Prologue

T he old woman's medallion glowed brighter with each minute she hesitated to answer the summons. She didn't want to face them again, not yet, not until she had fixed this. But there was no time for delay.

With a burst of energy that contradicted her age, she quickly tossed the special blend of herbs into the stone hearth along the wall of the one-room wooden cabin.

Purple and green flames flashed, and she closed her eyes as smoke billowed from the fireplace. Her mind spun, and she felt like she was falling. The magic pulled her apart, cell by cell, knitting her back together as she tumbled through the portal. A silent scream ripped from her throat as agony filled her. The burning flow of magic twisted and turned, offering no relief until she slammed into the floor, breathless and disoriented.

She lay there for gods knew how long, staring at the glowing medallion shape that matched her necklace on the door in front of her. She focused on her breathing and the glow, willing the pain to recede.

The magic listened, healing her by the time the light faded from the emblem on the door and her necklace stopped burning her skin. The sweet, citrus air that was only found in her homeland filled her nostrils as she slowly sat up.

Carvings as old as time itself adorned other doors like hers along the open-air corridor. She eased onto her feet and brushed her shaking hands down the white silk dress, thick stacks of golden bracelets jingling with the motion. The sight of the large, vibrant tree in the courtyard brought a pang of nostalgia. Birds swooped and played in the branches, but her gaze didn't stop to watch them.

There was an excessive amount of overgrowth. A quick glance down made her frown. Vines and weeds grew thick around the base of the tree. Her father never would've let this happen. The ache in her chest drew her gaze through the thick foliage to the corridor on the opposite side of the square building. That corridor housed only two doors, and she yearned to see the white and gold one restored and not this hacked and chipped, lifeless monstrosity. All life and magic had drained from it, just like her father.

Her chest burned with emotion as her gaze swung to the other door. Solid black, apart from the gold and red veins swirling along the surface as it vibrated and threatened to come off its hinges. Fear snaked down her spine and sent her down the hallway to the great room.

There was only one reason for a summons like this, and dread made her stomach twist as she went through the wide, tall marble archway.

The meeting room stretched the entire length of the building and it, too, was open to the elements. That used to be a good thing in this land of perpetual spring, where it never rained or snowed… but that was back when her father was alive.

Now, vines and ivy grew around the columns between the open windows, threatening to choke out all life. She paused in the doorway, the signs of decay and overgrowth driving her fear and anger into overdrive. Magic pulsed just under her skin, making her itch and want to expel it for relief from the raging emotions.

But she wouldn't—couldn't—do that.

If only her father and uncle had controlled their own emotions... They'd all be together, eating family dinners along the long, low table in the center of the room. Mother would sit at Father's right hand, and they'd both laugh with her brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, and uncles.

Her gaze turned to the far end of the table where that uncle had always sat. No matter how clean, open, and airy the room was , the sun had never shone on his end of the table. Many in the family drew straws to see who would sit next to him. Someone always ran away in tears or tried to flip the table in anger before the end of the meal.

But Father had always diffused the situation with a laugh until that fateful day that she had tried to forget for hundreds of years. Tears pricked her eyes as birds flew in and out of the open arches. She focused on their movements, willing herself to calm. Stay rational, think logically, detach her emotions.

All wasn't lost like it had seemed all those years ago. The tree was still alive. Magic still flowed throughout the room, the gold pulsing occasionally over the floor and walls in ribbons so small one had to know they were there to see them.

A movement from the table drew her gaze. Almost directly in the middle sat one of her sisters, arms crossed and frown in place as she stared into the bowl of fire in the center of the marble table.

The fire couldn't quite diminish the smell of ripe ambrosia on the vine, and she breathed deeply as nerves assailed her. This summons—the first in centuries—meant change was in the air. It made her nervous, but she strode to the table, tightening her control on her dread, fear, and anxiety.

Her sister looked up as she approached, and the frown turned to a small smile. Druexxa touched her right thumb to her forehead and pulled it away in a salute. "Well met, Fisica."

Fisica smiled at her lyrical voice, and the nostalgic memories of their childhood flooded her mind. Back when all was as it should be, their mother had tended the garden, singing in such a similar voice to Druexxa while their father played games with the boys.

Her limbs grew heavy at the peaceful memories long gone as she sat on a brightly decorated cushion. The pulsing golden veins in the table caught the light of the fire, casting the entire room in a warm glow. The white columns shimmered with gold between the vines as the light dipped below the horizon.

Druexxa's face eased with relief. "Thank the gods you're here too. It's been a long time."

"Too long," Fisica said, returning the gesture with her thumb to her forehead. "How many of us were summoned?"

Druexxa's frown returned, her tight curls full and rounded, perfectly framing her glowing face. They shared the same wide nose, high cheekbones, nearly white hair, and dark skin of their mother, Gaiana.

"Better yet, who summoned us?" Druexxa asked.

"I did," another voice echoed from across the doorway. They both turned to see their sister Honifery floating toward them, her light pink and white silk dress flowing behind her. "And it's just the three of us today."

Some of the tension in her shoulders relaxed. If they were the only three, perhaps things hadn't progressed quite as badly as she feared.

They greeted each other with thumbs to foreheads and soft murmurs as Honifery sat beside Fisica, her loose, long, blond curls flowing below her shoulders as she settled on the cushion.

"To what do we owe this meeting, Honifery? Is it time to act? Are we safe to meet like this?" Druexxa's lyrical voice asked. She uncrossed her arms to reveal golden veins glowing like intricate tattoos, bright against the dark skin as she sat her hands daintily on the table. Fisica breathed a sigh of relief to see both her sisters' magic flowing so strongly along their dark skin, the gold lines pulsing with life.

Honifery sighed, a wrinkle marring her smooth features. "We are safe if we keep this meeting short. I have distracted our uncle with a minor problem in the Deep at the moment," she said, pausing at the word uncle and clenching her teeth.

"Those who normally search for us have been recalled to Hells to stop the problem, so we're relatively safe," she said, pursing her lips and continuing. "Are your identities still intact?"

Fisica nodded, but Druexxa sighed and said, "There are four who know me like this, but they are my champions in the coming war. It was necessary to reveal my hand."

Silence met her pronouncement, and Honifery leaned forward to whisper furiously, "You know how dangerous that is, Dru. If he finds us, you know what he'll do."

It wasn't a question. Fisica's arms pebbled at the thought of it.

Druexxa crossed her arms and wrinkled her nose, "I haven't forgotten what he did to Father."

"Or what he'll do to the rest of us!" Honifery whispered furiously.

Druexxa leaned forward and lowered her voice. "It's certain death, I know. These four are my champions. I have blessed them, and they will fight with us when the time comes."

Honifery leaned back, her chest heaving with emotions as she breathed. "You better hope so, because the war is coming faster than we thought."

"What do you mean?" Fisica asked.

Honifery turned to her. "Exactly that. My sources in the Deep say he's planning to open a route straight to Eoni's surface. He wants to use it as a base to attack and destroy Paradise."

Fisica frowned as her stomach knotted. "He can't do that, can he? He's not strong enough."

Druexxa snorted. "We didn't think he was strong enough to take down Father either and look what happened there."

Honifery took Fisica's hand from the table, her touch instantly soothing. "No one knows you as Fisica?" she asked softly.

As a child, Honifery always protected her, but Fisica hadn't experienced any coddling in hundreds of years.

Her back stiffened as she shook her head. "No one, although I also may need to take action in the coming months. Events are unfolding and will soon come to a head, events that will change the Asshole's hold on this part of the world."

Druexxa chuckled at the nickname for their uncle, but Honifery just wrinkled her nose in disgust and released her hand. She'd known her prim and proper eldest sister wouldn't like the term, which was why she'd used it.

"Why would you need to put yourself in danger like that?" Honifery sighed and rubbed her forehead, but Fisica twisted the silk of her dress and kept quiet.

Druexxa said softly, "She's not a child, Honi. If she needs to take action, she needs to take action."

Honifery sighed and her shoulders sagged. "I know. Why don't you tell us what's going on, then I'll share my news and plans," Honifery said, her genuine curiosity making some of Fisica's tension dissipate. Perhaps admitting the events of the past few weeks wouldn't disappoint them as much as she thought it would when she'd first received the summons.

Fisica waved a hand to the fire bowl on the table. The smoke changed to show a bedchamber. A woman kneeled beside the dead body of her husband, crying and wailing as she pounded on his chest. She kept the sound off for now, but they all could feel the emotions, Fisica more than the others.

Fisica swallowed past the lump in her throat to explain. "This is the queen and my protégé, Bella. She has been heavily influenced by the mirror, which held the trapped soul of Hanzel Crookilius, the wizard. On the floor is her dead husband, the former king. This happened only a week ago."

"Hanzel Crookilius? Why do I know that name?" Druexxa said, tapping a long, golden nail to her chin.

Fisica crossed her smooth, toned arms and said, "Because he's the one who caused all the problems three hundred years ago. The last time I saw you? That was him. After he partnered with your Sea Witch, he slowly took over this continent and staged a coup that led to the dragons being nearly destroyed."

Druexxa's eyes narrowed, and her magic flared as a storm cloud gathered above her head. "She wasn't my Sea Witch. She made a deal with our uncle."

None of them needed to ask which uncle, as only one was obsessed with deals and contracts. Fisica nodded and waved her hand, a white and gold tea tray appearing on the table with them. She carefully poured three cups as she talked, keeping her tone friendly and even to calm her sister.

"I know, I'm sorry. I simply meant that she was on your side of the planet. Thank you for dealing with that problem, by the way. I saw the mermaid princess and her mate at the queen and king's wedding. Are they your champions?"

Druexxa nodded, her eyes narrowed until Fisica said, "You picked your champions well."

Druexxa relaxed as she took her tea, the cloud slowly dissolving into the air.

Honifery sipped hers silently, always watching and waiting, and then said, "Continue, Fisica. Tell me of your champion, the queen."

Fisica pointed her own golden nail at the bowl of fire, her hands and body now back to her normal, youthful, immortal self. Reluctantly, she said, "Watch."

The queen worked quickly at her vanity, tossing ingredients into a bowl. Then she sank to the floor and hovered her hand over the king's dead chest. The look of horror on Bella's face sent a twist of pain to Fisica's heart. She should've protected the girl better, blessed her with more magic, taught her more spells.

Fisica took a deep breath and watched as her heart broke all over again. Pain at failing the dear girl, frustration that she had to keep her identity a secret, and apprehension at telling her sisters of this whole mess made the hair on her arms stand up with barely contained magic.

Her foot bounced as they watched, and she fed her magic into the spell.

The king's shirt ripped open even as the queen cried and shook her head, tears pouring down her face as her mouth formed the spell to remove his heart. Still shaking her head, she stood, blood dripping from her hands, and put the heart into a bowl. She ground it with the pestle and added it to the potion.

In silence, they watched as she drank the potion, tears streaming down her face.

Honifery sighed. "Oh, dear."

Fisica simply nodded and held onto her magic, her lips pursed as the queen's body shook. She didn't want to watch this again, but she forced herself to stay in the moment. Poor Bella had survived it; watching was the least Fisica could do for failing her.

Energy and magic swirled under Bella's skin, making it ripple and move like a cat beneath a blanket. The queen's soundless scream sent a shiver up her spine, and her heart ached for her dear apprentice.

Her sisters would not be happy about this next part or Fisica's role in it. A pulse of magic shot from Bella's body, covering the room in an inky blackness.

"That's the curse that has infected thousands," Fisica said softly.

Another pulse of golden magic flashed in the room, then the queen's body shifted and morphed into a red-scaled horned monster. A row of horns spiked back from her temples and went down her back, growing bigger and bursting from her dress.

Honifery sat forward with a frown. "What is—"

"Dragon scales," Fisica interrupted. She had to explain, hopefully make them understand why she'd interfered. "Her human body couldn't handle the drakin king's magic. This was the only way she would've survived."

"Did you cast the spell?" Honifery's brows rose in surprise.

Fisica nodded as the queen in the fire image tried to scratch her back. Her hands shifted into claws as she held her head, digging into her skin and drawing blood before scales covered enough to protect her from herself.

Fisica's stomach twisted along with Bella's movements as she tried to escape her own body. She slammed into the vanity and the mirror wobbled. Fisica winced.

The light reflecting off the mirror caught the queen's dilated, reptilian eye, and she turned to it with a snarl. She grabbed both edges and threw it to the ground.

It shattered, and a burst of magic slammed out, throwing the queen against the vanity. She hit her head on the corner and sank to the ground.

But her spirit held onto the vanity, shaking and heaving. A black curl of smoke shot from the busted mirror on the floor to the drakin queen's body, and it began convulsing.

The pale blue spirit of the queen hovered over her body with a confused frown, even as the king's body turned to ash. Her eyes never left the convulsing body on the floor. It stilled, and Bella just stood there panting. Slowly, the drakin lumbered to its knees.

The queen's blue-tinted spirit backed up, yellow skirts swishing. Fisica waved her hand again to hear the sound, infusing double the magic into the spell. She simply hadn't been able to stomach hearing the screams again, but this they needed to hear.

"What—what is this?" Bella asked softly.

Her body stood, breathing rapidly and expelling smoke through an elongated snout. Black, beady eyes stared at Bella's spirit, then it threw its head back and laughed.

Fisica wasn't the only one at the table who winced at the grating sound. It was eerily similar to their uncle's and sent a shiver of fear up her spine.

A gravelly, deep voice boomed, making even the table vibrate with its projection. " This is magic. I'm finally free from that cursed mirror, and for that, I thank you."

The queen's body glanced at the pile of ash and waved its hand. It coalesced into a pile. From the ashes grew a tiny, green plant shoot.

Then the drakin twisted a wrist and whispered ancient words that made Honifery and Druexxa gasp. A golden strand lifted from Bella's spirit and dipped down to the rose, merging with it until the green bud glowed.

When it faded to normal, the drakin queen grinned, too many sharp predator teeth exposed. "Consider this a thank you present. You may remain here in this precious castle of yours until that rose dies. Then you'll go to the Deep with the others."

Bella's spirit lurched, her arms swinging wide as she somehow lost balance. It should've been impossible as a spirit, but it was a big transition. One that Bella never should've gone through, if Fisica had done her job right.

Regret twisted her stomach as she watched.

Bella gasped, finally gaining control of her new corporeal form. "What? Why? Where are you going?"

The queen's body stepped toward the door. At first, it was just a drunken stumble, but each step became smoother. "Oh, I have plans. Promises to fulfill that are long overdue, my dear."

Bella floated to the door and held her arms wide. "No, wait! You can't leave me here and just take off. That's my—my body."

The drakin arched a brow and smirked. "Are you sure you want it back? I mean, just look at how hideous you are. No longer the beautiful queen. No, I think I'll hold on to it for now. It's been years since I've had a body, and I intend to use it to the fullest extent before upgrading."

Then the drakin walked through the floating Bella, who screamed. The drakin's chuckle echoed off the shaking walls.

The smoke cleared from the table, and the image dissipated.

Fisica glanced at her eldest sister. "That was Crookilius. Three hundred years ago, he made a deal with our uncle for power."

"What kind of power?" Druexxa asked sharply.

"I don't know yet. I'm still researching. There are two remaining dragons. One has just become king of the forest."

"And the other?" Druexxa's sharp eyes looked so much like their mother's, it hurt.

Fisica reached for her teacup, but her hand shook so badly, she pulled it back to her lap. "The other dragon trapped Crookilius in the mirror. I've talked to him, and he explained Crookilius' plan."

"Why do I hear a but in there?" Druexxa asked.

Fisica wrinkled her nose and inclined her head. "But if Crookilius' plan is still the same, he is going to lay waste to the entire continent. It was part of his deal. If he controls the continent, then the Asshole can begin his campaign to take over all of Eoni."

Her sisters stared at her in horror, their faces almost mirror images as they paled.

Honifery rubbed her temples and shook her head. "This is what I was afraid of. My contact in the Deep has shown me that our uncle is trying to create a portal to release his daemon army upon Eoni. We must stop him at all costs."

Fisica nodded. "To stop our uncle, we must stop Crookilius. I am keeping watch on my champions, but might need to reveal myself. We will need them in the coming war."

Honifery shook her head. "I don't think that's wise. Maybe Dru's champions can go help?"

Druexxa shook her head. "There is another sin lord in the Zands that has recently come to power. My champions are going to find out if this one also made a deal with our uncle."

Honifery took a deep breath. "Always with the deals… Very well, help your champions however you can, but be smart about it. Try to keep from being seen by our uncle, because I don't want to lose either of you."

Honifery took her hand again, and Fisica squeezed it.

"We'll be fine." Druexxa sniffed and looked away as she blinked quickly.

Honifery released Fisica's hand. "However, that brings us to why I've called this meeting…"

Hours later, Fisica blinked past the pain in her body and the burning medallion on her chest. When her eyes adjusted to the dimness, she found herself back in front of the fireplace in her new cabin, flat on her back.

She looked at her hands and sighed. Her smooth, dark skin was now tan, wrinkled, and spotted with age. The golden veins of magic weren't visible in this form, but more than how she looked was how she felt.

Her back ached from where she'd slammed into the dirt packed floor on her re-entry to this plane. She got up slowly and laid on the bed. Someday, this old body wouldn't be necessary. But first, she had a war to stop and champions to save.