. “We’re both near the center of Tarak, so we haven’t seen the shields or the battles, but I’m sure you heard whispers of strange things, just as I did.”

The doubt in his face was all I needed to see.

“I thought so,” I said, moving closer and placing my hands against his chest. “I was taken to The Oracle, a man who once could call upon the goddesses. He taught me how to speak to them, and I called on Hera.”

His brow rose. “You called on a goddess?”

“Yes, and I asked her to forgive Tarak and keep the wizards dead. She said she couldn’t undo Persephone’s promise for revenge, for killing all the wizards. And then,” I took a deep breath, “I told her about you.”

“Why?”

“Because if all the wizards weren’t dead, then the deal Persephone made with them could be undone. Hera agreed.”

“So the wizards will stay dead…” He took my hands in his own, rubbing his thumbs against my palms. “So why does any of this matter?”

“They get one final attack tomorrow night, the shield will fall, and The Protectors will fail.”

His thumbs stopped. “So then we’ll be invaded?”

“Maybe,” I raised myself on my tiptoes. “But I think you might be able to stop the battle.”

He shook his head, frowning. “I’m still wrapping my mind around the fact that the kingdom I’ve lived in all my life has been surrounded by bloodthirsty Undead wizards, and I haven’t known it. Besides the fact that you spoke to a goddess. And now, you want me to believe that I’m somehow the answer to all of this?”

I pulled my hands free of his and reached up to touch his cheeks. His laughter died. “I know this is a lot to take, but I think they might stop the fight if they see one of their own kind on our side.”

It hit him in one moment, and he was stumbling back from me. “Are you asking me to fight alongside The Protectors?”

Anger coursed through me. The Protectors had hurt me too. I wasn’t proud to be one of them, but I could get beyond my own feelings to save lives. And, I had to believe the man I loved could too.

“Look, Asher,” I said, my voice sharp and angry even to my own ears. “The Protectors took my mother and my best friend, but I won’t let my hatred of them stop me from doing the right thing. Will you?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’d rather see Tarak fall than fight with them.”

“And me? Will you sit by and let me die?”

His expression hardened. “No one is making you side with those monsters.”

I took a deep breath, swallowing the urge to scream. “Tonight, I’ll go to a city on the outskirts of Tarak called Sereus, and I’ll fight alongside The Protectors. If you decide to grow up, channel your magic into the middle of the portal and think of Sereus, and it will lead you to me.”

“I won’t be there.”

I shrugged, glaring at him. “I guess you can just wait here for the Undead wizards to kill you, your mother, and your friends.”

His eyes narrowed. “At least I won’t die surrounded by witches.”

“You’re a selfish coward you know that?” I spat.

My words cracked his angry shell, and sadness rushed over his face. “Don’t say that.” He stared down at the cloak in his hands. “If what you’re saying is true, then we can use the portal to get to a town close to the water. We can take my mom with us on a boat, and escape this place.”

I took a deep breath. “I couldn’t live with myself if I did that. Could you?”

He said nothing.

I turned away from him, racing back the way we’d come. I thought I heard the sound of my name, but it could’ve been the wind rushing in my ears.

When I finally made it to the portal, I waited. Hating myself for hoping he’d follow.

But he never did.

5

Rose

“So, we have a chance to defeat them?” Blair said, staring blankly at the untouched food in front of her.

Meisha shifted in the chair beside her. “But the wizards are too powerful. They will defeat us.”

Their conversation came to me as if from far away, and my eyes slid to the picture of the woman beside the fire. “Who’s the woman?” I asked, my voice slurred.

I felt Blair’s gaze on me. “Servants,” she ordered. “Bring her some Oryens’ Potion.”

“She looks evil,” I muttered.

“She’s not,” Blair responded, quickly and sharply. “She was the leader of The Protectors before me and a very fine woman. Not many people are willing to die for what is right, but she did.”

Meisha looked away, but I couldn’t tear my gaze from Blair. It wasn’t her anger that kept me mesmerized, it was the underlying emotion, brimming just behind her eyes, making her voice waver ever so slightly.

I had a sudden urge to comfort her, the feeling coming and going in an instant. No, I didn’t want to comfort Blair. I wanted to open the connection between Asher and myself, to not feel so alone, at least for a moment. But as much as I wanted to reach for him, I couldn’t, and that knowledge was like a painful splinter buried deep within my heart.

“You should have slept and eaten since your time with the Oracle,” Meisha whispered, drawing me from my misery. “That drink is not good for you.”

“We all must make sacrifices, whether we want to or not.” Blair’s words held an oddly numb quality.

A servant came and placed a thick drink the color of unripe cabbage in front of me. Already the smell, like a rancid stew drifted up to me. It would taste bad, the memory was still clear in my mind, but it’d also make my mind and body aches vanish in an instant. So, taking a deep breath, I chugged the glass.

For several seconds, I thought I’d hurl it back up as lemon and overcooked cabbage assaulted my taste buds, but then it settled in my stomach, and my muscles spasmed and relaxed. My mind sharpened back onto our conversation, and what I wanted to say.

“All we can do is fight,” I said, reaching out, but not quite touching Blair.

Her shoulders shook. “I’m so tired of fighting, always fighting.”

I glanced uncertainly at Meisha, wondering at what mystery lay behind Blair’s unpredictable emotions.

Blair inclined her head, staring openly at me for an awkward moment. “This battle has been cursed from the very beginning. Did you know that?”

Meisha took a deep breath before speaking slowly. “All battles are doomed when you fight on the wrong side.”

Her words cut right through Blair. She sagged down in her chair, suddenly looking very old.

“A battle fought for revenge isn’t in the right either,” I said, struggling to maintain my certainty.

Blair turned to the fire. “No. You weren’t there. Those wizards, man, boy, and baby. All dead.” Her voice wavered. “So many loved ones lost.”

Something snapped into place for me, something I hadn’t known was missing from my understanding of these women and their battle. Guilt followed them like shadows. They blamed themselves for the deaths of the wizards, so even though they fought them like enemies, in truth, they saw the wizards as victims.

“So what are we supposed to do then?” I asked, looking between Meisha and Blair.

They reeked of defeat. In their minds, no matter the outcome of the battle, they would lose. And no amount of pompous pretending could hide the truth at that moment.

“So, you’ll let more innocents die to soothe your guilt?”

Blair ran her fingers along the top of the table, tracing the burn marks her hands had left. “No, we’ll fight. But, we won’t plan on winning.”

“What does that mean?”

Blair’s fingers stopped, and she straightened slowly in her chair. “I’ll inform the queen, and she’ll evacuate those people deemed too important to die.”

She rose, rubbing a tired hand against her cheek, and headed towards the hallway.

“Wait! What about our plan?”

She froze and looked back at me. “We’ll have The Protectors gather along Tarak’s border, with the most powerful at Sereus, where they’ll likely concentrate their attack. And we will wait.”

“And what if they don’t attack at Sereus?”

Blair laughed bitterly. “Oh, they will. They want a bloody battle. They want to face us head-on.”

“And will you be there?”

She stilled.

The two women exchanged a meaningful glance.

Tears glinted in Blair’s eyes. “I’m going to try to be there… even if it costs me my life.”

Silently, she disappeared down the hall, but her words lingered.

“What’s she going to do?” I asked, turning to Meisha.

She stared at where Blair had left, lowering her voice. “She is going to try to break the queen’s hold over her. To go against a command made by the wielder of her True Name.”

I frowned. “Is that possible?”

Meisha’s amber-eyed gaze met mine. “I do not know. I have never heard of a person doing it and surviving.”

A rush of concern came over me. Would Blair really risk her life just to come to a battle she’d likely die at?

I pushed my feeling aside. We were all risking our lives, in one way or another.

“They will sound the bell of war at any moment, to prepare the women. You should get some sleep. There is nothing more you can do right now.”

As if Meisha’s words brought it to life, the bell rang through The Glass Castle. The building seemed to shudder with the strength of the low vibrations. I left the dining hall and wandered into the halls where women moved with stiff limbs out into the courtyard. Hurrying past them, I heard Thea, a woman I’d run into many times in the practice rooms, shouting of war.

Standing on a large stone, her long blonde hair was tied back from her angular face, but excitement softened her masculine face. One of her thick arms was lifted above her, the dark tattoos standing out against her pale skin.

Her enthusiasm ran through the crowd like a wave, but still, no one could match the warrior’s glow within Thea.

I smiled and moved out of the doorway, so others could file past me into the courtyard. She was a ruthless warrior, and I was glad, at least, that the captain of our troops hadn’t accepted defeat.

Shuffling down the hall and up the stairs, I lost myself in thought until I reached the confines of my room. Taking off my boots, I crawled beneath the covers and hoped for sleep to find me, but Oryen’s Potion coursed through my veins, leaving me strangely energized even with so little sleep.

Eventually, I gave up trying to sleep, rising and going to my wardrobe. Inside, a number of either practical or extravagant dresses stared back at me, but my gaze focused on a pair of trousers and a shirt. Before I came to The Glass Castle, I’d never considered wearing men’s clothing. But Clarissa was right, even in training I’d realized how frustrating a dress could be while fighting.

With hesitant fingers, I stripped off my dress and replaced it with a white shirt and brown trousers. I put on boots lined with soft fur, and a brown cloak to match.

Finally, I pushed the clothes aside and opened the small door in the back of my wardrobe. It was a secret hiding place Clarissa had placed weapons for me. I took the belt, then picked up the sword and dagger in their sheaths. They were lighter than the ones I trained with and felt more natural as I gripped their hilts. Putting them on my belt, I stood for a moment, adjusting to their weight.

Taking a deep breath, I turned and walked slowly to the mirror in my room. The face staring back at me was determined and ready. I brushed my hair and stared at the two roses on the windowsill.

There were a lot of reasons I’d decided to fight, but Sirena was the most important one. If I won this battle, I could save her. She’d have her life back, and I’d have her. There was nothing I wanted more than that.

My thoughts slid to Asher, but I pushed them aside. I couldn’t be distracted by him now, or my resolve might weaken.

Carefully, I secured my hair back using my best friend’s barrette.

Now I was ready for battle. I hoped.

6

Rose

I entered through the portal to Sereus and was surprised by the silence that greeted me. I’d expected to see warriors guarding the area, but quickly realized how foolish such an idea had been. The true danger lay in what was outside of Tarak, not within.

Even though it was a great relief to no longer trudge through the snow, I moved slowly, strangely alert in the unnatural silence. The sun had climbed low in the west, peeking beneath the trees. It lit the white of the trunks and the blue of the leaves but somehow deepened the unnatural, crisp shadows.

“Rose?”

I spun at the heart-wrenching sound of his voice.

Asher stood in the shadows cast by one of the trees, his sword in hand. The magical darkness hid him as if it were night, so he was little more than an outline of a man.

Uncertainty uncurled inside of me. If our walls had been down, maybe I could’ve sensed his feelings. But between the shadows and the separation created by our magic, I had no idea what he was thinking or feeling.

“You came,” I said, trying to keep all emotion from my words as I squinted into the shadows, trying to read his face.

He re-sheathed his blade and stepped into the evening light. “I had to.” Guilt flashed across his face. “I couldn’t let you fight alone.”

Being without him had hurt somewhere deep inside, but missing our connection altogether had been even worse. I’d missed him, so much it was a physical aching each moment of my day. But now, he was standing in front of me, and even the small space between us was too much to bear.

Something snapped inside me. I raced to him, throwing myself into his arms.

He held me close. His touch saying all the things he couldn’t.

My head rested against his chest, listening to the racing of his heart. For a long time, we stood together, saying nothing, until at last, I couldn’t bear it any longer.

Glancing up into his face, hesitation and concern marred his brow. I kissed his cheek, willing him to trust me, even while I lied to him.

He smiled, his charming half-smile that made my heart beat fast and slow all at once. “You’re wearing pants.”

Blushing, I took a step away from him and glanced down. “I thought it was more practical than a dress in battle.”

“And the sword and dagger?” he asked, gesturing at the weapons on my belt.

Imagines of my practices with Meisha and Clarissa swam through my mind. What would Asher think if he saw me fight? I hoped he’d be impressed.

I grinned hesitantly. “I thought they might be useful too.”

“I don’t like the idea of you fighting,” he said, frowning.

I set my hand on the stubble along his cheek. “You know I have to. For Sirena. And because Sazar and his men can’t be allowed back in Tarak.”

“I know,” he pressed his hand against mine. “But when this is all over, I want to be with you.”

“You’re my One. Of course, we’ll be together.”

That was if he still wanted me after he learned the truth.

His hand tensed around mine as if he was reading my thoughts.

I nibbled on my bottom lip. “Why are you here?”

He smiled. “Because, whether it’s magic, or just you, I couldn’t stay away.”

I straightened and met his gaze. “Does this mean you’ve found some peace with The Protectors?”

“Of course not,” he said, tightening his grip on me. “But I understand you have to work with them.”

“What about your sister?”

This time, he let me go. “I won’t discuss her.”

“But, love…”

“Love can forgive you working with Protectors to save all of Tarak. It can’t forgive a traitor.”

His words were like a blow. I turned away from him and stared down at the leather piece, which hid the Protector’s mark on my wrist.

When he discovered the truth, he would not forgive me. I was leading him to war, to a battle, we were expected to lose. He might die for me, and I was lying to him. And yet, he could stop the battle from even starting, he could save countless lives. What was I to do?

“Rose,” he whispered, touching the small of my back. “We don’t have time to talk about sisters and traitors. We need to prepare for this battle. My mother and village wait to see if this is going to be their final day.”

“So,” I said, lifting my head, but not looking back at him. “You’re fighting for your home.”

“And for you,” he said, gently.

His words brought tears to my eyes, but I pushed them down. “Then, we should hurry.”

He took my hand as we walked, and I fought the urge to pull away. “What will happen now?” he asked, watching me closely.

I took a second to steady my voice. “We’ll go to Norma. She’s The Protector who runs this village. We’ll tell her our plan and see what she thinks.”

He frowned. “Can we trust her?”

The same thought crossed my mind. “In a few hours darkness is going to fall, and the Undead wizards will attack. I’m sure she’ll do anything to help our odds.”

He was silent for a moment. “Why is there blood on some of the trees?”

My mind flashed back to my first battle in Sereus. Norma slashing her stomach open. Falling against the tree. The white sweeping over the lands. Her people transforming into monsters, as The Protector became a she-demon, leading our side.

“I’m not sure,” I said, swallowing my sickness. “It might be to warn people away, or it might have something to do with Norma’s powers.”

“Her powers? Are they like yours?”

I stiffened, trying not to feel offended by his question. “No, Protectors aren’t like wizards. Their powers aren’t just stronger or weaker; they differ in the kind as well.”

“So how are hers different from yours?”

“They’re completely different,” I said, sharply, and then softened my voice. “She can transform herself and the villagers into terrifying creatures, and I can use the goddesses’ names.”

To my surprise, it was my powers that brought questions.

“What do you mean use the goddesses’ names? I mean, I saw you use a name when you freed me, but I just assumed you mainly did the basic things: take strength and give strength, move and control things with your mind, things like that.”

“Is that what you can do?” I asked, giving myself some time to think.

He ran a hand through his hair. “Yes. I can do all of those things, and more.”

I hadn’t expected that. “How did you learn them so quickly?”

After a moment, he whispered, “Blair taught me.”

I stopped walking and turned to him.

He avoided my gaze. “When I was a prisoner, she visited me more than I led on. She didn’t tell me why, but she taught me to use my powers. She also said I was stronger than most wizards and Protectors.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? When you showed me the tree, I thought that was all you knew.” Hurt laced my words.

He took my hand. “I didn’t think you would understand. Blair and I weren’t friends. But when you’re trapped in a cell all day, seeing only one person, who offers to teach you how to use your magic, well…”

“You really thought I wouldn’t understand?”

His grip tightened. “No, it wasn’t you. I just.” He looked to the sky, as if the answers could be found there, and then back at me. “I guess I was just embarrassed. You’ve been so strong to refuse The Protectors, and I submitted so easily to her teachings. All along I thought I might learn something I could use to escape. At least that’s what I told myself, but perhaps, I should’ve ignored her, treated her how she deserved to be treated.”

“And yet you can’t forgive your sister?”

“Let it go,” he grumbled.

We walked in silence for an uncomfortable minute.

“I asked Blair why I couldn’t use my powers all this time, and she said that they’d been locked somehow.”

If his powers had been locked, someone powerful must have known he was a wizard. But I asked the more important question, “how were they unlocked?”

He hesitated. “She thinks it was my need to protect you that broke the ties on my magic.”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“She said it must have been powerful magic.”

For some reason, I wondered if Blair was responsible and then shook my head. Blair would’ve imprisoned him long ago if she’d known he was a wizard or killed him. Someone else must have locked his magic, someone who wished to keep him safe.

“Did you ask your mom about it when you returned?”

He stopped, looking up at the unique leaves above us. “Yes, but she didn’t seem to know any more than me.”

I could see Asher doubted her, and I was glad because I doubted her too. When it came to Asher, I felt like we had more questions than answers. I only hoped one day we’d know the truth.

Until then, all we could do was focus on the present and hope we survived what was about to come.

7

Rose

“You there!” someone shouted, we turned to see Ugar walking quickly towards us, his sword drawn.

In an instant, Asher was in front of me, his sword clutched in his hand.

I knew what he must have seen: a man tattered and filthy, face smeared with mud, and an ugly red scar only too visible beneath the mud. He looked dangerous, and he was, but not to us.

“Ugar!” I cried, moving out from behind Asher. “It’s Rose, and I’ve brought a friend to help.”

He lowered his sword but didn’t put it down. “Tell your friend, it’s a dangerous thing to draw one’s sword in Sereus.”

Asher glared. “One against one. I can handle those odds.”

“My archers feel a little differently,” he said, nodding up to the trees.

Squinting, I saw nothing at first, until a slight movement drew my gaze to a man, his arrow pointed squarely at Asher’s chest.

“Re-sheath your sword,” I hissed.

He did as I told him.

“Just so you know,” Asher whispered, his lips touching my ear. “I knew they were there. I was going to knock them out of the trees with my magic.”

I tried not to look impressed. “I guess that’d help a lot, if they didn’t shoot you first.” Then, I turned to Ugar. “Can you take us to Norma?”

Ugar said nothing; instead, he turned towards the village.

In no time at all, we were among the blackened buildings.

“What happened to this place?” Asher asked in horror.

“We can keep the wizards out with enough magic,” Ugar said, looking back at us. “But their little Undead beasts slip through the little holes the wizards make and usually cause quite a ruckus before we send them back to Persephone.”

Asher paled.

I put my hand in his. “They have a magical wall around all of Tarak. The Protectors use their powers to keep it strong, but it hasn’t been enough.”

An awkward silence followed my words as we both stared at Asher, waiting for his reaction. Luckily, it didn’t take long.

“What are the Undead creatures like?” Asher asked, meeting Ugar’s gaze.

“Unpleasant,” he said, and then added, “they have the heads of lizards and the bodies of men. They’re quick little buggers, and strong, but not very bright.”

“Delightful,” Asher muttered.

I tried to change the subject before Ugar said more to frighten Asher. “And Norma knows about the deal I made with Hera?”

A grin spread the man’s scarred face. “Goddesses’ teeth, you know she does, and she can’t wait to send those creatures to Persephone, once and for all.”

We walked through the rest of town, past the charred temple, where the Oracle knelt alone on the gray marble. A few stray warriors stood talking, leaning against burned walls, but there was an air of tension sizzling through them as they glanced our way.

“Why do your men always seem so alert?” I asked, trying to ignore the lingering concerns the glances of the warriors left festering inside of me.

Ugar stopped at Norma’s door. “Sometimes the stronger beasts will make Forever Shadows, shadows that stay even through the day. They’ll wait till mornin’, when we think we’re all safe, and pop out and kill a few of us. Or burn a home or two, before we either kill ‘em or the sun fries ‘em alive.”

It all made sense now. Not just the tension among their warriors, but also the deep shadows beneath the trees. Just thinking about what they might conceal, even now, was enough to make any man as agitated as a cat surrounded by dogs.

“Go right on in,” Ugar said, and I realized he was holding open the door for us.

I took a step forward. “Wait, Asher, maybe I should talk to her alone first.”

He frowned. “Why?”

No good lie came to mind. “Because she knows me.”

He didn’t seem happy, but he shrugged.

I entered Norma’s home and pushed back the heavy curtain. She was there, as if she’d never left, seated before her table of maps and papers.

The strong smell of Oryens’ Potion overwhelmed the windowless room, and the fire crackled far too loudly in another section of the curtained room. The light from the fire was softened by a thin curtain in front of it.

Norma looked up, her harsh features made worse by the light of the fire. “You here for the battle, girl?”

Stretching, she leaned back in her chair, propping her legs against the edge of the table. Then, gestured for me to join her.

I sat in the chair across from her. “I’m here for the battle, but there’s more than that.”

Her chair came crashing to the floor, and she leaned towards me. “Go on.”

Taking a deep breath, I straightened my shoulders. “What do you think of wizards?”

Norma flung herself against the back of her chair. “What is this? I don’t got time for horse dung.” She looked at me and then raised a brow. “Fine, I don’t know what you’re getting at, but I spend my days killing’ wizards. Is that enough for you?”

“No,” I said, hoping not to anger her too much, but not willing to risk Asher’s life. “I mean living wizards.”

“I think you mean when they were living, but fine, girl, I was sad to see them go. No one deserves to be slaughtered like animals.”

I took a deep breath, the weight on my shoulders lessening just a bit. “And what if I was to say that not all the wizards died?”

Her eyes narrowed. “First, I’d wanna call you a liar, and then I’d remembered that you don’t strike me as a girl to waste my time or yours with foolishness. So, I guess I’d ask you if these wizards are on their side or ours.”

“He’s on our side,” I rushed out. “I think it might be enough to stop the war altogether if a wizard is found living.”

A gentleness transformed her features. “Girl, your heart’s in the right place, and maybe that’s possible, but one wizard ain’t going to win us this war. Swords and magic will. That don’t mean we won’t take him as a soldier, I’ve got no war with a living wizard, in truth I’m glad to hear of it.”

“But maybe it’ll work,” I insisted. “They were only given revenge because we killed all of them.”

“But Persephone ain’t going to be on that battlefield sorting out a word in her agreement or two, she’s going to be sitting on her throne of bones, waiting for us to be sent into her kingdom.”

I shivered. Norma was right. “But Hera helped us because of him, so maybe…”

She reached out and placed one of her powerful hands on my shoulder. “Maybes are good. They keep hope alive. But, we got to be practical too.” Then, she squeezed my shoulder, painfully. “That wizard is going to be useful though. Let’s see the goddesses let their only living wizard die. No, I think one or two of them won’t be able to sit idle during this battle.”

“You think a goddess might help us?” I asked, my hope returning.

“Not directly, no, the goddesses are almost as frightened of Persephone as we are, but they’ll find a way to help.”

She released my shoulder, and I rolled it, trying to take the sting of her fingers away. “Would you like to meet him?”

Her brows rose in surprise. “The wizard’s here?”

I nodded.

She paused cracking her neck loudly in both directions. “A living wizard. It’s almost more than I can believe.” Her knuckles rolled at the back of her neck. “But I guess I’ve seen a lot of things I never believed in.”

“So, you believe me?”

“I’ll believe you if I see his magic,” she said, grinning. “Now, where is he?”

“Just outside the door.”

“Ugar!” she yelled, making me jump. “Send him in.”

The door opened with a slight movement of the curtain, and then shut with a clunk. Asher peeled back the curtains with a slow, cautious movement, his other hand hovering just above his sword.

Norma rose, eyes narrowed. “You must be the wizard she’s been going on about.”

“I am,” he answered, hesitating just within the curtained area.

“Forgive me, boy, but I’m going to need some proof.”

“Proof?” he raised a brow. “I can give you that.”

He pointed his hand at Norma. She fidgeted, and then, right before my eyes, shrunk. She grew smaller and smaller until disappearing from our sight behind the table.

“Asher!” I cried, racing around the table. And there, on the floor, sat a Norma so small she could fit in the palm of my hand, squeaking like an angry rat.

Kneeling, I placed my hand in front of her, and she scrambled into it. As I brought her closer to my face, her tiny voice became clear.

“Turn me back!” she squeaked.

“Asher,” I said, whirling towards him. “Fix this!”

To my annoyance, he chuckled. “She wanted to see my powers, so I showed her my powers.” Something in my frown seemed to reach him because he sighed. “Fine, put her back on the ground.”

I did as he told, then stepped back. “How did you do that anyway?”

He sounded smug as he answered. “That’s the difference between wizards and witches. Women can only tap into the magic inside of themselves. We can use magic from the earth, or like now, I used her life force against her.”

Images of the twisted, aged survivors of the battles with the wizards flashed in my mind. Some of them had wished they’d been entirely drained of their life forces, like their loved ones, rather than being crippled and aged far beyond their years.

My stomach turned. “Like the Blood Wizards?”

“No,” he replied sharply. “She’ll have a bit of a headache, but she’ll be fine.”

As if to prove his point, he turned to Norma.

Instantly, she grew again, until she reached her gigantic height once more. She towered over both Asher and me, which was no easy thing given Asher’s above-average height.

“If I had a temper,” she said, grasping her forehead. “I’d cut your head from your shoulders.”

Asher stiffened.

But suddenly Norma was roaring with laughter. “I did ask for it though, didn’t I?”

Asher’s smile returned, and the tension in my shoulders vanished.

Her laughter slowly died down, and she clasped Asher’s shoulder in her firm grip. “We’re glad to have you boy. We ain’t got no shrinkers in our Order. You’ll come in mighty useful.”

“Rose thought we might not even have to battle,” Asher said, his smile gone.

Norma’s laughter died. “Oh, there’ll be a battle. That’s one thing you can count on. But, I also think with you on our side, the goddesses’ favor may come our way.”

Asher nodded. “So then, Chief, what’s our plan?”

She released his shoulder. “With you here now, we’ll have to make a few changes, and there’s not much time left. We better run through this quick and then gather the others.”

“Will Blair and the others be joining us?” I asked, suddenly aware of how strange it was that they weren’t with us.

Norma rolled her neck. “Not sure about them exactly, but Queen Gaudias refused to leave. She’s gathered Protectors, ones I planned on having for reinforcements, around her at the castle.”

Asher frowned. “Her selfishness, especially in a time like this, is amazing.” Then, his gaze met Norma’s. “Did we need those women to win?”

Norma sighed. “Most of them weren’t warriors anyway, but I didn’t think we had much shot, even with them. Now though…”

The truth settled between us.

“If Marcalus can stop them from using their Blood Magic,” Norma shrugged. “Then maybe.”

Fear coiled deep inside me.

“I never thought I’d be involved in a battle.” The words slipped past my lips before I could stop them, and I looked away, embarrassed for showing my weakness.

“Rose, I’m cut from a warrior’s fabric, but it don’t mean I’m not afraid. Only a fool wouldn’t fear what’s to come tonight.”

I straightened and looked straight into her eyes. “I’ll be ready.”

And the crazy thing? I felt ready for the first time.

8

Rose

When darkness fell, a hush came over the women and men beneath the white trees streaked with blood. Swords flashed as the torchlight bounced off the warriors, who stood waiting. Perhaps a hundred well-dressed Protectors had been weaved throughout the warriors. I sensed their powers drawn taut, like an arrow in a bow.

Asher took my hand.

I squeezed his.

A sudden icy dread slowly moved through my veins. Would having him here really be enough?

My heart pounded. Somehow, I’d never really imagined a battle. But now, I wondered if I’d just been a fool.

Ahead of us, our red shield shimmered reassuringly, marking a physical separation between us and the blackened earth. But still, no wizards appeared. For an instant, I wondered if these women had been wrong. Perhaps the wizards were attacking from a different tunnel from the Underworld. Perhaps the battle was already lost.

My hands grew clammy as I lost all sense of Asher’s touch. I willed my feet to keep me standing as I took deep breaths, trying to push away all dark thoughts.

Against my throat, my necklace warmed. But rather than heightening my fear, it reassured me. This wasn’t a time for doubts. The wizards would come. And we would stop them.

As if my thoughts formed reality, dark shapes flickered into life on the scorched earth, slowly taking the form of men and boys. At first, only the greenish tint to their flesh suggested they were Undead. However, it wasn’t long before an orange haze gathered above them.

I swallowed. The haze had grown since our last battle, a physical reminder of the strength of their magic.

Marcalus stepped free of the group. His gaze swept over our warriors and Protectors. A frown touched his lips. “Where’s Blair?”

Norma approached him and stopped just beyond the shield. “Did you really think she’d come?”

Rage transformed his features. “But this is her last chance to face us, to face me. To pay for her betrayal.”

Norma crossed her broad arms in front of her chest. “I know that’s what you’d hoped for, but this is it.”

He swore, turning his back to us.

Asher and I exchanged a worried glance.

“I guess it changes nothing,” Marcalus said, addressing his men. “Today we’ll get our revenge. And wherever she’s hiding, we’ll find her.”

My legs trembled as I sensed the inevitable moment approaching.

Asher squeezed my hand. His touch soothed the edges of my fragile nerves. We gazed at one another, and slowly, he nodded. Moving as one, we approached Norma.

She gestured for us to speak.

I licked my dry lips and cleared my throat. “Marcalus?” His name came out a squeak.

Still, he turned back to stare at me. “You again?”

Squaring my shoulders, I forced myself not to look away. “This is Asher. A wizard.”

He startled, his gaze snapping from me to Asher. His eyes narrowed, and I swore I could feel his magic stretching out.

He gasped, his magic no doubt confirming my words. “How is this possible?” The volume of his voice rose. “A living wizard!”

Behind him, murmurs grew from the crowd of Undead wizards. They strained forward, gathering closer behind Marcalus, and staring at Asher with wide eyes.

Sazar separated himself from the crowd, his hunched figure shuffling towards us. “They’re trying to distract you. This boy changes nothing. Ask him whether he sides with us or not. All we need to know is if he’s a friend or enemy.”

“It does change something.” I squared my shoulders. “This is your last battle, no matter what. Hera has proclaimed that if you die today, you die forever.”

My words ran through the wizards like a storm. Voices rose. The men turned to one another, fear and disbelief increasing their tones to nearly hysterical levels.

“Enough!” Marcalus barked.

Silence followed his command.

“I shall discover if this is true.” He closed his eyes as the orange haze around him grew.

I held my breath, praying to the goddesses.

Moments later, he opened his eyes. Anger tugged at the corners of his mouth. “She speaks the truth.”

His nephew stepped forward. “But how could Persephone…?”

Marcalus’ frown deepened. “She’s angry too, but the decision has been made.”

“So we can die again?” His nephew’s voice was small.

“Yes,” Marcalus spoke the word loudly, for all his men to hear.

The boy drew closer. “Will it hurt as badly as the first time?” Tears glimmered in his eyes.

Marcalus gave a sharp nod.

Sazar spoke, his voice like the slithering of snakes down my spine. “This doesn’t matter. We will win tonight.”

Indecision filled Marcalus’ face.

Fighting the urge to scream, I imagined the terrible death Sazar would finally experience in the Underworld. Cruel men suffered for eternity there, and he’d been a very cruel man both in life and death. I’m sure many of his victims would rest more peacefully knowing he’d finally gotten what he deserved. Unexpectedly, the thought gave me courage.

“But no one needs to fight tonight. No one needs to die. Let’s just end this now.”

Marcalus pierced me with a glare. “We can’t do that.”

“But a living wizard has been found!” I took a step towards him. “I know you all want revenge, but how many innocent lives will be taken in the name of revenge?”

“None,” Marcalus answered, too quickly. “We only want the lives of The Protectors and the queen.”

I raised my voice, striving to be both heard and believed. “No one here believes Sazar, his brothers, and the other Blood Wizards are going to stop at just killing The Protectors.” My gaze held his. “Do you honestly think we’re wrong in that belief?”

“They’ve given me their words.” Marcalus’s expression was like stone as he looked at Asher. “How can you trust a Protector after knowing what happened to us?”

Asher forced a smile as he glanced at me. “She’s not a Protector, but she doesn’t want bloodshed any more than I do.”

My heart stopped.

Marcalus glanced at me, a slow look of realization dawning on his face. “Don’t you see, boy? She’s a Protector, and she’s tricking you. Just like Blair tricked me.”

“She’s not.” Asher’s answer held a warning.

My head spun and suddenly I knew the truth was about to be revealed. In the worst possible way. And there was nothing I could do about it.

“Look beneath her bracelet, boy.”

He turned to me.

Pressing my hand to my mouth, I fought the sob threatening to explode. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, and my heart twisted, bleeding soundlessly. I’d lied and deceived the man I loved and now I’d have to face him, to see if he could understand why I had to do the things I did… to see if he could forgive me for my betrayal.

I met his gaze. “I’m sorry,” the words cracked as they dropped from my lips.

Disbelief filled his eyes, replaced by anger.

He grabbed my arm and ripped the bracelet from my wrist.

It fell away. And the Protector’s mark stood, naked for all to see.

Tears obstructed my vision. “Asher, you don’t understand.”

“You lied.” His voice condemned me.

“I wanted to tell you—”

“You lied,” he repeated, dropping my wrist as if my touch alone was painful.

Marcalus’ voice came, as if from far away. “So, boy, now which side will you stand on?”

“No,” I sobbed, grabbing for Asher.

He shrugged away from my hands. “Don’t touch me.”

“I had—to lie. It was—the only way— to save— everyone,” I sobbed so hard that my stomach ached, willing him to hear me, to forgive me.

“No more,” he growled.

I stared at Asher’s tortured expression from a curtain of tears. The muscles on his jaw clenched over and over again, making his scars wave as if dancing. Hurt teamed with rage swam in his deep blue eyes… eyes that refused to look at me.

He didn’t answer Marcalus for a painfully long time. “It’s true I’m a wizard, but I’m not a Blood Wizard. I’d never fight alongside them, and I think anyone who willingly does so, is a fool.”

“Thank you,” I whispered to him.

His words were for me, even though he didn’t look my way. “I’m fighting because you’re right, Blood Wizards can’t be allowed back in Tarak. But as for you and me, there is nothing between us.”

Claws dug out my heart, and I clutched at my chest, gasping. How could words hurt so badly? So deeply?

“Remember, boy,” Marcalus said, “you made this choice.”

Asher walked away from me.

I reached for him. “Please…”

He shook me off.

Someone grabbed me from behind.

I whirled, staring through tear-filled eyes.

“Focus on the battle,” Norma ordered me. “Being distracted during a fight will get you killed.”

A hysterical sob escaped my lips, but I wiped the traitorous tears from my eyes and cheeks. She was right. I couldn’t morn what my lies had cost me, not now.

She let me go.

A rush of hot, angry magic swept over me, and Norma screamed. I closed my eyes, knowing that I didn’t want to see her blood or her transformation.

When the heat died down, I opened my eyes. She was a she-demon again, with skin the color of fresh blood and long, wicked nails. Ugar lumbered to stand next to her, matching her height and size. But with his oily black skin and milky white eyes, he was his own nightmare come to life.

Around them, their creatures howled in triumphant. The wolves with scales darted into motion, stretching and moving in their new gigantic bodies. Tall creatures covered in silver spines shrieked, their lipless mouths twisting into eerie smiles.

Beads of sweat trickled at the back of my neck, and in the palms of my hands. I took deep breaths, reminding myself that these creatures fought on our side.

The Protectors looked oddly out of place in their expensive dresses, standing amongst the monstrous beasts. Many wore expressions of shock, while some looked pale as ghosts, terror plucking away their confidence. Most were older women, but just as many looked to be girls younger than me. Were these women really going to do any good in this battle?

I wondered if Norma had even offered to transform them too, in exchange for their True Names. If she had, perhaps these women had simply been too afraid of what she could do with such precious information. Did they regret it now?

My stomach clenched. I couldn’t worry about anyone other than Asher. The Fates had decreed that somehow I’d defeat these Undead wizards. All I could hope for was that the man I loved could still be the key to ending all of this, even if it wasn’t going to be the bloodless solution I’d imagined.

I walked towards Asher, who waited near the shield, his sword in hand. He didn’t glance at me as I came to stand at his side, but his flesh was ghostly white.

“It’ll be all right,” I whispered.

He stiffened but said nothing.

“You still have time to leave.” My heart ached as I spoke the words, unsure of what I wanted.

If he left, he would be safe. But if he walked away at this moment, The Fates’ decree would fall on my unworthy shoulders alone.

Something unnamed shivered along my spine. Tarak’s destiny couldn’t lie in my hands. I was no one. A girl with special powers, but weaker than Blair. A girl who could fight, but no better than Meisha or Clarissa. There was no logical reason for my destiny, other than that I had Asher.

“I’m staying,” he said, his harsh words interrupting my spiraling fears.

I longed to let my walls fall, to reach out to him through our connection and reassure him, but I couldn’t risk it. If I lowered my walls, he’d feel my pain in battle, something I couldn’t allow. And even more dangerously, I might subconsciously reach out to the magic in the flowers. I’d promised myself no more girls would die at my hands, and I wouldn’t break that promise, even if it cost me my life.

Marcalus shifted, crossing his arms over his chest. “Done?” he asked, with a hint of amusement.

Norma bellowed. “We’re ready! And this time, your men can bleed like mortals… die like mortals.”

Her words sent a wave of motion through the Undead wizards. What must it be like for them to be so close to their goal, but also risk experiencing death all over again?

“It’ll be your people suffering this night.” He paused, raising his voice. “I want every man, woman, and child to know that when we win this battle, it was won fairly. We’ll show all of Tarak that Queen Gaudias and her precious Protectors were wrong about us. We are men of honor.”

You can’t keep your honor in war. The thought hurt even as it came to me. Of course he could, but there was no longer an honorable way this battle could end. We were fighting men who died at the hands of Protectors, just because of what they were. And they were fighting for revenge, which was always wrong.

Marcalus turned to his men. “It begins!”

More dark shapes flickered into life on both sides of the Undead wizards. Persephone’s creatures came into focus, wearing tattered clothes over their human bodies, and the black, scaly faces of lizards. The scent of wet reptile came to me, and I choked down the bile that rose to the back of my throat.

Marcalus smiled. “And it’s just beginning.”

The wizards gathered again, this time all lining up behind their leader, rather than his nephew. Each man reached out and placed his hand firmly on the shoulder of the man in front of him. Tension lined their faces

My pulse spiked. How long would our shield hold out? It had fallen so quickly before, but now I wouldn’t be able to strengthen it. No matter what, I wouldn’t steal magic from the flowers.

Dark, oily magic leaped from Marcalus’ fingertips, drawing my attention back to the battle. More magic poured from the wizard’s hand on Marcalus’ shoulder, and onto each wizard’s shoulder in the long line.

Our shield shuddered.

“When it comes down, their magic will hit us like a wave. If you aren’t ready, it’ll knock you to the ground.”

The only sign that Asher heard me was the slight tightening of his shoulders.

In front of us, the red of our protective shield was now entirely covered by their magic, cloaking the whole thing in black. Again, it shuddered.

I withdrew my sword and braced myself.

Braced myself for the fight of my life.

9

Rose

Seconds later, the shield shattered.

An icy wind slammed into us, knocking me a few steps back. Red bits, like glass, rained down on us. Asher held his spot, his feet firmly planted apart.

When the wind and the haze of red passed, I looked to the wizards. The shield no longer separated us, but no one moved.

“Artemay,” I cried, imagining what I wanted to be done.

A glimmering shield encircled Asher and me, growing stronger as I came closer to him. The hand gripping my sword grew damp as I pointed it in front of me, willing my breathing to remain calm.

“Time to claim our revenge!” Marcalus shouted.

“Yes,” Sazar responded, grinning. “It is.”

Marcalus glanced at him, brows furrowed.

Sazar raised his hands. A gray fog snaked from his fingertips, bringing with it the coppery scent of blood. Cries behind me drew my gaze. Several of The Protectors eyes glowed red. One woman withdrew a dagger. Before I could utter a warning, she shoved the blade into the back of a scaly wolf standing next to her.

He howled in outrage, and I turned away, not wanting to see allies turning on one another. I’d heard enough of Blood Magic to know what would happen next, how Sazar would use his victims to fight, even as he drained them of their life forces. Soon, he would be stronger, and they would be dead, along with all those they killed.

“No!” yelled Marcalus. “This wasn’t what we agreed on!”

Undead creatures ignored him, leaping into battle as the scent of blood filled the air. Wolves sprang forward, meeting their enemies in a deadly struggle. Claws slashed. Teeth bit into unguarded, tender flesh. Screams of pain and suffering erupted like a chorus of the dying.

“Are you truly surprised?” Norma roared, as a lizard-man leaped for her. With a flick of her wrist, she shredded the creature, its pieces disappearing before they could fall to the ground.

The wizards separated. Most stood behind Marcalus, but those few that gathered behind Sazar had the twisted bodies of men warped by Blood Magic.

Sazar dipped his head in a mock bow. “Great leader. You’ve gotten us this far. But surely you must know that without Blood Magic, we will lose.”

Marcalus strode closer to the hunched figure, crowding him. “We win honorably or not at all.”

Sazar’s mouth twisted into a stomach-churning smile, the jowls on his throat shaking. “I was worried you might say that.”

In a movement too quick for my eyes to follow, Sazar withdrew his sword and drove it into Marcalus’ chest.

Silence stretched amongst the wizards.

Marcalus gasped, the movement of his lips causing a trickle of blood to escape from the side of his mouth.

The small sound set our enemies into motion, attacking one another, in a shocking display of treachery. The orange-haze gathering above them grew deep and dark, like a churning storm. Icy wind battered us from all directions as the men and boys squared off with one another.

My gaze shifted from them to their creatures, who advanced on us. Apparently, they didn’t care what the Undead wizards were doing, we were still their enemies.

I stiffened as movement came out of the corner of my eye. A lizard-man jumped in front of me, smashing helplessly into my shield.

In one quick movement, Asher sent his sword through the creature’s body. It shuddered and then vanished.

More lizard-men followed the first. Asher and I worked without speaking, our swords stabbing out. When my shield flickered, I fed it more strength.

Another lizard-man stalked closer to me. He hesitated outside my shield, then stepped through.

“Promethia!” I shouted. Fire leaped from my fingertips, blazing over the creature. In seconds, he crumbled away.

My legs shook. Why hadn’t my shield held?

Then I saw Asher. Too far away. My shield barely shimmered, sputtering in and out of sight. Three Undead creatures surrounded him, slashing out. His arm bled. His cheek bled.

I raced to him.

Something wrapped around my ankle. My body smacked to the ground, my head spinning. Pain seared my ankle. Looking down in a panic, a wounded lizard-man grinned at me through a mouth filled with bloody, razor-sharp teeth. It opened its mouth again. I twisted and kicked out.

Its head snapped back.

I reached behind me, then snagged the hilt of my fallen sword. Moving more on instinct than skill, I shoved the blade into the creature.

It disappeared.

I stared at the bloody bite wound on my ankle for one second, horror bubbling inside of me. Between the moon and the flickering torchlight, it looked like nothing more than a blood-drenched area. It burned, but when I rotated my ankle, the pain was bearable.

Then, I remembered Asher.

Looking towards him, I watched as he moved with a warrior’s grace, killing first one, then two of his enemies. Stumbling to my feet, I dragged myself towards him. The throbbing in my ankle quickly faded as energy coursed through my body.

I nearly reached him when the third lizard leaped, its claws stretching for his throat.

Asher turned, too slowly. But to my relief, the creature struck my shield, strengthened by our nearness once more. It gave Asher the time he needed to plunge his sword into the thing’s chest. The creature faded like the others.

“Stay close,” I said, clenching my teeth as the full force of my weight landed on my injured ankle.

He smeared the blood on his cheek, wiping his hand on his pant leg. “I don’t need your help.”

I opened my mouth to argue when a red-eyed wolf stalked around the outside of our shield. My sword trembled in my hand. Could I really kill one of our own people? Even if it planned to attack me?

The wolf leaped. Asher slashed it down.

My stomach churned.

“It isn’t—dead,” Asher panted.

A wave of relief ran through me. All around us battles were being fought, but no more creatures approached us. My heart thudded in my chest as my gaze skittered from the battle to the dying leader of the wizards not twenty feet in front of us.

Asher started toward the man, and I followed.

Marcalus was our enemy. He’d wanted to destroy us, to kill me. And yet, I’d understood his hatred and his anger. I’d even admired his honor. Watching the Blood Wizards leering over him as sparks of blue energy exploded from the Head Wizard’s fingertips, was like watching a powerful stag fighting against a pack of wolves. Something deep inside of me longed to protect him, even while I knew it was too late.

Marcalus’ hand held an icy blue tint, and some part of me knew his life-force fled with each second that passed. Blood drenched his chest and the front of his trousers, spreading from the blade that still protruded from his chest.

The grins on Sazar and his brothers’ faces said he’d been easily defeated.

Marcalus swayed back and forth, then crumpled to his knees. “But why?”

Asher and I froze, exchanging a look.

Sazar leaned over him. “I’m not going to Persephone, to pay for my crimes in life. I’m going to destroy Tarak and spend my days living like a king.”

“You always—knew,” Marcalus coughed, more blood splattering his lips. “A man—must pay for—his crimes.”

Sazar’s smile widened. “Not this man.”

Behind them, magic sizzled from one side to another. Multi-colored powers exploded from the hands of the wizards, slamming into victims that had only minutes before been their allies. Moans and cries of agony filled the air as they died, for the last time.

The sounds cut off abruptly, as the Wizards disappeared, back to Persephone, as their time as mortals ended. At last, only Sazar and his brothers looked down at where Marcalus knelt, dying.

“Goodbye, gullible Marcalus,” Sazar’s hand curled around the hilt of the sword protruding from the other man’s chest.

My pulse spiked. We couldn’t let this happen!

“No!” the terrified shout came from behind us, followed by a rush of hot magic.

Sazar and his brothers shot back from Marcalus, flying through the air before crunching into the ground more than fifty feet away.

Blair swept past us, in a gown the color of lightning. She knelt down beside Marcalus and touched his cheek with her hand. “I’m too late.”

He stared at her, through eyes glazed with pain. “You’re here.”

She nodded. Then with determination in her eyes, she gripped the sword and pulled it out.

He screamed.

A tear trailed down her face as she gently laid him back.

Her hand touched his chest. A word escaped her lips. “Ananke.”

The battle faded around us. From one blink to the next, we stood next to the portal in Sereus.

Asher and I spun around, but only the four of us were in the dark and quiet forest. Tentatively, I let my shield drop.

Tears ran down Blair’s normally stoic face. “I thought the Goddess of Necessity would save you. Would heal your wound. Not send us here.”

Marcalus gazed at the woman holding him so gently, confusion and pain filling his expression. “But you killed me.”

I took a step back. Asher did the same. It felt as if we invaded a private moment, and yet, it was impossible to look away.

Blair sobbed. “No, my love, but I couldn’t stop the queen. I tried. I promise you.” She leaned over him, her dark hair falling around them like a veil.

His voice wavered as he spoke. “All I remember is the pain of dying. Of looking up, wondering where you were, and seeing your face.” He groaned and shifted on the ground. “You did nothing. You let me die.”

Blair sobbed her explanation, each word wrenching from her like an infected sliver. “The queen discovered my True Name. She kept me from saving you, and from coming to you all these years.”

Her words fell between them.

Hope flickered in Marcalus’ pale blue eyes. He reached out with a trembling hand to stroke the velvety strands of her raven-black hair with an expression of wonder. “So you tried—but then, how—you’re here now?”

She met his gaze, her skin as white as porcelain beneath the soft light of the moon and stars. “I tore away my True Name.”

Asher gasped.

My heart twisted in my chest. I’d heard such a thing was possible. Painful. Deadly. But possible.

It was difficult to speak around the lump in my throat. “Will you still be allowed in the Underworld?”

Blair bit down on her lip, her whole frame shaking. “I waited so long. I tried to find another way.” She took several deep breaths, shaking her head as if it could shake away her pain. “I’ve failed you yet again.”

His eyes widened. “You gave up—your afterlife?”

She nodded, hanging her head.

He reached up, his hand shaking, and caressed her cheek. “We’ll be together—Persephone will give me this.”

She opened tear-filled eyes. They shone like the scales of a fish in the sunlight. “Would you want that?”

Sliding his hands to the back of her hair, he forced her to lean closer to him. “You’re my One. It never made sense. But I couldn’t deny what I saw with my own eyes.” He met her gaze. “If we can’t have life together, we’ll have our afterlife together.”

Years of worry, of fears, drained from her face. An unexpected youth, teamed with an innocent beauty, replaced the harsh face I’d grown to expect. “Then perhaps there’s still hope we’ll be together.”

He smiled, then winched. “I won’t—let you go now that I have you again.”

She bit her lip, more tears falling free. “But not yet. Our son still needs me.”

He jerked. “Our son?”

They both turned to Asher at once.

Puzzle pieces fell into place, and my shock was quickly replaced with wonder.

Asher gripped his sword and shook his head in denial. “No, my mother and father were—”

Blair gave a laugh that was almost a sob. “The woman you know as your mother is my sister, and your father is the man lying here dying. Again. And there is nothing I can do to stop it.” She closed her eyes. “Rose, Asher, come closer. We’re running out of time.”

We moved closer to them, Asher walking as if in a dream.

“Asher, stay with your father. He shouldn’t die alone.” Blair spoke without taking her gaze off Marcalus. “Then, get to safety. I’m going to try one last thing to stop Sazar and his brothers.”

“I don’t understand,” Marcalus said.

Blair smiled and stroked his cheek. “I’m dying, but our son must survive.”

Tears glinted in Marcalus’ eyes. “You really—didn’t betray me?”

She shook her head.

His gaze slid to Asher, amazement giving his skin a soft glow. “And he’s really our son?”

She nodded. Her voice came out clear and strong. “He looks just like you, and I gave him my father’s name.”

Marcalus coughed, more bright red blood stained his lips. “He does look like me. The same hair. The same eyes. Even the same grimace.”

Blair’s tears fell on his face as she nodded again.

Asher knelt down beside them. “You’re really my parents?”

“Yes,” Blair whispered.

He laid his sword on the ground beside his father. “I can’t find you both in one moment, and lose you in the next. There has to be a way to save you!”

My heart throbbed. “Is there really no way?”

Blair’s silver eyes met my own, brimming with tears. “This was all destined to happen. If it hadn’t been, using the Goddess of Necessity’s name would have healed him.” She turned her gaze on Marcalus. “You don’t know what it’s been like. I was supposed to die with you… with my One. Only the queen’s command kept me breathing all these years, but I’ve suffered your death every day of my life.”

Marcalus shuddered. “If only I’d known…”

A heart-wrenching silence swallowed us.

After a moment, Asher spoke. “Maybe Rose can save him. Can’t you?”

I felt tears prickle my eyes. “I can try.”

Blair cried out, grasping her chest.

Asher touched her shoulder. “Maybe she can heal you too?”

Blair closed her eyes. “This was all destined. Rose, can’t you feel it? Tear down your walls. You’ll know what to do.”

Hesitantly, I obeyed. A light came from the forest just behind Asher and his family. I stepped closer and Demeter, The Goddess of Harvest, shimmered into sight. Waves of golden hair cascaded down her shoulders. Her dress was spun from lavender flowers, spilling over her muscular frame.

She pressed a finger to her generous lips, motioning me to remain silent.

I looked to the others, but they seemed not to see her or notice my shock. Instead, they gathered around each other. Love radiated from them, cradling them in its grasp.

When I looked at the goddess again, she stood but a foot in front of me.

I gasped as she reached out, pressing her fingertips to my forehead. Images shot through me. The battle still raged. Protectors and warriors fought, even though they had no hope of winning. Only one person could end this. And it wasn’t Blair or Asher.

This was it. My destiny. My fate. I was meant to stop this battle, even if it cost me my life. The goddesses wanted this war to end, but they wanted me to pay for my mother’s mistakes too. She’d run from her destiny, to end this battle, a long time ago. If she hadn’t, countless lives would’ve been saved. They wanted her daughter to suffer for her selfishness.

Only I could stop all of this.

But I couldn’t save Blair and Marcalus too.

That knowledge burned inside of me, leaving an emptiness rimmed with pain.

I opened my eyes. The goddess and her images were gone.

“I can’t save either of you.” I reached for Asher, but let my hand drop.

His shoulders bowed. “You’re sure?”

A rebellious tear ran down my cheek. “Yes.”

“Not to worry. I expected to die today.” Marcalus stumbled over his words, struggling to speak through his suffering. “But I’ll never be alone again. I have a son. And I know my love didn’t betray. I can finally rest in peace.”

“It’s all right, Asher,” Blair reached out and placed a tentative hand on his cheek. “Just always know I loved you and wanted what was best for you.”

Asher shook his head. “It just can’t end this way.”

Blair smiled, the first real smile I’d ever seen. “I’ll use Eris, The Goddess of Destruction’s name. It’ll kill me, but it should end this war.” She shuddered, and spidery red lines bled into the whites of her eyes. “Rose will protect Asher, and you’ll both stay with Marcalus until he dies. This is our destiny… how it must end.” Her face was as pale as the moon.

There was no way she had the strength to do what needed being done. But I could.

She was wrong about our destinies. At last, she’d be able to die with the man she loved. Asher would have precious moments with his family, and I’d fulfill The Fates’ decree.

I squared my shoulders, fighting back the urge to cry. “Asher, I do love you.” I met his gaze, which was filled with confusion. “I do.”

“Rose—”

But I couldn’t let him finish, or I might lose my nerve altogether. “Enjoy these last moments with your family. Tarak will never have peace… I’ll never have peace, if I don’t do as The Fates asked of me.”

“I don’t understand,” he said, frowning.

“Just remember that I love you.” Closing my eyes, I formed the picture in my mind. “Ananke.”

Heat blasted over my skin.

Asher screamed my name.

When I opened my eyes, all three of them were gone. As was the quiet forest. I was back on the battlefield, leaving Asher and his family safely by the portal.

On one side of me, Sazar and his brothers stood watching me, hunger in their eyes.

On the other side, my army was no more. Instead, red-eyed Protectors, creatures, and the towering Norma and Ugar stood still. Waiting for the commands of their new masters.

Prickling spread across my skin.

I cried out the Goddess of Protection’s name and a red shield came around me. The prickling stopped, but I rubbed my arms. Sazar and his brothers had been trying to enslave me too.

“What now?” Sazar asked, amusement lacing the question.

Turning to Sazar, a man stood in the place of the crippled Blood Wizard. He had dark hair and black eyes, but he was no longer hunched over and deformed.

Such a transformation must’ve required a massive amount of magic… likely drained from my people. In fact, he practically brimmed with power. I sensed a chill from him, like a door being left open on a freezing winter’s night.

Terror fought to be acknowledged within me, but I forced it down. I couldn’t think about what I needed to do, or how weak I was compared to these Blood Wizards. I just needed to do it.

I gathered my magic, more tightly than I’d ever done before. Heat blasted away all chill. A smell like burning leaves in autumn drifted to me. This was it.

Every muscle in my body tensed painfully. “Eris.” The name pulled from my throat, searing my insides as it left.

Excruciating pain.

The taste of ash.

Prayers for death, rolled into sobs that couldn’t escape.

Then, nothing. A pleasant numbness. A knowledge I was nothing more than The Fates’ tool.

Destruction in black and gray and red swept around me in a storm of chaos. My magic ebbed, but I knew I wasn’t done. I reached out for the other Protectors, who answered my call, feeding their own magic through me.

As promised, I would not take magic from the flowers, but instead, risked calling on my fellow Protector’s to add their strength to mine. The price of such a demand meant nothing, not in that moment. Consequences were for those with futures.

Time slowed down. Trees ripped from the ground, flew around me, and disintegrated in the whirlwind of destruction. In my mind, I tried to protect my army, but I had no way of knowing if such a powerful goddess’s name could be bent to my will.

One of Sazar’s brothers stepped through the storm. He reached for me, anger twisting his face, but like grains of sand he too was swept away. The earth groaned beneath my feet. Above me, the stars and moon were no more than swirling lights.

Still more Protectors lent me their magic. It curled through me, like a foreign invasion. Goosebumps raced along my flesh. Something inside of me protested, but I pushed away the warning. There was no other choice.

My skin dissolved. My body became weightless. Still the destruction grew.

Magic drained away, but somewhere I sensed Sazar breathing. Watching. Waiting.

Blair’s magic, something as recognizable as the sound of her voice, curled around me. Sazar stopped breathing.

But so did I.

10

Rose

I awoke in Asher’s strong arms.

The smell of soot and smoke filled the air, creating a haze around us. Beneath me, the earth held an unnatural warmth.

I coughed.

He tilted my head up. “Thank the goddesses, you’re alive.” His voice cracked as he spoke the last word. “Where does it hurt?”

“Everywhere,” I whispered.

My head spun. Mind-numbing pain awoke in my body. I wept, closing my eyes and curling around my belly, as if I could stop my suffering.

But this pain burned on the inside, somewhere I couldn’t reach. My magic was nearly gone, and the explosion of it had left every nerve in me sizzling, too acutely to bear.

His hand touched my forehead. The pain receded.

“My life force?” the question escaped my cracked lips.

It took him a long minute to answer. “No, mine.”

My body lurched as he rose to his feet, holding me closely against his chest.

The pain was still there, somewhere blazing in my belly, but now I could handle it. If I didn’t move.

I took an unsteady breath. “What happened?”

Each of his steps through the destruction jarred my body. “You destroyed them, and with their deaths, their hold over our army.”

My head dropped to the side. We passed body after body of Protectors and warriors lying at strange angles, all while I lay helpless in Asher’s arms. All the trees were gone. The earth everywhere left scorched and uneven.

“Dead?” Tears leaked from my eyes.

“The wizards killed a lot of them… most of them survived your magic. But they’re hurt. And it’ll take awhile for them to awaken.”

I closed my eyes. “Sleep?”

But he didn’t slow at my request. “After you abandoned us at Sereus’s portal, Blair went back to help you.”

His tone held an accusation, but I didn’t regret leaving him behind. He’d been safe, where he’d belonged. This was my battle, and I knew now that I shouldn’t have dragged him into it.

If only I’d been willing to consider, even for a moment, that The Fates had been clear in their words. Asher had never been the answer to this war. My own fears at my limitations had blinded me to that.

“I felt your mother’s magic,” I mumbled, my eyes fluttering open. “I think she saved me.”

His tone was even, but his face held an unspoken suffering. “She gave you the last of her magic.”

Very slowly, I dropped my walls and reached for him. His walls were firmly in place, but still, I could sense a great loneliness, raw within him.

“Is she…?”

As if in answer to my question, he brought me to the edge of the battlefield. Marcalus and Blair lay next to each other, her head cradled in the crook of his arm. For a second I thought they were dead, but their eyes opened at our approach.

“You—did—it.” Blair’s eyes glazed over, her head rolling to one side. “I’m proud.”

Asher knelt down in front of them. His entire body shook. “You did it too. The battle is over. We’ve won.” He swallowed, hard. “You can rest now.”

Marcalus smiled, showing teeth covered in blood. “I’ve got a son.” The smile slowly faded from his lips. “Make us proud.”

But in his eyes, there was no doubt that he was already proud. And it was strange, glancing from father to son, as if even though they’d barely met, they were connected in a way that was impossible to ignore.

“I’m sorry, Asher,” Blair whispered, only her lips moved. Her eyes stared without seeing. “I wasn’t there for you… but I always loved you.”

The rise and fall of their chests slowed, then stopped at the same time. A stillness came over them that was lovely and tragic all at once. These two people had been through so much, lost so much, but at least they were together again. In death.

Within seconds, their bodies vanished.

I looked to Asher. They were together again, but he’d just lost his parents. Parents he’d only just realized existed. What was he thinking? How was he feeling?

His head bowed over, and his eyes squeezed shut.

My heart ached for him. I reached through our connection, striving to comfort the man I loved. He wouldn’t let me in, but his suffering swept through him in waves. Regret. Sadness. Anger.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

Tremors racked his body. “I can’t… I can’t do this now.”

I nodded, and the movement sent waves of pain through my body. A cry escaped my lips, and Asher’s hold around me gentled.

“At least you killed the monster who did this to them.” Steel etched his words.

“And they can finally have peace,” I whispered.

All I hoped is that in the days to come he didn’t think of the queen’s role in all of this. A darkness uncurled inside of me. She’d have to be dealt with. If not because of what she’d done to Blair and Marcalus, then because of what she’d taken from my One. And if I could, I’d spare Asher the misery that came with revenge.

“There’s no time to morn them.” Asher spoke through a voice edged with tears, before standing, still cradling me in his arms. “Blair says—we need to run.”

It took me several deep breaths before I could speak, concealing all anger from my question. “Why?”

“She proclaimed before the queen and her council that you’d be the next Head Protector, that your powers would be greater even than her own, and that you would make a good leader.” Tension radiated from him as he spoke.

Resentment grew within me. Why had Blair done this to me? She’d known I didn’t want this life.

A picture of her dying face came to my mind, and my resentment fled. This wasn’t in my plans, but I couldn’t believe she’d done this to me just to be cruel. Even if it complicated my future.

All that should matter now was keeping Asher safe. Proving to him I could be trusted. Learning if he could love me for what I was. I didn’t have to change that, not because of some declaration Blair had made.

“I don’t want to be a leader.” I watched his expression, although it didn’t change. “I want to be done with The Protectors.”

He didn’t look at me as he spoke. “They put Nazar in charge until they know whether you survived the battle.”

“So… I survived.” My voice shook.

He increased his pace. “Blair says Nazar will send people to make sure you don’t.”

My head ached. I closed my eyes. “I’ll just disappear.” Then a memory tugged at me before searing into my thoughts. “But what of Sirena?”

For a minute, I thought he wouldn’t answer me.

“Meisha took the roses, and Nazar thinks you have them.” He took a deep breath. “Nazar told the queen, and the remaining Protectors, you plan to change Sirena back. That you want to tell the people of Tarak the truth about what they do.”

I opened my eyes, gazing at the hard lines of his jaw. “They can’t believe that.”

“She’s also told them you’re travelling with a wizard.”

Shakes racked my body.

He continued. “We’re now officially being hunted by The Protectors.”

“What do we do?” My voice sounded small and tired, even to my own ears.

“Meisha’s going to meet us in a city called Ponya. Blair told me where. She has Sirena, and she knows how to turn her back.”

I stared at him, my memories before the battle coming back to me in startling clarity. “I have to save her, even though I know it’d be safer to leave Tarak… but you don’t have to.”

He finally met my gaze. “I go where you do.”

We reached the portal, through an entire land scorched of any life. He adjusted me in his arms, touched one of the carved red roses on the white portal, and it flared to life.

But I couldn’t let him step through, not yet. Not until I knew. “Why are you doing this?”

His mouth drew into a thin line. “I’m not ready to give up yet.”

I didn’t know if he spoke of us or about leaving Tarak, but I curled into his warm body. All I really needed was a seed of hope, for us, and for our future. “Thank you.”

He nodded, and we entered the portal.

11

Rose

The streets of Ponya overflowed with people coming and going around the portal. Wealth and prosperity clung to every inch of the city, from the clean streets, to the well-dressed people. This place stood at such odds with everything I’d come to accept about Tarak. For our kingdom didn’t thrive the way it once had, not under the cruel hand of Queen Gaudius. So what made this town so special?

“Was it their Oracle?”

Asher leaned in closer. “You’re muttering to yourself again.”

I stiffened and turned to face him. “Sorry.” My gaze clung to his broad shoulders. “But she should’ve been here by now. Right?”

His silence was almost painful.

There’d been too much silence in the days since the battle with the Undead Wizards. I’d tried desperately to give him space and time to deal with the after mass of my betrayal and the revelations of his parentage. But with each new day, he seemed no closer to forgiving me or confiding in me.

“I’m not sure how much longer we can stay here,” he said, breaking the silence.

My stomach twisted. He was right. Staying here brought increasing danger upon us with each passing day. Nazar, the new Head Protector, would stop at nothing to kill Asher, the last living wizard, and to get to me. She believed I’d stolen something important. A flower.

But this flower was my best friend, Sirena, who had been transformed against her will. Nazar assumed if Sirena was allowed to change back into a girl, she would tell the people of Tarak what The Protectors did with the vast majority of the girls they took during The Choosing ceremony.

Asher and I should be getting as far away from Tarak as possible. But I didn’t have Sirena yet. Meisha, another Protector, was supposed to meet us here to bring me the flower. Only, it had been three days already, and we’d seen no sign of her.

I glanced at Asher. He was putting himself in danger. Again. For me. I didn’t deserve his loyalty or his help.

Staring at his shoulders again, I tried my best to keep all emotion from my words, “I don’t have a choice, but you—“

“Not this again,” he interrupted, crossing his muscular arms over his chest. “When we leave, it’ll be together.”

I took a deep breath. “You know I can’t go without Sirena.”

He leaned back against the alley wall.

Glancing at him out of the corner of my eye, I watched him rub at the stubble on his cheeks in obvious frustration.

“They’re going to find us if we don’t keep moving.” This time, he sounded aggravated. “And we don’t have enough coins for a place to sleep tonight.”

I bit my lip, knowing I shouldn’t say it, but I had to. “We can always go to your sister—“

“No. Absolutely not.” He dropped his hands and glared at me.

I looked away, avoiding his gaze.

“Rose, I told you I don’t want to see her. Even if we have to sleep in the woods tonight, I won’t ask her for help.”

My temples throbbed with frustration. He wouldn’t see his sister because she’d become a Protector. Her actions were the ultimate betrayal, in his eyes. And if he couldn’t forgive his own sister, he’d never forgive me for joining The Protectors too, even if it was against my will.

“We can’t just starve.”

He moved to stand in front me, his hands touching the brick wall on either side of my head. “We’ll figure something out, but we won’t go to her. Promise me.”

The challenge in his words struck me cold. He wanted my word, because he didn’t trust me to keep it.

Goddess’s teeth, I didn’t want to keep it, but there was no way I could back down from this.

For the first time since the battle, I raised my gaze and met his. Those beautiful blue eyes took my breath away. How could so many shades blend together in such perfection? But it was more than just his eyes, his sculpted cheeks, strong jaw, and blond hair came together to form a face too stunning to be real. Only the scars dancing across his throat and jaw drew the eye away from his other features. I thought they made him more beautiful, unique. He saw them as quite the opposite.

“You’re staring,” he said, the words husky and soft.

His lips mesmerized me. “Sorry.”

“I asked you to promise me,” he repeated, but the anger was gone from his challenge.

Closing my eyes, I tried to free myself from his intoxicating pull. “I promise.”

He lingered a moment longer, then moved away. “Good.”

It took an embarrassingly long time to get my pounding heart under control. I turned my attention to smoothing out the wrinkles on my soft brown dress and combing my fingers through my unruly hair.

Not that it’d make much of an improvement on my disastrous appearance. People stared when we walked together. I had no doubt it was because they wondered how such a strange looking woman ended up with such a handsome man.

Almost against my will, I raised my hands and stared at the deep calluses from the years spent working my father’s farm. They seemed a reflection of me as a person. Not dainty, pale, and blonde, like men preferred. Instead, I towered above most men, my olive skin tanned from long days under the harsh sun’s light, and my pale brown hair and green eyes marking me as clearly as a stamp as a foreigner.

“What are you thinking?” His question jarred me from my obsessive thoughts.

I took a minute to decide exactly how to answer him without exposing my inner demons. “I’m thinking about the two Protectors they sent to guard the portal. Do you think they’re there looking for Meisha?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe us.”

Glancing back at the portal, I narrowed my eyes. The two Protectors looked innocent enough, just two beautiful, young women in expensive gowns. There was no way of knowing what special powers they might have, or if Asher and I were strong enough to defeat them with our own magic, if need be.

Especially since I hadn’t quite recovered from the battle.

Walking and standing for long periods no longer bothered me, but I felt the limits of my magic just as surely as I had the limits of my body. I could use my magic, but it’d be several more days before I’d have my full strength back.

And the hard part of our quest hadn’t yet started. We still needed to make it to The Fates and beg them to turn Sirena back into a girl… a daunting task.

“When we find Meisha, do you think we should use a portal to get as close to The Fates as possible? Or travel on foot?”

“We wouldn’t make it far on foot, not without supplies and coins,” he said, drawing the words out. “And I doubt she knows where we’ll be heading once we get the flowers.”

She. Nazar. The name he seemed reluctant to speak.

My gaze slid to the scars along his jaw. She’d done that to him.

It took a minute to realize my hands had curled into fists. I loosened them slowly. No need to waste my anger now. When I saw Nazar again, I’d make her pay for torturing the man I loved.

“Something’s happening!”

My attention snapped back to the portal. The tall, white archway, with the blood red roses snaking around it, stood on a wooden platform in the center of a busy street. On both sides of it, people hurried by.

I almost asked Asher what had changed, when I noticed the two Protectors. Tension sang through them. Neither wore a weapon, and yet, they faced the portal as if about to take on a dangerous foe.

Within the center of the archway, it shimmered. A vision of another world, or at least another part of Tarak, came sharply into focus. Moments later, a hooded figure stumbled into Ponya. The portal closed behind it, sealing off the vision of wherever this person came from.

I started towards them, ignoring the sounds of annoyed people as they steered around me.

Asher snagged the sleeve of my dress. “What are you doing? We don’t know it’s her.”

But it had to be her. And if it was, she’d likely need our help in a moment.

I tried to shake him off. “Stay behind. I’ll check it out.”

“Goddess’s teeth,” he cursed. “You can’t be serious.”

The two Protectors were demanding something of the hooded figure.

I drew closer.

Very slowly, the woman reached up and pulled back her hood.

Even though her back was turned to us, her hair was covered by black fabric. The only person I’d ever seen where such a thing was Meisha.

Darting free of Asher, I raced through the crowd, knocking into people, but continuing on as if nothing else mattered.

One of The Protectors grabbed Meisha’s arm.

My heart pounded.

Meisha tried to free herself from the woman. But a second later, Meisha crumbled to her knees.

“Promethia,” I spoke the name of the Goddess of Fire, emphasizing an intonating it just as I knew it should be. Warmth gathered around me as I pictured what I wanted done. Seconds later, fire erupted from my fingertips, hitting The Protector who held Meisha.

The woman’s blood-curdling scream seemed to vibrate through the air, bringing with it a fear in the crowd of people that was almost palpable. Fire caught on The Protector’s dress, and she dropped to the ground. The other Protector ran to her.

With their backs to me, I wrapped my arms around Meisha and tried to pull her away from the portal, but she made no effort to make her legs move. For one moment, I stood frozen.

Asher pushed me aside and picked up my friend as if she weighed nothing at all. “This way!’ he ordered.

I followed him.

We weaved through alleys and streets, never looking back.

“Do you know where you’re going?”

He looked back at me, shaking his head.

I sped up, taking the lead. “This way.”

12

Rose

By the time we reached the strange mountain near the edge of the city, our steps had slowed. Air whooshed in and out of my lungs in noisy desperation.

“Where—are--- we?” Asher panted.

I paused to catch my breath, one foot on the path circling the small mountain. “The home of the Oracle.”

He frowned. “Why here?”

I started climbing. “Because he’s the only person I know will help us.”

At least I hoped he would.

Circling around and around, we slowly made our way to the top. Thick clouds gathered with each step, until we walked among them. The fluffy, white clouds hummed with magic. When I moved through them, a coolness slid along my flesh, like a spirit passing through me. I shivered and gathered my arms around myself.

Meisha coughed.

I froze and turned to her. Asher had covered her face when we ran, so she was just a figure swallowed by fabric. Yet, something about her still form sent warning prickles along my skin.

My hand trembled as I reached out and swept the hood back. A gasp caught in my throat. Meisha’s beautiful face, exotic and stunning, was no more. Dark bruises marred her bronzed complexion, along with cuts, some that still bled. Her flesh itself had swelled, until her face seemed a disfigured mask.

“Meisha…” my voice shook as I spoke.

One of her eyes half-opened. Her familiar amber iris shone, even while the whites of her eyes were flooded with red. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, her cracked lips forming the painful words.

Tears prickled the corners of my eyes. “No. Don’t. There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

Asher’s voice held an edge of steel. “Do you think your Oracle can help her?”

I glanced at his face. It was unreadable. Something cold slivered in my belly. He’d once tried to kill Meisha, just because she was a Protector. Did he feel bad for her now? Or did being a Protector mean her pain didn’t matter to him?

“I hope so.” Anger laced my words.

Turning, I stormed the rest of the way up the mountain, pushing aside my concern for Meisha behind a mask of fury. I didn’t stop until we came to the white marble temple. Huge pillars towered, rising up until they disappeared into the magical clouds. Thin, white fabric hung between each pillar. Even in daylight, candles flickered along the floor and around the pillars, like stars glowing in fog.

“Welcome visitors!” Jundro came towards us, his arms spread wide in greeting. Slowly, his smile vanished, and his dark eyes widened. “Rose?”

I met his gaze. “We need help.”

Instantly, I wanted to take back my words. Jundro was the Oracle’s assistant. I should’ve greeted him more formally, with more respect. But he seemed unfazed by my blundering manners.

He nodded, glancing at Asher and the bundle in his arms. “This way.”

We followed him.

“Thank you,” I said, speaking to his back. “Our friend’s been injured and…”

I didn’t know what more to say. That we were being hunted by Protectors?

Perhaps just one thing at a time.

He looked back at me, those wide brown eyes seeming to sense all the things I wasn’t yet ready to say. “You’re always welcome here. You know that.”

Something heavy settled in my stomach. I didn’t deserve his help either. When I’d spoken to Zeuita, the Goddess of all Goddesses, I’d forgotten to make a plea for the Oracle. I’d forgotten to ask her to reverse his curse, to give him his ability to speak and his youth back. Jundro should hate me, as should the Oracle.

But with my unique ability to speak to the goddesses, these men never would.

Jundro led us down a flight of steps, to an area I’d never been to, and down a pristine, white hallway. At the end of it, he opened a door and ushered us in.

The Kawthadian looked up as we entered.

I paused in the doorway, too shocked to move further. The priest in my town, the one who had taught me to read and write, had allowed me to read many books. One of them had discussed the various magical creatures in our world. There had been an entire section on Kawthadians, but I’d never actually seen one before.

Her skin blended from blue to yellow, her rubbery scales giving a slight shimmer in the candle light. The tentacles on her head, hanging like hair, slithered over her shoulders as she stood looking back at me. When our gazes locked, my breath caught in my throat. Her pupils were black slits swimming in yellow, mesmerizing and eerie all at the same time.

“This is Cordelia,” Jundro said, his words snapping my attention back to the present. “Our healer.”

The Kawthadian turned her gaze upon Meisha. “Set her here.” Each word held a breathy note, while being emphasized too carefully.

Asher laid Meisha gently on the large table in the center of the room. My gaze skittered away from my friend’s still form, darting amongst the shelves lining the room, filled with bottles, jars, and piles of bandages and other supplies. There were no windows in this room, but a small fire blazed in the hearth, combining with the light from multiple candles to give the room a bright glow.

Someone brushed my shoulder.

I jumped.

“Maybe we should wait outside?”

It was Asher’s turn to avoid my gaze.

“You wait outside. I’ll stay here. With my friend.” I choked on the last word.

Asher didn’t touch me, but his words softened. “If you need me, I can stay.”

The thought of him in this small room, and me wondering whether he hoped my friend would die or not, was too much to bear. “I’m fine.”

He stiffened and hurt radiated off of him in waves.

I raised the walls around myself, cutting off our magical connection.

Angrily, he turned and strode from the room.

A second later, Jundro spoke into the silence. “I’ll see to him.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled.

The door closed softly.

“Remove her cloak and give her some water,” the Kawthadian ordered as she placed a kettle over the fire.

I obeyed, my knees shaking.

Meisha didn’t move as I unfastened her cloak from around her shoulders. I had to raise her still form into a sitting position to completely remove her heavy garment. And once I did, I also removed the small bag from her back, laying both on the end of the table.

All the while, she didn’t move. Only the steady rise and fall of her chest told me she still lived.

“Will she be all right?”

The Kawthadian didn’t answer for a long time. “I don’t know. I’ve yet to examine her injuries.”

My limbs felt heavy as I raised my hand and pushed back a stray strand of hair from Meisha’s disfigured face. Who had done this to her and why? My instincts told me it was Nazar, the woman searching for Asher and I, but my instincts had proven unreliable many times in the past.

“Water?” the Kawthadian said, pressing the glass into my hand.

I looked into the strange woman’s eyes filled with understanding and empathy.

Forcing a smile, I clutched the glass. “Thank you, Cordelia.”

She lacked lips, but her mouth turned into what could only be a smile.

I turned back to Meisha and raised her head, trickling water into her mouth. After a moment, she coughed, sputtered, and her one eye partially opened again. She drank in earnest then, not stopping until the glass was empty.

“More?” I asked, relieved to see her awake.

She shook her head.

I released her and put the glass down on the table near us.

Cordelia moved closer. “Sit down, while I examine her.”

Reluctantly, I moved to the chair in the corner and sat on the edge of it.

“Have you injured more than your face?”

Meisha’s words were barely above a whisper. “I think they cracked a rib. It is hard to breathe.”

“I’m going to undress you then.”

I kept my gaze on the floor until Cordelia finished her examination and draped a blanket over Meisha’s naked body.

“Two broken ribs, a couple more likely bruised, and a face that’s taken quite a beating.”

Relief sang through me. “But she’ll be all right?”

“She’ll need some time to heal, but yes, she’ll live.” Cordelia strode to the hearth and removed the kettle with a towel, before pouring the steaming water into a mug. With efficient movements, she removed a small clay pot from one of the shelves and spooned some of the herbs from it into the mug. “We’ll let it steep, and then it should relieve some of your pain.”

An unfamiliar, sharp smell filled the room. I wrinkled my nose and looked down at Meisha. She watched me.

“Who did this to you?”

Meisha’s one good eye closed. “Nazar and a few other Protectors.” A slight smile twisted her cracked and swollen lips. “But I got away. With the flowers.” Her eyes snapped open, trying to sit up, but crying out.

I gripped her shoulder. “What’s wrong? Sit back—“

“The flowers,” she groaned.

Ice spread through me. “You mean Sirena… and your sister.”

She opened her mouth and an agonized groan escaped her lips. “They were in my bag. I had them…”

I couldn’t believe we’d been so close and… “Wait, your bag?” I reached for the one I’d taken off of her back and held it up.

She looked at it, and through her swollen battered face, I could see relief. “They’re safe.”

Gently, I set the bag on her chest. “Everything is fine.”

Cordelia brought the mug to Meisha’s lips. “Drink this. When the pain starts to fade, I’ll work on healing you.”

“How long should it take for me to heal?” Meisha mumbled.

“Not more than a few weeks.”

“Weeks?” she turned away from the mug. “We don’t have weeks.”

She was right. We didn’t. If Nazar had already caught and tortured Meisha, there was a chance that she and the other witches were not far behind us. If we stayed here much longer, we’d be caught.

But only Meisha needed to rest...

“I can take them,” I said, somehow knowing deep inside that this was how it was meant to be.

Meisha’s gaze turned to me. “I--I can’t ask that of you.”

“You didn’t.” I drew myself up taller. “I can take the flowers to the Fates and save both your sister and Sirena.”

“It’ll be a difficult task…”

“I know.”

She turned back to the mug and drank until it was all gone. Then, she collapsed back. “I hate that I can’t do this for my sister. She deserves that, at least.”

“You can trust me,” I promised her. “I won’t stop until I save them.

After a second, she nodded. “I know. Thank you, Rose.”

Cordelia looked at me. “Give us some time for the pain herbs to work, then I’ll wrap her ribs, and you can come back.”

I wanted to take the roses with me, but Meisha seemed relieved to have them, so I nodded and headed out of the room. Climbing back up the stairs, I found Asher seated by the water, staring into the surface as if it held all the answers.

“Asher?”

His head jerked up, and his gaze met mine.

“We need to talk.”

Walking toward him, my heart ached. This man was my One. My everything. And yet, things were so tense between us. I felt like I was being pulled in two different directions, but he was only being pulled into one. Which was basically that he was being dragged along with me, doing things he didn’t want to do.

What would he say when I brought up bringing the roses to the Fates without Meisha? And that I’d agreed to it without speaking to him? The last thing I wanted was him to resent me, and I was afraid he already did.

I sat down beside him and took a deep breath.

But he spoke first. “Jundro and I had a talk…”

I stiffened. “Was it a… good talk?”

He released a slow breath. “Actually, I think it was just what I needed.” His gaze locked with mine. “I’ve hated the Protectors my entire life, but Jundro explained some things about them, and about you, that I hadn’t considered. Now, I realize that I’ve been wrong about a lot of things. I think it’s time I grow up. There are so few things that are all good or all bad. Like the wizards. And my parents. And even the Protectors. By being so stubborn, I’m afraid you don’t know if you can count on me. But Rose, you can count on me. Whatever happens in our lives, we’re in this together. I want to be with you, no matter where our paths take us.”

It felt like a huge weight lifted off of my chest. “Do you really mean that?”

He gave a small smile. “Yes. And, I love you. You’re my One.”

Reaching out, he took my hands in his, and we sat facing each other. I looked into his eyes, and as hard as this was for us both, I believed him that he loved me and that he wanted us to be together.

“I love you too.”

He looked relieved.

A wave of guilt came over me. I should have spoken first. I should’ve made certain he knew what my plans for the future were before he revealed the way he felt.

“Before you say more,” I began slowly, scared to destroy this moment. “Meisha has Sirena and her sister. She isn’t well enough to go to the Fates to change them back from flowers to people. But I said I would. I know I committed to it without talking to you, but--”

“It’s okay,” he squeezed my hands. “We’ll go to the Fates together.”

Unable to help myself, I leaned forward, and our lips pressed together. A rush of warmth moved through my body, and when he pulled back it felt as if my heart had grown two sizes.

“I’m so grateful to have you. You have no idea.”

“Yes, I do.” His smile widened. “And I’m just as grateful to have you. Thank you for everything. For trying to protect me and my parents. For risking so much.”

We kissed again, and it felt strange. All my life all I wanted to feel was loved and safe. And now, even though we were being hunted by the Protectors, I’d never felt safer, or more loved.

We spoke to Jundro about our plans, and he said he would do everything he could to help us. He told us to rest for the night, and in the morning, he’d have everything prepared. So, we ate, we rested up, and prepared ourselves.

We’d saved Tarak. Now we needed to save Sirena, Meisha’s sister, and ourselves.

13

Rose

“What do you mean she’s gone?”

Cordelia winced and handed me a small note. “When I came to check on her, Meisha was gone, but she left this for you.”

Asher squeezed my shoulder as I took the note and unfolded it, my heart racing.

I’m so sorry, but I needed to do this.

And that was all. Meisha’s only explanation as to why she’d disappeared with my best friend and her sister. It felt… wrong. Painful in every way. Part of me understood that Meisha had been working far longer than I had to save her sister. But this felt like something I’d had to do. Not a responsibility for someone else.

“Don’t be angry with her.”

I turned to see Jundro in the doorway.

“Why? The least she could’ve done is take me with her.”

Jundro gave a gentle smile. “Your friend went to see the Oracle last night. He told her that she must be the one to take the roses to the Fates. That Sirena’s destiny could only be achieved this way.”

I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “So, does that mean she’ll live? That Meisha will be able to save her?”

Jundro hesitated. “Sirena will not remain a flower forever. However, her path will not be an easy one. Nor will the choice Meisha must make.”

My knees felt weak, but then Asher pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. “I’m so sorry.”

Tears stung my eyes, and I gripped the fabric of his shirt, feeling desperate and lost. “N-Now what do we do?”

Jundro spoke softly. “Now? All you need to do is save yourselves. I’ve secured passage for the two of you on a boat to a safe place. A place you can be happy together, outside the reach of the witches.”

I pushed back from Asher and held his gaze. Is that what we should do? Is that what he wanted to do? Run away with me?

He smiled. “We’ve done all we can for the people here. At least for now. I have a feeling we aren’t done with the Tarak, or the queen, but I think Jundro is right that we just need to go somewhere safe.”

I released a deep breath. I trusted Meisha. Didn’t I?

The answer came easily: yes. I would’ve rather been with her, but I trusted her to save my friend. And I trusted the Oracle when he said that Sirena would be safe.

So why did all of this feel so wrong?

Asher stoked my cheek, drawing my focus back to him. “Don’t we deserve to try to be happy?”

Happy? “I… I don’t know if I’ve ever been happy.”

“I think you could be with me.”

And for the first time, as I looked in his eyes, hope blossomed inside of me. “I think I could too.”

His smile made my heart speed up. “Then, why don’t we make that our next adventure?”

“Being happy?”

“Why not?”

I grinned, and he kissed me so hard my head spun.

When he pulled back, we both looked at Jundro.

“Okay,” I said. “Thank you.”

He gave a little bow. “And Asher is right, Tarak isn’t finished with you yet.”

“But for now, we’re finished with it,” I said.

And as we prepared for our journey, the words continued to ring through my head. My best friend would be saved. My small town, the people who hated me, and my father, would be a distant memory.

All my life it’d felt like I didn’t have control over my future. But now I did, and I felt free.

14

Rose

There was a place described as paradise by the few people who knew of its existence. It was in this place of little villages, forests of fairies and unicorns, and skies filled with dragons, that Asher and I made our home. We built a strong house at the edge of a village full of happy families. In a place untouched by war or the Protectors. In a haven.

There, we married under a bright sun. Promising to love each other forever.

We built our home together. And we achieved our goal: we were happy. Happy in all ways.

Never a day went by when I didn’t think of Sirena, The Protectors, or Tarak, but I believed the Oracle that one day we’d have to return to that world. So Asher and I did everything we could to enjoy our lives in our little slice of paradise, because we never knew what tomorrow might bring.

So it might not be happily ever after, but we were certainly happy for now. And that was enough for us both.

*** If you enjoyed this world, then check out Cursed by Magic. This book is set in the same world and involves magic and goddesses. ***

About the Author

Lisa Morrow is a life-long reader who treasures fantasy in all forms. Being a middle child in a large family gave her a unique perspective on the world, but few experiences compare to her time spent studying abroad in Cambridge, England and wandering throughout Europe.

After her travels, Lisa settled down in Arizona to teach junior high English, and later, to spend time with her young children, husband, and cats. To some people, her life may seem quiet. But to her, every day is spent in a world colored by the imagination of children, and fantastical worlds created by her very own mind.

Visit her website: http://lisamorrowbooks.wordpress.com/

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More Works by Lisa Morrow

The Order of the Cursed

Witch Fire

Witch Chosen

Witch Secrets

Witch Lies

Blood and Bones

Cursed by Magic

World of Darkness

The Monster Inside

Legacy of Death

The Secrets We Keep

Trial of Magic

Twilight Rising

Dusk Falling

Dawn Awakening