Chapter Two

Tari

T he next morning, after a breakfast of porridge and fruit, Shiri and I bathed in the pond with the girls, then sat on a blanket and brushed out their hair while the bunnies munched on grass nearby. After our mates had built us a fire to warm our bones and dry our hair, they had been kind enough to give us privacy, choosing to go scouting with Bea and Radnor. We were in no hurry to leave, as the next island was only a few hours away. I still wasn't sure what it was we were supposed to find on the Fallax Islands, though I couldn't shake the feeling we would find it soon.

As I tied up Ember's hair in tattered ribbons, I felt a sudden surge of guilt that I had no new ribbons to provide my child. The girls had escaped the flood caused by my magic with nothing but the clothes on their backs. If it hadn't been for our stroke of good fortune at finding Ash and Finn's untouched supplies on Thesan, we would've been a lot worse off. And then there was the issue with Ember's doll. No doubt it had been swept away in the flood and was buried under mud and debris. After we survived this war, I would do whatever it took to ensure my children had pretty dresses and new toys, along with all my love and attention. I refused to let them grow up in impoverished misery, for as more memories returned, I recollected that Shiri and I went to bed many nights with hollow stomachs and tattered stockings.

I grew a fresh patch of flowers for the rabbits, then Shiri and I laid back on a blanket, watching as the girls collected stones along the embankment.

"I had a memory of doing something like this," I said to my sister. "We were bathing in a pond. Mother was with us."

Shiri hugged her knees to her chest, wearing my spare dress after washing hers. "We used to take the girls to bathe every evening in the spring."

"It was a lot like this one," I said, motioning to a stair-step waterfall that gently cascaded into the pond. "With a little stream running through it."

She gave me an appreciative smile. "It was."

I watched Aurora skip a stone across the pond with practiced ease while Ember busied herself searching out the best stones for her sister. I wondered who'd taught Aurora to skip stones. Shiri? One of Shiri's mates? I'd missed so many milestones with my children thanks to my foolish parents.

I grimaced when Aurora cleaned a muddy stone on her frock.

"Wash the stone in the water," Shiri gently reprimanded. "You don't have any spare frocks."

Aurora turned to her with a frown. "Yes, Auntie." Then she gave me a wary look. "Sorry, Mommy."

I flinched at that. Was my child expecting me to yell at her?

I forced a smile. "It's alright, dearest."

A memory suddenly hit me of a much younger Aurora with chubby cheeks and chin-length hair getting dirty after I'd bathed her in a pond. I'd scolded her, and then Shiri had scolded me.

I released a slow breath while casting my sister a side-eyed look. "I think I remember Aurora getting dirty after I'd dressed her."

Shiri smoothed her hands down her skirts. "You used to get so frustrated."

I wished there was a rock big enough for me to crawl under. "I wasn't a patient mother, was I?"

She gave me a pitying look. "You were depressed."

Ember dropped a rock into her frock pocket and plopped on my knee, batting thick lashes. "Why were you sad, Mommy?"

I wiped a smudge of mud off her cheek. "Because I thought your fathers were dead."

"Why?" she pressed.

I breathed out a long, shaky breath as I was assailed by the memory of escaping the carnage with my father, the screams and smoke that filled the air, and we'd run like cowards. If only my white magic had come in then; I could've saved the town of Lupine. "Because King Fachnan sent his dragon army to destroy the entire shifter kingdom."

Ember gasped while Aurora leaned against my other knee. "Did Radnor kill the shifters, too?"

"No." I brushed dirt from her frock. "He and Helian saved your fathers and flew them to Thesan." I looked from one child to the other. "I didn't know this at the time. I thought your fathers had been killed."

Aurora's brow creased. "That's why our other pappo had a melted face."

"You've seen your other pappo?" I asked. King Adrean had been one of the few survivors, and, yes, his face did look like a melted ball of wax, though I'd offered to heal it. I had vague memories of him discovering my strengthening magic and then recruiting me for his rebel army.

"Yeah," Ember said with a pout. "I gave him Bethamy Number One."

When I gave my sister a questioning look, she answered. "We stayed at Ulula one night."

I tilted my head. "Ulula?"

"The shifter stronghold in Windhaven," she answered. "It's where the surviving shifters went."

I wracked my memories, though I didn't remember a shifter stronghold. I wondered if it had been created after my parents had sent me with Thorin.

"How was your other pappo?" I asked the girls.

Ember pouted. "Sad."

"He's no longer their king," Shiri said. "He's just a shell of a shifter."

My stomach churned, and I swallowed back my unease, for I suspected he'd fallen from grace after I'd disappeared. I remembered now I was to be his secret weapon, the white witch who could defeat Fachnan. Without me, his rebel army had probably disbanded. I wondered if my magic would've been strong enough to take on Fachnan and his dragon army then. Or would he have destroyed me? Maybe even my entire family? As much as I resented my parents for stealing me away from my children and taking my memories, I knew they'd done it to keep me safe. Though maybe they'd also done it to ensure I lived to destroy Malvolia.

"There were a lot of shifters with melted faces," Aurora said.

I smiled at my child while brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Now was my chance to hopefully make the girls understand their fathers' motive for killing Fachnan. "Girls," I said on a rush of air, "King Fachnan sent his dragons to destroy an entire town of shifters. I know you saw what your fathers did to King Fachnan." When Ember gasped, I took each of their hands in mine, giving them reassuring squeezes. "They killed Fachnan because they knew no shifters would ever be safe as long as Fachnan ruled. Fachnan wouldn't have been satisfied until all shifters were killed." I paused, speaking around a lump of sorrow. "Even you. Do you understand?"

They both nodded, their eyes misty with unshed tears.

Ember swallowed, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands. "His dragons killed Isabeau and Ronin."

I gently stroked her hair. Those names were oddly familiar. "Who were they?"

Ember swallowed while looking at something beyond my shoulder. "They were children like us."

Isabeau and Ronin? I gasped when a memory assailed me. Ash and Finn's half sister and brother. The vision of them was so clear now. Though they didn't have silver-blue eyes, they had their brothers' fanged grins. They were twin toddlers, younger than Ember and Aurora were now.

I took my daughters in my arms, kissing their foreheads, so grateful when they didn't pull away. "Your fathers would never harm you," I murmured in their ears while stroking their backs. "They feel terrible that you saw. They never wanted to frighten you." I pulled back, clutching their arms while looking into their wide eyes. "They were only trying to keep you safe. They love you so much, as I do." More emotion pressed on my chest, threatening to cut off my words. "Won't you please give them a chance to show you how much they love you?"

Words couldn't describe the relief that pulsed through me when they both nodded. I clung to them again, kissing their foreheads while feeling like my heart could burst from the joy of holding them in my arms.

As if on cue, a shadow passed overhead as Bea let out a startling squawk. My rabbits both stomped to indicate their displeasure with Bea, and then they ran beneath a little hut Finn had made out of palm leaves. Bea landed on the embankment, my mates jumping off with excited howls as they unloaded a stash of ripe fruits from her saddle.

I'll give you some privacy, Shiri said to me through thought.

Thank you, I answered, knowing there was no way I could ever repay my sister and her mates for everything they did for our girls.

She slipped away as another shadow swooped down from the sky with amazing speed and snatched her up. I waved to her as she flew off with her mates, giggling in Blaze's arms.

The girls pressed against me as Finn slowly approached. Ash hung back, stacking fruits and then going to the other end of the pond to wash his hands and face. Finn gave the girls a shy smile before peeling a juicy fruit and biting off a chunk for the rabbits. Anger forgotten, they came out and greedily snatched the fruit pieces before scurrying back inside their hut.

The girls watched Finn's every move like curious birds.

When Finn was finished, he returned to the pile of fruits and pulled out two round melon shells with smiling faces carved into them. "Look what I found," he said with a wink, holding up the shells.

Ember stood while leaning against me. "What are those?"

He knelt in front of her, holding out one of the shells. "Two lonely babies looking for their mommies."

Aurora made a face. "Those are just ugly fruit shells."

"No, they're babies, and they need mommies to take care of them. Listen." He held one of the melons up to his ear and imitated the sound of a baby crying.

Aurora flashed a fanged smile. "You're silly."

Ember pouted. "They don't have pretty dresses like Bethamy Four."

"They're just babies," Finn said as he removed a cloth from his sack. "You have to swaddle them in blankets. See?" He swaddled one of the melons and handed it to Ember. Then he swaddled another and handed it to Aurora.

Aurora held her melon away from her, making a disgusted face as if it carried the plague.

Ember held her melon tightly to her chest while scowling at her sister. "Rora, you're not holding yours right."

Aurora rolled her eyes. "It's just a dumb fruit, Em."

"I'll take her." Ember took the shell from her sister, holding it in her arms while whispering. "Auntie Rora didn't mean it."

Aurora crossed her arms with a pout. "Yes, I did."

The smile Ember flashed Finn made my heart stutter. "Thank you, Dada Finn."

His cheeks colored, his keen sense of longing pulsing off his body in strong currents. He clenched his fists by his sides, and I knew what he wanted more than anything was a hug from the girls. He visibly swallowed, a knot working down his throat, his wide smile not masking the yearning in his eyes. "You're very welcome."

Ember rocked her shells like she was lulling them to sleep. "I'm going to name them Bethamy Five and Bethamy Six."

Aurora snorted. "That's all you ever name your dolls."

"Bethamy was the name of our great-aunt," Finn said. "She was the sweetest shifter."

"I know." Ember blinked up at her father. "She still is very sweet."

Finn scratched the back of his head, giving me a startled look. "Oh."

Aurora stomped her foot, her face scrunching. "It's no fair Em got two dolls and I got nothing."

Ember pressed into me while warily eyeing her sister. "You didn't want your doll."

Ash moved toward us with a purpose in his stride. Aurora gasped when he knelt in front of her, holding out a small Y-shaped branch with a cord hanging from it. "Here you go."

Aurora took it from him, turning it over in her hands. "What is it?"

He flashed a feral grin. "A slingshot."

Aurora squealed, holding the weapon to her chest. "Oh, wow! I've wanted one of these my whole life!"

"Ash," I scolded, "that's dangerous."

The wolf flashed in his eyes. "Not if I teach her how to use it."

She bounced around on her toes as if she was trying to pop bubbles beneath her feet. "Will you teach me?"

He held a hand down to her. "Of course!"

My heart did a backflip when Aurora slipped her hand in his.

"Don't use it on animals," I reminded them as they walked off, my gaze flickering to Angel and Demon, who were munching grass nearby.

"We'll only use it on fruits," Ash called over his shoulder.

Ember's face pinched. "Not my Bethamys!"

"No, not your Bethamys," Finn reassured her while patting her head.

My heart swelled to near bursting when Ember moved from me to Finn, nestling against his chest. Finn's eyes misted as he wrapped an arm around her, kissing the top of her head.

I swiped tears from my eyes as Finn looked at me and mouthed ‘thanks.'

It was all you, dearest, I answered through thought. You're such a good father.

Ash took Aurora further down the embankment and shot a fruit out of a tree.

She jumped up with a squeal, clapping her hands. "Yesss!"

"What do you say, Aurora?" I called to her as Ash handed her the slingshot.

She beamed up at him. "Thank you, Dada Ash!"

"You're welcome." He ruffled her hair while slanting a fanged grin. "Now it's your turn. The first thing you need to do is find the perfect stone."

She spun a quick circle and dove for a stone, holding it up to him. "Like this?"

"Exactly," he said while kneeling beside her and adjusting the slingshot in her grip. "Now hold the handle in your grip, aim, and release."

She fired the rock, and it knocked a fruit out of the tree. She was so excited, she dropped the slingshot and threw her arms around Ash. "I did it!"

"Excellent shot." He gave her a tight hug. "You're a natural!"

She squirmed out of his embrace like he was on fire. "May I do it again?"

"Sure." He dragged a hand through his long, dark hair. "Let's collect some good rocks first. You can keep them in this pouch." He handed her a leather drawstring pouch. "That way you always have ammunition."

She took the pouch from him, tying it on the belt around her waist, then tucked the slingshot inside it. "I can keep us safe if King Fachnan comes back."

"Don't worry, child." He flashed his fangs, his gaze locking with mine. "He's not coming back."

I swallowed, unnerved by the gleam in his eyes, and looked back at Ember and Finn. He looked like a perfectly content papa wolf as she sat on his knee while rocking her dolls in her arms. Though I tried to block that visual from my mind, I couldn't forget the way my mates had shredded King Fachnan to pieces. There was no way he was coming back from that mauling, yet an uneasy feeling still churned my gut. I couldn't explain why, but I thought I heard a whisper on the wind warning, ‘He has risen again.'

Selig

SELIG PACED THE KING'S bedchamber. Fortunately, this part of the castle had received the least damage. Just some fallen plaster from the ceiling, but the rest of his rooms remained untouched—with the exception of his expensive brandy. Selig had already helped himself to several glasses. He needed some sort of fortification for what he was about to do. He'd never practiced necromancy, but his demon had reassured him it would work.

A knock on the door, and Selig called for them to come inside. The Windhaven courier was first, the feather in his cap now completely gone, though his urine stain had dried. Two nameless soldiers came through after him, carrying the blood-soaked, shrouded body that reeked of decay.

Selig waved them from the sitting room into the king's bedchamber. He motioned toward the four-poster bed. "Put it there."

The soldiers unceremoniously dumped the body on the bed before stepping back. Flies swarmed the corpse as the smell of rot permeated the air.

"We couldn't find one eye or all his fingers," the courier said while wrinkling his nose.

"No matter." Selig shrugged as he opened a jar of Inretius flowers, sprinkling them over the corpse, hoping their sickly sweet smell would cover some of the odor. "He doesn't need them."

The courier visibly swallowed. "What will you do with him, My Lord?"

He snarled at the courier. "Never you mind."

"B-but, sir," the courier stammered. "Necromancy is forbidden."

Selig jutted a finger toward the door. "Leave!"

The courier's eyes sharpened before he bowed low. "Yes, My Lord."

The courier exchanged looks with the soldiers as they filed out of the room.

Selig realized why a courier from Windhaven had remained in Peloponese after all others had fled. He was a spy for Malvolia. Selig cursed himself a fool for realizing too late, though it wouldn't have mattered. Nobody else had volunteered to assist him. After he resurrected the king, he'd have the courier killed—if he could find anyone reliable to kill him.

Selig got to work preparing the ritual space by lighting candles and drawing a pentagram of ash over the bed. He wrapped a scarf around his mouth before cutting open the shroud. Bile projected into his throat when maggots spilled onto the bed.

I can't do this, Selig told his demon.

You can, and you will, his demon hissed.

More bile projected into Selig's throat, and it took all his willpower not to vomit. He hated how easily his demon controlled him. He didn't even know the beast's name, a testament to how much power the parasite wielded. He's too far gone.

Do it!

With trembling hands, Selig finished unwrapping the corpse, barely recognizing the shredded slab of meat before him. Damn those shifters. Fachnan should've killed them when he had the chance. When a maggot crawled out of Fachnan's empty eye socket, Selig turned from the corpse and vomited all over the floor.

You're weak, his demon taunted.

Selig ignored the insult. It would do no good to fight back, for the demon would only punish him by turning the blood in his veins so hot, it felt like he was being boiled alive. Selig had learned this the hard way yesterday. Up until two days ago, his demon had been mostly dormant and so easy to control. Selig had no idea the amount of power held by the creature that lurked beneath his skin, waiting for the right moment to seize control of his body.

He regretted Thorin's demon possessing him all those years ago. After Thorin had nearly burned down Abyssus, Selig had found his deranged brother crawling around the forest floor, crying out for Flora, a manic look in his eyes. He'd tried to give his brother a hand up, but Thorin had bit him. Selig woke up hours, perhaps days later with a manipulative parasite inside his body, and his life had never been the same. Though his demon hadn't been physically controlling, he was always whispering who to deceive, who to fuck, who to kill.

After Selig finished hurling the last of his supper, he picked up a bloated, stiff hand.

Do it now! his demon commanded.

Selig bit his lip until he tasted blood, then he bit the hand of the corpse, crying out when a finger dislodged into his mouth. He spit out the finger and dropped the hand on the bed.

"Demon, I summon you from hell," he whispered, calling on a new demon to come forth and possess the king's body. "Infect this corpse and bring it to life."

Selig jumped back when the pentagram caught fire, turning the entire bed into a giant conflagration. Scorching flames turned the canopy to ash, licking the top of the ceiling like serpentine tongues.

He spun around the room, looking for a pitcher of water.

Leave it! his demon commanded.

But we'll burn the castle down! Selig cried.

No. The demon chuckled. This is all part of the plan .

And then much to Selig's horror and chagrin, the corpse sat up and tossed its legs over the side of the bed.

Clutching his throat, Selig stumbled back, fear turning his legs to jelly as the corpse stood, smoke rising off its skin as it walked toward him.

The creature that stood before him looked much like King Fachnan, minus one eye and a few fingers. Gone were the maggots and bloody ribbons, his skin having healed over, though his pallor was a sickly gray.

The king bowed before him. "You summoned me, Master?"

Master? The king thought Selig was his master?

"Yesss," Selig's demon answered for him. "I have summoned you."

Selig inwardly swore. He should've known it was his demon who commanded the creature.

"I command you to take the throne of Caldaria and summon the dragon army, so that they might defeat the white witches."

The king bowed his head. "Yes, Master. As you command."

Tari

IT ONLY TOOK US A FEW hours to reach the next island, and like the island before, there were no wyverns here either.

I rubbed Bea's neck after we dismounted. "Where are your friends, Bea?"

She answered with a squawk and then jumped into the air, gliding in lazy circles before flying toward the shore. If she wasn't concerned, I supposed I shouldn't be either.

I squinted up at the sky as she flew off. The noonday sun beat down on our backs and made sweat pool between my breasts, but I didn't complain when the heat kept away the mosquitoes.

Ember and Aurora ran for their fathers when Shiri's mates landed and released them.

"We'll be back later. Don't come looking for us," Shiri said with a wink before flying off with her mates.

No doubt they were going to have sex. I couldn't deny I was jealous, for my mates and I had yet to secure some alone time, and I very much needed release after nearly losing everyone I loved in war.

Aurora tugged on Ash's hand, and my heart caught in my throat when his smile matched hers. Their resemblance was uncanny. I immediately put sex out of my mind. My children were with us, and my mates were safe. For now, that's all that mattered.

"Can we go shoot fruits, Dada Ash?" she pleaded.

"Sure, pup," he said as she pulled him toward a copse of fruit trees.

"It's too hot for my babies," Ember said to Finn while frowning down at her fruit shells.

"Then let's build them a cool spot to rest," he said with a wink.

"Be sure to include the rabbits," I said, kissing his cheek and handing him my sack as they kicked and stretched inside.

They walked toward a shady grove that I recognized, for Helian and I had made love there while feasting on fruits. Ugh. That week would forever be ingrained in my mind. And to think, I never wanted it to end. I didn't want to find out who I was, for fear it would break our hearts. And it did break my heart, but then Finn and Ash put it back together.

And speak of the demon. I squinted up at the sky as a massive shadow hovered over us, blotting out the sun. He clutched Helian in his claws like a mouse in a hawk's talons.

Finn and Ash quickly returned, growling when Radnor dropped Helian to the ground. Helian fell with all the grace of a dancing troll, cursing when he landed on his face.

Ash didn't even give Helian a chance to get up before he was dragging him toward a tree.

"Could I at least get a chance to relieve myself?" Helian complained.

"I'm not your fucking nurse," Ash grumbled.

I didn't know why I felt the need to defend Helian, but fool that I was, I followed after them. "Let him go to the bathroom, Ash," I scolded, nodding toward the tattered trousers he wore. "Or else he'll soil your spare."

Ash shrugged, flashing a wolfish grin. "I don't wear them anymore."

"Ash," I groaned. "Let him pee."

Ash swore then crossed his arms, snarling at his brother. "Hurry up."

Helian looked from Ash to me. "Could I get some privacy?"

"No," Ash grumbled.

"I have to do more than pee." Helian gave me a hopeless look. "And after Radnor rattled my stomach around, it won't be pretty."

Ash stomped away with an enraged growl. "If you run," he called over his shoulder, "I will catch you."

Helian shook his head, snickering. "Where will I go?"

Ash hovered protectively over me, his brow creased with annoyance as Helian went behind a bush while whistling a happy tune.

Aurora came up to Ash with a pout. "What's taking so long, Dada Ash?"

Ash took her in his arms like it was the most natural thing in the world. "I'm waiting on Uncle Helian. He had to relieve himself. It shouldn't be much longer."

When Aurora stuck her thumb in her mouth, resting her head on Ash's chest, I had to work hard to fight back the tears.

I gently rubbed her leg while smiling up at him. She likes you now, I projected to him.

He smiled down at me over the top of her head. And I love her, just like I love her mommy.

My lips instinctively parted when he leaned toward me, but then we broke apart when a loud, gurgly sound came from the bushes.

Aurora plugged her nose. "Eww."

"It's the demon, not me!" Helian called back. "I will need a stream to wash up after this."

Ash swore again before handing Aurora to me and stomping after Helian. Oh, it was going to be a long day.