

### Dark Genesis

by Dave Ferraro

Copyright 2013 Dave Ferraro

Smashwords Edition

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author

Hunters of the Dark series:

Her Dark Destiny (Book One)

Night Cries (Book Two)

Face the Dark (Book Three)

Dead of Night (Book Four)

The Shape of Evil (Book Five)

The Abyss (Book Six)

The Athena Corps (Book Seven)

Dark Revelations (Book Eight)

### Other books by Dave Ferraro:

Dark Genesis

Secret Santa

The Tomb

Twice Bitten

Yokai

The Young Adult Book Club

### Chapter One

She opened her eyes to darkness. A drop of cold liquid landed on her neck and collected at the hollow of her throat as she blinked, willing her eyes to adjust to her surroundings. She tentatively sat up, starting as another drop landed on her hand. A low rumble in the sky drew her eyes skyward, and she could make out ominous clouds through the skeletal arms of bare branches. Beneath the sky, however, all was draped with an inky darkness.

"What?" she asked aloud, just to hear her voice. She felt around herself, noting damp grass, and squinted into the dark, where it seemed anything could be hiding. For some reason, she felt a sense of danger, of urgency. And she thought that if she could only see what was around her, it would calm her screaming nerves. The feeling probably stemmed from her fear of what the shadows could be hiding. Slowly shifting, she stood on shaky legs, another drop of liquid catching her on the cheek. Smearing it with her left hand, she brought a sample to her lips and tasted rainwater.

Just then a streak of light crackled across the sky, briefly illuminating the darkness. And while the glimpse of her surroundings it afforded was short, it was all she needed. She drew in a shaky breath at the image imprinted on her mind, a loud groan of thunder echoing around her as she recalled the clearing surrounded by dense forest. She stood in the center of a pentagram burned into the grass, a circle of chalk sprinkled around the symbol. And just outside of the chalk was a ring of at least eight bodies. Naked, pale bodies of men and women, their throats slit, daggers still clenched in many of their hands.

She closed her eyes against the grisly scene, even though the thick darkness was enough to keep it from assaulting her sight. Where was she? What was she doing here? And then another thought rang clearly through her head, sweeping all other questions aside.

Who am I?

A sense of panic seized her as she grappled with the question. Why couldn't she remember who she was? Was she in shock? She must be. People in shock forgot everyday things all the time. And why wouldn't she be in shock, given what she'd just glimpsed of her surroundings?

Another flash of lightning startled her into opening her eyes, and her gaze fell on the still form of one of the naked women, her eyes glassy, staring lifelessly back at her, with something of a peaceful smile on her face.

Then the sky burst open.

A crack of thunder preceded the downpour by a second, and then she found herself running from the scene. She didn't think about where she was going as the rain pelted her relentlessly, soaking her clothes and chilling her skin. She glanced back once, but it was too dark to make anything out, so she faced forward, squinting in vain as she ran, hoping she wouldn't lose her footing.

She was out of breath by the time she finally tripped over a gnarled root and stumbled into the trunk of a tree. Up against the rough bark, the rain was no longer able to reach her, so she slid down the tree and let herself collapse in a heap.

In the flashes of lightning that followed, she was able to make out what she was wearing that clung to her in wake of the rain. A black cotton short-sleeved v-neck, a pair of jeans, and a pair of hiking boots. She searched for any sort of indication of her identity, but it was a futile endeavor.

Who am I?

She swallowed hard as she tried to piece together what she'd seen. Some crazy cult? But why hadn't she been hurt? It looked like some sort of insane suicide ritual at the very least, and she'd been in the center of it. Shivering, she shook her head. The more distance she put between herself and that blood-soaked clearing, the better. As soon as the rain let up, she wouldn't stop until she hit civilization.

Staring up at the sky, she willed the rain to relent, but it kept coming. Let's see, she thought, biting her lip. My parents? Do I know my parents? Nothing came to her as she tried to picture their faces.

"Damn it," she muttered, putting a hand to her head, panic gripping her chest. "What's wrong with me?" She tried again to dredge up images of friends, family, even the high school she'd gone to, but nothing came to her. And what was just as frustrating was that she could recall what high school was, and what math class was like, but not who taught her the subject or any specific memories related to it. Or any memories at all. It was like anything personal had been wiped from her mind. She could envision a toaster, but not the hand that operated it. She knew the words to her favorite song, by The Cardigans, but couldn't remember herself playing it, let alone adding it to a playlist. It drove her crazy, desperately trying to bring to mind something familiar. But nothing came.

"There's got to be something," she said to herself, shaking her head, refusing to give up. "This isn't normal." She listened to the rain as it beat against the branches of trees and the leaves of bushes, hoping that if she thought hard enough, something from her past would come rushing back to her, and she would smile and say "Oh, yeah!" But that moment didn't arrive. She kept staring thoughtfully around herself at the darkness, imagining that the darkness itself was sucking out her memories, her sense of self, and that the rest of the world would follow suit.

"What's wrong with him?" a voice asked.

"A mark just appeared on him," another replied. "Some form of magic, I'd wager. Maybe the Celts?"

She sat up, eyes widening as she looked around. She cocked her head, but the voices didn't return. Was the dark toying with her? Or was hearing voices another symptom of shock? Maybe she was going crazy. It didn't seem like much of a stretch.

Then she was able to make out something in the darkness. At first, it was like a phantom glow, a will-o-wisp dancing in the dark, but then she heard the accompaniment of hooves and more voices.

"This rain is oppressive," a man groaned, the same voice that had spoken first earlier. "Why can't we seek shelter instead of slogging through this?"

"It's not too often we get to travel in the daytime."

"I would hardly call the dark that this storm provides 'daytime.'"

Standing up, she edged closer to the light that grew nearer and nearer, until she could make out two men on horseback through the trees, some sort of light hovering between them, over their heads, to illuminate their way. For a moment, the light flickered, and the man on the left horse, an ugly blonde fellow with a wide nose and beady eyes, jerked his head back. "Hey, watch it back there."

His fellow rider, thick and well-muscled like his friend, but with a thinner face and delicate features, smirked and said loudly "They're not used to that type of magic, my friend."

Magic?

"Sod off," a woman snapped from behind them. "Perhaps if you two would stop jibber-jabbering, we could concentrate."

Frowning, Alyssa shifted and stared at the light. What made it? This light didn't seem to be natural. No fire, no electricity or gas. And it wasn't attached to anything. It seemed to be floating of its own accord. She thought for a moment that it could be a firefly, but it was too bright and was floating much too purposefully for an insect. Unless she was forgetting something... Could she even trust herself at this point? If something had happened to her mind during her shock, perhaps this was a natural phenomenon and her mind just couldn't make sense of it. She stared at the light again, but shook her head. No way. She knew how the world worked, even if her memories had faded, and that was not natural. But it couldn't be...magic, as the men had suggested. Pictures of rabbits in hats and cards up sleeves drifted through her tangled thoughts. Magic wasn't real. It was an illusion. Was this light an illusion as well?

The horses were close enough now that they were only a few yards away, and she was able to make out a procession of people following the two men on horseback. About a dozen women floated behind them neatly, their feet hovering a few inches over the ground. They all stared straight ahead, some bending their heads like they were tired, some focusing in the distance, as if contemplating. Their hair was swept up and piled high on top of each of their heads, all raven black and glossy, beautifully complimenting their bronze skin. In stark contrast to their hair were the pristine white robes they each wore like a uniform, with gold armbands below their left shoulders. And as they passed, she noted a small tattoo at the back of their necks, like brands. An image of cattle came to her mind as she watched another pair of riders come up behind them, as if corralling them. It wasn't until she thought this that she noticed the thin gold chains that linked each of their hands and feet to the girls next to them in line. It was a fine gold chain, loose and almost like decoration as it hung between them, but it was clear to her that it was more than jewelry.

But nothing here seemed possible. The lights, the floating...maybe she was dreaming and that's why she couldn't remember things about herself. She frowned, doubting herself as she noted that the rain seemed to evaporate over the heads of the women, as if it were being swallowed by something invisible. She stared in awe, wondering at the illusion.

As the final horseback riders passed, she stepped out from the protection of the tree and let the rain fall over her once more, although this time she hardly felt it. She was focused on the women in chains. She felt a need to help them somehow, even though she hardly knew what to do. And she was hardly in any condition to help herself, let alone a troop of enslaved girls.

Another light hovered between the back two riders, she noticed, and she watched it glide along with them as they marched away, and was so lost in thought that she didn't notice another light approaching from behind until she was completely illuminated.

"What?" a man made a startled sound. "Who goes there?"

She ducked out of the sphere of light and slipped behind the nearest tree as a carriage came to a stop. Two horses pulled the carriage with one man steering them, who had been the one to notice her. As the carriage came to a standstill, two more men on horses drew up and stopped as well.

"What is it?" one of the riders called out.

"A woman," the driver answered, staring into the forest near where she hid. "I couldn't see well enough to distinguish who she was, but if she's out here in this..."

The rider seemed to consider the forest and gave a curt nod to his companion. "Have the procession hold their position."

The driver gave a consenting grunt and pulled some sort of a reed out of his pocket that sounded like a long single note from a songbird when he put it up to his lips.

"Driver?" a pale hand parted the curtain at the side of the carriage, but it was too dark for her to see within.

"We will be along shortly, Master."

The hand retreated as the two riders trotted into the forest far enough away that she wasn't worried about them for the moment, but she crept further away from them nonetheless, and crouched at the base of a tree where a bush with large waxy leaves offered some coverage, but would still allow her to watch the carriage.

Who even drove a carriage anymore?

There was no movement for a couple of minutes. The driver kept sending nervous glances into the forest, but the man in the carriage remained closed from view. She did note an insignia on the door, however. That of a bat's skull with skeletal wings issuing forth from either side. She got an uneasy feeling looking at it, and reassessed the driver. He didn't look very dangerous, yet somehow she felt that he was much sharper than he let on. Beneath the nervousness he exuded was some sort of...cunning. She squinted, and nodded to herself. Yes. She could see it in his eyes. They were sharper and more observant than he let on as he sent his shaky glances into the shadows. They were nearly black and that nervous energy that made his body quiver slightly didn't quite reach them. Yes, he was a good actor, making himself look vulnerable and weak, but even beneath his baggy clothes, she could detect a solid body, well-muscled. And if he was that cunning... She looked around, trying to place the riders she had lost track of as she'd been observing the driver.

"Any luck?" the driver suddenly asked as one of the horsemen trotted into view.

The horseman shrugged. "They picked a perfect time to attack, if that's what this is. With this rain, we can't see, hear or smell a thing."

She frowned. Smell?

Something solid suddenly wrapped around her midsection and yanked her free from her hiding spot. "Well, what have we here?"

"Ah!" she cried and drove her elbow back into the man's jaw, earning a startled yelp. As he was disoriented, she took advantage of the situation to break free of his grasp and turned to deliver a solid kick to one of his knees that sent him to the ground painfully. Pressing the advantage, she pinned his arms with her legs and dug her elbow into his throat enough to make drawing breaths a struggle for him.

Suddenly, he opened his mouth and a pair of fangs slipped into place, as if coming out of sheaths from his incisors.

"Oh," she said, taking in his pale skin anew. "I see." She knew that she should be freaking out about now, but somehow her mind wouldn't let her go there. Maybe because she'd had enough freaking out. Either way, she very calmly released her elbow from his neck, to which he looked relieved.

"Alright," he said, nodding. "Now we can-"

But he didn't get to finish his sentence as she quickly snapped a sturdy branch from the bush she'd been hiding behind and in a quick, smooth motion, jabbed it through his chest.

The man looked shocked, but then he was no longer a man as his body seemed to lose its cohesion and melt, like she'd shoved a snowman into a furnace. In a handful of seconds, he was nothing at all.

But she hardly had the chance to mull over this development as the second rider pushed through the underbrush to aide his friend. "Will?"

Picking up the same branch she'd used to dispatch the first man, she turned it on the new threat as he emerged from between two trees. He barely had time to react to her presence, before he was already melting.

Dropping the branch, she stared down at her hands in wonder, marveling at how powerful she felt. She knew that it shouldn't be so easy to kill two full-grown men like that, yet it had come very naturally to her, like her instincts just knew what to do and took over for her. And the men's flesh seemed almost to part for the wood, like it was retreating from it, making it almost too easy to penetrate them with the branch. Or perhaps their flesh was welcoming death, making it as painless as possible for the eventuality. Either way, she knew that she had just killed two undead men. Vampires. And it had felt right. Like it was her purpose. And maybe it was.

She looked up as she heard more of them approach. Four more, coming back from the procession to protect their master in the carriage. The slaves weren't worth protecting, apparently.

"In the woods," the driver ordered, pointing in her direction, then recoiling slyly and watching them advance on her. But he wasn't fooling her anymore. And she knew that she could take out these four men just as easily as she had the other two.

She snapped two more sturdy, dry branches from the bush and twirled them in her hands. "I am so badass," she realized with a grin.

The noise she'd made collecting her new weapons drew her pursuers right to her. Two came at her on foot, arms swinging at her before they had a good look at what she had in her hands. She was fast and easily avoided their punches, ducking beneath one man, jabbing him quickly in the chest with a branch, before circling on the other, whom she sidestepped and knocked over with a well-placed elbow to his back. As he fell to his knees, she didn't waste any time driving the same branch that had killed his friend through his back, where it poked out the front of his shirt with a splatter of blood.

As she withdrew the wood from her most recent victim, who was already reduced to a puddle, she turned to greet the final two men, who remained mounted on their horses, and galloped toward her at full speed. The first man looked as if he hoped to trample her, but she disappointed him, diving out of the way just in time. She looked back at the other man, who had drawn his horse up to assess her. He locked eyes with her for a moment before looking at the branches in her hands. She couldn't help but grin at him as she turned back to the man who had stopped his horse to turn back for her. He'd hardly changed direction when she launched herself up the side of a tree with a running sprint, and kicked off of its trunk, propelling her body at the man and sending him off of his horse, which bucked wildly and ran off in the confusion.

She didn't get up as quickly as the man did, as the breath had been knocked out of her in the fall, but she easily fended him off as he drew a dagger and attempted to stab her with it. She kicked his weapon from his hand and rolled out of the way, buying herself enough time to jump to her feet and face him. She could tell by her stance that she was experienced in fighting. She had her guard up, and knew which weak points to watch for as he tried to break through her defenses with his blade. He snarled at her like an animal, but he didn't have the instincts she had and left himself open in a few key areas. She pressed her advantage after he tried for another swipe at her, kicking him in the side to throw him off-balance. Then she quickly moved in for the kill, with a look of satisfaction lighting up her face as she succeeded, feeling the wood slide through him and burst his heart as soon as it was pierced.

"What are you?"

She turned back to the last man on horseback, who continued to stare at her, his face astonished, paying little heed to the man who was dwindling into nothingness at her feet. She didn't know how to answer him, so she just moved into an attack stance as she faced him.

He shook his head and prodded his horse, which took off into the woods away from her. She frowned as she watched him disappear, and considered going after him. But perhaps that was what he wanted, to draw her away from the real prize, which he was also galloping away from. The thought of the carriage drew her eyes beyond the nearby trees to the driver, who was standing in his seat, trying to see through the rain and foliage, as if desperate to see her defeat.

She would have to disappoint him.

Ripping another branch from the bush, she stepped out from the cover of darkness and into the full barrage of rain. She smiled across the twenty feet that separated her from the driver as the water soaked her clothing and hair anew.

The man assessed her and cringed. "Please don't hurt me," he whimpered.

She snorted. "Please don't insult me. You can drop the act."

He seemed to consider this, then smiled at her. "Alright. You've made short work of Lord Kryd's men, so I suppose you've earned the right to a real challenge." He stepped to the edge of his seat and jumped to the ground, throwing back his traveling cloak to reveal heavy leather and several sheaths housing knives. She was correct in her assessment that he was well-built for fighting. "And I think I'll enjoy cutting that pretty face of yours like a pumpkin."

"You'll have to touch me first."

"Cyrille."

Her head snapped toward the sound of the voice, issuing from the carriage, and she was shocked to see a man climbing out of it gracefully and planting his feet lightly on the ground. He had long brown hair and was very handsome, with high cheekbones and the same pale skin as the other men in his company. Obviously a vampire. A cute vampire, but a vampire nonetheless.

"Lord?" her opponent tilted his head back but didn't take his eyes off of her, as if she were a snake that would dart in for the kill in the blink of an eye. And he very well could have been right in his assessment.

"Don't damage the face. Break her limbs if you must, but I'd like to play with her when you're through." He grinned at her, or leered really, and the once-over he gave her sent shivers up her spine, like a farmer contemplating a pig he was about to slaughter. Any initial attraction she'd felt toward him evaporated in the time it took for his words to be spoken.

And he really pissed her off, so she took that anger and focused it on Cyrille, who was bad at hiding the pleasure he felt from his master's words, despite the control he had previously demonstrated. "If you insist, my-"

She didn't let him finish the formality, darting in for a strike that she knew would not land on him. His eyes narrowed as he easily avoided her attack, and she saw his confidence swell. He kicked out at her left side and she pulled back to avoid the full brunt of the blow, letting it connect nonetheless for show. She let out a gasp and applauded herself for its authenticity. Cyrille wasn't the only good actor here.

"Finish this," Lord Kryd sighed, looking disappointed.

Cyrille snarled, not looking very pleased about cutting the fight short, but he obeyed, pulling one of his daggers free of his belt. He spun it for show, much as she had done with her branches in the wood, before moving in for a killing blow.

She had purposely lowered her defenses on her left side and feigned moving in to protect her exposed side, just as he would expect. When he shifted direction to attack the side she would have instinctively left unguarded in favor of where he was attacking, she was ready for him, and saw the surprise in his eyes as she easily disarmed him with a powerful blow to his wrist, and in one swift motion, twirled around and shoved one of her stakes into his back.

He let out a faint gasp before melting. She watched him disappear with pleasure.

"Bravo," Lord Kryd said, clapping. "I certainly wasn't expecting that. You were toying with him all along, weren't you?"

She glanced up at him warily, taking in his relaxed stance, leaning against the carriage as if a deadly woman weren't standing a few feet away. He didn't seem the least bit shaken by what he'd witnessed, but watched her with renewed interest. But if he wasn't afraid of her after she'd killed all of his men, including Cyrille, who was obviously his personal bodyguard as well as his driver, then she felt she should be concerned. Or she could shove his overconfidence right down his throat like she had his guard's.

"You're no vampire," he observed.

"Of course not," she scoffed.

"But you would like to be."

"I really don't think I would."

He looked surprised. "I offer you immortality and you would turn me down? My child, do you know who I am? I rule this land. You could have everything."

"Yet I feel rather unmoved to accept."

"Very well," he shrugged, as if she was of passing interest. Then he snapped his fingers and a pink mist surrounded her.

She blinked at the vapor, which reminded her of cotton candy. An image of the wispy candy on a white paper cone invaded her mind, and she was again frustrated by the impersonal impression she had conjured.

"You can not move of your own volition," Lord Kryd said in a voice that was almost bored. "Usually I instruct you not to feel pain as well, but I think I would like to see you in pain."

"You wish," she said, waving her hands in front of her face to dissipate the mist. She stepped forward and gave pause when she took in his incredulous look. In fact, he looked downright shocked. His eyes were wide, his jaw open. His skin looked even more pale, if that was possible. She smiled at the look. He didn't seem so bored now.

"How?" He shook his head. "It isn't possible. You have to...you can't..."

She moved toward him and he shrank back, his eyes watching her approach like she was a monster. Ironic, really.

When she was within inches of him, she stared him down with a look that she hoped made him lose control of his bowels. "Don't worry," she told him, "I won't touch the face."

He seemed unable to defend himself, and braced himself for death like a coward, with eyes closed.

But before she ran him through with the branch, her eyes fell to a mark that was burned into the hollow of his throat. She paused and frowned at the fresh red mark, shaped like a pentagram. It looked raw, as if it had only recently been singed into his skin.

"What is this?" she asked, daring to touch the mark, its edges raised and painful against the stark white of his flesh.

Lord Kryd opened his eyes, fear still haunting them, but a glimmer of hope appeared in their depths as well. He swallowed hard and hesitantly brought a hand up to touch the burn. "It only appeared less than an hour ago, out of nowhere really. One minute I was fine, and the next, I felt an agonizing burning pain and this mark was left behind."

She stared into his eyes and realized that he was speaking the truth. The mark in the field where she had awoken had been a pentagram, and she would have only come to about the same time as this mark had appeared on him. It couldn't be a coincidence, could it? Had whoever had done...whatever to her...caused this? But what could the connection be between this mark and that awful scene? "It just appeared? While you were in your carriage?"

He nodded. "If you let me live, I will-"

She didn't let him finish the thought, however, as she shoved the branch deep into his chest, feeling satisfaction flow through her as he melted before her eyes.

And something else flowed through her as well. She gasped as images assailed her mind.

She saw a house in a small neighborhood, an elderly man rocking on the front porch in a sturdy chair. Her grandfather. She knew it was her grandfather and tears came to her eyes at the memory as he leaned forward and smiled down at her. "What have you got there? A frog?" he asked. She stared up at his kind eyes and nodded shyly. He reached down with a hand covered in age spots and touched the frog's head, which began to squirm in her hands as he attempted to pet it. Then it leapt free and she shrieked with pleasure, watching it hop off of the porch.

"It got away," she said.

Her grandfather put a hand on her shoulder gently. "As it should, Alyssa. You can't keep them as pets. They need to be free, where they can hop around and play. You wouldn't like to be caged up, would you?"

She shook her head.

"I didn't think so."

The edges of the memory began to darken and she realized that the images were leaving her. "No," she gasped, trying to hold on to it futily. And then it was gone. She was on her knees in the rain again, her Jeans soaked in the mud, a branch on the ground in front of her where Lord Kryd used to be.

"Grandfather," she murmured, recalling his wrinkled face and the wisp of white hair at the top of his head, like a tuft of cotton candy. She smiled at that, before replaying their exchange again in her head.

Then she stood up and turned around, shocked to find an audience observing her. The women in chains watched her, their eyes wide as they took her in. They must have walked back to the carriage as the fight had raged, and had approached after Lord Kryd had fallen. She stared back at them for a moment, unsure of what to say, when the girl in front seemed to find her voice. She was shorter than the others, with an innocence on her face that was immediately disarming. "Who...are you?" she asked hesitantly.

Smiling, and with new confidence, she answered. "Alyssa."

### Chapter Two

Alyssa fumbled through the carriage, looking for the key to the chain that bound the girls to one another. There were drawers full of precious gems and jewelry at the base of each of the seats, and she pulled them open unceremoniously in her search. After a few minutes of feverish examination, she pulled open a drawer with a single gold key in it. She hoped that was it.

She picked it up and looked it over for a moment, before she was distracted by the window. With the dark curtain in place over the glass, and the door open behind her to allow light to trickle in, she was able to see a faded reflection of herself. She smiled at the image of a girl perhaps twenty years in age. She had olive-colored skin and green eyes with gold flecks in them that made them seem bright in the gloomy interior. Her hair was cut short, above her shoulders, which she appreciated, as it wouldn't get in the way in a fight. But she didn't recognize the face. It was beautiful, with nice bone structure and full lips, but it didn't bring any memories along with it. Presumably, she had stared into a mirror every day for her entire life, primping and getting ready. How could such daily regimens have been so completely erased from her mind? Why did staring into her own eyes feel like looking at a stranger?

She stuck her tongue out at herself, chuckling at the image it produced. Then, shaking her head, she pulled herself out of the carriage.

The timid girl at the front of the women smiled when she saw the key in her hand. "Is that it?" She had long hair that shone with health in the light of the balls glowing overhead. Her face was rather plain compared to many of the beauties in the crowd, but it contained solid features and a nice petite nose. Her wide eyes made her seem younger than she probably was, which Alyssa would guess to be around seventeen.

"I hope so," Alyssa said, striding up to her quickly. She glanced down into the girl's face before looking at the keyhole on the chain between her wrists, deciding that the girl's delicate frame, coupled with her shy smile, made her seem rather vulnerable, like Alyssa felt a need to protect her. She gave off the vibe of a little sister or something similar. "What's your name?"

"My name?" The girl looked surprised at the question. "I'm Beth. Well, Elizabeth, but Beth for short."

"Nice to meet you, Beth," Alyssa said, turning the key in the lock. Immediately, the chains fell from Beth's hands and ankles, and initiated a chain reaction, as they fell away from the other girls as well. Alyssa didn't quite understand it, since there was no apparent mechanism that had kept the chain fastened that would need a key, but it didn't seem as if she understood a lot here. She suspected that magic was indeed very real wherever she happened to be, as impossible as that seemed, and she would have to accept that for now, until she could get some answers. Perhaps, she would have the chance to get answers sooner rather than later though, she decided as she watched Beth rub her wrists.

"Thank you," the girl said, looking up at her through long eyelashes.

"You're thanking her?"

Alyssa glanced up to see a tall beauty striding up to her purposefully. She held her head high, and despite the scowl that was currently etched on her face, she was perhaps the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen. Well, that she knew of.

The girl's deep brown eyes sent daggers into Alyssa's as she drew up to her, arms folded over her chest. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

Looking taken aback, Alyssa sent a confused glance in Beth's direction. "Um...saving you?"

"Saving us?" the girl scoffed. "Really? Or condemning us?"

Beth stepped forward. "Vessa..."  
"Oh, hush, Beth. Stay quiet and passive like you usually do."

Flinching at the words, Beth looked away and pressed her lips into a thin line.

"What's your problem?" Alyssa demanded, suddenly feeling angry at this bully.

"My problem," Vessa said, "Is that you just killed Lord Kryd, our protector. We had a nice comfy gig with him, living in luxury, not out in the wild fending for ourselves against all of the creatures that could tear us apart. Yeah, sorry if I'm not grateful that you destroyed our lives, but just what the hell are we supposed to do now? Huh? Can you tell me that?"

Alyssa opened and closed her mouth, unsure of what to say. "I don't-"

"Giver her a break, Vessa," Beth suddenly looked up. "We were slaves. Whores. Now we're not."

Vessa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we had to sacrifice a little blood and entertain Kryd's guests. Not much to ask for with what we got in return, if you ask me. Protection, a full stomach, a roof over our heads." She looked up at the rain that still vanished about a foot overhead. "Where do we go now? To the rebels? Because that seems to be our only option now."

"I'll bring you to them," Alyssa offered, not meeting her eyes. "If you're worried about protection, I mean."

Vessa snorted. "Are you..." She put a hand to her head and turned to Beth. "Is she an idiot?" She shook her head and stomped away into the treeline, a few of the girls following her after sending disgusted looks Alyssa's way.

Alyssa watched Vessa's retreating form and glanced down at Beth uncertainly. "I did something wrong."

"No, you didn't," Beth assured her. "You did what you thought was right." She pursed her lips. "And it might be right for some people, but not for everybody."

"Did you want your freedom, at least?"

Beth hesitated, but nodded. "Ultimately, it's a good thing. Short term, we had a good thing going, but once Kryd lost interest in us, he would have killed us."

Alyssa didn't look convinced, but nodded.

Beth watched her for a moment. "You seem a little confused about the order around here."

"Is it that obvious?"

Smirking, Beth nudged her. "Come on, it's getting close to night time. We can create a fire to keep the darkness at bay, and I can answer some of the questions you may have."

"That would be nice."

***

Most of the girls lay on soft beds of moss and pine needles, getting as comfortable as they could on the forest floor, staying near the fire to ward off the frosty caress of night. Alyssa, wishing to be discreet, sat with Beth near enough for the flickering firelight to wash over their faces, but far enough away to have a conversation without anyone overhearing them. They leaned against the sturdy weight of a fallen tree and watched the other girls settle in for the evening, the fire making popping noises every so often to keep them from growing too relaxed.

Not that Alyssa could relax anyway. The girls...were powerful. If the floating and glowing lights weren't enough of an indication of what they were capable of, their fire-creating skills drove the point home. Alyssa was amazed at the craft that seemed to come so easily to these girls, as they'd conjured a fire out of nowhere after they'd gathered the wood for it to devour, like some sort of sacrifice. They hadn't even said a word to one another, but had stared at the wood and blew some invisible substance from their hands toward the pile of logs and leaves. And then WHOOSH! There was a roaring fire.

First vampires, then the abilities of these women...Alyssa wondered what else was in store for her in this strange place. Vampires were creatures from books and movies. Magic, witches...they were wishful thinking. Escapism. So, how could they be real here? Or was she dreaming? Maybe she was in a coma, or in a nice comfy insane asylum somewhere, hopped up on too many meds to differentiate reality from fantasy. Or perhaps she'd read Harry Potter one too many times and was suffering the consequences.

"At least it stopped raining," Beth observed, breaking through her troubled thoughts.

"Small favors," Alyssa smiled, looking skyward along with her companion. She frowned then and sat up straight, squinting through the trees. The moon was half-full and blood red. It looked unnatural...and eerie, like a portent of something evil. "The moon's red tonight."

"Tonight?" Beth laughed. She rolled over and looked at Alyssa, an amused expression on her face.

Alyssa forced a laugh and shared a smile with her before sending a questioning look up at the sky. Was the moon always red here? Where the hell was she? And how did she get here? If only she could remember, perhaps things would begin making sense. It all had to have started with that ritualistic suicide. Perhaps if she could figure out what that meant, she would understand why she was here...and how to get home.

"Put a cloak on that thing," Vessa ordered some of the girls, gesturing toward the fire. "We don't want to attract any ticks."

Alyssa watched as the girls held hands around the fire and began to chant, in compliance, the flames adding a dream-like quality to their faces as it caused shadows to dance over their features. After a few minutes, they dispersed.

They sat in silence for a little while, Alyssa observing the moon as the clouds lazily drifted through the sky, obscuring it at times, and clearing to reveal it in all its majesty at others. Alyssa cleared her throat. "So...you were going to explain things to me."

Beth nodded and sent her a sidelong glance. "What do you want to know?"

Alyssa sighed. "That's a very good question."

"Well, where are you from?"

"From? Alyssa echoed.

"It's not a difficult question," Beth grinned.

"It is for me." She sighed, looking over at Beth with her wide innocent eyes and disarming smile. She wondered if she could trust her. After all, Cyrille had been an amazing actor. She couldn't go around opening up to everyone. And this place was dangerous and unnatural. Completely foreign to the natural laws that she knew. She had to keep her guard up. She could play along and get the information she needed to get by, and that would have to do for now. Taking a deep breath, she decided it best to ignore the question, sending the girl a gentle hint that she didn't want to talk about herself, and ask a question of her own to distract her. "Tell me about Lord Kryd."

Beth watched her for a moment, a look of disappointment passing over her face before she answered. "Well, Lord Kryd is one of the rulers of this continent. He's one of Lady Blood's generals."

"He rules all of the vampires in this area?"

"Yes. He has his lieutenants and captains beneath him, of course, governing different areas for him, but you just destroyed that order when you destroyed him."

Alyssa swallowed hard. "Oh."

Beth smiled. "I'm surprised you hadn't heard of him. His powers to control people made him a formidable opponent that no one could best. Yet you seemed to walk through his magic like it was nothing."

"I'm tougher than I look," Alyssa said vaguely.

"Apparently. Of course he kept a harem in different territories, like most rulers, but we were his favorites. He was transporting us to the central plains, where he was going to vacation for the summer."

"So, is everyone ruled over by the vampires?"

Beth blinked at her, then nodded slowly. "On this continent, of course. Although there are demon rulers and powerful sorcerers that rule other lands. Most of them answer to Lady Blood, though."

"Of course." Alyssa tried not to blink as she met Beth's searching look.

Shrugging, Beth leaned back against the tree. "Of course there are rebels who have evaded the monsters and refuse to bow down to them. But their lives are difficult, and they are confined to fortresses they can only venture out from during the day, always defending themselves from enemies. It's not a pretty life, and it's certainly not one any would wish to lead, which is why Vessa and some of the others are upset. They would rather let the flesh of the undead violate them than know the discomfort of constant war and hopelessness. The rebels can never win. They can only defend themselves against the onslaught of darkness, which is a constant threat. But...they are free."

Alyssa nodded.

"But I'm boring you. You already know this."

"No, no. It's nice to hear your perspective," Alyssa insisted.

Beth looked unconvinced, but continued. "Many of the girls here will probably surrender once the battle over who will take Lord Kryd's place is figured out. But I have a feeling that one little taste of freedom in the sanctuary of a rebel base will convince many of them that there are things worth fighting for." She smiled at Alyssa. "Friends, family...most of these girls have lost all that they've ever known already. Becoming attached to a new coven will rouse a fire in them anew, and the comfort provided by the enemy that they received so willingly will seem a traitorous, shameful memory."

"Change can be difficult for people," Alyssa said, cocking her head. "I'm sorry, you used the term 'coven' before. Are all of these girls witches?"

Beth laughed out loud, covering her mouth when some of the girls near the campfire threw them questioning looks. She shook her head as she turned to Alyssa. "You act like you know nothing at all. It's strange. Why are you making me verbalize things with obvious answers?"

Alyssa swallowed past a lump in her throat. "Like I said before, your perspective is interesting. You see things very differently from girls like Vessa, and rebels see things very differently from you. I like hearing how people say things, the terms they use, the sentences they use to describe them. It's these details that are very telling."

"You're very astute," Beth decided, turning this over in her mind.

"Or very clever," a voice said behind them.

Alyssa stiffened as Vessa stepped out from the shadows of a nearby tree.

"Vessa!" Beth stood up quickly, as if she'd been caught doing something wrong. "What are you doing, listening in on us? You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Oh, put a sock in it, prim-and-proper. I wasn't about to put my life, and the lives of all of the girls, in the hands of a psychopath. She could be a wolf for all we know, building us up to tear us down. And you're way too gullible to see people's true colors beyond all of the showmanship."

Beth huffed, but didn't say anything to that.

Vessa turned to Alyssa and looked her up and down. "Why are you asking such basic questions? It's almost as if you're not from here at all."

"Well, that's silly," Alyssa snorted.

"Is it?" She crossed her arms and waited for Alyssa to say something. When she didn't, Vessa's eyes blazed. "No way do you get to clam up on me here. You got us into a serious situation here. Life and death. So you don't get to pick and choose who you share information with. You owe us. You owe me."

Beth stepped between them and glared at Vessa. "She doesn't owe us anything, Vessa."

"I'm not talking to you, pipsqueak. I'm talking to the girl who walked through Kryd's spell like it was tissue paper."

"Stop being such-"

"No," Alyssa stood up and put a hand on Beth's shoulder, deciding to meet the challenge. "It's okay, Beth. Thank you, but she does deserve the truth."

Vessa grinned triumphantly, flashing a smile at Beth. "Good. Now that we're all agreed on that..."

Alyssa met her grin with a similar smile, the challenge still in both of their eyes as they regarded one another. "Take a seat, Vessa." She gestured to the bed of pine needles and moss in front of the fallen tree.

Hesitating for a moment, Vessa complied, positioning herself with Beth between them. Once they'd settled, Vessa looked over at Alyssa expectantly. "Okay. Now spill."

Alyssa took a shaky breath, her mind already running through a dozen different approaches she could take. She decided on one that was close to the truth, even if she wouldn't be laying everything on the table. "Some witches used a spell on me that made me forget things. Some very basic things. I...don't even really know who I am."

"Like amnesia?" Beth clarified.

"Yes."

Vessa watched her for a moment, as if looking for a sign that she was lying, then nodded. "Okay. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"That's why you were asking such strange questions," Beth murmured, putting a thoughtful finger up to her lips. "I thought it was some sort of exercise."

"I'm sorry that I kept this from you," Alyssa said softly, touching Beth's arm.

Beth met her gaze and smiled warmly at her. "It's okay. Really. I'm just glad we got that out of the way. It will make things much easier in the future, without having to play these games."

Alyssa felt a small amount of pressure lift from her shoulders at the confession. What she said was true. She just hadn't shared that this world was so strange to her. She could live with that for now.

"Who did this to you?" Vessa asked, leaning back.

"I have no clue," Alyssa shrugged. "I awoke like this in a field, in the middle of a pentagram that was burned into the ground. Men and women were...they had killed themselves nearby."

Vessa blinked. "Are you sure they killed themselves? They weren't murdered?"

"Some of them still had daggers in their hands. And they looked...like they hadn't struggled."

"A pentagram," Vessa mumbled. "It's something to go on, at least." She glanced up at Alyssa. "And what about Kryd's spell? How did you avoid its hold?"

"I have no idea."

"What's your power set?" Beth asked, frowning.

Alyssa blinked. "Power set?" She watched as Vessa and Beth exchanged shocked looks. She sat up, a little worried by their reaction. "What?"

Beth touched her shoulder and leaned forward. "Everyone is born with some magic in their veins. It manifests in different ways for different people."

"Everyone?" she looked to Vessa for confirmation.

Vessa met her gaze with something of pity in her eyes. "Yes. Everyone on Earth is born a witch."

### Chapter Three

It seemed like the air was holding its breath for her reaction. Time seemed to slow as she measured the looks in her companions' faces for humor. But there wasn't a hint of it. Everyone in this world was a witch. They all had magical powers. Where the hell was she?

"You look pale," Beth whispered. She searched her face for a moment, then glanced back at Vessa uneasily. "Vessa?"

Vessa leaned forward and touched Alyssa's hand. Alyssa stared down at Vessa's hand on hers, a light golden glow like sunlight seeping from beneath her fingers. She watched the light in fascination, then looked up at Beth with a smile, meeting an expectant look from the girl. Suddenly feeling a moment of panic, Alyssa realized that Vessa was performing magic on her. Magic that she wasn't feeling any effects from. Just like with Kryd. Swallowing hard, Alyssa forced a look of amazement and appreciation onto her face. Again, she was pleasantly surprised by her authenticity as she pulled her hand away from Vessa's and stared down at it in something like wonder. She didn't see any lingering glowing or discoloration or anything. It looked just like it had before Vessa had touched it. "What was that?" she breathed, rubbing her wrist.

"I secrete pheromones from my pores," Vessa said, smiling. "I'm basically a walking herb garden. With physical contact, I can alter people's emotional states." She shrugged like it was no big deal. "It's actually more of a push in a direction than anything, but it comes in handy, especially in a...a harem."

Alyssa nodded slowly as she digested this. She hadn't felt any shift in mood. She was somehow immune to the magic used on her. "That's some power."

She glanced over at Beth, who smiled sheepishly. "I can make things glow," the girl announced shyly. "It's not as awesome as what Vessa can do, I know, but not very many witches are very powerful. Magic is usually pretty weak in individuals. They can make sparks, cool a beverage, make plants grow faster...that sort of thing. People like Vessa and Kryd are rare."

Vessa massaged her hand. "It takes a lot out of me though. I won't be able to do that again for awhile. I have to recharge. Rest and eat to get another burst of power like that."

Alyssa frowned. "But what about the campfire? And the rain disappearing over your heads?"

"Covens can do more than an individual," Beth said.

"There's that word again."

Vessa smirked. "A coven is a group of witches. Oftentimes, it's family and friends. Or it used to be anyway. In Kryd's stronghold, it was the harem. Many rebel bases can't be picky, so it's the community that lives together. They share a bond, protect one another. At least that's how it usually goes. But a coven is basically a fancy way of saying a big group of witches who use their collective magic to create bigger magic. And the bigger the coven, the stronger they tend to be."

"But covens are usually pretty small these days," Beth threw in. "Rebels are scattered and weak, as the monsters want them to be. There are some fortresses with a few thousand witches, but that's very rare."

"You have a power set too," Vessa said, watching her. "You may not know what it is right now, but it will manifest. Actually, if you survived what Kryd threw at you, you may already have manifested it. Something defensive." She shrugged. "We'll figure it out."

Alyssa considered how she had survived her encounter with Kryd. She certainly hadn't felt anything magical. So what had it been?

Beth yawned and stretched her arms out over her head.

"I think it's time to call it a night," Vessa suggested, throwing Alyssa a look. "We can answer more questions tomorrow. Right now, you should get some sleep. I'll take first watch."

Alyssa conceded and lay next to Beth on the surprisingly comfortable bedding they'd gathered. Within a minute, Beth was sound asleep, breathing deeply through her mouth. But Alyssa had way too many unanswered questions swirling around in her head to allow for sleep. She shifted position and glanced over at the fire, where she could see Vessa looking over the girls vigilantly. She may seem tough and come across as rather bitchy at times, but she obviously felt responsible for the people here. Her coven.

Sighing, Alyssa closed her eyes and willed sleep to come, trying to ignore the energy that still coursed through her veins. She hadn't missed Vessa's use of the word "Earth" earlier. If this was Earth, it seemed very different from the one she was from. People used carriages and had harems, like it was The Dark Ages. Magic was commonplace. Either something very strange had happened to her world or this wasn't her world at all. She was leaning toward the latter.

***

It was three days' journey by foot to the nearest rebel base. Vessa had heard about it from a pair of vampire men she'd been entertaining who'd had too much to drink and thought her of little consequence. "It's a gated village with powerful magic protecting it," she related as they walked. "The vampires have tried various means to try to penetrate its defenses, but have found no weak point yet. We may stand a chance of surviving there."

"Maybe they would even let us stay," Beth beamed. "We could start a new life."

Alyssa was happy to be going somewhere with other people. Around others, she could get lost and avoid questions. She stood out too much with this small pack of women watching her every move, with no chance of even a brief escape. Not that they besieged her with questions or anything. Aside from Vessa and Beth, the girls left her alone and were quite quiet. But still, she felt much too exposed among them. At the rebel base, she would also have access to more information. Information that could help her get closer to the truth of what had happened to her, and how she could regain her memories as well as her life, wherever that happened to be.

They always traveled by day. Beth had explained that it was much safer then on their second night of camping out, this time finding the more promising shelter of a cave. "Most monsters are nocturnal. Unlike vampires, many of them can be out during the day, but they hunt better under cover of darkness."

"So, it's much better if we stay in one place to protect ourselves and stay out of their way," Vessa added. "No point in drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves."

Alyssa nodded as she walked with them slowly through the forest near the cave, where they gathered wood for a fire. She kicked at a pile of leaves and unearthed a dry branch that looked perfect to feed the flames, and paused to shake off a grasshopper that clung to it. Leaning the branch against her shoulder, she watched Vessa struggle to pull a branch out of a ditch, stripping it of its fanning twigs to make it easier to carry. "So, what else is out there?" Alyssa asked. "I mean, what could be worse than vampires?"

Vessa smirked as she snapped a large twig from the branch. "Plenty. Soul-eating demons, blood-sucking ticks, feral beasts like werewolves, and, well, there are powerful witches who have gone mad with power and have become...something else. But that's how everything evil and unnatural began here. Demons were summoned by witches seeking more power. Necromancers wanted to command their own armies of undead. That sort of thing."

Alyssa looked thoughtful. "Obviously Kryd had powers, because he was a witch before he was changed into a vampire."

"Of course. And vampires rose, again, from a greedy witch who desired immortality, not realizing that her blood sacrifice would be an ongoing offering to sustain her body. Who said that God doesn't have a sense of humor?"

"You believe in God in a forsaken place like this?" Alyssa asked before she could stop herself.

Vessa sent her a questioning look before glancing up ahead, where Beth stooped to pick up more kindling, out of hearing range. "Sometimes God is all we have to keep going," she said softly. "This is a brutal world we live in. One that girls like Beth don't deserve to have to suffer through."

Alyssa frowned, looking at Vessa carefully. "Are you saying that you deserve this?"

"No. Nobody does. I just mean the really innocent, trusting ones don't last long." She nodded toward Beth. "She means well, tries to be nice and charitable. Those are just luxuries you can't afford when survival is so hard to come by and wolves are waiting in the wings to devour the weak when they stumble." She sighed. "It frankly exhausts me to try to watch out for her."

"Which is why you were so harsh when she reached out to me after my confrontation with Kryd."

Vessa smiled at her. "I was probably more scared of not knowing what was going to happen to us than anything, and I lashed out. But yeah, she got lucky when she addressed you, I think. This time. It won't hold out, however. You could have just as easily been a werewolf and torn her to shreds." She shook her head. "Maybe this village will be exactly what she needs. A watchful eye, a supportive coven. They could give her a fighting chance. The sort of chance she won't have out here."

"I would assume that most of the girls would want to stay."

"You didn't give us many choices when you dispatched Kryd."

Alyssa took in her smile as she said that and returned the grin. "You will stay too?"

The girl shrugged. "Perhaps. I'm not leaving one comfy prison to take a step down to another one." She cocked her head. "What about you?"

Sighing, Alyssa shrugged. "I need answers. If I can't find them, I'll move on."

Vessa watched as Beth trudged back toward them, her arms full. "There are answers out there for you. A powerful ritual like that...they wanted you to forget something. You just have to look in the right place."

Alyssa nodded as Beth rejoined them. She hadn't told them about the pentagram on Kryd, and certainly not about her immunity to the effects of magic. They seemed like people she could trust, but it was better not to rely on anybody in her quest for the truth, especially in a world so different, populated by very different people. With the harsh reality of this life, people could be unpredictable here, perhaps not as trustworthy. While the need to confide in somebody was strong, she didn't think it worth the risk unless she was sure it had the possibility of producing some results.

"Are you two telling secrets?" Beth teased as they began to walk back toward camp.

"Not at all," Alyssa replied, a small smile on her face. "A secret can't be something everybody knows. It's obvious that you're trouble."

Beth rolled her eyes. "Please. I'm just glad you two are getting along. Even if it is at my expense."

Vessa and Alyssa shared a smile. "You might be a better judge of character than I expected," Vessa said.

"Damn straight."

Vessa chuckled and shook her head.

"I like this," Beth said, a dreamy expression coming over her face. "Joking, laughing. It wasn't like this in the harem."

Alyssa frowned. "What was it like?"

"It was a prison, but a beautiful prison. High, stone walls encircling a pleasure palace. There was a beautiful garden with a fountain where we lounged about during the day, and a room full of silk and satin to sleep in, beds everywhere. We didn't have much privacy, and there were always guards, always someone watching us." Beth shook her head. "Kryd would bring men in, his guests, to look us over, like they were assessing livestock, then they would pick one or more of us to entertain them. Serve them drinks, cuddle up to them, flatter them, then lie with them. We didn't dare laugh or draw attention to ourselves at all, because we could catch their eye."

"Was it that bad?"

Vessa snorted. "It could be bad."

"Not all of them were though," Beth protested.

"A lot of them were rough and didn't care if they hurt us," Vessa said, her eyes flashing. "Like I said, it was better than the sort of life we were used to before we came to Kryd. Many of us were orphans or half-starved before coming to him, but we earned our keep. Kryd didn't really care about us. If our faces were one big bruise after entertaining a guest, he would just send us to the infirmary to heal until we were ready to be put out on display again. If a guest drained one of us accidentally, they paid a little gold for the inconvenience of replacing the girl. We were always holding our breaths, trying to blend in and hoping that the girl next to them would be the one chosen. It was like he pit us against one another."

"But he fed us and clothed us, was even affectionate toward us, almost fatherly even."

"Except during the three days of the full moon," Vessa sighed. "It was a constant party every month during that time. None of us saw each other. We were always with one guest or another, since the palace was always full of guests reveling in drink and sex. Probably avoiding the werewolves outdoors. During that time, we fended for ourselves."

"Yeah, I didn't like the full moon nights," Beth agreed, shuddering.

Vessa put a hand on her shoulder and Alyssa smiled at the gesture. The hardship that they'd shared had obviously had the adverse effect of bringing them closer in the end, however. Something good could come out of something as awful as what they'd experienced.

### Chapter Four

There was a stream near where they stopped the next night. Before the other girls were up, she left a quiet watchful girl named Pip to her sentry duty and took off to get cleaned up. Since she'd awoken to the horrors of that clearing, Alyssa hadn't had a private moment to bathe, and she found herself craving that more than anything. Especially after she'd gotten a look at herself in Vessa's mirror the other day. She looked frightful, her face dirty and her hair tangled. She didn't know how the other girls managed to remain so presentable, but they'd probably had plenty of practice in the harem. And they hadn't gotten into a fight with half a dozen vampires recently.

Following the sound of the flowing water, she reached it before the sun had even peeked over the horizon. She followed the stream north a ways, intrigued by the loud crashing noises she heard further upstream.

A crackling sound up ahead, in the trees to the left drew her attention, and she paused, squinting into the shadows of the wood. She saw a shadow, something large, move through the underbrush. Then she heard a sort of buzzing. She cocked her head and watched the area for another minute, but it seemed that whatever it had been had moved on. Probably a deer coming to get a drink of water from the stream. And perhaps a bee or fly nearby. There must have been plenty of wildlife around.

The sound of crashing water grew in volume the further she traveled along the riverbank and before long, she saw that the source of the noise was a waterfall, dropping from a rock shelf a hundred feet above into a wide pool of water before it continued to snake through the woods as a stream.

Alyssa couldn't help but smile as she approached the water's edge. The pool looked so inviting, so crystal clear that she could see the rocky bottom. She quickly slipped out of her clothes and waded into the water, trying to ignore the cold caress of the water as she plunged in.

A contented sigh escaped her as she ducked her head beneath the water and scrubbed at her skin. She could have gone for a bar of soap or a lufa, but just the feeling of being clean was nice in itself. Working out the snarls in her hair, she admired her surroundings and felt at ease for the first time in days. With no one around watching her, she let her guard drop and she splashed around in the water playfully, letting out a laugh as she accidentally splashed herself full in the face.

She heard a loud splash behind her, and turned toward the direction of the falls. She instantly stilled, wading in the water as she watched the falls relentlessly buffet the water below. She couldn't hear anything over the noise it made, and after no one surfaced after a minute, she presumed the noise she'd heard had been from herself, especially since she saw nothing beneath the water. She kept a wary eye out however. One of the girls could have easily followed her and snuck in to watch her. She thought about the shadow she'd seen in the woods and shuddered. She really didn't know this world well at all. Perhaps there were dangers that she knew nothing about. Glancing over at her pile of clothes on the shore, she decided that she'd wasted enough time, and began to make her way back.

The first thing she felt was a little nudge by her foot, and she thought that she'd perhaps scraped the bottom of the water. She continued along without another thought until she felt a tug. The next thing she knew, she was under the surface, something pulling her relentlessly to the bottom and dragging her back toward the falls.

Alyssa kicked out in response and landed on something solid, but whatever it was wasn't deterred by her whatsoever.

Blinking her eyes, she let her eyes adjust as she tried to calm down. Panicking wouldn't help, but would cause her to waste air and lose consciousness for...whatever it was that had hold of her.

She'd seen enough horror movies to equate what she saw with The Creature From the Black Lagoon. It was some sort of fish creature, with light gray scales covering its body, allowing it to blend in with the pool floor, and large slits for lungs on either side of its neck. Its eyes looked back at her blankly, large black pools with a thin membrane covering them, but cold and emotionless...like a fish.

Gathering herself for an attack, she went limp for a moment, relaxing her muscles and letting the water wash over her, then she tucked in and pounced toward the creature. But she was moving much too slowly under the water, and the creature saw her coming. It adjusted its position to avoid her and continued towing her.

By this time, Alyssa's lungs were protesting fiercely, demanding oxygen in burning waves that she could hardly ignore much longer. She fought every instinct in her body to open her mouth and breathe, keeping tight lipped and trying frantically to come up with another option.

Through the turbulent water at the base of the waterfall, Alyssa spied a hole in the rock wall, and she had little doubt that that was where the creature had come from, and where it was going to take her, probably for dinner.

A fish eating me, she thought wildly. What kind of a world was this?

She made one last attempt at freeing herself, twisting her body to get her free foot around the creature's neck. But again, she was too slow, and this was his territory. He swatted her leg away and righted her body with little effort, demonstrating remarkable strength.

She was beginning to see black fuzzy spots on the periphery of her vision, and she knew she didn't have much longer to escape the creature. But just then, something flashed through the water with lightning speed, clipping the creature's arm, and startling it enough to loosen its grip. With one last burst of strength, Alyssa yanked her arm from its hold and kicked off the bottom of the pool.

When she crashed through the surface a moment later, she gulped in a breath of air deeply, and wondered at its ability to instantly revive her. Then she wasted little time in making for the shore again, greedily sucking in lungfuls of air at every opportunity.

"Are you okay?" Vessa asked, greeting her at the edge of the water.

Alyssa was still struggling to catch her breath, so she merely nodded.

Vessa put an arm around her as they stared back at the depths of the pool, where the sea creature waded near the falls, watching them with its black eyes.

"How...did you know?" Alyssa managed to get out.

"Pip woke me up," Vessa shrugged, interpreting her question. "Don't blame the girl. They still don't really trust you yet. I'm just glad that she was sharpening a branch while she was keeping watch and I thought to bring it, otherwise this could have turned out very differently."

"Lucky, I guess," Alyssa agreed, standing up straight and watching the creature, which still hadn't moved. She glanced over at Vessa. "What is it? And what's it doing?"

Vessa shaded her eyes from the sun rising across the shore, hitting her full in the face. "That is the result of another coven gone wrong. No one knows what they were attempting, but the entire coven turned into those things. Fish-Men. I'd thought they were all dead, actually. No one's seen one for a very long time."

"Well, they're very alive."

"Apparently. Or at least one is."

"So, why is it just staring at us?"

Shrugging, Vessa considered. "I suppose it wants to continue pursuing you, but you're at the shore, so it's at quite the disadvantage. You know where it lives, and it probably doesn't like that very much."

Alyssa recalled the hole it was bringing her toward, under the falls. Perhaps it was even more than that. Maybe it was protecting the rest of its...coven? She shook her head, but paused as she noticed something on its face. She couldn't be sure from this distance, so she took a few steps back into the water.

"Alyssa?"

Holding up her hand for silence, Alyssa squinted at the creature, at the black mark on its gray forehead that could easily be mistaken for shadows. A burn mark. Shaped like a pentagram.

"What the hell?" Alyssa murmured.

Vessa took a hesitant step into the water behind her. "What is it?"

Kryd had insisted that the mark had come on randomly, that he'd had no part in what had happened to her, despite the timing. But when she'd killed him, memories had been returned to her. Would killing this sea creature have the same effect? It certainly didn't seem like it would be in league with the witches in that field. It was so foreign and alien. But if it brought her closer to solving the mystery...

"There's a pentagram on its forehead," she finally said to Vessa.

Vessa cocked her head. "I see it."

"I'm going back in."

"What?!" She grabbed Alyssa's arm. "Are you crazy? It treated you like a rag doll before. And I'm fresh out of makeshift spears."

Alyssa turned and met her eyes, communicating a lot with the brief look that passed between them. "I have to."

Vessa watched her for a moment, then nodded, dropping her hand from her arm. "Alright. It was nice knowing you."

"Your concern is touching."

Vessa smirked and caught her wrist, passing something heavy into her hand and closing it into a fist. "Take this." Then she backed out of the water and crossed her arms.

Alyssa gazed down at the dagger that Vessa had handed her with appreciation. It had a lovely ivory handle with swirls etched into it, giving it a nice grip, and a sharp blade that, while short, curved in a fashion that told Alyssa that it was made to be a deadly weapon, and had certainly seen its share of blood over the years. She grinned back at Vessa, who read the appreciation on her face as she watched Alyssa venture deeper into the water.

Alyssa was no fool. She knew that she was at too much of a disadvantage in deep water. But perhaps if she kept closer to the shallows, she could even the odds enough to beat the thing. She stopped when she was up to her waist in water and watched the creature, wondering if it would take the bait. "Come on, ugly!" she called. "I'm in the mood for some fish sticks!"

At first, it didn't move, and Alyssa began to debate whether she should venture into deeper water, but it suddenly disappeared from sight, and squinting into the water, she could make out its shape, shimmering in the water, nearly hidden among the rocky floor with its camouflage.

"God," Vessa paced back on the shore, watching the creature approach. "Just...just be careful."

"I plan to," Alyssa murmured, holding the dagger out before her, and getting into a stance that would allow her to act quickly.

When it was just a few feet away, it suddenly emerged, propelling toward her with extraordinary speed. But Alyssa was ready for it, and just barely twirled out of the way, gracefully wheeling around and following it into shallower waters. The creature turned on her as it regained its footing on the pool floor, its gills flaring angrily.

They were now in water mid-thigh, and Alyssa braced herself for another attack, bending her legs and watching it carefully for any sign of motion.

When it charged next, she was ready again, and pushed off of the floor and into the air, where she could move freely without the water slowing her down. She twisted midair as the creature closed in on her position, landing a vicious kick in its startled face with as much brute force as she could muster. Green blood flew from its mouth as its head turned sharply from her, and as she crashed back into the water, she took advantage of the monster's dazed state, quickly slicing her dagger into its chest and yanking it up toward its neck mercilessly.

The creature made no sound as green blood poured from its gaping wound, clouding the clear water as it fell into the water with a loud splash.

Vessa squealed in celebration on shore, but Alyssa was already far away, as another memory assaulted her mind, driving her surroundings into the background while a scene from her past became her reality, so real that she felt she had traveled back in time.

"You're so beautiful."

Alyssa ran a hand back through her hair, a mess on top of her sweaty head. She let out a sigh and turned her head slightly to meet the gaze of a beautiful boy. He took her breath away, and she felt her heart race like she knew it did every time she stared into those clear blue eyes. She could hardly believe that the love in his eyes was meant for her.

"Are you trying to make me blush?" she asked, her lips pulling up into a grin. She watched his own beautiful smile take shape, relishing in how his face lit up. She noted the close-cropped blonde hair and little blue ring in his left ear, and decided that he was perfection.

"You'd blush now?" he challenged, drawing her closer to him. It was only then that she noticed she was in a bed with him. Naked, beneath cream-colored covers. She'd been so captivated by his beauty that she hadn't noticed, but now she could think of nothing else, especially as she felt his body molded to hers.

His lips met hers and she felt herself grow light-headed with the gentle, soft caresses his lips offered hers. Then his mouth was trailing down her neck, sending shivers of pleasure through her body that she couldn't suppress if she'd wanted to. "I never want this to end."

He stopped and she wished she hadn't said anything. She wanted him to continue kissing her. Instead, he drew himself up to her so that they were staring into each other's eyes again. "You know I love you more than anything."

An electric hum spread through her body as he uttered those words, and she knew at once that it was contentedness that she felt.

"And I'll only be gone for a few weeks," he assured her.

She nodded. "I know. But Cory, there are no guarantees in this. And if things don't go according to plan, you could be gone for months, or...or years. What if you-"

He cut her off with a deep passionate kiss that made her lose her train of thought. Probably his intention all along. She lost herself in the kiss, and found her body moving of its own will, her arms wrapping around him desperately in response.

"Everything's going to work out," he promised as he finally pulled back. He said it with so much conviction that she believed his words completely, even if he couldn't be so sure.

"I know," she replied.

Alyssa blinked as the vision ended, and she stared down at the dagger in her hand, its blade green with the sea creature's blood. It took a moment for everything to come back to her. The memory had really carried her away. She could envision Cory's face clearly, how his eyes had looked on her so tenderly, with so much love. It made her heart ache knowing that he wasn't there with her now.

What happened to him? She wondered, a feeling of panic washing over her. Was he waiting for her now? Had she disappeared from his life, and he didn't know what had happened to her? That she was stuck...here, wherever the hell she was? Or had something terrible happened to him? Or to both of them?

She pulled on her hair. That couldn't be all to the memory. There had to be more. She had to know what else had happened. How things had ended. When was the last time she had seen him? What was said? What had his face looked like? Had he been there when she'd been pulled to this horrible place?

Swallowing hard, she watched Vessa from far away as the girl pulled the dagger from her hand and washed the blood away, before returning it to her. "Are you alright?" she asked gently, watching her.

Alyssa didn't know how to answer. To feel what she'd felt, such love, and to have it snatched away so quickly, leaving her...here, she felt a tremendous loss that almost made it hard to breathe. She needed to know more about Cory. She would do anything to return to him. He was...he was where she belonged. She felt it deep in her bones. Her body knew him, belonged with him. It ached with remembrance.

"I'm okay," she offered Vessa a shaky smile. "I just need a minute."

Vessa looked unconvinced, but backed off, returning to shore to give her some room.

Alyssa couldn't get Cory's face out of her mind, and replayed the memory over and over again, memorizing every detail of it and filing it away so she could recall it later. The feeling of safety and warmth that she'd gotten from the memory was unforgettable however. She didn't think she could shake it if she tried, which made the loss that much more devastating. Her throat was dry, her eyes ready to spill tears for the boy she knew nothing about, but loved anyway.

"I have to return to him," she vowed as she waded slowly back toward shore. And she would do anything, she realized, to see that happen.

### Chapter Five

"Where did you get the scar?" Vessa asked as she helped Alyssa into her clothes.

"Scar?" Alyssa paused in zipping the fly of her Jeans to glance where Vessa indicated. The right side of her lower back. She twisted to get a glimpse of pink scar. It was thin and shiny. "I'm not...sure."

Vessa narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything. Instead she rubbed her hand over Alyssa's Jeans. "You have odd clothing."

"Yet another mystery."

"You're surrounded by them."

Alyssa held her gaze for a minute before Vessa glanced away. "Look, I know it's odd that-"

"It is odd," Vessa agreed, cutting her off. "But I'm willing to accept it. What I'm not willing to accept is that you've disclosed everything. I know you're hiding something from us."

Alyssa opened her mouth to speak, but Vessa held up a hand to stop her. "No, it's fine," Vessa said. "Everyone has secrets. But if your secrets wind up hurting any of the girls, I'll personally rip your head off, got it?"

Pursing her lips tightly together, Alyssa nodded and followed Vessa back to camp, both lost in their own thoughts most of the way. Alyssa could certainly understand Vessa's concerns, and her frustration, but Alyssa's hands were tied in this situation. Her past was a mystery. And if she revealed the few things she was actually hiding from everyone...she didn't know what sort of reaction she would get. It was best to keep things to herself, since she really didn't expect to be in Vessa or Beth's company for much longer anyway.

"That thing was horrible," Alyssa said after a while.

Vessa glanced at her. "There are worse things than that out there."

"Tell me about them."

With a sigh, Vessa seemed to consider, like she was running through several different creatures, deciding which was worse.

"The ticks," she finally said.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Like the bug?"

Vessa nodded, either not hearing the sarcasm in her voice, or choosing to ignore it. "That's what we call them anyway. They're vampires, actually. Lady Blood used to have several generals beneath her, a few vampires. And Blood never played favorites, let them battle for their own lands. I think it even amused her to see them fight, or maybe she liked to be the only one in complete control." Vessa shook her head. "Either way, there used to be another vampire general around here. The Lady Aria. Her lands were dwindling constantly as Lord Kryd and a few other generals picked at her territory, claiming it for their own, until she'd had enough. She was desperate to retain her standing and a spell writer came up with a ritual that promised them the strength to overcome their enemies, to be united in this task like no other coven has been before."

Vessa had a faraway look on her face that Alyssa hated to interrupt, but when she didn't go on, Alyssa cleared her throat. "This ritual?"

As if rousing herself, Vessa shook her head. "It changed them in ways they couldn't have foreseen. They're still immortal and live off of blood, but their bodies changed. They're more like mosquitoes or...or biting flies than anything. We call them ticks. They're savage things. You can't reason with them. If you see one, you just run like hell before it stings you and sucks you dry."

Alyssa shuddered. "That sounds horrible. Why would anyone do something like that to themselves? Fish-Men? Vampires?"

Sighing, Vessa stopped and turned to her. "Alyssa, magic can be dangerous. It can have unforeseen effects. When a coven can tap into magic that allows them to do more than they can by themselves, it's more powerful and even more dangerous. Living in this..." She gestured around her. "This world isn't a safe place, and people will act out of desperation, trying to do something to protect themselves or make this world better. It can be beneficial. Like the Spell of Babel that allows us all to speak the same tongue. It makes life easier for everyone. But magic isn't always an easy fix, and with that power...it can make people believe that they can do anything. It can change you. And wielding power while experimenting with spells, even if it's for the best of intentions, tends to backfire and do what you don't expect it to. I doubt that coven was trying to change into Fish-Men. They were probably trying to change something that was out of their control."

"Like what?"

Vessa looked thoughtful. "A very powerful coven of witches tried to lift the curse of women. The monthly bleeding and cramping, the pain of childbirth, that god punished women with for their role in the fall of Eden. But instead of lifting the curse, it twisted the curse. The moon turned blood red, and now once a month, instead of having a period, they transform into horrible blood-thirsty creatures - werewolves.

Alyssa's eyes widened. "That's...that's horrible."

"Yes, well, they should have realized that a god's curse wouldn't be so easy to lift. Lilith has branded her children for life with her sins." Vessa turned to continue toward camp, but Alyssa clamped a hand on her shoulder.

"Lilith?" Alyssa asked.

Vessa shook her head, a smile on her face. "You really don't know anything, do you? Adam and Lilith are the first people."

"But what about Eve?"

"Eve?" Vessa sent Alyssa a strange look that made Alyssa withdraw her hand and offer a reassuring smile.

"No, it's...I guess I'm just confused," Alyssa said.

Vessa nodded, as if she understood, and began walking again.

Meanwhile thoughts whirled in Alyssa's mind. Lilith...she knew a little about Lilith, a name that appeared over and over in supernatural fiction as a demonic figure. She was originally found in the Apocrypha, the books of the Bible that the church decided were not actually part of the original text. She was the first woman, the one made from clay like Adam, and insisted on being an equal with him. God cast her out of the garden and fashioned Eve, allegedly a more suitable companion for Adam, from one of his ribs. At least in her world, that's how it had played out. And Lilith had become a mother of demons. Here, it seemed, Eve had never come into play. Lilith had been the woman all were descended from. Why had events occurred that way here?

Alyssa paused mid-stride, a thought dawning on her. That's why everyone here has magic. They are Lilith's children.

Swallowing hard, Alyssa continued on toward camp, her mind buzzing with this newfound knowledge the entire way. She still didn't know if her world had been changed, or if she was in some alternate reality, but at least she now knew the cause of the differences she saw. The story of Lilith was a sexist one, presuming that men were superior to women. It was ironic then, that Lilith was the cause of such drastic world-altering differences here.

***

They came upon the rebel camp suddenly. One minute, Alyssa was laughing at something that Beth said beneath a canopy of dense green foliage, the next everyone was instantly quiet as a clearing opened up before them. It stretched on for several yards beneath the darkening sky, hard-packed earth with patches of wild grass and long-dead tree stumps, leading up to a stone wall fifteen feet high. The wall encompassed a larger area than Alyssa had expected, that of several city blocks, if she gauged it correctly. At each corner, sheltered platforms loomed high in the air, serving as watchtowers. The moment they stepped out into the clearing, they would be spotted.

"How do we proceed?" one of the girls asked nervously, verbalizing what they were all wondering.

Beth looked to Vessa, who assessed the camp for another moment, before nodding to herself and turning to the others. "We should demonstrate that we are no threat, walk slowly to the fence with arms held high."

"Will they even listen to reason?" Beth asked, suddenly nervous. "I mean, what if they don't believe that we aren't going to hurt them?"

"With that large of a base," the girl Pip spoke up, "the coven that resides there must be huge, and could obliterate us quickly and easily. Can you imagine the sort of power they wield? No wonder the monsters haven't been able to overwhelm them."

"They could have fewer numbers than we think," Beth retorted. "But who knows what sorts of things they've had to do to keep from succumbing to the monsters in the area."

"Well, we don't have much of a choice right now," Alyssa said. "We follow Vessa's lead."

Vessa smiled at her as the other girls nodded their agreement, without another word. Walking up to the clearing, Vessa turned and put a hand on Alyssa's shoulder, sending her a meaningful look, one that told her to get the girls out of there if anything went wrong. Alyssa gave the smallest of nods and watched as Vessa stepped out into the clearing, arms raised. She took a few tentative steps, and when no arrows flew through the air, she gained confidence and walked faster. When she was nearly a third of the way across the clearing without incident, other girls followed in her footsteps, mimicking her actions.

"Ready?" Alyssa asked Beth, who watched the proceedings with wide eyes.

Beth swallowed hard, but nodded, and walked alongside Alyssa into the clearing.

It was clear from the noise behind the wall that they had attracted notice. They could hear men yelling and shouting orders the closer they drew to a closed steel gate set into the wall. When Vessa stopped a dozen feet from the gate, a small opening at eye level was revealed, with three pairs of eyes staring out at them expectantly.

"We have escaped the clutches of Lord Kryd and request sanctuary," Vessa said in a loud, clear voice.

There seemed to be some sort of debate taking place behind the doors and the small opening in the door suddenly disappeared as iron slid into its place. The girls stood for a minute with bated breath. Beth turned to look at Alyssa with anxiety written all over her face before a loud screeching filled the air and the iron door slowly lifted ahead of them.

Vessa looked visibly relieved, but it was a short-lived relief, as the gate revealed five men crackling with yellow energy on their hands, advancing on them, grim-faced, eyes narrowed. Behind this entourage was an elderly man in a dark blue cloak and a beard that tufted low beneath his wrinkled chin. He seemed to consider them with cold blue eyes.

"Sanctuary requires that you join our coven willingly, and work hard for your keep," the old man said.

"We understand," Vessa said, bowing her head.

The man smiled. "I doubt many of you have seen a day of hard work in your lives, from the looks of you."

Vessa sent him a questioning look, to which he waved his hand, as if to brush aside the statement.

"We have few women in this village," the man said. "I'm sure many of our coven would welcome you with open arms. You may enter."

Alyssa frowned, wondering if it could be that easy, but the men stepped aside and the elder, who was obviously in charge here, ushered them toward the open gate.

Beth sent Alyssa a shaky smile before following Vessa and the others through the doorway.

Alyssa watched the elder closely as she passed by him, and noted his eyes focusing on the feet of the women as they passed through the entrance. She, likewise, watched the women's feet as they entered the village and noticed them passing over a small dip in the earth, where a white substance ran parallel to the wall. As she stepped over the small ditch herself, she saw that it ran along the entire perimeter of the wall.

"What is it?" Beth asked, bending over to touch the white substance.

The elder chuckled and walked up to her. "Noticed that, did you?"

"It's salt," she said, bringing it up to her lips.

"That it is," he agreed, gesturing for her to step over the ditch.

She obliged, the last of them to cross the substance.

"What does the salt do?" Alyssa couldn't help but ask.

The man glanced over at her. "Salt has purifying properties, but is also can create a barrier when spelled."

"A barrier for what?"

"To keep out those who would mean to do you harm. It's how we have managed to ward off attacks. Well, one of the ways we have managed to do so."

Hearing Beth gasp beside her, Alyssa looked up, and drew in a sharp breath herself. The village was lively, and went on for as far as the eye could see, with people milling about the streets in front of wood building after wood building. There had to have been a thousand people here. The streets were hard-packed earth, and the buildings worn and medieval looking, but Alyssa hadn't been expecting a modern suburb behind the walls. She decided that this could certainly make a good home for the girls.

As the sky grew darker around them, torches were lit along the streets, and candles and lamps indoors. They'd arrived just in time to avoid having to camp outside for another night.

"Welcome to Haven," the old man said warmly as the gate lowered behind them, three men pushing spokes on a large wheel that slowly lowered the chains that held the gate in place. "I am Octavius, the leader of this coven."

"Thank you for granting us sanctuary," Vessa said, clasping his hands excitedly. "I promise that the girls will earn their keep."

Octavius smiled. "Certainly, certainly. But you must be hungry and tired after your journey. Allow me to escort you to the dining hall, and then to some rooms, temporary, of course, until we can find you ladies something more suitable."

Vessa beamed. "That sounds-"

A Great green ball of energy suddenly struck the ground near them, sending dirt every which way amid a loud boom that made Alyssa grab Beth and pull her to the ground on instinct, rolling over her protectively.

Closing her eyes, Alyssa heard a few shouts and screams, above which was a piercing voice, a man yelling "Parker! You little weasel! Fight me like a man!"

Alyssa coughed on a cloud of dust and shook off her disorientation, looking down at Beth sheepishly.

"How touching," Vessa murmured overhead.

Alyssa pushed herself to her feet and dusted herself off, feeling silly for overreacting at what was clearly not an attack, but some sort of quarrel. She avoided looking at Beth, who offered a shy "thank you" to her back.

"Who's feeling protective of her now?" Vessa asked, sidling up to her.

Smiling, Alyssa shook her head. "She grows on you."

"Like a fungus," Vessa agreed, smirking.

A man darted out from behind a nearby cart and slipped behind a fence. Alyssa would have missed him if she hadn't seen the movement of shadows over Vessa's shoulder. The man paused to peek around the far side of the fence, and seemed to notice her watching him. He had a chiseled jaw with dark stubble beneath mischievous brown eyes and a messy mop of hair. He was a very handsome guy who had sloppily thrown on a pair of pants and an open cotton shirt, sandals in hand. Wherever he had run from, he had been in a hurry. And undressed. Alyssa took one guess at the situation he found himself in at present. As she considered his quiet escape, almost marveling at how lightly he stepped and quickly he moved, he winked once in her direction before slipping into the shadows of a nearby building and disappearing altogether.

"Parker!" The man who had wielded the ball of energy yelled, cords standing out in rage on his neck.

"Brian, that is enough," Octavius said loudly, a hint of threat in his voice.

The man rounded on him and stared, dumbfounded, as he seemed to notice the girls for the first time. He took a moment to digest what he saw before swallowing hard and lowering his head. "I am sorry, Octavius. I didn't realize we had guests."

"Apparently." Octavius eyed him coldly, but Alyssa detected a tiny curl of his lip, almost imperceptible, that told her that he was amused by the scene.

"It was Parker. Again. I caught him-"

"I think everybody in the village knows what you caught him doing," Octavius said dryly. "See to your wife for now. I'll deal with Parker. We can't go around murdering each other now, can we? We're an endangered species as is."

Brian looked up. "But Octavius, you can't-"

"See to your wife," Octavius repeated, cutting him off.

Nodding, Brian bowed his head low once more before scampering off in the direction he'd come from.

Octavius sighed and turned back to Vessa. "Forgive the display. Tensions can run high in a village you can never escape from. Now, where were we?" He tapped his chin for a moment, then held up a finger. "Ah, yes. Food. Right this way, ladies. I hope you like lamb."

"I think we would like anything at this point," Vessa replied with a smile.

Alyssa watched Octavius all through the evening meal. He seemed like a kind man, but he seemed a little too eager to please them. If anything, it seemed to Alyssa that the girls should be demonstrating their worth to the village, not being convinced by the leader that the village could see to their every need. But the five-course meal was extravagant, with waiters filling their glasses as soon as they'd taken a few sips. It didn't sit well with her. Were they just seeking to take on their numbers to make the coven that much stronger? If she knew more about covens, perhaps she would know the answer to that question, but she didn't. And with what seemed a thousand villagers already, what were another dozen or so? She frowned as she recalled Octavius's comment when they'd first arrived.

"There are no women in the kitchen?" she said, voicing aloud what she was thinking.

Octavius paused, a spoonful of soup halfway to his mouth. He looked startled at the question, and quickly replaced his surprise with a calm expression, setting his spoon back into his bowl. He cleared his throat and nodded. "A few women work in the kitchen, but as I said earlier, women are rather scarce around here."

Alyssa met his eyes and held them. "How scarce?"

"Alyssa..." Vessa hissed at her elbow.

"It's alright," Octavius smiled. "Best get it all out in the open. We had a breach years ago. Nearly ten years now. A demon, disguised as a young helpless boy, brought a sickness to our village. Over three days, four out of five women in our village had perished. Even to the end, the demon pleaded innocence and acted like a boy, but when we drove iron through his heart, and his green blood soaked the ground, the sickness came to an end, and we knew we'd done the right thing."

"That's why you invest in salt now," Beth said. "To keep out monsters like that."

"Quite right. And it's why we take care of hard labor and chores, to ensure that the women here are cared for and happy. Our numbers are already going to dwindle drastically with this blow the monsters have dealt us. Anything we can do to continue populating the village is worthwhile to remain strong and steadfast in the face of darkness."

"It must have seemed like a miracle when we appeared at your doorstep," Vessa said.

Octavius nodded. "That it did. I was skeptical at first, but you all crossed the salt without incident, so I know your intentions are pure."

"It still seems a little too trusting," Alyssa said.

Octavius smiled tightly. "These are desperate times, I'm afraid. I only hope that we were not given a Trojan horse as a gift today."

"We are nothing of the sort," Vessa assured him. She glanced at Alyssa, then back at Octavius. "But I would like to disclose something. We offered pleasure to Lord Kryd's vampire coven."

"I figured as much," Octavius said, and sighed. "I am glad that you openly offered that information. It makes my mind lighter."

Alyssa snorted. "Are you kidding me?"

The whole table seemed to hold their breath and stare at her as she stood up. "Isn't it obvious what's going on here? We're being welcomed as incubators. They want us to produce children. You'll be whores here just as much as you were at that vampire palace."

"You will be family here," Octavius said calmly, only a touch of displeasure in his voice. "We have spells to ensure fertility, yes. We would encourage frequent pregnancies, yes. But you are free to go if you choose. You are free to choose who you lie with. I doubt you had such choices at this...palace."

Alyssa stared at Octavius, trying to read him. What he said seemed to be the truth, and his words, although not completely satisfying to her, were plain. He was telling them exactly what their life would be like here, if they chose it. Their "work" here would be as mothers. She'd already taken one choice away from these girls when she'd slaughtered Kryd and his men. She would not be staying here anyway, so who was she to tell them what to do with their lives now? What other options did they have? They'd been whores before, here they could be mothers, part of a community, waited on hand and foot. It was beyond what most of them had probably ever dreamed of. And so she sat down and backed off. Not because she thought that this was the best situation they found themselves in, but because the girls deserved to make the choice, and deserved something better than they'd had to endure.

Vessa seemed to understand her silence and put a hand on her arm to thank her for backing down. "Thank you for being so forthright," Vessa said to Octavius. "I'm sure that many of us will choose to stay in the village with you and your people. Thank you for the offer."

Octavius nodded and, after turning a considering eye on Alyssa for a moment, returned to his soup.

Alyssa, despite her reluctance to accept the situation, also returned to hers.

### Chapter Six

"You don't like this," Beth stated the next evening, during a festival being held in honor of the new members of the community. All of the girls seemed like they wanted to stay there, build a life for themselves in Haven. Alyssa was a little disappointed, if she was honest with herself, but couldn't really blame any of them.

"No, it's nice," Alyssa said, glancing down from the sky, where she kept distracting herself by staring at the blood red moon and marveling at its history here. She leaned back in her wicker chair and watched two men create dragons out of brilliant light, before having them dance with one another. Or maybe they were supposed to be fighting. Alyssa couldn't really tell. "I like the light show."

"I don't mean the light show."

Alyssa glanced over at Beth, who was watching her with concern. She sighed. "Beth," she said, placing a hand over hers, "I don't begrudge you for wanting a life of happiness. It's just not the sort of life I envision for myself. Even without my memories, I know in my...everything, that I wouldn't be complacent here. I like to get my blood flowing. I like fighting for what I feel is right. Even if I don't know who I am, I know that much about myself."

"And you have your quest."

"I do," Alyssa agreed. She paused and studied Beth for a moment. "But I won't forget you. And I'll be back. I have to see things through, but I'll visit you."

Beth looked up. "Will you?"

"Of course. We're friends, aren't we?"

Beth wrapped her arms around Alyssa in a bear hug, with strength that surprised her. "I'm so glad to hear that."

Alyssa chuckled. "And don't worry. I'm not even sure where I'm going yet, so you probably won't be rid of me anytime soon anyway."

"I doubt that. You don't like to sit still for long."

"You know me so well already."

Alyssa smiled happily, and watched the light show, clapping when the dragon show ended and another began featuring deer...or moose. The more she tried to make them out, the harder they were to distinguish.

On the other side of the performers, she noted one villager woman surrounded by men, laughing at the things they said in her ears, smiling happily at the attention they showered upon her. And then to her right, she noted several men surrounding Pip, who reveled in the attention.

Alyssa couldn't help but scowl, and tried her best to hide it as her eyes continued to take in their surroundings. After a moment, they honed in on Parker, the guy from the other night. He was one of the few men with more than one woman around him, vying for attention. Three women, in fact, seemed to be flirting with him as he leaned against a nearby wall. And he was smiling and seemed rather charming. He was definitely in his element. Alyssa glanced around for Brian, the man who'd been after him the previous day, and found him occupied with a woman with light brown hair in the front row near Parker. Either Brian was over his tantrum, or he and his wife had made up. Whatever the case, he obviously wasn't going out of his way to run down Parker anymore.

What was it about Parker that seemed so captivating? Alyssa wondered, glancing over at him again. He flashed a sexy grin at one of his admirers, revealing dimples that made Alyssa shiver. Okay, maybe she did get it. He was gorgeous, and obviously a bad boy, but really, those women looked pathetic clamoring for his attention like that.

Seeming to sense her eyes on him, Parker looked up and caught her eye. Alyssa immediately looked away, focusing her attention on the light show again. She squinted as greens and pinks sparkled. Was that a unicorn now?

"I'm going to see how Vessa's doing," Beth suddenly said, standing up.

"Sure," Alyssa glanced at her retreating form as Parker sauntered up to them. She frowned as Beth looked back at her with a knowing wink. Scowling, Alyssa turned back to the light show as he took a seat beside her, in the spot that Beth had just vacated.

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked, watching her.

"I was," she replied, her icy tone contrasting with the brilliant smile she threw his way.

Parker chuckled, flashing those dimples again. Alyssa tried not to notice. She also tried not to notice the brown leather vest he wore, tied up the front over a lean build, sleeveless to show off nicely muscled arms.

His hair fell into his eyes as he glanced at her. "Brian probably would have killed me if you'd pointed me out last night."

"I doubt it," Alyssa said flippantly. "Octavius seems to have the entire town wrapped around his pinkie. He would have intervened."

"You aren't wrong."

Alyssa watched the light show for a moment, then turned to him. She was going to make another snide comment to let him know that he wasn't welcome, but watching the lights from the show dance over his face, in brilliant violets, greens and reds, was somehow captivating. His eyes seemed to sparkle under the shifting lights. She shook her head to clear it, wondering at how easily she was falling under the spell he seemed to have over the women of the village. "Don't they have a jail here? You should have been locked up, at the very least, for sleeping with another man's wife and causing such a scene."

He turned deep brown eyes on her, which she avoided. "You think I belong in jail?" He snorted.

"I doubt this is your first offense."

He smiled mysteriously. "We do have a jail. But Octavius needs me too much to put me in a holding cell. He would rather not risk upsetting me."

"Yeah? Why are you so special? Oh, it's your magic, right?"

He shrugged. "Not so much. I just have very good instincts that come in handy around here."

She frowned. "How so?"

Shrugging, Parker leaned back. "This village isn't completely self-sustaining. I'm not from here originally, and when I stopped by initially, I was always coming and going. Then I was asked to get things for them. Just small things at first, here and there. Medicinal herbs, tools. That sort of thing. Now, they've become dependant on me."

"Why don't they do it themselves?"

"They're scared. There are big, scary monsters out there."

"And you're not scared?"

Parker grinned and leaned forward again. "No, I'm not. I'm too good at what I do. I'm quiet, have good instincts. I never get caught. And I love a challenge."

Alyssa nodded, not really believing that he was telling her everything. "Is that what the women of the village here are to you? Challenges? Conquests? You must be happy to see so many new faces to corrupt."

Parker shook his head, but smiled at her jabs. "You are something."

"But I'm not someone's conquest."

"Yes, I very much believe that." Parker looked at her sideways for a moment, then seemed to make his mind up about something. He suddenly stood up and put a hand out for her. "Walk with me?"

Scowling, Alyssa shook her head. "Like I said, not that kind of girl. And I can't say that anything you've said has impressed me much."

"Ouch," he scratched his jaw. "But don't flatter yourself."

Alyssa raised an eyebrow as he gestured to his outstretched hand. Hesitantly, she reached out and took it. He didn't let go of it as he pulled her through the back of the crowd watching the light show, and probably would have kept holding it if she hadn't shrugged it off.

She glanced back at the crowd as they slipped into the shadows, the lights receding along with the gasps and applause. Things seemed safe and lively in that circle surrounding the light show. But Alyssa felt much more comfortable in the shadows, and felt a weight lifting off of her shoulders, as if she could drop the pretenses and just be herself now, where the lights weren't trained on her.

Parker suddenly sped up and slipped down an alley between two buildings. Alyssa followed, deftly dodging trash and leaping over crates as she kept his dark form in sight ahead of her. What was he doing? She was going to call out to him, but something held her back. Maybe he was trying to ditch her, show her just how skillful he was at being sneaky. But that wasn't going to happen. He was so not going to impress her with this show of stealth.

Two blocks away, he paused before a small house, wind chimes lightly tinkling beneath the roof of a sloped porch. He turned to look back and a smile stretched across his face. "Interesting."

"What is?" she demanded, coming to a stop beside him. "That you aren't able to impress me so easily?"

"That you're as quick and quiet." He suddenly launched a fist at her face, which she deflected easily with her arm, before kicking a leg up and hitting him square in the chest. He fell to the ground, amusement on his face. "Yes, you're just like me."

"Hardly," she scoffed as he dragged himself to his feet. She watched him warily as he studied her. "What?"

"You're a loner. And you have training and fine instincts. You melt into the shadows. These are no ordinary gifts. Where did you acquire them?"

"Nowhere," she shook her head at him. "And I'm over this. I'm going back to see unicorns and dragons or whatever."

She felt his hand clamp down on her shoulder as she turned to leave. "I feel no magic in you," he said softly.

Freezing, she let his words sink in. He could tell something like that?

"In fact," he continued. "You seem to be a black hole for magic."

She turned to regard him. "I don't know what you mean."

"I think you do," he insisted, dropping his hand and leaning against the porch wall. "Octavius has powers to put people at ease. I felt his tendrils try to sink into you, but they just disappeared, evaporating into thin air. I've been trying to figure it out all day. Magic doesn't work on you. And you don't seem to have any of your own. It's almost like you're not a witch at all. But that's not possible, right? Everyone is born with magic."

She met his eyes, scrambling to fabricate a lie that would satisfy him, but she could already tell that he would see through it.

"At least everyone born here is," he added, watching her for a reaction.

She stood stone still, unwilling to let him see how he was riling her up. "Don't be ridiculous. What, you can sense magic or something?"

"Yes. I can feel magic and identify it."

"That must also make you quite a commodity."

"I'm talented in many ways."

Alyssa scoffed. "Well, sorry to hear that your powers aren't all that if they can't feel mine." She turned on her heel and walked away from him, hoping that her weak poke at his pride was enough to keep him from talking to Octavius about this.

The fact that he chuckled at her back made her think that it wasn't, but she wasn't about to beg for his silence. She wasn't going to be in Haven that long anyway, if she could help it. She had memories out there to retrieve.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she nearly jumped out of her skin when someone suddenly addressed her.

"I'm sorry, did I startle you? Alyssa, is it?"

Alyssa looked up to see Octavius nearby, watching her closely. "Uh, yes." She looked beyond him, at the festival a block away. "It's a lovely festival."

He looked back and nodded, offering her a smile. "Yes, it is, isn't it?" He tilted his head. "Out for a stroll?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, I..." She let her voice trail off for a moment as she noticed a figure pulling the lock off of a door and looking back, going still when she caught sight of Alyssa and Octavius. In the small amount of light afforded by the nearby torches, Alyssa could just make out that it was Vessa. But what was she doing, breaking into a building?

Alyssa started to fake cough, to cover up her trailing words and to draw Octavius' attention away from where she had been staring. She put up a hand to assure him that she was alright, and after a moment, straightened up and cleared her throat. "Sorry. Think I swallowed a bug."

"Indeed," he said, his eyes narrowing.

"Anyways, it was a beautiful night to walk around and explore, but I am getting rather tired. I would appreciate an escort back to the festival."

Octavius smiled at the request. "It would be my pleasure, young lady." He held out an arm for her and she took it happily, and listened to him as he blathered on about their festivals as he drew her back to the light show. Alyssa glanced back once to see Vessa slip out from the doorway of the building and disappear. She would definitely have some explaining to do.

### Chapter Seven

Alyssa didn't get a chance to talk to Vessa until the next day, in the early evening. She was leaving the womens' baths when Vessa walked into her in the doorway. Vessa stopped, probably realizing that Alyssa would want an explanation, and followed Alyssa out of the building and through the crowded streets, toward the fence line where no one was visible. They didn't talk the entire way to the fence, and stood in silence for a minute after, as if they were both waiting for the other to begin.

"Well, I'll start," Alyssa said, crossing her arms. "What the hell was that? Picking locks, sneaking into buildings. What do you think you're doing exactly?"

Vessa looked around, like she needed to make sure that no one else was listening. "Thank you for covering for me. I just had to be sure that we could trust them."

"Trust them?"

"Yes. If I'm going to let the girls settle in here, I have to make sure that their intentions are what they say they are."

Alyssa didn't look convinced. "Really? And you just picked up that lock-picking skill just now?"

Vessa let out a breath. "Look, I haven't lied to you. I feel responsible for these girls. I lived with them for two years, making a living doing things that...I would rather forget. I have to make sure that this is a safe place to leave them."

"Leave them? So, you don't intend to stay."

"No, I don't. I have other obligations."

"Obligations," Alyssa echoed. "What have you left out of your tale exactly?"

"I..." Vessa sighed. "I didn't exactly get caught by Kryd's goons so much as I let myself get caught."

"You intentionally became a whore."

"I...yes. I was, oh for the love of - I was sent there, okay? I work for the king. I was sent there to spy on our enemies. Monsters."

Alyssa considered this for a moment. "Huh. So, there's a king?"

Vessa stared at her for a moment like she was an idiot, then began to laugh. In fact, she laughed so hard that she was doubled over, crying after a moment. Alyssa just watched her. Was the situation really that funny?

"Sorry," Vessa said as she composed herself, wiping her eyes. "You're just...I think I needed that."

Alyssa smirked. "Glad I could help. So, the king...?"

"The king, yes. His line is left over from the world before the fall, before the monsters took over and chased the scattered, remaining witches into their hidey-holes. He commands the largest coven still, a stronghold up north. We communicate with other covens like Haven, although we haven't made contact with them in particular, as far as I know. But his majesty gathers intelligence and has been instrumental in bringing about the downfall of many loathsome creatures in his ongoing effort to regain the world for humanity."

"And you're his spy."

"One of many, I'm sure. I was sent to Kryd to find any information on his clan that I could, anything useful. I was also searching for proof to rumors that he was making an alliance with the werewolves."

"The werewolves?"

"Yes. Lady Blood would have seen that as a declaration of war. If Kryd had decided he'd had enough of taking orders from Blood, and wanted to usurp her power for himself, uniting with the werewolves would be one way to revolt and take what he wanted. And if Lady Blood were to find out about his dealings, and they began to slaughter one another...well, we could take advantage of a situation like that one."

Alyssa frowned. "Okay. I think I get it." She paused. "Would it have worked? Would Kryd have been a match for Lady Blood?"

"I'm not sure. Werewolves are certainly formidable and strong. They could have tipped the balance. But as bad as Kryd was, Lady Blood is much, much worse. The things I've heard her do to people... I hear she likes to play with her victims, make them feel pain and utter despair. She even keeps trophies of her conquests, rips part of her victims' flesh from them. From what I've heard of her powers, she's nearly invincible, although no one really knows the full extent of her magic or how it works. It just seems like she can do...anything. And to keep a powerful man like Kryd under her thumb, there has to be something to it. And coupled with the sort of ruthlessness she displays...I don't think anyone goes up against a monster like that and comes out triumphant."

Alyssa nodded, then pursed her lips, a new understanding dawning on her. "And...that's why you were so upset when I killed Kryd. Because I messed up this golden opportunity. And after you'd spent years invested in your mission."

Vessa shrugged. "Well, yes, you certainly upset my plans. But I was also worried about the girls. They were suddenly in a situation where I needed to see them to safety. They were suddenly my full responsibility. I didn't exactly like that idea."

"I see. So...you're a spy."

"Yes."

"For the king."

"Yes."

They looked at each other for a moment, before Alyssa broke out into a grin. "Okay, then."

"And I think I can help you," Vessa added.

Alyssa cocked an eyebrow. "Help me? How?"

"We have a woman in court who can see things. She has the gift of clairvoyance. She might be able to tell you what happened to you."

Alyssa considered for a moment. A clairvoyant could be dangerous. She might be able to see more than Alyssa wanted her to. But she could also be her only hope to get some real answers here. "Do you really think she would help me?"

"Of course. The king will be happy to see you escorting one of his spies back to his court, safe and sound, and will certainly grant you an audience with Morgana."

Nodding slowly, Alyssa agreed. "I will leave with you then. I don't really have any other leads."

"Good. I'm sure we can help you."

"So, what did you find in that room you broke into?" Alyssa asked, touching Vessa's arm lightly. "Is it safe here for Beth? For all of the girls?"

Vessa nodded. "It was their record hall. I didn't see anything suspicious. No dealings with monsters that I can make out, anyway. Usually there are some telltale signs when it comes to covens offering sacrifices and whatnot, but they seem relatively clean."

"Relatively?"

"Well, I'm not sure where Parker gets some of the things that are recorded in their books. But I think that's a separate matter, and one that won't effect the girls."

"Okay then," Alyssa breathed a sigh of relief, happy that there was some semblance of a plan for her now, and she could trust in the girls' safety. "So, when do you plan on leaving?"

"In a few days," Vessa said. "I want to see to some things for the girls before I take off." She hesitated. "And, hey...I'm sorry that I've been kind of hard on you, and all suspicious, when I've clearly had my own secrets. I just...don't trust people very easily. It's difficult to do in my line of work."

"No problem. It's all water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned. And thank you for telling me all of this. I really appreciate it. And believe me, the sooner I figure out..." Alyssa squinted into the distance, where some men were running near the courtyard. They were shouting and looked to be in a panic. "What's going on now?"

Vessa glanced back. "A commotion. Can't be good, whatever it is."

They looked at each other for a moment before breaking out into a run. When Alyssa approached a group of men surrounding a well, she saw Beth looking pale nearby. "What's going on?"

Beth shook her head. "They say that someone poisoned the well."

"Poisoned it?" Alyssa repeated.

"Quite right," Octavius suddenly appeared amongst them. He gestured to one of the men to pull up a load of water. When it reached the lip of the well, he reached out and poured the water back into the depths, but it was hardly water anymore. It was a soupy green substance.

Octavius turned to look back at Vessa and Alyssa. "All five wells in Haven have been affected."

"What does this mean?" Alyssa asked, frowning.

"It means that we have maybe two days' worth of water gathered about town before we need to retrieve more." He looked hard at Alyssa. "And it also means that someone wants to force us out from these protective walls."

"Surely not one of the girls," Vessa protested. "We barely had anything on us when we came in, certainly not enough to poison five large water supplies."

"Unless it was magic."

Vessa shook her head. "No one here has that sort of power. Not even that kind of power set. We are all illuminators or charmers, or something equally as weak."

Octavius considered her for a moment. "Clearly, that is not the case. Now, I'm not saying that you weren't duped yourself, but the fact remains that not soon after you arrived, we've found ourselves in a bad situation."

"It does seem timely," Alyssa admitted, earning a glare from Vessa. She turned to Octavius. "I think we should cooperate with Octavius as a show of good faith. Let's provide him with a list of the girls and their powers, for his consideration."

"Yes," Vessa lifted her chin. "And then, he will see that it wasn't one of us, but one of his own men using our arrival to his or her advantage."

"That could very well be," Octavius conceded.

"Wait a second," Beth piped up. "We crossed the salt barrier. That should prove that we didn't have ill intentions."

"Seems that someone has had a change of mind since they passed that barrier."

Vessa scoffed.

"What kind of powers are we looking for, exactly?" Alyssa asked with a frown.

Vessa shrugged. "I mean, it couldn't be a druid."

"Why not?" Octavius asked.

"Because they're so evil you can feel it in the air around them."

Octavius sneered. "You believe folk tales, girl."

"Yeah? And who suddenly thinks that a druid is amongst his people?"

Alyssa shook her head, and Beth seemed to notice her questioning look, and gestured for her to retreat from the crowd a ways. When they were out of earshot, Beth leaned toward her. "You don't know what a druid is, do you?" she asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Alyssa smiled.

Beth returned her smile. "They're the most feared of witches. They are power-hungry, nearly monsters themselves. They have been through rituals of blood and sacrifice that have stripped them of their humanity."

"Why?" Alyssa asked with a frown. "Why would anyone willingly...?"

"For the power to change one substance to another. Alchemy."

"Alchemy?"

"Yes. The most powerful dark magic there is, creating something new from the old. Iron to gold. Water to..." She glanced over at the well. "Well, whatever they want, I suppose."

Alyssa looked over at the well also, noticing the look of panic on many of the faces of the men that stood there.

"Every mother tells her children about the druids," Beth said softly. "They look for newborns and virgins to sacrifice to their gods, to feed their power and initiate new members into their coven. Not even a strong coven of witches can stand against them, they're so powerful and filled with dark magic."

Swallowing hard, Alyssa nodded. "Yeah. That could...be bad."

"But it's not very likely there's one among us now," a voice said from behind them.

Alyssa started and glanced up to see Parker leaning nonchalantly over the roof of the small building behind them. She glared at him as he smirked and hoisted himself up and over the edge of the roof, landing in a crouch between the two girls. When he straightened himself, he leaned in close to Alyssa. "Odd that you've never heard of druids before. It really is like you're not from around here." He winked and headed over to Octavius, who looked relieved to see him, rushing over and talking quickly.

"What was that about?" Beth wondered, looking up at Alyssa shyly.

"Nothing," Alyssa scowled. She looked up at the darkening sky, surprised to see the moon out early, bloody and ominous. "Nearly a full moon."

"Nearly," Beth agreed.

Then they heard it. A howl in the distance, long and mournful. The villagers all stopped what they were doing to listen. And they were met with the answering howl of a dozen more wolves, these ones much closer than the first. In fact, they seemed to be right outside the gate.

### Chapter Eight

"This is a nightmare," Vessa said, later that night in her room, where Alyssa sat perched at the edge of her bed. She paced the length of her room in a frenzied state. "Werewolves are at the gates. The water supply here is poisoned. Someone deliberately poisoned the wells to force us out...to the wolves. In two days, we run out of any untainted water. In another day, we'll be dying for more."

"And that would be the night of the full moon," Alyssa supplied. "Which means, we should strike before then."

Vessa paused. "What? Strike? There's not going to be a strike. Werewolves are vicious killing beasts. They would tear us to shreds in an instant."

"There doesn't seem to be much of a choice here. How do the werewolves work exactly? They turn to wolves on the full moon and are human-ish the rest of the time?"

Vessa shrugged. "They can change into werewolves at will most of the time, but during the full moon, they don't have a choice. Otherwise, they can look like you and me."

"And someone had to have called them here, let them know that the villagers would be forced outside the gates."

"Are you..." Vessa sat down on the bed beside her. "Do you think a druid is working with the werewolves?"

"Or there's a werewolf here now," Alyssa said. "Posing as a normal witch."

Vessa contemplated this. "If it wasn't one of the girls, then maybe someone, a werewolf, has stored poison on the grounds to use once the werewolves were nearby."

"Or it could be one of the girls," Alyssa suggested.

"No way."

"No? We were out in the wilderness for awhile. Any number of messages could have been left for furry friends to find. And you said yourself that you never saw each other during the full moons."

Vessa blanched.

"Did you ever find any proof that Kryd was working with the werewolves?" Alyssa asked.

"No."

"Maybe he was, and she was in your company the entire time."

"No way," Vessa shook her head, but she didn't look quite so convinced herself. "That still doesn't explain how they poisoned the wells."

"Maybe there are two girls with gifts."

Vessa let out a slow, deep breath. "And I delivered them to Haven like a trusting idiot."

Alyssa put a comforting hand on her knee. "If that's what happened here, it's not your fault. You had no way of knowing."

"Thank you, but we're still in quite the mess here."

"Yes, we are," Alyssa agreed. She stood up. "I'm going to fight."

"Fight?" Vessa frowned. "What are you talking about? Werewolves...you can't even kill them. Behead them, slice off an arm, punch a hole in their head, and they just pull themselves together and keep coming. I've never seen anything like it. It's like when they were cursed, they were cursed for eternity. Nothing can stop them."

"They must have a weakness. What about silver?"

Vessa blinked. "Silver? What good would that do?"

Alyssa returned her blank stare. "What do you mean, what good would that do? All werewolf myths..." She let her voice trail off, realizing that those myths didn't exist here. The werewolves of this world were very real, and they'd never had silver associated with them. But werewolves were fantasy in her world, right? Something that people had made up to destroy them in fantasy wouldn't be able to kill them here, would it?

"We don't have much of a choice," Alyssa decided, slightly bewildered by her discovery. But she was suddenly confident in her assumption. "I'm going to try it. I'll use silver on them."

Vessa still looked confused.

"We need to send out a party to battle them with silver weapons," Alyssa said. "I'll lead them, but I can't do it alone."

"Well, I'll do what I can, of course," Vessa said. "I got us into this mess. What do you need me to do?"

"See who will help us. Ask Octavius for any men willing to help, and any of the girls as well. And we need silver swords and bullets."

"Bullets?"

Alyssa frowned. They don't even have guns here, she realized. "Swords and axes, that sort of thing. If we don't have enough for everybody, melt down silverware."

"I don't understand," Vessa stood up. "Why are we doing this?"

"Because I think I know their weakness." She looked out of the nearby window at the red moon, hanging in the sky, as if taunting them. "And they have no idea what's coming for them."

***

That night, Alyssa awoke in a cold sweat, wondering what she'd been dreaming. Could it have been something from her forgotten past? She sat up in bed slowly, as if by carefully moving, and making no sudden, startling moves, the wisps of memory would return to her. But they didn't, of course. Instead, her mind began to conjure images of werewolves from every horror movie she'd ever seen. Which, she realized, were a lot. She smiled. She could remember only a handful of romantic comedies, but she recalled plenty of horror movies. That was certainly a clue as to the type of person she was, right? But she still couldn't recall any of the circumstances surrounding those movies. Did she go to movies alone, or with a group, or in couples? Or maybe she stayed in and had slumber parties with her best girl friends.

Then Cory's face flashed into her mind and it was like those piercing blue eyes in her mind were staring right into her own. Did she watch horror movies because he liked them? She certainly would have done anything to make him happy, given the feelings that overwhelmed her now. She tried to think carefully, and decided that she really liked the movies that raced through her mind. Maybe he tolerated watching them for her. She smiled at the thought.

***

"I still don't see how this will help," Octavius confessed as he handed a silver sword to Vessa the next afternoon. "This seems foolish, like a suicide mission."

"We have few options," Vessa said, standing tall. "Alyssa believes she saw a werewolf hurt by silver before," she repeated their cover story, "and that is our only hint of a way to harm them. If we have any hope of driving them away to retrieve fresh water before we run out, we need to hit them quickly and brutally, with something that may destroy their confidence and seed confusion."

"If it doesn't work," Parker said, shouldering a quiver of silver arrows, "perhaps we can at least damage them enough to force a retreat." He clamped a hand on Octavius' shoulder. "But we must do something. We can not simply wait for death to come for us."

Octavius held his eye for a moment, then nodded. "I...know. I just hope that this works. The coven is already much smaller than it used to be. If this doesn't work...it will be the end of Haven."

"If this doesn't work," Alyssa said, "Your people make a run for it. They can't kill all of you with only a dozen or so of them. But you will die if you stay here with no water."

Nodding, Octavius looked over the volunteers for battle, which included two dozen men including Parker, as well as Alyssa, Vessa, Beth and Pip. It was a smaller party than Alyssa had hoped for, but it was something. And if these things weren't used to pain and permanent dismemberment, they could press the advantage and really deliver some results with as few of them as there were.

The rest of the coven had gathered around the courtyard. Just minutes earlier, they had chanted and used spells to make their limbs faster, improve their endurance, enhance their might, and hasten their reflexes. Alyssa, of course, felt none of this. The others, however, seemed flushed and ready for battle, newly painted runes exposed on their arms to guide them safely back home.

"Good luck to you, brave souls," Octavius said, bowing to them as the gate opened.

Alyssa licked her lips and prayed to god that she was right about the silver. She shifted her two long knives in her hands, nine inches long and deadly sharp, marveling at how natural they felt in her hands, like they belonged there. They made her feel more confident, even though, for all she knew, she'd never lifted a knife in all her life.

She led the troop out of the gate, walking cautiously, her eyes darting left and right, watching for any sign of the wolves. And while she knew that they were out there, they didn't present themselves.

The gate closed behind them with finality and Alyssa looked back into the scared faces of the men and women who had followed her. "They are likely waiting for us in the forest," she said. "They think to ambush us and destroy us with one mighty swoop, but they have yet to taste their poison." She lifted one of her knives high into the air and everyone looked at it, as if it were holy. She smiled confidently at them and turned back toward the forest, and began to march them toward a battle for their lives.

"Very inspiring," Parker sidled up to her.

Alyssa smirked. "I'm glad you think so."

"Mmm. Very much so. I'll have to add brazen confidence to your list of uncanny qualities."

"You do that," Alyssa said, unable to keep a smile off of her face.

"You feel responsible for this," Parker said in a low voice, glancing back to ensure that a good distance was between them and the others. "Is that why you lead them like this?"

"Why should I feel responsible?" Alyssa asked. "Someone needed to step up, and nobody else seemed likely to do it."

"Really?" Parker frowned. "Because both you and I know that one of the girls is the spy."

Alyssa flinched at the word, earning a grin from Parker.

"And you let them walk past that barrier unscathed," Parker continued.

Scoffing, Alyssa turned to him with a sneer. "Why would I do that? I'm putting my life on the line here too, you know."

"Oh, I know," he assured her. "It wasn't intentional, I'm sure. But we both know what you can do. Negate magic. When you passed over that barrier of salt, you sucked the magic right of it, allowing for your comrades to step over it, whatever intentions they had for Haven."

Alyssa's eyes widened, and she nearly came to a stop, but Parker nudged her forward. "Don't fret over it. What's done is done. And you're about to rectify your foolishness."

"I didn't mean..." She let her voice trail off as she turned his words over in her head. He was probably right. It probably had been her doing that had allowed for the traitor to strike. She had given them the opportunity they'd needed to bring down the entire village. She'd been so careless. How could she not have thought about the consequences? How could her very presence put so many people in danger?

"Hey, come on," Parker elbowed her gently. "We need your head in the game here. You're going to lead us to victory here."

Alyssa nodded and turned to look back at the people following them, so trusting, like lambs to the slaughter. She glanced over at Parker, who read the horror on her face.

"You can do this," he told her.

She looked into his eyes, deep brown wells of warmth, and suddenly felt a calm come over her. He was right. What had happened had happened. But she could do this. And she would see it through, one way or another.

They reached the edge of the forest, and the canopy of branches overhead, laden with emerald green leaves and gnarled wooden hands, blocked most of the sunlight, throwing them into shadows. But Alyssa didn't hesitate as she plunged into the dark. She kept her wits about her, focusing on her surroundings, eyes narrowed, ears perked. They were out there somewhere. Just waiting to ambush them. But Alyssa refused to allow them to make her a victim. She would see that they became afraid of her.

### Chapter Nine

A tiny gasp from Beth coincided with the figure in a black cloak that appeared on the rough path of the forest floor ahead of them. The figure's face was hidden in the shadows of a hood, and she walked toward them with utter confidence, as if she assumed that they would be no challenge for her whatsoever.

"She can conjure energy blasts," Parker said loud enough for all of them to hear. "Powerful. You'll want to get out of-"

His warning was cut short as a light seemed to explode as the girl held up a palm. A massive green ball of fire flew toward them, forcing them all to quickly leap out of its path. Alyssa felt the surge of heat pass by inches behind her as she rolled onto the forest floor and into the tangled branches of a bush. As she leapt to her feet, the smell of burning hair invaded her nose and she realized that it had singed away a few strands of hair. Way too close for comfort.

Alyssa stepped back onto the path of the forest alongside Parker and Vessa as the others collected themselves. The woman in the cloak was still walking toward them.

"She's used a big charge," Parker informed them. "She won't be able to mimic that sort of display again for awhile."

As the words left his mouth, the girl's skin quickly rippled, sprouting rough brown hair. Her legs shifted as she stalked in their direction, elongating and making painful popping sounds, at the same time as her arms merely seemed to grow out of the sleeves of her cloak. "That's not to say that she's not still a force to be reckoned with," Parker added sheepishly.

Alyssa lifted her knives up in front of her as she drew nearer, and when she was only a few yards away, the girl threw back her cloak, which had begun to look much too small for her growing figure. She stood on two legs still, like a human, but she looked very alien, and more animal than anything. Her body was covered with fur, her limbs ending in wicked-looking black nails two inches long, and her legs bent the wrong way. As she continued to move in their direction, she picked up her pace, yellow eyes blazing, a snarl drawing over her muzzle. Then she let out a growl that showed off rows of razor-sharp teeth.

"Shit, shit, shit," Vessa cursed, holding her ground. She glanced over at Alyssa. "This had better work."

Alyssa didn't acknowledge her words, but as the werewolf approached, she stepped forward confidently and met the beast with a flash of a silver blade.

The creature screamed, drawing back in shock, staring at the knives that Alyssa carried. Its right shoulder, where Alyssa had struck it, bled freely and seemed to be sizzling and steaming.

Parker loosed an arrow directly into her heart while the beast was still caught off-guard, and something like disbelief flickered over its face before it dropped and was instantly a woman again, naked with an arrow sticking out of her chest.

"Holy shit," Vessa breathed.

"It worked!" Parker smiled broadly, staring at the dead woman like he couldn't believe it. "It actually worked!"

The others seemed to slowly come out onto the path to also absorb the advantage that they were suddenly confident in, and seemed to regard their weapons with new appreciation, something close to awe.

"We can do this," Vessa looked at Alyssa, excitement lighting her eyes.

But the moment was short lived, as a long, mournful howl burst over the scene, descending on them like a blanket of despair. And suddenly, they could see them in the trees around them, yellow eyes glaring out at them from the shadows. They were in every direction Alyssa looked. And there were more of them than they'd thought. At least two dozen. Taking down one didn't seem so impressive all of a sudden, but at least they could be taken down.

"Let's do this," Vessa said, gritting her teeth.

Parker nodded and shot an arrow into a nearby tree, signaling the beginning of all-out battle. The scene erupted around them, werewolves charging them all around, meeting weapons with howls of pain, but determination.

Alyssa swung her blades quickly, putting as much force behind each blow as possible, quickly overwhelming two wolves at once. They weren't accustomed to pain, which was making them hesitate. She would have to push that advantage before they adapted. Vessa stabbed one of her wolves through the chest, leaving the other for Alyssa to dispatch with the clean, forceful swipe of a blade through its neck that sent its head from its shoulders, becoming a woman's glossy features as it rolled over the ground and came to a stop at the base of a nearby tree.

Alyssa was going to thank Vessa for her assistance, but her friend was already caught up with another wolf. And as she was distracted, Alyssa was surprised by one of the wolves, who leapt at her from out of a nearby ditch. She got one of her knives up just in time to block a blow from its terrible-looking talons. It slowly forced her back as it came at her with one attack after another that caused Alyssa to continually be on the defense. She tried to look for an opening, but the creature was too fast and wouldn't relent. This one, at least, didn't seem to be too disoriented by the situation to lose its head.

With sweat on her brow, Alyssa tried to clear her mind and focus on her opponent, searching for a way to get a good hit in, and was so engrossed in her thoughts, that she was utterly taken by surprise when she felt her foot give way. She yelped as she felt herself falling backward, the werewolf coming down with her down a steep embankment. Even midair, the monster didn't hold back. It took everything for Alyssa to keep out of reach of its snapping jaws as it snatched one of her arms in a crushing grip, its nails slicing into her flesh.

And then they were on solid ground again, the grass below meeting Alyssa with enough impact to take her breath away. She gasped for air as she tried to shake off her disorientation. But it turned out that luck was on her side this time, as the werewolf had been impaled by one of her knives as it had landed, and struggled with the blade buried in its abdomen.

Alyssa shook her arm out from the creature's grip and quickly dispatched it with a confident thrust of her other knife through its chest. Its fur shriveled and disappeared, leaving a girl with long, flowing black hair, pale and lifeless. Her eyes stared up at the sky, as if searching for the red moon in her final moments. She looked weak and small as she was, and Alyssa had to wonder at the power of the curse that transformed their bodies into such efficient killing machines.

Cocking her head, Alyssa listened for sounds from above, but couldn't discern much beyond an occasional howl. She'd fallen a lot further than she'd realized, and looked up the intimidating slope with something of annoyance. Letting out a heavy sigh, she started up the embankment, grabbing saplings and rocky outcrops to aid her progress. By the time she reached the top, she was breathless, and paused to catch her breath behind a thick bush that hid her from view of the nearby path. The sun was much lower in the sky, just above the horizon line, ready to sink into the ground and allow shadows to swallow the lands and seas. When that happened, the werewolves, used to hunting in darkness, would have the advantage. By then, Alyssa hoped to be behind the closed gates of Haven, having significantly thinned out the wolves.

Gathering herself for another battle, Alyssa slid one of her long knives out of the scabbards she'd housed them in for the climb, and stepped out from the safety of the bush. She looked right and left, frowning at the lack of activity. She heard more howls in the distance, but it seemed that everyone had scattered, the battle breaking down into several smaller fights.

Alyssa did spy one hulking figure near the pathway, bent over the base of a tree. She could hear a horrible wet sound as she slowly crept up behind it, willing her feet to stay light and nothing to snap underfoot to give her away. The creature was engrossed in whatever it was doing, Alyssa suspecting that it was something she wasn't quite ready to see.

As she hefted a knife back to strike, the wolf seemed to sense her presence and lifted its muzzle from a corpse, one of the men from Haven, his face free of skin and a good chunk of muscle. Alyssa nearly choked at the glimpse of white bone and brought down her knife quickly, newfound fury granting her extra strength. The monster lifted a hand to block the blow, but the sharp silver cut through its skin and bone cleanly and made it halfway through the wolf's neck before it got stuck. Alyssa grunted as the monster thrashed, gurgling blood and snarling through its pain. She tried to pull her knife out, but found it wouldn't budge after several attempts to free it, so without wasting more time, she pulled out her other knife and quickly put the wolf out of its misery by completing the decapitation.

With a breath of relief, she collected both knives as the headless woman shifted from a hairy monster to a seemingly powerless naked girl again.

By now, the sun was sinking quickly, shadows stretching over the landscape. Alyssa could still hear wolves out in the forest around her, howling every now and again, but she would have to assume that anybody left alive in her party would be returning to Haven, to attempt to finish the job the next day, when daylight was once again on their side.

She stepped over the body of the woman she'd just killed and paused as she noted something shiny catch her eye just off of the path. Drawing closer, she saw that it was a bundle of silver arrows in a pile of leaves, twenty in all, a large leaf wrapped around them in the middle. She frowned, wondering at the owner of the arrows and their fate.

A long howl from nearby drew her attention, and Alyssa did her best to blend in to the shadows, staying close to trees and bushes, as she made her way back toward the clearing and Haven just beyond.

Once she reached the edge of the clearing, she stopped and squatted behind a bush, eyes searching for any movement along the treeline. She would be exposed for a good amount of time when she ran for Haven with no cover. But she had little choice but to cross the clearing and hope that the werewolves were occupied, either with their conquests or with licking their wounds.

Taking a deep breath, Alyssa pushed herself up and onto the uneven ground of the clearing, running without looking back, keeping the gate of Haven ahead of her at all times. As she neared, the gate began to rise and Alyssa slowed her progress, daring a peek back behind her. Surprisingly, she saw no one pursuing her.

Allowing herself a moment of rest, she doubled over and drew in deep breaths as the gate continued to rise. When it had lifted enough for her to enter, she leapt through the opening, and it immediately began to lower behind her.

"It seems that you were correct," Octavius said with a wide grin, slapping her on the back. "The silver works! An amazing discovery. Something of this magnitude could really turn the tide of battle against those monstrosities."

She looked up to see Parker watching her, but Alyssa didn't see any of her other friends, although many of the men from her party were in attendance.

Straightening up, she met the congratulatory claps from a few other people in the small gathering at the gate, as she walked with purpose toward Parker.

"They haven't returned," he said when she reached him, answering the question in her eyes. "The other three girls are still out there."

"You didn't see...anything?" she asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "That doesn't mean they aren't alive."

Octavius approached them. "Reports indicate that there were at least twenty-five wolves out there, but at least thirteen were reported as killed by the returning men."

"I killed two others when no one was around," Alyssa said.

"That leaves ten. Not bad. We can overtake them tomorrow if they don't run away with their tails tucked between their legs."

Alyssa offered him a small smile. "Yes. But I intend to go back out there tonight to find my companions. They won't survive overnight, blind in the darkness when the wolves can use their senses to track them."

The victorious grin faded from Octavius' face. "What? But that's...suicide."

"I still have my silver," she replied, lifting her knives. "And I'm not asking."

"I'll come with you," Parker offered. He hefted a new quiver of arrows over his shoulder, and grabbed a sword from one of the men in attendance. "You'll need another pair of eyes to watch your back."

Alyssa frowned. "You really don't have to do this. You've done more than enough already. My friends aren't any concern of yours."

"Yes, they are," Parker said, scratching his head. "And you are too."

Her eyes narrowed, and Parker shrugged. "This village needs water and women. You and your friends help on both fronts."

"I suppose so," Alyssa nodded. "Alright. Let's go then."

Octavius threw up his hands. "Wait a moment. This is rather rash, don't you think? You can't expect to find..." He let his voice trail off as he met a withering glare from Alyssa. He sighed and nodded to the men at the gate. "Very well. Good luck to the both of you." He sent Parker a meaningful look. "I expect you back if you don't find anything soon."

Alyssa and Parker said nothing else as they walked out of the open gate. They paused outside as the gate closed behind them, listening as the gate hit the earth with something like finality.

"If anything happens to me, you need to return immediately," she said to Parker without turning to look at him. She began to walk toward the forest. "And don't do anything stupid to try to save me. If I'm a goner, you need to be gone."

"Yes, Ma'am," Parker replied. He touched her arm. "I just...I wanted to tell you that this isn't your fault, though. If that's why you're doing this, because you feel responsible..."

Alyssa stopped and turned to him. "What are you talking about?"

He shrugged, and looked away. "I mean, when I said that you negated the power of the salt before...it's not true."

Frowning, Alyssa watched him, waiting until his eyes met hers again, before nodding for him to continue.

"The salt circle, it was transformed. It was no longer salt. It was sugar."

"Sugar?" Alyssa echoed. She mulled this over for a moment. "That means that there is a druid among us."

"Yes."

"Could one of the girls have transformed the circle on the way in? Just by walking over it?"

Parker shrugged. "I don't know. I've heard that a druid has to touch an object to change it."

"Touch..." Alyssa swallowed hard. "And did you get a look at the magic of every girl that entered the village?"

"Every...no. I was rather...preoccupied, if you hadn't noticed."

Alyssa chuckled and started to walk again. "I had noticed. But you haven't looked since?"

"I gave everyone a quick look, but not many of you seemed very powerful. Then again, I don't know what a druid's power feels like. And my scans were surface."

"Not many? Who seemed powerful?"

Parker hesitated. "Well, Vessa has some powerful chemical powers. Pheromones?"

Alyssa nodded, a smile touching her lips.

"And Pip. Something that feels...it's hard to describe...crackling in her blood? I think it's a low-level energy power."

"Okay," Alyssa said, sighing. "And you used all of your arrows out there tonight?"

"All my arrows?" Parker frowned. "Yes. I kept one on me until the end, just in case I needed it to get to the clearing. But as soon as I was down to the one, I hightailed it out of there, and ended up using the one arrow on a wolf trying to follow me back to Haven."

"Did you get it?"

Parker scowled. "Nicked it, but the silver got it off my back, at least." He paused and cocked his head. "Why do you ask?"

Alyssa bit her lower lip. "No reason." She offered him a smile as they approached the forest. "Ready for round two?"

"Not really."

She rolled her eyes and charged into the treeline, Parker at her heels.

### Chapter Ten

"It's too quiet," Parker whispered at her back after they'd been walking carefully through the forest for nearly fifteen minutes. The blood moon was overhead, draping the world in light slightly tinted with red, as if the forest were bathed in blood itself. It was unsettling, to say the least. After entering the forest, they'd heard one wolf howl far in the distance, and they'd been making their way in that direction ever since, but had come across nothing so far.

"Can you feel any magic in the area?" Alyssa asked him.

Parker snorted. "Doesn't really work like that, I'm afraid. When I see someone, I can feel them out, kind of mentally, but unless I have my eyes on them, I can't tell a thing. Believe me, I've tried."

"That's a shame. Would've come in handy about now."

"Sorry to be such an inconvenience."

Alyssa turned back to send him a look, and chuckled when she saw him sticking his tongue out at her. "Thank you for coming with me," she said softly, turning back to the task at hand. "I appreciate it."

"No problem," he replied. "I do this sneaking around all the time. Skulked by a few werewolves myself a few times. Outright attacking them is something new though. Thanks for that."

"Don't mention it."

"Interesting that a girl with no powers, who doesn't know anything of this world, happens to know that silver will harm a werewolf though, especially since no one else knew."

Alyssa paused. "Can we talk about this later? We should be in stealth-mode here, don't you think?"

"Fine," Parker agreed. "But we will have that talk."

Alyssa tried to ignore the idea of such a talk. She doubted making excuses or outright lying to Parker would work as easily as it had everyone else. He seemed to have a built-in BS detector. It was really annoying.

There was suddenly a small clearing up ahead in the trees, complete with firelight, and Alyssa gestured for Parker to move cautiously. She ducked under a few tree branches and kneeled in the shadow of a tree, trying to get a good look ahead. She was not happy with what she saw.

Vessa and Pip, along with one other man from the battle, were chained in the middle of the clearing by some sort of pink energy bands that seemed to run from their arms to deep into the earth. Pip and the man looked frightened, but Vessa just looked pissed. Other than a few scrapes and bruises, however, they looked alright. From her vantage point, Alyssa counted four werewolves in the field, and one woman in a dark blue cloak who seemed to be working some magic, sitting cross-legged in a circle of candles.

It was a scene that Alyssa had to take a moment to wrap her head around. A dozen rescue attempt scenarios ran through her mind as she absorbed things, but everything in her mind seemed to disappear when she got a better look at the big werewolf with fur as black as midnight, nearest to the captives. He had a bald spot that ran over his right eye and over his forehead, shaped like a pentagram.

She sucked in a breath, knowing that whatever happened, she would be battling that particular wolf to the death to retrieve whatever memory it had stored in its blood for her.

"Okay," Alyssa whispered. "What if you circle around and attack from the other side of the clearing? We would take them by surprise from both sides and get in a few quick kills right away, leaving us with one or two to take on. That's doable, right?" She glanced back, frowning. "Parker?"

A low growl resounded from behind the tree, and Alyssa yelped as her hair was yanked by a forceful hand. Tears blurred her eyes as she was pulled to her feet and pushed into the light of the clearing. She grunted against the pain as the creature that held onto her sent her sprawling to the ground near the woman in the circle of candles.

Scrunching her face against the pain, Alyssa placed a tentative hand over the area of hair that the werewolf had yanked, feeling the wet sticky blood that had been left behind where some of her hair had been yanked out by the roots.

"Damn," she murmured, sitting up. She looked back at the blonde-furred werewolf that had grabbed her and glared as it ripped her scabbards, and long knives put away in them, from her back, tossing them near the prisoners.

"Ah. The girl who knew our poison," the woman in the circle said, cocking her head, and watching Alyssa with interest. She pushed back her hood, revealing a familiar face. Alyssa's heart sank, but she couldn't say that she was surprised. "Tell me how you came upon such knowledge, Alyssa."

Alyssa swallowed hard and pressed her lips into a thin line as she stared up at Beth, trying to communicate as much hatred into her eyes as she could.

"You must feel betrayed," Beth said, nodding. "A natural reaction. But you mustn't blame yourself. I'm a convincing actress, and you certainly aren't the first to fall for my helpless little girl routine." She smiled. "And you won't be the first to die because you are so trusting."

"Bitch," Alyssa couldn't help but spit out.

The blonde werewolf pushed her forward, sending her face-first into the ground.

"It's alright," Beth said, standing up. "Either way, the damage is done. You've given us no choice now. The village must be slaughtered to keep the secret. We can enter quite easily now, even without villagers running out in a panic for their precious water. I doubt that Haven will stand through the night, if I have my way." She looked down at Alyssa with something like pity. "However, if you've acquired your knowledge from another source, we will need to know where it came from, you understand." She smiled then, an expression that looked like it belonged more on a snake than a human being. "And we have many ways of making you talk."

"Don't you dare say a word, Alyssa," Vessa called out, earning her a backhanded slap from the black-furred werewolf. She gasped as blood freely dripped from her mouth.

Alyssa's jaw tightened. "I saw it on TV," she muttered.

Beth frowned and stepped closer. "What are you talking about?"

Alyssa smiled, saying nothing more.

"You force my hand," Beth sighed regrettably and nodded to the black werewolf. With a flash of claws, Pip's throat had been cleanly torn away. Her eyes were wide with terror as blood ran down the front of her chest. She struggled for a moment against her chains, then rather weakly stumbled forward and fell to the ground.

"Damn you!" Alyssa shouted.

Three of the werewolves rushed forward and began feasting on the body as Beth smiled happily at the scene.

"Aren't they magnificent?" Beth said to Alyssa, as if in confidence. "Nothing has been created to be so beautifully brutal. Pure killing machines. You have to admire them."

"Not so much," Alyssa said, looking away from the feasting. "They're horrid." She met Beth's eyes. "You're horrid."

Beth smiled. "Well, I am one of them, of course." She shrugged. "It only takes a bite to join their ranks. It was the condition for working with them, as liaison to the other druids."

Alyssa swallowed hard. "You're a...druid?"

"Of course," Beth said, beaming. "Vessa and the girls thought that my powers were merely to make objects glow, but that was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my powers. I can change objects in much more interesting ways. Salt to sugar. Water to poison." She sent Alyssa a meaningful look. "That's right. When I reached out to tough the circle of salt as we entered Haven, I transformed the entire ring in an instant to sugar. Which meant their protective barriers vanished, letting in a wolf in sheep's clothing, one might say." She laughed, a tinkling sound that sent shivers running up Alyssa's spine.

"But enough of this," Beth said, crossing her arms, suddenly all seriousness. "Your source. Or Vessa's the next meal, and she won't be lucky enough to be dead before they start eating her."

Alyssa stared back at her, wondering how she could have ever mistook this evil thing for a friend. Her eyes were no longer wide and full of feigned innocence, her mouth no longer held a slight hint of a smile. This was a monster, her eyes dark with past deeds, her hands bloody and accustomed to violence. Alyssa took in her stature, wondering at her own blindness. She'd been so proud to recognize Kryd's bodyguard, Cyrille, as acting defenseless when he wasn't. And here was an example of a girl feigning it just the same, and completely slipping into Alyssa's life. Probably due to how they'd met, Beth in chains, Alyssa having just freed them from their bondage. It had just been a more clever disguise in the end.

At least Alyssa had had the common sense to keep her lack of powers and her real origins from this traitor.

A couple of noises broke through the heavy silence in the air. They went "thwack" and made Alyssa think of Spider-Man shooting webs. But when one of the werewolves suddenly fell to the ground, a human girl, a silver arrow embedded in her back, Alyssa realized that the sound had been arrows. Parker.

Beth grit her teeth and pulled an arrow out from her arm, throwing it to the ground, leaving her wound and hand hissing with tendrils of wispy smoke. "Find him!" she yelled, pointing at the blonde werewolf and directing it into the forest in the direction the arrows had come from.

Another werewolf was suddenly dead on the ground thanks to another arrow through the chest, and the blonde wolf charged through the trees with haste.

While Beth was preoccupied, Alyssa had leapt to her feet and was halfway across the clearing before she noticed, when she cried out.

"Stop her!"

The black werewolf stepped on the bloody remains of Pip, bones crunching under its feet as it raised its muzzle and let out a ferocious roar. But it wasn't fast enough to stop Alyssa from retrieving her knives. She quickly slid them out of their scabbards and sliced one down through the energy chain keeping Vessa and the other man prisoner. But it did nothing to free them. It was like the knife had struck a solid block of steel. The force made Alyssa grimace.

"You can not free them," Beth laughed, the tinkling sound dying out as Alyssa grabbed Vessa's arms, and the energy chain holding them merely dissolved.

"Thank god," Alyssa muttered, doing the same for the man. Apparently she could, indeed, negate magic.

"What did you..." Vessa looked at her with awe, before taking in the black werewolf at Alyssa's back. But Alyssa had been expecting this, and thrust her knife back into its side, where it produced a painful-looking wound that had the monster screaming in outrage and pain.

"Just kill them!" Beth shrieked, and a silver arrow suddenly struck her in the shoulder from behind. She yanked it out with a cry of utter rage and leapt into the forest nearby.

Alyssa, meanwhile, began to relentlessly attack the remaining werewolf, its black fur quickly getting coated in sticky blood. She watched its eyes through the pentagram symbol, and she could see that it knew it was beaten. But she would not let it escape into the forest like Beth. As it made a slight move to retreat, she sliced into its side, shocking it with pain, then drove her other knife through its chest. It went still, its eyes meeting hers for a moment, before the black fur retreated into its skin, bones quickly mending into that of a young woman, in her early twenties perhaps, with long hair so dark that it was almost midnight black. Before she hit the ground, Alyssa was already elsewhere, immersed in a new memory.

"You know you don't have to do this."

Alyssa snorted and looked up at the boy in the back of the van with her, his blue eyes sharp and piercing, like he knew what she was thinking. "Yeah?" she said, looking away. "Are you going to tag the target then?"

He bit his lip, which she found adorable, like he was actually debating doing it for her.

"I got this," she assured him, with the flash of a smile. "I can do this in my sleep. I bump into a guy walking down the sidewalk, drop the tracker in his pocket, smile like I'm an idiot and say "oh, my gosh. I'm soooo sorry," and move right along. Easy as pie."

The boy grinned. "Sounds like you have it down. You're soooo sorry?"

"I know it sounds like a bit much," she acknowledged, "but they like it. They think I'm sort of flirting with them."

"Yeah," the boy licked his lips. "I could see how they would like that." He was looking down, but she kept her eyes locked on his until he looked up again. She felt a flutter in her chest as she noted the blush creeping into his cheeks. God, he was adorable. They shouldn't have operatives that adorable. It was totally distracting.

"What's your name, Agent?" she asked, sending him a coy smile.

"Cory," he replied, looking up at the front of the van, as if one of the other agents might be listening.

"Well, Cory," Alyssa said, putting a hand on his knee, which made him tense up and blush even harder, "This is routine. Almost zero danger involved here. I promise."

He nodded, but looked unconvinced. "Sorry. This is my first mission. I mean, in the actual field. I can't help but feel..." He let his voice trail off and swept a hand back through his hair.

Alyssa chuckled. "I was on edge my first time too," she told him. "And yes, it feels like missions like this will explode in your face, but they rarely do. And I'm really good at this. I promise."

"Okay." He nodded, but looked unconvinced.

"And if I make it back, I'll even let you take me out to dinner tonight."

"O...Okay," he stammered, looking up at her to see if she was serious. "Really?"

"Yeah," she said. "It will give me extra motivation to come back in one piece."

He grinned at her. "Dinner then. It's a deal."

"Target's in position," a voice said in Alyssa's ear. She put a hand up to the tiny piece of metal in her ear and nodded to herself.

"Time to go," she said to Cory. She pulled the door of the van open and hopped out. She glanced back up at Cory with the smile that she knew drove guys wild. "See you in a bit. And I'm no cheap date."

She closed the door and took a deep breath, turning to walk up the street, where her target would be turning the corner any second now.

Alyssa frowned as her eyes became focused again on her surroundings. Vessa had her hand on her back.

"This has happened to her before?" Parker demanded.

"Yeah, it'll pass," Vessa said, although she didn't seem too confident.

Alyssa shook her head. That was when she'd met Cory. They'd both been operatives...spies. No wonder she knew how to handle herself. She'd done it for a living. And rather well, it seemed. She swallowed, wondering how it had ended for them. Had Cory died? Had she...was that how she'd ended up here? But that was silly, of course. People didn't end up in a parallel universe when they died. But then again, people didn't really end up in parallel universes period.

"You okay?" Parker was kneeling in front of her, concern written all over his face as he looked up at her.

She nodded, her eyes clearing. The memories seemed so real, like she was physically in the moment, that it was rather disorienting coming out of them. But they stayed with her that way. She recalled the shy blushes that had crept into Cory's cheeks, his lips as they'd broken out into a smile. He was so sweet, and so lovely, that it broke her heart not to know what had happened to him. Was he still out there, wondering where she was? Imagining the worst? Wondering why she'd abandoned him? She thought about the memory of them in bed together, how happy they'd been...

Tears slipped from her eyes as Parker helped her to her feet.

"Are you hurt?" he asked softly.

"No, I'm...no. I'll be okay." she shook him off and wiped her face. She had to focus on the present. She could reminisce later. Right now, they were in a forest full of werewolves, and she had to be alert.

"I can't believe Beth..." Vessa shook her head, looking like she was mad at herself as well.

"You couldn't have known," Alyssa said. "I was fooled too." She squeezed her arm. "Come on. We need to get back to Haven. Everyone okay to move?"

There was a mumbled affirmative, and they quickly picked their way through the forest, back toward Haven in silence, all of them leaving something behind back in that clearing. All of them feeling different emotions, like exposed nerves, fresh and raw.

### Chapter Eleven

"Beth, of all people," Vessa shook her head. "I still can't wrap my head around it. I spent months with her, worrying for her safety in that place. I felt like a sister to that...beast."

Alyssa rubbed Vessa's back slowly, as if it would do anything to soothe the emotional turmoil she must be feeling in wake of such an epic betrayal. Even now, Alyssa saw the gentle, innocent Beth in her mind's eye and couldn't believe that events had transpired the way they had. "You never saw each other during full moon nights. That was probably why. And now you know that Kryd was dealing with werewolves."

"Yeah," Vessa sighed. "Some spy I am. I don't find an ounce of proof while I'm there, but there's plenty of it when the whole operation blows up in my face."

Straightening, Alyssa narrowed her eyes, watching Vessa in the bureau mirror across the bedroom. She looked lost, haunted, by the incident. And Alyssa suddenly realized that they had more in common than she'd at first realized. Both of them had their secrets, kept things to themselves. And both of them had been spies.

"It's easy to shut down after something like this," Alyssa said.

Vessa nodded. "Yeah."

"Like if you never let someone in again, you'll never get betrayed like this again, get hurt again."

Vessa met her eyes in the mirror, then turned back to look at her. "In that...place...for years...I felt like Beth was like my lifeline to the outside world. I identified with her, talked to her...I don't think I would have left that place without taking her with me, consequences be damned. So, yeah, it hurts. And why the hell should I let anybody else in? What does it get you in the end? Huh?" She stood up, brushing Alyssa's hands off of her. "I don't want to feel that...vulnerable or...or used, ever again."

"But you need to trust people, relieve your burden," Alyssa insisted.

"Like you've done?" Vessa snorted. "Yeah, right. You have no idea who you are, so it's easy for you to say."

Alyssa swallowed hard. "I have some idea."

Vessa blinked and crossed her arms, waiting for her to continue.

Alyssa drew in a breath, then hesitated. "Parker, you can come out now. I want you to hear this too."

Vessa looked back at the open window with surprise as Parker swung down from the roof and slipped inside the room easily. She frowned at him. "Really?"

Parker shrugged. "I just had to make sure."

"Is this the sort of trust you're talking about?" Vessa demanded, turning to Alyssa. "People listening at windows and harboring secrets?"

"No," Alyssa answered with a frown. "I'm talking about the kind of trust that you feel after battling for your life and the lives of your friends in battle, the kind that makes you vulnerable."

Vessa looked away, then nodded.

"I haven't been completely forthright about my condition," Alyssa said, clearing her throat. She looked between Vessa and Parker as they exchanged glances. "I don't remember my life before waking up in that clearing, but...when I kill one of those monsters with a pentagram-shaped mark on him, I regain some memories."

"The black werewolf?" Parker asked.

Alyssa nodded. "Kryd and a Fish-Man that Vessa saw me kill had the same sort of mark. I get these really vivid flashes of my life...it's like I'm right there, I feel things and think things...it's like I know who I am a little bit, at least in those moments."

Vessa frowned. "Well, who are you? What do you know?"

Alyssa bit her lip. "I know that I was a spy also."

Vessa's eyebrows shot up at that. "For whom?"

"I don't know." She looked over at Parker. "I know that I loved my grandfather, and a boy...another spy, Cory." He returned her gaze without blinking. She didn't know if she'd expected something else, but an encouraging nod would have been nice. It seemed like he was trying to figure out if she was telling the truth or not.

"Anything else?" Vessa demanded.

Alyssa took a deep breath. "Yes, I...I haven't felt like I could trust you until now, so I hid it from you, Vessa, and I'm sorry. I have no magic."

Frowning, Vessa looked more baffled than anything. "What do you mean you have no magic? You have to have magic. Everyone does. Without magic, you have no soul. It's what makes you, you. You just don't know what your gift is yet." She turned to Parker. "You can read magic. What can she do?"

Parker wet his lips. "It is as she says."

Vessa looked shocked. "Is that what they did to you in that field? They stripped you of your magic?" She reached a hand out, as if to comfort Alyssa, but seemed to think better of it, and dropped it.

"I never had any magic," Alyssa confessed. "I'm not even from your world."

It was as if everyone held their breath after this statement. Alyssa felt like the pressure from the moment would drop her to her knees, but Parker snorted, breaking the heavy tension in the air. "I knew it," he murmured.

"What do you mean, you knew it?" Vessa asked him, punching him in the arm. She turned back to Alyssa. "And what do you mean you're not from Earth? Where are you from then?"

Alyssa shrugged helplessly. "I'm from Earth. A different Earth. Another version, a parallel dimension - I don't know. I just know that on my Earth, people aren't born with magic. We have skyscrapers and TV and cars and planes. Not...not monsters and magic." She hung her head. "I don't understand any of this, why I'm here, how I got here. That's what I want to know. I need to know what I'm doing here now, and how I can get back to my old life. All I know right now is that killing monsters with that mark helps me get closer to figuring out who I am. Maybe I'll even figure out how I ended up here and I can get back." She threw up her hands. "And there you have it. My deep, dark secret. I'm a freak."

Vessa stared at her for a moment, then exchanged looks with Parker, who nodded, as if confirming what she'd said, not that he would know the details any more than she would. She sat down next to Alyssa on the bed and lay a hand on her knee. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"We'll help you."

Alyssa stared at her for a moment, then looked up at Parker, who smiled at the confusion in her eyes. "What? You don't need to-"

"You're entrusting us with your secret," Vessa interrupted her. "And now we're going to prove to you that you did right. We're going to help you in your quest of finding out who you are and how to get home."

"So, you believe me?"

Vessa chuckled. "It's so farfetched that it has to be the truth. Plus, you knew about silver harming the werewolves. That had to come from somewhere...not here."

Alyssa nodded slowly, then glanced up at Parker.

"I have nothing better to do," he said with a shrug.

Grinning, Alyssa jumped to her feet and threw her arms around him. "Thank you."

Parker grabbed her back and pressed her closer to him, ruining the moment with a leer. "You could thank me properly."

Alyssa pushed herself out of his grasp and snorted. "You wish."

"Can't blame a guy for trying," Parker said. "So, what's the plan? It's already been two days since the battle with no sign of any wolves. I think they hightailed it."

"Haven is safe again," Vessa agreed. "Their wells are full of fresh water again, salt circles the grounds. I think we can leave the girls here and they will be safe enough, provided another druid doesn't come along anytime soon."

"I think the chances of that are pretty slim."

"Agreed." Vessa looked at Alyssa. "I'll bring you to the king, and you can see Morgana about that spell. Maybe it will help us figure out what's going on and who else is marked with the pentagram."

"Sounds good to me," Alyssa concurred.

Parker nodded slowly. "I'll accompany you to the castle, but I have an errand that I need to run nearby. I can meet up with you after you speak with Morgana."

Alyssa agreed, smiling, happy that she had confided her secret to her friends. She certainly felt lighter, like this huge load was no longer hers to bear alone. And now they had a game plan. She just hoped that Morgana would be able to provide some insight into what had happened to her. Either way, Alyssa had a feeling that getting home would not be a simple task.

***

Octavius provided them with ample dried meat and bread, as well as canteens of water, for their journey. He was very gracious to them, thanking them over and over again for their aid, and the new female villagers that would see the population of Haven swell in the future. He did not mention the fact that they had brought the werewolves to their door, or that they were taking a valuable commodity with them, namely Parker, but he did look visibly upset at the news.

"You will come back?" Octavius had asked of him as he'd showered them with supplies.

"Of course," Parker smiled. "You know I can't stay in any one place for very long. The call of adventure is too hard for me to resist."

"Have a safe journey then," he'd said, clapping Parker's shoulder, before looking past him at Alyssa and Vessa. "All of you. Haven's doors are open to you for as long as you need them."

And as a bonus, Parker knew the terrain around Haven well enough that for the first few days of travel, he was able to steer them well out of the way of hazards. He knew where vampires frequented, where rock trolls dwelled, and kept them far from the towns where monsters lived, in case some curious villagers happened upon them in their errands. Instead, they kept to remote parts of the forests, rocky terrain, and unpopulated plains.

Alyssa had taken to getting up before sunrise, while Vessa and Parker still slept, and going for a run. She used scouting as an excuse, but really, she just loved the way she felt while running, the way her muscles burned, the exertion of her lungs. She fancied that it had been something she'd done before coming to this world, a ritual that her body still remembered and enjoyed. But so far, she'd seen no indication of that. She could only imagine.

They encountered several monsters after those first few days, when they began to traverse territory less familiar to Parker. The most terrifying encounter being further into their journey, on the twelfth night. They had just settled down for the evening, Vessa lazily poking at the fire while Alyssa and Parker sat down on their freshly-made beds of leaves, deciding what to eat for dinner from their rapidly-dwindling supplies.

Alyssa heard a soft buzzing noise from behind them, bringing to mind the shadowy figure that she'd seen near the Fish-Man. She sat up and looked around, frowning as the noise grew louder.

Then Parker sat up, eyes wild. "Damn."

"What?" she glanced over at him as the trees rustled behind them and Vessa looked back over her shoulder to see what the commotion was.

A creature flew out from behind the tree and hovered over them for a moment before dropping to the ground before them. It was tar black, blending into the darkness rather well, but it had some brown markings over its chest, in random patches. It mostly looked like a wasp. Its wings folded behind it, shimmering a bit as they twitched, and making that horrible buzzing noise. Its arms and legs looked thick and reedy like bamboo stalks, ending in sharp barbs, its body glistening in three segments just like an insect. Alyssa stared at its head for a moment, taking in its black pools of eyes that took up half of its face, and the two deadly serrated mandibles that protruded out from its jaw, where little things could be seen flickering in its mouth that she couldn't quite make out. Two antennae twitched on its head as it observed them, laying over the front of its face one moment, then pulling back atop its head the next. It was like an alien, horrible and monstrous. Alyssa couldn't believe that this creature had ever been a human being.

"A tick," Parker breathed, slowly shifting to look at Alyssa. "Don't move an inch."

The creature took another step into the small clearing, its foot hitting one of their bags of supplies and sending a roll tumbling out toward Vessa.

The tick pounced on the roll, its antennae going wild as it ran its mandibles over it, a small mouth like from the Alien movies jutting out of its jaw temporarily to run what looked like little feelers or tongues over the bread, before spitting it out.

It set its gaze on Vessa, who stared back at it with wide eyes, not moving, let alone breathing. Alyssa looked for some sort of intelligence in its face, some sort of emotion or humanity, a flicker of remembrance perhaps, but saw only cold alien bug eyes. It truly was a monster.

The creature stepped forward again, leaning close to Vessa, whose jaw twitched as the buzzing noise from its wings rang loudly in their ears, sounding like a swarm of bees.

Alyssa watched as one of its legs stepped over one of Vessa's thighs. It didn't look like the thing was going to leave peacefully. She glanced back at Parker, who shook his head at her.

Suddenly, a bright pink light appeared on the other side of the camp, in the form of a girl with shoulder-length hair. She smiled at Alyssa and Parker then looked over at the tick. "Hey, you stupid bug. This way!" She suddenly leapt into the air and floated into the trees.

The tick looked up sharply, then flew off in the direction the girl had disappeared with startling speed.

"Oh, thank god," Vessa dropped her head onto her arms with the breath she'd been holding.

Alyssa stared at the spot where the girl had disappeared for a moment, before turning to Vessa. "Are you alright?" she asked softly.

Vessa looked a little startled as she stared back into her eyes, almost a little haunted. Nearly getting killed by a bug seemed to have unsettled her.

Parker stood up to get a better view of where the creature had gone, before returning to them. "Yeah, that was pretty close."

"And horrible," Alyssa added, shivering as she recalled its glistening parts, so like a human-sized insect. It made her skin crawl a little just thinking about it. She cocked her head. "Who was that woman? And why did she save you?"

Vessa considered. "That would be an Astral. A witch using astral projection."

"So that was like a hologram of her?"

"Sort of. It was her, but a mental projection of herself, I guess you could say. Astrals would be an example of a coven changing themselves correctly. There are many covens who enhance their powers; it's just that the failures, like werewolves, are such monumental failures that they overshadow the success stories. Like Astrals."

"That was impressive," Alyssa admitted.

"Yep," Vessa nodded. "They retain their powers while in astral form, so she has some sort of ability beyond the whole walking-outside-of-her-body thing. The downside is, they have to be asleep to be in astral form, which leaves their sleeping bodies vulnerable."

Alyssa pondered this for a moment. "Well, you have to sleep sometime. We were about to go to sleep, and could have been attacked by that thing while we were unconscious."

"True," Vessa looked thoughtful. "Astrals have traditionally kept a few guards on them during astral projection, but they were betrayed a decade ago. Almost the entire coven was killed in their sleep. I hear only a handful escaped with their lives, scattered and alone. It seems that at least a few are still around."

"Lucky for us."

"The fire," Parker suddenly frowned and pointed at it. "It's probably what attracted the tick in the first place."

"I'm on it," Vessa said, quickly throwing dirt over the flames to suffocate it. "Anything to keep the bugs away, the monsters that monsters fear."

Alyssa quickly moved to help her, looking into the woods surrounding them and wondering what other horrible things the trees were hiding from them.

"What would it have done to you?" she asked softly as the fire began to smoke, burning her eyes.

Vessa shuddered. "Luckily, it would have just stung me and drained me of my blood." She smiled wanly at Alyssa. "The sting paralyzes you. They suck your blood out of you while you're alive. But better than being brought back to the blood-hive."

Parker scoffed from where he sat.

Alyssa glanced back at him. "What?"

"Blood-hives are folktales," he shook his head. "Don't listen to her. She's just trying to scare you."

"No, I'm not," Vessa insisted. "A friend of my cousin escaped one."

"And lived to tell the tale? Doubtful, if what they say is true."

Alyssa looked back and forth between them. "What? Tell me about the blood-hives."

Parker sighed and walked over to them. "Allegedly," he said, emphasizing the word, "the ticks create huge insect hives, where hundreds of ticks live, feeding their queen live humans."

Alyssa felt a chill run up her spine as she imagined hundreds of those creatures together in such a horrible place. "It sounds pretty awful."

"And farfetched. No way something like that's out there without people knowing about it."

Alyssa nodded slowly, but with what she'd seen of this world so far, she wouldn't doubt anything.

It was just one more day of rigorous traveling before Vessa announced that they were close to their destination. "It's just past this forest," she said, indicating a forest of pines and evergreens just past a clearing ahead. "There, we will find a winding river and then the plains. The kingdom sits in the middle of a lavender field."

"Lavender," Alyssa sighed, recalling the powdery floral smell. "That sounds nice."

"It is," Vessa smiled dreamily. "You can smell them no matter which way the winds blow, because they're all around you."

"Sounds like you're happy to be home."

"I am," Vessa acknowledged, with a nod. "It's been a tumultuous few years. Returning to Rayniste has been something I've longed for since...well, since I left the kingdom."

"Will the king be surprised to see you?"

"I should say he's been expecting me for years," Vessa chuckled. "There was no time limit to my task. I just needed to complete it before I returned." She shrugged. "And while it's not the outcome he was expecting, we do know that werewolves were in Kryd's residence, and now that he's dead, any hopes of causing a rift between him and Lady Blood have been smothered."

"Thanks to me," Alyssa muttered.

"You are a troublemaker," Vessa agreed soberly, then laughed when Alyssa looked sharply in her direction. "Don't worry. The king may have an idea for how to use the bedlam left in Kryd's absence to his advantage. But he certainly won't hold killing the creature against you."

"Let's hope not."

Vessa glanced up at the sky, made salmon pink and brilliant orange by the setting sun. "Well, I suppose we should seek shelter for the night and cross the last bit of terrain in the morning."

"There must be a nice cushion of pine needles somewhere in the forest," Alyssa said with a shrug. She turned to Parker, meeting a serious expression on his face. "What's wrong, Parker?"

Parker offered her a smile to dispel her unease. "I believe come morning, I will take my leave of you ladies for a short while to run my errand, that is all."

Alyssa nodded and exchanged a look with Vessa. "How long will your errand last?"

"Two days, no more."

"Then we should plan on meeting back here in two days' time."

Parker nodded.

"If we don't arrive right away, you'll wait for us?"

He smirked. "If it pleases you."

Vessa snorted. "Let's not get carried away now."

Parker laughed as he followed them into the forest, where they found a place to rest for the night, protected by a circle of dense Evergreens.

"I am sorry for what I said the other night," Vessa whispered as they lay down on their makeshift beds of needle.

Alyssa frowned, trying to conjure up what she may be referring to.

Vessa glanced back at Parker, who lay several feet away, and seemed not in the least interested in their conversation. Although, if Alyssa had to bet, she would say that he was listening to every word. He was a sharp one.

"I mean, about you not having a soul," Vessa said, avoiding her eyes. "It was thoughtless of me. Just because we're from different worlds, and we have differences...I mean, I know that you're you, and you have a soul and a personality and...I just didn't want you to think that I think you're less than you are." She bit her lip. "I don't know if that makes sense to you or not, but I am sorry I made such a hurtful comment, because it isn't true."

Alyssa nodded slowly. "Apology accepted."

Vessa looked relieved. "Good. I didn't...I've grown to respect you a lot, and I didn't want that to come between us."

Alyssa offered a smile as they settled into sleep positions. She stared up at the sky for a moment, which grew a dark violet overhead. An owl hooted in the distance, commencing the night for various hunters.

"Why did you say that?" Alyssa wondered aloud, turning to Vessa.

Vessa lifted her head and shrugged. "I was just raised that way, I suppose. Believing that your magic makes you who you were, that you're shaped by it and grow into it. It's so intertwined with our lives, it's just thought of as part of your essence, your soul."

"That's interesting."

Vessa's eyebrows knit together. "What about where you're from? Without magic..."

"We are who we are," Alyssa shrugged. "How we're raised, the people around us, genetics...it all shapes who we become. We're just born with personalities, like it's wired into us. A soul, or whatever gives us individuality, is just another way of describing that spark of life in each of us. It's just that in my world, that life isn't attached to any magic. People are good at things others aren't good at, like sports and creativity, and what they like certainly guides their lives, but I think we're just born as us."

They regarded each other for a moment before Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Or something like that."

Vessa smiled. "It sounds like a good philosophy."

"I think so."

They both lay back down and Alyssa thought about life, wondering if she was, indeed, who she had been before her memories had been erased.

### Chapter Twelve

When she woke up next, it was to find Parker's traveling cloak over her shoulders.

She smiled at his thoughtfulness and sat up, blinking at the bright sunshine streaming in through the thick coats of the coniferous trees. Birds chirped merrily all around her, and as she sat up, she stared at the campfire, recalling how the tick had been attracted to the fire two nights ago, and how the pink light of a girl had saved them, and imagined that it could have all been a dream, the happenings seemed so distant. She replayed the events in her mind as she stood up with a stretch and ambled over to where Vessa was lacing her boots.

"Hey, Sleephead," Vessa greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, thank you," Alyssa replied, sitting down beside her. She glanced around. "Where's Parker?"

"He left early. Said he wanted to get a head start, and we'd be fine traveling to Rayniste by daylight."

Alyssa touched the traveling cloak over her shoulders. "Yes, I suppose that makes sense. Shall we get going then?"

Vessa nodded and offered her some dried mystery meat.

Her stomach grumbling, Alyssa devoured it without thinking much about it. She couldn't afford to be picky at the moment. She downed the remaining water from one of the canteens before they set off through the woods, marveling at how different forests seemed during the daylight, and without the threat of blood-thirsty giant bugs trying to kill them. It seemed bright and full of life, like she was going for a stroll through an enchanted wood. It drove away the visions of monsters that still haunted her thoughts.

"So," Alyssa said after awhile, "Astrals performed a spell that allowed them to leave their bodies while they slept. What other success stories are out there?"

Vessa pushed a branch out of her way. "Well, the Astrals' spell worked out particularly well because they retained their unique magical abilities as well. Unlike the druids, whose magic is melted down by sacrificial blood and reformed into their new ability, just like their new powers change one thing into another."

"Wait," Alyssa frowned. "If you think that a person's soul is connected to their magic, what does that mean for druids?"

"That their souls are changed by their new magic," Vessa shrugged. "They became warped and power-hungry, to match their powers."

"So they are different people."

Vessa smiled. "People's souls can be tainted and warped, Alyssa. Darkness can creep in and change a person. That's what has happened to that coven."

Alyssa took a moment to absorb her words. "Okay, that makes sense, I suppose."

"So, other success stories..." Vessa looked thoughtful for a minute. "Well, some of the more powerful covens to be changed by a spell they performed include the Celts. They're a really reclusive coven. I don't know of anyone who's seen a Celt in a decade, now that I think about it. They use rune magic, which allows them more versatility in spells than most witches get, since runes access magic directly through symbols."

She shrugged. "Who else? Let's see...there's a coven in Japan, the Shades, who can blend into shadows and stick to walls and ceilings. The Elfen coven use psychic attacks, and can enchant people with music. Um...a coven from the Middle East, Weathers, can create sandstorms and make it rain, but that's caused issues in the past with the ecosystem, so it's an ability used sparingly."

"Wait. Did you just say Elfen coven?"

Vessa nodded. "Yes. Why?"

Alyssa blinked. "Huh. Why not, I guess. It shouldn't surprise me at this point."

Vessa sent her a questioning look.

"Elves are just...fantasy creatures in my world," Alyssa said. "They're...I don't know, right up there with werewolves, I guess, so again, I don't know why I was surprised."

"The Elfen coven is an odd one," Vessa admitted. "They keep to themselves for the most part. They don't trust other covens as a rule of thumb, as is the case with many covens, but there is usually some communication channel. There are always people like Parker looking to make a small fortune running wild, eager to deliver messages for a fee."

"Is that what he's doing?"

Vessa shrugged. "I honestly don't know. When someone is as free to do as he pleases as he seems to be, in a world as horrid as this one, I can't come up with another motive beyond an addiction to danger."

"Huh. Kind of like being a spy."

Vessa scoffed. "Hardly. I'm doing a service for the king, for my people. I'm not out to profit from the misfortunes of others, looking out simply for numero uno."

Alyssa saw by Vessa's narrowed eyes that she should probably change the topic. "Okay. Any other covens I should know about?"

"Oh, I don't know. There are lots," Vessa swept a hand before her, obviously still a little worked up over Parker's roguish ways. "Every coven seems to want an advantage. As more covens gained new powers, others grew desperate for their own, and many gambles paid off, while others went horribly wrong, as you've seen. But many found success with practices like sex magic, while others use the collective power of prayer to make things happen, stuff like that."

Given her irritated state, Alyssa thought it best not to engage her for a little while, so took to admiring her surroundings instead. They saw a few animals as they made their way through the forest. Quite a few squirrels scurried across the forest floor, and even a deer stopped and stared at them for a moment before darting off.

Before she knew it, they had reached the edge of the forest and they stepped out of the coverage provided by the trees to behold the muddy bank of a river.

Vessa pointed upstream, where Alyssa could make out a bridge. "We'll cross there. Look sharp, though. Trolls love hanging out near bridges."

It turned out that this particular bridge was troll-free, so no incident beheld them as they crossed the slow-moving river and stepped into a grassy field. Already, in the distance, Alyssa was able to make out a stronghold. It looked huge from her vantage point, with turrets and towers standing proudly beyond a stone wall.

"That's it?" Alyssa asked.

Vessa brightened, her smile huge. "Yep, that's it. That's Rayniste."

They wasted no time making their way toward their destination. As they drew closer, Alyssa could make out more details, like the flags hanging from the wall, boasting what looked like a yellow sun in the middle of a sea of deep red. In the center of the yellow circle was some sort of green figure that Alyssa couldn't really decipher until they were much closer, when she realized that it was a dragon with gray steam pouring from its open mouth.

"What's with the dragon?" she asked, staring at the flags. She didn't notice that Vessa had stopped walking for a minute, then turned back to see her friend staring around them in wonder. Alyssa followed her gaze, taking in the thorny bushes with bright red and pink roses amongst them. "Pretty."

Vessa looked up and met her gaze. "They're being overrun."

Alyssa didn't understand at first, then looked more closely at the rose bushes, their thorny branches thriving in the field. She could just make out the lavender flowers here and there, overwhelmed by the roses, dying at the hands of the thorny bushes that choked them. She looked up and met Vessa's gaze. "I'm sorry. I know you were looking forward to seeing the lavender again."

"It would have been a nice homecoming," Vessa agreed, then shrugged, as if it were no big deal, however her defeated posture gave away how much it disappointed her. "But things change."

Nodding, Alyssa turned at the sound of something like a strong wind behind her. The air around her suddenly felt like it had a charge, and something that smelled like tin and rain invaded her nose. "What...?" The question died on her tongue as she stared at three people who suddenly stood a few feet away from them, watching them, as if they'd appeared out of thin air. Which they had.

Two men stood to either side of a young woman, both wearing thin armor and armed with swords. They were both middle-aged and well-muscled, one with blonde hair and one black, both cropped short. The blonde man had a green bird on his shoulder, like a small parrot. As Alyssa stared, it flapped its wings a little, sending a flurry of wispy fuzz and dander into the air. The black man had a chameleon planted on his right leg, its eyes swiveling in an eerie way. But it was really the woman who was the most captivating of the group. She was a little thing, maybe five foot one, and stick thin. She looked extremely fragile, but she had her lip and an eyebrow pierced, with tattoos of dragons and lions spilling out over her arms and legs, and up her pale neck. She wore dark purple eye shadow and lipstick and a short black sleeveless dress, a stark contrast to her pearly skin. Her eyes were a strange bewitching purple in color, prompting Alyssa to wonder if they were tinted with contacts, if they even had such a thing on this world, or if they had been altered by magic. Magic. Of course it was magic. And most stunning of all was her hair. It was also purple, rich and lustrous, spilling down her back and over her shoulders like a grape juice waterfall. It was hard for Alyssa to stop staring, as she warred with herself on whether the girl radiated a cartoony aura or one that was deliciously Goth. In the end, she gave up trying to place a label on the girl and just admired her strangeness. But it didn't end there. Where the boys she was with had small animals with them, this girl also boasted a pet, a small white lizard that crawled over her restlessly, the size of a small kitten, and when it suddenly jumped from the girl's arm and into the air, Alyssa was amazed to see that it boasted leathery wings.

"Is that a dragon?" Alyssa wondered aloud, amazed.

The girl's eyes lingered on Alyssa for a moment, intimidating with their otherworldly hue, before fastening on Vessa. "Hello, Vessa," she said in a voice that sounded almost bored. "It's been awhile."

Vessa's lips quirked up. "Hey, Lace. Good to see you again. Nice to see that not everything has changed."

"You'd be surprised by what changes two years will bring," the girl named Lace replied, jerking her head toward Alyssa. "Who's the tagalong?"

Alyssa raised her eyebrows at that, but Vessa just shrugged. "Someone to see the king."

Lace's cheek jumped and her eyes suddenly looked a little harder.

Vessa noticed the change as well. "How is your father?"

Lace stood up straighter than before and took a deep breath. "My father is dead. I'm sorry that your friend will have to remain disappointed." She ignored the shock on Vessa's face as she continued. "The queen will see you, however."

Vessa took a step forward and placed a hand on Lace's arm. The men shifted their swords in warning, but Lace waved them away. The small white dragon continued to fly around overhead, but let out a little poof of smoke from its muzzle and dipped low, before returning to its previous altitude. "I'm so sorry, Lace," Vessa said, her voice sincere and emotional. "Your father was a good man."

Lace watched her for a moment, then nodded. "Thank you." She looked away, then turned back to her with a smile in place. "I'm not sure the queen was even aware of your mission, but she will want to debrief you."

"Of course," Vessa said, looking a little dazed as she withdrew her hand. She frowned. "Queen?"

"My stepmother," Lace said, her tone as nonchalant as possible, although Alyssa could hear a note of bitterness ring through. "She was married to my...the king, for nearly a month before he died."

"How did..." Alyssa let her voice trail off as she realized how tactless the question she had been about to ask - how he had died - would be. "How did they meet?" she finished lamely.

Lace actually looked amused as the dragon returned to her shoulder, folding in its wings. Lace gave it an affectionate scratch under its chin, and it let out a contented little mew. "My father and her bonded over their familiars. They both had black cats." She smiled sweetly at Alyssa then and added "He died when his heart was replaced with a stone."

"A...stone?"

"A stone. A rock. Whatever."

Alyssa blinked. "But how...?"

Lace sent her a bemused look. "There's this little thing called magic. You should look it up." She rolled her eyes in Vessa's direction. "But really, the queen has kept with the king's tradition of ruling fairly. She has been kind to me. And she barely escaped death herself. The druid attacker was captured and promptly executed." She paused, watching Vessa for a moment. "She made him very happy in the short time that they were together."

"That's good," Vessa nodded. "I would like to speak with her."

"Of course," Lace looked back at the two men with her and nodded. She then closed her eyes and suddenly a green circle of light appeared beneath their feet. Again that smell of tin assaulted Alyssa, and a shiver went up her spine as the circle lifted from the ground quickly. It only took a second for it to pass over her head, but it was still disorienting. As the circle raised higher up on her body, she could see that the part of her body that had already passed through the circle was no longer there. She could feel her feet, then her legs, then her arms and chest, but they were no longer in the field. She felt disembodied for a moment, although she knew that the other part of her body was appearing elsewhere. She could feel a shift in temperature from her missing parts, could tell that she was no longer outdoors, and when her head passed through the portal, she saw that she was right. She was within a stone room, large windows allowing an ample amount of sunshine within the spacious interior that was draped with rich gold and velvets.

"You okay?" Vessa asked, reaching out a hand to steady her. "The first time can be disorienting."

"We just teleported," Alyssa said, dumbstruck.

Lace blinked. "Her magic power must be that she's a genius."

Alyssa shifted on her feet, taking mental inventory of her body. She felt a little nauseous from the experience, but when everyone was suddenly on their knees, she fell right in line with them, bowing her head toward the East wall.

"Please, please," an authoritative female voice said. "Rise."

Alyssa obeyed along with the others in her company and she looked up to see a woman on a throne set with diamonds and gold. There was a second throne beside hers, but of course, that one was empty. The woman felt regal. She held her head high and had an intelligence and sharpness in her eyes that made Alyssa feel intimidated, like she had an uncanny ability to see right through her. She was middle aged and quite lovely, with blonde hair pulled back in a braid, a modest silver crown perched on top. She was dressed in beautiful silks of royal purple, red and gold, and had the radiant skin of someone who was healthy and pampered.

"My queen," Lace said politely, "The lady Vessa, who was a spy for the king on assignment these past two years, has returned."

The queen raised an eyebrow and looked rather interested in this news. She sat forward and something like a sparkle shown in her eyes. "I see. And what exactly did my late husband charge you with, young lady?"

Vessa bowed her head again. "Your majesty, it is a pleasure to meet you, and I'm sorry for your loss."

The queen looked touched by this remark, and smiled kindly for her to continue.

"I was placed in Lord Kyrd's harem to investigate the rumors of dealings with werewolves, and collect proof of such, in order for the king to seed discord and take advantage of the uproar it would cause."

"Hmm. Clever," the queen admitted. "Have you found proof?"

Vessa took a deep breath. "Unfortunately Lord Kyrd was assassinated. And while I have learned since that there were such dealings, I'm afraid I have no physical proof."

The queen stood up quickly, causing everyone in attendance to stand a little straighter. "Lord Kyrd was assassinated?"

"Yes, my queen," Vessa confirmed. "By Alyssa here. She was trying to help free the harem from the vampires who were guarding us."

The queen's eyes turned to Alyssa and she did her utmost to meet her gaze, but found her eyes dropping nonetheless, and she covered it with a stiff bow.

"Interesting," the queen sat back down and looked thoughtful for a moment. "There may still be opportunity to take advantage of the bedlam the assassination has caused." She nodded to herself. "Very well. Thank you for your work, Vessa. I will have someone see that you are compensated for your services, and I would like you both to join me tonight for dinner. I would like to hear in detail how this assassination occurred."

"It would be an honor," Vessa said, bowing.

"Truly, an honor," Alyssa followed suit.

"Wonderful," the queen clapped. "Lace, would you please show our guests to some quarters so they can rest and freshen up?" She smiled at Vessa and Alyssa again. "You may stay as long as you wish, but I insist you do so through the night at the very least."

"It would be our pleasure," Vessa agreed, and they followed Lace out of the room.

Alyssa looked back once on the way out of the throne room, and when she did, she saw a girl step up to the queen, with shoulder-length hair. She whispered something in the queen's ear and the two of them both looked up at the doors, their eyes finding Alyssa. Alyssa turned away and slipped out of the door, but not before she placed the girl's face. It wasn't tinted pink and made of magic, but Alyssa was positive that that girl had been the Astral who had saved their lives previously.

### Chapter Thirteen

After being shown to their quarters, Vessa received permission from the queen, courtesy of Lace, to see Morgana. Alyssa was ecstatic at the news and wanted to leave immediately, but Vessa convinced her that after days of travel, it would be wise to freshen up, especially given that they would be dining with the queen that night. Alyssa agreed, anxious as she was to have her more burning questions answered.

After a hot bath, servants scrubbing and lathering until she was raw, she found a green dress laid out on her bed. She picked it up and looked it over skeptically, eyes lingering on the square neck border that was encrusted with green stones that could have very well been emeralds. "Really?" she asked, turning to one of the servants, a shy girl named Netta who stuttered when she spoke.

"The q-q-queen insisted, m-m-my lady," Netta told her, with a bow.

Alyssa sighed. "Well, if the queen insists..."

"Your other g-g-garments will be c-c-cleaned and returned, Ma'am."

Alyssa nodded. "Fair enough. Wear a dress for a night to get the answers I'm looking for. I can do that." She smiled at Netta, noting the ferret who followed her around as she moved. "What's his name?"

The girl looked up, surprised to be asked. "Him? Th-th-this is Ratchet."

"Hi, Ratchet," Alyssa smiled down at the ferret, who all but ignored her. She glanced back up at Netta. "Does everyone here have an animal with them?"

"Oh, yes," Netta answered with a wistful smile. "F-f-familiars are tradition here."

"Familiars?"

"Animal c-c-companions, my lady. They are v-v-very useful and l-l-loyal."

"How do you acquire a familiar?" Alyssa asked, curious, as she slipped on the dress and Netta began to button the back for her.

"You s-s-spell an animal," Netta told her. "You can g-g-give it simple orders through your m-m-mind. You can r-r-read each other."

"That must be nice," Alyssa acknowledged.

"Its n-n-nice to not be alone."

Alyssa nodded, then frowned at the black cat that suddenly sauntered over to the big rug in front of the bed and lay down, sprawled out, as if expecting a tummy rub. "How did that get in here?"

Netta chuckled as she finished buttoning Alyssa into the dress. "Th-th-that's the q-q-queen's cat. He acts l-l-like he owns the place."

"Well, I guess he kind of does," Alyssa said, watching as Netta indulged the creature.

Ten minutes later, Alyssa tapped lightly on Vessa's door, frowning at the squeals she heard from within. She paused and was about to lean her head against the door to hear better when it was opened by a severe-looking older servant. "Yes?"

Alyssa could see Vessa on the bed behind her, and when she saw Alyssa, Vessa stood up and waved to her. "Come in, come in!"

The servant stepped aside and Alyssa slipped into the room, taking in the wide smile on Vessa's face. "What's going..." She let her voice trail off as the queen's cat sauntered in after her and sat in the middle of the floor.

"Naughty little thing," Vessa scolded the cat happily. "You have no manners whatsoever, do you?"

Alyssa raised an eyebrow. "What are you so happy about?"

Vessa cocked her head. "Can't I be happy?"

"Not that happy."

Shaking her head, Vessa smiled and stood. Alyssa watched her bend over and tap her knee, taking in the sequined red dress that Vessa wore. She belonged in a dress like that. She was absolutely stunning, her hair swept up in an elegant twist. Then Alyssa noted the creature that scampered up to Vessa and blinked. "Is that a chipmunk?"

Vessa snorted as the little brown creature climbed her legs and back until it sat on her shoulder. "Do I really need to answer that question?"

Alyssa stared at the small rodent, taking in its black and white stripes and decided that it was a cute little thing. It squeaked once and Vessa scratched its fur. "So, that's your familiar?"

Vessa nodded. "His grandmother was my familiar before I left for my assignment, but she died a few months after I left. This is one of her grandchildren."

"You left your familiar behind?"

"It was too dangerous to bring her," Vessa said, sitting down on the edge of her bed, a hint of remorse touching her features. "The vampires would have killed her immediately. It killed me to leave her, but I had no choice. I'm just sorry I wasn't here when she died."

Alyssa scratched her head. "Why didn't you say anything about this before?"

"Why would I have?" Vessa asked as the chipmunk climbed into her hair. "It's a tradition here, nothing more. You have pets where you came from, don't you?"

Alyssa eyed the servant warily before nodding. "Sure we do, but we don't have psychic bonds with them."

Vessa rolled her eyes. "Oh, it's not like I can read his mind. We can think things to them, but that's about it. Otherwise, they're just spelled. A variation of a love spell the coven here devised generations ago. It helps to have a protective creature with you." Vessa shrugged as the chipmunk climbed back down her person and began to irritate the cat, who started to hiss and watch it carefully. "Not that Peanut here is all that ferocious."

"Peanut?"

Vessa shrugged. "A little girl named him. He likes it."

Alyssa shook her head, smirking as the queen's cat jumped and let out a howl as the chipmunk climbed it. In a moment, the cat flew from the room, Peanut chasing it. "He may be little, but he still comes in handy."

"I think so," Vessa agreed. "He's a cute little guy."

Alyssa sat down beside her on the bed. "So, the queen's cat is spying on us?"

Vessa smirked. "Shadow is still a cat. He can't really report anything back, let alone understand what we're saying. I'm sure the queen has plenty of humans for that sort of work." She saw the frown on Alyssa's face and nodded toward the door that the cat had exited through. "He was here as a message, to let us know that she's watching us. She's trying to intimidate us."

Alyssa processed that. "Okay."

"We are unknowns at this point," Vessa reasoned. "So, I get it."

"We aren't going to be here long anyway."

"Exactly."

Alyssa glanced up at the servant, still in the room, who seemed to be slowing her work, perhaps listening to their conversation. "So, do you want to head over to Morgana's?"

Vessa stood up. "Yeah, let's go. She's on the east side of the kingdom, near the wall. I know the way." Peanut scurried back into the room and ran up Vessa's body to rest on her shoulder before they departed, making their way through the castle to the huge guarded doors, men in thin armor standing stiff with swords at the ready.

Outside, Alyssa drank in the sunlight. The castle was nice and big, but there were few windows, and a little case of claustrophobia had crept over her during her short time inside. The tension in her body seemed to melt as she stepped outside, where a bustling village appeared beyond the wide steps leading up to the castle.

Vessa led her through streets of pleasant witches who nodded and smiled at them, not unlike Haven's well worn dirt streets. Everyone seemed very happy and welcoming.

"Morgana will remember you?" Alyssa asked as they paused for a cart to make its way up the street before proceeding.

"Yes," Vessa said. "I was close to the king, so she knew me. Plus, she was friends with my mother."

"Your mother?" Alyssa sent her a questioning look, but Vessa ignored her, instead picking up her pace.

Before long, they came to a large sunny house that Alyssa would have classified as a mansion. Majestic pillars stood out front, holding up a balcony that overlooked the village. It must have been quite the view.

A middle-aged man met them outside the wide doors, broad shouldered and bald, with a deep tan and a wide nose. He bowed to them respectfully and muttered "follow me," before turning inside. He'd obviously been expecting them.

Alyssa exchanged a look with Vessa before following him within. She was still nervous about meeting a clairvoyant, who potentially had the power to see through her bluffs, but she had to trust Vessa that this woman was trustworthy and could help her. She didn't see any other options to figure out what was going on with her.

They passed through an elegant, but stiff-looking parlor with little personality, and an equally impersonal dining room with a large glass chandelier that looked to be made from diamonds. Everything looked expensive and well-made, but based on the furniture and surroundings, Alyssa didn't have any hints as to the type of person she was about to meet.

When they arrived at a large, heavy-looking oak door, the man had them wait outside while he went within.

"Are you sure about this?" Alyssa whispered, glancing around the empty hall.

Vessa scoffed. "Are you getting nervous? How cute."

Alyssa glared at her before the man reappeared and ushered them inside. "Morgana will be with you shortly. Please have a seat."

"Thank you," Alyssa mumbled and she stepped into the room, the doors promptly closing behind him as he left. She swallowed hard and looked around the room, not surprised to find this one as clean and impersonal as the others. She was surprised, however, to find someone seated at the white sofa in the middle of the room. Because that someone was the Astral she'd seen speaking with the queen, the same one, she was now positive upon closer inspection, that had saved their lives.

Vessa sucked in a breath upon seeing her, and turned to Alyssa uncertainly.

"It's quite alright," the girl called out to them. "I promise I won't bite."

A fox trotted around the back of the sofa and stared at them for a moment. It was beautiful, and seemed very out of place in the room, with its lovely red coat and thick bushy tail that ended in a bushel of white fur. Its front two legs were black, as if they'd been dipped in tar. It was almost surreal to see it there, like a wild animal had accidentally found its way into the house. The girl glanced back at the fox and smiled. "I can't speak for him, though."

Vessa walked over to the sofa after sending an encouraging smile Alyssa's way, and Alyssa followed warily, watching the fox as she approached. It stood stark still, like a statue, until they were almost upon it, then it just turned and trotted away, retreating to the far side of the room, where a circular rug lay before an empty fireplace. It lay down, as if suddenly bored.

"Is that your familiar?" Alyssa asked politely, as she took a seat on the sofa, as far away from the girl as possible, keeping Vessa between them.

The Astral shook her head. "No, that would be Morgana's. Rey is his name. She's had him for years. I chose not to adopt a familiar."

"Why did you do that?"

The girl offered a small smile. "I am from the Astral coven. We may be scattered and few, but out of respect for my brothers and sisters who perished, I'm not about to take on characteristics of the Rayniste coven."

There was a short silence after that, broken by the girl's nervous laughter. "I'm sorry. Awfully rude of me. I'm Kaitlyn." She shook both of their hands with a firm handshake, looking them both in the eye as she did so.

"Nice to meet you," Alyssa said. "But we've met before, haven't we?"

"You're the Astral who saved us from the tick the other night," Vessa said.

Kaitlyn nodded. "When I sleep, I wander beyond the walls of Rayniste in my astral form. I happened to feel your presence in the woods not too far from the castle, and went to have a look. Good thing I did."

"You can say that again," Alyssa said, unconvinced. "Great timing, I suppose. And you work for the queen? I'm assuming you're here to report back what goes on."

"Only if something occurs that needs to be reported back."

Vessa sat between them with a stiff smile plastered to her face, and looked back and forth between the two of them uncomfortably, like she was hoping that they wouldn't begin fighting.

"Must be awfully convenient," Alyssa said, sitting back on the straight-back sofa uncomfortably. For show, she tried to pretend that she was completely at ease.

"What's that?" Kaitlyn asked, still holding onto a small smile, as if she were amused.

"Having a pet spy that doesn't need to stop working when she's asleep. Not to mention how you can just go in and out of places whenever you wish, walking right through the walls like a ghost. Hard to keep any secrets from the queen that way."

"It's rather handy, I suppose," Kaitlyn acknowledged. "But she has earned the right to use me as she sees fit. She saved my life from werewolves. She is kind and just, and I'll do everything in my power to see that she stays in power."

Alyssa stared at her for a moment, trying to decide whether she admired the girl's devotion to the queen, or was disgusted by her blind loyalty. Before she came to a decision, a door near the fireplace opened and a woman perhaps in her late fifties entered the room, her round stomach helping to balance the silver tray she carried before her.

Vessa immediately stood to help her with the tray, which held a tea pot, several cups and saucers, a bowl of sugar cubes, a thin pitcher, and a plate of sugar cookies. The fox, Rey, perked up for a moment as the woman entered the room, then returned its head to resting on its forepaws.

"Hello, Dears," the woman said jovially as she set the tray down on the table before the sofa. "A little chamomile tea to put everyone at ease, and a little sugar to keep you from dozing off." She winked at Alyssa. "I've been expecting you. I'm Morgana."

"Nice to meet you," Alyssa said with a genuine smile. Something about the woman put her at ease, and she could tell from the moment she'd laid eyes on her that she liked her. Was it perhaps that she reminded her of her grandfather a bit? She pondered that as Morgana served each of them a steaming tea cup, adding sugar and milk to Alyssa's cup without asking. She took a small sip and was surprised to find that she really liked it.

Morgana sat back on a love seat across from them and they sipped their tea for a minute, and Alyssa found she enjoyed the moment, even with the tension she felt between herself and Kaitlyn.

"Well, let's get down to business, shall we?" Morgana said, settling back. She looked at Alyssa expectantly. "I know you came here for a reason."

Alyssa felt uncertain for a moment and she glanced over at Vessa, unsure of how to proceed.

Morgana clucked. "No, my dear. There are no answers to be found there."

Alyssa looked at Morgana, her kind blue eyes, the soft wrinkles framing her face, and decided that she should lay it out for her, be completely truthful about her circumstances. Yet she hesitated. Vessa knew all about her, but Kaitlyn was another story. She wasn't sure that she should continue in the girl's presence.

"The queen has ears everywhere, my dear," Morgana said gently, sensing her hesitation. "She will find out about you one way or another. Best get it over with, when there's someone here who can help you."

Alyssa licked her lips and nodded. "It all started when I woke up in a field."

### Chapter Fourteen

"That's quite a story," Morgana commented when Alyssa had finished.

"You really expect us to believe all this?" Kaitlyn asked, frowning. "It's too fantastic. Another Earth? Lost memories? It sounds like you got hit by a spell one too many times, to me."

Alyssa smiled at her sweetly. "Well, feel free to leave then, to go tell the queen a nice bedtime story."

Kaitlyn chuckled. "Maybe I do like you. I can't decide."

"That makes two of us."

"Yeah, yeah," Vessa shook her head. "You can take turns braiding each other's hair later." She turned to Morgana. "Do you know what this means? Do you know why Alyssa is here?"

Alyssa tried not to get her hopes up, but watched the clairvoyant's lined face for a flicker of something, anything, that signified that she could be of some help. The twinkle in the woman's eyes led her to believe that she could.

"I do not know the specifics of why you were brought here, but I may be able to shed a little light on things," Morgana stated. She looked over at Kaitlyn with a smile. "And she speaks the truth. I was rather worried that she would try to hide some of it, but she hasn't left anything out. Nothing significant anyway."

Kaitlyn looked unconvinced, but nodded.

Morgana pulled a stack of cards from a side table and shuffled them expertly before she handed the deck to Alyssa. "Now you shuffle."

Alyssa did as she was told, staring down at the heavy cards as she awkwardly shifted cards around in the deck, careful to keep them face-down. The backs of the cards were navy blue with images of moons and stars, and even without looking, she knew that they were tarot cards.

"Fine, fine," Morgana murmured, taking the cards from her. She lifted the top card and threw it onto the table, face-up. "The Eight of Swords."

"The Eight of Swords?" Vessa repeated. "What does it mean?"

Alyssa stared at the image on the card, that of a woman blindfolded and tied up, with eight swords surrounding her.

Morgana's lips curved into a smile. "The woman is a Querent, someone seeking answers. Sound like someone you know? If she moves, she will be cut to ribbons. Her fear of not being able to see her surroundings keeps her still, and if she gives in to her fear, she will not move. Unfortunately, she has no real options. She's in quite the bind."

Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow. "So what does it mean for her?"

Alyssa continued to stare at the card. "That I have no choice here. I'm stuck with whatever the spell has in store for me."

Morgana stood abruptly and walked over to the fireplace, where she grabbed a scroll from the mantle. Rey got to his feet and circled her a few times, as if trying to see what she was doing, then followed her as she returned to the sofa. Kaitlyn moved the tray of tea things to make room as she opened the scroll.

The paper was yellow and faded, but Alyssa immediately recognized the shapes as a map of the world. It was the Earth she knew topographically, but the boundaries of countries were no longer there, nor the names of great cities and capitals. Instead, green dots could be seen throughout the world next to words like "Elfen Coven" and "Shades Coven." In what Alyssa knew as North America, where she knew Illinois to have been, she saw "Haven Coven" and "Rayniste Coven" labeled. Some of these labels, such as "Astral Coven" had lines through them, marking covens that no longer existed. There were ten times as many covens with lines through them. The remaining covens numbered at about fifty over the entire world.

"Give me your hand, dear," Morgana ordered Alyssa.

Alyssa hesitated, but obeyed, sucking a breath in through her teeth as Morgana ran a blade over her palm.

"My god," Kaitlyn stood up and leaned over Morgana. "Enough of these silly parlor tricks, old woman. I insist that you put an end to this now, or I will fetch the queen myself."

Smiling, Morgana dipped her fingers into the blood collecting in Alyssa's hand, then began smearing it over the map, in the shape of a pentagram. "Sit back down, Kaitlyn. There's no need to cause a scene, and trying to intimidate me will yield no more information. I will reveal all, so sit back and relax." She waited for Kaitlyn to obey and then smiled sweetly, adding "Have a cookie. They're delicious, and freshly-baked."

"I'll pass," Kaitlyn crossed her arms before her and looked annoyed, which made Alyssa smile.

"I'll have one," Vessa said, leaning forward and grabbing a sugar cookie and a napkin. She took a tentative nibble, then began to eat it with enthusiasm.

Alyssa cleared her throat, and prayed that her voice wouldn't shake. The suspense was killing her. "What are you hoping to accomplish here?"

Morgana dipped into her palm for more blood, then splattered it over the map. She nodded to herself, then handed Alyssa a handkerchief. "Hold that over the wound for now. I'll get you a bandage before you leave."

Alyssa wrapped the handkerchief around her hand, watching as Morgana bent over the map, studying it carefully. "What is it?"

"Hmmm?" Morgana glanced back at her. "Very interesting, is what it is."

Everyone leaned forward in their seats at the same time. "Well?" Kaitlyn prodded. "Are you going to tell us, or are you going to succumb to old age first?"

"This is a powerful blood spell," the clairvoyant announced, ignoring her. "By the sacrificial ritual, I could tell that much. The spell has been woven into her blood, and I can make out some of the basics of the spell from the blood I just took from her."

"That's good news," Vessa said encouragingly, sending Alyssa a meaningful look. "So, what can you tell us?"

Morgana pointed to the tarot card. "It's a spell of eights. There were probably eight bodies in that clearing, is that right?"

Alyssa frowned, trying to remember. "I don't know. There could have been."

Nodding, Morgana watched her for a moment. "There will be eight targets, and eight memories for you to regain."

"Eight targets?"

Morgana pointed to the map with the pentagram traced around it in Alyssa's blood. "I don't know the whys or the hows of the spell, but I can tell you this much. Your blood that I splattered over the map indicates eight targets."

"The monsters with the pentagrams burned onto them," Vessa said.

"Exactly."

"And for each one I kill, I collect another memory," Alyssa added, thinking. She frowned. "I don't understand why I'm supposed to kill these monsters though, or why they bring memories with their deaths."

"And I have no answers for you," Morgana told her, looking sympathetic.

"Well, it's something, at least," Vessa said. "I wonder what happens when you take down all the targets."

"I wonder who orchestrated this whole thing," Kaitlyn added. "And why they chose you for this spell."

Alyssa nodded slowly as she pondered what Morgana had relayed, and what it meant for her. It was like she was in some form of shock. Her mind couldn't quite connect all of the implications. She was brought here to fight monsters. But why? For whom? What about her old life? What did it all mean, and what would the outcome to this fighting be? It felt like the answer was just at the periphery of her vision, but she couldn't quite grasp it. She let out a deep breath. "Okay, let's move on. There are still a lot of questions, but for now, I know what I'm supposed to do. Kill monsters."

"Specific monsters," Kaitlyn clarified, sweeping a hand out over the map. "But you can't just continue to do this blindly. Who knows who wants you to do this? What if one monster just wants you to wipe out its competition? You would be making things worse."

"I don't think that killing monsters will make anything worse," Vessa argued. "It just means less monsters."

"I'm doing this anyway," Alyssa added, sending Kaitlyn a determined look. "I don't care who's behind it right now, or why I was chosen for the job. I need to retrieve my memories and figure out...what this all means. I need to know who I am. I can't be this empty shell forever." She shrugged. "If being someone's pawn is how that happens, so be it."

"I think it's safe to say she's being used here. Someone brought her here to do this, with whatever goal in mind. But she needs to go along with it for now in order to get what she needs."

"Exactly," Alyssa said. She glanced over the map. "So, who are the eight targets?"

Vessa followed her gaze. "And does that include the ones she already took out?"

"It does," Morgana nodded, pointing out three drops of blood that had been absorbed by the paper. "Lord Kryd, Alpha, the werewolf coven leader, and the leader of the Fish-Men."

"So only five targets remain," Alyssa said, noting the prominent drops of blood that still stood dark against the parchment. "That's not too bad. I destroyed nearly half of them without any guidance whatsoever."

"You are well on your way," Morgana agreed.

"Who are the other targets?" Vessa asked, sitting forward. "What other monsters does she have to deal with here?"

Morgana looked at her for a moment, then nodded and smoothed out the scroll once more. "One target is without a doubt Lady Blood." She pointed to the center of North America. "She is in charge of most of the monsters, with many powerful generals and legions of followers. She will be a problem. There are certainly monsters who have carved out their own corner of the world, but she reigns supreme over what little organization exists here."

Kaitlyn shook her head. "That's insane. There's no way she's going to beat her."

Vessa looked up sharply. "You haven't seen her in action."

"Actually I have, remember? And it was me who saved her. And you, I might add."

"Okay," Alyssa interrupted. "I have my work cut out for me with her. Who else is there?"

"There's Prince Air," Morgana's finger slid up past Canada, or what Alyssa thought of as Canada, to rest near a drop of blood on what she knew as Greenland. "An immortal Viking with a legion of followers and amazing skills with weapons. The Viking Clan has four princes, one for each element, but it is the prince of air who must be feared, as the people would follow his every instruction. With the proper drive, he could lead his mass of Viking warriors in a destructive wave of blood and death throughout the world, one that would rival even that of Lady Blood's."

Moving her hand back down past North America, Morgana stopped in Latin America. "The Fire King resides here in a desert of his own making. He is a powerful warlock whose power has made him mad. His pyrokinesis allows him to scorch the lands, and he is one of the few monsters whom Lady Blood does not have under her thumb."

Next, Morgana tapped her finger on Antarctica. "The Ice Queen rules the frozen tundra, another witch driven mad by her power, over ice and cold. She boasts a reputation for cruelty, and is perhaps Lady Blood's most powerful general. She is her right hand."

"This is getting more intimidating as we go along," Vessa murmured, suppressing a shiver. "Those are some impressive names you've rattled off there, Morgana."

Morgana smiled thinly. "I'm just telling it like I see it. And unfortunately, the final mark is one that I can't really discern" She pointed to a drop of blood that had landed off the map, at the edge of the scroll, near Australia.

"What?" Kaitlyn frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I haven't a clue."

Kaitlyn looked up. "Am I the only one nervous about the fact that it landed so near The Necro-Lands?" She pointed to Australia. "That whole land is overrun by the walking dead. Flesh-Eaters."

Vessa turned to Alyssa. "A coven searching for a resurrection spell caused a horrible outbreak here. The dead returned to life and began to feed on the living. Anyone who was bitten also returned from the dead in this way. The whole land had to be abandoned as it spread out of control. It's a wasteland now, a walking graveyard." She glanced back at Morgana. "Nothing could survive there."

"And yet perhaps something has," Morgana said. "This could indicate something that has ties to The Necro-Lands, but that's just a guess. It could be a coincidence."

"Well, we may never know," Kaitlyn said. "This entire thing is insane. Assassinating the biggest, baddest monsters the world has ever known? It's a hopeless quest, and whoever arranged for it is insane."

"Not hopeless," Morgana said, holding up a finger. "Daunting, but not hopeless."

Vessa looked less than convinced, but nodded and sent Alyssa an encouraging smile.

"No one would blame you if you did not want to go through with this," Kaitlyn said, standing. "And I can hardly back such a fool's errand, such a hopeless battle, without a reasonable explanation. But it's your call, Alyssa. I just ask that you do a little soul searching here. Are your memories really so important to you, that they would be worth throwing your very life away for?" She marched to the door and left without a backward glance.

The others stared after her, looking at one another in silence for a moment.

"I don't suppose you have any tips?" Alyssa asked, breaking the tension.

Morgana chuckled, rolling up the scroll again. "You were chosen for a reason. Have faith in that. Be confident in yourself."

Alyssa nodded, looking over at Vessa. "And I won't blame you if you want off this train. I can't ask you to throw your life away for this...quest. I'm the one that needs to find out who I am. It has nothing to do with you."

Vessa bit her lip. "I'll help you any way I can, Alyssa. But...I'm not gonna lie: if I can't help you anymore, I won't hesitate to leave you. I'm not going to see this thing through if it's a suicide mission."

"You can walk away any time. It's not your fight."

Morgana shook her head. "That's where you're wrong, my dear. Where monsters are involved, it's everyone's fight."

### Chapter Fifteen

"Well, that was interesting," Alyssa understated as they left Morgana's abode.

"And somewhat informative," Vessa added. "You now get to fight a bunch of scary monsters for no particular reason."

"For my memories."

"Yeah, but you probably had those before this spell screwed things up. Don't you feel sort of...resentful that this happened to you?"

"Of course I do," Alyssa sighed. "It's just a lot to take in. I can huddle in a corner and cry that everything's unfair, or I can be proactive, fight the monsters, and find out just who I am, maybe making things a little better along the way."

"Well, you are a much better person than I am."

Alyssa didn't miss a beat. "I think that goes without saying."

"Ha ha. But there has to be somebody who can tell us more about this spell. Morgana's just a clairvoyant. There are experts on spells out there."

"Where?" Alyssa asked, looking at her sideways.

Vessa opened and closed her mouth, then threw her hands up in the air. "They exist. Somebody used that spell on you."

Alyssa nodded. "Maybe we'll find one along the way. But at least right now, I have something I can focus on to keep myself from going crazy."

Vessa snorted. "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you are beyond..." Her voice trailed off and she stopped walking suddenly.

Alyssa frowned and walked back to stand beside her. She looked where she was gazing, at a bulletin board in front of a saloon, where a dozen "wanted" signs were posted with rewards listed. "What do you - oh!" She felt her heart skip a beat as she took a tentative step toward the billboard, leaning in close to get a better look at the sketch of a man, dark haired with a strong jaw and brown eyes. He wore a mischievous grin and was illustrated with an open shirt. There was no mistaking the likeness.

"Parker," Vessa breathed. She pulled the picture free from the board and shook her head. "Told you he was trouble."

"What did he do?" Alyssa asked, trying to read the notice in her hands.

Vessa scanned the paper quickly, then sighed. "Suspected of plenty of robberies, breaking and entering, being a possible spy. Being a general nuisance, it seems." She handed the paper to Alyssa, who read over the charges as well. "And now we know why he wanted to steer clear of Rayniste so badly. Errand to run, my butt."

Alyssa couldn't help but smile as she crumpled up the paper and tossed it to the ground. "Well, at least we know we'll be working with someone good at his job. They only suspect him of the crimes. He's never been caught."

"You're...you really want to work with him?"

Alyssa shrugged, then began walking toward the castle again. "I'm sure the queen will pardon him if he helps us save the world. Don't you think?"

Vessa snorted. "Getting a bit desperate, aren't you? That doesn't exactly instill confidence when it comes to your mission."

"Maybe you should just leave now."

"And miss all of the excitement? You wish."

***

Alyssa was rather tense during dinner. The queen sat at the head of the table, with Kaitlyn on one side, and Alyssa on the other. Vessa had been placed at the far end, where she couldn't be a comforting presence to Alyssa. And the food just kept coming, with butlers behind each of the guests, hovering with pitchers, ready to refill glasses the moment a sip was taken. Not to mention that the silverware and china were gorgeous, and Alyssa was worried that she would break something invaluable. She couldn't find much of an appetite with her stomach all aflutter, but managed a few mouthfuls between pushing things around on her plate, whenever the queen turned her way and asked if the food was to her liking.

Alyssa was relieved when dessert had been cleared from the table, a delicious-looking decadent chocolate cake that still did nothing for her appetite, and silently praised herself for getting through the ordeal, but it seemed that more conversation was expected. Guests were escorted out of the room one by one by servants, leaving only a few behind in the end. The queen and Kaitlyn still sat near Alyssa, while Vessa and Lace sat further down the table, across from each other and looking toward the queen expectantly.

"Well, that was a lovely meal, wasn't it?" the queen smiled as the servants began to clear the table. "Come sit closer, girls," she said to Vessa and Lace. They obeyed, Vessa taking the empty seat beside Alyssa, and giving her hand a comforting squeeze beneath the table. Alyssa squeezed back and didn't let go.

"Well," the queen said, after a sip of her wine, "It seems that there's much more to you than meets the eye." She paused as Shadow, her cat, jumped onto the table and began to lick a small plate with butter stuck to it. She frowned at it for a moment, then shrugged, replacing her smile. "And this other world, where you are from, has no magic?"

"No it does not, my queen," Alyssa returned, adding the 'my queen' clumsily.

"How else does your world differ?"

Alyssa cleared her throat. "We have made advancements, in science and technology, making for comfortable lives. There isn't an ongoing war. Most nations live in peace with one another, despite their differences."

"How do they protect themselves?" the queen wondered, running her finger over the rim of her glass. "I can't imagine having no magic at my disposal to keep predators at bay."

"There are no predators such as you have here, since we have no magic to create such things," Alyssa said. "But we can certainly protect ourselves with advanced weaponry, if need be."

"Weapons can be undone by magic," the queen frowned. "What a strange place you come from."

"Your world seems strange to me, if I can be honest."

The queen chuckled. "I'm sure that it does." She glanced over at Kaitlyn. "I am truly sorry for your predicament. I have heard about the spell that Morgana attempted to make sense of. Do you think that you can best all of the targets put before you?"

Alyssa bit her lip. "I mean to try."

The queen watched her for a moment, before slowly nodding. "Then I wish you luck in your endeavor. And I also wish to support you in your quest. We have a few teleporters at court and I can lend you one for the duration of your war against the monsters of this world." She nodded to Lace. "Lace will join you and take you anywhere you wish."

Lace sat up straight, her eyes wide. "My queen, I don't mean to contradict-"

"Then don't," the queen interrupted her, then smiled brightly. "This warrior needs our help. The least we can do is provide them with easy means of transportation."

Lace blushed bright red, and was perhaps about to cry, but she nodded stiffly in answer.

"Good. Then it's settled." The queen beamed, and clapped Alyssa's shoulder. "Best of luck to you, Alyssa. We wish you a safe journey and look forward to seeing the results of your task."

They were dismissed then, Lace practically running from the room ahead of them. Alyssa felt bad for the girl and wondered why the queen would force her into these circumstances, but to be truthful, the idea of having a teleporter among them would be a godsend. While Morgana's fingers had traced the globe, she'd been trying to calculate in her mind how long it would take to venture from one land to another, and now it seemed, the journey that could have taken months, if not years, would be cut drastically. If she weren't so intimidated by the queen, she would kiss her for such a gift. And if she could, Alyssa vowed to keep Lace out of danger as much as possible, for her trouble.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that," Vessa confided as they headed up to their rooms. "But it will certainly make this trip go smoother."

"That's what I was thinking," Alyssa confessed. She opened the door to her room and led Vessa to the chairs near the fireplace, where they plopped down, exhausted from dinner. Vessa immediately kicked off her high heels and sighed in contentment.

Alyssa followed her example and began to rub her sore feet. She wasn't used to wearing heels, at least in this world. "I wonder if the queen expects Lace to report back to her, keep an eye on our progress."

Vessa smirked. "You don't think she's sending Lace with us out of the goodness of her heart? Ouch, Alyssa."

Alyssa snorted. "It still makes me feel ten times lighter. I just hope Lace doesn't resent us for it."

"She's obviously not happy about it, but she'll make the most of the situation," Vessa said. "Just like you did with the circumstances you were tossed into. She's a trooper, and it's not like we're asking her to slit Lady Blood's throat for us or anything."

Alyssa nodded. "Okay. So, first thing tomorrow, we'll meet up with Parker and regroup. Who should be our first target?"

Vessa considered. "Well, Lady Blood and Prince Air have armies at their command, so I say we skip them for now and focus on the ones that won't be hard to get to."

"So the other insanely powerful ones then," Alyssa said.

Vessa laughed. "Hey, if your immunity to magic keeps up, this could be a cake walk."

Alyssa nodded slowly. "That would make things a hell of a lot easier, wouldn't it? I say we go after The Fire King first."

"That sounds like a fine choice." Vessa cocked her head. "If we went north to do battle with Prince Air, we might have run into the neo-alchemists. Avoiding them sounds like a good idea to me."

"Neo-alchemists?"

"Yeah, they're this witch coven up north that are experimenting with a dangerous new form of magic. Unpredictable and wild stuff, difficult to control and highly unstable. I've heard that all sorts of awful monsters and demons are the result of their dabbling." She shrugged. "At least, that's what I've heard."

"Sounds scary," Alyssa agreed.

Vessa perked up. "Hey, do you know what would make this whole quest go a lot smoother?"

"What's that?"

"An Astral. She could do some reconnaissance for us before we go in, let us know what the lay of the land is by walking through walls and being all intangible."

"Yeah, that would be handy," Alyssa agreed. "But I doubt the queen would go for it."

"No? She's already lending us her stepdaughter."

"True, but they have a few teleporters. Kaitlyn is her only Astral, and she seems to be her right hand spy."

Vessa nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"You are right."

Alyssa and Vessa both jumped as Kaitlyn strode out of the fireplace, glowing pink like a neon sign.

"Already spying on us for her majesty?" Vessa scowled. "That didn't take long. We just barely left the dinner table."

"I can fall asleep fast, if need be," Kaitlyn said. "I've trained myself." She walked over to them and stepped through a small table so that half of her body was cut off from the other by the tabletop. She didn't seem to notice however, as she continued. "Look, the queen doesn't know I'm here and I would like to keep it that way, okay?"

Alyssa and Vessa exchanged looks. "Why?" Alyssa asked. "What do you want?"

Kaitlyn smiled. "Vengeance. For my coven that was torn asunder by Lady Blood, who has the rest of the world shaking in their boots so hard that they won't lift a finger against her."

"Lady Blood killed them?" Alyssa asked, surprised.

"Yes. She considered us a threat, apparently. Only a few of us escaped, but I'll never forget how she looked as she slit the throats of my sleeping brothers and sisters. She takes such glee in killing. She is a true monster."

"Well, we're already planning to kill her," Vessa said.

Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. "Yes, thank you, Miss Obvious. But I want to make sure you succeed. I know that the queen won't let me come with you, but I can still do reconnaissance for you. I can astral project anywhere I want and can give you the lowdown before you go in."

Alyssa's eye widened. "Really? You'd do that for us?"

"Not for you," Kaitlyn scowled. "But taking down Lady Blood's generals? Slowly but surely destroying the world she's created? Yeah, I'll do that. But like I said, I'll do it for my coven."

### Chapter Sixteen

Lace was tight-lipped the next day, and kept a stony expression on her face, but she came with them willingly as they left Rayniste that late afternoon. The queen had given them plenty of provisions, and offered more should they need Lace to teleport back to the castle to restock them. There was no parade as they marched out of the gates, no armies seeing them off, and Alyssa wondered if anyone besides the queen and her inner circle knew about the mission at all. Not that it mattered. It would be to their advantage to reach their targets without anyone knowing, and gossip traveled far and wide.

"How does your power work?" Alyssa asked Lace as they picked their way through the forest beyond the kingdom. "Do you have to do a spell?"

Lace shrugged. "I just have to summon a portal with a thought. I can do several in a day, but it takes concentration, and a big leap in distance, like the ones it seems I will be creating during this voyage, takes a lot out of me physically. Traveling to another continent will require a full day's rest before I can teleport again, if past experience is any indication."

"She was always getting into trouble, leaving the castle without telling anyone," Vessa recalled with a smile. "The king would be furious. Of course, she would return after awhile with flowers from the Orient or something and smile, saying how pretty it was there, and the king, the softie that he was, would forget his anger and ask her about it, like having her tell him a story."

Lace nodded stiffly. "He enjoyed hearing about far-off lands. As king, he could never leave his kingdom and so, never saw other lands for himself." She looked away, and Alyssa fell back with Vessa to give her some room for the rest of the trek back to their previous camp site.

When they arrived, Alyssa leaned back against a larger boulder to wait for Parker to show up.

"Maybe he got scared off," Vessa suggested after waiting for nearly three hours.

Alyssa glanced up at the darkening sky, wondering if he'd been delayed somehow. Should they wait for him? They'd agreed to meet back here, but perhaps he had gotten spooked by the prospect of them discovering that he was a wanted man in these parts. Maybe he used the errand as an excuse to slip away before they called the guards on him.

She touched the edge of the cloak he'd given her that she had thrown over her shoulders. He would have to come back for this though, wouldn't he? He could have taken his leave of them without leaving this behind.

"Scared off?" Lace asked, picking at the ground.

Alyssa shook her head at Vessa, who shrugged. "You know, going into this big death-defying battle. It's scary stuff."

Lace frowned. "That certainly didn't stop the queen from sending me. She said that wars required soldiers. Apparently, I was drafted."

Alyssa shifted uncomfortably. "Lace, we appreciate your help, but I want you to know that we don't expect you to take part in any fighting. You drop us off and find good cover while you wait for us to return. That's all."

Lifting her face, Lace offered her a small smile. "That's kind of you, Alyssa, but the places we're going, I doubt there will be much in terms of good cover."

"What a pessimist."

Alyssa looked up to see Parker trotting up a worn path toward them, a broad smile on his face. She couldn't help but grin back. She was surprised at how glad she was to see him return.

"And you brought another beautiful girl," Parker said. "You shouldn't have."

Lace looked him up and down, eyes narrowed, as if trying to place him. Alyssa stepped in front of her line of vision and offered him his cloak back, which he accepted graciously.

"Hello, Parker," Vessa greeted. "How was your errand?"

Alyssa shot her a look of alarm, but the look of amusement that stretched across Vessa's face was short-lived and she was serious again after he offered some noncommittal answer.

After filling him in on the events of the past day, Parker looked rather overwhelmed, but agreed to continue with them.

"I'm always up for a good fight," he announced. "And frankly, I'm not scared of these monsters like the rest of this yellow-bellied world we live in. I wouldn't mind putting an end to Lady Blood's dark reign."

"Well said," Lace said, shaking out her purple hair. Her dragon flew from her shoulder and circled the air for a moment, before planting itself in a tree overhead.

"Cute pet," Parker said. "He have a name?"

Lace smiled. "Her name is Ambrosia."

"Does she breathe fire?"

"No, she breathes oxygen. She spits fire."

Vessa chuckled.

"Well, this will be a fun bunch of traveling companions," Parker muttered.

Alyssa patted him on the shoulder and his face brightened. "All right. Where's our first stop then?" He shifted the bow and quiver of arrows on his shoulder and looked at them expectantly as he picked up a sword from their supplies, running his hand over the blade.

"The Fire King's castle," Vessa announced.

Parker blinked. "Well, I don't think Ambrosia's going to be much help there then. So much for the dragon coming in handy."

Lace rolled her eyes, then looked at Alyssa expectantly. "So, what's the plan, Boss? Where to?"

Alyssa opened her mouth to form an answer, but she paused as something crashed through the underbrush nearby.

"Oh, hell," Vessa said, moving to duck behind a nearby tree as a buzzing noise echoed through the forest.

Two ticks flew into view, pausing as they noticed them. They quickly dove at them as they scattered, Alyssa looking back with horror as one came straight for her. She'd forgotten how terrifying they were, its mandibles clicking in its face as it gained on her.

It was uncannily fast, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to outrun it, so she turned to face it, swiftly pulling a long knife from the sheath in her back. She stood her ground as it approached, then struck out as it dropped to the ground, standing on its hind legs like a human.

Her knife glanced off of its chest, hardly scuffing the glossy black surface. Exo-skeletons, she suddenly realized. Their bones were on the outside of their body, and they wore them like armor.

"Damn," she swore, blocking an arm as it tried to reach out to grab her, a razor-sharp barb coming too close for comfort. She eyed the barb, realizing that once it hooked her with it, it was not going to let go.

Parker came to her rescue and swung at it from behind with a sword, clipping one of its wings in half. That certainly got its attention. It buzzed loudly as it aggressively launched itself at him, its limbs moving at dizzying speeds. Parker was able to block them, but he wouldn't be able to keep up such a pace for long.

Alyssa drew in a deep breath and tried to slow her racing mind. She looked the target over carefully, looking for a weak point, a chink in its armor. It was a very solidly-made creature, she decided, but in the end, it was an insect and insects had three segments to their bodies. She watched the bottom segment as it throbbed, a sharp stinger poking out from the bottom threateningly. Just above the segment, there was a thin ring of flesh connecting it to the next segment. The same for the head and the second segment of its body. It was only these two spots that appeared vulnerable, but she could work with that.

Licking her lips nervously, she dove in for a swing while it was still focused on Parker. Her knife glanced off of the lower abdomen and it turned on her.

She cursed. The opening to the ring of flesh between segments was extremely narrow. It would take a pretty precise blow to take it out.

But, as she fended off a barbed arm, she saw that Parker had realized what she'd been attempting, and drove his sword easily through the flesh, separating the lower segment of its body from the rest of the creature.

Yellow blood spurted out of its wounds as it fell to the ground, buzzing even louder than before, causing Alyssa to cover her ears. It twitched and seemed to scramble about the ground for a full minute before it slowed, and then grew still.

Alyssa stared down at the creature, gazing at its black eyes, seeing her own face reflected back in the huge mirrors. It seemed so surreal, an insect this large. She was just glad that they'd been able to stop it.

A scream from nearby reminded her that this hadn't been the only tick and she met Parker's eyes briefly before they sprinted toward the source of the sound.

Lace was lying on the ground beyond a line of trees, eyes wide open, but unmoving, veins standing out dark blue at the edges of her face.

"She was stung," Parker said, glancing at her briefly before looking up at Vessa, who fought the remaining tick off with a sword.

Parker rushed toward them as Alyssa crouched down to examine Lace. Her forehead was sweaty and her skin felt feverish, but her lungs sounded clear and her heart beat strongly in her chest. She hated to leave her like that, so defenseless, but Vessa's battle with the bug was a more urgent matter.

Vessa had been knocked to the ground by the tick, but Parker had pushed a fight, so it turned on him before taking advantage of her fall. This one seemed much more aggressive than the one that Alyssa had just battled. It leapt into the air and darted in quickly to try to throw off its prey, boldly assuming that his weapon would not be able to harm it. And for the most part, it was right.

Alyssa was still approaching as it dived once more, this time turning up its stinger and stabbing it into Parker's chest once before withdrawing.

Parker gasped and fell to the ground almost immediately and the tick didn't spare a moment to see where its other opponents were. It collected Parker by an arm and took off into the air.

"No!" Alyssa screamed. She leapt and grabbed onto his dangling legs, pulling him back to the earth, the tick forced down as well, landing with a thud just ahead of them.

Vessa swung her blade through its wings so that it wouldn't be able to fly as it righted itself. "Can't send your friends back for us now, can you?" she said.

Alyssa turned Parker over and saw the same blue veins framing his face, and the same symptoms seemed to exist for him that did for Lace, but he would survive, provided they kill this last monster.

While Vessa was drawing its ire with the clashes of her sword against its arms, Alyssa circled around the creature, eyeing its weak spots again. She was not going to miss this time.

She tried not to be afraid by how close she got to the creature. She would just miss again if she tried to lunge at it from too far back, like last time. She had to get right up to it to properly attack the flesh.

Vessa was momentarily distracted by Alyssa's nearness to the tick and was swatted to the ground by the creature. But Alyssa struck before it pushed the advantage, cutting it cleanly through the neck.

The monster fell to the ground as the other one had, bleeding freely as it buzzed, its stinger throbbing like mad. It took a few minutes before it stopped moving, but it did stop. And when it did, Alyssa finally lowered her knife, sighing with relief.

"My god those things are tough," she announced, wiping the sweat that had gathered on her forehead.

"You can say that again," Vessa approached her, looking down at her handy work. "Imagine fighting off hundreds at a time."

"You couldn't."

"I know."

They looked at each other for a moment before they returned to their fallen comrades, paralyzed from the poison.

Vessa gazed down at Lace with something like pity in her eyes. "The mission hasn't even begun and she was already attacked in a horrible way."

Alyssa nodded slowly. "Yeah, not a great way to start out."

Vessa shrugged. "Well, I suggest that we move them a good distance away, in case the ticks released pheromones to let the rest of their buddies know where they were headed."

"Do they do that?"

"I don't know," Vessa admitted. "Plenty of insects use pheromones to communicate, but these aren't really insects. I'll pump out plenty of other pheromones to cover up anything they may have released though, just in case."

Alyssa licked her lips. "Good call."

They didn't build a fire, for fear of drawing more ticks to their location, but sat quietly in the darkness, watching over the wounded.

Alyssa saw to Parker, while Vessa attended Lace, trying to make them as comfortable as possible while the poison burned through their systems.

"I doubt he's ever felt so defenseless," Vessa noted, an amused look in her eyes as she glanced over at Parker, his head propped up by a pile of leaves that Alyssa had gathered.

"Maybe not," Alyssa said softly, looking him over. "But I bet you'd be surprised." She leaned down close to his face so that their eyes aligned. "Playing the loner, never getting attached to anyone, or any place, seems like a good way to ensure you don't get hurt, to me. I bet you've been hurt plenty in your past."

Parker just stared back at her. His eyes seemed to focus on her, but she couldn't even be sure of that. She smiled and pushed a strand of hair out of his sweaty face. He really was a beautiful man. Her eyes flicked down to his lips that suddenly seemed so much more sensual than she remembered.

Shaking her head, she turned away, then glanced back at him, frowning at the small hole in his vest where the tick had stung him. With a look back at Vessa, who was busy worrying over Lace, she quickly worked to unfasten the vest and open it. She paused when she opened it, glancing up at his face again, which hadn't seemed to change, then touched the wound gently. The small puncture hole in the center of his chest was raised slightly, with blue veins running from it, but it looked to be healing already. Her hand lingered near the wound as she looked over his chest and torso, her fingers subconsciously running up to his shoulders.

Remembering herself, she quickly retied his vest and sat back, watching him carefully as he lay there helplessly.

She was ashamed to say that she actually fell asleep tending to him, and she was startled awake when he touched her cheek gently, looking down into her face. She blinked up at him for a moment, about to apologize, when he offered her a smile. "Thanks for watching over me."

"You're...you're welcome."

He nodded then returned to his makeshift bed and turned his back on her, falling asleep quickly.

Alyssa stared at his back for a moment, recalling the curve of his lips, before closing her eyes again and trying to drive thoughts of the terrifying day from her mind.

### Chapter Seventeen

"Alright," Lace said the next morning, in a surprisingly good mood, given how the evening had gone. "Where to?"

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Alyssa frowned.

Lace rolled her eyes. "We've gone over this. I'm coming."

"But with what happened with the ticks-"

"I'm coming. That's final." Lace sent her a determined look.

Vessa shrugged beside her. "She's coming."

Alyssa glanced over at Parker. "I'm coming too," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. She found her eyes drifting down to his lips, but caught herself and nodded.

"Alright. Let's get going then." She tapped her lower lip for a moment, before shrugging. "Maybe a quarter mile from The Fire King's castle would be good." She looked to Vessa for confirmation, who also shrugged.

"We have no idea what we're walking into, do we?" Lace asked with a frown.

"Nope."

"Great," she muttered, lifting her arms. Ambrosia flew to her left hand obediently and folded its wings against its body.

Like before, a green circle glimmered beneath their feet and raced up their bodies, taking them bit by bit to a land thousands of miles away. A little unnerved, Alyssa closed her eyes during the teleportation, and when she felt her body whole once more, she took an unsteady step to her left and opened her eyes, feeling an overwhelming sense of vertigo.

She wasn't the only one, however, as Vessa and Parker were both bent over, throwing up loudly. The sounds they made, along with her own nausea and disorientation, led to her following suit, and she heaved once before righting herself, feeling much better for having it over with.

"That wasn't pleasant," Parker said, wiping his mouth.

"That was worse than before," Vessa concurred. "The distance isn't just taxing for Lace, it would seem."

Lace herself looked rather pale, with sweat standing out on her forehead, but she seemed to have fared better than the rest of them in the nausea department. "You get used to it after your hundredth time."

"Comforting," Parker murmured. "Let's hope we have fewer trips than that."

Getting her bearings, Alyssa looked about them, suddenly noticing the sweltering heat that seemed to draw moisture from her body greedily. They were in what looked like a rocky desert, tall earthen sculptures looming over them, hard and dry from the harsh environment, although offering a fair amount of shade from the sun blazing overhead. There were hills all around them, looking identical in every direction, the landscape almost steaming with heat, like the wavering shimmer you see on a tar driveway on a hot Summer day. It was oppressive.

Vessa wiped her forehead, which already had a sheen of sweat across it. "Well, good thing the queen loaded us down with water. We'll need it."

"Which way to the castle?" Alyssa asked Lace, who sat down and leaned against a boulder, clearly exhausted.

Lace pointed to her right. "East, a quarter of a mile like you asked."

"How do you know?" Parker wondered. "Can you feel the earth or something?" He seemed to be studying her, trying to understand her power with his own.

She shook her head. "No. The king made me study the Earth day and night, getting the landscapes and landmarks down pat. And I've put it to practice. I'm very accurate, I assure you."

Unlike Lace, Ambrosia seemed to be thriving in the environment, and took to flying overhead, flapping its leathery wings as it soared in an arc overhead. "She loves the heat," Lace offered. "Always has."

"I think most lizards do," Vessa confirmed. "Cold blooded and all."

Lace nodded and pulled a canteen out from her backpack, greedily partaking of some water. "So, what now?"

"Now we rest from that exhausting teleport and wait for nightfall," Alyssa said.

"Why nightfall?" Parker asked, tilting his head.

"We'll have a report on what to expect," Alyssa answered. "And it will be much easier sneaking into a castle in the dark, don't you think?"

"Who can argue with that logic?" Lace scoffed.

"A report from who?" Parker asked.

"Your mysterious savior from the other night," Vessa told him. "She can't get enough of you."

He flashed her a brilliant smile. "Who can?"

Vessa groaned and took a seat next to Lace, Peanut slipping out of her pack and scampering over the ground.

"You have one too?" Parker groaned. "I forgot about Rayniste's pest control issues."

"Well, Rayniste certainly didn't forget about you," Vessa said through a big dazzling smile.

Parker looked startled for a moment, but recovered quickly, looking off into the distance as Alyssa sat down with the others. "If you guys want to rest, I'll keep watch."

"No need," Lace said. "Ambrosia will let me know if there's any sign of trouble, and from what I've heard, the Fire King has few people surrounding him. I doubt we will be surprised way out here."

Parker watched the dragon for a minute, then seeming satisfied, also sat down to rest.

Daylight seemed to be rather short, given the oppressive environment, and the air around them, while still hot, cooled minutely, giving them some small relief. They'd been drinking plenty of water all day long and slept intermittently, so Alyssa felt more rested and prepared for what lay ahead of her by the time Kaitlyn appeared, her pink glow cutting through the darkness.

"Kaitlyn?" Lace stood up, looking much better than she had all day. "What are you doing here?"

Kaitlyn smiled. "Helping."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Lace frowned. "The queen's aware of your activities, of course?"

"Why wouldn't she be?" Kaitlyn said, before turning to Alyssa. "It's a rather large castle, but doesn't seem to be guarded, well, at all. I didn't see a single soul outside of the throne room."

Vessa scratched her head. "No one?"

"No one," Kaitlyn confirmed.

"How does he defend himself?"

Parker scoffed. "Who in their right mind would attack The Fire King?" He blinked as they all stared at him. "I mean, besides us?"

"This should be a cake walk," Lace said, smiling.

"I don't know," Kaitlyn bit her lip. "The Fire King looks pretty scary. I wouldn't underestimate him."

"We won't," Alyssa said. "We'll be careful."

"What did he look like?" Lace asked, curious.

"All burned up," Kaitlyn said. "And covered in fire. Even his eyes, when they look at you, are all fire and brimstone."

Vessa's eyes widened. "Wait. He saw you?"

Kaitlyn shrugged. "Sure, but he couldn't do anything to an astral projection. I'm fine."

"But he'll be expecting us," Parker said.

A loud cry from overhead resounded through the sky then.

Lace's face tightened. "That was Ambrosia."

Vessa glared at Kaitlyn. "He may not be able to hurt you when you're all ghostly, but he can follow your pink ass like a beacon. You led him right to us."

Kaitlyn looked startled. "Oh. Whoops." Then she blinked out of existence, leaving them in shadows again.

"I think she's trying to get us killed," Parker announced.

"Seems likely," Lace concurred. She let out a high whistle and looked around the sky expectantly. "Come on, Ambrosia. Come on, girl."

The small dragon suddenly sped over an outcrop of rocks from the direction of the castle, diving down suddenly to avoid a fireball that went sailing overhead. They all watched silently as the fireball passed them, spiraling into the distance, where it crashed into something that they couldn't see.

"Well, damn," Vessa whispered as Ambrosia landed on Lace's outstretched arm.

Alyssa felt an icy tendril of fear crawl into her chest as she noted the shadows to the East parting, the rocks brightening first red and fiery, then yellow and light as a figure loomed over them. He seemed to be twice as tall as a normal person, his skin black, like it had been scorched and shriveled by fire. Alyssa immediately thought of a log that had been sitting in a fire and was left a blackened husk after it had died down. He looked much like that, but still boasted human features, although his eyes were red as coal in a furnace, as if he were burning from the inside out. He wore all black, but his cape and high collar were ablaze, lighting his figure and the surrounding area like a walking candlestick.

"Guests," a garbled voice croaked.

"The Fire King," Vessa whispered.

They were all staring at him, immobilized by his sudden, disturbing appearance that they didn't see the other figures closing in around them.

Parker yelped first, sending Alyssa into a defensive stance, pulling her long knives from their sheaths at her back.

The whole area was lit up now, as the creatures that joined them gave off light themselves, blobs of molten lava shaped like scoops of ice cream, red and black lava in constant motion. The golems had grooves in their bodies where their eyes should have been, and they didn't walk on legs, but rather slid over the ground, leaving behind smoking, blackened rock in their wake. They had no arms to attack Alyssa and her friends outright, but they couldn't attack the creatures either. Parker tried, loosing an arrow into the nearest one to him, but it was merely absorbed into its body after a brief flare up of fire and smoke.

"What do we do?" Vessa asked, backing up against Alyssa as they grew nearer.

"Come," The Fire King said, and turned back toward the way he'd come.

The lava creatures began moving in the same direction, and as they were surrounded, Alyssa and her companions were forced to follow. There was perhaps enough space for them to slip between the creatures and escape, but should the blobs move to stop them, they would be covered in severe burns, if they didn't die outright.

"We go along with him for now," Alyssa said.

"For now?" Lace scoffed. "Like once we're in his castle, we're going to be able to get away any easier. At least now we're out in the open. I say we make a break for it."

"Can you teleport yet?" Parker asked.

Lace looked away. "No. I'm still recharging."

"Then biding our time seems like it could have some advantages."

Lace nodded reluctantly.

Alyssa looked up into the dark sky overhead as they were herded along like cattle over the desert wasteland. The stars glistened and the red moon shone, oblivious to their current predicament. Could she do this? Could she even defeat this one adversary that seemed so powerful? She definitely had her doubts, especially given her current situation, but she wasn't about to give up when her quest had hardly begun.

It was a short hike, but it was a slow-going procession, giving the captives plenty of time to take in their surroundings. After cresting a hill, they were given their first look at The Fire King's castle, a large black fortress surrounded by a river of lava, moving lazily in a circle around the keep, flaring with fire from time to time, sometimes frighteningly high. Staring at it, Alyssa couldn't help but think of Super Mario Brothers. She felt like she was going to Bowser's castle to save the princess. She chuckled to herself, earning her strange looks from her friends.

A drawbridge was lowered, allowing them access to the castle. Once they were within the walls of the castle, the doors closed firmly behind them, the lava creatures left them, slipping through openings into the walls, and falling into the moat of lava, as if rejoining their brethren.

The Fire King still continued deeper into the castle, its walls glistening in the light cast by the lava. The entire castle seemed to be made of obsidian, the floors black and smooth as marble, the walls rough, cut almost like the ridges of veins, as if the castle itself were a living thing.

Alyssa looked around at the others for a moment before following.

"What are we doing?" Lace hissed as they kept a short distance between themselves and their target. "We should run!"

"Where?" Vessa whispered back. "This place is surrounded by a moat of lava, if you hadn't noticed. We can't exactly walk out unscathed."

Lace was silent after that as they ventured further into the castle, until reaching a large room with a large stone table and chairs surrounding it. Like the rest of the castle, there were holes in the walls here as well, where the lava swirling about outside could be glimpsed, offering more light. The holes were much like windows, but set close to the ground. A person could stumble through one and to their death below if they weren't careful, especially given that they were nearly five feet tall, about how large the lava creatures had been. In fact, if he had a mind to, The Fire King could probably easily summon more of those creatures into the room at a moment's notice, which was probably why the holes were all over the castle.

The Fire King took a seat at the head of the table and smiled at them, a hideous smile that showed off blackened teeth, shriveled yet somehow sharp. His head caught on fire from the blaze on his high collar, but he didn't even seem to notice, his whole head becoming engulfed and flaring brightly.

"I haven't had guests for years," he suddenly said, opening his arms to them and gesturing for them to sit. "It's been rather lonely."

It took Alyssa some effort to make out his garbled words. It sounded like his vocal cords were reduced to rock as the rest of him seemed to be. How could this have once been a man?

As they were seated, Alyssa once again noticed his great height. He towered over them from his seat, like a giant. She stared at his fists and noted that they were nearly twice as big as her head. He could destroy her with one hit from them if he wanted to.

"Charming castle," Parker said, leaning back in his chair as if he were visiting relatives. "Very gothic and, huh, with all of the fire around, I would have expected more soot."

The Fire King stared at him for a moment. "What brings you to my keep? Few brave my wrath."

Alyssa exchanged looks with Vessa, unsure of how to proceed.

"I saw your spy," The Fire King accused. "You mean to slay me."

"Just her," Lace said, pointing to Alyssa.

Alyssa glared at her, then met the smoldering eyes of the monster before her.

"And why have you a desire to slay me?" he demanded. "I have kept to myself these past years, living in solitude, harming no one."

Alyssa cleared her throat. "That's going to change sooner or later. We both know that."

The Fire King considered her for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgement. "Perhaps you are right." He sighed, a sound that was like chestnuts popping in a fireplace. "I will have to make an example out of you. You are henceforth my prisoners."

"Fat chance of that," Parker said, quickly arming his bow with an arrow in one fluid motion. He let the arrow fly, quickly notching a new arrow as he knocked back his chair and aimed.

The Fire King slapped the arrow away as if it were a fly and stood as well, a low rumble issuing forth from his chest.

Vessa, meanwhile, took advantage of the distraction by pulling out three canteens of water. She held them out to Alyssa, who didn't hesitate in slicing the tops from them with a knife, allowing Vessa to leap onto the table and throw them at The Fire King, directly in his face.

The Fire King roared as his face and chest steamed, the fire having been quickly extinguished. He covered his eyes, narrowly missing an arrow from Parker as he doubled over.

The room suddenly grew brighter, and Alyssa cursed as more lava creatures slipped into the room from the moat below.

"He has an endless source of troops to send against us," Parker said.

"And troops that we can't touch," Vessa added, looking up as The Fire King lifted his hands from his face.

Steam still poured from his face, but fire was already returning to his collar, and if his bared teeth and sizzling eyes were any indication, he was pissed.

Vessa didn't have a chance to react before The Fire King backhanded her with one of his rock-hard hands, sending her flying from the table and into a wall, sliding down it silently in a heap.

"Vessa!" Parker rushed to her aid, The Fire King pursuing him.

"Ambrosia!" Lace cried.

Ambrosia leapt from her shoulder and began scratching at The Fire King's head, drawing his attention from their fallen comrade. But the lava creatures were already upon them, circling Vessa and Parker across the room, and moving in on Alyssa and Lace, pushing them back from the table and against the opposite wall.

Lace gasped as one of her feet slipped through the hole in the wall, but Alyssa pulled her back up and steadied her, turning to face their adversaries with a brave face.

The creatures kept advancing, pushing them up against the wall while The Fire King continued to roar behind them like a demon possessed.

Alyssa struck out at one of the creatures with a long knife, but it passed through harmlessly. "Damn it!"

Lace stepped back again and her foot slipped back into the hole like before. She grabbed desperately for Alyssa as she fell through the opening, pulling her along for the descent into the lava.

Alyssa's mouth opened in a silent scream of horror as she slipped through the hole, falling rapidly toward the roiling lava. Every second that passed felt hotter and hotter, despite the air that rushed by her in her freefall.

She closed her eyes when the heat became unbearable and she knew she was about to slam into the moat. But the moment never came. In fact, rather than the impact of lava that would melt the flesh from her bones, her body felt a relief from the heat, nearly tingling, from the bottom of her feet up to her scalp, and sending her hair standing on end. And it was suddenly extremely cold.

Her eyes flew open and she was surprised to see nothing but white. Squinting, she made out white specks floating past her vision, and when they began to hit her face, she realized that it was snow.

She frowned, looking up at the white skies and noting where they intersected the white snowy plains around her. She turned slowly to the left and saw white mountains, reaching up toward the sky. Quite the contrast from the deserts of The Fire King's domain.

Wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the cold, Alyssa looked down to see Lace out cold at her feet, a fresh trail of blood slipping from one of her nostrils. She looked rather pretty in the fresh snow, her purple hair spilled out around her head, flurries catching in her eyelashes, but her alarmingly pale skin was only a few shades warmer than her surroundings, which couldn't be good.

Alyssa looked around them for shelter, wondering where the hell they could be, and noticed something alarming in the opposite direction. While The Fire King's castle had been black and Gothic and ugly, the castle she saw in the distance here was white and delicate, with fragile-looking spires that reminded her of icicles.

And she knew without a doubt that she was looking at the castle of The Ice Queen.

### Chapter Eighteen

"I said that I was sorry like five times already," Lace said, rubbing her arms in the small cave Alyssa had managed to find. Luckily, they had supplies to build a fire and it was working wonders to ward the chill that had entered their bones. During the day, the temperatures had been freezing. Now that it was night time, it was beyond freezing. It felt like a few steps outdoors would result in them becoming human popsicles.

"Sorry hardly covers it," Alyssa said, pacing back and forth before the fire. "We left our friends back there to face The Fire King alone, and of all the places for you to teleport us, you bring us to The Ice Queen's backyard."

"I panicked, alright?" Lace frowned. "I needed to teleport us like right at that second, and it was so hot, the first thing I thought of was someplace cold, and this location was on my mind since we were going to have to come here sooner or later."

Alyssa continued to pace, but with less fervor as she put a hand to her head. "Yes, I...I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated. This sucks."

"You don't say."

"Well, as soon as you feel up to it, we'll just have to teleport back and finish the one mission first. Hopefully our friends will still be alive."

Lace let out a sigh. "The Fire King hardly seemed sane. I doubt..." She let her voice trail off as she met Alyssa's glare. "I mean, they could be alive."

Alyssa stopped pacing and sat before the fire with a sigh. "I just don't...I don't know if I can do this. There's only four of us. Maybe only two now. We need more help."

"An army would be nice," Lace murmured. "But don't forget that I lost somebody back there too."

Ambrosia came to mind, and Alyssa nodded in sympathy.

They sat in silence for a moment and Lace began to rummage through the bag she'd been carrying.

Alyssa put her hands out to the fire, letting it warm them. "What do we have for food?"

Lace continued to dig through the pack. "Well, I see some small loaves of bread and some dried meat. Maybe beef."

"Beef it is." She held out her hand and took the meat gratefully, devouring it quickly.

"There's no water though."

Alyssa snorted. "There's enough snow around that I doubt we'll have to worry about that."

"Yeah." Lace munched on some bread and sighed. "And you're welcome."

Alyssa cocked an eyebrow.

"For saving your life."

Eyes widening, Alyssa stared at her, dumbfounded for a moment. "I think you meant to say 'Sorry I pulled you through that hole after me.'"

Lace rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, I could have let you plummet to your death, you know. I thought quickly and saved us both, didn't I?"

Alyssa put a hand to her head, exasperated. "Okay. Thank you for not letting me fall to my death after putting me in the situation."

"You're welcome," Lace smiled.

Alyssa scoffed, then chuckled. "How long before you think you'll be well enough to 'port again?"

"I don't know," Lace let out a deep breath. "I feel like a horse kicked me in the stomach, and I can barely stand. I haven't felt this bad in a while. Teleporting that far without enough rest took a lot out of me."

Alyssa looked toward the cave entrance, worried. "Well, the smoke won't draw too much attention in the dark, but during daylight hours, it'll be a different story. I don't want to be ambushed again."

"I should be mobile in the morning at least," Lace offered. "But there's no way I'm going to be able to teleport us out of here for a few days."

"Fair enough," Alyssa conceded. "We'll rest up for the night, then try to find some better shelter in the morning."

She lay down and waited for sleep to find her, something that took awhile. Her body kept shivering, despite the warmth the fire provided. But she found the crackling of the fire and the drips of melting snow comforting, and soon found the rest she sought.

***

Cory's lips met hers and she felt herself grow light-headed with the gentle, soft caresses his lips offered hers. Then his mouth was trailing down her neck, sending shivers of pleasure through her body that she couldn't suppress if she'd wanted to. "I never want this to end."

Alyssa awoke with tears in her eyes and wiped them away angrily, trying to dismiss thoughts of Cory just as easily, although they didn't obey as quickly as she would have liked, the memories lingering well into the day, his lips haunting her as she trudged through the icy landscape, wrapped in what little extra clothing they'd stored in the bags they had with them.

Soon enough, Alyssa's mind turned to thoughts of their stranded companions at the mercy of The Fire King. Vessa and Parker were certainly resourceful people, and she couldn't stand to think of the possibility that they might have breathed their last because she hadn't been there to help them. If only things had turned out differently. If only things hadn't happened so fast.

"Is that them?" Lace asked, teeth chattering as she opened her mouth to speak.

Alyssa leaned into her, savoring the small amount of warmth she found there. There was no wind, no snow, just an icy landscape that was impossibly cold. She shuddered to think of how horrid conditions would be if it had been snowing. There had been little promise of shelter in the directions of the mountains or plains, and while Alyssa had been hesitant about walking toward the castle, they had spied what seemed to be caves in the rocky foothills leading up to the intimidating structure. If they could wait out Lace's fatigue in a comfortable cave before teleporting the hell out of there, Alyssa wouldn't mind getting a little closer to the castle. It wasn't like they could put much distance between themselves and the castle in this wasteland anyway, hoping to find some shelter before freezing to death. They had few options, and this looked like the best. If they came across some of The Ice Queen's minions, Alyssa was a skilled fighter, after all. She was confident in her ability, even if fighting The Ice Queen herself seemed a little frightening, given how her run in with The Fire King had gone.

Squinting against the snow that was blindingly bright in the sun, Alyssa nodded, making out openings in the frozen rock. "Yes, I think that is them."

"Thank god," Lace murmured as they summoned extra energy and began racing toward the openings.

Sure enough, they were caves, and they picked one that had a narrow entrance that kept out the snow, yet was deep enough to stretch out comfortably. As they slipped inside, Alyssa was surprised to see that it went much further than she'd expected, although it was too dark to see just how far it went without a light.

Lace sidled up to her and stared toward the back of the cave. "Do you think it's safe here?"

Alyssa considered, cocking her head to listen for anything making noise. But all was silent. "I don't think I'll feel safe until I make sure there's nothing hiding in this cave."

Lace nodded. "Alright, but I'm coming with you."

Alyssa hesitated, but nodded. "Just stay close."

Feeling along the walls with one hand and holding onto Lace with the other, they ventured deeper into the cave. The rock was rough and grated her skin a bit, but Alyssa tried not to notice. After walking in the dark for nearly five minutes, it also began to feel wet, which made her give pause before she realized that it felt warmer the further they went. Optimistic about her discovery, Alyssa picked up her pace, surprised to also see light coming from around a bend ahead.

Lace jerked to a stop, staring at the curve in the wall that was illuminated from around the corner. "What is it?"

Alyssa squeezed her hand reassuringly. "We won't know until we look. If someone's there, we'll just slip silently back out of the cave, okay?"

Lace nodded as they started forward again.

Now that there was sufficient light, Alyssa dropped Lace's hand and flattened herself against the wall. She inched closer to the curve and tentatively stuck her head out as she moved along the wall.

There was a crude wooden door blocking the cave ahead, the light they saw bleeding from between planks of wood.

Frowning, Alyssa stepped away from the wall, earning a startled intake of breath from Lace.

Alyssa gestured for her to stay put and crept forward toward the door. She peeked through the gaps in the wood and could only make out more rock and a torch burning from a nearby sconce. But if there was a sconce burning, it meant that people had been there recently. But were they still there?

Reaching out a hand, Alyssa ran her fingers over the door, noting that it was locked from her side with a deadbolt. With a frown, she unlocked the door and pulled it open with a loud creak that set her teeth on edge. But nobody came barreling down the passage after her, so she opened the door the rest of the way and stepped through the doorway, looking around at the rock walls suspiciously.

"Is it okay?" Lace whispered, skulking up to her.

Alyssa didn't answer, but continued proceeding along the passage silently. She pulled a long knife out from the sheath at her back, just in case.

They didn't have to go much further before they came to another door, this one sturdier-looking than the last one, also locked from their side with a deadbolt. There were no gaps in the wood to see beyond this door, but another sconce burned beside the door, giving them ample light to see by.

"What should we do?" Lace asked, turning to Alyssa expectantly.

"I say we see what's on the other side," Alyssa answered, looking over the door nervously. "But if it goes much deeper, I think we should abandon this cave and find another."

"But it's so warm here," Lace said. "I can even feel my feet now."

Alyssa blinked, surprised by just how warm it was. It was still chilly, but the arctic temperatures had definitely given way to something that could be classified as comfortable. "Well, if there are no surprises here, maybe we can stick around just long enough for you to be able to do another jump."

Lace nodded. "I think I'm still a day away from a long-distance jump. If we can stay the night here, I don't see any problems with getting out of here first thing in the morning."

"Sounds good," Alyssa offered her an encouraging smile before unlocking the door. And before she could think about it, Alyssa gave the door a good push.

This door didn't squeak, to Alyssa's relief, and the room ahead opened up and was well-lit by several torches. Black iron bars built into the walls created jail cells along either side of the room, allowing for an ample path along the center of the room that led to a stone staircase at the other end. The room was quite big, with eight cells on either side, each the size of a small classroom, but decorated with stone benches and beds covered with straw. The smell of chamber pots was overwhelming, but at a glance, no prisoners seemed to populate the cells.

"A prison?" Lace whispered, eyes wide.

Alyssa nodded and walked into the room slowly, eyes taking in the scene. "Probably courtesy of The Ice Queen. We should get out of here."

"Hello?"

Alyssa and Lace froze at the voice, a man's voice from the last cell on the left. Alyssa didn't see anybody standing at the bars, but she was certain that it had come from that room. She took a step in that direction, but Lace clamped her hands over her arm, shaking her head vigorously.

Alyssa pulled her arm away. "Lace, enemies of The Ice Queen are sure to be friends of ours. And right now, we could use a few friends."

Lace looked reluctant, but followed Alyssa as she walked up to the cell she'd heard the voice issue from.

The last two cells were slightly larger than the others and held stone tables, as well as cases against the back walls full of medieval instruments, many with blades or decorated with spikes. A man was strapped down to one of the two tables in the cell on the left. He looked up as they approached the bars and relief broke out over his face. "You're not her," he said.

Alyssa couldn't open her mouth to reply. She was too stunned by the scene before her. The man had obviously been tortured. He was missing teeth, blood caked to his lips and chin where it had been left to run freely. His hands that were restrained, fastened to the table by leather cuffs, were missing fingers. And worst of all, the lower half of his body looked burned.

"The keys," the man said. He looked at her with kind blue eyes beneath bushy white eyebrows. He was probably well into his fifties and had little hair left on his head, save for over his ears. He nodded toward the staircase, where Alyssa spied a hook on the wall, a ring of large keys dangling from it.

"Alyssa..." Lace murmured.

Alyssa shook her head, and went to collect the keys. She glanced up the staircase and saw that the stairs curved up along the wall and out of sight. It was probably the passage that took them into the castle.

Returning with the keys, Alyssa unlocked the doors and threw the door of the cell open, letting it bang against the bars as it collided with them. She glanced at Lace quickly before walking into the cell, steeling herself for what she would see.

It was worse than it had looked from the door to the cell. The man had clearly been through a painful experience down here. He was missing two fingers from each hand, and the ones that remained were black, a ring of salty white bleeding into the damaged fingers from the healthy skin of his hand. Similarly, what Alyssa had seen of his lower extremities before was more black, charred-looking skin, salty white lines randomly running over his dead legs and feet.

"What happened to you?" Alyssa managed to choke out. She concentrated on looking into the man's face, rather than stare at his wounds.

"Tortured by her majesty," the man said, then coughed, turning his head as blood sprayed out from between his lips with each body-wracking motion. He cleared his throat and smiled as he turned back to her. "I'm from a village a few miles south of here. I found him when he escaped her. I was trying to help him."

Alyssa frowned, then noticed that he was looking over at the cell across the aisle.

"If you let me loose, I'm sure I can get out," the man said. "I can't feel my legs right now, but I'm sure once I'm standing, I'll be fine."

Without thinking, her eyes drifted down to his legs. She noted that his toes were all blown to twice their normal size, as if painfully blistered.

"Frostbite," Lace murmured into her ear. "He won't have long. The infection will kill him soon."

Alyssa swallowed hard. "I'm going to look in on your friend," she said in a gentle voice, laying a soothing hand on his shoulder. "Okay?"

The man nodded, and lay his head back, a look of pain crossing his face.

Alyssa met Lace's eyes for a moment before she slipped out of the cell and walked up to the one across the aisle. This room was set up similarly, but the man strapped to the table in this cell looked untouched. In fact, he looked like he was sleeping. Maybe he's dead, she thought before shaking her head at the thought.

Unlocking the cell, she pulled the door open and stared at the man from the doorway for a moment. He was tall, well over six feet, and well muscled. He had broad shoulders and arms thick from use. His blonde hair looked as if it would fall to his shoulders when he was standing, and he had beautiful lips, nearly red, that made her blush when she looked at them. He was rather pale, but there was no denying that he was a gorgeous man, in his tight-fitting v-neck white shirt that showed a glimpse of a strong, smooth chest.

"We could probably save this one," Lace said, taking him in.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?"

Shaking her head, Alyssa entered the cell and felt his wrist to make sure that he was still alive. She felt a strong heartbeat. Smiling, she unfastened his wrists and ankles from the table. "Sir? Are you alright?" she asked gently.

"You might need to be a little more forceful than that," Lace said, picking up a white cotton cloth that lay on the other table. "I think he was knocked out with chloroform."

A loud creak suddenly resounded throughout the large room, and Alyssa and Lace both looked up, alarmed. The sound had come from the top of the staircase.

Cold air drifted through the room suddenly.

"Sir, you need to wake up," Alyssa growled in the ear of the man. She stared at him for a moment, then slapped him hard across the face.

Her hand left a red mark across his cheek, but it did the trick. The man opened his eyes, although they seemed rather glassy and unfocused. "Where'm I?" he muttered.

"Alright," Lace said, pulling him from the table. "Up you go."

He slid from the table and teetered on his feet for a moment, but righted himself in the end, looking around him groggily.

"She's coming! She's coming!" the prisoner in the other room yelled.

Alyssa looked up, swallowing hard as frost quickly ran down the sides of the staircase as if it were suddenly freezing. The shadow of a figure was thrown across the stairs as someone descended them, making a loud click-clack noise with each step.

"We have to go," Lace said, pulling the man after her.

They flew out of the cell and ran up the center aisle back the way they'd come, the man seeming to grow stronger with each step.

"Take me with you!" the frostbitten man screamed after them. "Please, don't leave me behind!"

Alyssa swallowed hard and grit her teeth, trying to block out his cries as they sprinted past one door, then the other, on their way out of the dungeon, locking each behind them in a wild bid that it would buy them some time.

"We should have just killed him," Lace sobbed as they stumbled out of the cave. "We should have put an end to his suffering."

The prisoner with them laid eyes on her for a moment, then with a firm jaw, looked ahead, into the white snow ahead that they plowed through. There was nowhere to hide out there in the open. It would take them awhile to reach any significant cover. They were sitting ducks.

Bells suddenly sounded behind them, some loud and solid like the bell from a church tower, some tinny and high-pitched like sleigh bells.

"That will be The Ice Queen sending out her owls and foxes," the man said in a deep voice. "It is how she caught up to me the last time."

Alyssa glanced sideways at Lace, her breathing becoming labored. "Can you manage a small teleport to get us out of this scrape?"

Lace nodded. "Yeah. I'll need to stop a moment, but I think I can manage."

"You think?"

Lace smirked, then looked back and cursed.

Alyssa glanced over her shoulder as well and was shocked to see dozens of animals already at their heels. The white foxes blended into the snow so flawlessly that it was hard to pick them out against the landscape. It almost looked as if the land itself were after them, rippling and flashing fangs in its pursuit.

White owls were also descending on them from above, soaring ever lower the closer they came to reaching them. Dozens of the creatures watched them with large dark eyes, talons at the ready, wings flapping quickly with desire to capture their prey.

"Good god," Alyssa yelled. "Lace?"

Lace suddenly came to a dead stop, and turned to face their pursuers. Alyssa slowed along with the prisoner, then turned as well, facing the barrage of beasts. All of the bared teeth and deadly looking claws made Alyssa's mouth suddenly go dry. She hoped that Lace had the strength to teleport them out of there, even just a mile or so to get a head start.

"Now would be good!" Alyssa cried as the creatures were only a dozen or so feet from them. She watched as the foxes crouched, ready to leap at them, and the owls began to dive bomb, her heart thudding loudly in her chest.

And then that tinny taste invaded her mouth and Alyssa saw the green circular portal appear in front of them. Instead of showing up beneath them, it appeared vertically before them, like a wall between them and the attacking creatures.

Alyssa frowned as the creatures, too late to stop themselves, disappeared through the portal, before the portal itself disappeared. And then they were alone again.

"Okay," Alyssa said, putting a hand to her chest. "That works too."

"I sent them into the prison cells," Lace said, breathing hard. "It'll take them awhile to get back out here. Especially since I have these." She held up the ring of keys for the cells.

Alyssa laughed happily.

"That will give us more than enough time to find shelter," their new companion said confidently.

Alyssa exchanged looks with Lace, then smiled at him. "Alright. Lead the way."

### Chapter Nineteen

They came upon a small fishing village an hour later. Having sprinted nearly the entire way, Alyssa was ready to collapse as soon they arrived at their destination. When the first houses appeared, she let out a happy laugh and slowed, her weary legs feeling like lead.

The man slowed along with Lace and smiled at them. "We should be safe here. The man you met in the prison, Abram, would have brought me here before if we hadn't been run down by The Ice Queen's creatures."

Alyssa nodded, still gasping for air from running so far. The man had a nice smile, a little blonde stubble running along his strong jaw. He turned his blue eyes on her and she looked away, blushing.

"Who are you anyway?" Lace choked out, stopping to lean forward and catch her breath.

He put a hand on her back and gently forced her to keep walking. "Don't stop now," he told her. "You'll freeze quickly." He nodded encouragement as she kept walking of her own accord. "Let's find shelter, then I will tell you all."

Watching Lace, Alyssa doubted that she would be able to do a large jump for awhile yet, which was disconcerting. She already had plenty of anxiety over the safety of their friends. It would be days before they were able to return to them. Alyssa had the sinking feeling that that would be too late.

The closer they got to the village, the more it appeared that something was wrong. No one was outside, for one thing, but given the extreme weather, Alyssa couldn't really fault them for that. However, the houses themselves looked kind of off, and she couldn't really define what was odd about them until they drew much closer and more of the village came into view. Then it hit them, perhaps all at once, as they walked along the streets of the village quietly, staring at the scene with unbelieving eyes.

The entire village was covered in ice. The thick coat of ice on the rooftops glistened brightly in the sunlight, but stubbornly refused to melt. Icicles dangled from everything, some larger than a foot in size, but thousands of them hung over the sides of buildings, and over carts and wagons. Dark shapes cowered in the corners and in doorways, also covered in ice, and Alyssa soon discerned that these were people, frozen in fear quite literally, mouths hanging open in silent screams, eyes large and unblinking. It was as if the pyroclastic flow of Pompeii had preserved them with its relentless wave of horror, testament to a disastrous occurrence. One woman stood in front of two children near a sled tied to the harnesses of several dogs, something rebellious written across her face, but she hadn't been spared for her effort, nor had the children behind her, an inch of ice preserving their innocent stares in death.

"This village has felt The Ice Queen's wrath," the man said softly. "And the fault probably lies with me."

Alyssa sent him a sympathetic look, but he didn't see it. He was staring around him with a tortured expression, taking in the horror that used to be a village willing to take him in and protect him when he'd needed it.

"There are still some buildings untouched," Lace said, pointing toward the ocean, where boats were pulled aground near tiny structures the size of closets. One was about twice the size of the others, but with the doors hanging open, facing the village, it was apparent that no survivors would be found within.

Their companion led them to the structure and quickly gathered kindling for a fire, prying the wood from the other small buildings, and relentlessly beating a boat to pieces. For having been a prisoner of The Ice Queen, and leading them miles from her reach, he still boasted plenty of energy, and a great amount of strength. But given how thick his arms and chest seemed, Alyssa decided that she shouldn't be surprised. He was obviously used to hard work.

Once a fire was going in the small room, he pulled the door closed and slid open a panel in the ceiling to give the smoke somewhere to go. Then he sat silently, contemplating the fire and adding fuel from his cache of wood every so often to continue to grow the intensity of the flames. Alyssa didn't mind the silence. It gave her a chance to rest her weary limbs, and she felt her body thaw gradually from the intensity of the fire.

Lace cleared her throat after they'd been sitting for nearly half an hour like that. "So, who are you?"

The man looked up, as if startled, and offered a small smile. "I apologize. I am Eric, son of Phorseus the Great, heir to the Bloodlands of Nohr." He stood up, then bowed before Alyssa, taking her right hand in his and bringing it up to his lips for a kiss. "I am in your debt."

She was sure that her cheeks were beyond burning, but all Alyssa could think was that it was a shame that her hand was still rather numb from the cold, because she would have rather enjoyed feeling his lips on her skin. The thought of it sent a shiver up her back.

He did the same to Lace, as well, who seemed rather unimpressed by the display. "Okay, Eric, son of blah, blah, blah, heir to blah, blah, blah, why was The Ice Queen holding you captive? And how did she capture you in the first place?" She sent him a look that very plainly read that she was suspicious of him.

Eric considered her for a moment. "You think that I am being insincere, but I will win your confidence. As for how I came to be here, The Ice Queen's most fearsome creature, an ice giant, attacked my men as we were traveling to a nearby village. It may have felt the power of the sword that I wield, and it captured me, along with my prized weapon, and brought me to her."

"Does she still have your sword?" Alyssa asked.

"I am afraid so."

Lace frowned. "Why are you still alive then? Why didn't she just kill you when she had the sword in hand?"

"She doesn't understand its power," Eric said. "It is a mystical weapon, forged centuries ago, and can only reach its full potential if wielded by its rightful owner, or if given willingly to another. It is otherwise like any other sword."

"Sounds powerful."

"It is. The heavens quake when I strike it against an enemy's sword."

Lace snorted.

Alyssa tried to catch her eye to remind her that they needed allies, but she refused to make eye contact. Alyssa was, for one, happy to have this man by their side, especially since he seemed to think he owed them, and was obviously a strong fighter. Perhaps he would be willing to help them rescue their friends from The Fire King.

"I'm assuming you didn't willingly give it to her," Alyssa said.

Eric looked shocked, as if the idea were preposterous. "She would not be able to coax the proper words from my mouth, whatever torture she may come up with."

"Oh, come on," Lace said, standing up. "You're buying this? He's courageous, noble, good-looking, friendly, strong." She ticked them off of her fingers one-by-one. "And we just happen to stumble across him when we desperately need help?"

"You live in a world of magic," Alyssa said, also standing. "I don't really care what sort of spell or mojo or whatever led us to cross paths, but we need him. God forbid it's actually a coincidence. And hell, he could have just as easily helped The Ice Queen pick us off back there in that cave, but he didn't. What's he waiting for? A formal invitation?"

Lace continued to glare at her for a moment, then sighed and looked away. "Fine. Maybe Fate's smiling down at us, or whatever."

"Fate sent me, didn't it?" Alyssa smiled. "Plus that man, Abram, gave his life to protect him. He risked this village to save him." She looked Eric's way, who was staring into the fire as they argued. "We should allow for that sacrifice to mean something."

"Yeah, yeah," Lace sat back down and crossed her arms. "Just don't blame me if it blows up in your face."

Alyssa also sat down and watched as Eric fed another piece of wood into the fire, surprised to find that she was rather warm now. "It really feels good in here."

Eric smiled at her. "We have structures like this where I come from, as well. They are small, but necessary to keep those warm who go hunting or fishing, or are merely waiting for the return of loved ones."

"You come from a fishing village?"

"Fish is our primary food. We also hunt polar bears and seals. In the cold, you have to survive on whatever the land provides."

"I hate fish," Lace grumbled.

Alyssa frowned. "Unfortunately, that's probably what's on the menu tonight."

Eric perked up. "I shall provide them for you." He stood and slipped out of the building quickly.

Alyssa hesitated, but followed, peeking around the shelter to watch him push one of the boats into the water and jump in expertly. She watched him sweep through the water with the aid of an oar, using long, confident strokes, then returned to the fire and Lace.

"He seems like a good guy," Lace admitted, lying down and shutting her eyes. "But if he comes back with The Ice Queen, I get to teleport him into the middle of the ocean, pretty blue eyes and all."

Alyssa grinned. "Deal."

***

Alyssa groaned as she sat up the next morning, a kink in her back from sleeping on the ground. The shelter still smelled of the fish they'd had for dinner last night, which didn't exactly make her excited for breakfast, but she managed to swallow some bread from her pack. Lace was still sleeping, so she tried to be quiet as she slid out of the door, shivering at the suddenly cold air. The air inside had remained rather warm throughout the night, but one step outside reminded her that they were in a land well below freezing. Gazing toward the village, Alyssa noted the ice still thick on the houses and the surrounding area. Eric was walking back toward her from that direction with a bundle over his back. She watched as he grew closer, his long blonde hair sweeping behind him in the breeze that came from the ocean.

"Good morning," he called out jovially, a big grin covering his face.

She couldn't help but return the smile, wondering how he could have such perfect teeth in such a medieval world. But then she remembered: magic. Of course.

"Good morning," she returned. "Find something?"

Eric nodded as he drew up to her, dropping the bag at his feet and opening it for her to see. She knelt down and sifted through the contents, which included a few daggers, a double-sided battle axe and a small shield. "I collected these from hidden spaces, under floor boards mostly."

"Were things inside just as frozen?"

"Yes." He hesitated. "I was hoping to stumble upon some survivors, but I knew that it was a long shot."

She put a hand on his arm sympathetically, then pulled it away, feeling a little awkward. "This isn't your fault, you know."

"If I weren't here, this would not have happened," he said. "If I hadn't tried to escape, this would not have happened. My actions, my very presence, caused this."

She returned her hand to his arm, more confidently this time, and looked him in the eyes. "You are not responsible for what a crazy, homicidal sorceress does. You didn't even want to be here, you were forced. This is not on you. It's all on her."

Eric held her eyes for a minute, then nodded, a smile returning to his face. "Thank you, Alyssa. That was kind of you to say." He put his hand over hers. "Very kind."

"Yeah," she mumbled, pulling back and trying to look unaffected. "Well, I was sort of hoping I could talk to you about something."

"Anything."

"Okay. Um, a few of our friends are being held prisoner. I mean, I hope they're still...anyway, we were in way over our heads last time, and we could really use someone with some experience to help us get them out."

Eric chuckled. "Why do you think I went scavenging for weapons?"

Alyssa bit her lip. "You know that we need your help, but you don't know what you're getting yourself into. It's The Fire King that has them. He's...probably about as crazy as The Ice Queen."

Eric hoisted the bag of weaponry back over his shoulder. "I welcome battle. Especially one as sporting as this one sounds." He paused. "And I am in your debt."

"I couldn't ask you to do this out of obligation."

"That's where you're wrong. I do this for friendship." He shifted the bag on his shoulder and began walking back toward the shelter, Alyssa watching him go, feeling a warmth spread through her chest. Maybe this would work out after all.

### Chapter Twenty

"Be ready for anything," Lace advised that evening, stretching her arms out to either side. "He's probably expecting us to return."

"I'm hoping he thinks we died in the lava," Alyssa said, bracing herself for the teleportation. She readjusted her grip on her long knives and glanced over at Eric. He offered her an encouraging smile, battle axe in hand and at the ready. "Alright, let's do this."

"To victory!" Eric cried with enthusiasm in his deep voice.

Lace rolled her eyes, then the familiar taste of tin rolled over Alyssa's tongue and a green glowing disk appeared at their feet. Alyssa closed her eyes as the frigid air around them transformed to dry heat, from her feet up. When she felt toasty warm all over, she opened them again to a scene bathed in red.

They were back in the dining hall, the lava from outside combining with the blood red moon to paint a macabre scene. It was like they'd never left, although this time they found themselves alone.

Instinctively, Lace moved closer to Alyssa, looking around them with wide eyes. "I do not like this."

Eric walked up to the doorway at the head of the room and looked about quickly, signaling them to follow him.

"He seems rather confident," Lace whispered.

Alyssa nodded, trying to keep quiet as they swiftly crossed the room. "Do you know where you're going?" she asked Eric in a low voice.

Eric looked up at the ceiling of the next room, as if expecting to be attacked from above. "In my experience, dungeons are buried in the bowels of castles, hidden from view and well-protected."

"That's assuming you're not a crazy, all-powerful wizard," Lace hissed.

"The Ice Queen kept her dungeon in the rocky caves beneath her castle," Alyssa retorted. "It's worth a try, unless you have a better suggestion."

Lace shrugged, and they shadowed Eric as he led them through another room that led out to a balcony overlooking the lava moat. "Well, that's a dead end," Lace murmured.

"There you are!"

Alyssa jumped, and was embarrassed to find that she'd grabbed onto Lace when she was startled.

Lace laughed at her as a pink light shone over them and Kaitlyn appeared in their midst. "I've been looking all over for you two," Kaitlyn scolded, frowning. "Where were you? Vessa thought you fell into the lava."

"Wishful thinking," Lace scoffed. "I teleported us and we had to lay low until I recharged."

"And you brought a date."

Lace grabbed Eric's arm and leaned against his shoulder. "Jealous?"

Kaitlyn's mouth pressed into a thin line.

"Vessa's still alive?" Alyssa asked, hopeful, stepping up to Kaitlyn. "And Parker?"

"They are," Kaitlyn confirmed.

"Where?"

She nodded back the way they'd come. "From the next room, take a left, then your first right. Although the way is blocked."

"We'll deal with it," Alyssa let out a sigh of relief and looked back at the others. "Let's get them out."

Lace let go of Eric's arm and frowned. "Where is The Fire King?"

Kaitlyn shrugged helplessly. "Do I look like a bloodhound?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"This way, ladies," Alyssa said, following Kaitlyn's directions. The others fell into step behind her, until they came to a doorway that had steps leading down, an iron gate barring their path.

Alyssa eyed the padlock, knowing instinctively that she could pick it rather easily, if she had the right tools. Or any small tool. Unfortunately, all she had were two long knives and a battle axe. She wouldn't be able to do much with those.

"Stand back," Eric instructed. He held the axe up, ready to strike the lock with it.

"No, no, no," Lace put a hand to his arm. "I may be tired from that last jump, but I can still do a tiny teleport. I mean, unless you want the whole castle to know that we're here."

Eric blinked, then lowered the axe, gesturing to the gate, as if saying that it was all hers.

Smiling, Lace put a hand up. Alyssa had expected her to transport them all past the gate, but instead, she teleported the gate itself, leaving the doorway unobstructed.

"Nice," Alyssa said, impressed.

"Thanks," Lace beamed. "The gate's melting in lava about now. It won't be a problem anymore."

"Yes, we're all very impressed," Kaitlyn said, looking around. "But let's get moving before you-know-who shows up."

Eric took the lead again, barreling down the stairs impatiently. Alyssa winced, as she would have preferred a more stealthy approach, but followed in his footsteps without complaint. At the bottom of a long staircase, Kaitlyn directed them to the right, down a hallway lined with torches that sent unnerving shadows flickering over the walls.

"They're just past that door," Kaitlyn gestured to a thick iron door at the end of the hall. "But be careful. The Fire King's down there with them a lot."

Alyssa cocked her head. "Why?"

"Ask Vessa." Kaitlyn said, then disappeared.

Eric blinked at the spot where she had been. "I haven't seen an Astral in a decade. I thought that they were long dead."

Lace shrugged. "No. Apparently the more annoying ones are rather resilient."

"You don't like her much," Alyssa stated.

"You could tell? She's usually so busy being the queen's pet that she doesn't notice anyone else. Plus, everyone knows that she spies for her and no one likes that."

Alyssa shook her head, then followed Eric up to the door. "It's unlocked."

Eric glanced at her. "He probably doesn't expect many people to get this far." He smiled before pushing the door open with a loud creak.

Alyssa stepped into the room, one side of which was fitted with iron bars like a jail cell. A figure jumped up and peered out from between the bars, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thank god," Vessa breathed.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes," Lace said, stepping into the room and looking around. "Nice place."

Parker approached the bars then and smiled at Alyssa. "I thought you were dead."

"We'd nearly given up hope," Vessa added, looking at Eric with interest. "Who's the babe?"

Eric knelt before the cell and took her hand, placing a kiss upon it before looking up again. Alyssa felt a twinge of jealousy spark in her chest at the sight, but the look of horror on Parker's face was enough to dispel it, and she had to choke back a laugh.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," Eric said to Vessa as he stood. "I am Eric, son of Phorseus the Great, heir to the Bloodlands of Nohr."

"Oh. Okay," Vessa said, a little dazed as she pulled her hand back, although a wide smile graced her lips. "I'm Vessa. Of Rayniste." She gestured to Parker. "And this is Parker. Of...nowhere."

Eric glanced over at him, and Parker stepped back from the bars. "You aren't kissing my hand."

"Ambrosia!" Lace shouted, grabbing the bars and looking toward the back of the cell. Sure enough, in a large birdcage that hung from the ceiling, was Lace's white dragon, coiling and uncoiling his tail out through the small bars. It let out a little excited cry amid a puff of smoke.

"A dragon?!" Eric held his axe a little tighter in his hands. "You keep a dragon as a pet?"

"So what if I do?" Lace retorted, glaring at him. "And she's not a pet, she's my familiar. We're friends."

Eric scoffed. "Dragons are evil creatures. They should be killed on sight."

"Oh, that's so ignorant. Dragons may look scary, and can get mean when cornered or protecting their young, but they're not the monsters you make them out to be. The real monsters are all around you and those are the ones you should be focusing on."

Eric looked like he wanted to argue, but he lowered his axe, which Alyssa took as a good sign.

Alyssa spied a ring of keys beside the door and retrieved them, trying each in the lock to the cell until one opened it with a soft click. Then she suddenly found herself in Vessa's embrace, who hugged her with surprising strength. "I never thought I'd see you again," Vessa said into her shoulder, her voice muffled.

"I'm here," Alyssa assured her, patting her head. "We just made a little detour." She pulled away and smiled at her friend, then looked over at Parker, who was looking on shyly. "I'm glad you're both okay."

Parker nodded to her.

Lace had raced to Ambrosia the moment the cell had been unlocked, and impatient to free the dragon, had teleported it out of its prison, whereupon it let out a screech of appreciation and unfurled its wings, stretching them tentatively before lifting off into the air to circle them. Eric eyed it warily the entire time until it came to rest on Lace's shoulder, nuzzling her hair.

"I wasn't sure we'd find you alive either," Alyssa admitted, turning back to Vessa. "I thought The Fire King would immediately kill you. I was going crazy."

Vessa bit her lower lip. "Yeah, well, that's where producing pheromones comes in handy."

Understanding flickered over Alyssa's face. "Oh."

"Yeah. I'm really tired because I've had to really pump out the pheromones to keep him from killing us, but I've been keeping him...calm, I guess you could say."

"He's happy," Parker said, frowning. "It's weird seeing a guy made of fire act all happy. Not to mention lovey-dovey toward Vessa."

"Lovey-dovey?" Alyssa raised an eyebrow.

Vessa shrugged. "I do what I have to."

"And you are quite the deceiver," a garbled voice observed from the doorway.

Alyssa felt her heart go cold, which was saying something, given the current temperature. Her eyes turned to see The Fire King in all of his glory, staring at them like a nightmare. The sight made Alyssa's mouth go dry, as it brought to mind their last confrontation with him. He had seemed unstoppable then. He didn't look any less unstoppable now.

His cloak was aflame behind him, sending more shadows across the room, and causing the black husk of his face to have the illusion of movement, like something was crawling around beneath his flesh, causing it to bubble like lava. The reds of his eyes blazed as he stared them down, fiery to match his mood.

"I don't suppose we can talk about this," Vessa smiled at him sweetly.

He growled and threw his hand out at them in an arc, releasing gobs of lava that melted what it hit like acid. Alyssa had to leap sideways into Parker to keep from being hit, and knocked the both of them to the floor.

"Teleport us out of here!" Vessa demanded, looking at Lace.

Lace looked back at her, sweat dripping down her forehead. "I can't. It's too much."

The Fire King stomped toward them, the fire at his back flaring up impressively. He moved to backhand Vessa with one trunk of an arm, but Ambrosia intervened, spitting fire into his face in a concentrated blast of heat.

The Fire King was, of course, unaffected by the attack, but it distracted him from his target and perhaps saved Vessa's life, as he went to swat the dragon from the air.

"Water!" Parker shouted as he stood up, helping Alyssa to her feet. "We need water!"

"We don't have any!" Lace shouted back at him.

Alyssa looked at her, wide-eyed. "Fire needs oxygen. Can we teleport him somewhere without oxygen?"

Lace looked at her like she was crazy. "What are you talking about?"

The Fire King roared then, frustrated in his futile attempts at striking Ambrosia. He returned his gaze on them and let loose another barrage of lava. He was much closer this time, so it wasn't possible to dodge the acidic liquid, but Lace had been prepared for this, at least. Half a dozen small green portals opened up before them in mid-air, between them and the lava. The deadly liquid slipped through the portals as if being swallowed, before they winked out of existence.

"I am getting good," Lace said, looking down at her hands in awe.

"You are," Vessa admitted, surprise written over her face.

The Fire King let out a cry of rage, tearing at the fire that had drifted to his head with his rocky hands. "I will make this painful for each and every one of you miserable little, insignificant-"

His voice was cut off as the loud sound of metal colliding with rock echoed through the room, and The Fire King's head fell to the floor, landing with a thud, his mouth open in a look of surprise.

Alyssa watched the rest of his body fall after it, crumpling into ash like a piece of timber sitting in a campfire for too long. The remains still blazed with fire, even a minute after The Fire King fell, but with each passing moment, the blaze diminished even more.

Eric stood over the heap of remains, his chest heaving, axe in hand, staring down at his fallen adversary. He smiled at the sight, then looked up at them with a wide smile, blue eyes twinkling. "Thank you for the distraction," He raised his arms, then roared "Victory is ours!"

Alyssa's vision began to fade, everything blurring.

"I have got to get me one of those," she heard Vessa say beside her.

Lace snorted. "An axe or a man?"

Then everything went black for a moment before things came back into focus.

"What can I get you?" Alyssa asked, trying to cast a look of indifference behind her smile. She tapped the pad of paper in front of her impatiently with a pen as she waited for the men in front of her to finish scanning their menus.

"I'll take the big breakfast," the middle-aged blonde man on the right said.

"How do you like your eggs?" she asked, scribbling on the paper.

"Scrambled."

She nodded, then turned to the Asian man on the left side of the table, who was watching her carefully. "I'll have the same," he said.

"Eggs?"

"Over easy."

"Got it," she flashed them a smile and reached for their menus. She let her hand slip on one of them, sending it to the floor. She set her pen down on the table as she leaned over to retrieve them, sending them an embarrassed smile before she turned to walk away.

She smiled triumphantly when she had her back to them, but only got a few feet before the blonde man cleared his throat. "You forgot your pen."

Alyssa stopped in her tracks and cursed her luck. She pasted a smile on her face again before she turned and walked back to them.

"Have a seat," the blonde said as the Asian man stood and walked away. He gestured to the vacant seat.

Alyssa pushed a strand of hair out of her face before complying, meeting his eyes with confidence.

"That was smart," he said. "All of the devices you had in the room and you chose the pen. It fit with your character, and you managed to plant it rather effortlessly."

"You still caught me."

He nodded. "Yes, but I was looking for it. Many trained operatives would have noted the pen, but an untrained eye would have overlooked it. It was a decent move, but I would suggest you drop the pen at the foot of the table. It still doesn't seem out of place, but it's not as obvious. Plus, the range of the receiver will still record the conversation clearly."

Alyssa nodded slowly. "That makes sense, sir. Thank you for the feedback."

He paused, watching her for a moment. "You know who I am?"

Shrugging, Alyssa looked away. "You're the one judging our performances."

"I am the head of operations here," he said, holding out his hand. "Steve Perry."

She took his hand and gave it a firm shake, a little shocked to be sitting with the head of operations. He was her boss's boss. He worked in the field with real spies. Hell, he orchestrated their moves. "It's a pleasure."

The Asian man returned to the table with a manilla folder, which Steve opened and leafed through quickly. He pulled a few pieces of paper out and set them on top of the folder in front of him. She recognized a head shot of herself among the papers.

"Well, Alyssa, it looks like we took interest in you when you were fifteen. Impressive test scores."

"Thank you, sir."

"How old are you now?"

"Almost twenty, sir."

He nodded. "And it says here that you've had extensive martial arts training."

Alyssa licked her lips. "Yes. My mother was a karate instructor. I joined when I was six, and after she died, I continued my studies, branching out into other arts."

"It's easy to throw yourself into work after such a loss," Steve acknowledged. "How are you with a gun?"

"I rarely miss my target."

"Archery?"

She hesitated. "I get by."

He looked up at her. "We can fix that." He glanced back at his comrade over his shoulder. "Cancel the other tests. We have our girl."

Alyssa sat up straighter in her chair.

He smiled when he met her eyes again, real warmth and pride entering them. "Welcome to the CIA, Alyssa. Welcome to life as a spy."

Alyssa blinked and she was suddenly looking up into Parker's concerned face. Relief flooded over his features as she came to. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded, sitting up and putting a hand to her head. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Do you always do that?" Lace asked, frowning.

"It's a thing."

"You're such a drama queen," she said, but was smiling.

"So, what now?" Vessa asked. "One more target down."

Alyssa nodded slowly, considering. She was a little distracted by her vision, some of the pieces of her past falling into place. It explained a lot about how she was so good at fighting. It was engrained into her, had been from when she was young. That instinct was still within her, even if she couldn't recall many of the specifics. She found that comforting. It made her feel like she was still who she was supposed to be.

"Well, we'll have to spend the night here so Lace can recuperate."

Lace agreed with a nod.

"Then we should regroup." She looked to Eric. "We have a few weapons now, but we really need to reassess what we're bringing into battle. Without that axe, I'm not sure we would have defeated The Fire King."

"What about you, Eric?" Lace asked suddenly. "You've repaid your debt."

Eric blinked, then stood a little taller. "I will see your quest through to the end."

"We have four more targets," Vessa added, biting her lip.

"That sounds like a challenge."

Alyssa smiled, watching him closely. "You really don't have to do this."

"And let you rid the world of the most fearsome monsters yourselves?" Eric asked. "Let you have all the glory? I think not."

Alyssa felt like hugging him, but she resisted. "We're glad to have you then." She paused. "And when we encounter The Ice Queen again, we will make sure to retrieve your sword."

Eric's eyes lit up. "That is fair compensation."

Parker frowned. "Hey, what about me? I want compensation too."

"You get to be in our lovely company," Lace told him, flashing him a bright smile.

Parker scoffed.

"So, do we go back to Rayniste?" Vessa asked. "I'm sure the queen will provide us with what we need."

"That sounds like the best..." Alyssa let her voice trail off. She looked toward the doorway, suddenly alert. She felt a chill, like a draft creeping into the room. But this was The Fire King's domain. The sweat on her forehead, the dry heat in the air...it was cooling. And rapidly. It couldn't be a sudden reaction to The Fire King's death, could it?

She sprinted to a window set in the wall of the prison cell, shoving the birdcage as she went, sending it swinging in protest.

She felt the others at her heels, but she barely registered them as she took in the scene from the window.

The lava that had swirled lazily around the moat had cooled, but it hadn't been a natural cooling as a result of The Fire King's death. The lava was black and dead beneath a thick layer of ice, ice that led right up to the castle doors.

Vessa gasped as she pulled her hand back from the windowsill, where frost was creeping over the black stone.

"Oh, no," Lace murmured, shaking her head. "No, no, no."

"What is it?" Parker asked, frowning down at the scene from the window.

"We don't have to find The Ice Queen," Eric told him. "The Ice Queen has found us."

### Chapter Twenty-One

As a group, they raced out of the bowels of the castle and propelled themselves up the staircase. In the dungeon, they were sitting ducks, trapped and easy pickings for the cruel villain who sought them out. They had to reach the main level and, with any luck, find a back way out of the castle before The Ice Queen tracked them down.

Alyssa silently thanked Lace as they passed the doorway that had been blocked by the iron gate. If she'd teleported them to the other side previously, they would have had to waste precious time doing so again. And time was not on their side, Alyssa decided as the walls grew slick with frost and the air cooled so that she could now see her breath coming out in white clouds.

They sprinted past room after room. Alyssa saw the dining room go by in a blur, wondering where another exit would be. Would the Fire King have even had another exit? She eyed the holes in the walls, like the one that she and Lace had slipped through previously. Now that the lava was no longer a threat, that might be their best bet to get away. She was about to say so when they were stopped in their tracks by an inhuman roar.

Ahead, the doorway they'd been running toward was suddenly filled by a creature covered in a coat of white fur, its bulky frame bending to fit through the opening. It had two short blue horns protruding from the top of its head and a pale face to match its fur, the face of a monster, with a wide nose, red eyes and a large mouth full of teeth. It reminded Alyssa vaguely of a monkey, especially how it swung its arms. Arms that ended with some deadly-looking blue claws. It roared again as it faced them, and Alyssa swallowed hard as she eyed Eric's axe, wondering if it would be able to work magic twice.

A tinkling laugh behind them was almost worse than the roar of the beast. It sounded like icicles clinking together, or ice cubes slipping into a glass. And it was accompanied by a blanket of cold air that rolled over them like fog, freezing their breath and chilling them to the bone.

Alyssa turned to face The Ice Queen, and was rather impressed by her gorgeous figure. She was tall and beautiful, with hair as white as snow, matching her sleeveless form-fitting dress that brushed the floor with each step she took. Her skin was also white, but was tinged blue, as if she'd been out in the cold. Imagine that. Her lips were just as frosty, and her eyes were a deep blue, but cold and unfeeling, and nothing like the blue warmth that radiated from Eric's eyes.

"Don't mind the yeti," she said, smiling at them. "He doesn't have very good manners. But then again, neither do you, trying to slip away without even a greeting." She clucked her tongue. "And after stealing my property at that." Her eyes sought out Eric's. "There you are, my beautiful boy. I was terribly devastated that you would run away. Again. I may have to actually punish you this time."

"We saw how you punish people," Alyssa found herself saying, accusation in her voice. "You're psychotic."

Tinkling laughter again. The Ice Queen had a very calm air about her. It was disconcerting, like she didn't expect that they would be able to fight her at all. "Believe me, that's nothing compared to what I'm going to do to you for taking him away from me." Her features hardened. "Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be."

Alyssa eyed the yeti at one doorway and The Ice Queen at the other. They wouldn't be able to get past either of them without casualties. "It's a short drop to the moat, guys."

Lace stiffened beside her. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

"Now!"

The yeti charged them, letting out another roar, but Alyssa hardly paid attention to the outburst as she ran for her life toward the windows.

"Stop them!" The Ice Queen ordered.

Alyssa found the ground growing slippery beneath her feet as ice grew thick on the floor, but she was already nearly at the windows. She watched Lace slide out one, letting out a small cry as she fell through the air, but she landed safely on the ice below.

Parker waited for her at the windows, waving for her to move faster, but Alyssa looked back to see where the others were.

And cursed.

Eric was pulling his axe out from the throat of the yeti, crimson blood spraying over the floor, a stark contrast to its coat of white fur. Vessa was running in his direction, screaming for him to hurry.

Alyssa tried to stop in her tracks, but she found that her momentum, along with the ice on the floor, forced her to keep going forward until she slammed into Parker, who let out a startled noise as he was shoved into the open air. Luckily Lace had been watching and caught him a few feet from the ground with a portal, or he may have broken his neck.

Unwilling to leave her friends without seeing them to safety, Alyssa hesitated at the window. She couldn't move far without slipping on the ice, which she'd attempted to do a few times only to find herself on the floor with the wind knocked out of her. So she propped herself in the doorway, offering encouraging words to her friends as they made their way toward her.

Vessa pushed Eric ahead of her, and slipped on the floor herself, spinning in place for a moment before standing on shaky legs and continuing after him. Eric, meanwhile, could hardly stop himself. Alyssa had to slide out of the way as he sailed past her, to safety. She watched him hit the ground on his tailbone before turning back to Vessa, who was gaining momentum as well.

"Come on," Alyssa yelled. She swallowed hard as she suddenly realized that she had no idea where The Ice Queen was. Was she going to be down on the ice waiting for them?

She looked to the side and flinched at the icy smile she found a few feet away. The Ice Queen's eyes glittered in the shadows like diamonds as she set her predatory eyes on her. "You look like pretty bait."

Alyssa could hardly get out a warning as Vessa hit the wall hard, the ice not allowing her to slow down. The impact threw Alyssa off-balance and she fell half out of the window. She managed to grab hold of Vessa's leg on her way out and tried to pull her out after her, but she seemed to be anchored on something.

Vessa screamed and Alyssa looked up to see The Ice Queen's hand wrapped around Vessa's forearm. Steam rose from where she touched Vessa's skin, and the agony she felt could be heard in the mournful noise she made.

"Vessa!" Alyssa screamed.

A blur of brown fur scampered up Vessa's sleeve, landing on The Ice Queen's hand. The chipmunk tried to sink its teeth into the hand, but the cold very quickly affected the small creature, causing it to slow and sway on its feet. The Ice Queen leaned over and blew on the chipmunk, causing its fur to stand on end. Even from Alyssa's vantage point, she could see that it had been frozen in place. With one swipe of her other hand, The Ice Queen flung Peanut from her, where it fell quietly past Alyssa to smack the ice below, where it shattered into dozens of pieces on impact.

"No!" Vessa cried, gasping. She closed her eyes, steam continuing to rise from her arm in what had to be a painful grip.

The Ice Queen grit her teeth and grabbed a handful of Vessa's hair in an attempt to pull her back inside the castle. The hair immediately froze on contact and broke away, brittle as straw.

A flash of yellow flame suddenly entered the periphery of Alyssa's vision, and she saw that Ambrosia had come to their aid. To avoid the reach of the flames, The Ice Queen released Vessa, and together, she and Alyssa fell from the window. Everything was happening so fast that Alyssa wasn't really thinking about the fall, instead focusing on her friend. A portal caught them and a moment later, Alyssa found herself landing in Parker's arms, while Vessa had been given to Eric.

"You okay?" Parker asked softly, looking her over.

"I'm fine," she choked out, struggling out of his arms. She rushed over to Eric as he set Vessa down carefully, pain contorting her face. "How is she?"

Eric looked up at her, then gestured to the arm that Vessa was cradling. A clear handprint could be seen on her skin, like a bruise. But the mark was black and the skin looked dead.

"Oh, my god," Lace put a hand to her face.

"Frostbite," Parker said, shaking his head. "We have to...before the infection spreads..."

"We have to what?" Lace asked, her voice rising. "Cut off her arm?"

Alyssa glared at her, before focusing on Vessa. She touched her face. "Vessa? Can you hear me?"

Her teeth were clenched tight and her face was pinched with pain, but she nodded.

"You're going to be okay."

Vessa let out a short laugh. "Do it."

Alyssa swallowed hard, then looked up at Parker.

"We don't have to do anything so drastic," Eric said, touching Vessa's arm near the mark. "I know a healer. We need to get her to Mia, and fast."

"We need to get away from here fast anyway," Parker noted, looking back up at the castle, looming overhead. "She's not going to quit that easily."

Alyssa looked at Lace, who was stroking her dragon on the head. "Lace?"

Lace turned and met her eyes, then glanced over at Eric. "Is it far?"

"North of Rayniste," Eric confirmed.

"Can you do it?" Alyssa demanded, desperation invading her voice as Vessa let out a cry of pain.

Lace looked pale, but nodded. "I might need the healer too, but I can get us there."

"Good. Do it." She turned to Eric. "Where are we going?"

Eric licked his lips. "To see the neo-alchemists."

### Chapter Twenty-Two

"Are you crazy?" Lace screamed, hitting Eric in the chest. "The neo-alchemists? Is that supposed to be funny?"

Eric blinked. "No."

"They're dangerous," Parker said, glancing over at Vessa, who let out another cry of pain. "They experiment with deadly magic. They're unpredictable. Who knows what they would do to her?"

"I hear they create horrible creatures," Lace added. "We can't trust them."

"I trust them," Eric said, his voice confident. "They have been nothing but kind to me in the past."

"We have little choice here," Alyssa said, her voice resigned. She looked at Parker and Lace pointedly, and they both looked away.

"I kind of hate you guys," Lace confessed, lifting her arms.

The green disc of light appeared at their feet and quickly enveloped them, the frigid air disappearing as they were transported across the globe.

The jump seemed rougher this time, and Alyssa found herself reappearing stumbling, unsteady on her feet, but she righted herself with a hand to Eric's steady back. She looked around, unsurprised to see Lace had crumpled to the ground, blood oozing from her nose, ears and even the corners of her eyes.

"She's going to need help alright," Parker said softly, kneeling before her. He picked her up carefully as Eric did the same with Vessa, who had passed out.

Alyssa looked around them, her eyes wide. "What is this place?"

All around them were beautiful buildings, made of concrete, boasting plenty of glass windows, some of them a few stories tall. Compared to the rest of the world she had seen, Alyssa would say that these were almost modern. Some of the buildings looked like ones she would have seen in a historic downtown area in her reality. It was almost eerie to see them here. The city was paved as well, with sidewalks and roads made from cobblestone and brick. Alyssa and her friends were situated down a side road, but up ahead, Alyssa spied motorized vehicles puttering along the roads. They were nothing compared to the cars of her Earth, but were bulky and ugly things that still resembled carriages somehow. They were there, however, mixed in with other traditional coaches pulled by horses still, and going about the same speed.

Beyond the city, Alyssa saw that this was all contained within a glass dome. Beyond the glass, she spied winter mountains, covered in snow and ice, but within the dome, the temperature was comfortable and warm. Dozens, if not hundreds, of windmills turned outside the dome, their blades in synch with one another as if in a dance, perhaps providing power for the entire city. It was amazing.

As they gawked at their surroundings, a loud chime sounded through the streets, and Alyssa saw a large clock tower in what seemed to be the center of the city. The top of the tower, just above the huge clock face, was exposed, showcasing immense gears shifting and turning, bells standing over them all, the largest one shifting to one side to let out another clear chime.

"This place is unnatural," Parker said, his voice quavering. He swallowed hard as he turned to Alyssa. "I think this was a mistake."

Eric frowned. "Your surroundings may seem strange, my friend, but the neo-alchemist's magic is advanced and we are in dire need of their assistance."

Alyssa smiled. "This is fantastic."

"Fantastic?" Parker echoed. "The magic here feels...wrong." He paused. "In fact, I can't feel it at all. I can't understand where it's coming from."

"That's because it's technology, not magic," Alyssa corrected him. She sent Eric a smile. "You're right. They can help us here. Do you know where to go?"

"Follow me," Eric said with a nod.

Parker sent Alyssa a look of concern as he passed her, but Alyssa paid it no heed, instead focusing on her dazzling surroundings once more. She almost couldn't believe that such a place existed here. After the past couple of weeks, she was almost beginning to believe that her world of computers and airplanes was some fanciful world she'd built in her head, after all. This place that the neo-alchemists had built was proof that a world like the one that she had come from could exist. And she couldn't help the feeling of elation and relief that came with that knowledge.

When they reached the main street, Alyssa could see that the motorized vehicles were indeed still rather slow, and belched a good amount of exhaust in their wake. One nearby backfired, and Alyssa nearly jumped out of her skin at the loud noise, then chuckled to herself, sending Parker a reassuring look, as he'd grown pale.

Many of the people that walked the streets were dressed up in suits and dresses of varying color, the women wearing large hats and carrying parasols, the men large pocket watches and canes, like they'd walked off the set of Pride and Prejudice. One odd thing about them was that their hair was decorated with stiff feathers, on both sexes. So many feathers, in fact, that they covered most of their natural hair, which was pulled back severely. It was an odd fashion choice, one that gave them the appearance of birds and somehow seemed to highlight their noses, as if they were the beaks of hawks or owls.

Some people wore brown leather jackets instead of formal wear, boasting goggles over their foreheads, their natural hair showing defiantly in the sea of feather-haired individuals. A few of these more casually-dressed people had arms and legs that looked robotic, gleaming gold with wires and gears. One man even had an eye that seemed to belong to a cyborg, turning in its socket in time with his good eye.

"Where is this healer of yours?" Parker asked in a low voice, as if he were afraid of attracting attention.

"Near the clock tower," Eric said, much louder, causing Parker to wince. "Do not worry about the strange appearance of the people here. They are good people."

Parker scoffed.

Ambrosia, who had been flying overhead, suddenly landed on Alyssa's shoulder, causing her to stiffen, but it folded its wings and stayed rather still, so she tried not to think about it as she continued walking. The dragon had probably saved Vessa's life, after all. She couldn't help but wince as she thought about how Vessa's familiar had been quickly dispatched by The Ice Queen. The poor thing, it had really tried to protect its friend, but it really hadn't stood a chance.

A short walk later and they stopped before a nondescript building a few doors down from the clock tower. Eric led them up a short flight of stairs and inside a sterile building with a large lobby. There were more stairs leading up, but Eric carried Vessa past the stairs, where a tapestry hung against the back wall. He brushed this aside and ducked through a doorway that it had been hiding.

Alyssa and Parker exchanged looks before she held the tapestry back for him. He paused in the doorway, meeting her eyes, almost imploring her to reconsider with the look he sent her. She didn't acknowledge his unspoken concerns and waited for him to proceed before following him.

The room they now found themselves in was very serene. There was a small wading pool near the doorway they had passed, its water clear enough to see the white tiles at the bottom. A few steps past the pool led up to a level with wood flooring, with several potted plants. Sitting amid these plants, on a circular red rug, sat a black woman, her eyes closed and her arms raised to either side of her, as if meditating. She wore a loose gray tunic, her only accessory being a black leather belt with several small pouches hanging from it, pulled tightly closed by leather drawstrings. Large golden hoops dangled from her ears, catching the light and framing her face. She did not don the feathers of some of the townspeople, instead keeping her hair cropped short to her head, adding to the aura of confidence and power radiating from her.

As if sensing their intrusion into her sanctuary, the woman inhaled a final deep breath and let it out slowly, before opening her eyes. She smiled as she noted Eric and stood up. "Eric. It is good to see you again, my friend."

"And you as well, Mia," Eric greeted. He glanced down at Vessa in his arms. "I wish the circumstances were less dire."

Mia approached him, looking down at Vessa, her arms running over her body as if inspecting her. She stopped when her hand hovered over her frostbitten arm. "Yes, I see." She looked over at Lace in Parker's arms, noting the blood still dripping freely from her nose and ears. "That one is a teleporter?"

"She is."

Mia nodded and gestured toward a door at the back of the room. "Set them on cots in there as I gather the ingredients I will need."

Eric nodded and gestured for Parker to follow.

Alyssa was about to follow as well, when Mia cleared her throat. "I will need some help carrying the supplies to treat them."

"Of course," Alyssa agreed. "Anything I can do to help."

Mia looked her up and down for a moment before walking toward a curtain of gold beads that hung in the doorway to a side room. She pushed them out of the way and held them for Alyssa as she stepped through.

The scent of incense greeted her, thick in the air, woodsy and potent. She saw a small table off to the side letting off streams of smoke from a stalk of dried plants that slowly burned, the source of the smell.

Mia quickly went to work, grabbing a wicker basket and gathering items from the shelves that lined the walls.

Alyssa looked around curiously at the jars and bowls on the shelves, her eyes lingering on several bundles of chicken feet hanging from a hook on the ceiling. It was a little frightening when she looked closely at the room. When she stepped up to the nearest shelf, she saw plenty of dried herbs and flowers, but she also saw what looked like fangs extracted from snakes, and small orbs that she realized were the eyeballs of some small lizard. She shuddered, but was fascinated by what she saw at the same time. A small bowl of little black strips caught her eye and she reached out to run her fingers over the contents, frowning at the leathery texture. She picked one of the strips up and smoothed it out, as it seemed to have been folded. She stared at the shape for a moment before she realized what it was, and dropped the bat wing back into its bowl with a small cry.

Mia chuckled behind her. "The ingredients may seem horrid now, but when they cure horrible diseases and sickness, people don't seem to complain."

"I can't believe spells call for these ingredients."

"Magic comes at a price. Even if it doesn't usually seem like it, it catches up to you. Like with your teleporter friend. With the potions I create, the price is upfront, in collecting the horrible contents."

Alyssa nodded slowly. "So, you make potions?"

Mia smirked. "That is part of what I do. I'm a healer. I have an innate knowledge for the medicinal properties of plants and other objects, and how to combine ingredients to create a potent medicine. But I also draw on energy from the earth, like when you saw me meditating, and can funnel the energy I collect into a touch that helps to hasten healing. That will be necessary for treating your frostbitten comrade." She handed Alyssa a basket with bottles, all of them unmarked, then a bowl filled with what looked like blue-green mud. The mud smelled awful, like rotten meat, and Alyssa quickly began breathing through her mouth to limit her exposure to the stench.

"Come," Mia said, walking back through the curtain of beads. She led Alyssa back through the room with the pool to the doorway where Eric and Parker had disappeared. This room was rather empty. There were a few beds laid out with white cotton sheets, piles of towels on the floor, and small tables strewn with knives, syringes and sewing needles. It looked something like a hospital room, clean and white. And Alyssa didn't notice it right away, but she suddenly looked up and was shocked to see a light bulb shining in the ceiling.

"Electricity," she breathed, her mouth hanging open.

Mia glanced up at the light. "Yes, you have the neo-alchemists to thank for that. Electricity is wired into all of the buildings here. Indoor plumbing, heating units in the dome, it's all due to their genius."

"It's wonderful," Alyssa said. "I never thought I would see it again."

Mia looked up at her sharply. "Again, child?"

Alyssa opened and closed her mouth.

"Please, Mia," Eric said, gesturing to Vessa.

Mia's eyes lingered on Alyssa for a moment before she turned her attention to her patients. She began spreading mud over Vessa's frostbitten arm, then crumpled up some dried leaves in her hand, spit on them, and rubbed them over the mud.

"What do you make of this sorcery?' Parker asked Alyssa, glancing up at the ceiling. "You've seen it before?"

Alyssa smiled. "It's not magic or sorcery at all, Parker. It's technology."

He frowned.

Sighing, Alyssa took a seat in one of the few chairs in the room. "It's using the laws of nature, harnessing the resources around us in...in new ways. Ways you aren't familiar with. But it's nothing evil or...or dangerous. It's just different than what you're used to."

Parker looked skeptical.

"The potions I use," Mia said, not looking up from Vessa's arm as she worked, "the tinctures I produce, they are all things found in nature that can produce a favorable result, that can cure someone. There's nothing magical about it except for the knowledge I have of it, and the energy I gather from the earth. Anyone can use the plants the way I do to get the same results. It's the same with electricity, or utilizing pipes for plumbing - anyone can do it. Magic is the unnatural element here. And that way of thinking scares people. They aren't used to it."

"They've known magic their whole lives," Alyssa said. "They don't know any different, so when something foreign is introduced that can do something like electricity can, it seems scary and strange. Evil. But it's not."

Mia looked up from Vessa's arm, where she held her hand against the wound, a light glow emanating from it. "You are quite the insightful girl. There's more to you than meets the eye. What are your powers?"

Alyssa looked away, hesitating.

"None of my business," Mia said, nodding.

"No, it's..." Alyssa hesitated. "You're helping us when you have no reason to, so you have every right to know our circumstances. I just...I have no powers."

Mia frowned at that, looking to Eric for confirmation.

Eric shrugged, a little surprised himself.

"Gray will want to speak with you," Mia said.

"Gray?" Alyssa echoed.

Mia nodded. "The leader of the neo-alchemists. He will be very interested, I'm sure, in what you have to say."

Alyssa swallowed hard and met the panic in Parker's eyes that mirrored her own.

### Chapter Twenty-Three

"You have nothing to worry about," Eric assured her as he escorted Alyssa and Parker to the clock tower, where Gray would be waiting for them. "I have met Gray myself, and while he is a strange one, he is generous and kind."

"Great," Parker muttered.

"Let's just give him a chance," Alyssa said softly, touching Parker's arm. "Let's be open minded here, okay?"

Alyssa saw his jaw twitch, but he nodded. She didn't quite understand the level of prejudice the witches of this world felt toward the neo-alchemists, but she supposed that growing up here and coming from the sort of world where magic was a way of life, they had a different viewpoint than she did that she just couldn't wrap her mind around. It was the opposite of what she felt, she imagined, frightened of the wild magic that she found on this world that she couldn't quite understand.

They walked into the clock tower's lobby, which was very similar to the building that Mia resided in, but they took the stairs up to the second level, and went through the first set of doors they came to on the left, greeted by a small reception room. A short girl with a big smile, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, had them take seats like she was an ordinary office secretary. An ordinary office secretary with a gold mechanical arm.

Alyssa tried not to stare, but kept catching herself looking at the arm, watching the teeth of the gears line up with one another, the metal wires grow taut with her movements. It was fascinating, but she would hate having someone stare at her like this, so she tried to keep her eyes otherwise occupied.

They were only waiting for a few minutes before there was a buzzing sound at the secretary's desk and she stood to open the door into the next room, ushering them in with a curtsy.

This room was much bigger, and probably took up much of the second floor of the building. There were tables with blueprints showcased beneath glass, cabinets of weapons and armor, stacks of paper and maps, and plenty of bookshelves filled to overflowing. It was an open room, but with so much crammed into it, it seemed rather claustrophobic.

Alyssa paused as a tiny creature skittered into her path, gleaming gold in the light from a nearby window. She leaned forward, taking in its spidery shape and its eight knife-like legs. Gears turned in its back, the red gems that were in place of its eyes shifting around, as if assessing the room. It was a creepy little creation, but she couldn't help but be impressed as it scuttled away, out of sight beneath a cabinet of knives.

"Eric," a voice greeted, a deep baritone that was almost guttural in its delivery.

Looking up, Alyssa paled at the sight as Eric shook hands with the man. "Gray. Good to see you again."

Gray was an intimidating eight feet tall, his face boasting a sneer and a disapproving look in eyes with large black pupils. He wore green pants that looked like they were made of leather and a sleeveless black vest that showed off more of his overall skin tone, which was a sickly gray. Alyssa briefly wondered if that was where his name had come from, but could hardly stop taking inventory of the creature before her, the deep red lines that covered his skin, closed with painful-looking metal staples or black twine. It looked like he was a patchwork creature, stitched together from various sheets of skin. She looked, but didn't see any bolts sticking out from his neck, although she could clearly see a gear shifting in the back of his neck when he turned his head.

"These are my friends," Eric said in a jolly tone, gesturing toward Alyssa and Parker. "They saved me from The Ice Queen, of all people."

"The Ice Queen," Gray grumbled. "Trouble, that one." He stepped forward, and Alyssa noticed as he held out his hand that the proportions of his limbs were longer than they should have been, probably accounting for some of his size. As she shook his hand, her own was swallowed by his gray skin, which felt clammy against her own. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, the words sounding odd falling from his rough tongue. "Please make yourselves feel comfortable here. Anything you wish is yours."

"Thank you," Alyssa said, blinking back surprise as Gray shook Parker's stiff hand. "That's very generous of you."

Gray smiled, or tried to, rather, as his lip curled up into an even worse grimace. "Eric saved me from a mob of ignorant witches. I owe him everything."

Eric looked away, embarrassed. "It was nothing, really."

"It was brave, is what it was," Gray insisted, winking at Alyssa. "He can be modest when it suits him, but he will brag loudly when the time comes, as well."

"Giving away all my secrets now, are we?"

Gray scoffed. "She will see for herself soon enough, if she hasn't already." He set his gaze on Parker, who looked visibly shaken. "You have questions."

Parker flinched, as if the creature had been about to hit him. "Forgive me if I come off as rude, but what are you?"

Gray sighed, his eyes closing. "Yes. There's no hiding what I am. A monster."

"You're no monster," Eric said, clapping him on the back. "You are a noble man."

"A noble man, yes," Gray chuckled, a wheezy sound that came from deep in his chest. "But a noble man pieced together from the dead." He met Alyssa's eyes, who, he was surprised to find, was not shocked by this confession. She was well-versed in Universal monster movies, if her memory banks were any indication, so after the initial shock, it seemed quite natural where he had come from.

"You were created," Alyssa said in a calm voice. "Thanks to technology."

Gray nodded, watching her. "My master, a brilliant mind, raised me as his own, even looking as I do. That was centuries ago. Since then, I have built this great city from the ground up, recruiting those who were not afraid of the technology I had a mind for. With the achievements we've made, we live comfortably here, and the dome keeps us safe from the monsters who would harm us this far north."

"It sounds like a nice set-up."

"But you aren't surprised," Gray said, frowning. "This technology does not trouble you. Even the least skeptical are troubled by their surroundings when they first arrive here. Yet you have no fear of this new magic we wield?"

Alyssa pursed her lips. "But it's not magic at all. It's science."

Gray looked startled, and turned to Eric. "Where did you find this one?"

"She found me," Eric confessed.

Gray seemed to study her for a moment, then roused himself. "We will have plenty of time to talk. But please, you must require weapons if you've come here. Take what you need." He gestured around the room.

Eric rubbed his hands together. "You are most generous," he said, walking toward a chest of armor.

Parker looked around him, uncertain.

"Please, take what you'd like," Gray insisted.

Alyssa pointed out some bows and arrows near Parker, while her own eyes fell on a case of guns. She walked over and touched the barrels and the old-fashioned bullets laid out beside the firearms that seemed to have come from the Wild West.

"You know what these are?" Gray prodded.

Alyssa nodded. "With all of the technology you've already harnessed, I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised that you have gun powder down. The rest of the world is really missing out. With weapons like these, you could wrest control from the monsters."

Gray frowned. "People are too afraid of us. Neo-alchemists create monsters." He looked down at himself. "And they are not wrong."

"Are there others like you?"

"Four others. All created by my master before he perished. But we can not recreate his experiments correctly. We are only five, and it seems that we will remain as such."

Alyssa noted the sad expression on his face and decided that she liked him. "Thank you for helping us."

He nodded. "If Eric has taken to you, you must be decent people."

Alyssa smiled. "We don't know Eric very well, to be honest. We only met yesterday."

"It hardly takes much time in your company to realize that you are special."

Alyssa glanced up, surprised, then blushed. "Th-thank you, Gray."

He chuckled. "I know that Mia is tending to your friends. You will be here for a few days. Please feel free to satisfy any curiosity you have while you are here. We harbor no secrets and wish you to think well of us when you leave. And perhaps you will return someday."

"That would be nice," Alyssa acknowledged. "It's a beautiful city. I feel more at home here than anywhere I've been. What do you call this place?"

"It's the city Frankenstein."

"Ah. Named for your maker. Very appropriate."

Again, Gray looked startled, but said nothing. "If I know Eric, he will go to Streamers tonight, a tavern that he enjoys. You can get good food there. I would meet you all there, if it suits you."

"I think that would be lovely."

"Marvelous." Gray tried smiling again, but scowled when his lips refused. "I look forward to it."

***

They returned to Mia's with armloads of weapons and armor, some picked especially for their fallen comrades. After being shown to some rooms on the fourth floor, they checked in on Vessa and Lace, who were both awake.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Lace insisted, pushing away a spoonful of broth that Mia was forcing on her. "I just have a slight headache now."

Mia frowned. "You're quite the stubborn one, girl. You healed well, but your body needs nourishment."

Lace looked to Alyssa for support, but Alyssa just shrugged. Rolling her eyes, Lace took the spoon from the woman and sipped on the broth, making a face. Aside from looking much better, her hair had also turned blonde.

"The purple chemicals were destructive to your hair," Mia explained. "The remedy purged this from your system, repairing your hair quickly, along with the needs of the rest of your body."

Lace had been livid at first, but soon shrugged it off, citing "I needed a change anyway."

Vessa hadn't recovered quite as quickly as Lace, but was looking much better. She was still pale and had gauze wrapped around the infected part of her arm, but she was sitting up and smiling, even if exhaustion touched her features.

Alyssa sat on the edge of her bed when they returned. "You're feeling better?"

Vessa nodded. "Yes. Mia is a wonder. She says that a few more treatments will take care of my frostbite. It just takes a lot out of me."

"But much better than losing the arm."

Vessa chuckled. "That's for sure."

Alyssa squeezed her knee. "I'm sorry about Peanut."

Her body tensing, Vessa nodded. "We weren't that close yet. I hadn't bonded with an animal for years until him, yet...it still feels like I've lost a piece of my heart. It's like I understood him. When he was protecting me, I felt..." She let her voice trail off and swallowed hard. Then she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I think I need more rest."

Alyssa nodded sympathetically and stood up, watching Vessa lean back on her cot and settle into her pillows, eyes distant. She walked out of the room to find the others gone. Mia was meditating again, but looked up after a moment and smiled. "Your friends are getting ready to go to Streamers. You should join them. You need to eat and deserve to blow off a little steam."

"Will you be joining us?" Alyssa asked, pausing in the doorway.

Mia shook her head. "I will be going to sleep early to gather more energy. And don't worry about your friend. Ambrosia will be looking after Vessa through the night. Lace insisted upon it."

"Thank you for everything," Alyssa said, offering her a smile. "You've been amazing to us."

"I heard your story from Lace," Mia confessed. "I will assist you in any way I can. Lady Blood has ruled this world for far too long."

Alyssa nodded, then watched as Mia closed her eyes again and slipped back into her meditations. Heading up to her room, she met Lace on the staircase, who smiled wide. "You're coming out, aren't you?"

"I don't know," Alyssa shrugged. "I don't feel much like going to a bar."

"Oh, come on," Lace said, steering her up the stairs. "I hear that Streamers has amazing boar."

"Boar. Yummy."

Lace giggled as she led her to the room they shared.

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it?" Alyssa asked, raising an eyebrow. "A few hours ago, you were lying unconscious with blood streaming out of various places."

Lace scoffed. "Mia does good work. And believe me, I'm not planning on drinking until I pass out. I'll take it easy."

Alyssa didn't look convinced, but nodded as she stepped into her room. Lace ducked her head in. "Oh, and Mia provided some clothes. Wear the dress." She closed the door, and Alyssa frowned, looking toward the closet.

"The dress?" she murmured, sliding open the door and taking in the half-dozen outfits. She saw several nice cotton shirts and leather pants, which she was thankful for. But the dress was a bit much. It was a deep blue, and made of a thin silky material that would leave little to the imagination. It had a low collar and came down to rest just above her knees. She tried it on merely out of curiosity, but felt way too exposed to feel comfortable wearing it.

Lace popped into the room and let out a screech. "Oh, my god! That looks amazing!" Lace herself was wearing a red dress that covered her legs, but had a revealing slit down the side to show off some leg. It was trimmed with black lace and was vaguely vampy, retaining that Goth vibe that she had going for her.

"You look beautiful," Alyssa told her, smiling. "Red suits you."

"Well, apparently blue suits you," Lace said. "Twirl for me."

Alyssa rolled her eyes, but indulged her, blushing at the whistle she loosed. "Come on. I can't wear this."

Lace scowled. "And why not? You don't deserve a night out on the town after all we've been through?"

Alyssa shrugged. "No, it's not that. It's just...I feel weird."

"Well, you're going as is," Lace insisted, pulling some shoes out of the closet for her. Thankfully, neo-alchemists hadn't discovered high heels yet. The silver shoes were comfortable, even if they were a bit sparkly for her taste.

"Sit," Lace ordered, pointing to a chair.

Alyssa obeyed, then instantly regretted it as Lace pulled a brush through her hair, untangling snarls that made her wince. "Be careful, would you?"

"Baby."

A half hour later, they were walking into Streamers. It was dimly lit with plenty of tables and a long bar, manned by a bartender with a robotic eye, who watched them closely as they entered. The place was packed, with several people at pool tables in back, and others standing before a stage where a man in a tux was playing some energetic music on a piano.

"Huh," Alyssa said, taking it all in. She saw a mixture of people in dresses and suits, with the weird feather decoration in their hair, and casual dress, mostly leather jackets and denim. One woman at the bar, in a scandalously short black dress puffed on a long cigarette holder as adoring men surrounded her. The weird feathers in her hair didn't look so bad on her.

A loud cheering began at the far end of the bar, and Lace pulled Alyssa in that direction, laughing when she saw Eric chugging a huge glass of beer. When he'd finished, he slammed the glass down on the bar triumphantly and the nearby crowd roared their approval.

"Alyssa! Lace!" he called, having spotted them. "Please, have a drink on me."

Alyssa sent Lace a nervous look, but Lace was too preoccupied to notice, instead towing Alyssa through the throngs of people to their friend, who met them with shots of tequila.

Alyssa frowned into her drink as Lace downed hers with a squeal.

Eric clapped her on the back, a broad smile on his face. "I love it here. It reminds me of the celebratory feast I was met with after slaying a particularly evil frost troll. Seven days and nights of good food, good beer and women."

Alyssa raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I can see how you would have enjoyed that."

He blinked, then his grin widened. "You want to hear of my exploits? Then I will indulge you. It was a dark night, well past midnight, and the frost troll had been terrorizing this small village for a fortnight, the cause of several disappearances and more injuries. Dozens of men had gone to hunt for the culprit, but failed. Low and behold, the very beast arrived before me one night on my way back from the lodge house..."

Alyssa tuned him out and pushed her way through the crowd, amazed to see so many people gathering around, enthralled by his story. He was a hit with this group.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Alyssa looked to the side and found Parker grinning at her. She returned the smile, happy to see another familiar face in the crowd. "I'm glad to see you."

"You are?" Parker looked surprised. "I thought that you'd be hanging on Eric's every word by now."

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Yes, he's great. Strong, powerful, brave, etcetera. I don't need to hear him brag about it all." She looked past Parker at several women at the bar eyeing him, including the woman in the short black dress. "Although it looks like you have admirers of your own."

Parker grinned. "What can I say? The ladies like me."

Smiling politely, Alyssa attempted to slip past him. "Well, I'll leave you to them then."

Blocking her way, Parker put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Alyssa. Don't be like that." He looked up at the stage, where the pianist had begun to play a slow number. "Dance with me."

She smelled alcohol on his breath and wrinkled her nose. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Not much," he said, smiling. "I promise. Just enough to gather some courage."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "I don't know."

He leaned in, and his breath tickled her ear. "I've been told I'm very good." A shiver ran up Alyssa's spine as she pulled back and met his eyes.

"Alright. One dance," she agreed.

He smiled and escorted her to the small area in front of the stage, where other couples were slow-dancing.

He held her right hand and gently laid his other hand on her waist. Alyssa felt silly in her blue dress, but at that moment, with the way that Parker was looking at her, she felt beautiful. His eyes found hers and dared her to hold them, and she met that challenge, her head spinning as she drank in the deep dark pools. She felt like she was drowning in them as he guided her through the dance, the intensity between them almost tangible. He was a gorgeous, gorgeous man. But she had to shake herself out of the moment. "Parker. I know what kind of guy you are."

"And what kind is that?" he asked softly, leaning his face closer.

She stared down at his lips, suppressing the urge to taste them. "I'll never forget how we first met. You were caught with another man's wife."

He pulled back and looked at her. "I didn't know what I was doing then. I just did it because I could. Now I know what I want. A strong, fierce girl, lost in a world of wolves in sheep's clothing."

Alyssa felt her heart beating loudly in her chest and licked her lips. "Parker..."

"I've never had many friends or a...a family. I've always had to scrape by, fight to survive. I found...comfort where I could. But none of it meant anything to me. I've never wanted to fight for someone before like I do now. I've never wanted to protect someone like this."

Alyssa found that she couldn't meet his eyes anymore. She leaned against him and laid her head down against his chest, where she heard his heart beat faster than her own, wild and afraid of this confession. Cory's face came to mind and she closed her eyes tight. She wanted this to end. Cory was who she was meant to be with. He was probably waiting for her, and this...this would be a passing memory. After her quest, she would find a way back home. Whoever sent her here would have to send her back home if she did what was requested of her. Back home, in the arms of the one she loved, and Parker...Parker would be here. Where he belonged. "I can't," she whispered. "I can't be what you want me to be."

Parker put his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, breathing in deeply. "You already are."

She looked up, afraid that she would give in, and wanted to.

"May I have this dance?" a voice broke in as the song ended and a new, faster one began.

Alyssa tore her eyes from Parker to see Gray standing before her, hand held out. She smiled, relieved and disappointed at the same time. "Of course," she said, glancing back at Parker. "You don't mind?"

Parker met her eyes. "Not at all," he said, his voice flat. "Have fun." He quickly disappeared into the crowd as Gray moved with her through the steps of the new song.

A loud cheering drowned out the music for a moment, and the two of them turned to see Eric being held up by the crowd, laughing, another large empty glass in hand.

"He's so carefree," Alyssa commented. "He really loses himself when he's here, doesn't he?"

"That he does," Gray agreed. "Sometimes he needs a firm hand."

She frowned. "Oh?"

"He can get lost with the will of the people. He needs someone to keep him in check sometimes. Someone strong."

Alyssa looked back at Eric, the smile lighting up his face below glazed eyes. "Yeah, I think I see what you mean."

"I've heard your story from Mia."

Alyssa turned back to him, his expression unreadable. "And?"

"And I think you have a long road ahead of you. Some of your comrades are going to die. You might die."

She swallowed hard. "I know that. But I think it's worth it, to free this land of Lady Blood and her monsters."

"Is that why you're doing it?"

Alyssa blinked. "I...I don't know. I mean, that's part of the reason."

Gray nodded. "Just make sure you stay true to yourself in all of this. You have been manipulated into this role. Don't let the quest manipulate your feelings any more."

Alyssa frowned, trying to make sense of his words as the song ended and he bowed to her once before leaving her. She stood there for a moment, staring at the space where he'd disappeared, when another round of cheering from the bar caused her to rouse herself.

She pushed through the crowd until she stood in front of Eric, who was taking shot after shot that were being passed to him in a line.

"Alright, buddy," Alyssa said, putting her arm around his back. "I think that's enough, don't you?"

He looked at her, his eyes bleary, his words slurring. "I'm not so sure about that. I'm just getting started, I think."

Alyssa smiled as she pushed back another shot being handed in his direction. "I think we're going to go back to your room."

Eric smiled. "Ah. That does sound like a good idea." He leaned forward in an attempt to kiss her, and she ducked out of the way, pushing him forward through the crowd. He was unsteady on his feet, so she ended up having to help him stay on his feet, but she managed to get him out of the bar without much difficulty.

"I was having fun," he stated, nearly tripping over his own feet and taking her with him, but catching himself against the wall of a building at the last second. "I love that place."

"I can tell," Alyssa said. "Just keep moving, okay? You're going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow."

"Eh," Eric frowned. "Mia can take the edge off. She's good for that."

"Uh huh." It took some doing in the end, to coax him into his room. Once he was outside of his door, he wanted to return to the tavern, but Alyssa persuaded him that they could return later, when he could stand by himself.

"You're kind to me," Eric said, falling onto his bed with her help. He grabbed her arm and smiled. "I like you."

"That's nice, Eric," she said, prying his fingers from her arm. "Sleep it off, okay?"

He grinned, his eyes closing. "You're like an angel. Knew just when I needed you. The Ice Queen never could have guessed that an angel would sweep in and rescue me. We showed her, didn't we?"

"We sure did," Alyssa muttered, walking slowly toward the door. She paused at the doorway and watched him for a moment, to make sure that he stayed in bed, then she closed the door softly behind her, leaning against it with a sigh.

"Some night, huh?" Lace asked, appearing at the top of the stairs.

"You're telling me," Alyssa agreed, smiling. Lace put a hand to her back and they went to their room, Alyssa falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

### Chapter Twenty-Four

"I'm feeling so much better," Vessa said the next morning. "Mia really is quite a healer."

Alyssa noted the color in her cheeks and the sparkle that had returned to her eyes, and let out a sigh of relief. "Glad to hear it."

Vessa smiled as Mia entered the room, carrying a bowl of some soupy substance and handing it to Vessa. "She could learn a thing or two about flavor though."

Mia snorted. "You're welcome." She unbandaged Vessa's arm and examined it before carefully cleaning the frostbitten area and reapplying the mud and other ingredients. The area that had been blackened by The Ice Queen's touch now looked like a rapidly-fading bruise. It was truly amazing. "Another day of rest and you should be back to your old self."

"Yay!" Alyssa clapped happily as Vessa rolled her eyes and shoveled more soup into her mouth.

Ambrosia flew down to the bedside, its eager eyes seeking the soup. Vessa smirked. "No, Ambrosia. This isn't for you." She pulled the bowl away from the dragon, and Mia left to grab some food for it.

"How is everybody?" Vessa asked, looking down into her soup.

"They're alright," Alyssa shrugged. "We went out to a tavern last night. Eric is quite the crowd-pleaser."

"Shocking."

"Hey, guys," Lace strode into the room, her hair drastically altered from last night. It was cut short, to just under her ears, and dyed a bright pink. She leaned over and scratched Ambrosia under the chin. "I slept like a log."

"A loud, human-shaped log," Alyssa amended.

Lace punched her in the shoulder. "What do you think of the hair?"

Vessa looked at her for a moment. "Did you do something different to it?" She couldn't hold a straight face for long, so she started laughing after a few seconds, nearly spilling the remainder of her soup.

"Why pink?" Alyssa asked, touching her hair.

Lace shrugged. "Why not?"

"Well, it's definitely loud," Vessa said, looking it over. "But I like it. It suits you."

"It does, doesn't it?"

"Whoa," Parker said, stepping into the room with Mia, who raised an eyebrow at her. "Were you attacked? By pink fairies?"

Lace ignored him, accepting the dried meat from Mia and feeding it to Ambrosia.

Eric stumbled in after him, red-eyed and disheveled. He ran a hand back through his hair. "Good morning, comrades."

"Oh, Eric," Mia walked over to him and led him out of the room. "When will you ever learn? I shouldn't even heal you, just to teach you a lesson."

"You're too good to me, Mia," Eric replied, their voices fading.

"He got trrrrrashed," Lace murmured, shaking her head with a smile. "Nothing like a little alcohol to dissolve any sort of filter."

"A little alcohol?" Parker scoffed. "I recall copious amounts being ingested by our long-haired friend." He chanced a look at Alyssa, who smiled when she met his eyes. She didn't want things to be awkward between them. And she had to wonder where things would have gone if Gray hadn't interrupted them. She definitely felt an attraction to him. Even now her heart was beating faster in her chest. But she felt like she would be cheating. Cory was probably worried sick over her, and here she was basking in the company of another guy. It didn't feel right. Even if he was no longer in the picture, until she knew for sure, she couldn't allow herself to indulge in her feelings like she wanted to. It wouldn't be fair to anyone involved.

Time had passed between the time she'd recalled the memories of Cory, and with that time, they had faded a little. But she remembered how strongly the memory had impacted her. The impression it had left on her wasn't something she would soon forget.

"So, we should talk about our next move," Vessa said, setting her empty bowl aside and sitting up. "We shouldn't put it off. I'll be one hundred percent tomorrow, so we should take off."

Alyssa nodded slowly. "After what happened, I can't ask any of you to continue with me. Even if the queen demands it," she added, looking in Lace's direction. "This is dangerous. People were really hurt the last time. There was a casualty. And it's only going to get worse."

Vessa rolled her eyes. "A little scare like that isn't going to keep me from seeing this through. I'm still not sure why we're going after these specific targets, but they're monsters that need to be taken out, so I'm prepared to do what it takes to help you."

"Me too," Lace said, not looking at anyone. "For too long, I lived in my father's shadow, thinking that I could get away with anything because I was the princess. Well, I no longer have that right, and I realize that there are things worth fighting for." She looked up at Alyssa. "And I want to honor my father's memory, make him proud. This is the only way I know how."

"I'm in too," Parker said, avoiding Alyssa's eyes. She couldn't help but recall his words from last night, but he was keeping them close now.

"Kaitlyn is probably wondering where we are," Vessa mentioned. "And she was probably worried when she saw ice covering The Fire King's castle."

"Let her worry for a little longer," Alyssa said. "We're here to take on monsters, not report to an Astral. We are loaded up with supplies here, and the extra teleport to Rayniste would only delay us. We can go there after this battle to report our progress."

Parker scratched his head. "Aren't you a little worried about who's pulling the strings here? I mean, delaying us? Reporting our progress? What are we even doing this for? I mean, yeah, killing monsters is a noble activity, but why? And for whom? I think we need some answers here before we take this any further." He looked pointedly at Vessa. "Especially since people are getting hurt in this quest."

Lace frowned. "Morgana-"

"Morgana gave us a fine place to start," Parker interrupted. "But we need more than that. We need someone to tell us what this quest is for, why we're risking our lives to take on Lady Blood and her generals, and why the hell Alyssa was pulled into this in the first place. I mean, she's risking her life for this world, and she can't even remember who she is! How unfair is that?"

Alyssa nodded slowly. "It is frustrating, but who are we going to consult here? We don't know who created the spell."

"I may be able to help in that area," Mia stated, stepping back into the room with Eric, who looked healthy as ever. She blinked at the serious expressions on everyone's faces. "I know of an expert on spells."

Alyssa blinked. "You do?"

Mia smiled minutely. "I have not always been with the neo-alchemists. I was part of the Voodoo Coven before we were torn apart."

"Oh. I didn't know."

"It doesn't matter," Mia sat down on the edge of Vessa's bed. "One of my coven grew into powers that were too much for him. Necromancy. The constant whispers of the dead drove him mad and he massacred his village. Few of us survived the experience, but I was one of the fortunate ones to escape." She sighed. "In my journeys that brought me to Frankenstein, I had many encounters with strange cultures and witches, but I did meet some wonderful people. I met Flax perhaps five years ago. She was just a child, but it was as if she could see the insides and outs of a spell, like she was taking it apart with her mind, communing with it. It's an amazing experience to behold."

Vessa sat up. "Do you know where we can find this witch today?"

"Certainly. She is of the Celtic Coven."

Lace scoffed. "Another crazy coven? Really?"

"It can't be any stranger than this place," Parker shared a smile with her.

"That's true," Lace acknowledged. She turned to Mia. "The Celts are rather reclusive. They don't like outsiders."

"They will help travelers in need," Mia assured her. "They helped me once. And Flax was a fiery child. I'm sure that she would welcome the challenge you will present her with."

"Then it's settles," Vessa said, looking satisfied. "We teleport to Flax tomorrow."

"Easier said than done," Lace murmured. "The Celts guard their land well. They use rune magic to keep unwelcome visitors out. Including teleporters."

"Okay. We'll get as close as we can then, and journey the rest of the way on foot."

Alyssa nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"I will lead you to her," Mia said. "My skills may be of use to you as well."

"That would be wonderful," Alyssa beamed. "I'm sure you will be very useful."

"And of course, your champion will walk alongside you into battle," Eric said with a wide smile.

"We wouldn't have expected less," Lace muttered.

***

"You have everything you need?" Gray asked again the next day, looking the group over. "I can't persuade you to set aside this quest and join Frankenstein, where you may live in peace?"

Alyssa shook her head, smiling at him. "I'm sorry, but I have to see this through. We really do appreciate your hospitality though."

He nodded, his eyes a little sad. Alyssa leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry about us. I'm sure you haven't seen the last of us."

"I hope so," Gray said, touching his cheek where she'd kissed him. "Best of luck to you."

"Blessed be," Mia said, bowing to him.

Gray nodded to her as the green light lit up their feet.

Alyssa glanced around at the group. Vessa and Lace were both steady on their feet again, Ambrosia settled on Lace's shoulder. Mia looked confident, a chain in hand called a Morningstar, ending with a sharp ball of spikes, and making the normally serene healer look deadly. Eric had a new sword in hand and looked like he was itching to swing it at something, like it was Christmas morning. Parker looked determined, a new bow in hand, and a full quiver of arrows at his back. He caught her eye and held it for a moment as the green light traveled up their legs. Alyssa glanced down at the holstered guns on her belt, and felt the reassuring weight of a long knife in hand. She decided that they'd never gone into a battle more prepared than this.

Alyssa closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was somewhere else. She had to shield her eyes, the scene was so bright. The sun beat down on them oppressively, reminding her briefly of The Fire King's domain. But this was a different sort of heat. Her skin tingled as the sun warmed it, causing her to sweat almost instantly. But it felt kind of good too, like her cells were being charged.

All around her was a sea of sand. Dunes were piled high in every direction, sand glistening, reflecting the sun's rays. It was a beautiful sunny scene, almost like she was at the beach, but the moment she began to walk in the direction that Lace indicated, the hot sand burned her feet and the air sucked the moisture from her tongue.

A large rock jutted out of the dunes nearby, looking out of place, as if it were placed there. Lace pointed to a scorch mark in the face of the smooth surface, of three squiggly parallel lines. "There's a rune now."

Alyssa touched the rune, feeling the groove of the lines engraved in the stone.

"It feels powerful," Parker acknowledged, crouching down next to her.

"You can feel it in the stone?" she asked, curious.

He nodded. "Only when the magic is strong. Otherwise, I only feel it within people. This is radiating magic though."

"It should, if it was keeping me out," Lace said, leading them away from the rock.

After cresting a few rises, Alyssa began to feel the effects of the sun, which worried her. She was already ridiculously thirsty, gulping down water from the canteen Vessa offered her voraciously. It was slow going, as each step she took required quite a bit of labor, the sand sucking her feet deep, as if trying to swallow them.

"Is it much further?" Parker asked, wiping sweat from his forehead with his arm, which was nearly as damp, after they'd walked for nearly half an hour.

Mia shrugged. "Beyond the desert, on the far side of the plains. I believe we teleported near the edge of the desert."

"Well, we're going to be out of water soon at this rate."

"Don't say that," Lace insisted.

"Could be worse. There could be mummies or ticks out here."

"Don't say that either!"

"At least we don't have Kaitlyn along to lead any monsters right to us," Vessa mumbled.

"You can say that again. It was almost like she was trying to sabotage us."

Alyssa looked at her sharply. "Do you think that she was?"

Lace frowned. "No, of course not. Why would she?"

Parker scowled. "Because the queen wants you dead?"

Lace whirled on him, glaring. "She's not like that, okay? She's been nothing but kind to me."

"Yeah? Then why are you here? Out of the goodness of your heart? Because you're a soldier?"

Lace stared at him a little longer, her chest heaving with anger, before she turned on her heels and marched ahead, muttering obscenities under her breath.

"The queen really was nice to us," Alyssa told him. "I mean, she seemed a little cold at first, but she armed us, gave us supplies, and had us meet with Morgana. If not for her, we would be completely directionless."

Parker met her eyes. "And here I thought you stuck with your first impression of people."

Alyssa flinched as he continued on, lengthening the distance between them.

"Did I miss something?" Vessa asked, scratching her head. "I mean, I was out of commission for a few days, but that seemed rather personal."

"It's nothing," Alyssa said. "Believe me. And it never will be."

"Ooookay."

Mia, who'd been walking a few feet behind them, cleared her throat. "I don't mean to intrude, but are you sure the queen of Rayniste's motives are what they seem?"

Alyssa glanced back at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, she sent you on a fool's errand with a step-daughter who is left over from a beloved king's rule. Any accident would look suspicious, but throwing her into your company, who are likely to be killed? It seems that if she wanted Lace dead, this would be an ideal way to dispose of her."

Alyssa and Vessa exchanged looks.

"We needed a teleporter," Vessa said. "That's all."

Mia nodded slowly. "Okay."

"I mean, why else would she have armed us and given us supplies?"

"What are a few pounds of food and some cast-off weapons really worth to her?"

Mia came to a halt, and Alyssa stopped along with her. The healer stared at the ground near her feet intently.

"It seems like an elaborate way to bump someone off," Alyssa said.

Mia looked at her, squinting in the sun. "You sound like you're trying to convince yourself of that." She got down on her knees then and began to dig in the sand.

Alyssa watched her for a moment as Vessa sidled back up to her. "If she was looking to have her stepdaughter murdered," Vessa said, "having Kaitlyn put us in harm's way would be an easy way to wipe us all out."

"Not you too," Alyssa rolled her eyes and dropped to the ground as well, beginning to dig in the general area that Mia was. "Are you forgetting the meeting with Morgana that she allowed? All of that information about out targets? It was a gift from the queen. I mean, sure, this is my quest to retrieve my memories and figure out what happened to me, but ultimately, this is going to change your world, don't you think? She gave us resources to counter these threats the entire world faces, including Rayniste. Mia's right that the resources were hardly anything she couldn't part with, but then, why not part with them to help us succeed in taking down Lady Blood and her scary goons? Throw in a teleporter to hasten the job? Why not? She had nothing to lose by trying to help us succeed in this desperate bid to take down an evil monster."

Vessa nodded slowly as she watched them dig. "I know." She scowled to herself, then nodded more readily. "Of course I know. I just got caught up in the moment. Everyone's aiming for the same thing here. At least everyone who isn't a monster. Peace. No monster rulers."

"Think of how powerful the queen will be if this gamble pays off," Alyssa added, looking up at her, the sun behind Vessa throwing her face in shadows. "She will have funded us, will probably make you a knight or something, then lead this world into a new era. She has everything to gain by doing this."

"You make it sound so conniving."

Alyssa shrugged. "Maybe it is." Her fingertips were burning the further she dug into the sand, but she kind of relished the mild pain it brought on, and the texture of the sand was silky and soft, and somehow relaxed her.

"What are they doing?" Lace asked, looking over Vessa's shoulder.

Suddenly Alyssa felt the sand beneath her fingers cool. She clawed in deeper and felt that it was damp. She scooped sand out of the ditch they'd dug with fervor as water cleansed her fingers with each handful. Then it dripped freely from her hands and splattered her friends, which earned a cry of delight from Lace.

"Water," Vessa smiled as Mia pulled out one more handful of wet mud and stopped to survey her work.

"Now we can refill our canteens without worry of thirst," the healer announced.

"You really are in tune with the earth," Lace noted, looking at her.

"Yes, she is," Parker said with authority.

Eric, who had been scouting ahead of them, walked back up to them as they were finishing filling the canteens. He'd worn thin chain mail over a leather shirt, but he had taken that off in the heat, exposing a smooth defined chest and powerful arms, his flesh glistening with sweat.

"Oh, my," Lace breathed.

"You're telling me," Vessa murmured, her eyes devouring him.

Alyssa arched an eyebrow as she read in Eric's face that he definitely knew what effect he was having on the women, and was basking in the attention. Of course he knew that he was gorgeous. He was.

Glancing over at Parker, Alyssa noted the frown darkening his features, making it plain as day that he was jealous. He probably wasn't used to being overshadowed by another guy this way.

Her eyes flickered down to the sleeveless brown leather vest he wore, his arms tan and also powerful. He had a leaner build than the bulging muscles that Eric boasted, but she appreciated that. In fact, she preferred it. She couldn't help her gaze from trailing down his exposed neck, following a trickle of sweat that had formed near his jaw, collecting at his collarbone before pooling over and running down the front of his hidden chest. The dark hair that peeked out from the top of the vest drew her eyes and made her shiver.

He shifted and she looked up to see his eyes trained on hers. She looked away, embarrassed, but not before she caught a glimpse of the self-satisfying smile that pulled at his lips. Well, at least he wouldn't feel so inadequate around Eric, she supposed, refusing to look at him for the rest of the trek.

It was another half hour before they came to a stop. Eric waited for them atop a dune, crouched in its shadow, watching their approach.

They all planted themselves in the sand, the lip of the dune providing cover.

"Plains begin past this dune," Eric said. "We will be out in the open and vulnerable."

Alyssa peeked over the top, at a plain that was perhaps forty feet down from where they were hiding. A long way to roll to reach it. Slowly lowering herself back into a sitting position, the shade cooling her a little, Alyssa looked at Eric, who took a swallow of water from a canteen. "We could stop and rest there."

"We could," Eric agreed.

Mia stood and looked over the ridge. "We could make it to the Celtic Coven by nightfall."

Alyssa looked around at the party, clearly tired from the journey thus far. She didn't know if she could wait yet another day to receive the answers that she'd desperately been seeking. "Alright. Let's rest for ten minutes, then continue on."

"Kill me now," Lace murmured, leaning back into the sand.

### Chapter Twenty-Five

Eric was the first to venture out from the safety of their cover, slowly making his way down the dune, the sand on its surface smooth as if recently paved, until Eric trudged through it, ruining the illusion and creating a jagged scar in his wake.

Alyssa followed him after he'd begun his descent, walking the trail he had created to make it easier for herself. The path had been carved in a steep zigzag down the face of the dune, so that they wouldn't tumble, but could carefully and methodically descend. By the time they'd reached the bottom, Alyssa felt like she'd been walking for an hour. She could have certainly stopped to rest again, but tried not to think about it, instead following Eric through dry brush. Thankfully, once they were on flat ground again, walking came much easier.

They ended up trekking across the flat monotonous plains until well after the sun had set and the shadows had grown deep and dark. The climate had been more accommodating than the arid one they'd left behind in the desert, but the ground was still cracked and dry from lack of moisture. Alyssa continued to guzzle water from the canteens, her thirst never fully quenched. It was a good thing that Mia had found them more water, or they would have run out long ago.

The blood moon shone overhead, a half moon that illuminated things more than Alyssa would have liked, with no cover all around them, but they had little choice but to proceed. At least the night air offered some relief to the heat.

"So, where are they?" Lace asked as they grew closer to mountains that were the backdrop to the plains. "We should have seen something by now."

Mia hesitated, coming to a stop and staring off into the distance, where some brush grew, but little else. "Perhaps they have packed up and fled this area."

"So this was a big waste of time?" Lace sighed, putting a hand to her head. "Great."

"We shouldn't give up so easily," Parker said. "Let's search and see what we can find."

"We're here anyway," Vessa shrugged, looking to Alyssa. "What do you think?"

Alyssa frowned. "You don't see them?"

Vessa blinked. "See who?"

Alyssa watched the three women standing before them turn to one another with knowing looks on their faces. All three of them were ancient, stooped with gnarled hands and thin white hair. The one on the left was heavy, grunting with every step she took, but she wore a smile on her face, which couldn't be said for the others in her company. The woman in the middle was the tallest, with a hooked nose and a cataract over one eye, her other eye squinting at them, as if trying to determine something. The final witch had warts on her face and kept her right arm close to her body, as if it were injured. All three of them wore black cloaks with hoods, and gave off a spooky vibe.

Suddenly Vessa gasped and blinked at the three women. "Where did they come from?"

"This one could see us," the tall witch said, pointing to Alyssa. "How could you see past our spell, Dearie?"

"I just could," Alyssa shrugged, watching them warily.

The three women looked at each other again, before the short one nodded. "Very well," she said. "You may enter the village, but you will regret any treachery you have in store."

And with that, they were gone.

Lace blinked and looked to Alyssa. "Are they actually gone this time?"

Alyssa nodded slowly, then pointed to the village up ahead, near the foot of the mountains. "They probably went there."

"Well," Parker said. "That wasn't creepy at all. Let's go visit the relatives now, shall we?" He began walking toward the village.

"Did you recognize them?" Alyssa asked Mia as they drew nearer to the white washed houses.

Mia nodded. "Yes. They were with the coven before. They were more...refined before." She tilted her head. "I wonder what could have changed them?"

"On this world? I can think of plenty of things."

When they came upon the village, they saw that the houses themselves were rather simple buildings, square blocks with doors and windows cut out of them. But beyond the houses, there was a rather impressive palace.

It was a sprawling, white palace with no doors or windows, but indigo curtains blew in an invisible breeze in their stead. A few towers, their domed tops painted gold, reached high into the sky like silos. It looked like a maze of doors and balconies that went on forever, a few pools glistening in the sun here and there. It seemed like paradise, or some impossible mirage to tempt weary travelers.

"Now, that's awesome," Lace breathed, watching people milling about the balconies and patios.

Alyssa regarded the people who were outside of the houses, watching them suspiciously. They looked almost fearful of them.

"The people seem skittish," she observed.

Mia nodded. "I was welcomed with open arms last time I was here. This has been quite a departure from that initial visit."

"We've been through some rough times," a woman said, approaching them. She studied them each in turn as she approached, but a wide grin broke out over her face as she approached Mia. "Mia! It's good to see you again!"

Mia smiled as well and hugged the girl. "Same to you. You've grown." She pulled back and looked her over.

Alyssa had to admit that she was breathtaking, perhaps seventeen with pale skin and hair so red that it reminded Alyssa of the lava surrounding The Fire King's castle. It ran down her hair in beautiful waves, sweeping the small of her back.

"It's been five years," the girl shrugged, turning to the rest of them. "Who are your friends?"

"People in need of your help, I'm afraid." She gestured to Alyssa first. "This is Alyssa."

The girl grinned and held her hand out. "The name's Flax."

Alyssa shook her hand, startled that she was suddenly in the company of the very person who may be able to tell her about the spell. She wondered, as she looked the girl over, if she could really help her. "Pleased to meet you."

Flax shook Vessa's hand next and, even though she'd seen it before, was startled when Eric kneeled before Flax and kissed her hand. "I am Eric, son of Phorseus the Great, heir to the Bloodlands of Nohr."

"Got it," the girl said, pulling her hand back and wiping it off on her shirt.

Alyssa decided that she liked her.

When introductions were over, Flax led them to a house with a table in the center of a large room with chairs, but no decorations whatsoever. While it was strangely bare, Alyssa was just happy to finally be off of her feet.

"So, what's happened here since I last visited?" Mia questioned her. "The people seem afraid of something, of us."

Flax sighed. "Yes, we took a rather bad blow, I'm afraid. We always welcomed travelers in the past, but three years ago, we showed our hospitality to a woman."

"She was Lilith herself," a voice announced from behind Alyssa, startling her. She looked over her shoulder to meet the eyes of the shorter of the three witches they'd met outside the village.

"She was no such thing," the tallest of the three witches sniffed. "She was clearly a druid."

"Queen of the druids perhaps," the witch with warts over her face added.

Flax rolled her eyes. "Ladies and gents, meet the elders of our village. They have stripped themselves of their names so that none may have power over them." She grinned. "But we affectionately call them our hags. One, Two and Three." She pointed them out as she listed the numbers, the shortest being One, the tallest being Three.

"Disrespectful little thing," Two observed, frowning. "Why don't you offer these strangers all of our secrets then, girl?"

"But you know Mia," Flax said, gesturing toward the healer. "She was nothing but kind when she visited before."

Three leaned closer to Mia, then scoffed. "This world changes people."

"Apparently," Mia countered, still smiling.

"What did this woman do to you?" Vessa asked, frowning. "It must have been something awful to effect you this much."

One turned to her. "What didn't she do? She killed our newborns, brought sickness that left a fifth of ours dead, and made our crops wither."

"She put a curse over us," Two added. "We are cursed still."

"We will never trust a stranger who comes along all smiles," Three said. "Because the moment we let our guard down, this sort of thing happens. We must protect our own."

"You must leave," One nodded. "Yes, leave at once."

Flax stood up, scraping her chair back loudly as she did so. "They will not leave. They are my guests, and you are superstitious old women." She pointed to the door. "Out. The whole lot of you."

The hags grumbled, but complied, leaving them alone.

"Sorry about that," Flax said, sitting down. "They are fearful."

Parker frowned. "But what did they mean that you are still cursed?"

Flax sighed. "Locusts. We've tried everything to rid our crops of them, but they won't budge. It's like they're immune to our protective runes. We're at our wit's end, to be frank. Our last crop yielded little, so we must produce even more this time, but we fail at every turn. We'll starve if something doesn't change."

"We can take a look at your crops in the morning," Alyssa offered.

Flax smiled weakly. "Thank you, but I doubt anything will come of it."

"I don't know about that," Vessa said, tapping her lower lip thoughtfully. "I may have an idea."

"Your attempts would be welcome," Flax admitted, then shook her head. "I'm sorry. You've come here looking for my help, yet I've only laid out my own problems. What can I do for you?"

Mia gestured to Alyssa. "A spell has been placed on Alyssa. She comes looking for answers. I thought that perhaps you could help."

Flax nodded. "I'll see what I can do, but perhaps you should all get some sleep for now. You've had a long journey."

"You can say that again," Lace murmured.

"If you'd like, I can find you rooms in the palace."

"That would be most accommodating," Mia said, bowing her head.

### Chapter Twenty-Six

"Is she the one?"

Alyssa started awake from her bed in the palace. She stared up into the face of one of the three hags. Three, her cataract eye roving over Alyssa.

"Well?" Two asked from behind her.

Three frowned. "She's awake."

Alyssa sat up, causing the three of them to jump back, One clutching Three's sleeve. "She's a demon!"

"What are you doing here?" Alyssa demanded, her head groggy from sleep. She stared around the small bare room and saw Vessa asleep in the next bed, unaware of the commotion.

Two swallowed hard. "We used a sleeping spell on you. You shouldn't be awake."

"Well, I am," Alyssa said, throwing the cotton sheet from her body and sitting at the edge of her bed. She sighed and rubbed her hands over her eyes. "What do you want?"

"The truth," they said altogether.

"The truth about what?"

They looked at one another. "I think she is the one," Three said.

"We must be sure," One said. She looked at Alyssa, her hood falling forward, sending her face in shadow. "We must be quite sure."

"Alyssa?"

Alyssa looked up to see Parker at the door, in only his pants. He blinked around him. "What is this? Alyssa, are you alright?"

"Huh?" Vessa shot up in her bed. "What's going on?"

Three glared at Two. "Not your best spell."

"We can make do with this," Two shrugged and lifted her arms.

Alyssa felt something heavy strike the back of her neck, then she saw nothing.

***

"Ugh," Alyssa put a hand to her head, its throbbing making her nauseous as she tried to sit up. Tentatively, she reached back and touched the back of her neck, where a large welt screamed in protest from her delicate probing. She winced and looked down, noting the chain on her right leg. She touched the cold metal and frowned before looking up at a white room with several stone slabs, an alter on raised ground at the back.

On the stone slabs before her, she saw her friends tied down. Vessa, Parker, Eric and Lace. Ambrosia was also in the room, but muzzled and chained by its neck to a nearby wall, struggling against the metal.

Alyssa's blood ran cold at the scene and she pulled on the chain at her ankle, as if she would be able to free herself with pure force of will.

"You're awake," Mia observed, sitting a few feet away, her back to the wall. "You were unconscious for a long while."

Alyssa nodded, putting a hand to her forehead. "What did I miss?"

"Everyone being tied down by two men from the coven. The hags have come and gone several times."

Alyssa leaned her head back. "Great." She winced as the stone touched her welt.

Mia frowned. "I tried to heal your wound as I did your friends. For some reason, my magic doesn't work on you."

Swallowing hard, Alyssa nodded. "Yeah. It has advantages and disadvantages."

The sound of footsteps could be heard coming from a doorway near the altar, and Alyssa struggled against her chain again, to no avail.

Two appeared, smiling, a bounce in her step like she were about to go to an amusement park. She breathed in deeply and nodded to herself, as if satisfied with something. Her eyes fell on Alyssa and Mia and she turned to the two men who'd just accompanied her into the room. "Tie down the pretty one next."

Alyssa clenched her jaw and braced herself for their arrival, watching the mens' slow procession. One of them dragged his right foot behind him, as if he were injured. Her eyes narrowed at the grins on their faces. She wouldn't mind handing them a few bruises.

She kicked hard when they reached her, aiming for the man's bum leg, but they seemed prepared for her attack, and quickly detained her, holding her arms and legs so tightly that she felt her circulation cut off. Two laughed, then undid the chain. "A lot of spirit in you," she said as she followed the men to an unoccupied stone slab. "We'll fix that right quick."

As the two men held her down, Two began to wind twine around her midsection, with very careful motions, almost lovingly, tightening her arms against the stone. Alyssa bit down her terror as her legs were twined together, and continued to struggle, although she could feel herself tiring quickly in this losing battle.

She struggled against her bonds as the men left her to do the same thing to Mia. She felt claustrophobic, like the twine was smothering her, and each breath she took wasn't enough. Sweat began to gather on her forehead as she started to panic.

"Take deep, slow breaths," Parker's voice came to her.

Alyssa glanced up and saw Parker's head not far from hers, on the slab behind her and to the right. "Not that it's going to do you much good," Lace called out. "They'll finish us off soon enough."

Parker shook his head. "Don't listen to her. These people aren't murderers. They're just scared."

Alyssa blinked, then laughed, a noise that sounded a little hysterical, even to her own ears. "They're scared? That's rich." She paused, then looked up at the ceiling, frowning. "Lace! 'Port us out of here!"

Lace snorted. "Like I haven't thought of that. The runes are still blocking my power."

"Enough talking!" Three roared as she shuffled into the room. "Or I'll have you gagged as well."

Alyssa bit her lip and looked up at Parker again, meeting his eyes, which were trying to reassure her. She mouthed "I'm sorry" to him, and he smiled.

Three walked up to Alyssa then and dipped her finger into a small bowl and began to chant something as she rubbed what looked like water over her face. Then One arrived, carrying a chicken upside down by its feet, clearly distressed and flapping every so often. Three nodded and One began to pluck feathers from it, earning loud cries every few seconds.

Alyssa closed her eyes tight against the scene, until several minutes later, the cries stopped, and she opened her eyes just in time to see Two slit its neck over her and spray its blood over her chest.

Alyssa cried out and tried to hide her face as the warm blood washed over her, soaking her shirt.

"My god," Parker breathed, watching as Two carried the dead bird away. He glanced over at Alyssa as she set the body on the altar. "I'm sorry too, you know."

"You?" Alyssa frowned, trying not to think about the blood covering her. "What do you have to apologize for?"

"For being such a rake. And for my ways. For lying to you about the errand I had to run in Rayniste. For being a thief and a scoundrel."

"And a womanizer," Vessa added from somewhere nearby.

Parker scowled, but nodded. "And for finding comfort in women, even married ones. I'm not a very good person. But I hope you-"

He was cut off as one of the men stepped over to him and hit him across the face with a loud crack. "The elders asked for quiet," the man sneered. "It's only polite."

"Barridus," One scolded, slapping his arm. "Enough."

The man nodded, but glared back at Parker as he walked away.

Alyssa saw that Parker was unconscious and the right side of his face was a stinging dark pink in color. She felt her eyes blur as she replayed his words in her head. They had seemed genuine and heartfelt. Why did he have to be so candid when they were in a situation like this?

"What the hell is this?"

Alyssa saw Two stiffen nearby and look toward the door.

Flax, appeared in her line of vision, looking around her like she was shocked at the scene. "This is how you treat guests?"

"You don't understand," Three said, stepping up to her. "You are too trusting. We have to be certain."

"Certain of what?"

"That they are who they claim to be! That there are not creatures in her company, waiting to destroy her, and us, for good!"

Flax scoffed. "Rubbish. Release them now." She waited for a moment, watching them expectantly. "Now!"

Alyssa saw one of the men come up behind her with a club. "Flax, behind you!"

Flax turned in time for the man to slam his club into her face. But it splintered on contact. Her skin and hair were suddenly cold gray stone. She smiled. "Barridus, you really shouldn't have done that." She grabbed his hand and twisted it, forcing him to his knees.

"Ah!" he cried. "I give, I give!"

She let go of him and gestured toward the slabs. "Release them."

Barridus didn't look happy, but he and the other man did as they were told, then left the room at her command.

Alyssa rubbed her arms, twine having left indentations in her skin, then looked down at her shirt, red with chicken blood. "So gross."

"I'm sorry for their actions," Flax said, walking over to where Mia was healing Parker with a gentle hand to the side of his face. "Like I said, they are foolish and misguided."

Two snorted. "Hardly. We've invested a good amount of time and energy into the girl, and we don't want to see that go to waste."

Flax frowned as she looked up from Parker, who was coming around with a groan. "The girl? What girl are you talking about?"

One hesitated, but pointed in Alyssa's direction. "The champion. She has come to save us all."

Three nodded eagerly. "The prophecy has foretold her coming."

Flax scowled. "Your prophecies again? You old hags are-"

"It's true," Two interrupted her. "She is the one who will bring peace to this world. We have created the conditions for her arrival, and now she is here, from another world, to save ours."

Alyssa frowned and turned to meet Vessa's startled eyes. "What did she say?"

Flax met Vessa's gaze, then turned to the three hags. "What did you three fools do?"

### Chapter Twenty-Seven

The hags looked at one another, before One licked her dry lips. "We arranged for this to happen, to bring Alyssa, or someone like her, to this world, to fight for us."

Alyssa couldn't speak, she was so taken aback by this turn of events, so she was grateful when Vessa stood up and leaned over One, who cowered in her shadow. "Exactly what is it that you've done?"

"What needed to be done!" Two cried.

Three nodded. "What the prophecies said must be done to welcome peace."

Flax pinched the bridge of her nose. "You idiots. You're meddling with things beyond your grasp."

Alyssa cleared her throat, and prayed that her voice wouldn't shake. The suspense was killing her. "Please, ladies. Why am I here? Why did you...why did you bring me here?"

The hags met her with eyes that were suddenly so serious and hopeful that they made Alyssa flinch. "You are our last hope, dearie. Those men and women in that field believed, along with us, that no one here was able to face the monsters that rule over us, decreasing our numbers year by year, and come out triumphant. We needed a hero, someone with the power to face the most vicious monsters that this world has seen, and triumph over them. We needed a fighter, someone with an edge, to cut down our oppressors."

"But why me?" Alyssa asked.

One lifted her chin. "Because you are willing to do what needs to be done."

Vessa shook her head. "I don't understand. Why someone from another world?"

Two shuffled over to Alyssa and looked her in the face. "My dear, those witches sacrificed their lives to bring forth a hero from another world because there were none who could do it here. We have been trampled beneath the feet of our enemies, hunted and tracked like animals for centuries, creating more monsters from our own greed and madness. Why did the spell that opened the portal bring you specifically? I have no clue. But the spell chose you and it did so for a reason. Because you can defeat the monsters."

Three shook her head sadly. "After what happened to us, this blasted curse, we realized that this world was dying, and something drastic had to take place. The prophecy guided our actions. It told us how to summon you. This was all necessary."

"Wait a minute," Parker frowned. "All the spell did was bring us a warrior to fight for us?"

"The spell was a bit more complicated than that, but yes, our main goal was to bring forth someone to reclaim the world for us, to crush the monsters who would stand in our way of taking back the lands for ourselves," One explained. "The spell would also motivate this individual to fight. We only had one shot at this, I'm afraid, and it took years of careful collection of energies and ingredients to make this spell possible. And so, while it may seem cruel, we made sure that the person brought to us would not only be able to fight for us, but would be willing to do so. And so, as she crossed over into our world, Alyssa's memories were sifted from her mind, only to be regained as she battled the monsters we wanted her to target. And when she had met her goal, and thus regained her memories, the spell would automatically return her to where she came from."

There was silence for a moment, and Alyssa felt a great weight crushing her chest. These were the answers she'd been so desperate to get, but they were still difficult to accept. Her destiny was to fight for the witches of this world, to drive back the monsters so that they could reclaim it as their own, as free people, no longer needing to hide and tremble beneath their oppressors, no longer used and scorned, or confined behind the claustrophobic walls of kingdoms that would fall beneath the weight of their oppressors in time, as their numbers dwindled. She was the last ray of hope that this world had to turn the tide of battle for dominance here. She had been ripped from her life for this, naked and without memories so that she could play the part that they had dreamed for her. And if she didn't, she would be stuck here. Yet if she fought, she could regain her freedom and return home.

She shook her head. She didn't even know if she had anything left to return to. Was her grandfather still alive? Was Cory? Was he searching for her even now? She had known that she was killing monsters for a reason, but to liberate an entire world seemed a daunting responsibility.

Swallowing hard, Alyssa met One's sympathetic gaze with a hardness that hadn't been there a moment ago. What was done was done. Whether it should have happened in the first place didn't matter. She was in this predicament and the only way for her to reclaim her life, and the lives of countless thousands of innocents, was to fight. And fight, she would. "Okay."

"Okay?" Lace turned to her, frowning. "Are you kidding me? They're forcing you into a fight that you shouldn't even be a part of. You don't owe them anything."

"No, I don't owe them anything," Alyssa replied. "But if I want to return home, and reclaim my memories, I have to do this." She shook her head sadly. "I can't be this nobody forever, Lace, with no history, no past. If I have to do this to become whole again, then I will."

"You had no right to do this," Flax said, venom dripping from her voice as she glared at the hags. "Meddling with people's lives like this, coercing someone to do your dirty work, is just wrong. You're as misguided as the covens that have turned themselves into abominations."

"No one was willing to do anything but let things progress the way they have," Three said, raising her head defiantly. "We are witches, with great power at our disposal. If we don't use that magic for something important, what's the point of having it in the first place? We don't need to explain ourselves to you or apologize for our actions. We've done what needed to be done, what should have been done a long time ago. It's unfortunate that an innocent life is caught up in our cause, but it's a necessary evil. Eight witches sacrificed themselves because they believed that this was the only way, and I stand by that. Alyssa will be our salvation, or there's none to be had."

"Alright, alright," Alyssa said, holding up her hands. "Let's...just move on here. I'm accepting the situation. I'm not going to be able to go home unless I see this through, so I'm going to do it. Whether or not I should have been transported here in the first place no longer matters. I just want to know how to finish this."

Vessa didn't look pleased, but nodded. "She's right. Give us the details. We already know the targets, except for one that seems to be off the grid. Do you know who it is?"

Two looked at the other hags, then shook her head sadly. "We do not."

"The spell that we created came up with the targets," Three said. "The monsters that it deemed powerful enough to snuff out the remaining witches. Without them, witches need not fear the remaining monsters as we have. We can revolt and succeed in taking back what is ours."

"Really?" Vessa frowned. "The Fish-Man?"

One nodded. "The leader of the Fish-Men's eggs could have contaminated all water supplies and changed the consumers to Fish-Men themselves."

"Oh," Vessa looked surprised, then nodded slowly. "And all of the targets were marked with pentagrams, magically burned into their skin."

"That's correct," Three conceded. "All are marked."

"And already, only four targets remain," One said.

"You are well on your way," Two agreed, flashing her a brilliant smile. "You're more than we could have hoped for."

"But why did the spell choose her?" Mia asked.

Two shrugged. "Her world was void of magic, and obviously the physics of her world carried over with her body, so no magic can effect her." She paused. "That would probably hold true for all people on her world, so it may have examined aspects of her personality, her drive and endurance, her ability to cope with new circumstances, and of course, her physical prowess is quite astonishing."

"Enemies would probably underestimate her based on her frame and lack of magic," Lace added, looking Alyssa over. "That would give her an edge too."

"The spell probably factored in many things such as that. The prophecy certainly foretold her ability to inspire loyalty."

"Loyalty?" Flax frowned. She shook her head. "I can't believe this. I'm ashamed of my coven today." She looked back at Alyssa with pity on her face. "I am so sorry, Alyssa. This is unforgivable."

Alyssa took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "They were desperate. They saw the world around them crumbling, survivors dwindling each year. They didn't think they had a choice."

Vessa grabbed her arm, looking utterly exasperated. "Alyssa, they completely upended your world here."

Alyssa watched her for a moment before shaking her head. "Sure, I wish things were different. Absolutely, I wish I had my old life back, knew what my old life was. And I definitely wish that spell had chosen someone else, because frankly, I'm not sure I can pull this off. But...I understand why they did it, and I can't say I wouldn't have done the same in their place. In fact, I know I would have. I've only been living in your world for a few weeks and I'm scared out of my mind. If I had been here my entire life, growing up in this..." She shook her head. "This place is scary. There are monsters everywhere. It's not enough to just live here, you have to actively work to survive, and work hard. It's...it's like Hell on Earth."

Vessa dropped her hand and looked away.

"But I do hate the situation," Alyssa finished. "I just can't blame them for being proactive in trying to change this place for the better, especially since they do seem to think that I will survive and go home. The cost was borrowing one person from another world to save thousands and to have a future for this world."

"Precisely," One said.

Flax glared at her. "You three should not feel victory here. You should feel shame."

Two nodded and touched the shoulders of the other hags. "Come, we should go."

They shuffled from the room, Three looking back over her shoulder on the way out.

As soon as they left, it seemed that the whole room let out its breath.

"That was...something," Lace said, leaning against one of the stone slabs.

Vessa shook her head. "I think we need to get some sleep, think about all of this. We can figure out where to go from here in the morning, through new eyes."

"Sounds good to me," Lace mumbled.

On the way out of the room, Flax put a hand on Alyssa's shoulder, apology written in her eyes. Alyssa nodded to her and slipped out of the room.

"You okay?" Parker asked, falling into step with her.

Alyssa nodded and looked down at her shirt again, scowling. "I'm going to need a bath."

Parker chuckled. "That's not what I meant."

She nodded, looking over at him, his brown eyes so full of concern, his face open and inviting. His lips... She lowered her gaze to avoid looking at those lips, only to find his naked chest in her line of vision. She felt exhausted from the ordeal, and that chest looked like it would be amazing to curl up to.

She bit her lip, unable to look him in the eye. "I'm fine."

"Are you?" his voice was husky as he asked the question, and Alyssa looked up to see his gaze taking her in. Then she found herself in his arms, her face leaning into his chest. It felt so good to be held. These past few weeks had been a nightmare of uncertainty, but in Parker's arms, she suddenly felt so safe and secure.

What was she thinking? She could feel Cory's arms around her as well, smell him, hear his voice echoing in her ears. He was where she belonged. Not with this...fantasy, on a crazy world. She could finish this mission and get back to him. Actually get back to him. All she had to do was play by the rules of the hags, and she could have everything she'd been missing returned to her. She pushed herself out of Parker's arms, ignoring the dejected look she saw flash over his face. She couldn't help hurting him. But he would get over it. Parker was a survivor, if anything. And she would be but a blip on his radar in the grand scheme of things.

***

"I can't believe you were able to do it!" Flax exclaimed the next afternoon as she entered the palace along side Vessa.

Alyssa looked up from her plate of bread and soup to see a bemused expression on Vessa's face. "It was nothing. I told you that I might be able to do something."

"But that was amazing!" Flax gushed. "And after how you were treated, and what we did to you..." She let her voice trail off as she saw Alyssa sitting at a table inside. "We didn't deserve your help."

"Well, you got it anyway," Vessa said, taking a seat across from Alyssa. She winked at her. "I solved the Celt's bug problem."

Alyssa raised her eyebrows. "That was fast. What did you do?"

Vessa shrugged like it was nothing. "Well, plenty of insects use pheromones to communicate. I just gave them this incontrollable urge to suddenly want to leave and go very, very far away. Nothing to it."

"Pheromones are pretty useful," Lace observed around a mouthful of bread.

"It does have its advantages," Vessa admitted, grabbing an apple from a bowl at the center of the table and taking a big bite.

Flax sat down and looked around at them. "So, you're going to go around, killing the big monsters that are ruling the world?"

"Seems to be the plan," Parker said, dryly.

Flax looked down. "Before, you didn't even know what you were doing it for, but you did it anyway. That sounds like a brave thing to do."

"It is difficult work," Eric said, nodding. "But it is the work of champions."

She rolled her eyes, glancing over at Vessa. "If you wouldn't mind my company, I'd like to come along, help out if I can."

"You would?" Lace asked, surprised. "Why would anyone sane willingly do this?"

Flax shrugged. "To be honest, I was rather disenchanted by what happened last night." She met Alyssa's eyes. "And I feel like I need to do my part. The hags, the rest of my coven, they're too chicken to do anything about it directly. Just like this whole damn world. Everyone's so scared all the time. But I'm sick and tired of being scared, you know? It's about time someone's doing something, and I want to be a part of it, especially since we instigated this whole thing. It wouldn't be right to just sit this out."

Eric clapped her on the back. "There is warrior blood in this one. We welcome your company."

"Thanks," she said, cocking her head. "I think."

Eric began to tell her about some of their exploits as the rest of them finished their lunch. Alyssa wasn't sure about how she felt about the Celtic Coven still, and what they'd done to her, but she could see plainly that at least one among them was a decent person. And she welcomed her company.

They talked for awhile longer before Vessa brought them back to the present. "I think we need to return to Rayniste, report to the queen and see if she has any new intel for us about where we can find our other targets, and maybe something on this mystery mark."

"That sounds like a plan," Lace said, smiling, probably happy to be going home, even for a short time.

Alyssa frowned, glancing over at Parker. She hesitated, before asking "Are you okay with that?"

Parker scratched his head. "I don't know, to be honest."

Lace scoffed. "The queen has bigger fish to fry. I'll talk to her for you."

Parker looked uncertain, but nodded. "Alright. I'll go then."

Alyssa instinctively wanted to put a reassuring hand on his arm, but held back. It wouldn't be fair to send him any more mixed messages than she already had. She had to be steadfast and hold onto her resolve here. Parker was hardly the sort of man who needed to be comforted anyway.

"The rune I painted on your hand will allow you to bypass the ward here," Flax told Lace, who looked down at the black ink in her palm. "You can come and go as you please now, directly to the village, if you'd like."

"As long as I don't have to walk all day again," Lace grinned. "My feet are still throbbing from that journey."

"Being a teleporter has made you soft, I'll bet," Parker teased.

Lace batted her eyelashes at him. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Ambrosia suddenly lifted its head, staring toward the doorway nearby, ears raised as if listening to something.

Lace frowned. "Ambrosia? What is it, girl?"

The dragon quickly leapt into the air and unfolded its wings, flying outdoors with a quick snap of its wings.

"Ambrosia!" Lace yelled, getting up to follow it. She stepped outside and looked at the sky around them, then seemed to do a double-take.

Then Alyssa heard it.

At first it sounded like an air raid siren, and Alyssa slowly stood, head tilted, as she slowly decided that it actually sounded more like an airplane. But neither of those were real possibilities in this world, especially the latter, unless Gray had really been holding back when he'd been showing off the tech.

"Is that thunder?" Vessa frowned.

"Thunder?" Parker frowned. "No, it sounds more like-"

Lace rushed into the room then, her eyes wide, looking like she'd seen a ghost. She pointed at the door and swallowed hard. "Ticks. Ticks are coming."

"Ticks?" Flax echoed, rushing to the door.

Lace glanced at Alyssa, a haunted look taking over her features. "Dozens of them."

### Chapter Twenty-Eight

Alyssa followed Flax to the doorway and peeked over her shoulder and into the sky.

Over the dunes, she could see them. A cloud of them. Lace was right - there had to have been dozens of the creatures, perhaps a hundred in all, making a collective buzz that was suddenly unmistakable.

"Oh, my god," Vessa breathed.

"We have to get out of here," Parker said, jaw set. "Lace?"

Lace stared up at the sky for another moment, then shook her head, looking back at him. "Not without Ambrosia."

"Are you kidding me?" Parker's eyes widened. "The dragon will be fine."

Lace shook her head, looking like she was about to cry.

"You're going to get us all killed!" Parker said, throwing his arms in the air, then he walked away, frustrated. "She's going to get us killed!"

"Maybe they will pass over us," Mia said quietly.

Flax watched the swarm warily. "I rather doubt it. We should hide before they descend on us."

"They're not the smartest things in the world," Vessa admitted. "Hiding will give us a chance." She glanced over at Lace, who was fretting, wringing her hands, as she stood in the doorway, looking lost. "I think it's our only option."

"They are coming," Eric announced, watching out of an open window. It was too bad that there weren't actual doors and windows here to keep the creatures out. That would have been convenient.

Alyssa took a step back as she saw that Eric was right. They were beginning to drop from the sky, diving toward the palace. "Alright, let's hide, people." She grabbed Lace's arm, who resisted. "Lace. We just need to find a safe spot to wait for Ambrosia, okay?"

Lace swallowed hard as she met Alyssa's eyes, then nodded.

Flax peeked out through the doorway. "Guys, they're coming in fast."

Alyssa looked back to see that the closest ticks were already flying low over the village. That was way too close.

"Really fast!" Flax amended, sprinting from the doorway.

They all began to run through the house wildly, but even as they ventured deeper into the sprawling palace, Alyssa noted that there were openings to the outside everywhere. They weren't putting much distance between them and the creatures if they could enter anywhere.

Alyssa saw Mia pull clothing out of a chest before stepping in and closing it overhead. That was a pretty solid hiding place. She couldn't see the bugs opening much of anything without proper hands.

She passed through a sitting room that looked like it hadn't been used in a very long time, a layer of dust covering all of the furniture. She glanced back, suddenly realizing that she was alone. Her friends had all found places to hide.

Buzzing could be heard all around the palace by now, from all sides, and as she looked up ahead at an open doorway, she could see several shadows flying by. She had to find something now.

Her eyes took in her surroundings wildly, looking for a place to hide, when she heard a short buzz behind her, followed by silence. She turned back and was met with an alien stare. A tick stood in the doorway, its antennae twitching as it turned its head to look at her.

"No," she whispered, pulling both long knifes out from their sheaths. "I am not letting a bug take me out."

She heard things breaking all throughout the house. Wood snapping, glass shattering, and was met with the sound of several screams. She tried to tune it all out as the tick charged her.

She blocked one arm with her knife, then another. She had to move rather quickly to keep intercepting its attacks, but she quickly realized, with four arms, it was going to get in a lucky hit with those barbed appendages eventually, and then she would be done for.

Grunting, she fended off another hit, putting her weight behind her knife to try to force it back. But the tick was incredibly strong and shoved against her weight, sending her sprawling across the room and into a chair, which she turned over.

She scrambled as she tried to right herself. She'd dropped her knives as she'd been thrown, and reached for one, hoping to sweep up into a stand with it in hand. But the tick suddenly stepped on the blade as she grabbed the hilt.

Looking up, she saw the stinger dangling in front of her face, a deadly-looking two inch black needle that was pulsing, milk-white moisture already beading at its tip, as if in anticipation.

The creature buzzed, like it was excited, and then abruptly slumped over.

Grabbing her knife, she leapt to her feet to see the tick twitching on the ground, its arms in the air, grabbing at nothing. She let out a sigh of relief as Eric smiled at her, holding the head of the tick in his hand.

"Fowl creature," he murmured, staring at the head for a moment with distaste.

She nodded. "I'll say."

He smiled, then looked up sharply at the sound of things breaking in the next room. Throwing the tick's head, he held out his hand to her. "Come."

Alyssa nodded, sheathing her knife as he led her down a side hall and threw open a wardrobe. She wasted no time hustling into the cramped space, Eric closing the doors behind them.

She couldn't help but grab his arm and squeeze as the noise in the room they'd just left amplified, buzzing ringing in her ears like they were in the middle of a hive. She buried her face into Eric's shoulder and concentrated on her breathing as she tried to block out the noise.

Eric put a comforting arm around her and she shifted, suddenly pressing up against his chest. She pulled back and saw Eric grinning down at her. "Alyssa, you can repay me for saving your life at a later time. For now, we must be quiet."

Alyssa blinked, then smiled as he began to chuckle. She swatted his chest, surprised at the joke. It served to lighten the mood and release some tension from her shoulders and for that, she was grateful.

A crack in the door allowed for them to see directly in front of the wardrobe, and she started when she saw a tick there, staring at the wardrobe, then scraping at the doors with an arm. It quickly lost interest however, and moved along.

Alyssa let out a sigh of relief and waited. The sounds slowly died around them, and it seemed hours later when no buzzing could be heard outside at all. She glanced up at Eric uncertainly. "What do you think?"

Eric looked through the crack in the door. "I think that we have to venture out some time."

"You look antsy to get out."

He grinned. "It is not my way to sit and hide from the enemy."

"You seemed to do it pretty well," she teased.

He snorted. "Even I know when a battle is a lost cause." He pushed open the door of the wardrobe slowly and stepped out, peeking around the corner. "But being in close quarters with a beautiful woman is not a bad alternative to fighting." He grinned back at her as she shook her head in amusement.

Alyssa listened carefully as they ventured out into the palace, but still didn't hear any buzzing or stirring. They passed by the spot where Eric had killed the tick, but the creature was gone. Yellow blood that made Alyssa think of puss was left behind in its place. "Where is it?" she whispered.

"Dead, surely," Eric said. "Its brothers must have carried it back to their hive."

Alyssa nodded, then tensed as a shadow fell over the room. She grabbed for her long knife, then let out a breath as Flax turned the corner.

Flax smiled at them. "There you are. I can't say I've ever seen anything like that before." She turned and hollered back the way she'd come from. "They're over here, guys!"

Parker stalked into the room quickly, looking relieved when he set eyes on Alyssa, then stiffening when he saw Eric beside her.

Mia followed Lace into the room. "Anyone injured?" she asked, looking Eric up and down.

"No, we're fine," Alyssa said. "Everyone accounted for?"

Lace shook her head, looking pale. "Vessa. I saw them take her. And Ambrosia still hasn't returned."

"Vessa?" Alyssa echoed.

"Yes," Lace swallowed hard. "It's like they knew where she was hiding. They broke down the closet door to get to her. I thought they were going to do the same to me."

Parker frowned. "She forced the locusts away earlier by secreting a ton of pheromones. Maybe they found her that way."

"Maybe that's why they came in the first place," Mia suggested, tilting her head.

Flax nodded. "They seemed to avoid the village altogether, and came right for us."

They were silent for a moment, before Alyssa took a deep breath. "Well, we have to find her. Did anyone see which way they went?"

Lace's eyes widened. "You can't be serious! To the blood-hive?"

"We have little choice," Eric said. "We must rescue our friend."

Lace shook her head, incredulous. "You guys are insane. That's suicide."

Parker glared at her. "Do you want your precious dragon back, or not?"

"I - of course I do. And Vessa."

Parker scoffed.

"You can't blame me for what I did!" she protested. "I couldn't just leave Ambrosia behind!"

"Sure you could have. And you could have come back. And now Vessa's been taken too. She's probably going to die a painful, horrible death because of you."

Lace looked like she was blinking back tears, so Alyssa put a hand on Parker's shoulder, causing him to stiffen. "Come on, guys," she said quietly. "We're all upset here, but we need to focus on a solution instead of blaming one another. Does anyone have any idea how we can find them?"

Flax cleared her throat. "I do."

Alyssa looked at her expectantly, noting her hesitation. "What is it?"

Licking her lips, Flax looked around at them. "It will bring us right to them."

Pressing her lips into a thin line, Alyssa nodded. It was a staggering risk, probably suicide, as Lace had said, but it was Vessa. "What do you need?"

***

Flax finished drawing the complex runes on Lace's back with the tick's yellow blood and stepped back to assess her handiwork. She nodded to herself, then blew on the runes, causing them to briefly light up with white light.

Lace shivered as she shrugged her cardigan back over her shoulders. "That tickles."

"Can you feel it?" Flax asked.

Lace took a breath and closed her eyes, frowning. "Yeah, I can." She opened them and glanced back at Flax. "That's amazing. I know exactly where we need to go. I can picture it in my mind."

Flax nodded, smiling. "My coven has used this rune magic to find enemy encampments in the past, and to locate the villages of monsters who have kidnapped family."

"I didn't realize runes were so strong."

Flax shrugged. "It's magic."

"Okay, so where are we going?" Alyssa asked.

"It's only about twenty miles from here," Lace said. "There's a river, with a thriving bank of trees on either side. The ticks are there."

Eric nodded. "Let's rescue our friends then."

Lace bit her lip, then nodded, her face a little pale.

Alyssa felt sorry for her. She obviously felt guilty about what had happened to Vessa, and her first encounter with the ticks hadn't gone over so smoothly either. She had to have been reliving that paralysis and dreading the coming confrontation. But Alyssa couldn't let her bow out of this. They had to find their friend. "Let's go."

Lace met her eyes, then nodded. "Your wish is my command."

The air took on the scent of tin, something electric charging the room as a green disc appeared at their feet.

And in a moment, they had transported into the heart of enemy territory.

### Chapter Twenty-Nine

There was clicking and buzzing all around them, but thankfully they had teleported near some trees that offered decent coverage to take in their surroundings and form a game plan.

"Holy hell," Parker breathed.

Alyssa agreed. It looked like Hell. Ticks were everywhere, marching in lines, flying through the trees. Many clustered together in trees, as if sleeping. And the smell in the air was rancid, like rotting meat, making her gag.

"What is that smell?" Flax asked, her mouth puckering.

"It's that," Mia said, pointing behind them. Alyssa turned to look. "The blood-hive."

She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but the reality was worse than anything she could have imagined. The hive was built over a line of a dozen large trees, honeycombed like a wasp nest. The entire thing was red and seemed to be weeping blood, white worms the size of newborns wriggling in the hollows, ticks flying from one to another, tending to them.

Alyssa shuddered as she took it in. The immense structure was impressive, and almost beautiful in a way, but it was terrible at the same time.

"I think I see people in the middle," Eric said, standing. "Vessa will most likely be there."

"Wait a second," Alyssa said. "We can't just charge in there. We have to-"

A tick dropped to the forest floor beside him, and Eric quickly sliced his sword through its neck as if he'd been expecting it. He stared down at the creature as it convulsed, and then darted away, toward the hive.

"He's crazy," Lace said, shaking her head. "He's bat-shit crazy."

Alyssa watched him go, hesitating, and wondering if perhaps they shouldn't follow, when two more ticks dropped near the one Eric had decapitated. She slowly lowered herself to hide from them as the creatures looked around for a moment. Then they darted forward, using their barbed arms to pull the dead tick apart.

Lace gasped, then clamped a hand over her mouth as three more ticks joined them in eviscerating the fallen creature, bringing its flesh up to their mouths, mandibles shivering with the excitement of their blood frenzy.

After a few minutes, all but one of the ticks had flown away, having picked the carcass clean, taking its exoskeleton away in pieces. The one that remained bent over the ground, lapping at the yellow blood left behind.

"That's why they took their fallen comrades from the palace," Alyssa said to no one in particular. "They're cannibalistic."

"Then they'll really have no qualms with tearing us apart," Lace said.

Alyssa turned to her. "We can't just leave Eric alone in this. We have to-" She was cut off as she felt a sharp pain between her shoulder blades. It only lasted a second, but the buzzing that rang loudly in her ears told her exactly what the pain had been.

Lace began screaming, then abruptly stopped as she teleported away in a panic, leaving them to their fate as the others struggled against several of the creatures.

Alyssa felt herself being picked up by one of the creatures. She stared at the tick who lifted her into the air, the buzzing almost unbearable. She flexed her arms, then slowly removed a long knife from its sheath at her back, holding it tightly in hand like a life preserver. Licking her lips, she realized that she should have been completely paralyzed by now. When Parker and Lace had been attacked, they'd become immobile in seconds. But they weren't immune to the magic of this world like she was.

Alyssa did her best to relax her muscles and pretend that she couldn't move. It was a difficult feat, given that she felt the creature's horrible, hard limbs digging into her, its terrible head over her own, mouth pieces fluttering in its mouth as if it were wagging several tongues at once. It was an utterly detestable thing. And its neck was completely exposed to her. With one strike, she could have released herself from its grip. But then, she wouldn't find Vessa. So she resisted her instincts, as much as they screamed for her to save herself and fight.

After a minute or two that felt like hours, the tick flew to the ground and released her, dropping her to the ground before the blood-nest, which smelled even worse up close, if that were possible.

She lifted her head ever so slightly to examine the nest, and saw Parker, Eric and Flax being pushed gently against the nest walls, blue veins standing out around the edges of their faces, syrupy blood dripping over them. Alyssa felt a tick tugging on her and allowed it to gently push her against the nest as well, watching as the ticks flew away after a moment.

She licked her lips and glanced at the nest, a frown forming on her face as she saw something shine near her head. She tilted her head, trying to figure out what it was, and then gasped. A ring. And it was still attached to a finger.

Her eyes widened as she took a step away from the hive and examined it more carefully. There was other jewelry mixed in with the hive walls, as well as hair and teeth. Her heart hammered in her chest as she realized that not only was the nest dripping with blood like honey, but it was made from the flesh of human beings. The smell that it gave off took on a new meaning and she began vomiting, unable to help herself. She dropped to the ground and retched several times before her body began to wrack with dry heaves. She wiped at her mouth, sweat standing out on her face. She suddenly felt weak and utterly tired, but she forced herself to stand. Her friends needed her.

She took a deep breath and stared at the flesh-colored walls of the hive. It was almost like the flesh had been melted or something, then packed together to form the hive. Maybe partially ingested. She tried to look at it scientifically without really thinking about the people involved, but in the end, she just had to ignore the entire thing. She couldn't handle it if she wanted to be able to function at all. Already, she wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.

There were two other humans in the walls along with her friends, covered in some hard substance that was perhaps leathered flesh, binding them to the nest. Ambrosia was also there, its head drooping forward limply from its prison. But there was no sign of Vessa.

"Alyssa," a soft voice called from behind her.

Alyssa jumped, but immediately recognized the voice. "Thank god," she murmured, turning to see Vessa stroll over to her casually, as if they were meeting for coffee. Alyssa looked her up and down. "Why aren't you all...paralyzed?"

Vessa glanced over at their friends. "My pheromones. It took a little work, but I figured out how to make them think I'm one of them. They rely heavily on chemicals to communicate."

Alyssa released a sigh. "Good. Then we can get the hell out of here."

Vessa tensed, then took a step in front of Alyssa as two ticks suddenly landed nearby. They stepped up to Vessa, antennae twitching, even brushing Vessa in the face. Alyssa didn't dare breathe until they began to walk back toward the prisoners, wings buzzing in their wake.

"Stay still," Vessa mumbled back toward Alyssa.

Alyssa wasn't going to challenge that order, and watched as one of the ticks suddenly brought its head up to one of the witches they'd captured earlier. Something like a needle shot from its mouth and slid smoothly into the girl's flesh, and it looked as if it were feeding. Blood, of course. These creatures had originally been vampires, after all.

After a few minutes, the ticks flew away, leaving them alone once more.

"Let's get them down," Alyssa suggested, gesturing toward their friends.

A figure slipped behind them, startling them, and Mia smiled. "Perhaps I can be of some service?" she said.

"You certainly can," Vessa smiled back. "I wasn't sure how we were going to get them out of here, paralyzed."

Mia nodded, and as Alyssa and Vessa carefully helped their friends out of the nest, the healer went to work, driving the poison from their systems.

"I can't believe that happened to me again," Parker said, rubbing his neck.

"It was a rather horrible experience," Flax agreed, looking around them. "Now, can we get the hell out of here?"

Vessa nodded as they touched each of them in turn, a small light glowing with each contact. "Okay. The ticks should think you're ticks now too. Just go slow and don't engage them. Got it?"

"It doesn't work on me," Alyssa said, biting her lip. "They'll be able to tell."

"Then you'll have to be our prisoner," Eric said with a grin. He lifted her easily into his arms. Alyssa blushed and pretended not to be effected by the act, even as Parker glared daggers into Eric's back.

"Okay, slow and steady now," Vessa repeated.

They climbed down the front of the hive with little difficulty and no confrontations. As soon as they stepped onto solid ground again, however, dozens of the ticks were waiting for them.

"Damn," Parker sucked in a breath as the creatures turned their way. He grabbed for his sword, but Vessa touched his hand.

"No aggressive movements," she said, through her teeth.

Parker looked pale, but nodded, dropping his hand.

The ticks seemed to lose interest in them quickly, as something else had their attention. Alyssa craned her neck as her friends moved along, and spied a large creature that looked more like a huge spider than a regular tick. It was black like the other creatures, with those same large pools of dark eyes and horrible antennae and mandibles, but it had eight barbed arms and the bottom segment of its body was huge and covered in fine hair. It also didn't stand erect like the ticks did, however it towered over them still, as it was nearly three times their size.

The queen, Alyssa realized. And she wondered if this was the same vampire master who had changed her coven to these horrible things in a moment of despair, damning them all.

It was nearly fifteen minutes of slow walking before they left the ticks completely behind. Everyone had been on edge the entire time, and it had taken a great amount of effort on everyone's part not to run, but they'd managed, thankfully, and walked away from the thinning forest toward desert sands with a feeling of accomplishment.

Lace met them at the edge of the forest, looking visibly relieved. She embraced Vessa, apologizing over and over again for her part in the debacle, but Alyssa couldn't help but smile as she was reunited with Ambrosia. The look of pure joy and affection on both of their faces made the whole horrible event worthwhile somehow.

"Alright," Lace sighed. "Let's leave this nightmare behind, shall we?"

"Please," Vessa sighed.

"Alright," Lace grinned. "Here we go. Home, sweet home."

### Chapter Thirty

Alyssa sat beside Vessa on a stiff white sofa, facing the queen in an ornate chair fit for royalty, Kaitlyn at her side, standing obediently.

Her majesty took a sip of tea before handing it off to Kaitlyn, who set it on a small table beside her. "I'm impressed by your progress," she said, smiling. "I have to admit that I am surprised you've had such success. Many parties have tried to accomplish what you have in the past, but have failed on each front. You've managed to eliminate several targets. It's enough to make one believe that you were, in fact, sent here to save this world."

Alyssa nodded. "Thank you, my queen."

She smiled. "How is my stepdaughter faring?"

"Well, your majesty," Vessa said. "She has proven quite useful."

"She has pushed herself to the limit for this cause," Alyssa added. "You would be very proud of her."

The queen almost beamed at that. "Good, good. I was afraid that she was getting to be an awful child here, spoiled and rude. It does me wonders hearing that she has turned about." She put a hand to her chest. "Please continue to look after her."

"We will," Alyssa assured her.

"Have you any news for us that would aid us in our quest?" Vessa asked.

The queen nodded and turned expectantly to Kaitlyn, who cleared her throat and stepped forward.

"I have done some reconnaissance," the Astral admitted.

The queen cleared her throat and Kaitlyn licked her lips. "The queen found out about my moonlighting, I might add."

"It was disappointing that she didn't inform me immediately of her intentions," the queen said with a frown. "But I can appreciate what she is attempting to do and allowed her to continue her work."

"That is most gracious of you," Vessa bowed.

The queen offered her a small smile and nodded for Kaitlyn to continue.

Kaitlyn took a deep breath and met Alyssa's eyes. "We know where The Ice Queen is located, but the whereabouts of the others is fuzzy, so I've been trying to track them down. Prince Air is the only one of the Viking princes not accounted for. It seems that he and some companions have ventured into the mountains near the neo-alchemists to hunt some rumored beast. I've tried to find them, but have had little success. Lady Blood has been constantly on the move since Lord Kryd's assassination, and I haven't been able to locate her recently. The Necro-Lands...nothing. Just flesh-eaters as far as the eye can see. I don't know what's supposed to be there, if anything."

"Sounds like some progress, at least," Alyssa said. "We appreciate your help." She looked to the queen. "Your support has been instrumental in all of this, my queen."

The queen smiled. "Yes, well, if you do succeed, I expect that you'll remember my part in this."

"Of course, your majesty," Vessa said, bowing.

"Good. Please refill your supplies as needed before you move on to your next target, and stay and rest as long as you'd like, you and your new friends."

"About that," Alyssa said, clearing her throat. "We have in our company a man who is, um, wanted in these parts. He's been brave and valiant, and we would wish him to be able to continue traveling with us."

The queen stared at her for a moment, as if considering. "Very well. I will get the details from Lace. But if I find him to be too much of a danger to the populace, he may need to stay outside of the walls for the duration of your stay."

"He's hardly dangerous," Alyssa assured her.

"He's more just an idiot," Vessa concurred.

The queen looked amused at this. "You are recruiting soldiers in odd places, ladies."

Alyssa and Vessa left the room, Alyssa glad to have the formality behind her. The queen seemed nice enough, but it was still too stuffy and, well, formal, for her tastes.

"So, The Ice Queen seems to be the only target we have access to at the moment," Vessa said as she walked along the hall with Alyssa.

Alyssa nodded. "Yeah. But perhaps we can see if the neo-alchemists have heard anything about Prince Air in the area. If he only has a few comrades with him, he might be the easiest target to take down." She paused. "And it might be a little soon for another confrontation with The Ice Queen."

Vessa shuddered, her hand subconsciously drifting to the arm that had been frostbitten. "I agree with you there. I'm not sure I'll ever be ready for another confrontation with that monster."

"Alyssa!"

Alyssa turned to see Kaitlyn running down the hall after them. Vessa frowned as she approached, but said nothing. "What's going on?" Alyssa asked when she'd reached them. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all," Kaitlyn shrugged, smiling as a guard passed them by. She watched the guard's retreating form before leaning in close to them. "Something weird's going on here."

Vessa raised an eyebrow. "Weird how?"

Kaitlyn looked exasperated. "I don't know. There are just weird things going on. No one has seen Morgana since you've left."

"Morgana?" Alyssa echoed, stopping short. "Is she alright?"

"I don't know. She's been confined to her manor, and the queen isn't allowing anyone in there, save herself."

Vessa shrugged. "So what? Just walk in there while you're an astral projection."

"I would, but there are spells all over the place, preventing just that."

Alyssa frowned. "That is odd. What would the queen want with Morgana?"

"I'm not sure. And there are also strange guests arriving that hardly anyone sees," Kaitlyn continued. "One of the servants claims to have seen a member of the Shades coven."

"This is a sanctuary from the monsters," Vessa reasoned. "I wouldn't be too concerned."

"I know," Kaitlyn said. "I'm not. It just feels...odd, is all. I thought you should know."

"Well, we appreciate it," Alyssa told her. "And please, let us know if anything changes."

Kaitlyn nodded, and slipped down a side corridor.

"Kaitlyn!" Alyssa hissed after her, taking a step into the corridor after her.

Glancing back, Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow in question.

Alyssa hesitated. "I think we'll stop by the neo-alchemists next, to see if we can get more information."

Kaitlyn's eyes widened. "You can't be serious? Those monsters? They're dangerous, Alyssa."

"Misunderstood, I would say. I just wanted you to know, in case you're looking for us."

Holding her eye for a moment, Kaitlyn nodded before continuing down the corridor.

Alyssa watched her retreating form for another few seconds before rejoining Vessa.

Vessa glanced over at her. "I think she's being a little paranoid."

"Really?" Alyssa cocked her head. "Even with the spells on Morgana's place?"

Vessa waved her hand before her dismissively. "That's nothing. Morgana's always experimenting with defenses. I doubt there's anything to it, except that Kaitlyn feels slighted and is imagining things."

"Maybe."

"Plus, if something were wrong, do you really think the queen would allow us free reign here? She's being rather accommodating as well."

Alyssa sighed and nodded. "I guess you're right. But what if it's not the queen at all? What if something else is going on here that she's not aware of herself?"

"That's true. But I don't think it's anything to worry about at this point. Guests? Some wards? It's nothing."

"I hope you're right."

***

"I really appreciate you coming along," Alyssa said later, having shown Flax to her quarters, which were right next door to her own. "You really didn't have to."

Flax shrugged. "I've never felt like I really belonged there, to be honest. It's so claustrophobic there, so far from anyone else. These past few years, since that woman came along with her alleged curse, it's been even worse." She smiled. "Plus, like I said, I'm sick of hiding and cowering in the dark. It's time to stand up to Lady Blood and her minions, and I want to be part of that fight. I have banshee in my blood, you know."

"Really?"

Flax shrugged. "Who knows? Supposedly we do. With the weird stuff that goes on in this world, witches turning themselves into fish people, turning the moon red, anything's possible." She turned to Alyssa with a glint in her eye. "But you've met the neo-alchemists! What were they like?" She plopped down onto her bed and looked up at Alyssa expectantly.

Alyssa sat down beside her slowly. "The neo-alchemists were...nice. They're a little strange, but I understand where they're coming from." She shrugged. "But it sounds like they're going to be our next stop, so you'll see for yourself soon enough."

"Really?" Flax looked like she'd just won the lottery. "Then I am so glad I tagged along."

Chuckling, Alyssa shook her head.

"Say, can I ask you a question?" Flax asked, suddenly serious.

Alyssa smiled. "Of course."

"That one guy, Parker, he's not seeing anyone, is he?"

The smile froze on Alyssa's face. "No, he's not. Why? Are you interested?"

Flax tossed her hair. "Uh, yeah! Have you seen him? Those eyes? Yum-my!" She laughed. "I actually thought you might be seeing him, with the way he looks at you, but you didn't act like it, so I thought I'd ask."

"He's all yours," Alyssa told her, standing up. "I should let you get settled though. Are you good?"

"Yeah. This place is awesome."

"I'm glad you approve," Alyssa said, leaving the room and closing the door tightly behind her. She lingered there for a moment, leaning against the door, staring at the other end of the hallway blankly.

She didn't know why she was so bothered that Flax liked Parker. He certainly didn't belong to her or anything. In fact, this was exactly what Alyssa wanted, for him to move on so he wouldn't get hurt. This would be perfect!

With a sigh, she moved along the hallway like she was sleepwalking, not really seeing anything. Why did she feel so hurt? She felt like somebody had knocked the air out of her. She imagined Cory in her mind, his perfect face, his blue eyes. That was who she wanted. A genuinely warm guy. Not a questionable sneak-thief who was wanted throughout a kingdom and went through women like dirty shirts. And Alyssa had no doubt that he would like Flax, with that beautiful red hair, and milky white skin. She was gorgeous, and seemed fun and genuine. They were a perfect match. They would be great together!

"Damn it," Alyssa swore under her breath. "What the hell is my problem?" It wasn't like she had a choice in the matter anyway. She would complete the quest and be transported back home, leaving Parker and everyone else behind. And she would be in Cory's arms. The end. She shouldn't be hurt that a guy she felt attracted to, who she wouldn't be ending up with, was going to start seeing another girl. That wasn't fair to anyone.

"You are so messed up," she muttered, then shook her head. "And now you're talking to yourself. Great." She looked up and saw that she was at Vessa's room. Maybe a little chat with her would make Alyssa feel better. After all, she felt closer to Vessa than anybody here. She'd been by her side since the beginning.

She knocked lightly on the door, but didn't receive an answer. Assuming she might be taking a bath, she tried the door and found it to be unlocked. She pushed it open and stepped inside, then stopped and stared. Her mouth dropped open for a moment, but she quickly recovered and moved to slip out the door unnoticed, but it was too late.

"Alyssa?" Vessa asked.

Alyssa winced and looked back at Vessa and Eric, his arms wrapped around her, his lips still on her neck. "Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt."

"Don't be silly," Vessa said, pulling away from Eric, who frowned. "What is it?"

"It's really nothing," Alyssa assured her, looking from Vessa, who was red in the face, to Eric, who was clearly irritated at having been interrupted and not the least bit embarrassed. "We'll talk later, okay?" She stepped out of the door before Vessa could protest, then couldn't help but slip her head back in and grin. "Have fun, you two."

"That, we will!" Eric called after her as the door closed.

She found herself completely dazed as she walked back into her own room, sitting down at the edge of the bed, feeling empty and in something like shock. She felt weird thinking about Vessa and Eric, but they were two beautiful people, so she shouldn't have been too surprised. However, she was still bothered by the thought of Parker with Flax. Being able to talk it out with Vessa may have helped, but that wasn't an option at the moment. So, now what? Sulk in her room? She scowled at how pathetic she was being and walked over to the window. She looked down at the village the wall surrounded. There was bound to be somewhere down there where she could lose herself. She just had to find the right place. Maybe Lace would know somewhere.

"Of course I know of a place!" Lace exclaimed in her room, ten minutes later. "This is perfect! We deserve to celebrate after what we went through with the ticks. Let me see what I have that will fit you." She dug into her closet and eventually came back with a green dress that, Alyssa had to admit, looked rather phenomenal on her.

Ambrosia sniffed at her dress for a moment, then turned away and sneezed.

"Don't listen to her," Lace told Alyssa. "It looks fantastic."

Alyssa eyed the dragon, deciding that she trusted its judgment over Lace's, but went along with it, complimenting Lace on her pink dress that matched her hair color, as if she'd had this particular coordination in mind from the beginning. Of course, the teleporter couldn't resist painting her fingernails black and adding tons of mascara and black lipstick to contrast with the sunny color. The fishnet stockings were a bit much, but Alyssa would have been shocked if she hadn't pushed the boundaries a little bit.

They went to a little tavern near Morgana's. The same one, in fact, that had had Parker's wanted poster pasted to the bulletin board outside last time they'd been there. It was dark and loud, but Alyssa didn't mind. She just enjoyed being on the queen's credit, drinking cold beer and eating chicken until she was stuffed. Lace had teleported away once to replace her shoes that she'd spilled some beer on, and returned with Flax, who dominated Lace's attention for most of the rest of the night. Or it could be that Alyssa was suddenly in a foul mood again, reminded of her dilemma with Parker, and chose to shy away from conversation. Either way, she was annoyed.

Staring down into her mug of beer, Alyssa listened to Lace and Flax talk about clothes and monsters, but eventually tuned them out, wallowing in her own sorrows once more.

"Hey, Alyssa."

Alyssa looked up to see Parker standing over her so suddenly that she thought she was imagining him. "Come to torture me some more?" she murmured, then squinted at him. "Are you here?" She frowned down at her beer, trying to gauge how much she'd drunk, and how fuzzy-headed she felt. She certainly felt relatively sober, but then again, she'd come here to lose herself, so perhaps she was further gone than she realized?

He slid onto the bench next to her and smiled. "Flax told me you'd be here."

Alyssa blinked, not understanding. "What? What do you mean she..." She turned to Flax, who sat on the other side of her. "What's he talking about?"

Flax smiled and leaned into her. "I saw how he was looking at you, and how determined you were not to look at him, and decided to light a fire under your ass."

Pulling back, Alyssa frowned. "Wait, you mean..."

"He's all yours," she laughed, winking once before turning back to Lace.

Alyssa didn't know why she felt so relieved, but she did feel like a huge weight had lifted off her shoulders and she was suddenly in a very good mood again. She shook her head at her contradictory nature and turned to Parker, who was watching her closely.

"What were you guys talking about?" he asked, leaning in to be heard over the din of the tavern.

"Nothing," Alyssa said vaguely. She met his eyes and her breath caught in her throat. And before she knew what she was doing, she was kissing him. Her lips sought his out hungrily, her arms clinging to his back, drawing him nearer, as if she couldn't get close enough. He returned the kiss, deepening it, his hands running up her dress and lingering at her sides. His lips were warm and soft and he tasted vaguely of mint. He was a fantastic kisser, and she couldn't help but let her lips part for his tongue to explore her mouth. She felt a small groan loosen from her throat and she suddenly recalled herself and where she was, drawing back embarrassed.

"Oh, get a room," Lace laughed.

Alyssa frowned as a tin taste invaded her mouth, then gasped as she found herself being teleported. Parker still had his arms around her when they reappeared and drew her to him roughly, falling back onto her bed with her on top of him.

She straddled him and began seeking out his flesh, pulling off his clothes as quickly as she could, all other thoughts disappearing as she lost herself in the moment.

### Chapter Thirty-One

"Here we go," Lace said the next afternoon. She lifted her hands and the green discs appeared at their feet.

Flax was practically jumping up and down next to Alyssa, but she ignored the girl, something that become less difficult as she felt Parker's hand slip into hers. She glanced back at him and the look he gave her made her heart flutter in her chest. His eyes were hungry for her, they looked at her with such tenderness, such affection, that she had to resist pulling him to her in a deep kiss.

Her stomach fluttered, but Alyssa quickly realized that it wasn't the result of her lovey-dovey feelings so much as the teleporting.

The next thing Alyssa knew, they were at the city Frankenstein.

And they were surrounded by screams.

Before Alyssa could properly orient herself, a man had leapt on top of her. His jaws snapped in her face, saliva dripping from them like a wild animal. She recognized the elongated canines instantly.

Suddenly the man's body was melting and she was grabbing hold of Flax's hand, who pulled her to her feet.

"What's going on?" Alyssa asked, looking around. Vampires seemed to be everywhere. Eric was beheading them left and right, Parker shooting them with arrows through their hearts. But there were just too many, and it was dark out, making it even more difficult to determine how many and what they were trying to accomplish.

"Frankenstein is obviously under attack," Flax replied, handing her a wooden arrow from Parker's quiver. "Stay alive."

Alyssa began to attack vampires with fervor, but she couldn't help but wonder why this was happening.

"We have to get to Gray," she said after stabbing a female vampire who'd tried to jump her. "He might know what's going on here."

Parker glanced back at her. "Me and Eric can cover you if you guys make a run for it."

"We're not going to just leave you," Alyssa protested.

"We'll be right behind you."

Alyssa frowned, mulling it over for a moment.

Vessa grabbed her shoulder. "Come on. We can't just sit here in this battlefield. We have to move. They can handle themselves."

Reluctantly, Alyssa nodded. "Alright, let's go. This way." She led them up a side street after deciding against an alley where they could easily be ambushed. She sidestepped a fire, and did a double-take when she saw a man pulling himself over kindling, completely engulfed by flames. She took a hesitant step toward him before he dissolved, and she realized that he had been a vampire. Looking back, she saw Parker and Eric keeping up with them pretty well, thanks in part to Ambrosia, who let loose with flames from overhead that the vampires seemed to dislike quite a bit. The sight made her feel better, and she focused her attention on where they were going.

She saw the clock tower to their right as they came out of the side street, but the battle was much thicker here. The men and women with feathered heads had had the sense to lose the confining jackets and poofy dresses, and fought the undead creatures with broken canes and parasols, which made perfect weapons, as they were made of wood.

Alyssa pushed through the crowd, offering her services as needed to save bystanders, but she funneled most of her energy into clearing a path to the clock tower, which struck midnight just as they reached it, its deep bells resounding through the streets over the chorus of snarls and cries. Pushing on the doors, Alyssa found them locked.

"Great," she murmured, turning to Vessa, who looked back at her with worry etched in her face.

"We have to get in there," Vessa said.

Alyssa nodded and scanned the faces in the crowd, suddenly concerned. "Parker and Eric. I don't see them anymore."

Vessa glanced over her shoulder. "I know. They took off down a side street. There was screaming, and..." She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "What can we do? This is chaos and they're going to help people who need it."

"That seems to be all we can do," Alyssa said thoughtfully. She looked back up at the door, then saw Ambrosia sweeping through the sky overhead. "I think we'll have to-" She gasped as something large suddenly flew from the direction they had come from and slammed into Ambrosia.

It happened in a matter of seconds, and Alyssa didn't quite process what was happening until Ambrosia fell to the ground, squirming and writhing in its green blood, a projectile much like a large arrowhead embedded in its body.

"Ambrosia!" Lace screamed. She flew to the dragon's side as it stopped moving, lifting its head with her hands in utter shock. "No! No, Ambrosia!"

Mia knelt next to her and laid her hands over the dragon, but after a moment, she just looked up and shook her head.

"Oh, Ambrosia," Lace whispered, scooping it up into her arms and holding it to her chest, crying as green blood soaked her clothes.

"Be careful," Alyssa warned, touching the projectile and pulling back in surprise. It was cold. In fact, as she looked closer, she saw that it was made of ice.

She looked up into the crowd and swallowed hard as a fog billowed through the throngs of vampires and witches, frost creeping over the banister to the door, causing her to flinch and drop her hand. "No," she whispered.

"What...?" Vessa frowned, then froze as she saw the same thing that Alyssa had. The Ice Queen appeared in the crowd, slowly making her way toward them, vampires protecting her on either side, a smile on her pretty blue-tinged face.

"It's lovely to see you all again," she called out as she drew nearer.

Vessa had gone white as a sheet and Alyssa grabbed her hand for support and squeezed it, although she received no reaction.

"What did you go and do that for?" a vampire near her asked as he approached with The Ice Queen. "They haven't finished. They still have to get rid of that Viking prince."

The Ice Queen scoffed. "Prince Air is hardly a concern. I nearly killed him myself once. We'll manage with the armies we have at our disposal." She cocked her head. "Plus, I really disliked that horrid dragon. He almost singed me with his breath before."

"Blood is going to be really upset over this," the vampire said, running a hand back through his hair. "You blew our cover for a whim. Now they'll know the others are here. You should have just-"

"Do you ever shut up?" The Ice Queen touched the back of the man's head and his eyes rolled up in their sockets. The Ice Queen kept hold of his head for a moment, then dropped it, and the vampire fell forward to the ground. As soon as he struck the floor, his head exploded into a thousand icy pieces, in varying shades of red, gray and skin-tone.

"That's more like it," The Ice Queen smiled, turning back to them. "Now, where were we?"

"About to destroy you, I think," Flax said, holding up a sword.

The Ice Queen raised an eyebrow and Flax suddenly dropped the sword with a cry, staring down at the weapon as frost grew over it. "You and what army? I brought mine."

Flax's skin suddenly flashed into stone, and she grinned.

The Ice Queen blinked, then tossed out a hand, several icicle projectiles flying toward Flax.

Alyssa cried out a warning, but Flax hardly blinked as the icicles shattered harmlessly against her rock form. They actually helped her out, as the sharp projectiles inadvertently decapitated two vampires near her.

The Ice Queen scowled, then brought a hand up to her mouth, kissing her palm, before holding it out.

"I bet that's going to be worse than icicles," Vessa muttered, clutching Alyssa's sleeve.

Alyssa nodded.

The sorceress blew on her palm, as if blowing them a kiss, an icy cloud rolling off of it. Everything it touched, including several vampires in her own party, were instantly covered in ice.

Lace reacted quickly, and everyone in their group was safely teleported out of the way before the cloud reached them, behind The Ice Queen.

The Ice Queen wheeled around to face them, clearly annoyed. "You can't keep that up for long," she said.

Flax grunted as her stony exterior melted away. She frowned, but still looked determined to take The Ice Queen on.

"Whoa," Parker exclaimed, coming up behind them with Eric, blinking at the scene before him, nearly half of the street covered inch thick in ice, indiscriminately encasing witches and vampires. The people still engaged in battle gave them a wide berth, but the clanging of swords and roar of magic still filled Alyssa's ears, even if her attention was focused on her current foe. "That's some trick."

"You will pay dearly for your treachery," Eric swore, pushing past Alyssa and taking point. He held his sword up threateningly.

She smiled at him. "Hardly, little man. I made you a prisoner once before, I can do it again."

He let out a roar and charged her and she even let him get close, but batted him out of the way like he was a gnat.

"You're all pathetic little simple-minded things," she said, looking around at them all, her eyes stopping on Alyssa. "Time to end this little game." She glared at Vessa, her eyes glowing, and Vessa dropped to the ground, curled up in a ball, shivering.

"That's right," The Ice Queen said, setting her eyes on Parker, Flax and Mia, in turn, to the same results. "Imagine your coldest memories and feel them freeze your soul, let them overwhelm you with their icy tendrils, digging deep into the very fiber of your being."

Lace teleported herself out of the way before it was her turn, but Eric succumbed to the same fate.

Then The Ice Queen's gaze fell on Alyssa. "And then there is you. You're more interesting than these other simpering fools, but unfortunately, you're only in my way now." Her eyes glowed and she frowned when Alyssa wasn't effected. "Hmm. You do have power."

"The power of a warm heart," Alyssa said with a sweet smile. She lifted her sword and approached The Ice Queen, who took a step back, confused.

"That's far enough," The Ice Queen warned.

"Or what? You'll talk me to death?"

The Ice Queen glowered and kissed the palm of her hand, then lowered it.

Alyssa stiffened at the same time that The Ice Queen smiled. Then, the sorceress pressed her lips together and blew the kiss her way.

Alyssa braced herself as the icy cloud rolled toward her, and closed her eyes against its onslaught, prepared to feel ice grow over her flesh and weigh down her limbs.

Fortunately, this magic didn't effect her either.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Alyssa grinned at The Ice Queen, while the evil witch returned her look with shock.

"No," The Ice Queen said, taking another step back. "It's impossible."

"Hardly." With confidence, Alyssa approached slowly.

Then The Ice Queen smiled again. "I seem to remember you slipping on the ice I created previously." She nodded to herself. "Yes. And your teleporter can take you away at will. It seems to me that magic doesn't effect you directly, but once it's introduced into the environment around you, it's fair game."

Alyssa paused, considering her words for a moment. She roused herself when she saw The Ice Queen lift a hand, and began to charge the sorceress, but it was too late.

Ice sprung from the ground in Alyssa's path, then quickly shot up on either side of her. As she turned to double-back, another sheet of ice blocked her exit.

Swallowing hard, Alyssa swung her blade into the ice, but even as she watched, she could see that the ice was expanding around her rapidly. It was already nearly a foot thick. Her knife wouldn't be able to penetrate that.

"Feeling chilled yet, dear?" she heard The Ice Queen taunt, her tinkling laugh following.

Alyssa blinked and realized that it was cold all of a sudden. Very cold. Her teeth began to chatter as her numb fingers lost their grip on her knife, letting it clatter to the ground at her feet.

Was this it then? She wondered, staring around herself at the ice prison. Was this how she would die? So close to her goal, and yet so far. She closed her eyes and imagined Cory's face one last time.

I'm sorry I failed you, she thought as she began to shake violently. I'm so sorry.

And then she collapsed to the ground, unable to feel her legs any longer. Her chest grew heavy, as if each breath were a struggle.

She closed her eyes and let death's icy fingers crawl over her.

### Chapter Thirty-Two

For a split second, Alyssa imagined that she was in Heaven. She felt warmth return to her flesh, and the shaking quickly subsided.

Then she opened her eyes and saw Lace peering into her face from overhead.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Alyssa blinked, then nodded and sat up. "What?" She looked back over her shoulder and saw that she was nearly on top of a fire, flames high with kindling and melting vampires. She ducked as a witch flying overhead dropped a vampire screaming into the inferno, to be quickly consumed by flames. Embers flew from the pyre, but Alyssa hardly noticed, she was so happy to have the feeling return to her skin. "Oh, thank god. That feels so good."

Lace smiled and Alyssa returned the grin, although it dropped from her face rather quickly as she took in the battle still raging around them. Her friends had revived from the spell that The Ice Queen had hit them with, and were engaging the vampires with fierce battle cries and clanging weapons, but their enemies' numbers were great, and most of the witches from Frankenstein were obviously inexperienced at fighting.

"As soon as I teleported them away, they were better," Lace told her, watching her eye the battle, relaying information as if Alyssa had asked. "They probably had to be near The Ice Queen for the spell to be effective."

"We can't keep this up for long," Alyssa noted. "We have to put an end to this quickly."

Lace blinked. "And just how do you propose we do that?"

"Alyssa!"

She barely had time to look up before she found herself enveloped by strong arms. "Parker," she gasped as his lips met hers roughly. She pulled away, laughing. "Come on, I wouldn't die that easily."

He smiled sheepishly. "I'm just glad that you're alright."

"I may have just thrown up a little bit," Lace muttered behind them.

Alyssa chuckled, but found her body freezing as fog suddenly roiled over the ground ahead of them. Dozens of vampires and witches were suddenly frozen in place along the other side of the road.

Alyssa's head snapped up as The Ice Queen appeared behind Parker suddenly.

"Nice trick," The sorceress said, hand on her waist, assessing Lace. "You come in very handy, girl. I think Lady Blood would like to add your blood to her collection."

"Collection?" Lace shivered visibly, then her face hardened. "You're not going to win here, lady. I hope your boss isn't too upset that she's about to lose another general."

The Ice Queen watched her for a moment, then laughed, the tinkling causing Alyssa to wince. "And how do you propose to defeat me?"

"The people here are fighting for their lives, for their homes, their livelihoods. You and your cronies are just here to wreak havoc. They have no fire."

"Heh. I've never been one for fire. Although it will be a pity that you won't be witnessing my triumph here. I do love to gloat." She took a deep breath, as if savoring the moment. "Now, let us stop delaying the inevitable, shall we?"

The witch raised her hand, but suddenly cried out as the tip of a sword slid out of her chest, sending a splash of blood into the fire behind Alyssa, where it sizzled on contact.

Alyssa stiffened and watched as Vessa pulled the sword from out of The Ice Queen's back. "That's for the frostbite," she said, lifting her head in triumph.

The Ice Queen looked shocked for a moment as Alyssa's other friends joined them, but then a laugh escaped her throat, that awful noise. It was interrupted, however, by a cough, and blood flew from her mouth. She looked over at Alyssa with a look that could have been admiration. "Perhaps you are everything they say you are."

Alyssa frowned as Eric kicked The Ice Queen forward, sending her face first into the fire.

The fire blazed suddenly, as if fueled by gasoline, then returned to its normal height. The Ice Queen was rapidly melting, like an ice cube thrown into a bonfire, but she didn't cry out as she perished. She died quietly.

"You look beautiful tonight," Cory said, smiling at her over a glass of champagne.

Alyssa snorted and held up her glass. "I'll toast to that."

He laughed as he escorted out from the flower garden, and across a patio full of people giggling and talking, all in dresses and suits.

"Have you seen the target yet?" she asked in a conversational tone.

Cory shook his head. "No, but we're going to run out of time if I don't try to sneak into his office now." He finished off his glass and handed it to her. "Be right back."

She nodded, swallowing hard as she watched him venture into the house. She downed the last of her champagne as well, and set the empty glasses down on a brick ledge, then turned to gaze out over the garden. It looked beautiful under the moon, silvery and magical. A ghost of a smile crossed her lips and she could almost imagine that they were who they pretended to be: young attractive socialites at a garden party. She tried to look relaxed and natural, but she couldn't help but feel tense, her eyes drifting back to the door Cory had disappeared through. She hated this feeling of waiting, not knowing. Maybe she should talk to Cory about perhaps not working with him in the field. It was too hard worrying after her partner. She kept getting distracted.

"Enjoying yourself?" a brunette asked, stepping up to her.

"Mmm. It's a lovely evening."

"That it is," the girl said.

Alyssa turned to her, about to introduce herself, but she suddenly realized who she was looking at. She'd seen her pictures in the files of operatives she'd gone through before this case.

But she realized too late, and she felt the blade enter her body before she saw it. Her lower back. Not a fatal wound, but a painful one. She grit her teeth as the girl walked away nonchalantly, realizing that this was merely a message. A message that stated too clearly that they knew they were there and were watching them.

She gasped as she tried to move, slowly making her way to the shadows of the garden so she didn't draw attention to herself. Leaning against a trellis for support, she doubled over as she watched the door, waiting for Cory. What was taking him so long?

Maybe it wasn't a message at all, she suddenly thought. Maybe it was meant to debilitate her so she wouldn't be able to help Cory. She looked up sharply, a cold shudder running down her spine.

The blade was still in her body, but she didn't dare remove it, for fear of bleeding out. She didn't know what she was supposed to do.

"Cory," she whispered, tears gathering in her eyes. "Cory."

"Alyssa?"

She started as Cory turned a corner and regarded her. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Where were you?" she asked, wincing as she moved toward him.

"Someone came into the room, so I had to hide and wait, then I left the house through a different door." He looked her up and down and then saw the knife. "No, Alyssa."

She stumbled into his arms. "I'm sorry."

He stroked her hair and forced her to look into his face. "Just hold on. I'm going to get you out of here."

Before she fainted, she managed a nod.

Everything turned black for a moment, before the vision resumed.

"You gave me quite a scare," Cory told her, holding one of her hands in his. He lifted it up to his mouth and brushed his lips over her fingers, but she couldn't really feel his kisses. She was sedated and generally numb.

"Just a knife wound," Alyssa said, her words slurring. She smiled as she acknowledged this. "Had to happen sooner or later."

Cory watched her for a minute. "I love you, Alyssa. I never ever want to lose you. You can't...I mean, I couldn't take it."

She nodded, her eyes slipping closed, but they opened again as she felt him pulling on her arm. She watched him kiss her hand almost frantically, tears streaming down his face. She couldn't understand what he was feeling in her detached state, but figured she would feel some overwhelming emotion when she wasn't so drugged up.

"Remember the time I said that I wanted to get married one day?" Cory looked up at her. "You said that our lifestyle wasn't conducive to marriage. Remember that?" He laughed. "It was so cold, I didn't know what to think of the response for days, but I know you've come to love me, even if you didn't then. But I've been afraid to talk to you about it again. Afraid of rejection. And what if you still feel that way? Actually feel that way?"

She looked at him, trying to understand what he was saying, but she felt so tired. She could tell by his expression that he was opening up to her, but she just couldn't wrap her mind around it.

"We can get out of this, live real lives, work in government offices and be a boring married couple. Wouldn't you like that? Wouldn't you want that assurance that we'll both be around for a long time, taking care of each other, spending our lives together?" Tears were gathering in his eyes again as he squeezed her hand tight. "Because I can't...I can't go through this again."

As Alyssa came out of her vision, her eyes focusing on the world around her, she watched as a hand fell from one of The Ice Queen's melting arms and dropped to the ground, two fingers shattering on impact, the others curled into a frozen claw.

She swallowed hard as she heard Cory's voice echo in her ears. "I love you, Alyssa. I never ever want to lose you."

"She's dead," Vessa seemed to deflate, falling to her knees. "Thank god."

Eric put a hand on her shoulder. "You were magnificent."

She sent him a smile and patted his hand.

Alyssa met Parker's eyes, willing herself not to flinch over the betrayal she felt within herself. She'd made a choice. She had slept with Parker. And when this was all over...she would go back to Cory. She closed her eyes and shook her head, an ache filling her chest. If she thought about it too much, she would start crying and she couldn't do that here. She was in the middle of a war zone, for crying out loud. There would be time for regrets and could-have-beens later.

"This isn't over," Alyssa said, forcing herself to push the vision to the recesses of her mind. "The vampire that was with The Ice Queen said that there were others here."

"Lady Blood herself?" Parker asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Only one way to find out," she said, picking herself up. Parker grabbed her arm to help her and she flinched, wincing at her reaction, but Parker didn't seem to notice. She stared down at his hand on her arm.

"So, what do we do?" Mia asked, looking to her.

Alyssa shook herself. She had to keep her head in the game.

"I bet she stopped us from entering the clock tower for a reason. We go there."

Mia nodded and Eric took point, growling as he swung his sword through the throngs of vampires.

With Eric's mighty charge, they arrived at the doors faster than Alyssa would have expected. Eric glanced over at her, frowning. "We will protect the doors for you."

"What?" Alyssa blinked.

"So you can focus on the monster within," he explained. "Let us keep these beasts from helping their master."

Parker nodded. "You can't win if every vampire here runs in there to help her. We'll keep it clear."

Alyssa looked uncertain for a moment, but nodded. She turned to see Flax standing up from a kneeling position at the door, a fresh rune etched into the door with a dagger. She blew on the carving and it filled with white light before the doors opened of their own volition.

"Alright," Vessa smiled at her. "Let's kick some vampire butt."

They slipped through the doors and Alyssa looked back once as Parker closed the doors behind them. Her heart skipped a beat as he disappeared from view.

"They'll be okay," Vessa told her, putting a hand on her arm.

Alyssa met her eyes and nodded, resigning herself to the situation. "I know. And if we're wrong about another target being here, we can at least locate Gray to shed some light on this scenario, then we can get out there and help them clean the streets."

"I think you should be a little more concerned with yourselves right now, actually," a voice said from behind them. A voice that Alyssa recognized.

Alyssa felt her body tense as she turned toward the staircase. She met the eyes of a short raven-haired girl, a malicious smile pulling at her lips.

"Beth," Vessa whispered behind her.

### Chapter Thirty-Three

"So nice to see you again," Beth clapped her hands excitedly, walking slowly down the steps in a violet top and black trousers. Four men followed her down the stairs, two vampires making low snarling noises in the back of their throats, and two werewolves, standing on their hind legs, looking very much like alien beasts, yellow eyes watching them carefully.

"What is this?" Flax demanded, stepping forward.

Beth paused and looked Flax up and down. "You've made some new friends. How cute."

Flax assessed Beth in much the same way, then looked back at Alyssa. "Don't tell me you fell for this one's lies. She wreaks of subterfuge." She cocked her head. "Plus, she dressed like a tart."

Beth glared at her. "I think I'll kill you first."

"You can try."

"What is this?" Vessa stepped in front of Flax. "What are you doing here?"

Beth shrugged, continuing to slink down the staircase. "I thought that would be obvious. The city Frankenstein is going to have a change in management."

"You're controlling vampires now? You're with Lady Blood?"

Beth ignored her question. "You know, I came here expecting to find some interesting magic that I could use. I certainly have plenty of willing test subjects to try experimental magic out on. But what I've seen so far? Much more impressive than what I thought I would find." She pulled a gun out from the waistband of her pants. "This, my friends, is the future."

Alyssa didn't wait any longer. She pulled her own guns from her belt and shot at her.

Beth dived to the side, and the bullets hit the monsters behind her harmlessly, although one of the wolves cried out in pain.

Flax and Mia pressed the moment, and within a matter of seconds, the two vampires in their company were melting on the steps. The werewolves were going to be an entirely different problem.

Alyssa unsheathed her knives and let loose a battle cry as she charged the creatures.

She swung the knives recklessly, catching one werewolf in the shoulder. It roared and snapped its jaws in her direction, but Alyssa was able to keep a safe distance from its muzzle as she hefted the other knife and brought it down over its neck with all the strength she could muster.

In a moment, she was standing over the naked corpse of a woman, turning to tackle the other wolf. Between the two of them, however, Mia and Flax managed to take care of it.

"Never a dull moment around you guys," Flax commented, wiping her forehead. She looked around. "Where did the bimbo go?"

Alyssa frowned, scanning the area. "I didn't see her leave. Let's go up. Gray may still be up there." She glanced back and grabbed one of Lace's hands, who still looked a little sickly from her teleport earlier. Her eyes were red, and Alyssa felt a pang of sympathy for her loss of Ambrosia. That had to have hit the girl hard. But she seemed to be keeping it together at the moment. "Stick close, okay?"

Lace nodded. "Don't worry about me. I don't plan on being alone anywhere here, if I can help it."

They were sprinting up the stairs when they were suddenly attacked by three more werewolves, who jumped down amongst them from a balcony above.

Alyssa yanked Lace up the remaining steps to the left. Too late, she realized that Vessa, Mia and Flax had gone in the opposite direction.

Slipping through a doorway, Alyssa slammed the door shut behind her and locked it quickly just as something slammed into it.

"Oh, god," Lace whimpered, backing away from the door as it continued to shudder under the weight of a wolf.

Alyssa recognized the room that they were in as the secretary's office. She eyed the door beyond the desk and pulled Lace toward it quickly, closing that door behind them as well.

Sure enough, they were in the room full of weapons and armor where they'd first met Gray.

"Perfect," Alyssa said, grinning. She turned to Lace. "Barricade the door. With a desk or anything else you can find."

Lace bit her lip and teleported a huge chest and desk in front of the door. It wasn't what Alyssa had been expecting, but she nodded her approval.

"Now what?" Lace asked.

"Find something silver and put on some armor," Alyssa ordered as the door in the other room could be heard giving way. The door Lace had just barricaded began to be assaulted. "Quickly."

Alyssa herself scrambled, throwing open chests, looking for appropriate weapons. She pulled chain mail over her outfit, not caring how silly it looked on her, and managed to find a sword that she was 99% sure was pure silver.

The wardrobe shuddered and fell over, splintering against the floor as the door cracked under the weight of its aggressors.

Throwing open a chest, Alyssa brightened. "Perfect."

The door crashed open and a werewolf with dark brown fur tumbled through, shaking dust from its coat as a blonde one entered behind it.

"Alright," Alyssa murmured, peering down into the chest. "Let's hope you're made with quality then."

The wolves both looked up at her, ears turning her way, then snarled and began to move in her direction.

Alyssa pulled a belt out from the chest and yanked the pins out of several grenades at once. Then she threw the belt of grenades at the oncoming wolves and ducked behind a heavy table.

She heard the grenades clatter to the ground, and the wolves coming to a stop. Then nothing. "Damn," she murmured.

She was about to stand when they exploded, a loud crash that made her ears ring and sent wood and metal flying across the room.

"Yes!" she exclaimed excitedly, standing up to assess the damage. She rushed over to where a few desks were still smoking, caught in the heart of the explosion. One werewolf's head could be seen nearby, still moving, and a heart still beat in middle of the aisle, collecting droplets of blood from nearby as if by force of will. "No, no, no," she murmured. "We won't be having any of that." She stabbed the heart with the silver sword, and it immediately shriveled, the nearby head transforming into a woman's head.

The other wolf had a lot of shrapnel and wood sticking out of its body in various places; half of its face and one arm were black and red with burns. Alyssa quickly pierced its heart, ending its suffering.

"That was amazing!" Lace said, running over to her and looking over her handy work. "It's like you knew exactly what you were doing."

"I kind of did," Alyssa admitted with a shrug, then grew serious. "I hope the others are alright."

Lace looked back at the door to the hallway, the wardrobe and desk splintered around it. "Well, at least we have weapons now. If they are in trouble..." She let her voice trail off.

"There was only one other wolf," Alyssa reminded her.

"Plus Beth."

Alyssa nodded thoughtfully, then went back to looking through the weapons on top of the desks.

"What are you doing?" Lace asked, frowning. "The others..."

Alyssa brightened and leaned over a desktop, touching some bullets she found there. "I think these are silver." She laid down the guns she'd been using and picked up the ones on the desk, loading them carefully but quickly. When she was done, she held one of the pistols up to her eye and nodded to herself. "Alright. Let's go werewolf hunting."

Lace scowled. "I hope we don't have to."

Alyssa handed her the sword she'd found and Lace accepted it gratefully as they carefully stepped over the debris around the door and retraced their steps. At the top of the staircase, Alyssa led Lace to the other side of the building, where Vessa, Mia and Flax had similarly had werewolves break the door down after them.

Lace and Alyssa exchanged looks before venturing inside.

There was a small secretarial office here also, with another door at the back. Alyssa approached it cautiously, pressing her ear to the door to try to hear what was happening on the other side, but could heard nothing.

She looked back at Lace. "Ready?"

Lace nodded, lifting her sword awkwardly.

Alyssa threw open the door and stepped inside, one of the pistols held up, ready to fire, the other tucked safely in a holster at her hip.

"Ah, there they are," Beth purred, hopping off of a nearby desk. She was in full werewolf form now. Her eyes glowed yellow in the low light, her fur black as night, nearly blending into the shadows around her. She held up a claw of deadly-looking talons and made a crushing motion with it.

Another werewolf, this one with reddish-brown fur, was just behind her, holding Vessa in front of her like a human shield.

"You should drop the gun." Beth said, a threatening growl rising up from her throat, although Alyssa was surprised by how human her words sounded, just slightly garbled.

Alyssa hesitated, but dropped the gun and kicked it aside, earning a toothy smile from Beth.

"Very good," Beth nodded. She looked back over her shoulder, at a couple of figures bathed in the darkness. "It's safe enough, mistress."

"Good."

Flax came into the light, pushed forward by a strong hand, and falling to the floor at Alyssa's feet. As Alyssa helped her to her feet, Flax sent her a look of apology.

Alyssa shook her head and looked up at the figure who'd come into the light, still holding Mia at her side, a hand at the back of her neck. She was pale as death, gleaming like white bone. Her hair was black and fell down her back like an angry rainstorm. But her long nails and lips were painted red, to match her disturbing eyes that seemed to radiate evil. She winked at Alyssa and in a mocking gesture, hitched up her black dress to reveal a pentagram burned into her thigh.

"I think you've been looking for me," the woman said, her grin showcasing sharp canines. "The name is Lady Blood. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

### Chapter Thirty-Four

"Surprised?" Beth asked, smiling at the expression on Alyssa's face.

Alyssa snorted. "Hardly. Your deal with Lord Kryd falls through, so you move on to a sure thing."

Lady Blood frowned, red eyes narrowing, and looked at Beth. "Really, now?"

Beth glared at Alyssa. "Don't listen to her, Blood. She's full of lies, this one."

Vessa turned her head. "Yeah? Then why were you in Kryd's harem with me for years, Elizabeth? Can you answer that?"

Beth applied more pressure on Vessa's arm, causing her to gasp. "Shut up, whore."

"I'm not liking the sound of this," Lady Blood said, crossing her arms. She looked at Alyssa. "You're the one who assassinated Kryd, are you not? The otherworlder?"

"I am." Alyssa held her head high.

"Hmm. You're a little thing. Hard to believe you're what all of the fuss is about."

"Likewise."

Lady Blood frowned, her hand tightening around Mia's neck, who grunted.

Alyssa stiffened. "What do you want? An apology for killing your generals?"

"Hardly. It's a tough world out there. Survival of the fittest, as they say." She tilted her head toward Beth. "Right, dear?"

Beth grinned at Alyssa. "What can I say? I'm ambitious."

Lady Blood sighed. "This is rather disappointing. I was expecting a much more exciting opponent. But you're a little girl, lost in a big, bad world."

Alyssa glared at her. "Make no mistake. I will end you."

Lady Blood blinked, then laughed, a laugh that grew louder after a moment. "My. Maybe I do like this one. She's got spunk, at least."

"My lady," a black woman entered the room, flashing fangs at Alyssa as she past her. "I have The Ice Queen's blood."

Lady Blood perked up and smiled. The woman handed her something the size of a vial.

Alyssa frowned as Blood unclasped a necklace from around her neck. What Alyssa had thought were slender bones hanging from a gold chain suddenly made her eyes widen. The bones were actually fingers. Well-preserved fingers, as if recently cut from the hands of her victims, bone and blood prominent where they had been removed from their owners. And as Alyssa watched, Lady Blood forced a new finger onto the chain, causing a small amount of blood to run down the gold, before she refastened the clasp around the back of her neck. She smiled then, having added The Ice Queen's finger, not a vial at all, to the eight others that hung over her chest, grotesque souvenirs.

"Oh," Lady Blood's eyes widened. "You don't approve?" She laughed, a sound more horrible than The Ice Queen's had ever sounded, one that verged on madness, ugly and devoid of actual humor.

"My powers, you see, allow me to access the powers from any witch's blood," the vampiress explained, as if answering a question in Alyssa's expression.

Suddenly Vessa lurched, as if something had yanked up on a string attached to her back. She gasped, before falling forward, breathing hard.

"Pheromones," Lady Blood said, nodding as she watched Alyssa send her friend a concerned look. "Isn't that right, dear?"

Vessa looked up at the woman, nodding once before looking away.

Lady Blood brightened and held up a hand, where something like pink smoke could be seen leisurely floating from her fingers, carried away by the air. "You see? I can tap into her powers and mimic them. It's all in the blood." She glanced down at her necklace, the fingers dangling there, shifting. "That's not to say I need the witch alive. Even dead, the magic is still there." She touched a woman's finger on the far left. "And this one here is from a witch who could prevent things from decaying. Makes preserving these all the easier."

She looked up. "Anyways, you must see now why I'm so powerful here." She watched Alyssa with delight in her eyes. "Kryd, whom everyone feared because he could whisper horrible little commands...freeze them in their steps...I could do the same to him, plus access dozens of other powers around me. He couldn't beat me. Neither could The Ice Queen. In fact, no one can stop me." She paused, tilting her head. "I'm just too powerful for my own good. But what's the fun in being good?"

She walked slowly over to Alyssa, pulling Mia along with her. "But I can't control you," Lady Blood said, looking her up and down. "I don't particularly like that fact. I like the control. But I can't deny that it is also exciting." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "You wouldn't believe what a bore this world is. So easy to conquer, with few conquests left. But you offer promise. Promise of a worthy adversary." Her lips curved into a smile. "Actually, much more than that. You offer the promise of a world that could prove to be much more interesting than this one."

Alyssa blinked for a moment as her words sunk in, then a look of horror passed over her face. She couldn't mean...

Lady Blood grinned at the panic she saw in her eyes. "That's right, my dear. I know about the little spell that brought you here. And if your world is half as interesting as it sounds, well, I would be more than happy to take it off your hands."

Images of Cory flashed through Alyssa's mind. "No."

"Oh, yes," Lady Blood chuckled. "It's about to get much, much worse."

She looked around at them, and suddenly Flax jerked as Vessa had earlier. Blood frowned, then turned to Mia, still within arm's reach. Mia jerked as well, and Lady Blood suddenly brightened. "Ah. Now there's a power I wouldn't mind owning. So thoughtful of you to bring it to me."

With a darting hand that Alyssa could hardly follow, a cracking sound echoed through the room and Mia fell to the floor, her neck at an unnatural angle.

Alyssa let out a startled gasp and stared at Mia's body, limp on the floor at her feet.

Blood stooped over and grabbed Mia's limp arm, stepping on her shoulder casually to get a good grip. A loud cracking noise resounded through the room as she broke off a finger, licking the blood from where it had been ripped from Mia's hand.

"Lovely," Lady Blood commented, holding the finger up, as if to examine its vintage. She added it to her necklace, licking her finger of blood when she'd finished. "This trip has been well worth it."

Alyssa felt numb as she stared down at her friend's body, her eyes still open, but seeing nothing. Her mouth was slightly agape and blood dribbled out from the corner. As horrible as the sight was, Alyssa found that she couldn't look away.

"You may want to give up this little quest of yours," Lady Blood suggested, looking at Mia with false sympathy. "Or all of your friends will end up like this one." She nodded to Beth and the other two werewolves, who followed Lady Blood toward the door. As she passed Alyssa, Blood paused and turned to her. "You can not win, not when I can tap into every power around you in a world of magic. You versus the world. Those odds just don't add up."

Then she left the room.

Alyssa stared down at Mia's body for a few minutes longer, until she felt Vessa place her hands on her shoulders. That act seemed to shake the shock from her limbs, and she took a step toward Mia's fallen body and knelt next to her. "I am sorry, my friend." She closed her eyelids.

"There you are," Parker said, stepping into the room. "The vampires and werewolves are leaving. I think..." He let his voice trail off as he noticed Mia on the ground.

Alyssa turned toward him, tears blurring her vision. "I barely got to know her."

Parker dropped his bow and wrapped his arms around her, running his hand through her hair. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

She swallowed hard, trying to swallow her grief and hold back the cries of rage that were threatening to overtake her. She wouldn't let Lady Blood get away with this, playing with people's lives like they were puppets, like it was all a game. Her reign would end with the coming battle.

Alyssa stood on shaky legs and nodded to the question in Parker's eyes. "Where are the others?"

"Outside," Parker said, gesturing toward the door.

Nodding, she led them from the room and down the staircase. As they approached the front door, it was thrown open and more familiar faces greeted them.

Eric smiled when he saw Vessa. "You have missed a glorious battle. Look who we found."

Gray walked up behind them, offering a grin that, per usual, looked more like a scowl. "It is good to see you again, my friends."

Eric clapped him on the back. "He was fighting like a man possessed. It was quite the sight."

Gray grumbled something, then looked up at them. "Thank you for joining in the fray. I'm not sure we could have kept it up much longer."

"It was our pleasure," Alyssa told him. "You showed us such kindness before."

Vessa put a hand on his shoulder as he reached them. "Mia...didn't make it, I'm afraid."

Eric looked surprised, and turned to Gray, who looked stricken by the news.

"How?" he asked.

"Lady Blood," Vessa said, shaking her head. "We were no match for her."

Gray nodded. "It is a tragic loss." He sighed. "Mia...she believed that when we die, our essence becomes part of the earth. I'm sure she is at peace." He lowered his head for a moment before looking up at them all. "But please, you are all welcome here. Eat, drink, rest. You are guests here."

"Thank you, friend," Eric said, throwing an arm over his shoulder. "And I need to raid your weapons room again."

"Color me shocked."

### Chapter Thirty-Five

Alyssa blinked the sleep from her eyes as she awakened the next morning, then stifled a yawn. She stared up at the smooth white ceiling of her guest room for a moment before turning to the sound of breathing.

She grinned as she watched Parker sleeping soundly beside her, his mouth open against his pillow. Even unconscious, he looked adorable. She couldn't resist reaching out and touching his unkempt hair.

She thought of Cory, confessing his love to her, his intentions of spending his life with her, and frowned. Maybe it had been her state of mind at the time, the sedatives the hospital had administered, but she felt detached from his words.

She glanced over at Parker again, noting his thick eyelashes twitch in his sleep. He certainly wasn't the marrying type. Was she?

A groan escaped Parker's mouth and he opened his eyes, a smile lighting up his face immediately when he saw her. "Hey, beautiful," he said, his voice hoarse.

"Hey," she replied, smirking.

He sat up, the covers slipping down his torso, revealing the lean build she admired on him. She ran a hand over his chest and kissed his neck.

"I can't say I mind waking up to this," he murmured, finding her mouth with his.

Alyssa cupped his strong jaw with her hand, loving the feeling of his stubble beneath her fingers, and quickly deepened the kiss, pulling herself on top of him. He was damn hard to resist, that was for sure.

"God, you're beautiful," he murmured into her ear.

She smiled, then paused. "Parker?"

"Mmm?"

"What coven are you from?"

Parker stiffened, then pulled away with a sigh. He watched her for a moment as she maintained eye contact. "I don't like talking about my past."

"You don't say."

He smiled thinly. "I'm from The Halo Coven."

She nodded slowly. "Your parents...?"

He ran a hand back through his hair. "Alyssa, I...I didn't belong there. I hated the...the fake smiles and minimalism that they practiced. And if you got out of line..." He shook his head. "The entire community raises you there. My parents were a blur of people I didn't connect with. I hated it, the prayer magic, the rules. I left as soon as I could fend for myself, and never looked back."

He didn't look at her for a minute, and she lay her head on his chest.

"I'm sorry to bring up bad memories," she said, running her hand over his stomach. "But thank you for telling me."

He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. "Just give me time to fill in the details, okay?"

She nodded. "I think I can do that."

***

Alyssa sat on the ground with her knees pulled to her chest, staring at a fire burning into the night, a yellow blaze sending sparks up into the dark sky like fireflies. It was loud, a roaring fire, that consumed its kindling with a voracious appetite.

Parker put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her toward him, and she welcomed the warmth his solid form provided as the air cooled.

For two days, they had been helping Frankenstein clean up from the attack they'd suffered, enough time to prepare for funerals for the victims of the monsters that had ripped through the city.

"The glass dome is meant to keep monsters out," Gray had explained. "It is wired with a sophisticated security system that responds to monster intrusion with appropriate countermeasures: firing holy water, expelling fire and bullets made from several different substances to account for various weaknesses. But nothing could have prepared it for such powerful creatures. Lady Blood and The Ice Queen walked through the defenses like they were nothing, the bitter cold making the glass structure brittle enough to collapse with the smallest amount of pressure. We will explore new defenses as we rebuild."

But the damage had been done, and hundreds were dead, among them, Mia. Eric and Gray had both said kind things before adding her body to the consuming fire, enough to make Alyssa cry and regret once more that she hadn't known the remarkable woman better. It wasn't fair how easily she had been taken away, at a whim from a horrible monster.

Lace had also given Ambrosia's broken body to the flames, and was clearly heartbroken from the loss. Even Eric, for all of his talk about dragons being evil creatures, seemed deeply saddened at the loss.

Death, especially in this world, was too close to Alyssa, like it was constantly brushing up against her, trailing its fingers down her cheeks lovingly. And this time, it hadn't walked away empty-handed. It had been merciless and cruel, allowing the wicked to triumph.

But Alyssa would see that Lady Blood and Beth both paid for these pointless deaths.

Abruptly, she stood and turned away. She didn't want to see more bodies added to the fire anymore. It was hard to believe that the shrouded forms burning had been people. There were just so many. And as those embers floated skyward along with the thick black smoke the fire expelled, it was easy to imagine that the souls of the dead were making their voyage to the heavens.

"The valkyries have come for the brave, who died in battle," Eric had said. And the fire roared beneath the floating embers, as if in encouragement, to claim their rightful places in the skies above, as heroes of the battlefield.

Meanwhile, those left behind watched their bodies shrivel in a fire, feeling hollow and defeated.

"You want to go back to our room?" Parker asked, touching Alyssa's back gently. "Call it a night?"

Alyssa smiled back at him. "Thank you, Parker. But stay. Please. I'd like to walk back alone."

He nodded, the small frown pulling at his mouth melting into understanding and sympathy. "I'll be along later then."

As she walked away from the crowds gathered to see off their loved ones, she met Gray's eyes, who watched her leave silently. He was hard to miss, and the expression on his face, hard to read as usual. She couldn't help but feel like this was all their fault. Like they had somehow brought this horror to Frankenstein. But how could that be? Yes, Lady Blood and The Ice Queen were a few of their targets, but why come here? Why now? Yet, somehow, it didn't seem like a coincidence.

She frowned as she walked further from the crowd, darkness enveloping her like a lover as the fires faded.

Perhaps this whole quest was a waste of time. Lady Blood was too powerful. Friends were dying for this dream that three hags imagined they'd seen in a prophecy. Not only had an overwhelming amount of responsibility and hope been piled onto Alyssa's shoulders, but now she must live with the guilt of seeing people die, people who trusted her to see this through, to victory. And for them, she would carry on the fight. If she had been willing to abandon this crusade against such insurmountable odds before, she wasn't about to do so now.

"Alyssa."

Alyssa froze at the sound of her name. She recognized Gray's voice, but wondered if she could even look him in the eye right now. She had taken Mia from him, to help her find out more about the spell that had brought her here, and when she'd returned her to him, it was only to see her killed at his doorstep. She had been selfish whisking Mia away for her own ends.

She took a moment to turn toward him, and was surprised when she did. His gray skin was bathed in pink, light emanating from the girl who stood beside him, hands on her hips.

"I apologize for the intrusion, but this rather demanding young lady claims that she needs to see you," Gray said regrettably. "She would not wait."

"Thank you," Kaitlyn said, looking up at him with distaste. "That will be all."

Gray glanced at Alyssa uncertainly, and she nodded before he turned and left them alone.

"You don't have to be so rude," Alyssa said.

Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. "Sorry. He made me uncomfortable. He's huge."

"And you're not even here."

Kaitlyn sighed. "That doesn't mean I can't feel intimidated." She sniffed. "Anyways, I needed to talk to you. There's something really bad going on in Rayniste right now."

"Bad, how?" Alyssa frowned.

"There's a new spell on the castle," Kaitlyn said. "I can't get anywhere in astral form now. The queen is definitely hiding something. And not just the guests. I definitely saw a Shadow coven member, by the way. And you know the last time we saw this many guests at the castle?"

Alyssa blinked.

"The wedding," Kaitlyn informed her. "You know, king and queen? Big deal?"

"Wait, are you saying that the queen is getting remarried?"

Kaitlyn shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just saying that something is going down and she's not saying a thing about it. And that's not even the worst of it. I still can't believe it, but I saw-"

She suddenly blinked out like someone had switched off the channel. Alyssa frowned into the sudden silence. "Kaitlyn?"

But the astral never reappeared.

And Alyssa got the sinking feeling that she wouldn't.

### Chapter Thirty-Six

The next evening, Alyssa and Parker joined the others in the lobby of the clock tower, where Eric was trying out a new sword that Gray had bestowed on him.

"I like the weight," he admitted, swinging it and thrusting it before him. "I think this will do."

"I'm going to have to start charging you soon," Gray said, looking up as Alyssa and Parker approached. "Ah, and here is the rest of your party." He noted their hands intertwined and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"There are the love birds," Lace commented, grinning.

Alyssa scowled. "That's a nice sword, Eric."

"That it is," he acknowledged, looking it over.

"That was a terrible change in subject," Vessa murmured, sidling up to her. "And you say you were a spy?"

She sent her a look, then glanced back at Gray as he cleared his throat.

"I take it your abrupt departure has to do with the girl who appeared in astral form, pink like Lace's hair."

Lace touched her hair. "I'll have to change that soon. Don't want my good name tarnished."

"She was cut off suddenly," Alyssa explained. "And the things she said...Rayniste needs us, I'm afraid."

Vessa frowned, turning to Alyssa with a worried expression. "I hate to say it, but the rest of her coven...Astrals are just so vulnerable when they're projecting."

"You think she was killed in her sleep?" Lace looked up. "No way."

"Even if she wasn't, someone didn't want her getting a message to us. Something is going on in Rayniste."

"That's why we have to go there straight away," Alyssa acknowledged. She looked at Gray apologetically. "I'm sorry this is so sudden. We would have liked to stay and help you rebuild the dome."

Gray waved the apology away. "We have plenty of people here to rebuild, all of them thankful for your help. You have more important matters to attend to, and you should see to them."

"Thank you again for the supplies and weapons," Lace said.

He nodded. "It is my pleasure. Have a safe journey, my friends. We will be awaiting your next visit." He stepped back as they assembled together in the center of the room.

Lace let out a deep breath and glanced around at them. "Ready to do this again?"

"Ready," Alyssa said, in agreement with those around her.

The portal washed over them and Alyssa found herself standing on a dark street. She looked up and saw Morgana's manor looming over them. She turned to Lace. "Why did you bring us here, instead of the castle?"

Lace frowned. "Someone changed the locks."

"What?"

Lace scratched her head. "I know where to teleport to get us through the spells surrounding the castle. The queen informed me. Either she had to adjust them to prevent someone else from intruding, or she doesn't want me popping in there."

Alyssa nodded. "Kaitlyn did say that she wasn't able to walk freely through the castle either. The queen put up a new spell."

"That's not good," Vessa tapped her lower lip.

Parker cleared his throat. "Look, I'm not one to start something, because I know that some of you are from here and know the queen, but I mean, look at the clues. She's up to something no-good, and we should tread lightly here and consider this enemy soil."

"She's keeping a lot of secrets," Alyssa agreed. "Too many."

Vessa looked hurt by the accusation, but nodded, acknowledging the signs. "Alright. But I think we should approach the queen like we usually do. If we're caught skulking around, we will arouse suspicion and we'll never uncover anything. If we walk in, all smiles, she may let her guard down enough for us to figure out what's going on here."

"I don't know," Parker frowned. "Seems pretty risky to me. Our fate would be in her hands immediately."

"There's no way of getting in that castle if we don't go in through the front doors," Lace said, shaking her head slowly. "And we can't fight the entire guard. We don't have much of a choice here."

Alyssa looked up at Morgana's mansion. "This could be a good place to start looking for clues, however."

Lace followed her gaze. "Yeah, but according to Kaitlyn, there are wards in place to keep people out. Maybe the same sort of wards that are keeping me from teleporting into the castle."

"I think I can do something about the wards," Flax spoke up. She licked her fingertips and drew a triangle on her forehead, then pressed a point along each side. She kissed her hand and touched it to the center of the triangle and it lit up with white light. As she opened her eyes, they were also illuminated by a white light. She glanced up at the building and nodded. "Yes, I can see the wards now." She frowned. "They are pretty complex ones. It could take some time to disarm them, but my rune magic should be able to take them out."

"Good," Alyssa nodded her approval. "Why don't you stay here and work on it while we head over to the castle and try to locate Kaitlyn and the queen." She looked over at Eric. "Eric, would you mind keeping an eye on things here while she works?"

He nodded and smiled. "That I can do."

"Alright," Alyssa said, watching the rest of them. "Let's find some answers."

They headed toward the castle, the streets uncannily quiet as they made their way. A burst of laughter carried to them from one bar they passed, but otherwise it was a lonely walk, the red moon appearing over the castle as the sun's final rays disappeared from view.

"There might be a reasonable explanation for things here," Lace said, trying to sound nonchalant. "The queen might be experimenting with defenses, seeking advice from other covens." She shrugged. "And maybe Kaitlyn just woke up because of a noise or something, and hasn't been able to fall asleep since."

"Could be," Parker said quietly. "But that's a lot of coincidences to brush off."

Lace's jaw tightened, but she nodded. "I know. I just don't want to think anything bad about what's going on in Rayniste. It's my home. The only home I've ever known."

Vessa put a hand on her shoulder. "Rayniste will always carry the honor of your father's reign. No matter what this is, that will never change."

Lace nodded silently as they began to ascend the castle steps.

No sentries stood guard, so they entered the castle unmolested and immediately made for the throne room.

"You know," Alyssa cleared her throat. "Kaitlyn suggested that the guests and extra security measures may be signs of a ceremony."

"Ceremony?" Lace echoed.

Vessa groaned. "You mean a wedding, don't you?"

Alyssa winced at the look of horror she saw on Lace's face.

"I would know if there was a wedding," Lace insisted.

Parker raised an eyebrow. "Would you, now? Maybe the queen was afraid of how you'd react. Maybe that was the whole reason she sent you away."

Lace's mouth dropped open. "No. It couldn't be. We get along too well. She wouldn't just do something like this behind my back. And who would she marry?"

"Who would be suitable to rule a kingdom at her side?" Alyssa asked.

"Another royal," Vessa said. "But I don't see..." She stopped, and Parker nearly walked into her.

Alyssa looked into her face, which had suddenly gone pale, and felt panic rise within herself. "What? What is it?"

"A prince," Vessa whispered, looking around the corridor they were in, as if enemies could be hiding around them. But only oil paintings of men with unfortunate genes lined the walls.

"A prince from where?" Lace asked, impatient.

"Think about it," Vessa said, licking her lips. "It would be a prince that she would want to hide from Lace. From all of us. And there just happens to be a prince that Kaitlyn wasn't able to locate recently."

"The Viking prince?" Parker asked, incredulous. "Prince Air? You think she's getting married to Prince Air?"

"Sshhhhh!" Vessa looked around wildly. "Quiet! I'm just hazarding a guess here."

"But it fits," Alyssa acknowledged.

Lace only shook her head.

"Let's not jump to any conclusions now," Parker said. He looked back at Alyssa. "But we need to investigate."

Alyssa bit her lower lip, meeting Vessa's eyes. "Kaitlyn saw something here that made her think that things weren't right. If we can find it..."

Vessa nodded. "Okay. But where would we look?"

"We could try to find Kaitlyn," Alyssa shrugged. "Maybe there will be clues in her room. And maybe the queen's chambers."

"That sounds pretty risky," Lace said nervously. "If we're caught..." She shook her head.

"It wouldn't look too bad if you were looking for your stepmother in her room," Alyssa suggested. "I'll go with you."

"And we'll look in on Kaitlyn's room," Parker said, slinging an arm around Vessa's shoulder, who immediately brushed it off with a scowl. "They can't arrest us for looking in on a friend."

"Right," Vessa agreed. "Meet back here in ten."

Alyssa sent Lace an encouraging look as they made their way down the corridor and up a flight of stairs. "It may be nothing but a string of coincidences."

Lace smiled thinly. "Then why do I feel like my heart's about to drop out of my chest?"

Alyssa didn't say anything to that, but followed her up to the queen's chambers. The double door that led to the room was solid oak and ornately detailed with carvings of cherubs and foliage. She tried the doorknob after a moment's hesitation, but it was locked.

She glanced over at Lace, who was staring up at the door with a touch of sadness covering her features. "I used to run into this room every morning, jumping and laughing," the girl said, smiling. "He would act all annoyed, but he couldn't keep the smile off of his face for long." She shook her head and looked over at Alyssa. "That was before I got too old for such outbursts, before the queen arrived."

Reaching out a hand, Lace pulled on the wing of a cherub carved into the door frame, and it came off surprisingly easy. Alyssa cocked her head and saw that there was a hollow behind it, and Lace pulled a key out from the recesses before replacing the cherub's wing. "Still there," she murmured, looking over the key almost lovingly before inserting it into the keyhole and opening the door.

Alyssa stared into the room from the doorway for a moment. It was a huge room, with hardwood floors and sparkling pristine white furniture, including an elaborate bureau and sofa. The four post bed on the far end of the room was draped with rich cerulean blue sheets that gave it the illusion of a waterfall. It was breathtaking.

"It still looks like it did before he died," Lace breathed, surprise invading her voice. She seemed to be getting rather emotional, so Alyssa put an arm around her shoulder. "It even smells like fresh linens still."

Alyssa took a breath and nodded in agreement. She rather doubted they would find anything incriminating within. It looked neat and tidy and was probably cleaned regularly. A prince was probably not going to leave his clothes behind with his name inscribed in them. She didn't know what she'd been expecting. Something obviously...evil, or something. But clearly, that wasn't the case here. Perhaps they were wrong altogether.

Lace frowned then, looking up at Alyssa. "That's odd."

"What's that?"

"That sofa...I know I saw it taken out before. It had a rip in the cushion."

Alyssa shrugged, eyeing the white fabric, which showed no flaws. "Maybe she had it replaced."

Lace nodded absently, then stepped into the room, promptly disappearing.

Starting, Alyssa's eyes widened. "Lace?"

She took a step into the room and suddenly everything around her shifted. She looked back to see the hallway wavering, like a puddle of water covered the doorway.

"It was an illusion," Lace said, her voice flat. "An illusion. All of it. The queen..." She dropped to her knees. "No. It can't be like this. This can't be real."

Alyssa bent to offer a comforting hand, but paused as she took in their surroundings. It was dark. The bureau was painted black, with black candles covering every available surface, melted low and bleeding over the countertop. The rest of the furniture was black as well, with the exception of the bed, which was draped in red silk, looking more like blood than anything. The area that had previously shown a sofa was now occupied by a low altar, various bones and amulets covering it in a jumble, along with the head of what looked like a goat, decomposing and writhing with white maggots. Flies buzzed excitedly around the room, but Alyssa could barely breathe in the suddenly heavy atmosphere, thick with the smell of rot. She gagged on the smell and covered her mouth.

Lace stumbled to her feet and through the doorway. Alyssa watched her go, taking a moment to look around quickly before following. The room had an aura of evil about it, like what she'd been expecting when she'd come here. She nevertheless felt disappointed. She would have liked to have been proved wrong in this instance.

When she exited the room, Alyssa felt relieved as the smell of decay left her nostrils, replaced by the clean scent, even if it was an illusion. She glanced back at the orderly, clean white room that the glamour provided and shook her head. More magic that effected her because it was introduced into the environment first. The Ice Queen had been right in her observation.

"I can't believe it," Lace shook her head, leaning back against a wall for support. "It was all lies. The queen is a lie. And after all..." She bit her lip and swiped at her eyes angrily. "She's fooled the entire kingdom."

Alyssa swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, Lace."

Lace laughed. "Your friends were right. I just can't believe that I've been so blind. That I've lived with this evil in my house for so long."

Alyssa was going to say something, but paused as she heard a figure coming around the bend ahead. She glanced over at Lace nervously, but the girl was already straightening and pasting a smile on her face.

A ferret skirted the edge of the hall, then paused as it saw them, before giving a loud sniff and continuing on its way.

"Oh!" Netta paused as she came into view. Her eyes were wide as she took them in, nearly dropping the tray of used tea things she carried. She looked behind her, nervously licking her lips as she approached.

"Hello, Netta," Alyssa greeted her, following her gaze down the hallway. "Is something wrong?" She nonchalantly closed the doors to the queen's rooms.

Netta swallowed hard, meeting her eyes. "You sh-sh-shouldn't be here, M-M-Ma'am."

Vessa stiffened. "What's going on here?"

"You sh-sh-should l-l-leave, at once!"

"Nonsense, Netta."

Alyssa glanced up to see the queen striding down the hall, a guard on either side of her. She smiled as she saw them, lifting the hem of her trailing blue dress as she walked to avoid tripping over it. Her blonde hair glowed, the first time Alyssa had seen it down, tumbling over her shoulders. It made her look much younger and less stuffy.

"Your majesty," Lace stepped into a bow, Alyssa following suit as she watched Netta scurry past them, clearly afraid.

"You may rise," the queen said, stopping before them.

Alyssa complied, eyeing the guards, who had their hands on the hilts of their swords. She couldn't recall if they had ever done so previously, but she didn't really like it.

"And where are your friends?" the queen asked, looking up the hall, as if expecting them to come into sight at any moment. Her eyes flickered to the doors to her room.

"They're going to meet us below," Lace said, forcing cheer into her voice. "I wanted to see you directly when I arrived, so I was just about to knock on your doors. I didn't expect you to be out so late."

The queen watched her for a moment, then nodded. "Let's meet your friends, shall we?" Alyssa and Lace nodded and walked ahead of her along a hallway lined with suits of armor, the guards behind them, as if protecting the queen. "I was just about to retire for the evening."

"I'm sorry to trouble you," Lace murmured.

The queen turned her head to look at her, then glanced up at Alyssa. "You seem troubled."

Alyssa's eyes snapped to the queen's, her eyes looking sympathetic and worried. Alyssa tried to detect a hint of deception behind them, but could find none. She frowned. The woman was also a good actress. "We have heard that Morgana is being kept to her house and that wards keep others out. And Kaitlyn...vanished while trying to relay a message to us."

Lace sucked in a breath, probably because it sounded so much like an accusation. Alyssa hardly cared, but tacked a "your majesty" on, just to be polite.

The queen nodded. "Yes, well, Morgana is known to lock herself in her quarters for weeks at a time, trying to unravel prophecies and decipher visions. I have seen her myself several times these past few days and I assure you, she is quite alright, and is in isolation at her own insistence." She paused. "As for Kaitlyn, I'm afraid she has come down with a rather bad fever. It makes her delusional and she is bedridden, the unfortunate creature. I'm sure we can arrange for you to see her, if it would ease your mind."

Alyssa raised an eyebrow. She doubted Parker and Vessa's visit would corroborate with that story.

She bowed her head. "Forgive me, my queen, but what of the new spells that are keeping Lace from teleporting into the castle? They made us concerned for your well-being." She looked up, trying to look like she was truly worried about her.

The queen narrowed her eyes, but kept a smile in place. "Is that what all of this fuss is about? We are experimenting with our defenses, dear girl. Can't be too careful these days, as I'm sure you know."

She turned to Lace. "I am truly sorry about that. I didn't mean to worry you."

Lace returned her smile. "It's alright. No harm done."

"And how are you faring? I hear that you've been instrumental in the success of their quest."

Looking bashful, Lace shrugged. "I'm just trying to do my part."

"And doing a splendid job of it," the queen beamed. She gestured along the hall, where Parker and Vessa could be seen waiting up ahead. "And here are your friends."

Parker watched Alyssa's approach, then dropped into a bow before the queen. When he stood up, he sent Alyssa an almost imperceptible shake of his head. Kaitlyn was not in her room, as the queen claimed. Alyssa couldn't say that she was surprised by this development.

"And how goes your search for the remaining targets?" the queen asked after pleasantries were exchanged all around. She continued leading them along the hallway as she regarded Vessa. "Any new information? I'm sorry that Kaitlyn won't be of much help currently, but with any luck, she'll be up and healthy again soon."

"She's sick?" Vessa asked.

"In her room, with a bad fever," Alyssa supplied, meeting her eyes.

Vessa blinked. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"The doctors assure me that she will recover," the queen said dismissively. "Where are your other three friends?"

Lace licked her lips. "Flax and Eric are in town. Mia...is dead. So is Ambrosia."

"I'm so sorry," the queen offered, putting a hand over her chest. "Ambrosia was like family to you. I can't imagine what you must be feeling."

Lace nodded tightly as an awkward silence blanketed them.

"Ah, Shadow!" the queen smiled as the black cat slipped into the hallway, walking alongside the queen and meowing up at her. "Where have you been hiding yourself now?" She reached down and the cat leapt into her arms. She scratched his head as they came to the staircase that led to the front doors of the castle and they began to descend them. Alyssa got the distinct feeling that she was ushering them out.

"Unfortunately, the guest rooms are full at the moment," the queen said as they neared the doors, regret in her voice. "I can arrange to have you stay at an inn for the night."

"So many guests?" Alyssa asked, feigning innocence.

The queen watched her for a moment. "Yes. Some delegates from other covens are conferring with me. It's rather classified business though, I'm afraid, so that's all I can say about it."

"We understand," Vessa said, bowing and sending Alyssa a look that told her to tread lightly.

"They can stay in my room," Lace suggested, with a smile. "The girls, at least. I have plenty of room."

The queen pursed her lips and gestured to the guards, who were suddenly at the doors, locking them. She smiled. "That's enough of this cat and mouse game. It grows tiresome."

"Whatever do you mean?" Vessa took a step back.

The queen glared at her. "I mean that you are boring me. I'm on a tight schedule now, I'm afraid, and can't be bothered with you four getting in the way. Lady Blood doesn't care for tardiness."

"Lady Blood?" Alyssa echoed, her heart sinking.

"I don't know why I indulge that creature." The queen rolled her eyes. "Anyways, you can stop patronizing me. Shadow has already relayed to me that your friends found Kaitlyn's room empty, and I have no doubt that you and my naughty stepdaughter were in my room. I can see it in your faces as plainly as if you'd said so yourselves." She paused, titling her head. "And I can get information from you just as easily in the Necro-Lands as I can here."

Alyssa felt a shiver run up her spine.

The Necro-Lands. Something told Alyssa that they had just figured out who the eighth target was. And she'd been in plain sight this entire time.

"That's right," the queen said, noting the expression on her face. "You are far too trusting for your own good, Otherworlder. And I'm afraid you won't be returning to your Earth, after all."

### Chapter Thirty-Seven

"You!" Lace pointed a finger at the queen, rage written all over her face. "You would side with Lady Blood? Lady Blood? How dare you insult my father's kingdom this way, you treacherous, horrible thing!"

The queen hardly blinked. "I tolerated your presence long enough for your father's benefit. I pitied you, broken little thing you'd become. But you were becoming quite a nuisance. I'd hoped that you would die helping these fools in their quest, but you've proved to be much more resilient than I gave you credit for."

"My queen," Vessa looked heartbroken. "Will the betrayals ever stop?"

"Funny words coming from a spy," the queen murmured.

"So you knew about the attack on Frankenstein already."

The queen nodded. "Yes. Of course I discovered from Kaitlyn that you were in league with the neo-alchemists, so I sent Lady Blood there to put an end to such an alliance. We would have had to crush them sooner or later anyway."

Lace shook her head. "How far you have fallen. When did you get so desperate for power?"

The queen turned to Lace. "Power is something easily taken. I have come in and out of it over the years, as things have interested me. I'm sorry to say that this time around, your father was in my way, and he had a weakness for pretty faces."

Lace looked like she was about to faint, and Alyssa put a hand to her back.

"And Alyssa, I'm afraid to say that our talks were rather inspiring."

Alyssa looked up at the queen warily.

"Inspiring?"

"Quite. You were so forthcoming about your world. It really will be wonderful to conquer a new world. Even one with such weak blood. But that's hardly the fault of the vermin I will rule over there."

"You are filled with such hate," Vessa observed, shaking her head.

"You would loathe this world too, if you'd watched its slow descent into ruin over the years. It's been unbearable. But with another world, I will get another chance to see the mistakes here, rectified among a new populace."

The queen grinned at Alyssa, the first flash of evil Alyssa had seen cross her face since she'd met her. It had been there, buried under a controlled mask this entire time. She was quite the actress, it seemed. "Now, I would suggest that you come quietly with me to the Necro-Lands, but I hardly think you would listen to reason." She reached over and touched Shadow.

The queen's familiar suddenly grew in mass, causing her to step back. Its skin stretched and made cracking noises as it expanded, its face melting, its paws transforming. By the time it had finished shifting, a horrible monster stood before them. It was a large creature, perhaps ten feet tall, with demonic black horns curling out from the top of its head, reminding her vaguely of a ram. Its mouth was full of sharp teeth, each an inch long, and its eyes blazed a ghoulish yellow in color. It had a black body with gray arms stretching out from its torso, ending in four fingers that boasted large claws. Most disturbing of all, however, was its face. It was as if it had pasted the face of a man over its own after cutting out holes for eyes and lips for its mouth. It clung there loose and horrible, shifting like shrink wrap with its movements.

"Lovely," The queen clapped.

"A demon," Vessa breathed, looking back at Alyssa with wide eyes. "She is in league with demons."

Then the creature leapt in Vessa's direction.

Alyssa reached back to pull her long knives from their sheathes, but the queen lifted a hand in her direction. "This isn't your fight, my dear." The room suddenly shifted before her eyes and she was back in the queen's bedchamber.

The scent of rot invaded her nose again and Alyssa gagged, doubling over, eyes watering.

She looked around as the queen sat down on the edge of her bed, running her hands over the red sheets. "Finally. Some peace and quiet." She looked up at Alyssa. "Isn't that what you want, after all? For this to all be over?"

She snapped her fingers and suddenly the room was like it had been when Alyssa was standing outside of the hall with Lace, looking in at an illusion. Everything was clean and white. The sheets of the bed were blue. And the queen was suddenly nowhere to be seen.

Frowning, Alyssa ran over to the doors and pulled on the handles, yanking with all of her strength as she found they were stuck. "What the hell?"

She looked around the room, slowly walking toward the sofa, where the horrible altar had been. She reached out and poked the sofa, frowning at how real it felt beneath her fingertips. Was it real? She glanced up at the bureau, catching a glimpse of herself reflected there.

Walking over to the mirror, Alyssa leaned over and touched the a necklace that hung over it softly, letting the silver chain slide through her fingers. Then she glanced down at a jewelry box on the bureau, opening it with a quick hand.

As soon as the lid fell back, musical notes began to play and she smiled as she touched the jewelry, lovingly compartmentalized by stone: pearls, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, amethyst. There were necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets and other little knickknacks that seemed to be designed to decorate the hair.

"We don't have all day, you know."

Alyssa started at the voice and looked up into the mirror. Cory's eyes stared back at her from just behind her. She frowned and shook her head. "What is...?"

Cory touched her shoulders, sending a shiver down her back. "Just pick one. You know what I think? I think they would all look stunning on you, but I think the emeralds would really bring out your eyes." He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, his lips at her ears. "Your bewitching eyes," he murmured, his breath tickling her skin and sending a course of pleasure through her like electricity.

She pulled away and turned on him, looking him up and down. He looked just like she remembered him from her visions. Beautiful blue eyes, close-cropped blonde hair, a little small blue earring glinting in one ear. The sight made a lump form in her throat. He seemed so real, like he was right there, where she could reach out and touch him.

She looked beyond him and suddenly noted photographs on the walls, of her and Cory, looking happy together. One even had her posed in a wedding dress. She found his eyes and shook her head against the cruel illusion. "What are you?"

He frowned. "Alyssa? Are you alright?" He took a step toward her and she flinched, pulling her arm back.

"You're not him," she said, then stood up tall. "Stop this, right now."

Cory blinked. "Alyssa. Isn't this what you want? Isn't this what you've always wanted? We can have this. Together, all of it."

"I said to stop it!" she shouted, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

He eyed her fists and sighed. "Very well."

Alyssa started as she suddenly found herself back with her friends, at the base of the staircase, the demon they'd been fighting standing triumphant over their still forms.

"What?" Alyssa took a step toward them. "No."

The demon roared at her, thrusting out its chest and glaring, as if it wasn't frightening enough already. The strange fleshy mask shifted over its face, waxy and horrible, reminding her of Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The pores of the face were even beaded with sweat, its yellow eyes casting an eerie glow over the flesh mask, making it look even sicklier.

The creature suddenly stood up straight, something like a smile cutting through its rubbery face, accentuating its sharp teeth. Alyssa hesitated, looking at her friends helplessly. They didn't appear to be harmed. They just weren't moving.

"I think he likes you," the queen said, behind her.

Alyssa tilted her head back. "What are you?"

The queen smiled and crossed her arms. "What am I?" she sighed. "Such an all-encompassing question. Where to even begin?"

"How about beginning with what you're doing here? If my friends are hurt, I swear, I will-"

"You will do nothing," the queen interrupted her. "But don't worry. They are quite alright. The demon's claws secrete a toxin that renders people immobile. In an hour, they'll be able to move as before." She paused. "Just in time to really die."

Alyssa shook her head. "I won't let that happen."

"You don't have much of a choice, I'm afraid. They represent the last pathetic resistance that this world has. With their very public deaths, I will send a message to my subjects."

The demon roared again, drawing Alyssa's eyes.

"Yes," the queen nodded, as if the creature had asked her a question. "You can eat this one." She flashed Alyssa a smile. "I hope that's alright with you, dear. I don't have much use for you anymore, and frankly, you inspire these simple-minded fools a little too easily for your own good." She nodded to the guards, who rushed forward to recover her fallen friends, the demon standing frozen, watching, until they moved away again. It looked at Alyssa with something like triumph on its horrible face.

"Now, then," the queen said, walking over to Alyssa.

Alyssa tensed, but the woman only put a hand to her back. "You asked what I am? I am everything." She gestured around her. "All of this is because of me, and my children."

Feeling the long knives at her back shifting, Alyssa looked over her shoulder at where the queen was touching her back. The knives seemed to be melting under her hand and reforming as some sort of rope. The queen giggled as she stepped back and snakes hissed at Alyssa's back.

Alyssa frantically tore the snakes from her back and dropped them onto the floor unceremoniously, where they quickly slithered away.

"You're a druid," Alyssa realized, staring at the queen.

The queen scoffed. "Is that all you think I am? I created the druids. I created everyone on this ball of mud."

Alyssa's eyes widened as everything suddenly clicked into place. "You're Lilith!"

"Bravo," the queen beamed, offering a mocking clap. "You figured it out just in time to die. Now, I really must be going. Deadlines and all that. You two have fun now." And she suddenly faded.

Alyssa stared after her, shocked by the realization of what had happened. She had met the demon lover of Adam, the one who'd birthed this entire world of witches. And it seemed that she was ready to take the reigns of this world. And mine, Alyssa thought with panic. She couldn't let that happen.

The demon suddenly roared and launched itself at her, and Alyssa reacted instinctively, reaching back for her long knives...which were no longer there.

"Shit!" she cried as she leapt out of the way just in time to avoid a crushing blow. She winced as she crashed her shoulder into a pillar in her hurry. Without her knives, she was defenseless. That, of course, had been Lilith's intentions all along. She expected that Alyssa would die at the hands of this demon. And she was probably right.

I can't die now, Alyssa frowned, turning toward the creature, who watched her with hunger in its eyes. Not when I've come so close to seeing this through. Not when I'm nearly home.

Suddenly her hand brushed up against something cool and she looked down to see a gun still in its holster on her hip. Lilith probably hadn't even known what it was, let alone how deadly it could be. Without hesitation, she lifted it and squeezed the trigger, blinking at the loud discharge, before stepping back to assess the damage.

She swallowed hard as she saw a bullet hole in its chest, right over its heart. And it hadn't deterred the demon whatsoever.

Something like a laugh rumbled from the creature's throat as it crouched down, ready to leap at her. It paused, however, as a loud crash resounded from the locked doors.

Alyssa slowly lowered her gun as the demon cocked its head. And then the doors flew from their hinges and a figure pushed through the rubble, a look of triumph lighting up her face.

"Flax!" Alyssa cried, replacing the gun in her holster. "Am I ever happy to see you."

Flax shrugged, her stone form easily cutting through the debris. "I didn't want to miss all of the action."

"You can have it," Alyssa told her.

The demon hissed and jumped at Flax in a single large bound. Flax was prepared for its attack however, and pulled a mace from her back and swung it with a mighty arm as it closed in on her. She struck it solidly on the chin, taking off the creature's horrible fleshy mask as it was thrown through the air and into the opposing wall.

"This is hardly even a challenge," Flax shrugged, watching as the demon stood up, dazed, its face a bloody, oozing mess. She grinned. "In fact, I'm kind of..." The smile fell from her face as her body shifted back into flesh. "Huh. That was unfortunate timing."

The demon growled loudly and jumped her, sending her crashing to the floor, where she dropped her mace. She managed to hold it at bay, keeping its claws away from her by securing its wrists with her hands, but it was a powerful creature and she wouldn't be able to hold out long.

Alyssa quickly thrust herself into the fray, picking up Flax's discarded mace and launching herself at the creature with wild abandon. She shoved the creature off of her friend and brought the mace down into its face with as much might as she could muster, following it with another heavy fall, then another, and another. She grunted with effort and tossed the mace to the side as she began to breathe heavily.

Her hands shook as she helped Flax to her feet, and she looked down into the pulp that had been the monster's head. Its hands still twitched, but it was obviously dead.

Alyssa wiped at her face, and stared down at the blood that had come off across her arm. "I...I'm not sure what came over me."

"You were left for dead," Flax said slowly, watching her. "And your friends were taken from you." She sighed. "And you've been doing this for a long time. Fighting. Killing. I think you're at your breaking point."

Alyssa shook her head. "I can't afford to have a breakdown now. And I think this is almost over. The queen, she's taking the others to the Necro-Lands to kill them publicly."

Flax blinked. "Well, we'll just have to stop them then." She looked back down at the demon. "While I was working on taking down one of the wards at Morgana's, some guards came and took Eric. They used some major mojo on him too. He went down quick."

"Took him? Where?"

Flax shrugged. "I hid until they were gone, but they went into Morgana's and retrieved her too. Her and Kaitlyn were frozen in place with these yellow glowing bands. I think I've seen them before, to keep people immobile. It's probably why Kaitlyn wasn't able to contact us again."

Alyssa considered this for a moment, then nodded for her to continue.

"I followed them to a loading area. They were locked into some carriages. I came back to get you guys so we could follow them together, and found the doors locked. I unlocked them."

"And I'm glad you did," Alyssa nodded her approval. "My gun was useless and my knives sort of...slithered away."

"Slithered?" Flax frowned. "Just what happened here?"

"I'll tell you on the way to the loading area."

Fifteen minutes later, they were crouched in the bushes near several parked carriages.

"Lilith...that's just...that's just crazy," Flax shook her head. "And awesome. Except not. At all. We're going to be battling a legend here. Like, a god."

Alyssa snorted. "Let's not give her too much credit here. She's a demon. Just an old one." She cocked her head. "So, do you have any brilliant ideas?"

Flax considered, watching the carriages.

Suddenly footsteps could be heard nearby and they ducked as several soldiers appeared near the carriages, ushering Vessa ahead of them. One of them carried Lace, who had a yellow glowing rope wrapped around her mid-section and arms, her eyes vacant, most likely in stasis as Flax had suggested. As they loaded them into carriages, another group of soldiers appeared, this one ushering Parker.

Alyssa held her breath as he was also locked into a carriage. "We have to follow them."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be too obvious," Flax scoffed. "But I do have an idea."

Alyssa raised an eyebrow as Flax pulled out a dagger and slit it over her palm. Blood pooled over her skin, and Alyssa watched in fascination as Flax murmured some words in what sounded like an ancient dialect, and rubbed the blood over her face, then Alyssa's. She traced a shape that looked like a hexagon with wings.

"What does it do?" Alyssa whispered, glancing back over her shoulder to see the soldiers preparing to leave.

Flax kissed her index finger, then brought it up to touch the center of the hexagon on both of their foreheads. Alyssa blinked as Flax suddenly faded from sight, like a ghost.

"What?" Alyssa blinked. "What is this?" She looked down at her arms and saw that they were still visible.

"Invisibility spell," came Flax's voice.

"Am I invisible?"

Flax was silent for a moment. "No. It's not working for some reason."

Alyssa frowned. "Great."

"I'll sneak onto that last cart, with the supplies and I'll knock out that guard."

Alyssa squinted at the cart that she referred to and nodded. "Okay."

She heard the rustling of the bushes as Flax slipped away, and sat up straight as the carriages began to move.

"Damn," Alyssa murmured, watching the carriages slip by. She stood as the final cart passed, smiling as an unconscious soldier fell off the back, unnoticed. "Thank you, Flax."

She sprinted over to the cart before it gained too much speed and pulled herself up, quietly slipping under a tarp, with a supply of blankets and weapons. She felt a reassuring squeeze on her right arm and smiled as Flax sighed. "Glad you could make it."

Alyssa chuckled and lay back. As interesting as the experience had been, Alyssa breathed a sigh of relief when she was able to see Flax again a few minutes later. Then she began pilfering through the weapons until she found two long knives that she liked, and filled her empty sheathes once more, feeling ready for whatever may come.

Flax peeked her head discreetly out from the tarp to assess the situation, and glanced back at Alyssa with a raised eyebrow. "There's something happening up ahead. I see something glowing."

Alyssa joined her and saw that there was a golden circle ahead, much like Lace's teleportation discs. The carriages were filing through it one by one and disappearing. "I'm sure that's the gate they're using to take us to the Necro-Lands." She turned back to Flax. "Fun."

Flax nodded and they sat back silently, listening to the carriages and the sounds of the horses, until they too were enveloped by the golden light.

### Chapter Thirty-Eight

As soon as the cart came to a stop a few minutes later, Alyssa peered out from their hiding place and watched as people began to vacate carriages ahead. They slipped out from the cart, keeping low as they made a beeline toward some stacked crates beneath a tree nearby.

Alyssa looked up at the fences surrounding the area. They were sturdy-looking and new, and judging from the sound of moans that came from the other side of the fence, it was keeping the flesh-eaters from joining the party.

Flax followed her gaze. "It's kind of smart, in a way."

"What is?" Alyssa frowned.

"Gathering people here, in the Necro-Lands. If you have to hide an army, which seems to be the case here, why not where no one would dare look?"

Alyssa shook her head, bemused. "Zombies make for good cover, I guess." She looked around at the forest they found themselves in, canopies of leaves shimmering overhead in the breeze, blotting out the red moon so that everything looked especially dark. Not that Alyssa could complain; it would certainly suit their purposes.

"What do we do now?" Flax whispered.

Alyssa watched a soldier inspect the cart they'd been hiding in. He looked around the cart, then pulled back the tarp, clearly perplexed. His eyes flickered over the fence, quickly moving past Alyssa and Flax's hiding place, before he hurried to catch up with the other soldiers, who were following a few carriages that were moving up ahead, probably the ones carrying the prisoners.

"Well, we've come this far," Alyssa said, and began moving in the direction that the soldiers headed, keeping to the treelines to avoid discovery.

After ten minutes of walking, Alyssa paused and cautiously kept her back to a tree, Flax following suit.

Flax held still for a minute, then peeked at the retreating forms of the soldiers in the distance. "We're going to lose them if we don't hurry."

Alyssa held a finger up to her lips for silence as the wind carried a voice to them.

"I don't know why she would be expecting trouble," a woman's voice said. "We're in the middle of nowhere."

"Best to be prepared, I suppose," a man's voice replied. "I guess she knows better than we would."

"I suppose so."

Alyssa peered around the tree to see two soldiers at the edge of the road.

"Got a light?" the woman asked, pulling out a cigarette.

The man held out his finger and a flame burst from it.

Alyssa looked at Flax pointedly. "Now." They charged the soldiers, quickly knocking them out before they realized what was happening.

"You're bigger," Alyssa said as she began to unbutton the woman's uniform. "You take his clothes."

"Excuse me?" Flax eyed the man with distaste.

"He's still kind of small."

With a glare in her direction, Flax did as she was told, and in the end, the uniform was slightly baggy, but certainly passable.

Alyssa's uniform fit perfectly. "There. Not too shabby."

Flax snorted, then traced a rune over the front of her uniform and blew on it. The rune momentarily glowed and the uniform seemed to shrink over her curves until it looked like it had been tailored for her. "Not too shabby at all."

Swiftly, they ran to catch up to the other soldiers. They reached the end of the parade of men and women in armor and chain mail just as they were slowing before a clearing.

Alyssa frantically searched the crowd for signs of their friends until she saw them being tied to wooden posts in the center of the clearing, atop a mound of straw and kindling. Her mouth dropped open in horror.

They were going to have a witch burning.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Lady Blood said, suddenly standing at the head of the group, a smile lighting up her pale face. "It is time for a new direction. This world has been in shambles for too long. It's time to unite! And now that the roadblocks holding back this world's potential have been properly disposed of, I propose that we lead this new world!"

The crowd cheered as Alyssa pushed her way to the front of the crowd of soldiers to get a better look at what they were dealing with. There were hundreds of people in attendance, she realized as she drew closer to where her friends were being held prisoner. When she was able to see more clearly, she also noted that there weren't just witch soldiers in attendance here, but werewolves and vampires as well. They intermingled with the witches, who sent sidelong, fearful glances in their direction, but there was no fighting, no attempts to harm one another.

Beth stood just to Lady Blood's right, looking excited, her face lit up as she hung on Blood's every word. Lilith was nowhere to be seen, but she was surely in the vicinity, pulling strings from the shadows. Alyssa had to wonder if Lady Blood knew just who the queen was, and if so, the extent that she was being used by her. She eyed the necklace of fingers around Blood's neck and shuddered at the power that they enabled in the monstrous witch. But as powerful as she was, Blood was nothing compared to Lilith. But it was Lady Blood's ambition that had gotten them this far. She had to be stopped before she truly gained control, a god-like power at her side.

And it's all my fault if she does, Alyssa realized with cold dread. I went after those targets to get my memories back, to get home. If not for me, The Fire King, Lord Kryd, Alpha and even the Fish-Man would be in her way, among others.

Now it was up to Alyssa to stop it. Right here, right now. And if she failed, the world would fall to Lilith's vision. And Alyssa's world would as well.

"The varied covens that show their support for this direction is proof that we can stand together to claim this world," Lady Blood went on, gesturing to some witches who stood behind her. "United in strength, we will be unstoppable."

Another cheer ran through the crowd as Alyssa examined the witches she'd alluded to. One was in a black outfit from head to toe, complete with a mask that only showed his eyes. Next to him was a man who appeared Middle Eastern in a green robe. Then there was a beautiful man with pale skin who had pointed ears, in gold armor. Alyssa narrowed her eyes. The Shades Coven. The Weathers Coven. The Elfen Coven. And as she looked around the clearing, she noted dozens of people in similar outfits to those leaders. They were actually backing her claim as ruler of the world. They must have been desperate to accept whatever terms she'd laid out. Or whatever threats.

Alyssa looked up at the wooden posts and saw that Morgana, Lace and Kaitlyn were all still wrapped up in the yellow, glowing rope. Parker, Vessa and Eric struggled against their restraints desperately, but to no avail. She watched Parker's face, the defiant determination in face of the hopeless situation, and sort of loved him for it.

"Now, together," Lady Blood said. "We lay waste to the old ways, together, and build a new life for ourselves, with this act." She nodded toward Beth, who suddenly boasted a torch. Beth grinned gleefully as she stooped into a low bow, then buried her torch into the straw and kindling, which immediately crackled to life with flames. The crowd roared in response.

"Alyssa," Flax hissed behind her. "If you have a plan, now would be good."

Alyssa watched the crowd respond to Lady Blood with something akin to reverence. She shook her head and leaned in to Flax. "Follow me."

"Where to?"

"Just trust me."

Flax pursed her lips, like she didn't like not being in on the plan, but nodded. The truth was, Alyssa didn't have much of a plan, so she wouldn't have known what to tell her.

Taking a deep breath for courage, Alyssa pushed through the crowd once more and circled the crowd of guests, flinching as they applauded loudly once more for something Lady Blood said.

At the edge of the crowd, Alyssa eyed the fire, which was steadily growing closer to her friends. The panic in Vessa's eyes was palpable.

Keeping their heads down, they rounded the wooden posts, giving pause at the two guards they found there.

The soldiers looked up at them, then approached, the man on the right smiling at Flax. "Some show, huh?"

"Sure is," Flax agreed as he drew closer. She glanced over at Alyssa and together, they attacked the soldiers quickly, before they could get out a warning, knocking them out with quick, succinct hits. Flax stood, breathing hard, looking at Alyssa expectantly. "Well, what do you have in mind?"

Alyssa frowned, looking up at their friends, their backs to them. "Can you undo their bonds?"

Flax glanced up at the wooden posts. "From here? I don't know. I can't think of any rune that would help."

"What about the golden ropes around the others? Can you depower them from here?"

Slowly, Flax shook her head. "No. They're pretty fragile though." She paused. "If I can get to Lace..."

Alyssa looked up at the wooden posts, growing nervous with how close the fire was to them now. And it was rising in intensity. She could feel the heat from where they stood. "No, it's...too far. Lady Blood would stop you before you're halfway there."

"I don't think so. Not with those flames. She's already moving away from them."

Alyssa turned to see that Flax was right. Lady Blood had moved a good distance from the flames. "True, but..." She closed her mouth as she saw that Flax was already trudging through the kindling, her skin transforming to rock as she moved.

Nodding, Alyssa watched her anxiously as she proceeded. "Come on. Just a little closer."

The crowd had noticed her, but the flames were fatal to vampires and most witches. The werewolves didn't seem keen on braving the fire either, and their hesitation gave Flax all the time she needed to rip Lace free from her bonds.

Lace fell to the ground, gasping, then backed away as flames sprang up before her.

Flax quickly ripped Kaitlyn and Morgana free from their bonds as well, but werewolves were beginning to leap through the fire toward them, led by Beth. They were clumsy on the kindling, teetering as they moved, but the rest of them weren't very graceful either. Alyssa quickly leapt into the fray too as the werewolves charged Vessa, Parker and Eric, who were still helplessly tied to their posts. Thankfully, Lace had the presence of mind to teleport them before the beasts arrived, dumping them unceremoniously behind the wooden posts, near the soldiers Alyssa and Flax had taken out.

Alyssa would have asked her to teleport them all out of there and a safe distance away, but everyone was too scattered. And Lace seemed to need a moment to catch her breath as it was, Flax taking the time to help her to her feet, which left them defenseless to the oncoming werewolves.

Grabbing her long knives from their sheaths, Alyssa ran at the creatures, growling all the while. The werewolves seemed wary of her and danced out of her reach, but one of them stumbled on the kindling, leaving it vulnerable to attack. Alyssa pressed the moment, quickly freeing its head from the rest of its body.

There were screams from all around now, and Alyssa saw most of the soldiers scattering. She smiled as she turned to the other werewolf, shocked to find it leaping at her, a few feet away.

She opened her mouth in a scream, but never released it, as the monster knocked the air from her lungs while it slammed her to the ground, perilously close to the fire. It had pinned her arms during its attack, and took a moment to loose a howl before finishing the job, a moment that cost it its life.

Parker dispatched the creature quickly with one of the soldier's swords, then grinned triumphantly down at Alyssa. "You're a sight for sore eyes." He reached down a hand to help her to her feet. "My hero."

Alyssa rolled her eyes, but couldn't help returning his smile. She shoved a finger lightly against his chest. "Come on, Romeo. Let's get out of here."

They rounded the fire and saw that their friends were busily engaged in battle, all save Morgana, who watched from the treeline with wide eyes.

Vessa and Eric were taking care of vampires left and right with swords, while Lace and Kaitlyn were doing their part to a lesser degree, also having gotten their hands on swords. Witches on Lady Blood's side joined the battle as well, some with familiars in tow, one even riding a huge brown bear.

Flax was taking on a group of witches who seemed keen on ganging up on a single enemy, but they'd picked the wrong target. In her rock form, those trying to take advantage of her exposed back merely had their weapons glance off of her. One witch in a green robe kept summoning some sort of wind to try to knock her off of her feet, but she stood her ground, the weight of rock keeping her planted.

Parker tapped Alyssa's shoulder and gestured toward Flax, indicating that they should help her. Alyssa nodded and they took off toward her. Halfway there, she saw a figure melt from the shadows to their left, and quickly went in with a knife to stop him from taking a sneaky shot at Parker. Two other witches covered in black seemed to appear from nowhere then, separating her from Parker. She quickly drew out her second knife and began swinging expertly, almost impressing herself with her skill.

Another witch in a green robe appeared behind The Shades Coven members and lifted his hand toward the sky. The clearing brightened as a bolt of lightning dropped from the sky, lighting up his hand. He turned toward Alyssa and threw his hand out in her direction, but she dropped to the ground as he released the energy he'd gathered her way, instead taking out the three swordsmen she'd been battling.

Before he could gather more lightning, she leapt to her feet and sprinted his way, shoving him off of his feet as he lifted his arm up to the sky once more. Quickly, she ran a blade over his throat.

Turning back toward the direction of Flax's fight, Alyssa saw Parker engaged with a dozen men. She frowned. Except that they were all the same man from The Elfen Coven, a cocky grin reflecting in every one of their faces beneath pointy ears. She approached them as Parker swung his sword through one of the men, the man disappearing like an illusion. Another one took his place.

"Great," she muttered, lifting a knife in front of her as she joined Parker. "Any idea which witch is which?"

He snorted. "Of course. I can feel where his power comes from. I was just toying with him."

The images all frowned at this news as Parker quickly swung his sword out to his right, taking off the man's head, the other figures disappearing all at once. He smiled at Alyssa. "Just waiting for you to catch up."

"Uh huh." She shook her head and looked to her right just in time to see a figure leaping at her. She got a knife up just in time to avoid having her face slashed to ribbons by a werewolf's claws.

Parker stepped in, but the werewolf gestured to two Shadow Coven witches, who suddenly engaged him.

Alyssa's eyes narrowed at the midnight color of the werewolf's fur, the knowing look in her malicious eyes. "Beth."

"Quite right," the girl said, offering her a toothy smile. "It will be an honor to be the one to kill you."

Blocking another barrage of deadly talons, Alyssa observed the hate on the girl's wolfen face and wondered again how she could have ever been fooled by her. She suddenly gasped as a claw scratched her arm, drawing blood. Drawing back, Alyssa looked down at the cuts, concerned, but they were shallow wounds.

"Reminiscing about the good old days?" Beth taunted, chuckling. "Not that you have much history to recall at the moment." She brought one blood-tipped talon to her lips and licked the blood from it, smiling. "Mmm. Delicious."

Beth suddenly leapt back as a sword swung in her direction. "How rude."

Alyssa watched as Vessa held her sword tightly, knuckles white, her face drawn. She looked scary as she stared down Beth.

Beth met her eyes and smirked. "Ah, yes. That cold taste of betrayal still burns in your heart, doesn't it? Like frostbite?" She stepped out of the way of another swing of Vessa's sword and laughed. "Testy, testy. Come now, Vessa. Our time together as whores must have meant something to you."

Alyssa circled around her. "Yeah. It meant that she needed to find some real friends."

Beth turned an eye on Alyssa, her lips curling up for a cruel retort. Vessa took advantage of the distraction to thrust her sword into the girl's chest.

With a gasp, Beth turned back to Vessa, shock on her face. She looked down at her chest, the sword buried nearly to the hilt. Alyssa, facing her back, saw the other side of the sword exit her body, dripping blood so dark that it was nearly black.

"And in case you're wondering," Vessa said, through clenched teeth, hands still gripping the hilt of the sword, "This sword is made of pure silver." She turned the blade in the wound, causing Beth to cough, a splatter of blood leaving her mouth. Then the girl smiled and began to laugh.

Alyssa's eyes widened as Beth backhanded Vessa, sending her sprawling to the ground. "What?"

Beth took a deep breath and slowly pulled the sword from her chest, wincing as it came all the way out, blood covering the blade generously. She looked over the blade for a moment before glancing down at Vessa. "Well, it used to be made of silver. The moment it touched my skin, I transformed it to steel." She tossed the sword to the ground with disdain.

Alyssa gripped her knife tightly in hand. "Alchemy can't save you every time."

Beth turned to her in time to see the blade cutting through her neck. Her mouth opened in surprise before her head fell to the ground with a soft thud.

Vessa wiped blood from her mouth and stood up, grabbing her sword. She watched as the body continued to move, and quickly hacked at Beth's torso, until she found the heart, which still beat in the werewolf's chest. She reached in and ripped it out, earning a spray of blood to her face. She hardly noticed however as she stared at the throbbing organ.

Alyssa watched her warily, noting that Beth's body still moved without that piece of flesh as well.

"I believe this is silver," Alyssa said, handing Vessa one of her knives.

Vessa watched the heart beat in fascination, then looked up and accepted the knife. She held the blade over the organ for a moment before piercing it.

Alyssa turned away as one of her first friends in this world melted into nothing. "It was nice knowing you, Beth."

### Chapter Thirty-Nine

"And there goes another fine general," Lady Blood said, suddenly behind them. "Such a shame."

"You're not going to win here," Vessa told her with a glare.

"No? I beg to differ. You're grossly outnumbered."

Alyssa looked around at her friends, engaging the enemy with fierce battle cries and clanging weapons, but it really wouldn't be enough. Lady Blood was right. They were hopelessly outnumbered. They would be lucky to leave this battlefield alive if they retreated now.

"So, this is where the real battle is," Flax said, approaching with Parker, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"The one where you die," Lady Blood agreed. She lifted a hand and several icicle projectiles shot from her arm, causing them all to dive out of the way. She lifted her head and laughed. "The Ice Queen may have been mad, but her powers were amazing!"

Alyssa blinked as an arrow suddenly embedded itself into Lady Blood's shoulder. The woman gasped and looked down at the arrow with a frown. Parker stood with his bow still in hand, staring her down, his jaw set.

"That wasn't very nice," Blood said, pulling the arrow from the wound with a sickening wet noise. She tossed the arrow to the ground, and the wound began to knit itself of its own accord. "Good thing I have your dead healer's power now."

Alyssa felt an angry fire flare in her chest at the mention of Mia, at this monster's use of powers.

Lady Blood put up a hand and Parker suddenly jerked, like a meat hook had lodged in his back. He gasped and Alyssa leapt to her feet, making her way to him.

"Nuh-uh," Blood said, and suddenly a sheet of ice rose from the ground in front of Parker, blocking him from her.

"Now this is interesting," the vampiress said, with a pleased smile. "I have to sink my psychic tendrils into a witch before figuring out their powers. Quite time consuming. This pretty boy can tell a witch's power with but a look. I could really use a power like that." Her smile grew as she took in Alyssa's look of horror.

Alyssa raced along the wall of ice to reach Parker, but it suddenly rose from the ground and swatted her back.

"Screw this," Flax said, at her side. She slammed her mace into the wall of ice and it shattered on impact. "You may have her powers, but The Ice Queen knew how to use them properly."

Alyssa covered her head as ice showered her head, little shards cutting into her skin like razors and sticking there. But she hardly noticed as she stood to follow Flax through the hole she'd made.

She stopped short when she saw Lady Blood at Parker's side, her hand caressing his neck.

Flax looked over at her, uncertain, as Vessa came up behind them.

"What?" Vessa said. "No. Not again."

Lady Blood chuckled. "I have to hand it to you, Otherworlder, you can certainly find the diamonds in the rough." She ran a hand up Parker's neck and he shuddered.

Alyssa met his eyes and she saw the look of defiance there. He wanted her to attack Blood now, while she was distracted by the prospect of his power. But that would mean his death. She couldn't do it. She shook her head slightly as sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Now," Lady Blood said, watching them all warily, "we can do two things here. I can either take his finger by force, from his dead body."

Alyssa stiffened and raised a knife.

"Or," Blood smirked, watching the blade rise, "I could take a finger now, and heal the wound promptly. Then you can have your little boyfriend back, mostly whole."

Frowning, Alyssa glanced at Vessa uncertainly. "I don't get it. What's the catch?"

Lady Blood shrugged. "I will require your surrender, of course." She snorted. "I'll even sweeten the pot. Your friends can walk away from this battle unharmed. I just want you."

"Don't do it," Parker said, gasping as Blood jerked his head back by the hair.

Alyssa swallowed hard, watching Parker for a moment. She glanced at her friends, Vessa shaking her head. What was she supposed to do here? If she let Blood have her way, she would be more powerful than ever and Alyssa would be dead, but her friends would be free. If she denied her conditions, Parker would be dead, and they would probably lose this battle anyway.

"Well, what is it?" Lady Blood asked, shaking Parker. "The boy lives or dies. Your call."

Lace suddenly teleported behind Blood and shoved a sword into her back.

Lady Blood shrieked as Lace tore Parker from her grasp and teleported away.

"No!" she cried, pulling the sword from her back. The wound began to heal immediately, but her face was contorted by rage. Her eyes seemed to glow red as she turned her gaze on Alyssa. "You had your chance for my mercy." And then she let loose with a barrage of attacks. The Ice Queen's icy mist rolled toward them, as well as glowing green spikes and silver chains that slithered along the ground toward them like serpents.

Alyssa took a step back. "Yeah. That doesn't look good."

"Nope," Vessa agreed, grabbing her hand.

The scent of tin invaded Alyssa's senses before she suddenly found herself immersed in green light.

And then she was on the other side of the fire, Lace smiling at her with Parker at her side. "You guys really shouldn't provoke a psychopath like that. Better not to engage her at all."

"We'll keep that in mind," Vessa sighed, leaning on Flax.

Alyssa looked past the fire at the battle still raging. Eric was taking on eight soldiers at once, Kaitlyn thinning out a crowd of Elfen witches with arrows. And Alyssa did not like the look of the Weathers Coven members standing in a circle on the far side of the clearing, gesturing up toward the black sky, one cloud hanging suspiciously low.

"Lady Blood's too powerful with all of her powers," Parker said quietly. "I don't know if we can beat her."

Lace cocked her head. "What if I teleported her magic necklace of crazy body parts away from her?"

"That would help," Alyssa acknowledged, "But it wouldn't be enough. She can still tap into the powers of every witch out there. And there are a lot of varied powers for her to choose from."

"What are you saying?" Vessa looked up at her sharply.

Alyssa sighed, her face drawn. "We're not going to win this way."

"What can we do?" Lace asked. "We can't just give up."

"No way," Flax shook her head. "We have to end this here and now. We may never get another chance like this again, with Lady Blood so close, her army in chaos. It's now or never."

Parker put a hand on Alyssa's back. "Do you want to retreat?" he asked softly.

Alyssa looked back at him for a moment, taking in his beautiful brown eyes, the stubble along his jaw. She couldn't just let his world descend into chaos at the hands of a lunatic. There had to be some way to put an end to this.

"We need to even the odds," Alyssa said slowly, an idea forming in her mind. "We need to thin them out."

"Easier said than done," Vessa scoffed. "It's not like we have our own army to call in."

Alyssa nodded slowly, then broke into a smile. "That's it!"

Vessa blinked, standing straight. "We have an army?"

Scoffing, Alyssa grabbed her arm. "I have an idea, at least. It's risky though."

"This world is risky," Flax said. "What is it?"

Alyssa turned to Vessa. "I need you to start pumping out pheromones. Now, and go stand with Lace while she opens a portal."

"Opens a portal?" Vessa frowned. "To where?"

Alyssa leaned forward and whispered into her ear, drawing back to see her pale.

"You can't be serious," Vessa said.

"I am. We can't win like this."

"We can't win like that either."

"Where am I opening a portal to?" Lace asked, frowning.

"The blood-hive."

Lace's mouth dropped open. "What? You can't...you're kidding, right?"

Alyssa smiled. "Vessa, hit us all with pheromones again. Make them think we're ticks. I'll just have to be careful, but the rest of you should be safe. Then while Lace opens the portal, release the pheromones you did for the locusts before. It attracted the ticks from twenty miles away. It's bound to bring them in droves with the portal open on their doorstep."

Vessa let out a shaky breath. "That is one risky plan."

"But it's one where we could come out the victors and shut this down, once and for all."

Vessa and Lace looked at each other for a moment, the latter white as a sheet, as they both seemed to contemplate the plan. In the end, Vessa nodded. "Let's do it," she said. "I'll go tag the others quick."

"And we'll watch her back," Flax said, clapping Parker on the shoulder.

He nodded and followed her.

Lace watched her go, then turned to Alyssa. "You are insane."

Alyssa smiled at the comment, silently agreeing with her.

Within minutes, Vessa returned and Lace was opening a portal, one of the largest ones that Alyssa had seen her work, nearly climbing the length of the trees around them, and just as wide. It was clearly taxing to her, as she grit her teeth and looked fatigued even after half a minute had gone by.

Vessa nearly glowed with magic as she stood at the entrance of the portal, clearly pushing her powers to the limit. And within seconds of opening the portal, the buzzing began to echo through the clearing.

Everyone seemed to pause to stop and listen for a moment, before a swarm of ticks tore through the portal, clearly agitated.

The clearing erupted into chaos as the witches began to scatter, screams nearly drowning out the awful buzzing of the creatures.

Parker grabbed hold of Alyssa and kept her firmly in his arms to protect her from the ticks, while Flax, Eric and Kaitlyn pressed the advantage and began to help the ticks take out the witches.

Alyssa tried not to watch the chaos, but couldn't keep from looking to see the sources of screams as ticks stung witches en masse, causing the bodies to pile up quickly. She saw ticks run their barbed arms through witches, the needles jutting from their mouths to drain them of blood. One helpless witch from the Weathers Coven was stuck by one tick's barb as it flew into the air, another tick also securing him with a barb, ending in the witch being ripped in half mid air as they moved apart.

"God," Alyssa said, hiding her face in Parker's chest.

Parker held her tight and put a hand to the back of her head. "It's okay. They won't hurt you."

Alyssa swallowed hard, looking up to tell Lace to shut down the portal, that enough ticks had come through, but froze as she noted the black spider pushing through, black eyes taking in the bedlam around it with relish. Its mandibles clicked with excitement as it skittered over the terrain and launched itself at a group of Shades.

"Enough!" Alyssa called out. "Stop it!"

Lace dropped her arms and the portal immediately closed, cutting a few ticks in half mid-air, their bodies twitching as they died. She teetered for a moment on her feet before she slumped to the ground, Vessa catching her before she struck her head.

Alyssa struggled out of Parker's embrace and turned to see dozens of the giant white worms, baby ticks, stuck to the chests of paralyzed witches, blood pooling around them, saturating the ground.

"This was a mistake," she whispered as she watched Parker hoist Lace into his arms, carrying her to the fire.

Vessa grabbed her arm and forced her to meet her eyes. "This was necessary for the good guys to win."

She shook her head. "What a price. We've released true monsters on them."

Vessa didn't say anything to that, but merely watched as Parker laid Lace down near the fire, blood dripping from her nose from her effort. Vessa leaned down before her and squeezed her hand. "You did good," she said.

Lace smiled and nodded.

A fog suddenly billowed over the ground ahead of them and dozens of ticks were frozen in place.

Alyssa let out a deep breath as Lady Blood stepped over the frozen grass, which crunched underfoot.

"Interesting idea," The witch said, hand on her waist, assessing the ticks. "Very clever. But it will hardly stop me. Ticks are mindless creatures that can be avoided. This was merely the beginning."

"It's your end," Alyssa told her. "Your troops will all fall."

"And there will be more to take their place," Lady Blood smiled. "Not that you would know. Because now, you die, once and for all."

A tick suddenly slammed into her body and stung her quickly in the stomach with its stinger.

Blood's mouth dropped open in horror before she slumped to the ground, veins standing out at the edge of her face. They began to fade after a moment, due to the healing abilities she'd gained from Mia, but it wasn't soon enough. The tick's horrible face leaned over her neck, its mandibles clicking excitedly, its mouth pieces fluttering. And then a needle darted from its mouth and into Lady Blood's neck.

Vessa winced and looked away, meeting Alyssa's eyes.

"It's okay," Parker whispered in her ear as he ran a hand through her hair. "It's all okay now."

Alyssa didn't reply, but turned her eyes back to Lady Blood, her head limply rolling back as another tick joined its friend, and inserted a needle in her thigh.

Swallowing hard, Alyssa watched Lady Blood's face as she died, imagining that the woman's eyes were fastened on her own. And she kept watching until her world turned black.

It was so easy. She pulled the trigger and the silencer made a small noise as the gun recoiled.

Alyssa couldn't look away as the man fell to the floor, blood spilling from his head where she'd created a hole. She was fascinated by his death and how simple it had been. One minute he was alive, staring at her with shock and horror, and then he was gone, lifeless and...just a pile of flesh and bone.

She looked up at the window of his train car. Gray matter had sprayed over the glass, obscuring the rolling pastures beyond that passed in a blur, ignorant of what had just transpired within.

She swallowed hard, nausea rising in the back of her throat as what she'd just done struck her like a blow to the head. She kicked his legs into the car and closed the door, glancing around to see if she was still alone. She was. And she was going to be sick.

Swallowing the vomit that rose in her mouth, she stepped forward on shaky legs. She couldn't throw up here and leave evidence behind. She had no choice but to keep it together for just a little longer.

She felt sweat break out over her forehead as she pulled the latex gloves off of her hands and tossed them out of an open window. Then she continued down the hallway, passing into the next train car, a group of bored passengers paying little mind to the pretty young woman walking up the aisle.

At the back of the car, she pulled open the lavatory door and locked it carefully behind her. She stared at herself in the mirror for a second, her pale skin looking even more sickly under the florescent lights. This was now the face a killer.

She dropped to her knees and leaned over the toilet as the vomit came again, and she let it out this time, with several body-shaking lurches. She wiped at her nose and mouth after she was done, recalling that another agent had told her the first time would be hard. After that initial kill, it was supposed to be easier. Second nature. Alyssa shook her head in wonder. She didn't know how something like that would ever feel natural, let alone easy. She had snuffed someone's life with a tiny flex of muscle in her finger. Just like that, he was gone.

She swallowed a sob, but let tears run down her face.

"Agent, is it done?" a voice asked in her ear.

Alyssa took a deep breath as nausea threatened to overwhelm her once more. She felt tired and drained. Like this wasn't actually happening, like she was watching the events through someone else's eyes.

"Is the double-agent dead?" the voice rang louder from her earpiece.

Alyssa licked her lips and touched the ear piece. "Yes, he's dead."

"Did you get an ID?"

"Yes."

"Copy that. Return to base."

A sob threatened to escape her again and she bit down on her tongue, drawing blood. She could still see his face. The look of shock, then guilt and horror. He'd stared into her eyes, pleading. But the papers in his hand had told her without a doubt that he'd been the double agent she'd been assigned to assassinate.

And then she'd killed Cory.

One minute he was alive, his eyes sparkling as always, his beautiful lips parted. His betrayal written all over his face. And then she'd done her job.

Someone knocked lightly on the door and she pulled herself to her feet. "Just a minute," she said, trying to push the look on his face from her mind.

She flushed the toilet and washed her hands and face. She took a moment to stare at herself in the mirror again, searching for any difference in her appearance. If something had changed in her eyes. But she looked the same as before.

Before stepping out of the restroom, she mustered a small smile, one of many masks she would wear through the years.

"You with us?"

Alyssa blinked up at Parker, who smiled down at her. Her heart beat heavy in her chest and she felt sweat break out over her face. She had...killed him? That's how it had ended? She had killed the man she'd loved?

She suddenly felt sick to the stomach.

Parker frowned and put a hand on her shoulder, looking her in the eye. "Hey, are you okay?"

Her mouth suddenly felt dry, so she didn't trust herself to speak. Instead, she nodded and let him help her to her feet. She tried to force the shock from her face, but she knew she must look dumbstruck. Parker kept sending her concerned looks. She just couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that she'd killed her beloved. Killed him.

I'm not a good person, she realized as she followed the others away from the clearing. How could she be a good person when she'd executed Cory because...because it had been her job? The look on his face was etched in her mind's eye. The look of shock, horror, betrayal...

"What's going on with you?" Parker whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her neck. She shivered as she looked up at him, his eyebrows drawn. "We need your head in the game here."

She licked her dry lips. "I'll be fine."

"The soldiers are clearing out of here," Flax announced, joining them, along with Eric, Kaitlyn and Morgana. "As soon as Lady Blood died, they began to panic." She shuddered. "Not that I can blame them. Death by tick is not a good way to go."

"The queen will be in a cave through the forest," Eric said, pointing behind them. "I interrogated a soldier. He said that she retreated there before the burning began."

"We can end her here and now," Lace nodded. "We can't let her escape."

"Agreed."

Vessa turned to Kaitlyn. "You should get Morgana out of here. We have to see this through."

Kaitlyn and Morgana exchanged looks.

"We will see her pay for her crimes," Morgana said.

"This is too personal to just wait for an outcome," Kaitlyn agreed. "We deserve to see her fall."

Vessa watched them for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But we can't worry about you while we're fighting. You can join us, and defend yourselves as needed, but we'll need you to keep to the sidelines."

Kaitlyn nodded. "I can live with that."

"Good. Then let's get in there and get this over with."

### Chapter Forty

"Well, this isn't creepy or anything," Lace shuddered, glancing around as they entered the cave.

Alyssa looked around the rough tunnel they found themselves in, frowning the further they went, as the torches lining the walls threw shadows over the rocks, giving their surroundings the illusion of movement.

She felt Parker's hand slip into hers and glanced back at him. The look he gave her made her heart flutter in her chest. His eyes met hers with such tenderness, such affection, that she had to resist pulling him to her, even in their current surroundings. But he didn't know what she'd done. Who she was. She could just as easily do the same thing to him, if the need arose. She shook her head. But could she? She found it hard to imagine. How had she been able to do that?

"What is this?" Vessa asked, touching the wall.

Alyssa followed her gaze and saw that the black walls ahead seemed to contain shapes. She stepped closer and made out the face of a man, twisted with pain. She frowned and looked up to see that the entire wall up ahead was made up of faces, in varying states of terror and agony.

"They're terrible," Lace shuddered, running her hands over the face of a man. She rubbed her fingers as she drew them back and looked up at the face, like she expected it to begin screaming at her.

"There is life in them yet," Morgana said, rubbing her arms as if to ward off gooseflesh. "Their souls are trapped here."

Alyssa blinked, staring at the wild eyes of a woman, scared out of her mind. What had Lilith done to her? It looked like the faces of these people were pushing up through the surface of a tar pit. "What did she do?"

"The queen isn't right," Kaitlyn shook her head. "She is mad."

"Lilith isn't right," Flax corrected her.

"Lilith?" Vessa frowned. "What do you mean?"

Alyssa blinked. "That's right. I forgot that I haven't had the chance to fill you in." She licked her lips as she met Flax's gaze. Then she proceeded to tell them about her confrontation with the queen.

"I can't believe it," Lace shook her head in disbelief. "This entire time, I've been living with a demon."

"She fooled us all," Morgana sympathized. "She is a convincing monster."

"But I don't get what she wants," Kaitlyn frowned. "Just to rule over us? And Alyssa's world? She's the mother of...all of us. You'd think that would be enough."

"Power corrupts, and even after all this time, Lilith has found a new ambition. Controlling her children. Creating them wasn't enough."

"And moving on to another world," Parker shook his head. "She has to be stopped. Now."

"Yes," Eric assented. "We will be victorious this day. The demon will fall before our blades, and the world will be free of her manipulations."

"Agreed, but let's not linger here" Vessa said, shaking them out of their reverie. "Lilith, the queen, whatever she is to us, she is a threat that needs to be confronted now, before she can scheme her way out of here and move on to a new plot."

Lace nodded. "The sooner we're done here, the better, I say."

With one last look at the woman's face on the wall before her, Alyssa turned and followed the others as they continued on, amazed at the sheer number of heads covering the span of the wall. There had to have been thousands of people looking tortured around her. What could Lilith have done to them?

She shuddered.

"You okay?" Parker asked at her side.

She smirked. "Yeah. Don't worry about me though. Keep your head in the game and live, okay?"

He raised his eyebrows at that. "Yes, Ma'am." He notched an arrow in his bow and she nodded approvingly. Then he watched her expectantly as she pulled her long knives free from their sheaths, before focusing on the large iron door that was growing ever closer at the end of the tunnel.

Apprehension gathered in her stomach as they stopped at the door, looking at one another. Lilith would be beyond it, the one pulling the strings of monsters like The Ice Queen and Lady Blood. Were they really ready to battle such a demon? One with perhaps god-like powers?

"Ready?" Vessa asked, her hand on the door.

Alyssa nodded stiffly.

Vessa met her eyes, then opened the door with a hard push.

Eric rushed into the room with a roar, her friends following quickly behind him.

Alyssa paused in the doorway to orient herself, looking back at Morgana, who nodded encouragingly beside Kaitlyn.

"Be strong," the old witch said. "We believe in you."

Raising an eyebrow, Alyssa looked over at Kaitlyn, who shrugged and smiled.

Alyssa began to turn her back on them, and gasped as the door suddenly slammed shut between them. She reached back and tried to pry it open again, but it wouldn't budge.

"Here they are!" a garbled, demonic voice announced, its voice booming through the room. "Welcome to your deaths!"

Alyssa turned to assess the room, resolving herself to the fact that she couldn't escape this. She would either face the evil of this room and triumph, or die trying to stop it.

The room was like a large cavern, dome-shaped with walls of rock. It was dark, lit by torches along the wall, with no windows or other doors to be seen.

There was a platform on this end of the room and one at the other, with three bridges crossing over to the other side. They were wide bridges that looked sturdy and made of some sort of metal, but they had no railings, giving Alyssa pause as her friends quickly made their way down the center bridge toward their waiting enemy.

She looked over the edge of the platform and swallowed hard at the black tar-like substance she saw sitting at the bottom, unmoving, but thick and soupy. It looked like it would swallow a person quickly.

Taking a few steps onto the bridge to assure herself that it was safe, Alyssa ran after her friends, her eyes finally lifting to see Lilith herself. She smiled demurely in a white dress, her blonde hair seeming to glow around her head like a halo. She looked more like an angel than a demon, but anything that had conducted itself the way she had was surely evil, no matter the packaging.

As she watched, Lilith lifted her hands and a loud cracking resounded around them. Alyssa turned her head, trying to discern where the sound was coming from, before realizing that four stone gargoyles that had been sitting on the corners of the platform that Lilith was on, were suddenly moving. As they shifted, rock fell from them to the pit below, quickly disappearing in the black substance.

The gargoyles were all demonic-looking as well, boasting wings and swords. The one nearest her took to the air quickly, its bulging eyes almost comical if not for the deadly blade it held back, as if ready to swing. Eric met it first, crossing blades with the creature with a grunt of effort. As the gargoyle's sword was made of stone, part of it chipped away on contact, but that hardly seemed to deter the creature, who quickly went in for another swing.

Flax, who was closest to Alyssa, licked her finger and traced a symbol onto the handle of her mace with her saliva. She blew on it then, and the outline of a horseshoe glowed brightly against the dark metal, and she propelled herself into the air, as if gravity suddenly had no meaning for her.

Alyssa blinked at the sight as Flax's skin and hair suddenly turned to stone. She didn't seem stiff and brittle like the gargoyles they fought, but strong and confident, swinging her mace with ease. She growled as she shot toward the gargoyle closest to her, smashing her mace into it with impressive force. One of its wings flew from its back amid a shower of granite and dust, and it suddenly fell from the sky, dropping, appropriately, like a rock. It crumpled into pieces as it hit the left bridge, large pieces rolling over the side in a shower of stone.

"Following your dear queen? It's quite an opportune time for a vacation, I suppose. The Necro-Lands are lovely this time of year, don't you think?" Lilith laughed, her voice echoing off of the walls mockingly. "I have lived here for years peacefully. What place is more private than the Necro-Lands, after all? Where none but the walking dead can hear you? So peaceful." She looked around the room. "And it's rather appropriate, I would say. My children are all walking about like those so-called flesh-eaters, aimlessly searching for destinies and meanings for their little lives. It would be cute if it weren't so pathetic." She sighed. "But in the end, they're all just as empty and warped as those rotting corpses, full of dusty memories and slowly rotting from the inside out. It's all so sad."

"But why?" Lace demanded, staring at Lilith with malice. "Why are you doing this? If life was peaceful, why did you ruin my life? Why are you ruining everything?"

"Because this world is broken," Lilith said, scoffing as she stared them down, her voice echoing around them omnisciently.

"She's a demon," Eric snorted. "She needs no reason. She birthed the first witches and then turned to evil ways. Now she's just a horrible thing, fanning the fire behind the monsters that torment us."

"Uh, uh, uh," Lilith wagged her finger at him. "I may be a demon and the mother to the witches of this world, but the monsters are all their fault. I had no part in the decisions my children made. The need for power, the greed that corrupted them to the point of altering themselves so completely, transforming themselves into monsters. No, I did not guide them toward such tragic choices. I merely sat back and watched what they would do. And I found it insulting. My children are an ungrateful lot. They lived full, vibrant lives here, and what did they want? They wanted more. They wanted purpose. They wanted immortality, to be surrounded by loved ones for all time. Always more. It was little wonder that they became their own reckoning. They created a world where they were the endangered species, sniveling and hiding in gutters and shadows while the big, bad monsters they created lorded over them all. Such a waste. All of that potential was snuffed out by each subsequent mistake. Until they began to lose hope and resigned themselves to this wretched state." She paused to shake her head sadly. "They wanted to be great, they wanted to find that easy spell that would make their lives easy and luxurious. Instead it wore them down and forced them into a state of ruin."

Vessa grunted as a gargoyle leapt at her. Her sword held it back, but she narrowly escaped a swipe of its strong claws. It hissed and danced away clumsily, Vessa landing a blow to its back that it hardly felt.

"What do you want from us?" Lace cried, watching the gargoyle warily as it ambled in her direction.

"Want from you?" Lilith echoed, watching them all in turn. "I hardly think you have anything to offer one such as me." She held up a finger. "But I have grown curious. Since this mark first appeared on me." She turned her back to them and plain as day, a pentagram was singed into her skin between her shoulder blades. "So, I followed the complex strings of the spell that did this to me, until they led me to you." She narrowed her eyes as she fastened them on Alyssa.

Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing to stare.

"I don't understand what this has to do with her," Eric stepped forward with a frown. "What is this spell? What is this mark?"

Lilith grinned at him. "Ah, yes. You want answers, I'm sure. But I'm not here to indulge you. You followed this group blindly and your part will play out as it was foreseen, just as all of you have your little parts, assigned to you by Fate. You are bound to these individuals in their undoing."

She turned to Alyssa. "You are the key here. You are the unknown in all of this, summoned to this world against your will. Why do you fight for it with such enthusiasm? For your freedom from the spell? Because it's the right thing to do? You are a mystery yet, but I would expect nothing less from someone so alien. Someone not of my blood."

Alyssa frowned. "I'm getting tired of hearing you talk."

A gargoyle suddenly dive bombed toward Parker, and Alyssa felt a scream rip from her throat as it slammed into him full-force, throwing him off of the bridge and into a freefall.

Alyssa raced toward where he had fallen over the bridge and leapt over the edge without thinking. She cursed herself in the back of her mind, but knew that she couldn't have just left him. He hit the black substance below and splashed on the surface for a moment before sinking.

"No!" she cried. Then she hit the liquid herself, feet first. She sank up to her neck, but hardly paid attention. She felt around her underwater and grabbed hold of the first solid object she located, pulling it up to the surface with strength she didn't realize she possessed.

Parker surfaced, gasping in air and wiping the black substance from his face with his hand. He looked at Alyssa incredulously. "Are you kidding me? You jumped after me?"

She shrugged, letting go of his arm to wade in the liquid herself. The black gunk was a lot like wet concrete, thick and grainy. It was hard to stay afloat, as it seemed to want nothing more than to suck them under. And since it was so thick, it was hard to wade properly, causing Alyssa to tire quickly.

"It's like quicksand," Parker managed, struggling again. "We're not going to last long."

Alyssa felt her neck go under and she sank past her lips. She spit out the liquid that had entered her mouth and looked to Parker with panic. What had she been expecting when she'd jumped after him? She looked around them, but saw no ledge. There was no escape.

"Just hold on," Parker begged, grabbing her arm to pull her up again. "Don't leave me."

She met his eyes and smiled. "Thank you. For everything. The time we spent together meant everything to me."

He shook his head. "No. Don't talk like that. Don't act like this is the end."

Swallowing hard, she nodded and looked up, watching as another gargoyle fell from the sky. "I think they're doing well," she said. She looked over at Parker and was startled to see him no longer beside her. "Parker?" She felt around her again, panicking, but couldn't find him. "Parker?!"

Then she was suddenly being pulled under herself. But it didn't feel the same as before. She frowned and suddenly found herself on the bridge, looking up at a relieved Lace.

"Thank god," Lace sighed. "I wasn't sure I could find you down there."

Alyssa glanced over to see Parker to her right, grinning at her through a film of black grime. "See? I knew we'd be okay," he said.

With a sigh, Alyssa fell back, her limbs weak from effort. "How's it going up here?" She forced herself to sit up and saw Vessa, Eric and Flax on the bridge up ahead, battling one last gargoyle who was already missing its wings.

Lace glanced up. "It's fine. By the time we actually get to Lilith though, we're not going to be able to put up much of a fight."

A golden light bathed the scene behind them and Alyssa put her hand up to shield her eyes before it disappeared. She lowered her arm slowly, blinking at Lilith, who stood a few feet from them, her head cocked as he watched them.

No one moved, as if being perfectly still wouldn't allow her to see them, but she took a step closer and looked at them each in turn until her eyes settled on Alyssa.

"They are my children," she said. "They are not your brothers and sisters. You don't belong here."

"I don't," Alyssa agreed.

Softening, Lilith stepped back and looked her over. "Perhaps your world is too strong for me, if it is populated by people as resilient and strong as you. Even without powers, you are quite...formidable."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Alyssa said uneasily.

Lilith watched her for a moment. "As exciting as this game has been, as much as I enjoyed every conquest you made during your quest, I can not let you succeed."

"Why not?"

Lilith raised an eyebrow. "My children, weak and powerless to the world, are beyond help. They are not brave or selfless. They never will be."

"I think they are. I believe they can change. They have changed."

"But they must create change on their own," Lilith insisted, leaning forward. "You can't be part of the equation. If you do everything for them, they will fall into the cycle once more and fall even further. What kind of a mother would I be if I didn't let my children fix their own mistakes and learn from them?"

Alyssa swallowed hard. "I think you're wrong. They used the magic that you granted them to bring me here. They chose to follow me. They chose to put their lives in danger for this cause."

"Led by you."

"Led by me. But do you really think they will just stop when I'm gone? They've been inspired by their successes."

Lilith considered her for a moment. "Perhaps." She shook her head. "I can send you back now."

Alyssa blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Just what I said. I will send you back to your world, with no memory of this place. You will regain all that you knew before and it will be like not a second has passed. And I will remain here with my children, and won't interfere with your world." She smiled. "That is what you want more than anything, is it not?"

Opening her mouth and closing it, Alyssa wasn't sure how to respond for a moment. She looked at her friends. Even in their current state, she could see the goodness in them, the hardships they'd endured to lead them to this path. It wouldn't be fair to just leave them behind without seeing this through. And besides, what did she have to go back to? Cory was dead. At her own hands. Her parents were out of the picture. She shook her head. But to have all of her memories restored? To finally know who she was, to have a history...it was so tempting she could feel her resolve waning. Tears gathered behind her eyes as the mere thought of it hit her. She could go home. She could have a home, somewhere to belong. She knew there was so much more to who she was that she didn't know, that she couldn't even fathom at this point. She wanted more than anything to feel whole again, to feel like she knew, with confidence, who she was. And those untapped memories would contain things about herself that she couldn't even dream. They were the missing fragments to who she was. She could have so much waiting for her back home that she didn't have a clue about.

But she could have that if she saw this quest through. Only two more monsters stood in her way, one of them facing her right now. And she knew that she could do that. Accepting Lilith's offer meant giving up, selling herself out, selling her friends out. She was the type of person who would finish this challenge without taking the easy way out. She knew that much about who she was. "I can't."

Lilith stood up straight. "You feel obligated to remain."

Alyssa slowly shook her head. "No, it's not that. It's...they're my friends. I couldn't do that to them. Whether I remember abandoning them or not, I couldn't do it. I'll do whatever it takes to fight alongside them and see them reclaim their world. Even if I die trying."

Lilith looked impressed. "Very well, Alyssa."

"What?"

Lilith watched them all for a moment as Eric, Flax and Vessa approached, having destroyed her final gargoyle. "You have proven that you are a true friend to my children. A warrior, deserving of my respect and consideration." She turned to Alyssa. "If circumstances were different, I would have been rather proud to call you daughter."

Alyssa didn't know what to say, so she nodded.

Smirking, Lilith drew herself up. Alyssa started as her features suddenly melted into those of a true demon's. She had Purple skin and a large forehead with black hair falling from it limply. She looked kind of savage, in a way, with pointy teeth that were a little crooked, but sort of refined at the same time, in her simple white dress, with a keen intelligence behind her eyes. "That being said, I give you the honor of dying by their sides."

### Chapter Forty-One

Flax swung out with her mace, but Lilith grabbed it by the spikes and freed it from her grip, tossing it over the bridge. She looked down at her hand as the cuts healed. "I don't believe you understand just how outclassed you are here. I am the first woman, the mother of you all. Do you think a weapon such as this can defeat me? I have watched empires rise and fall. I have seen my children grow into monsters and lay ruin to the lands. Merely drawing blood will not stop me."

Alyssa glanced around at the others, who all seemed at a loss. They had to do something to stop her.

Lilith looked up at Vessa and reached out a hand, grabbing her by the neck.

Eric quickly moved to stop her, but was backhanded, and fell to the floor with a loud, painful thud.

Vessa struggled in her grip, but she was no match for the demon.

Alyssa looked down at the long knives in her hand and realized how useless they would be against Lilith. Then her eyes drifted down to her belt, where the guns lay in their holsters. Her eyes widened as she dropped her knives and immediately withdrew the pistols.

She cocked one, then the other, holding them out before her. Good thing life as a spy had made her a good shot or she would be worried about hitting Vessa.

"I don't think you're going to be able to heal a head wound," Alyssa said, squinting as she aimed.

Lilith looked up at her as she fired both guns, hitting the queen squarely in the forehead with both shots.

Grinning, Alyssa lowered her guns, feeling a little fatigued from the events. She watched Lilith let go of Vessa, dropping her to the ground unceremoniously, before teetering on her feet. She waited for the demon to drop to the ground herself, but it never happened.

The wounds on her head closed and a grin crossed Lilith's face. "It appears that you're wrong."

Lace stepped forward. "Let's try that again, stepmother."

A round green portal opened up over Lilith's head, quickly enveloping it, then blinked out over her neck.

Alyssa gasped as, suddenly headless, Lilith dropped to the ground, blood spilling freely from her exposed neck, launching into the air like a fountain and spilling over her shoulders, her white dress absorbing the liquid, quickly turning red.

Lace's legs gave out, but Flax caught her, holding her steady.

"Holy crap!" Vessa exclaimed as Eric helped her up. "I didn't know you had it in you, Lace."

"Me neither," Lace smiled tightly, looking pale.

"I can't believe it," Flax shook her head. "That was Lilith. We just killed Lilith."

Parker sidled up to Alyssa and put a hand on her shoulder. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," she smiled back at him.

He returned her smile and she felt rather happy as he embraced her from behind, breathing in deeply. "I'm glad."

Lace wrinkled her nose as she shrugged off Flax. "That was gross."

Flax nodded as the scene faded before Alyssa's eyes. "Yes, it was."

Alyssa put a hand to Cory's back to help steady him as they walked along a dark street, the noise of the bar fading behind them. She shivered as she glanced around, the litter strewn across the sidewalk, the graffiti across the brick walls of buildings. He certainly didn't live in the most pleasant neighborhood.

"Let me see your hand," she commanded, looking at the back of his neck, the curls there clinging to his skin with sweat.

He sniffed, then held his hand out to her. "Not as bad as it looks."

"Jesus," she murmured, holding it between her hands firmly. She gently ran a finger over his knuckles, which were scraped and rather bloody. "Do you do this on all of your first dates?"

Cory chuckled. "Hey, if someone grabs my girl, I gotta react."

"Your girl?" Alyssa repeated, dropping his hand to dig through her purse. She pulled out a small silk scarf and watched as he cradled his hand again. It was probably stinging like hell. "Your hand."

He held it back out to her and she gently wrapped the scarf around it. "It's not much, but it'll do until we get back to your place." She cocked her head. "Why were we at that bar, anyway? You obviously don't go there much. Nobody had your back."

He grinned over at her. "Caught me. I don't really go to bars, to be honest. But I knew this one since it's near my place. And...I knew I could walk my ass home when you saw what a wanker I am."

She raised an eyebrow. "Wanker?"

"It's...it's British slang."

"I know it is. But you're not British, unless you've really worked to hide your accent."

He chuckled. "No, no I...haven't." He ducked his head bashfully and Alyssa couldn't help but smile. He was really adorable. And it definitely scored him some points that he threw some punches to protect her honor, misguided as he had been.

He stopped before a tall brick building with fire escapes running up the side. The light beside the entrance door was out, leaving them in complete darkness as he let them inside.

They went up three flights of stairs before reaching his apartment, and it took him three tries to get the right key out to open his door. She watched his hand shake, wondering just how drunk he was. He wasn't slurring his words.

"Home, sweet home," he announced as he finally managed to open the door. He ushered her inside.

She smiled. As dirty and dank as the outside was, it was rather charming inside, and rather spacious. There was a small kitchen to the right, its countertop open to the living room, with was sparsely furnished with a television, a sofa, loveseat and coffee table. She kicked off her shoes and walked over the hardwood floor to the sofa.

"Want something to drink?" he asked from where he lingered at the doorway.

She shook her head. "No thanks."

"How about some popcorn for the movie then?"

"Alright," she agreed. "Where's your bathroom? I'll get some bandages for your hand."

He glanced down at his hand. "Okay. It's the first door on the right." He began to rifle through a cupboard as she followed his directions. Once inside, she quietly opened the medicine cabinet and retrieved a box of bandages and an alcohol swab. She paused, glancing over at the door, then quickly examined the bottles he kept in the cabinet. But nothing set off a red flag, so she quietly closed the door and returned to Cory.

She smiled as she saw him on the floor in front of the television, looking through some DVDs in the cabinet beneath it.

"Got them," she said, cocking her head to listen to the microwave oven run as he took a seat on the sofa. She sat down next to him and quickly ran the alcohol over his knuckles. He stiffened, but didn't make a noise, although given how much blood was coming off of his skin, it must have stung quite a bit.

She leaned over and blew on the alcohol to help it dry, glancing up at him to see him watching her carefully, almost mesmerized. "What?" she asked, sitting up. She unwrapped a bandage large enough to cover his three injured knuckles and carefully laid it over the wound, pressing her hand down on the edges so that it stuck.

"You're just beautiful," he said.

She met his eyes, blue eyes like she loved in a guy, and blushed. "Thanks." She shook her head. "What should we watch?"

He licked his lips. "I don't really have much. I doubt you like romantic comedies."

She raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?" She frowned. "And does that mean you only have romantic comedies?"

"No, no!" he said with a laugh. "I mean, I don't really have much, including romantic comedies." He shrugged. "You just seem like a tough girl, like you're all independent and don't fall for that rom-com crap."

"Well, you're right," she agreed, then laughed. "You weren't really expecting to get laid tonight, were you?"

He froze and stared at her for a moment. "I, um..."

She put a hand on his thigh. "I mean, you weren't all cocky, expecting to get me into bed. Most guys are all prepared and smooth about it. They assume I'm going to stay over."

"Oh," he chuckled nervously. "No, you're uh...you're out of my league."

She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't be here if that were true. Plus I like genuine guys."

"Genuine..." He smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Cory." She smiled suggestively at him. "And you are going to get lucky tonight."

Alyssa stared into Parker's vest as she came to. Her throat felt tight at the memory. Cory seemed like such a great guy. She wished she could remember more about him. That memory belonged to her now, even if he was dead. Even if she had murdered him. It was part of her, and she would always remember and cherish it, hold it close to her.

"Alyssa?" she glanced up and saw Parker looking down at her.

She met his eyes, and felt herself tugged into his brown eyes. She frowned as she wondered if she didn't prefer brown eyes to blue ones now. Or maybe it was just Parker? He smiled at her, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"She's gone," Lace sighed with relief. "Thank god that nightmare is over."

"You did great," Alyssa told Lace, putting a hand to her friend's shoulder and squeezing.

Lace nodded. "We all did it."

The doors suddenly creaked open and Kaitlyn and Morgana slipped through the opening. Kaitlyn's eyes were wide as she took in the queen's body, shuddering visibly. "So, you killed her," she said quietly.

"We killed her," Flax agreed, solemnly.

Morgana approached with an unreadable expression on her face. She stared at the body, and her placid mask melted into a mixture of sadness and relief. "And with that, Lace takes her rightful place on the throne."

"Wait, what?" Lace stood up straight. "What are you talking about?"

Morgana eyed her with a small smile. "Are you not the king's daughter? His sole heir? The queen is dead and the throne is empty. It has been bequeathed to you now, as it should have been years ago."

Lace's mouth hung open, but Vessa clapped her back happily. "Look at you, Your Highness."

Licking her lips, Lace looked back at her with a shy smile. "This is going to take some getting used to."

As her friends jumped in with comments, Alyssa let out a deep breath and let herself enjoy the moment, savor the victory. They'd faced impossible odds and had come out triumphant. It was a small miracle, what they'd been able to pull off.

"So, what about the ticks now?" Flax frowned. "They're cut off from their home."

"They'll rebuild one, I'm sure," Vessa shrugged. "I wouldn't worry too much. They seem rather adaptable."

Eric touched Alyssa's arm after a moment. "Alyssa."

She smiled at him. "Eric?"

He frowned. "The spell. The marks. I need to know what they mean."

She came to a stop as he did, and stared at him for a moment, taking in the serious expression on his face, the worry in his eyes. The smile faded from her face as a concerned expression took its place. "Eric? What do you..."

He pulled the side of his trousers down, revealing the right side of his hip. She looked away for a moment before gazing at what he was trying to show her.

A pentagram burned into the skin there.

"What does this mark mean?"

Alyssa met his eyes, then turned to see Vessa behind her, pale as a ghost, shaking her head.

"You're Prince Air," Vessa breathed.

Eric nodded. "That I am."

### Chapter Forty-Two

Alyssa couldn't quite believe her eyes as she met Eric's gaze, his blue eyes so like Cory's. "How can you be Prince Air?"

Eric blinked. "I have never hidden it from you. I've told you all along my birthright. I am Eric, son of Phorseus the Great, heir to the Bloodlands of Nohr."

"But Prince Air?" Lace asked, her voice growing a little shrill.

Eric nodded. "Phorseus the Great is the king of the Viking Clan. I am his son. I was given the Bloodlands of Nohr and its warriors to oversee, and have become associated with the element of that eastern land, which is air."

Vessa put her head in her hands. "No way. No, no way. Beth, the queen, now you."

Running a hand back through his hair, Eric looked confused. "I don't understand what I did."

"Nothing," Alyssa told him. She hesitated as she saw Morgana step forward.

"He is the last target," she said, watching him. She turned to look at Alyssa. "When he is dead, the spell will return you home."

Eric stiffened. "Wh-what? Why me?"

Morgana looked at him. "The spell found your power to be great. Great enough to overrun this world with your army of Vikings."

"But he's just a witch!" Vessa said, throwing up her hands.

Parker shrugged. "We're all witches. The vampires and werewolves are witches. The Fish Men, The Fire King, The Ice Queen. They're all witches. Just changed."

"And how is he changed?" Vessa gestured toward Eric. "How is he a threat?"

Eric blinked. "My power is mastery over weapons."

"You are an immortal Viking," Morgana added.

He nodded. "That I am. If that makes me a monster, so be it." He turned to Alyssa. "Am I a monster, Alyssa? If I am going to destroy this world, I would have you strike me where I stand."

Alyssa swallowed hard, her eyes flicking over to Vessa, who had her hands over her mouth, tears escaping her eyes, shaking her head over and over.

Closing her eyes, Alyssa recalled what the hags had said, about why the spell had chosen her for this.

"Because you are willing to do what needs to be done."

The image of Cory's brains splattered over the train windows flashed through her mind. Despite loving him, she'd been able to do that. Because it had to be done, she was willing to sacrifice the one man she loved more than anything. Because it had been the right thing to do.

And with one flick of a knife, she could have everything that was stolen, ripped from her mind, returned to her. Everything she'd done led to this moment, when she killed this...monster.

She opened her eyes and looked at Eric, saw his set jaw, willing to accept the situation. Was it the right thing, killing this man? A man that she knew to be good?

Cory had been good, she thought, biting her lip. He'd done something wrong. He'd betrayed his country, perhaps. He'd lied to her, definitely. But she knew from the few memory fragments she'd regained that he was a good man. She didn't think she could love someone who wasn't.

She lifted her knife and set the blade against his neck. Vessa gasped, but Eric didn't even stiffen. He looked past her, making it easier on her to kill him. Selfless. Eric was a selfless creature.

But good people got hurt. Good people died. Cory had died.

But I'm not willing to do this, she realized, slowly lowering her knife. I'm not willing to what needs to be done. At least not anymore.

Maybe she wasn't the same Alyssa that she'd left behind on her Earth at all. Maybe she was someone different altogether. But it didn't matter. Not anymore. What mattered was who she was now. And she wasn't willing to make the same sacrifice she'd made back then.

Eric met her eyes, confused.

"No, Eric," Alyssa said, touching his chest and smiling up at him. "You're no monster. You're a friend."

He softened as he looked down at her. "Truly?"

She nodded and threw her arms around him. He stiffened for a moment, then embraced her as well, laying his cheek on top of her head. "You truly are a friend, Alyssa," he told her.

She felt Vessa hug her from behind as well. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you, Alyssa."

Morgana shook her head. "The spell will not be complete until he perishes."

"Then the spell won't be completed," Alyssa murmured, breaking away from her friends. "I'm done being manipulated and used. The hags may have thought that I would see this through. And maybe I would have if I'd been...someone else. But I'm not the type of person who would kill a friend. That type of person is the true monster."

Parker sidled up to her. "You won't be able to go home."

Alyssa looked down at Lilith's body. "No, I won't."

He glanced over at her. "But what about Cory?"

She looked up at him, surprised.

"I could tell," he told her. "When you said his name, the things you didn't say...I knew that you loved him."

She swallowed hard, recalling Cory's face, the touch of his skin, the sound of his laughter, the way he would look at her, like she was the most precious jewel in the world. Maybe she had loved him. But that Alyssa had made tragic choices.

She shook her head, smiling, and grabbed hold of his hand. "I have many of those memories, the same intuition. But the experiences I've had here, the people I've encountered, they've changed me. I'm not sure I belong there anymore." She grinned up at him. "I think I belong here."

Parker returned her grin. "God, that's so good to hear." He leaned forward and touched his lips to hers.

### Epilogue

Five months later...

In the distance, Alyssa could hear the cries of men as they engaged in battle around a castle keep. She gazed past the red tents flapping in the strong winds as crashing swords and magical blasts echoed over the hillside.

"I hear they expect to infiltrate the werewolf den by nightfall," Parker said softly beside her.

Alyssa lifted her head slightly as his fingers lightly traced over her hip. Smiling to herself, Alyssa slapped his hands. "There will be plenty of time for that later," she reprimanded him. "We came here to see Vessa and Eric."

"I don't think Eric needs us," Parker murmured. "Seems to be doing well enough on his own."

Alyssa turned from the sight of the battle and began walking along the tents again. "Yes, well Lace...er, Her Majesty has sent us with a message to the frontlines, and I intend to put it directly into his hands as ordered, if you don't mind."

"You're no fun when you're all business," Parker sighed, matching her long strides. "But one thing is for sure, Prince Air certainly has the ability to conquer this land, as was foreseen."

Alyssa nodded slowly. She'd been thinking the same thing lately. Despite the hags' spell displacing her for their own selfish needs, they had been accurate. Eric was a force to be reckoned with. He had easily conquered lands previously unbreeched, belonging to all manner of monsters terrorizing the lands. Now, they were ruled under the banners shared by Lace's kingdom and the Vikings of the north. A partnership unlike any before had been born of the adventures Lace had shared with Eric, not to mention Alyssa and the others. And with the former ruling monarch's treachery still fresh, Lace knew that she could count on Eric, where she was still trying to figure out whom she could trust in her own kingdom. Alyssa and Parker were her trusted advisors, and Alyssa had to admit that she liked the position she'd been granted. It wasn't anything she'd ever imagined, but being among friends and...and Parker, as she helped to cleanse the world of monsters, to make it safe again for ordinary witches...it just felt right in the end. And it really wasn't all that different from being a CIA agent. She was still information gathering, and taking down the bad guys. The stakes were just much higher here.

Before she knew it, Parker held up a tent flap for her, and Alyssa ducked through it quickly. The tent flap dropped behind them after a moment, and only candlelight illuminated the otherwise dark room, where Eric was pouring over several maps laid out on a table with two important-looking men and a fierce-looking woman. Vessa stood nearby, and rushed over to them when she caught sight of them.

"Another message from her royal highness?" Vessa asked, eyebrow raised. "Don't you have anything more important to do than play errand boys?"

"We like the fresh air," Parker said dryly.

Vessa snorted at that. "He's just finishing up now. They're so sure of their victory here, they're planning the attack of the next target."

As she finished speaking, she proved right. The company surrounding Eric bowed to him, and quickly left the tent, not bothering with niceties or to make polite introductions to the newcomers. Alyssa didn't mind though. She wasn't here for them.

"Ah!" Eric bellowed when he saw Alyssa and Parker standing with Vessa. "My two favorite errand boys!"

Vessa stifled a giggle, and Alyssa glared at her in good humor, mouthing "You'll get yours" before turning a bright smile on Eric.

"It's wonderful to see you again, your grace," Alyssa said, laying it on a little thick as she curtsied.

Eric waved her formality away. "None of that now," he said, grasping Alyssa by the arms and looking her over. He clapped Parker on the back in a friendly manner, and Parker had to catch himself from stumbling to the floor from the strength behind the motion. "We are all friends here," he said. "And we are equals, here and forever more. Those who have done battle together as we have share a bond that will never be broken."

"We owe you much for what you've done for the world in such a short span of time," Parker said. "It's unbelievable how quickly you're turning the world back over to the people."

Eric seemed to puff out his chest a little at the praise, and then slipped an arm around Vessa's waist. "I couldn't have done any of it without the fire this one lights in me. She is so damned inspiring."

Vessa rolled her eyes. "They have a message for your highness."

Eric kissed her cheek, despite her struggles, and grabbed the sealed envelope Alyssa held out to him. "Much obliged, much obliged." He gestured to the tent flap. "Shall we take a quick turn about the camp? It gets stuffy being cooped up inside all day. I would much rather be out on the battlefield, the spray of enemy blood staining my flesh, the sound of battle roaring in my ears." His grin widened. "I always pride myself on leading the opening charge with my men, but apparently, I'm too valuable to be out on the battlefield all day long."

Alyssa stepped back out into the fading sunlight, following Eric and Vessa. "Yes, well, you inspire your men in all that they do," she told him. "Their victories are yours, just like if you'd been on the field alongside them. This is all you."

Eric nodded. "Still, one feels like-"

An electric hum filled the air and Alyssa turned to see the hair standing up on Parker's arm. Alyssa looked down to see that she was completely unaffected.

Magic.

She glanced up just in time to see a green arrow, sizzling as if alive with electricity, bury itself in Eric's neck.

"No!" Alyssa screamed, as warm blood splattered over her face.

She rushed forward, watching in horror as Eric sagged into Vessa's arms, who was looking at him with wide, shocked eyes. "Eric?" Vessa called. "Eric!?"

Soldiers closed in around them in an instant, and a cackling laugh was heard as two men wrenched an old woman from the shadows of a nearby tent. She was smiling, proud even, of the heinous act she'd just committed.

Her eyes locked with Alyssa's. Blue eyes that Alyssa had once imagined as kind. But were calculating. Determined. Cruel and icy.

Morgana.

She nodded once to Alyssa before she was whisked away, out of sight behind the bodies of dozens of men who were scrambling to make sense of the scene.

The nod had seemed to say, "And now, it is done."

"Eric!" Vessa screamed.

Alyssa turned to see her beating on his chest, a spurt of blood weakly spraying from his neck, where the arrowhead jutted out obscenely. The next beat of Eric's heart sent only a trickle of blood down his flesh.

"Eric!" she screamed again.

But her voice sounded further away this time. And no blood seemed to pump from Eric's wound now. The fallen man's eyes stared her way, but were unfocused, glassy.

"Alyssa."

She turned her head to look at Parker, who was growing translucent. "Parker?"

The whole world was vanishing, shimmering and fading into white light, as if it were all a dream.

"Parker!" she screamed, and reached out her hand to him. Their fingers seemed to graze for a moment, but then everything substantial faded, and became white with a flash.

Alyssa gasped for air.

And then everything was bathed in darkness.

Dark, but not completely black.

She blinked and could make out shapes in the dark. Shades of dark grey.

Her breathing was labored, and she became aware that she was sitting upright on soft sheets. Had she blacked out? Had she been seen to bed?

But she knew that wasn't right.

A fan blew cool air, fighting against the balmy night and sending Alyssa's hair floating behind her.

A car honked from outside the window, which she saw was open to the dark sky.

But she didn't need to look out of the window to know where she was. She didn't need to turn the lights on.

She was home. Back home.

Parker, Vessa, and all of her friends...were back on that other world.

The spell had been completed. Morgana had seen to that.

Alyssa swallowed hard, feeling her throat grow thick as tears welled in her eyes.

Eric was dead. And she was suddenly alone, exiled from the world of magic and witches. Not even one friend remained from that world to grieve with over the sudden death of her friend.

Eric. Dead.

And what would become of that world now? Eric had been doing good! He'd been pushing back the evil in that world. Morgana...was a damned fool. She was so blind and fearful of the power he'd wielded as Prince Air that she couldn't see the way he'd been changing the world for the better. She was a slave to the magic and prophecy that those horrid hags claimed to wield. And she'd done everything in her power, thrown everything away, to ensure that the stupid spell had been completed. For better or worse.

And now Alyssa...was here.

She was an ordinary girl in an ordinary world, once more.

The sound of cars outside, the hum of electricity, was both familiar and foreign. But to Alyssa it was all wrong. Because she wasn't supposed to be here. She was in the wrong place.

She fell to her side and let the tears come, wondering what this meant for her, wondering how she could simply move on.

"I will get back," she vowed, holding on to the one thing that she knew would get her through this exile. "If it's the last thing I do, I will get back."

She sat up, swiped angrily at her tears and glared defiantly at the dark, meaningless shapes in the room around her. The spell the hags had used to bring her to their world in the first place couldn't have been the only avenue to reach that world. There had to be other ways. Even if Alyssa herself hadn't been touched by magic here, she had to believe that magic existed in this world. And she would find it. She had to.

"I will get back."

### PREVIEW

Dark Genesis isn't the end of Alyssa's story. Follow her further adventures with the monster hunters of Hunters of the Dark, beginning with the seventh book in the series, The Athena Corps, and see her return to the world of magic and witches in book eight, Dark Revelations.

For now, here's a taste of the first book in the Hunters of the Dark series, Her Dark Destiny...

### Prologue

Becca hated herself as she tentatively pushed the strap of her camisole back up over her bare shoulder. Picking up her red high heels, she plodded down the dank hallway, feeling utterly exhausted and used. She ached. She ached and throbbed in places she'd told herself she would never let anyone touch again. But she always did. She always let someone touch her, for the right price.

She sighed as she reached the entry door to the apartment complex she was leaving and slid her feet into the heels. She couldn't wait to take them off when she got back to her place. Maybe she would take a bath tonight, drink a glass of wine to help her relax, help her forget. It would feel nice to dull the pain, feel clean again. At least this one hadn't protested when she'd insisted on using a condom. Some of them did, despite the fear of STDs. Some people just didn't care. Some people just didn't think. They wouldn't catch anything. Not even from a dirty whore.

"Not here, Tom. Someone might see."

"So let 'em."

Becca looked up to see a man and woman kissing against a wall. The man's words were slurred. But he was only a man. None of her concern.

Deciding to avoid the happy couple, Becca ducked down an alley. The kind of dark alley her mother had told her to avoid. At least before kicking her out of her house because her mother's sleazy boyfriend had come on to her. Like it had been her fault.

Becca paused mid-stride as she heard a sharp clunking noise, like a tin can being kicked. She shivered, suddenly aware of all the shadows around her. Clutching her purse to her bosom a little tighter, she unzipped the top in case quick access was necessary.

She held her breath to listen and cocked her head, staring hard at all of the dark corners, willing them to unveil their secrets. Nothing. Just her nerves. Just her life getting to her.

She really needed that bath about now, needed to melt into the steaming water, not into these cold shadows that seemed to be breathing entities, barring her way. Shadow creatures from an alternate dimension, coming to whisk her away from a life of prostitution. Becca nearly giggled. The things she came up with sometimes. Anything would be better than where she was. Even shadows coming to abduct her.

But the shadows were moving. Or at least parting. Making way for someone...or something.

Becca's breath caught in her throat as a figure came to a stop before her. Her eyes widened as she took in the wild eyes, the unkempt hair. She must have been a beautiful woman when she made herself up, but just then, she looked mad, crazed. Something was wrong with her. And her round belly didn't go unnoticed by Becca. She was pregnant, probably about ready to pop. What was she doing out here in...her slippers? Becca looked again. Yep. Pink fuzzy slippers. Something was definitely wrong here.

"Um....miss, are you...are you alright?" Becca stammered.

The woman stared at her, as if she didn't understand, then her eyes fastened themselves down onto...her breasts? No...higher. Her neck.

Becca bit her lip and backed up a step, feeling a little self-conscious, a little vulnerable. Bumping into a crazy pregnant lady after she'd screwed some married forty-year-old pig wasn't exactly her idea of a fun Friday night. Give her an old-fashioned date anytime.

"Miss?" Becca tried again.

The woman looked up into Becca's eyes again and opened her mouth in a feral snarl, revealing two sharp canine teeth.

Swallowing hard, Becca dug into her bag, feeling a little more confident when her hand fastened itself around her wooden stake and mallet set. She pulled it out and let her purse drop to the ground, a wad of rolled-up bills spilling out alongside her keys and a box of condoms.

"Now this is my idea of fun," Becca informed the pregnant woman with a slightly psychotic grin. "God, this feels good, doesn't it? Just us girls?" She kicked the woman as she was about to strike and the vampire fell to the ground with a crash, seemingly tired, a little dazed. She must have just been made. Couldn't have been more than an hour old. Super-sharp reflexes usually kicked in after a couple hours of unbearable thirst. This wouldn't be as much fun as she'd hoped it would be.

"Oh, well," Becca murmured as she straddled the woman and placed the stake over her heart. "It's the thought that counts." She was about to hit the stake with a gleeful swing of the mallet when the vampire bucked savagely, startling Becca enough to expose an arm, upon which the woman immediately fastened her fangs.

"Gugh!" Becca yanked her arm back, caught off-guard and slightly afraid. She stared in disbelief at the woman's horrible maniacal grin where her blood - her blood - dripped down the undead chin.

"Damn trollop," Becca snarled, redoubling her effort to pin the vampire. Once she was firmly on top again, she didn't waste any time. She slammed the mallet down onto her properly-positioned stake with a grunt and felt the wood glide easily through the flesh, through the tissue. After a few more well-placed strikes, she finally drove it home, through the woman's tainted heart.

Becca stood up with a smile upon her face, mission accomplished. At least this was something she could be proud of.

The woman was ash in seconds. Everything just seemed to transform, atom for atom, to dust.

Reaching out a hand, Becca touched the tip of the woman's nose, greasy ash coming away with it. She rubbed the ash on the alley's brick wall and gathered her belongings together, kissing the wad of money before tossing it back into her purse. "Not a bad night." Glancing down at the blood still trickling down her arm, Becca scowled. She must be slipping, letting a newbie get the best of her, getting too arrogant for her own good. Sighing, Becca sent the body of ash a kiss goodbye and continued down the alley like she didn't have another care in the world.

She didn't pause as she left the alley and came out on a side street, a little jump in her step as she made her way to her apartment and its old claw-footed bathtub. She deserved extra bubbles tonight. And extra wine. Definitely extra wine.

If she'd given even the slightest pause, she would have noticed the ashen body shift behind her. She would have seen the right shoulder move and crumple in upon itself, the head rolling from its neck and shattering silently on the concrete ground, like glass, into thousands of papery shards. She would have noted the ashes scatter like leaves on a windy autumn day, tossed aside as if from a gutter, where they'd discreetly gathered. And she wouldn't have been able to ignore the tiny hand that reached out from the ash belly, seeking its mother's dead flesh, where there no longer was any.

