AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ash was exhausted after the visions and the stress of not knowing whether the people she cared about were alive. She still got tired during the day and decided to take a nap while she waited for news from Luca. She desperately hoped she’d gotten the information to him in time to make a difference. He’d lost so much already.
Her mind swam with thoughts of Luca and the others as she drifted into an uneasy sleep. At first, her dreams were ordinary, featuring her and Luca in scenes that had nothing to do with war. Things changed without warning.
Ash’s surroundings lost their hazy, dreamlike quality, and everything came into sharp focus around her. She didn’t know where she was, but she could smell fresh-cut stone over the blood.
Oh, my God. This is the new palace.
She fought the panic that threatened to overwhelm her and focused on committing every detail of the vision to memory. To her horror, rubble and bodies covered the floor in every direction. Turning around, she searched for anyone or anything she recognized. The first corpses she knew were Sasha’s and Anya’s.
After rounding a corner, Ash screamed when she saw Kittania’s severed head resting on an axe blade driven deep into the stone wall above her corpse. Feet away, Viktorija’s broken body lay in a pool of blood, her chest splayed open beyond any hope of healing.
The sounds of fighting drew her attention, and she ran that way, praying she would find Luca alive. She skidded to a stop when she saw him in the courtyard, facing an army of vampires and Therians. He loomed over them in dragon form, fighting with everything he had.
He lashed out with his spiked tail, talons, and teeth and bathed the enemies in dragon fire, then called the lightning that was his unique magic. There were too many for him to fight alone. No matter how many foes he eliminated, another wave attacked.
Ash’s heart constricted when she realized Luca was losing, and there was no one left alive to help him.
Someone shook her, and Ash jerked awake with a jolt. She sat up straight, gasping from the horror of her vision. It felt the same as the one she’d had about the fight with Nikoli. Her dreams were not that clear.
Calm down. It hasn’t happened yet. There’s still time.
Dani looked concerned. “Holy shit, dude! What the fuck happened? You were screaming.”
“Vision.” Ash jumped out of bed and scrambled for her phone. She called Luca, but he didn’t answer. Growling in frustration and worry, she texted him. “They’ll attack the palace in force.”
Running toward the room where Eiko was staying, Ash shouted, “Change of plans!” to alert the others.
After she burst through Eiko’s closed door, she woke the witch. “I had another vision of something that hasn’t happened yet. The new palace is under attack, and if we don’t do something, Kittania, Viktorija, and Luca are going to die, along with who knows how many others!”
Eiko was instantly alert and got out of bed. Ash had planned to build a name and reputation for herself in the supernatural world before she returned to Russia, but things had changed. Luca and their people were in danger. Between what she had seen and what Ivanna had shown her, Ash knew he would die if she didn’t do something.
When everyone was awake, they gathered in the living room, and Ash explained what she’d seen. She had to get back to Russia now and was open to suggestions for the fastest way to do it. She turned to Eiko. “Could we portal directly to the new palace if we pooled our power?”
The witch nodded gravely. “Not without risk. We will both be exhausted at the end of the journey, though you can feed to regain your strength. I will be unable to work the higher magics.”
Ash couldn’t sacrifice Eiko. “But… No, that’s not acceptable.”
Eiko held up a hand to stop her. “Ash-san, I am an old woman. If this is how I move on to the next adventure, I will know I went out…how do you say it? Kicking ass and taking names?”
Ash hugged her. “Thank you. I love you.”
Eiko nodded. “I love you too, dear. Don’t count me out yet. I will go prepare what we need. You should say your goodbyes now.”
Dani was crying. “I have to stay here, don’t I?”
Tears stung Ash’s eyes. “I hate this, but we are pushing it already.”
“Damn it! I know that, but it feels so fucking wrong,” Dani protested.
“I didn’t say I was just leaving you here, dumbass. I expect you to be waiting for a ride at the Tilichiki Airport in about twenty hours. Pack your shit and get to Russia.” Ash turned to Uuka. “You’ll stay and keep my parents safe?”
“Of course.”
She didn’t want to say goodbye, but every second she waited, Luca would be that much closer to a certain death. She had to make it in time.
She had to.
Dani hugged her and cried into her shoulder. “I love you, Ash. Your ass had better survive this fight and be there to meet me.”
