16. Cassie

16

CASSIE

The air shimmered, and then all hell broke loose. Bright edged portals snapped open like gaping maws across the grounds where we had gathered, each one spewing out followers of the Council in droves. They came prepared, armed with an arsenal of spells and bizarre, snarling creatures.

"Get down!" I yelled, as a swarm of fireballs shot overhead, leaving trails of acrid smoke behind them. Others dove for cover as I ducked, the heat singing the tips of my hair.

I glanced at Bran, who stood tall amidst the chaos, his white hair shining against the darkening sky, a blade in hand.

Where on earth had he gotten it?

His eyes, usually so calm and reflective, burned with fierce resolve. "Roma!"

She was already back on her feet, her black hair whipping around her face like a war banner. Her face was ablaze with a determination that matched his. Together, they were a formidable front against the onslaught.

But it wasn't just fireballs and strange creatures we had to worry about. The Council knew the weaknesses of the various monster peoples, and they exploited them without mercy. Glistening vials arched through the air, breaking open upon impact. A green mist enveloped several of the goblins in our ranks, and my heart sank as their forms blurred and shrank, leaving behind a cluster of confused bunnies twitching their noses amid the tumult.

Goblins were vulnerable to shapeshifting magic, something they tried to keep very quiet.

"Damn it," Roma cursed, rushing towards the newly transformed goblins. "Hold on, you'll be okay!"

The sight was ludicrous, fluffy bunnies hopping between spells and stomping feet, but the implications were terrifying. If The Council could do this to the goblins, what else were they capable of? And more importantly, how many more surprises did they have up their sleeves?

I scrambled to my feet, my thoughts racing. We needed to turn the tide, and quickly. But as I looked around at the faces of those I loved, those who had come together for what should have been a celebration, I realized we were fighting not just for survival, but for the right for humanity not to be sold to the invading energy beings.

"Back-to-back! Don't let them surround us!" I shouted, hoping my voice could pierce through the noise. We needed to regroup, reassess. But first, we had to win.

I gasped, my eyes wide as Bran, the dignified king of goblins, parried a sapphire potion flung at him with his sword. With a flourish that defied explanation, he produced another massive weapon in his other hand, its blade glinting with a deadly light.

The council followers recoiled as Bran approached. He had no place to hide such a monstrosity; it was as if the sword had materialized from the very air itself.

"Roma, focus on the bunnies!" I yelled, trying to keep track of her as she darted among the confused creatures. Her voice, usually sharp and commanding, took on a soothing cadence that seemed to weave through the chaos. "You're stronger than this illusion," she coaxed. "Remember who you are!"

One by one, the bunnies shivered, their forms wavering before snapping back into the proud figures of goblin warriors. Roma's persuasive magic, laced with a hidden tenderness, worked to undo the Council's cruel mind magic.

"Keep it up, Roma!" I shouted encouragement, but my attention was pulled away by a new threat.

"Look out, Hugh!" Tanni screamed.

A glass vial shattered at the feet of my friend Hugh, the vampire king. A dark red mist billowed up, and Hugh's normally restrained demeanor fractured. His eyes turned a deep crimson, and he snarled menacingly.

"Stop him!" I cried out, but it was too late. Hugh lunged at the nearest council member, his movements a blur of primal hunger. The man's scream was cut short as Hugh's bloodlust took over.

Tanni was at his side in an instant, assessing the situation even as her body acted on instinct. "Hugh! You have to fight it!" she pleaded, grappling with him. "Cassie, help me! He'll be devastated when he comes to his senses!"

I rushed to their side, knowing full well the remorse that would crush Hugh once the potion's effect waned. Guilt was a heavy burden—Hugh didn't deserve this. As I helped Tanni try to restrain him, I couldn't help but think of all the times we'd fought together, side by side against the darkness. Now, here we were, fighting against the darkness within.

There was no way we could physically stop the steel hard muscle under our hands. Tanni was stronger than a normal human, and Hugh didn't budge, drinking deep from the vein.

"Stay with us, Hugh," I murmured, hoping my voice could reach him. "We need you."

Amid the chaos, I found Rey—a blur of orange and white fur as he morphed into a tiger mid-leap, pouncing with the ferocity that only the king of shapeshifters could muster. But his prowess was short-lived; a council member, with the precision of a practiced thrower, launched a canister at Rey's feet. It erupted into a cloud of treated wolfsbane, the fine particles glittering menacingly in the sunlight.

"Rey!" I shouted.

His roar turned to a painful cough, and his majestic leap faltered as he stumbled to the ground, shaking his great feline head in distress.

Cathy, ever the quick thinker, darted forward. "Hold on, Rey!" she cried out, her green eyes flashing with concern. Without hesitation, she unscrewed a water bottle and drenched his snout, washing away traces of wolfsbane as if she was extinguishing a fire.

"Come on, big guy," Cathy urged, her voice both soothing and commanding.

With the crisis surrounding Rey momentarily in hand, I turned my attention back to the battlefield, just in time to see Martellus towering over the fray. He wielded a colossal battle hammer that seemed to appear from thin air. The weapon looked ancient, its handle wrapped in worn leather and its head etched with runes. Where did it come from? There was no place for such a monstrous thing to hide on him.

Shay stood next to him, eyes wide with distress. Her lips moved and Martellus ducked his head listening.

I was going to find out where the heck these men had been hiding those weapons.

But before he could respond, a council member lobbed another potion, its contents sparkling with malicious intent. The vial shattered against Martellus's chest, and in a flash of light, both he and Shay vanished, leaving nothing but a faint echo of their surprised shouts.

"Martellus! Shay!" My words were useless—they were gone. Disbelief rooted me to the spot for a precious second, my thoughts racing. What kind of spell could've?—

I ducked as a swooping mass of shadow and fang lunged at where my head had been. The lesser daemons, once cloaked in the guise of men, now unfurled into their true, monstrous forms, a nightmare cadre of the Council's entourage.

"Edward! What are you doing? Fight!" One of the council members, wrapped in a cloak that shimmered like oil on water, barked at the daemon who stood apart from the fray.

"I won't be part of this," Edward shot back, his arms folded. His mouth was set in a grim line, his red hair like fire against the chaos. "This is wrong."

"You're a fool! This is our chance," the council member spat, gesturing at us with disgust.

"Maybe I feel this is a stupid choice," he retorted, arms crossed, defiance etched in every line of his body.

The battle raged around us, a cacophony of clashing spells and cries. I was about to dive back in when something inside me snapped. Too much. It was just too much.

"Stop!" The word was more than a command—it was a surge, a wave of power that rippled through the air. A level of magic I never knew I had.

It worked. Everyone froze. Weapons paused mid-strike. Potions hung in the air, their deadly contents suspended. Even the lesser daemons' snarls died in their throats.

"Stand down!" My words echoed, as if spoken by a chorus, not just me.

With a sudden pop, Martellus and Shay reappeared. He was as imposing as ever, dressed in mail with his hammer clenched in his right hand; she was—impossibly, shockingly—cradling a swollen belly under a long loose floor length green dress.

"Shay..." My jaw dropped. How?

The silence stretched, everyone's attention fixed on the couple. For a moment, the air was full of confusion.

"Shay?" I repeated, stepping forward. "What happened?"

Martellus, hammer forgotten at his side, placed a protective arm around her. Shay looked up, her brown eyes wide but clear, her face serene despite the bedlam that had raged just seconds ago.

"Later," she said softly. "We'll explain later."

For now, that was enough. She was safe. They both were. And for the first time, I allowed myself to believe that maybe, just maybe, I had real power after all.

Aiden burst through the throng of halted combatants, dragging a disheveled and protesting Franklin by the collar. His eyes found mine across the battlefield-turned-tableau.

"I've got him," he announced, interrupting the surrounding silence.

I blinked, taking in Franklin's flabby form and the triumphant glint in Aiden's eyes. "You went after him?" I asked, not quite processing the scene before me.

"Figured it was time someone proved they're not like him. Also, you can communicate with the Formless Ones through him, since he's possessed by them," Aiden said with a nod toward Franklin, who squirmed under his grasp.

My attention snapped back to Shay, still rubbing her belly in the classic pregnant woman gesture. Confusion swirled inside me, a tornado threatening to uproot what little calm I had mustered.

"What happened?" I asked, my words less an inquiry and more a squawk of confusion.

Shay's amused eyes met mine. "We were banished to Dream with that spell," she explained. "Couldn't get back..." She shrugged. "Time runs differently there. Especially if Dream doesn't want you to leave."

I shook my head, unable to reconcile the timeline. "It's only been a few minutes here."

"Eight and a half months there," she replied, patting her stomach with a tender smile. "As for what happened, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much…"

I rolled my eyes, but Roma snickered.

The reality of her words hit me harder than any physical blow could have. If Dream had done this to Martellus, who dealt with them on a routine basis, what would they have done with me if I'd visited?

I looked at Martellus, then back at Shay, and something fierce and protective welled up inside me. I wanted those I cared for to be safe. We needed to do something about the invasion.

"All right," I said, my tone leaving no room for argument. "Let's sort this mess out."

The air hummed with the tension of a battlefield gone silent, the ground littered with remnants of spells cast and potions shattered. I stood firmly, my focus locked onto Franklin, who was now subdued but still wore that little smug smirk that made my blood boil.

Aiden's grip on Franklin's collar was ironclad, and there was a question in his eyes as he looked over to me for direction.

Before I could speak, one of the MIIB agents, their presence unexpected amidst such chaos, stepped forward with authority that seemed to come from years of dealing with the arcane and the dangerous.

"Execution is not necessary," he said, his voice firm and decisive. "He will face justice for his crimes through due process."

Their agents moved through the scene with practiced ease, securing council members and attackers alike with restraints woven of magic stronger than any steel. Spells were neutralized, creatures contained, and order began to claw its way back from the brink of madness.

"Is that what you want, Cassie?" Aiden asked. My heart raced at the weight of the decision. Yes, Franklin had hurt me, scarred me in ways that might never fully heal—but this... this was bigger than us.

"Yes," I said without hesitation. "Let the law handle him. I'll be happy to help question him later."

Aiden gave a curt nod and released Franklin into the custody of the MIIB agents, who handled him with a cold impersonal professionalism. As they led him away, Aiden turned back to me, something shifting in his posture—a momentary vulnerability.

He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small, ornate mirror. "For you," he said, pressing it into my hands.

Confusion filled me as I took the mirror, its surface gleaming with the dim light.

"Watch it," he encouraged gently.

My fingers trembling, I tapped the mirror with a touch, and the memories within unfolded before my eyes. There he was, Aiden, looking into the mirror with an intensity that made my breath catch. His thoughts and desires didn't need sound to convey their meaning. His stance, his expression, everything about him screamed the truth I hadn't dared to believe.

He loved me.

I clutched the mirror close, the realization washing over me like a wave, warm and relentless. It was a moment of clarity that soothed old scars, a point of certainty in a world full of chaos. For the first time since I discovered what Franklin had done to me, I allowed myself to feel the full weight of my emotions—and hope for the possibility of a future worth fighting for.

Aiden held out his hand, palm up, and with a gesture that felt too elegant for the battlefield we stood on, summoned something from the ether. A tiny, luminescent vial materialized, hovering just above his skin. It was sealed with intricate filigree, glowing subtly with an inner light.

"An elixir of longevity," he said, his voice a low thrum that seemed to resonate in the space between us. "For you."

"But... elves don't share these. Ever." The knowledge sat heavy on my tongue, a fact learned from the price paid for the one awaiting Roma's decision to drink.

"True," he acknowledged, his piercing blue gaze holding mine. "But I want you to have it. No strings attached, no expectations. A true gift."

The gravity of his words settled in my chest, a weight of power and sacrifice. Elves guarded their secrets as fiercely as they did their lives—the cost to him must be immense.

"Thank you," I murmured, reaching out to take the vial, feeling its cool surface against my fingertips. I tucked it safely into my pocket, the glass nestling against the fabric like a promise.

"Will you stay?" I asked abruptly, the question driven by a newfound courage. "After all this, after we defeat the Formless Ones, will you stay for other tasks? There might be more I'll need help with."

Aiden's smile was slow and sweet, spreading across his features like the dawn breaking over a darkened horizon.

"Yes," he replied, simple and sure.