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Chapter 38
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2021-04-04 08:48:09Trigger Warning - This Chapter Contains Dark Content.
The air inside was cold, reeking with the scent of dust and mold. It seemed this house had long ago lost whatever life resided within it. White sheets were draped over the furniture, reminding me of one of the many horror movies Aidan and I had watched over the years. I tried and failed to suppress my shiver at the dimly lit house.
‘This is going to take forever.’ Rayna groaned, ‘Do you see how big this place is?’
‘Not if we look in the right spots.’ I tried to remain optimistic, ‘Now, where would you put a crystal necklace that also serves as a weird clock key?’
‘Not under any of these sheets.’ Rayna shuddered, ‘Probably a jewelry box, desk, or dresser of some kind.’
‘Alright, then let’s start over here.’ I suggested, my eyes attracted to an old antique side table.
There was no foyer in this estate,
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“Everyone has secrets, Rachel; and no one, not even your friends, are what they seem.”Camille’s voice sounded from behind me, and I whipped around with a look of absolute guilt on my face. That guilt was squashed the moment I took in her expression. That gentle face that once held a delicate innocence had been wiped away. Her once soft eyes were now hard, and…empty. I had never noticed it before, the lack of light within her gaze; like she was a shell, nothing more.“Are—are you real?” I found myself asking, wondering if she were just a figment of Castle Mist.Her slim lips turned up in a cat-like grin, one that set my teeth on edge and made my blood run cold. I had once thought Liliana was cold and unfeeling, but I had been so very wrong. Liliana was a wealthy, stuck-up woman; but she was not unfeeling. She had compassion, no matter how she chose to express it. This…this was the truth of Camille. There was a bi
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I stepped out into the hallway but was quickly barreled into. From scent alone, I knew it was Helena. The Game Master had kept to his word even though he could’ve twisted my request in many ways. Even though my heart felt heavy from the price I had paid, I knew it was worth it.Unshed tears burned in my eyes, and I wrapped my arms around Helena’s soft form. I could hear her shaky breaths, and I could hear the rapid pattering of her heart.I shoved the grief I felt down deep, smothering it until I could no longer hear its nagging voice. I had been so deluded, so clouded by my own distaste that I hadn’t appreciated the place
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I made it all of ten steps down the hallway before my nerves began to ache and groan. They had been rubbed raw during my time in Castle Mist, and I couldn’t shake the mind-numbingly cold feeling that something more might happen. With clenched teeth, I spun on my heel and immediately halted.What the hell? I wasn’t sure why I still had expectations when it came to Castle Mist. Clearly nothing here worked within the fragile boundaries of logic and reason.I faced what looked to be a blank wall, solid and sturdy. There wasn’t even a glimmer of the golden rope that had once blocked this corridor. I could no longer see the foyer and the ornate front door.‘Looks like there’s no turning back.’ Rayna grimaced, skillfully hiding the unease we both felt.For once, I was incredibly thankful for my wolf. I couldn’t count the number of times Rayna had gotten on my nerves, never once failing to give me a piece of her mind. I h
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‘Putrid and rancid, it devours the weak.Living in all of us until it finds what it seeks.Consume and decay, devour and feast.To uncover the truth, you must tangle with the beast.Kind and pure, its compassion knows no bounds.Fierce and strong, you quake when it sounds.Given a choice, one you must choose.One you will gain, the other you lose.Choose wisely, dear friend, for there is a cost.To dance with the beasts is to recover what was lost.’I analyzed the words over and over again, stuck in this room with nothing better to do. I was hyper aware of the scratching against the thick doors that separated me from whatever had a hold of Abel. As I glanced back at those doors, I finally noticed the design painted and etched into the stone.The two bulls that adorned the wall, they were also on the doors. Instead of glaring at one another with hatred so profound, I shuddered; they were locked i
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“It’s you.” I groaned weakly, the stickiness of my own blood coating my lips and cheeks.Through my quickly fading vision, I could see the numerous gashes that marred my skin. A few sliced open the shirt I was wearing, making it look as though I had been attacked by a weed wacker. Some were worse than others, showing puckered skin and muscle.My stomach rolled at the sight and I forced my gaze back to those navy-blue eyes. The man who had those eyes was unassuming, as normal as anyone else. He had to have been in his fifties, with a slight spattering of salt and pepper hair. His trimmed beard matched the color of his hair, but it was his eyes that stood out. Now that I knew who those eyes belonged to, I knew I’d never miss them again.This close, I could see the depth of color in those eyes. It wasn’t just a single shade. That navy blue held clouds of plum, with a black ring around the outside. They reminded me of a night sky,
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You know how you stay up studying for a test, only to forget everything you learned while actually taking the test? That was how I felt talking to the Game Master. Once he vanished from the room with a strange shimmer, I could think of a million and one questions better suited than the ones I had asked.Great, so I knew I needed a replica of my own necklace, at the estate in this reality. I could’ve asked where it was, but I didn’t. Instead, I received a half-assed answer about the ‘ancient ones’.‘We’re still breaking into the library’s restricted section with Helena. Who knows what we might find?’ My wolf reminded me, which did help curb some of my frustration.I left the hospital nearly an hour later. I had to say, Dr. Nathanial was very thorough, checking me over nearly a dozen times to make sure I didn’t have any adverse reaction to the magical ointment. While I’m sure the emotional trauma will lin
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“Well, this is terrifying.” I hissed quietly, flinching when my voice bounced off the walls anyway.“If I had known it was like this—” Helena whispered, but her words fizzled out.“That would only make me want to go more.” I countered, trying and failing to lighten the mood.We were walking down the stairs, towards the basement of the library. It seemed basement in the Iridescence Pack meant tunnels hundreds of feet beneath the earth.I stayed at the front, whilst Helena watched our backs. Helena had fished one of those jumbo glow-sticks out of her book bag, the crisp snap echoing down the stairs.I’m not sure what was more terrifying; becoming a part of the never-ending darkness, or becoming the only source of light within that darkness. My stomach twisted into knots, forming faces and glowing eyes within the darkness. As hard as I strained my ears, I could hear nothing more than our feet scuffing ag
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Medieval looking sconces lined the shelved walls of the restricted section, casting orange light over the endless stacks that went on as far as the eye could see. It was poor lighting, but would be sufficient enough to read some words on a page. We stood at the beginning of the room, facing one of the many aisles down the endless book shelves. I peered to my left and right, seeing no notable end to the room. It must be similar to the magic at Castle Mist. The kind of magic that makes a castle span worlds and realms. My eyes scanned the bookshelves closest to us when Helena tapped on my shoulder. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and she pointed at the towering bookshelf to our left. On a golden plaque, the number ‘1’ was etched. It was a good sign, some promise that we could find our way out of this place. Helena and I locked eyes, and she spoke in a voice so low that I nearly missed the words. “Let the library take control.” She was quoting the poem Ad
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I stumbled over my words, forcing them into the space between us where they hovered like a noxious gas. “What—what do you mean? I killed Nadia…I don’t—” The Moon Goddess cut my rambling short by placing the palm of her hand against my cheek. It was something my mom had done whenever I was upset as a child, and somehow the Moon Goddess’s touch held that same level of comfort. She smiled sadly, but it was an expression of pure love and understanding. “Do not punish yourself, daughter. What was left of Nadia’s essence has returned home and rejoined that of her wolf, but her death does not mean Evil is gone from the world. Us celestial beings aren’t allowed to meet our creations, but this situation…it is unique. I’m afraid I cannot tell you much, but there is one who can.” Jumping at the chance to get some answers, to preserve the peace Dain and the warriors fought so hard for, I asked, “Who? Who can?” “It is time to awaken, daughter. It’s in the world of the living where you’ll find
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All I could do was stand there and gape at him. Honesty shone in his eyes like newborn stars, but all it did was leave me confused. I replayed the last twenty-four hours in my head, searching for the moment where I’d won the game between us.When I came up empty handed, I stammered, “I did?”Dain nodded, staring down at me with hooded eyes. “You did.”“How? When?”“As for how, that’s the part where I cheated, I’m afraid. I didn’t admit out loud what I felt for you, but I felt it nonetheless.” He admitted, a sheepish tilt to his lips. “I realized I loved you the moment those doors opened, and you appeared at the top of the steps. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget the way you looked in that gown, which I’ll have to thank Adley for when she returns. You could’ve been an assassin here to put a dagger in my heart and I would’ve gladly let you.”There was an explosion of butterflies in my chest, their wings beating so frantically that the sound of my heartbeat was drowned out.Leaning into Dain
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Epilogue – Part OneIn every book, in every movie where a great battle is fought and won, they never show what happens after.I’m not talking about the following weeks or months, but hours and days. I’m talking about when the dust has yet to settle and the ghosts of the dead still linger in the walls, when every gust of wind or insignificant sound sends you freefalling through time. When every shadow bares the face of someone you know—or worse, someone you killed. When all that’s left is this numbing sense of disbelief that tries to trick you into thinking this new reality isn’t real—that it’s all some pitiful hope conjured up by a dying, fear-riddled mind.According to Dain, it’s a time to mourn what was lost while holding those we love near, a chance to silence the ghosts that haunt us by thinking of the future we’d create. When I asked this question, my mate wasn’t the only one with an opinion. In Apollo’s not so humble words, it’s a time to get absolutely plastered and to celebrat
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The elongated claws tipped with old blood were hers. I couldn’t forget the sight of her gnarled fingers, which had once been slender and elegant, even if I tried.With a loud smack, she flattened her palm against the stone floor. A second arm shot out of the water, followed by another wet smack.‘That puddle’s not nearly big enough for what she’s trying to do…’ Rayna pointed out, her voice just as sickly as I knew my own would be.Both of Nadia’s arms were bent at odd angles as they rose from the water, but that was the least disturbing thing I witnessed as this day began to quickly unfold. Next to appear were her eyes, the whites much too large to be considered normal, followed by the jagged slash that was her smile. In the memories I’d seen, her smile had been coy and playful, with the same softness as a flower’s petals. This one was of malice and envy, both deeply disturbing and in dire need of some chapstick.Her shoulders rose from the water at the same time but were bent awkward
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It took everything within me not to flinch at the sound of her voice and how close it truly was to my ear. Only when I felt her icy talons meet my skin did I act.‘It’s showtime.’ Rayna murmured, lending me all of her strength as I willed the floor to crumble beneath my feet.Together, my wolf and I fell.Since I was prepared for the impact, it was easy to call on my magic to lessen the blow. Warm air rushed beneath my gown and outstretched arms, acting as a safety net that slowed my fall and kept me from toppling over. It wasn’t the graceful landing I’d been trying for since Nadia was doing something to block our magic, but it kept me from breaking both my ankles on the way down.I didn’t wait for the dust to settle. The moment I felt solid stone beneath my feet, I took off running.Nadia’s snarl was one of surprise and outrage, strong enough that it made the castle tremble. I didn’t repress my grin or the laughter I spewed into the air, knowing both would entice her to follow—to con
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Nadia launched herself at me, and as she did so, her hair and dress billowed out at her sides. The movement was slow and lazy, almost like she was submerged in water and not hovering a solid three feet in the air. Even though her form was translucent, and she seemed to be neither here nor there, I had a sickening feeling she could still do significant damage if I let her reach me.Instinct took over, and for once in my life, it wasn’t telling me to run.I launched the orb in my hand like it were a baseball, and watched as it spiraled through the air, a small halo of light surrounding it. When it hit its mark, square in the center of Nadia’s face, I silently thanked Aidan for teaching me all those years ago. I had hated every second of his baseball phase, but he’d been so passionate about becoming a professional athlete and whisking us away that I couldn’t resist helping him practice. After a dozen scraped knees, a handful of bruises, and one broken arm, we both called it quits.The in
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For the longest time all I could hear was the sound of stone grinding against stone.There was a painful burn in my lungs, but I didn’t dare exhale. Instead, I held my breath and watched as the corridors around me shifted. Walls slid left and right, forming new pathways that hadn’t existed before. Many changed angles, creating sharp turns that you couldn’t see coming until it was too late.Some of the windows began to close, melting away as though they’d never been there, while others grew larger. The ones that grew in size turned into arched doorways narrow enough for but one person to slip through.While the castle itself wasn’t a sentient being, every brick and inch of tiled floor was alive with Dain’s magic. I could feel it’s alluring touch within everything I altered and couldn’t help but smile at how eager it was to please me. Even the paintings responded to my call, changing forms until each one was exactly the same.The brash strokes of oil paint shimmered as they changed colo
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“My sisters, are they safe?” Aidan asked, his voice low.Even with a side view of his face, I could see the way it twisted into a concerned grimace. With eyebrows knitted tightly together and jaw clenched, he pivoted his head from left to right, peering down each corridor as we crept through another intersection. The sword he clutched in his hand, it’s metal an impenetrable black that shimmered with blood, was raised and ready for use.“Is anyone truly safe?” I asked, eyeing one of the windows warily. It would be all too easy for Nadia or one of her monsters to slip through now that the hallways were conjoined. “They’re hidden away. The fight won’t reach them.”His shoulders slumped as much as they could with the defensive stance he held, and a sigh of relief escaped his lips.“Thank the Goddess. Even though I’d see them when I got back, I’m not sure I’d be able to handle it if they were dead.”He didn’t have to explain why, not when the answer hovered in the space between us.There w
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Selfishly, I tried to call on Helios, to summon him to my side like I’d been told I could. It was what he would’ve wanted, it was why we completed the bond in the first place. The issue was that no one told me how to do it.There was a sense of awareness that settled over me, followed by a wave of understanding that told me Helios was very much alive. He was feeling it too, a subtle tug that let him know I was still here. I concentrated on my golden-haired warrior harder, imagining him as a sword sheathed at my side, ready to be used at moment’s notice.I felt that tug turn into a harsh pull, but there was no smile of victory on my face, because the milky-eyed creature at the end of the hall let out a blood-curdling wail and charged.I’d never been afraid of horror movies, not with their make-shift gore and fake blood. The knowledge that the creepy monster on the television screen wasn’t actually real was enough to smother any fear I might’ve felt. As I scrambled to get away from the
