Page 119 of Taming the Kraken

Brian took one look at the situation, and rage surged through him. Dragons. They were dragons! And they had Ryker. He couldn’t contain his anger as he pushed past everyone, stepping out into the opening.

The men all turned their gazes to Brian. Their eyes widened, and small gasps escaped them. Some even immediately lowered their heads in reverence, knowing instantly who he was. “I don’t know who the hell you all are, but you are going to let him go or you’ll be feasting on my flame!”

“You shouldn’t be out here. Where are your guards? Why are you alone?” the man in charge said, looking past him at the small group that emerged behind him.

Brian sprinted forward, reaching Ryker. He pushed out his royal blue flame and melted the bonds off Ryker’s wrists. He then grabbed the object around his neck and shattered it. Ryker collapsed, and he caught him in his arms. “It’s alright, my friend. I’m here.” He looked down at Ryker, whose eyes flickered open before he completely lost consciousness. It looked like he was drugged with something. The fire flickered in Brian’s eyes as he glared at the dragons in front of him.

“You better start talking. NOW!” Brian’s aura expanded, and his roar echoed off the cave walls. At that moment, a woman walked in through a door on the opposite side of the cave.

“I can explain everything.”

CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

“Reiya, it’s nice to see you again. It’s been a long time. I’ve been enjoying my quiet time. Of course, Selene doesn’t know the meaning of being hands-off and she has dragged my brother into her escapades.” Kali gazed at Reiya and waved absentmindedly. “Anyway, I was dragged here for a reason. You want to know what you should do about the sprite inside the guardian.”

“Yes, please.” Reiya looked at the priestess. The last time she saw her was during a much different time in her life. Back when she was the same age as her daughter is now. Kali still had ivory skin and black hair, but back then she had black eyes instead of her current dark green. Seeing her now almost made her feel like she was that young woman again.

Reiya glanced around the frozen room. The walls were layered with ice, and the ground was like a fluffy snow carpet. Then just across from Kali were two other women sitting on frozen thrones that Reiya had never met before.

“The sprite inside Mikah was poisoned by demon blood. It was a sprite that belonged to the Unblessed.” Kali watched as Reiya’s lips parted and Levi rubbed her side, pulling her closer. “It volunteered to become a catalyst of sorts. Of course, at that time, they didn’t know that the werebear would become a guardian. They wanted him because … because they knew what she did.” Kali clicked her tongue and looked at the woman sitting quietly next to Shiva. The woman was tall and slender, with warm brown hair and golden eyes, though Kali had no clue how she managed to sit upright with the bouncing boulders she was blessed with.

“You should have taken responsibility for him until he was older. Instead, you played your game and vanished. You left the child to fend for himself, Gaia.” Kali sneered at the goddess, who glared back at her indignantly. What she did was more hands-on than what it should have been. Selene and Kali had spent so much time trying to restore balance, and now the trickling effects of a tilt were starting to begin again.

“Kali, get over yourself. Is Selene the only one allowed to aid her children? I saw potential in him. I helped him. I blessed him! I left him with his parents. I had no clue they would be killed. I’m not Selene. I don’t see the future. I’m too busy to watch over one cub.” Gaia folded one hand over the other as she looked at Levi.

Kali began laughing loudly. She raised her hand up to cover her mouth as she shook her head. “Try lying to someone else, because I already know what you were really up to.” She could read the goddess easily. This wasn’t about potential. It was about guilt.

Gaia’s eyes narrowed into slits as she glared at Kali. “You don’t know anything,” she hissed as Kali turned to face her fully. Everyone in the room could feel the tension between the two women.

“Oh … but I do.” Kali stopped laughing and narrowed her eyes at Gaia. “I’m not saying what you did was wrong, but that you should have been watching the cub after what you did. You should be watching him now. His powers matured many years ago. It’s only a matter of time before he realizes what he can do and unleashes it.” She stopped for a moment and her lips parted. “You regretted it. You’re afraid of what you did.” Her green eyes bore into Gaia. She wanted her to admit it. That what she did to Mikah was because of her own guilt.

“No …” Gaia’s voice was barely a whisper. “I regret what I wasn’t able to do.”

Kali’s eyes softened and her lips pulled down. Shiva reached over and patted Gaia’s back, offering her support.

“Can someone explain? I think we’re the only two who don’t know what happened.” Levi looked over at Shiva, who nodded her head.

“I’ll take over from here. I’ve been quiet long enough. I know this is difficult for you.” Shiva patted Gaia once more before she stood up and walked closer to Levi and Reiya.

“Talia, the primordial, had a child …” Shiva began.

“Talia?” Reiya asked quietly, quirking a brow in confusion.

“An original beast. She is as old as the earth,” Levi answered.

Shiva nodded her head. “The demons wanted to use Talia as a pawn in the war. The beast fought back, but against Mephisto, she didn’t stand a chance. Talia was killed, and her young child was severely injured and left for dead in the woods. Gaia came upon the child and tried to nurse him back to health. A primordial child is rare, and this one came from the beast under Gaia’s care. As one of her children, Gaia took the child in, but he didn’t make it. After just a few weeks, the young child died, having lost the will to live after the death of his mother. Gaia carried the lifeless child to a final resting place and that was when she ran into a small family of werebears. The couple had a toddler with them that was unwell. He was suffering from a heart condition and growing weaker by the day.”

“Gaia took the heart out of the lifeless child and blessed it. Then she gave that heart to the toddler … Mikah. Of course, not long after, the demon war took place. Both of the werebears were killed, and Mikah was taken by the dark elves. The dark elves were part of the Unblessed. They knew what Gaia had done and they wanted him on their side. So, they placed a contaminated sprite inside his body in hopes that the darkness would take over and they would gain a powerful ally. But they never could have guessed Mikah would be the next guardian. And with the princess’ light, the sprite has been held at bay.”

Shiva looked at Reiya and tilted her head. “You probably aren’t sure what all this means. And why Mikah is very special. Even on a terrifying level.”

“Stop the theatrics, Shiva. It’s quite annoying.” Kali clicked her tongue. Damn, that goddess loved to talk. “Mikah is the first of his kind, and he has a power inside him that can possibly rival a tier-one deity.”

“It can rival it,” Shiva interrupted. “I’ve felt it.”

“Okay, so what does all this mean about Mikah? And can we help him with the sprite?” Reiya asked as she looked into Kali’s green eyes.

“You are not understanding the magnitude of all of this. Selene has taken a different approach to try to prepare for the inevitable. But I am not like Selene. There is a much simpler solution.” Kali’s green eyes bore into Reiya’s. “A war is coming. One like we have never seen. The balance is shifted with Mikah as the Fairy Princess’s Guardian. We can let the war happen … keep in mind that it will be much more traumatic than the demon war. Or … we can stop it from happening.”