26. Bittersweet Res

26

Bittersweet Reunions

Roman

" D amn it," he growled, his voice rough with exhaustion and frustration. "These things just keep coming. It's like they're being pulled from thin air, like there's no end to them."

Adrian nodded, his face grim as he blasted another spirit into oblivion with a bolt of searing light. "It's Lydia," he said, his voice tight with anger and disgust. "Riordan must be amplifying her power, giving her a reach that goes beyond anything we've seen so far."

Roman's stomach churned, a sickening sense of dread settling in his gut. He had always known that Lydia was powerful, that her mastery over the spirits of the dead was a force to be reckoned with. But this, this was something else entirely.

It was like she had become a conduit, a channel for Riordan's twisted, malevolent energy. And with every passing moment, with every spirit that rose from the earth to do their bidding.

Roman could feel the wrongness of it, the perversion of the natural order that made his skin crawl and his blood run cold.

"We have to keep pushing," he said, his voice low and intense as he met Adrian's gaze with a fierce, unwavering determination.

Adrian nodded, his jaw clenching with a grim, unyielding resolve. "Agreed. But Roman we're running out of time. The others, they're starting to flag. We can't keep this up forever."

They were all fighting, all giving everything they had to push back against the tide of darkness that threatened to swallow them whole. But Adrian was right. They were starting to flag, their energy and their magic dwindling with every passing moment.

"We need a new plan," Roman said, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a way to turn the tide, to find a chink in Lydia's armor and exploit it for all it was worth. "We can't just keep hacking away at these things, hoping that eventually we'll break through. We need to find a way to cut off the source, to stop Lydia from being able to summon more spirits to her side."

Adrian frowned, his brow furrowing with concentration as he considered Roman's words. "But how? She's too powerful, too deeply entrenched in Riordan's web of lies and deceit. We can't just march up to her and ask her to pretty please stop trying to kill us all."

Roman barked out a laugh, the sound harsh and humorless in the eerie, oppressive stillness of the forest. "No, I suppose we can't. But maybe… maybe we don't have to."

He glanced over at Kieran, who was standing guard over King Oliver's prone form, his face set with a fierce, protective determination. The young prince had barely left the King's side since the attack, had barely taken a moment to rest or recover from his own wounds in his desperate, single-minded need to keep the man he loved safe.

And in that moment, watching the way Kieran's eyes never left Oliver's face, the way his hands never strayed far from the hilt of his sword, Roman knew what they had to do.

"Kieran!" he called out, his voice ringing clear and strong above the chaos of the battle. "I need you to stay with Oliver, to keep him safe and out of harm's way. Can you do that for me?"

Kieran's head snapped up, his eyes widening with surprise and a flicker of fear. "What? No, Roman, I can't just… I can't leave you all to fight this battle alone. I have to help, have to do my part to stop Lydia and her minions before it's too late."

But Roman just shook his head, a small, sad smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You are helping, Kieran. More than you know. By keeping Oliver safe, by giving him the time and the space he needs to heal."

Kieran opened his mouth to respond, but before he could utter a word, a shout from Adrian cut through the air like a knife.

"Look out!"

Roman spun around, his heart leaping into his throat as he saw what had caused Adrian's cry of alarm. There, emerging from the shadows of the forest like a nightmare made flesh…

Was a headless man, riding atop a horse as black as the void itself.

The Dullahan.

Roman felt his blood run cold, a sickening sense of dread settling in the pit of his stomach. He had heard stories of this creature, whispered tales of death and despair that had chilled him to the bone.

But to see it here, now, in the flesh it was like staring into the face of his own mortality, like feeling the icy breath of the grave on the back of his neck.

"Fuck," he breathed, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword as he fought back the wave of fear that threatened to swallow him whole. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

He turned to the others, his face set with a grim, unyielding determination. "Be on guard," he warned, his voice low and urgent. "The Dullahan… it's immune to magic. We can't fight it with spells or incantations, only with cold, hard steel."

James nodded, his eyes flashing with a fierce, unbreakable light. "I can use my magic to create weapons," he said, his voice ringing with conviction. "Swords, axes, whatever you need to take this fucker down."

"Do it," he said, his voice low and intense. "And hurry. That thing's not going to wait around for us to get our shit together."

As if on cue, the Dullahan let out a bone-chilling shriek, its mace whirling through the air as it charged towards them with a speed and a fury that defied belief.

Roman shifted into his bear form, his paws pounding against the earth as he lunged forward to meet the creature head-on. Beside him, Luca did the same, his wolf form a blur of fur and fang as he tore into the Dullahan's flank with a savagery that made Roman's blood sing.

Roman could feel the wrongness of it, the perversion of nature that made his skin crawl and his stomach churn with revulsion.

The Dullahan was no ordinary foe, no mere monster to be defeated with brute force and sheer, stubborn will. It was a creature of death itself, a harbinger of the end that could not be reasoned with, could not be bargained or pleaded with.

And it was strong, so much stronger than Roman had ever imagined. Every blow they landed seemed to glance off its armor like rain off a duck's back, every strike of their claws and teeth seeming to do little more than enrage it further.

"It's too much!" Luca panted, his voice strained with pain and exhaustion as he staggered back from another fruitless assault. "We can't beat this thing, Roman. Not like this, not without magic or some kind of divine intervention."

Roman snarled, his bear form rippling with frustration and desperation. He knew Luca was right, knew that they were outmatched and outnumbered by a foe that seemed to defy all the laws of nature and reason.

"James!" he roared, his voice echoing through the clearing like a thunderclap. "Where are those fucking weapons? We need them now!"

A flash of light, a burst of power that made the air crackle with energy. And then, in the hands of their companions, the weapons appeared. Swords and axes, spears and maces, each one glowing with the fierce, unbreakable light of James's magic.

"About fucking time," Christian muttered, his fangs bared in a feral grin as he hefted a massive, two-handed sword. "Let's see how this bastard likes a taste of cold iron."

They charged forward as one, their weapons flashing and their hearts pounding with the thrill of battle. Adrian and Rowan, their swords whirling in deadly arcs as they hacked and slashed at the Dullahan's armor. James and Christian, their axes and spears finding the chinks and the weak spots in the creature's defenses.

And Roman and Luca, their bear and wolf forms a whirlwind of fur and fang and sheer, unbridled savagery as they tore into the Dullahan with everything they had.

It still wasn't enough. The Dullahan was too strong, too fast, too utterly, terrifyingly relentless in its pursuit of death and destruction.

Roman could feel himself flagging, could feel his strength and his will beginning to wane in the face of the creature's onslaught. And as he staggered back, his paws slipping in the blood and the gore that covered the ground.

Then he saw it. Saw the Dullahan's mace, whirling through the air like a thing alive, its spiked head glinting with a malevolent, hungry light.

Time seemed to slow, each heartbeat stretching out into an eternity as Roman watched the weapon descend, as he braced himself for the impact that he knew would end his life, would send him screaming into the abyss of death and oblivion.

But the blow never came.

Instead, a voice rang out across the clearing, fierce and familiar and filled with a rage that made Roman's heart skip a beat in his chest.

"Get away from him, you headless bitch!"

Roman's head snapped around, his eyes widening with shock and disbelief as he saw Merin, his mate, his partner, his fucking soulmate riding atop Vale's back like a knight of legend, his sword flashing in the eerie, otherworldly light of the Forest of Despair.

"Merin?" he breathed, his voice hoarse with emotion as he stared at the man he loved, at the fierce, unbreakable determination that blazed in those green eyes he adored. "How… how did you…"

But there was no time for questions, no time for explanations or reunions. The Dullahan was still coming, still bearing down on them with a fury that made the very earth tremble beneath their feet.

"Fight now, talk later," Merin said, his voice ringing out clear and strong as he leapt from Vale's back, his sword raised and his magic crackling around him like a living, breathing thing. "We've got a monster to slay, a world to save. You with me, Blackwood?"

Roman felt a grin spreading across his face, fierce and feral and filled with a wild, reckless joy. He shifted back into his human form, his hand finding Merin's and twining their fingers together in a gesture of love, of unity, of the bond that tied them together across time and space and the very fabric of reality itself.

"Always," he said, his voice low and intense as he met Merin's gaze with a look of quiet, unwavering strength.

"Alright, you headless son of a bitch," he snarled, his sword flashing in his hand as he stepped forward, as he put himself between the creature and the man he loved more than life itself. "Let's dance."

The Dullahan shrieked, its mace whirling and its hooves pounding as it charged towards them with a speed and a fury that defied belief. But Roman was ready, his sword flashing and his heart pounding with the thrill of battle.

He met the creature head-on, his blade clashing against the Dullahan's with a ringing, bone-jarring impact. Beside him, Merin fought with a grace and a skill that took Roman's breath away, his sword weaving and dancing in a deadly, mesmerizing pattern.

The others joined the fray, their weapons flashing and their magic flaring as they poured every ounce of their strength and their will into the battle. James and Christian, their axes and spears finding the chinks and the weak spots in the Dullahan's armor. Adrian and Rowan, their swords whirling in deadly arcs as they hacked and slashed at the creature's flanks.

"Be careful!" Roman shouted above the chaos, his voice strained with worry. "The Dullahan's immune to magic. We can't rely on our usual tricks."

But Merin just smirked, a glint of mischief in his eyes that made Roman's heart skip a beat. "Let's see if he can handle the Arcane bow and arrow, shall we?"

With a flourish, Merin summoned his trusty weapons, the intricate curves of the bow gleaming in the eerie light. He nocked an arrow, the tip pulsing with an otherworldly energy that sent shivers down Roman's spine.

"Jimmy, where's the weak spot on this bastard?" Merin called out, his gaze never leaving the Dullahan.

The ancient cat leaped onto a nearby boulder, his tail swishing with anticipation. "Aim for the hole in its neck," Jimmy advised, his voice carrying an edge of urgency. "That's where the dark magic is concentrated."

Merin nodded, a grim determination settling over his features. "Vale, I need you to charge this arrow. Give it everything you've got."

The unicorn whinnied, his horn glowing with a brilliant, pulsating light. He touched the tip of the arrow, and Roman watched in awe as the projectile absorbed the energy, the shaft vibrating with barely contained power.

"Alright, you headless freak," Merin muttered, drawing back the bowstring. "Let's see how you like a taste of Arcane magic."

He loosed the arrow, the air crackling with energy as it streaked toward its target. Roman held his breath, his heart pounding in his ears as he watched the glowing projectile close the distance, praying to every god he knew that it would find its mark.

And find it, it did.

The arrow slammed into the gaping hole in the Dullahan's neck, a blinding explosion of light and power erupting from the point of impact. The creature let out an unearthly shriek, its body convulsing as the Arcane magic tore through its essence, ripping apart the dark energies that held it together.

For a moment, just a moment, Roman allowed himself to hope. To believe that maybe, just maybe, they had done it. That they had found a way to defeat the undefeatable, to banish the creature of death back to the abyss from whence it came.

But even as the thought crossed his mind, even as he felt the first flicker of relief kindling in his chest…

He knew. Knew with a bone-deep certainty that it couldn't be that easy, that the Dullahan was far too powerful, too deeply entrenched in the dark magics that fueled its existence, to be felled by a single arrow, no matter how potent.

And sure enough, even as the creature staggered and reeled from the blow, even as its form flickered and wavered like a candle in the wind.

It did not fall. Did not crumble to dust and ashes, did not vanish into the ether like a bad dream banished by the light of dawn.

Instead, it reared back, its headless body twisting and contorting in a grotesque parody of laughter. And as Roman watched, his heart sinking and his stomach churning with dread…

The hole in its neck began to close, the ragged edges knitting together like torn flesh mended by some unseen hand. In a matter of seconds, the wound was gone, leaving no trace of the damage that had been done.

"Fuck," Merin breathed, his eyes wide with a mix of awe and horror. "That's not good."

"You think?" Roman retorted, his voice tight with a tension that bordered on hysteria. "We hit it with everything we had, and it didn't even slow down. What the hell are we supposed to do now?"

The Dullahan struck again. Its mace whirled through the air, a blur of spiked metal and malevolent energy that slammed into Adrian's chest with a sickening crunch of bone and flesh.

Roman watched in horror as his friend flew backwards, his body rag-dolling through the air like a puppet with its strings cut. He hit the ground hard, a choked, gurgling sound escaping his lips as he struggled to draw breath through the blood that bubbled and frothed at the corners of his mouth.

"Adrian!" Roman screamed, his voice raw with anguish and rage. He lunged forward, his sword flashing in his hand as he threw himself at the Dullahan with a fury that bordered on madness.

But the creature was too fast, too strong, too utterly, terrifyingly relentless in its pursuit of death and destruction. It parried Roman's blow with contemptuous ease, the force of the impact sending shockwaves up the half-fae's arm and nearly knocking him off his feet.

The Dullahan's mace slammed into his side, the spikes tearing through flesh and muscle and bone with a white-hot burst of agony that stole the breath from his lungs and the thoughts from his mind.

He felt himself falling, felt the world tilt and spin around him as he crashed to the ground in a heap of shattered armor and broken bones. Through the haze of pain and the roaring of blood in his ears, he could hear Merin screaming his name, could feel the crackle of arcane energy as his mate poured every ounce of his power, his very soul, into the fight.

But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough, not against a creature like the Dullahan, not against the darkness and the evil that seemed to permeate every inch of this cursed, godforsaken place.

Roman closed his eyes, a bitter, broken laugh escaping his lips as he felt the cold, creeping fingers of death beginning to close around his heart. So this was how it ended, then. Not in glory, not in triumph, but in pain and fear and the knowledge that he had failed, that he had let down the people he loved most in all the world.

"Get up, Roman Blackwood!" Merin shouted, his words ringing out like a clarion call across the battlefield. "Get up and fight, you stubborn, insufferable, wonderful man. I didn't come all this way just to watch you die, you hear me?"

Roman's eyes snapped open, his heart stuttering in his chest as he stared up at his mate, at the fierce, unbreakable light that blazed in those green eyes he adored. Merin was standing over him, his bow raised and his magic crackling around him like a living, breathing thing.

And in that moment, staring up at the man he loved more than life itself, Roman knew. Knew with a bone-deep certainty that he could not, would not, let this be the end. Not here, not now, not when there was still so much left to fight for, so much left to live for.

With a grunt of effort and a surge of sheer, stubborn will, he pushed himself to his feet, his sword clutched tight in his hand and his jaw clenched with grim determination. "I'm with you," he said, his voice rough and raw with emotion.

Merin smiled, a fierce, feral thing that made Roman's blood sing with a wild, reckless joy. "Then let's finish this," he said, his eyes flashing with a fire that could not be quenched, a light that could not be dimmed. "Together."

As one, they turned to face the Dullahan, their weapons raised and their magic thrumming through their veins like a living, breathing thing. Around them, their companions rallied, their wounds forgotten and their spirits renewed by the sheer, unbridled courage of the two men who stood at the center of it all.

James and Christian, their weapons flashing and their battle cries ringing out like thunder. Rowan and Adrian, bloodied but unbroken, their swords whirling in deadly arcs as they threw themselves back into the fray. And Vale, his horn shining like a beacon in the darkness, his hooves pounding against the earth as he charged forward with a fury that could not be contained.

They fought like demons, like heroes, like the champions of light and life that they had always been meant to be.

Roman could feel the tide turning, could feel the balance of fate shifting in their favor. The Dullahan was weakening, its armor cracking and its mace faltering as it struggled to withstand the onslaught of their combined might.

And then, with a final, desperate shriek, it shattered. Its form dissolving into mist and shadow, the last of its power, the last of its hold on the mortal realm, severed once and for all.

For a long moment, there was silence. A stillness so profound, so absolute, that Roman could hear the pounding of his own heart, the ragged, uneven breaths of his companions as they stared at the spot where the Dullahan had been, hardly daring to believe that it was truly gone.

And then, like a dam breaking, the tension shattered. A cheer went up from their ranks, a cry of joy and relief and sheer, unbridled triumph that seemed to shake the very heavens themselves.

Roman turned to Merin, his face splitting into a grin so wide, so bright, that it felt like it might just crack his jaw in two. He reached out, his arms wrapping around his mate and pulling him close, crushing him against his chest in a fierce, desperate embrace.

"You're here," he murmured, his voice muffled against Merin's hair. "You're really here."

Merin laughed, a bright, joyful sound that seemed to fill the air around them with warmth and light. "Of course I am, you idiot," he said, his own arms tightening around Roman's waist. "Where else would I be?"

Roman pulled back slightly, his eyes searching Merin's face with a mix of wonder and confusion. "But how?" he asked, his brow furrowing. "How did you even get here? The Fae Realm is sealed off, the barriers between worlds stronger than ever."

Merin grinned, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Vale. "Turns out our resident sass-master has a few tricks up his metaphorical sleeves. Apparently, all you need to do is touch his horn and focus really hard, and boom - instant portal."

Roman blinked, his gaze flicking to the unicorn with a mix of awe and suspicion. "You're telling me that all this time, Vale could have just… zapped us anywhere we wanted to go? And he didn't think to mention it until now?"

Vale snorted, tossing his mane with an air of injured pride. "Excuse you, Mr. High-and-Mighty. It's not like you ever asked. And besides, it's not exactly a casual thing, you know. Opening portals takes a lot out of a guy."

Roman rolled his eyes, but he couldn't quite suppress the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Yeah, yeah. Cry me a river, horn-head."

Merin chuckled, shaking his head with a fondness that made Roman's heart ache. But then, almost as quickly as it had come, the laughter faded. A shadow passing over his face, a flicker of pain and fear that made Roman's stomach twist with sudden, sickening dread.

"Mer?" he asked softly, his hand coming up to cup his mate's cheek. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Merin swallowed hard, his eyes bright with unshed tears as he met Roman's gaze with a look of quiet, aching sorrow. "It's Mira and Chrissy," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "They took them, Roman. The shadow creatures, the dark forces that serve Riordan… they broke into the manor and stole them away while we were fighting."

Roman felt like he had been punched in the gut, like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs in one brutal, agonizing moment. "What?" he breathed, his voice hoarse and raw with shock and horror. "How? How could this happen, how could we let them…"

But even as the words left his lips, even as he felt the full weight of his failure, his guilt, crashing down on him like a tidal wave…

He knew. Knew with a bone-deep certainty that it wasn't his fault, wasn't any of their faults. They had been fighting, bleeding, giving everything they had to protect the realms and the people they loved.

And in the end, it hadn't been enough. Riordan had outsmarted them, had played them like puppets on a string, dancing to his tune even as they thought they were calling the shots.

"We'll get them back," he said, his voice low and intense as he met Merin's gaze with a fierce, unwavering determination. "We'll find them, Mer. We'll bring them home, no matter what it takes."