39. Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Calliope

I never enjoyed the idea of flying. Sure, I loved wings of the fae and the fairies, but the idea of flying super high off the ground, with your feet just dangling and not touching the ground, scared the dumplings out of me.

I was doing it for Simon, and I pushed that fear deeper inside me, the more I thought of him and the hot butt I was going to have later.

We flew for what seemed like forever, covering a lot of ground. If we had gone on foot it would have taken us days. That worried me for Valpar. For one, he wouldn't find me because there was nothing to track and two, I was too far away for him to get to me in time for whatever Ivy and Karma had planned.

As we approached Valpar's territory, our path took a slight detour to the east, bringing us nearer to the mysterious Vermillion Kingdom. The dense forests in this region exuded a darker look, with their ebony tree bark and foliage adorned in richer, deeper shades of color. I'd never had the desire to visit this kingdom. It was dark and gloomy, and from stories I read about anything being dark, it meant evil resided there.

It was terrible of me to think that. There were a lot of vampires that were super nice, such as the current king and queen. It was just the darker scene just wasn't for me. Plus, there were giant spiders.

And spiders were icky.

My calloused feet sank into the rough, scratchy rope, causing an incessant itch. The friction had left my hands blistered and tender, aching from the strain of gripping tightly. As I hung there, suspended in mid-air, a sigh escaped my lips, a mix of exhaustion and anxiety. I let out a tremendous sigh, but I dared not complain. I didn't want to freefall to my death; I wanted Simon and to make sure he was okay.

Ivy slowed down, and Karma wasn't far behind us. For a small thing, he was pretty fast, and he dove in a spiral waiting for Ivy to lower us to the ground.

As we made our way downward, the skeletal branches of the trees loomed overhead, devoid of leaves. I could feel their rough, jagged edges graze against my bare legs, causing a prickling sensation. Desperately, I tried to maneuver my body to avoid their grasp, but they seemed relentless. They tugged at my hair, my hips, and my arms, as if seeking to ensnare me. The branches left tiny, stinging cuts on my skin, eliciting a sharp intake of breath. Suddenly, one of them became entangled in my hair, causing the brittle branch to snap and tumble down with me.

Once we were five feet off the ground, Ivy dropped me without a care. I landed on my backside and yelped in surprise. She fluttered down, with a smirk on her face and I glared at her.

If only I could make her burst into flames.

She'd already died like six times in my head already. All being slow and torturous deaths.

Wow, now I am becoming the meanie.

I slapped my hand. "Bad Calliope."

Ivy glanced over at me and rolled her eyes. "Weirdo."

"Where's Simon? I came like you asked." I kicked off the rope around my ankles and dusted off my dress. "Come on, where is he?"

A faint, muffled rustling emanated from beyond a bush painted in deep, navy hues. As I strained my eyes, I caught a fleeting glimpse of a white tail protruding from the other side of the bush. With a sudden jolt, I lunged towards the source of the sound, my heart pounding against my chest. However, before I could fully react, Ivy swiftly extended her hand, clutching my arm and forcefully pulling me back. The unexpected motion caused me to lose my balance, sending me tumbling onto the ground, landing unceremoniously on my butt.

"Not so fast." Ivy waved her hand, sauntered over and unwrapped a rope that had Simon's neck tied to the bush.

Simon didn't do well if he didn't eat every ten minutes while he was awake. He had to be cranky.

He nodded his head, trying to buck at Ivy to get away. Unfortunately, he had a pillow wrapped around his head to pad his horns, so he could not hurt her. Poor Simon looked utterly defeated, yet unharmed.

I stood up and balled my fists at my side. "Let him go, you got me here!"

Karma snorted, his little booty shorts squeezing his junk a little too tight. Does he like goat bondage or something? Is he into animal torture? What is his problem?

I hoped someone would sit on him and he'd get squished like the bug he is.

"Not so fast. We've got some things to discuss." Ivy polished her nails with her dress and blew on it.

"Yeah, and what is there to discuss other than you being a sore loser?" I crossed my arms. "The only reason you have me here is because you're sad you don't have an orc."

Ivy growled and stomped her foot. "It isn't fair that a human gets a mate while the rest of Bergarians are still waiting for their mates. Why?" she yelled. "I'm fifty years old. I've been patient!"

I huffed in annoyance. "There are other Bergarians that have waited longer for their mates. Uncle Osirus waited eight hundred years! King Kane waited over a hundred. What makes you special?"

Ivy huffed through her nose. "And what makes you special? You are twenty-five! And human! Humans shouldn't get such luxury! The gods chose us to be their favorites. Humans ruin everything. Your realm is slowly dying because you can't take care of it." Her face turned red, and her voice grew louder.

Like that was my fault. I didn't even remember Earth.

Karma flew toward me and crossed his arms. "And why do you have to have the king so close to you? Why not someone else in the realm that is of his people? Why a human?"

I rolled my eyes. "You guys are racists to humans. I don't understand why. I don't have any power over any of you. I'm not the prettiest. I hold no powers. King Osirus gave pity on me because of my past that I—"

"—don't know," Ivy interrupted. "Yes, we are aware you don't know of your past. We've done our digging. You've been tainted with magic to forget who you are so you can be the ignorant, happy, little human. The little sunshine to the king and queen's eyes, who they can spoil. They only keep you around for your innocence, you know, because they can't have children of their own."

The harshness of her words pierced my chest.

It was well known that Uncle Osirus and Aunt Melina may never have children. Melina was stabbed in her womb during the war, with a sword imbued with deep, dark magic. She may never have children, but they don't let that come between them. They love each other. They wouldn't spoil me because I act like a child. I wasn't a child. They said so themselves.

I didn't believe her.

"I—"

"They are getting bored." Karma interrupted. "They need someone else to baby and to spoil. Like a real child. Birch and Theresa are pregnant now, you know. Once they get rid of you, the king and queen can spend some time with a real baby. Not an adult that acts like one."

My eyes widened and I clutched my hand to my chest. "W-what?" Why didn't they tell me?

"That's the whole reason they left for the mountains, isn't it? To become pregnant?" Karma cooed, flying around my head. "They are starting their own family now. Think about it, Calliope. They were trying to get you to that ball all along. Valpar hasn't claimed you yet, because you aren't really his."

"Liar!" I screamed and reached to grab him.

Karma darted away and flew to a height where I couldn't reach.

"That's enough," Ivy said, waving her hand. "Here is what's going to happen, Calliope. Listen real good, now, because I'm explaining this once and if your little head can't get it, then I guess it's over for the both of you."

She pulled out a piece of a worn envelope. It looked like it had been folded multiple times. It was discolored and even had drops of some sort of liquid dried on it.

I instantly knew what it was before she explained.

"This is the letter to you wrote to yourself." Ivy waved it in front of her. "Such a sad story where you came from. Tragic… almost made me feel sorry for you. No wonder you wanted to forget."

She read it. That bitch read it!

Rage surged through my veins, a fiery torrent. I felt like Valpar and his emotional turmoil to uproot a tree. The desire to extract her very life from her body, to squeeze her insides so they were on the forest floor, consumed me.

Dang, I got dark real quick.

Simon turned his body to kick her, but Ivy was on alert and jumped in the air to float above him. She tsked, shaking her head. "We've planned this too well to let it all go. Not for a stupid goat to mess it up. Karma, do you have it?"

Karma came fluttering down from the tree, carrying a bottle the size of him. He was stronger than he looked and held it, leaning it up against his body while Ivy took the time to tie Simon to the base of another tree.

"Stay there, Calliope, or I'll slit Simon's throat and let the rogue vamps come find the both of you." Ivy glared, daring me to step away from my spot.

It was useless. I stood there and watched as she tied Simon's neck to the tree, his legs kicked into the dirt, his grunts ripping my heart out.

"Hang on, Simon, I'm gonna make it better." I pleaded with him. He stilled and his went body stiff. He was tied so tightly to the tree I didn't know if he had fainted or not, because he couldn't move.

Goddess, we're utterly screwed.

But I was determined to get us both out of here. He helped me when I needed it all those years. Really, he was my companion not the other way around.

Ivy dusted her hands off and took the bottle from Karma. "Now for the show." She took the bottle and swirled it in her hand. It was corked at the top, but with the bottle being translucent, you could still see the liquid inside sloshing about.

"This is a magic-breaking potion. It has some fancy name." Ivy waved her hand carelessly. "All I know is it will break whatever spell that is on you, and you will remember every damn thing you've been through. Down to the last detail."

I threaded my fingers together and looked away from her.

"Drink this, or we kill your pet." She put her free hand on her hip. "You'll become the depressed little loser you really are, and not want to even go back to your happy, insignificant life with your adoptive family. Put everyone out of their misery, trying to push you off on some orc and give the rest of the fairies a chance."

If they had been spying on me, then they should know that the curse would be broken soon, since he was my mate. Did she really not think I was his?

"Why break it now?" I asked. "I'll have to remember my past soon."

Ivy strolled up to me with the bottle in her hand. She leaned forward, her nose close to mine. "Like I said, you aren't really his mate. Besides, once you take this and realize what sort of past you had, trust me, you won't want to live anyway. You won't want to go back."

Simon cried and huffed with the rope wrapped around his body and snout. He tried to shake his head, kicking the dirt beneath him.

Was my life that terrible before?

I tentatively took the bottle in my hand, and Ivy and Karma smiled in triumph. She backed away and grabbed a small flame from Karma that I had not seen before, putting it under the letter.

"Wait no!" I reached out, but she held it away from me, an enormous grin on her face.

I watched as the fire slowly consumed the letter and the pieces dropped to the ground.

Once I take this potion, I won't have my words to bring myself through the trauma of my past. What ever I had said to help me get through—they were gone.

Why did they have to be so cruel?

"We won't face murder charges," Karma said happily, "because technically, we didn't kill you. Supposedly, you were to remember your memories anyway. We just sped it along. We didn't kidnap you; you willingly came with us. We've broken no laws." He leaned his body back while he fluttered in the air, placing both of his hands behind his head.

They coerced me, but I couldn't argue anymore. I had to get Simon free. "Release Simon and I'll take it." I said with as much courage as I could.

"You aren't the one with the knife." Ivy said as she pulled it from a sleeve on her thigh under her dress. "I suggest you get going. Just drop it on your skin, that's all you need." She placed the knife under Simon's neck, and he stilled, his nose flaring.

I held on to the bottle tighter and placed my hand on top, feeling the cork. I knew nothing about magic, but just holding the bottle and knowing I would regain my memories just from the liquid inside, I knew that my life would change forever.

I wouldn't have Valpar or my family here with me. That was what Ivy and Karma were hoping for.

I couldn't believe they would go this far—how can people be so cruel.

I would do it though—for Simon. My first best friend.

Before I popped off the top, footsteps came from the right. The thicket, where branches barely holding dark navy leaves and dead flowers, moved. The branches were so thick, I could hardly see the other side. Once it became louder, I backed away, moving toward Simon. Ivy didn't stop me, both her and Karma were stunned to see someone come out of the brush.

A tall woman, with snow white skin and hair that fell to her hips, approached us. Her features were delicate and ethereal, with high cheekbones and a slender nose. The woman's lips were adorned with a soft, gentle smile, contrasting with the mysterious aura that emanated from her captivating eyes. The pale blue irises seemed to hold secrets. Secrets I didn't really want to know. Her face was friendly, but the light blue eyes were unsettling. She wore a sage green dress with a matching cape that went over her head.

I clutched the bottle because I had nothing to hold on to, and partly, because it was my only way to free Simon.

Ivy walked around me with her eyebrows raised. "Esmeray? What are you doing here?"

The woman, Esmeray, smiled and lifted her hand. "I've come to see Calliope." Her eyes lingered on me and a chill ran down my body. "Here is your coin. I will take her, and you no longer need to worry about the human."

Karma and Ivy looked at one another, and Ivy shook her head. "No," Ivy stepped in front of me. "She's ours, we are—"

With a flick of Esmeray's finger, Ivy's body exploded into a burst of white petals. I jumped, falling backwards, holding onto the potion. Karma screamed and held onto the tree limb Simon was tied to, as if for dear life.

"I trust that the little pixie won't be interrupting me, will he?" she crooned.

Karma shook his head while I stared at her wide-eyed.

What in Hades was going on?

Esmeray giggled and offered her hand. I looked between her and her hand several times before I reluctantly took it, and she pulled me up to stand.

"Where is Ivy?" My voice shook as I watched the white petals fall to the ground.

Esmeray's shoulders rose, then fell. "With the soil now. She deserved it, she questioned me."

Snickerdoodle, we are in bigger trouble.

"Walk with me, Calliope." She held out her arm for me to thread into. I turned to see Karma shaking, and he waved his hand for me to follow her. I didn't have a choice. She could turn me into flower petals too, so reluctantly I went with her.

She hummed while she walked and led me past the thick bushes and slowly down a hill embankment. As she walked, small flowers flowed behind her despite the dead area around us. How can something so pretty do something so evil as to kill someone?

We stopped as we came to an old abandoned or fort more like. Stones lay overturned, debris scattered everywhere. It looked like it was once a grand fortress, maybe even a mansion back during its time.

"My mother used to run a coven here," Esmeray began. "Some of the strongest witches and warlocks trained in this area. They had a vision, one that would reshape how Bergarian would be today—if she and the rest of the coven and not been killed."

My body was stiff, but as she told me she'd lost her mother I relaxed. Perhaps she needed a friend to talk to. "I'm sorry," I said. "I can't imagine losing a mother. Especially one you deeply cared about."

Esmeray frowned and turned to me. "Indeed."

"What happened?" I tried to show sympathy toward her. Ivy wasn't a great person, but maybe this woman needed someone to talk to, someone to let out her feelings with. Perhaps she was going to rescue me?

Her frown deepened. "There was a golden dragon named Horus, led by Queen Melina, who stormed into the threshold and set fire to all the coven. Eventually swallowing my mother's entire body."

Uh oh! Nope, not a friend, not a friend.

Red flags, big, big red flags.

I slowly stepped away from her.

I've heard this story before. Aunt Melina told me about the coven that tried to overthrow the Golden Light Kingdom's court from the inside, before the war. The Sorceress Prinna was powerful and tried to pry apart Uncle Osirus' kingdom.

"Ah, so your mother was the Sorceress Prinna, the great Sorceress Prinna. Ah yes, she was, ah, very wonderful." I continued to back away and Esmeray watched me curiously.

"She was. She was a vision. My father, at the time, kept me in a cabin in Vermillion territory to keep me safe, since I was too young to fight. When I found out about her death, I swore I would get revenge one day. Lo and behold, just a few days ago, a vengeful little fairy and pixie searched for a witch who wanted to ruin the life of the king and queen of the Golden Light Kingdom's favorite human."

I continue to back away from her, my legs being scratched by the briars.

"I-I'm not the favorite. I think they find me just funny and interesting. Like a court jester." I held the bottle tight to my chest.

As I retreated, Esmeray took slow strides toward me, her presence palpable. Vines slithered in her wake, entangling the trees, constricting them, dragging them down with a resounding crash. The thud reverberated, igniting a tremor in my chest, as a surge of fear coursed through me.

"I don't believe that to be so," she said smoothly. "I've watched on my own. They do care for you. I just cannot get too close to the kingdom. You see, I am not as powerful as my mother—yet."

I felt the blood rushing to my ears, the pounding in my chest grew louder. When I turned to run a vine slipped around my ankle. It only gave me so much slack until it pulled me back for her to taunt me.

"You see, I'm still far too young to be a sorceress. I can't get near the palace because Osirus is too strong. So, I had to wait until the fairy and the pixie brought you here. Your orc won't find you either, and by the time the king finds out where you are, you will be long dead. It will pierce him through the heart and make him weak with sorrow," she crooned.

I panicked when the vines wrapped around my legs. I tried to push them down, kick them away, but she just giggled and held her hands out like she was some messiah to all of Bergarian.

"I'll put this realm back where it was supposed to be, under dark magic, and take over the Earth realm where humans will be enslaved." She cackled and put a hand over her mouth. "Baby steps, I'm getting a head of myself."

"Help!" I screamed out when the vines wrapped around my torso and my arms, pinning them down.

Her eyebrows turned downward, and a wicked smile crossed her face. "Slow, crushing, painful deaths have always been my favorite." The vines grew tighter, and I screamed, just as two deafening roars came from overhead.