Mystic Betrayal, page 11
part #2 of Mystic Series
“Many centuries ago, my grandfather built this as his home and had a powerful sorcerer, possibly even a Mystic, protect it from all harm including curses. It’s the only reason we still have color inside its walls.” Zane continued walking down a long hallway.
Her emotions grew stronger. So this castle protected their emotions too. What a nightmare? Like dangling a piece of food in front of a starving man but keeping it just out of reach.
“In here. I have prepared a meeting room. These are my brothers: Blaze, Vex, and Dagger. The rest are overseeing a project that we’ve devised to assist in the battle should we not break through the curse in time.”
Kate still hadn’t stopped staring at the brothers. She would have bet her life they had joined the Olympians. Add in the togas and the image would be complete. Instead they were all dressed in black and carried weapons across their chests. Most of them had tattoos going up their arms. The grayish hue that had surrounded Zane had turned golden. She finally took a seat. It reminded her of ancient tables meant for knights as they planned their battles. Fitting for their purpose today.
Kate took initiative. Time was of the essence. “Before we begin, we will need you to tell us a little more about your father’s ritual. I have learned a few things, but I need a clear vision.” Xander began the conversation instead of Zane.
“We don’t really understand why the worlds were separated into multiple realms, but I’m sure there was a reason and there are several theories of course. Most magical beings have access to the Human Realm, the Magical Realm which is how we hide our community, the Shadow Realm which is how you can access all the other realms, and the Hell Realm where the demons reign. If we lose during the Rising, the demons would take control of all the realms except the Shadow Realm, but eventually it would probably fall too.” Xander’s tone and expression turned bleak. He continued.
“Shadow Warriors got their name because they rule in the Shadow Realm. Their main purpose has always been to kill the demons escaping from the Hell Realm before they managed to find a way into the other realms.
“Wizards, gliders, and other magical beings focused more on protecting humans from discovering magic, maintaining balances in nature, and tracking down any of our evil rogue counterparts, and, of course, preparing for the next Rising. The Shadow Warriors handled all the demons, so we had plenty of time to deal with all I just mentioned. Since they were able to travel between the realms, they also could enter the Human Realm. They tracked and killed any demons that slipped through the Shadows. We depended on them.” He trailed off and Zane took over.
“We loved protecting the humans. It’s our main reason for existence. We were full of life and color then and radiated positive energy. Many of the warriors married humans or other magical species, and many had human friends all over the world. Several of the warriors even stayed predominantly in the Human Realm, but we were ultimately organized similar to a tribe.” Kate could tell he was starting to get to the important parts as his voice deepened and his emotions heightened.
“Our leader, my father, was Laxus and his wife was Ari. They had nine sons and two daughters. Every warrior was required to swear a blood oath at puberty to receive their full powers as a Shadow Warrior. They were cast permanently into the Human Realm if they ever refused to take the oath or if they ever refused a direct order. In addition, their powers and immortality would be stripped. All warriors were to remain faithful to their purpose of protecting all species from demons.
“I was Laxus’ oldest remaining son, so I inherited the leader of the Shadow Warriors. However, I wasn’t the oldest by birth. A lot happened for me to gain the title. The last Rising was a brutal battle beyond description. Shadow Warriors are always the first line of defense to take out the demon threat while you focus on the Omega and other minions that got in the way.” Zane paused and for a moment she wasn’t sure if he would continue.
“The demons were ready for us in the last battle. They created super demons that we had never seen before. They were extremely hard to kill and absolutely mad. We finally realized not even the Omega had complete control of them because they started killing demons as well. Their strength was incredible, and they were vicious to the core. When the realm opened, the super demons came out first to destroy the Shadow Warriors and other top warriors. Many were slaughtered right away, and others stood their ground for as long as they could while others tried to figure out how to destroy them.
“Through dumb luck, they discovered that the blood of a Shadow Warrior through the heart was the only way to kill them. They had to dip their weapons in the blood of fallen Shadow Warriors in order the kill the super demons. You can imagine that caused quite a head trip for many. I lost two of my brothers in this battle. They died buying time for the rest of us to find a way to live.
“My father went mad when he found out about their deaths. He was not at the battle because he had already begun showing signs that he wasn’t all there anymore, and my mother convinced him to stay with her. He blamed the humans for all their negative energy. He believed the demons had been able to use it to create their super demons.
“After a couple of months, Ari died from guilt because she had asked Laxus to stay behind and from a broken heart. Laxus became even more crazed without Ari there to help keep him under control. He was always ranting about the humans and rallying against the purpose they had been created for. The other warriors became confused and chaos overtook the Shadow Realm.
“I tried to keep everything under control and to keep my father sedated, but it was too late and too much damage had been done. His mind was so far gone that he had no rational thoughts left for me to tap into to calm him. A dissension began between the warriors and they plotted to kill Laxus. My brothers and I fought them off.
“It was during one of these skirmishes that Laxus snuck out of his containment cell and went to our sacred temple. He performed an ancient ceremony to denounce the humans and wizards who he also blamed in his madness. He used his royal blood and this highly complicated spell which resulted in the banning of the Shadow Warriors from going into any other realm besides our own. We tried to stop him, but once again we were too late and the damage was done and sealed in blood.
“The Shadow Warriors were immediately called back to the Shadow Realm. Those that refused to leave their families and friends were stripped of their powers and became mortal. The rest were pulled back into their realm leaving their family and friends behind, but you can imagine and understand their anger. All their joy snatched from them in an instant with no time to say good-bye.
“This caused a huge battle between the Shadow Warriors who felt they had been stripped of their purpose in life and those that were still staying loyal to their new leader. I knew my father was descending further and further into madness, and he would not give me the spell to undo what he had caused. Eventually to save my homeland, we killed our own father in a ceremony to pledge allegiance to the Shadow Warriors. We agreed it was the only way to try and save our race and renew our purpose.” What a burden he carried. One crazy man had ruined an entire species. She didn’t know how to free them, but she would try.
“I have reorganized now and have a strong set of warriors including all of my brothers who have stayed by my side. They catch as many demons as they can, but I’m always searching for a way to break the spell and regain the ability to reenter all the realms.”
Kate couldn’t stop her head from circling around the information. There were so many questions to answer, but would there be enough time to discover the answers? They needed answers and she had always found it useful to go back to the beginning. She wanted to retrace the steps of the day the curse was completed. “Tell me more about the actual curse.”
“My father created it himself, combining several into one. Then he went to the holy temple. He cast the curse and used his blood to seal it. None of us were there, so most of what we have is speculation. The only thing we have never told anyone but the Council is about our sacred talisman. It had been passed down from generation to generation and worn by the current leader. Once he completed the spell, he was thrown off his feet. Our amulet fell to the ground and shattered. It was made from seven rare stones and a center diamond. They were embedded in the Celtic Tree of Life symbol. When it hit, the gems disappeared. We never recovered them. I placed the amulet in a sealed box. Rowena couldn’t fix it. She said the curse destroyed it and we would have to find the key to repairing the sacred trust.” He stood and grabbed a long wooden box from the table behind him.
“It’s yours, Mystic. As a sign of allegiance and faith that you will help us find our way, my brothers and I have decided to pass our amulet to you.” She opened the box. An ornate Celtic symbol with seven missing stones hung from an old battered silver chain. Its beauty must have been breathtaking once upon a time. She felt humbled and in awe mixed with a little fear.
She lifted it carefully out of the box and everything went black. A voice spoke in her mind. Was it a warning or a vision?
You will find me where it all began.
A war was waged to save this land.
Take heart, be brave, and rescue me.
Tis death to all if I’m not freed.
Mystic, the task passes to you.
Until Shadow Warriors pledge anew
Come find me where the rocks stand tall
Find me and you can save them all.
Whoa, everything slowly came back into focus. Zane and Xander were hovering over her. It took her a second to get her bearings and even then she wasn’t sure what had happened. She did know that they had been given a clue and hope.
Zane spoke first. “What was that you were saying? What did it mean? It mentioned the Shadow Warriors and us taking a pledge. Why has it passed to you?” His distress was not helping her own thudding heart.
“I don’t know, Zane. I wish I did. I’ll take it back to the Council and we will try to figure it out. Maybe this is the key and where it starts to regain your freedom. For now, we know it has meaning and mentions being saved. It’s a beginning. There’s a way.” His brothers appeared a little agitated at her lack of explanation, but Zane didn’t seem surprised at all.
“I suspected as much. It’s part of the price that must be paid, brothers. None of us believed this was going to be an easy journey to undo the sins of the past. With a new hope in mind, let’s focus on the new traps that will hold more demons and don’t require us to activate them.”
“What do you mean?” Xander leaned forward to take more notes. He was meticulous and always searching for every advantage. Her Guardian.
“Our usual traps involve portals. We suck them in, kill them, and move on. Our new traps project portals, bring them in, and hold them until we can deal with them. Very few demons have been able to escape in our test runs. During the battle, we can use them to capture demons and reduce the numbers you are fighting. My brother, Storm, is in charge of the new weapon. He’s running the final tests today for a full trial run.”
Nikki’s intake of breath momentarily distracted Kate. She glanced over but Nikki waved her off and pointed back toward Zane. Maybe she was losing her mind. A person couldn’t even take a deep breath without her going on full alert. She needed a serious chill pill. That would definitely go on her questions list for Rowena. For now, I better keep my behind focused on whatever might help save it.
“The traps sound great. Keep me posted on your progress. We need all the weapons we can get. Right now our battle analysis isn’t looking so hot.” Angie snorted and muttered something about a major understatement. She was about to tell him to speed things up when the doors flew open and one of the warriors came rushing in.
It had to be another brother based on his appearance and similarities to Zane. His voice carried that same deep resonating tone and his hair was midnight black. “The cages have passed all the tests. We’re good to go. I wanted to give you the results before everyone arrived.”
The man finally scanned the room. “I guess the meeting has already started. I apologize for the interruption.”
Nikki’s inner distress doubled Kate over from the pain. She really had to learn how to control that too. What was happening? The brother completely turned around. His gaze froze on Nikki.
“Nicolette, you’re here.”
“Storm, it’s been a while.”
Everything clicked into place. Kate understood the cause of her distress. Storm, brother of Zane, was the lost love of her life. The one she had lost because of the curse. The one she still loved after four hundred years apart. Kate couldn’t imagine that type of love or pain. But she was feeling it.
Her chest tightened. Nikki’s heart shattered. Seeing him again awoke every memory from the past and every moment since they had been apart. Storm’s own emotions were more controlled but still shot an arrow through her heart. He carried a lot of anger but none of the love had been diminished. Both were doing everything they could to forget and survive.
Silence descended. Everyone looked from one to the other. Obviously, not many had known about their relationship.
Nikki ran for the door. A strong wind followed her, rattling the artwork on the walls. Her emotions triggered her powers and Kate tried to help her control them. Storm went after her and caught her arm. “Wait.”
Their first touch in so long destroyed Nikki. And Storm. Uncontrollable tears streamed down Kate’s face. She couldn’t shut down the emotions. The amount of pain unleashed crushed her. At the bottom of everything, an unparalleled anger raged inside both of them. Xander wrapped his arms around her, but his own anger didn’t help the whirlwind inside her. Her insides were ripping into pieces. She struggled to breathe.
Nikki finally turned and faced him. “Why? It was hard enough the first time. All these years, I thought I could move on. That I could find happiness or at least peace. But you’re always there. In my mind. In my dreams. In my heart.” Tears flowed down her cheeks. Kate held on to Xander and told Angie to grab Xavier. They wanted to comfort her, but she needed this confrontation. She needed absolution.
“There’s not a single day that I haven’t thought about you, Nikki. I carry you with me, always. It wasn’t fair. I get that. You didn’t have to completely cut me out of your life. I tried so many times to reach out to you. But you never answered.” His pain was as strong as hers. Resentment had made its way into his heart as well. As Kate turned her full focus to Storm, she saw the black void inside him. He had held on to hope for so long and finally turned to anger to deal with the pain. She honestly couldn’t pinpoint which one was stronger in him: Love or Hate.
“What are you talking about? You chose the Shadows, you chose to leave me. Part of me understands why. I do. How could you think that talking through portals and mirrors or me visiting for an hour a month is any way to live? I would have gone insane. We both would have. Deep inside I wanted you to choose us. I would have aged with you in the human world and stayed by your side. It would have been enough for me. To love you and leave this world with you. It’s selfish. You were needed here and I was needed in the Meadows. But I still would have traded it all for you. I’m sorry and I know that’s not fair.” Storm wiped the tears from her eyes. His own radiated pain. They had completely forgotten their audience.
“So you cut me out? Never said goodbye or tried? I loved you so much. I had to help my brothers. It was my father that caused the curse. It wasn’t right to leave them to clean up the mess or to watch another sibling die in the human world like we had to watch my sisters die. They both chose the Human Realm. We could have found a way. An hour a month or seeing your face every day, it has to be better than four hundred years apart. I would’ve done anything for you.”
She caressed his cheek. Her smile was sad and her eyes puffy. Love didn’t fade in their world. It only grew stronger. And they had loved fiercely. “Anything, but stay.”
She went to Xavier and tucked her head into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, protecting her from the world the best he could. “I’m so sorry, Nikki. I never knew. I would have tried to help or whatever you needed.”
“It’s okay, baby brother. Fate gave you the one power I would have given anything to have. Some things just aren’t meant to be. You know that better than anyone. Please take me home. Please.”
“Are you sure? It seems unfinished here.” She nodded. She met Storm’s eyes and then walked away.. Angie followed to give her support. Kate’s vision turned to red from the absolute pain radiating around them.
They went through the doors while Storm watched in silence. He had a tick in his jaw. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that he wanted to run after her. But he stayed frozen wrapped in his own anger and pain. Kate doubled over once again as he began to lose control of his emotions. Her cry finally got his attention. “I’m sorry to have caused you pain, Mystic.”
He opened a different door and disappeared. How did you fix a cut that ran so deep?
Xander led her over to the table to sit down. Zane joined them. No words were found for several minutes. Zane raked his hands through his hair and sat heavily in the chair. “I never knew. He had told me that he was in love and planned to marry a wonderful woman. I even helped him find the ring. Then our father spun that stupid curse and everything went to hell fast. He never mentioned her again, and I guess I never asked.”
At that moment with his guard down, Kate saw the devastation and pain so many of these warriors carried. They had been stripped of their purpose, of their lives. The fact that they still fought for good, fought for justice, humbled and amazed her. The Shadow Warriors were exceptional beings. She pledged to herself to free them. No matter what. That same freedom might restore a love long lost but destined to be.
She had a few ideas of her own. Should she tell him now or wait until Xander was otherwise occupied? She didn’t believe in keeping secrets. But she also had a world to save. She needed an objective opinion for this new plan in her mind. Xander still worried and obsessed far too much. She would be the same if the roles were reversed.
