41. Zephyr

41

ZEPHYR

With a deafening roar, the world is thrown into chaos as Crimson's essence is violently ripped from Adelaide's trembling body. A blinding flash of pure, raw power erupts from her, sending a shockwave pulsing through the stone circle and knocking all of us to the ground. Even Dad and Alec, who are usually unshakable, are thrown off their feet by the sheer force of it. The ground beneath us shakes and trembles, ancient stones crying out in protest as they struggle to contain energies beyond their capacity. Massive obsidian pillars burst out of the earth, towering over us like dark guardians. Creatures from the depths of hell rise to the surface, and Crimson lets out a shriek of laughter that makes my ears bleed.

I hit the ground hard, the breath driven from my lungs, my head spinning from the impact as the forest around us is destroyed in favour of this hellish cityscape protruding around us. For a moment, all I can do is lie there, rasping, as the world around me tilts and whirls.

Adelaide.

Panic rises through me, giving me the strength to push myself up. My eyes lock onto her still form, crumpled on the ground, and my heart nearly stops. She's lying motionless, her skin deathly pale. Blood trickles from her nose and ears, a sight that sends fear, cold and sharp, shooting through me.

Is she alive?

The question needles at me, keeping me frozen in place, unable to confirm or deny for fear of her being dead.

"Addy!" Corvus shouts, his voice tight with desperation. He's already moving, his vampire speed carrying him back to her side before the rest of us can even get to our feet. He cradles her head gently, his fingers pressed against her neck, searching for a pulse. The seconds stretch into an eternity, each one feeling like a year off my life. Finally, Corvus nods, fear and relief on his face. "She's alive, but barely."

I nod, but the relief is short-lived. We're far from safe, and Adelaide is far from out of danger. Above us, the sky has transformed into a maelstrom of darkness and pulsing red energy. We've torn a hole in the fabric of reality, revealing the chaotic void beyond. Crimson's essence, freed from Adelaide's body, is coalescing into a twisting form of inky blackness.

"Fuck me," Ignatius breathes, his eyes wide as he stares up at the spectacle. Flames dance at his fingertips, ready to strike at Crimson if the need arises. Right now, we are flying blind. We have no idea what the agenda here is of anyone except ourselves. And even then… I have my doubts. Addy changed course. She expelled Crimson instead of sending her to the NetherRealm. Why?

"What the hell is that?"

Zaiah, still recovering from his role as the bridge, staggers to his feet. His white eyes are glowing with an intensity I've never seen before, fixed on the swirling mass above us. The djinn's form glimmers in a way that tells me he's not fully anchored in our reality anymore. "This isn't right," he mutters, his voice strained. "What the fuck happened?"

But even as he says it, we all know that what we're witnessing defies the laws of magick as we understand them. Crimson is rewriting the rules, bending reality to her will through sheer force of power.

A deep, booming laugh cuts through the air, getting me to my feet faster than lightning. I turn to see Dad striding towards us. His face is split in a triumphant grin, his eyes gleaming with a manic light that sets my teeth on edge. He looks more alive, more vital than I've ever seen him, he's feeding off the chaos around us.

"Destiny," he shouts, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "You're witnessing the rebirth of a goddess, the dawn of a new age."

I move to stand between him and Adelaide's prone form, ready for whatever is coming next. Anger surges through me, hot and fierce. All this time, all these centuries, he's been working towards this moment, against the will of the other elders. "What have you got to gain from this?" I snarl.

Dad's grin widens, revealing his sharp teeth. "I've been planning this for centuries, my son. The return of the true queen of darkness. The one who will bring order to the chaos, who will reshape this world and all others. Crimson Queen."

Alec steps forward, his face a mask of fury. Gone is the cool, collected vampire lord. In his place stands a man betrayed, his eyes blazing with anger. "You treacherous bastard," he hisses, fangs dropping. "This wasn't the plan. We were supposed to contain her, not unleash her on the world!"

"Plans change," Dad says dismissively, waving a hand as if swatting away an annoying insect. "You're a fool if you thought I'd ever agree to imprison her again. Crimson is meant to rule, not to be caged like some common beast."

The pieces start to fall into place, and I feel sick to my stomach. All this time, we've been playing into their hands. Every move, every decision, has been leading us to this moment. "You've been working with Randall all along, haven't you?" I accuse, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "This whole thing - Adelaide coming to MistHallow, the attacks, all of it - was to free Crimson."

Dad grins mockingly. "Very good, Zephyr. I always knew you were clever. Yes, Randall and I have been working towards this moment for a very long time. Though I must admit, he got a bit... overzealous at the end there. But his risk paid off. The girl is stronger now and allowed this." He gestures upwards.

"You used us," Corvus growls, his fangs fully extended. His eyes have turned black with fury. "You used Adelaide. Used all of us, made us pawns in your sick game."

Alec at least has the decency to look ashamed. He glares at Corvus in a rage that matches his son's. "We were meant to contain Crimson, not unleash her."

"Oh, spare me your moralising," Dad sneers, his contempt dripping from every pore in his body. "You knew what you were getting into when you agreed to this alliance. Don't pretend your hands are clean, Alec."

Above us, Crimson's essence continues to grow, taking on a more defined shape. What was once a formless mass of energy is now clearly recognisable as a woman, albeit one of gigantic proportions. Her hair is a writhing mass of shadows, each strand seeming to have a life of its own. Her skin shimmers with a darkness, pulsing with power that makes my eyes water to look at directly. Her eyes, when they open, are pits of swirling crimson energy, bottomless and ancient.

"My Queen," Dad calls out, dropping to one knee in a gesture of supplication that turns my stomach. "Welcome back to the world of the living. Your reign begins anew."

The massive figure turns its gaze upon us, and I feel the weight of aeons pressing down on me. It's like being caught in the grip of a black hole, the sheer gravity of her presence threatening to crush us all.

I look between my father and the monstrous form of Crimson, my mind racing. This is bad. This is apocalyptically bad. We're so far out of our depth here that it's not even funny. How are we supposed to fight something like this?

"We need to wake Adelaide," I mutter to the others. "She's the only one who might be able to stop this. She and Crimson are connected somehow. Maybe she can use that connection to our advantage."

Ignatius nods, kneeling beside her. He places a hand on her forehead, channelling a gentle warmth into her. I can see the strain on his face as he pours his energy into her, trying to coax her back to consciousness. "Come on, Addy," he murmurs, his voice tinged with desperation. "We need you. Please wake up."

I keep my eyes on my father and Crimson, ready for any sudden moves. It's surreal, watching my father prostrate himself before this being. I've never seen him show deference to anyone or anything before. But something isn't right. Crimson isn't responding in any way. Yet. Her power is dicey at best. We still have time to fix this shitshow.

"What do we do now?" Zaiah asks, his voice low and tense. He looks more solid now, but there's still a faint shimmer around him, as if he's not quite fully in sync with our reality. "We can't fight something like that. It would be like ants trying to take down a dragon."

I grit my teeth, my mind racing for a solution. We're outmatched, outgunned, and running out of time. But I'll be damned if I'm going to roll over and let Crimson and my father reshape the world. "We have time. Crimson hasn't taken her power fully on board yet. She is in limbo, I want to say. Maybe that's not the right word, but look." I point out. "We have minutes to find a way to contain her again, but not in Addy," I say. "There has to be something in MistHallow that can help us. Some ancient artefact or spell that could at least slow her down."

"The book," Corvus suggests, still cradling Adelaide's unconscious form. His eyes never leave her face, as if he's willing her to wake up through sheer force of will. "The one that Adelaide took from the hidden library. We need it."

I nod, agreeing. It's a long shot, but it's better than standing here waiting for Crimson to decide we're not worth keeping around. "Corvus, Zaiah, you stay with Adelaide. Try to wake her up. Keep her safe. Ig, I need you with me in case that book is still soaked."

"Go," Zaiah says, "We've got this."

I grab onto Ignatius and mist out towards the university, heading straight for Adelaide's tower room.

The fate of MistHallow, and perhaps the supernatural world as we know it, rests on our shoulders. It's a responsibility I never asked for and definitely never wanted. But as we plunge into the darkness of the tower room, I accept this fate because if I don't, if we don't. We are fucked.

We materialise in Adelaide's tower room, the familiar scent of her unique essence, along with sodden ancient tomes, hitting me like a punch to the gut. It feels wrong to be here without her, invading her private space, but we have no choice. The fate of everything we know hangs in the balance.

"Where's the book?" Ignatius asks, his eyes scanning the cluttered room. His scarlet hair is on fire now, letting off streams of smoke now and again that drift under my nose and make me sneeze.

I move quickly, rifling through piles of papers and books on her desk. "It has to be here somewhere. She wouldn't have let it out of her sight. I can fucking smell it."

"Where the fuck is it?" Ig mutters, frantically pulling the sheets off the bed and onto a pile on the floor.

"Looking for this?"

I look up from emptying a drawer to see a pixie, sitting on top of a floating book.

"Give it," I snap, reaching for it.

He whizzes out of the way like he's sitting on a magick fucking carpet. Where's Zaiah when you need him?

"Not so fast, princeling," the pixie says, wagging a tiny finger at me. "This book isn't for just anyone to use. It's dangerous in the wrong hands."

I grit my teeth, frustration and urgency coursing through me. "Listen, you little glowbug, we don't have time for games. The fate of MistHallow - hell, maybe the whole supernatural world - is at stake. We need that fucking book."

The pixie's expression turns serious, the mischievous glint fading from his eyes. "I know exactly what's at stake, Zephyr Nethershade. I've been watching this unfold since before you were born. But this book isn't the answer you're looking for."

Ignatius steps forward, his hair still smouldering. "Then what is? Because right now, we're fresh out of options and running out of time."

The pixie sighs, a sound far too weary for such a tiny creature. "The answer isn't in any book. It's in Adelaide herself."

"What do you mean?" I demand, my patience wearing thin. "Adelaide's unconscious, possibly dying. How is she supposed to help?"

"She isn't dying. She is right where she needs to be."

He blinks out of existence, letting the book drop to the carpet.

Ignatius snatches it up, and I slap my hand onto the back of his neck, misting us right back to Adelaide and the nightmare unfolding outside.