Alana raised an eyebrow. “Did Mom and Dad know about all the crazy stuff you did until after you did it?”
“Nope! Let’s keep it that way.” I shot a glance across the beach, where my parents were receiving their orders from Eldin. Nadine and Ethan were with them. The only parents that weren’t coming were Lucas and Emma, who were still in Edinmyre working on making that hole in the afterlife for us to sneak through. “Though I’m not sure you’ll be able to keep this from them for long.”
Alana caught sight of our parents and ducked behind a couple of her warriors. “Shit! Don’t let them see me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on, Alana. We’re going to need you and your team of Toaqua to calm the waves so Charlie can form a portal.”
Alana got to work right away. She lifted her hands, and her comrades joined her in unison. The waves that broke the surface of the sea gently calmed, until the ocean began to shimmer and develop a reflective sheen, sparkling against the starry sky.
I gently nudged Charlie’s shoulder with my own. “Your turn.”
Charlie slid off of Oberi’s back, wandering toward the water. He lifted his hand so his magic could feel where the hole in the shield was, then once he found it, slipped through. I watched as he spread his hand out over the water, and a ripple of magic glistened across the reflective surface.
It still gave me goosebumps whenever he cast his Elf magic. He was so gifted at whatever he did. He had no idea how special he was. It was one of the great tragedies about him.
“The portal’s open,” Charlie called. “Once we walk through, we’ll be in the lake near Fasva.”
Marcus and Kallie went first, to break the wards that would allow the others passage. Kazim and Sigrid followed; they were the rulers of the fae, so they were leading the excursion into the camps to free the prisoners. Soldiers began to slip through the shield’s hole after them, one by one. Once they were on the other side, they walked into the waves, which swallowed them up and portaled them to Malovia.
It appeared all our allies were here— everyone but Ivy and Opal. Ivy had retreated so far from our group that I wasn’t even sure they’d received the message we were rallying to fight. Opal had a daughter to think about, and her skillset was better suited here in Ilamanthe, where she could keep children like Casey, Marina, and Maverick out of harm’s way.
I wasn’t mad at Ivy for missing out. I didn’t want to worry about them, and no matter how badly our friendship had ended, I didn’t want them to risk their life in a fight that wasn’t theirs. It was better if they were out of harm’s way.
Everyone else was poised and ready to fight, including Chancey and Eddie, the Demigod Guardians, our parents, and all their friends. Even Marcus’ little sister Erica had shown up, along with Ghost, whose hands shook against vials of battle potions he had strapped to his waist.
It took some time for the army to get through. The beach slowly emptied, until Charlie, Oberi and I were the only ones left on it. I gripped my bow tightly, excited to get back out there. I was a fighter, with a warrior’s spirit. I wasn’t happy unless I was warring against something. It was finally time for me to rejoin the battle.
“Time for us to go through.” Charlie reached out to me from his place on the ground. Oberi wouldn’t fit through the hole as a wyvern, so Charlie needed to carry me. I slid off of Oberi and into Charlie’s arms. He cradled me against his body, carrying me through the opening within his strong arms.
This reminded me of our wedding night. My heartbeat pulsed wildly, and a thrill rushed through my veins as I took in his chiseled jawline. He couldn’t look at me, but I could gaze at him all I wanted as the moonlight reflected off his jet-black hair, soft dots of sea water hovering from his eyelashes.
I still thought he was the most handsome man that had ever lived. Walking into the ocean with him like this, I could almost pretend like nothing else mattered.
“Something wrong? You’re awfully quiet,” Charlie said as we walked into the ocean.
I didn’t take my eyes off of him as I said, “Everything’s perfect, so long as I stay in this moment and don’t leave.”
“What are you talking about?” His brow furrowed, because he didn’t get it.
“Nothing you’d understand.” How could I explain to Charlie how in love with him I still was? I couldn’t. It’d be impossible.
Oberi shifted into a husky and trotted through the hole in the shield to follow us as we entered the water. The cool water graced my skin. I held on to Charlie tightly, holding my breath as he walked us into the deep. I wrapped my arms around his neck, clinging to him and my bow as our heads sank underneath the waves.
We entered the portal the moment we went underwater. We remained suspended in time, our bodies floating together as crystalline stars drifted around us, not going in any particular direction, just hovering.
This felt a lot like our marriage. Frozen in place, not heading anywhere or going away from anything. Just stuck in the same spot with nothing to cling to but each other. I held him tighter, closing my eyes. I felt the waters around us shift and grow darker as our heads emerged from the deep once more.
When I opened my eyes, I knew we were in Malovia. It was significantly colder here, and the foliage was a different type, a coniferous forest instead of the flourishing tropics of the Mediterranean. I shivered. This lake was much chillier than the warm ocean we’d come from. In the distance were the lights of the town of Fasva, where the prisoners were being kept.
Oberi came doggy paddling by. He transformed back into a wyvern, and Charlie set me onto his back, strapping me into the saddle.
“You should go and join the others. They already have a head start,” I hushed quietly to Charlie. We didn’t know who else was out here, and it was a risk being overheard.
“I’m not leaving your side. We’re doing this together.” Charlie rolled his shoulders, and his body started to change. Now that Oberi was free of the collar, Charlie could absorb his powers and shift again. He changed into a black wyvern, hissing and spitting venom as his gigantic claws dug into the sand.
We emerged from the lake, water dripping from my hair and my boys’ scales. We must’ve looked like quite the formidable sight; a woman dressed in fire armor and carrying a bow, riding upon the back of a monstrous beast with sharp, bared fangs, an equally menacing wyvern circling the area around them. Charlie emitted low snarls as his heavy footsteps pounded into the dirt, creating a war song.
“Good luck,” I heard Alana whisper. She and her Toaqua soldiers were hiding in the bushes around the lake, waiting for the inevitable moment The Mission followed us out here to spring upon them. It was so dark out I could barely see her silhouette sheltered within the nearby trees.
