Chapter 30

CHAPTER THIRTY

A s I fly over the forest, I can sense her. I don’t know how. Maybe it’s the connection we share to the dark magic. But she’s here. That much I’m certain of. I allow my dark magic to seep out into the forest in search of her. In my mind’s eye, I see her in the clearing by the ancient ruins, before my dark magic even finds her there.

A yelp sounds below, and I look down at a group of Zelons running through the forest below me. I close my eyes as I glide through the air, feeling more at home than ever. The forest is a part of me. I can feel it coursing through my veins, and I love everything about it. I spot the clearing up ahead and glide down toward it.

The ancient ruins where I summoned Alaron come into focus, and I land in the clearing. I spot Hethenos crouched down on the circular rock in the middle of the ruins. She appears injured, and I wonder why her dark magic hasn’t been able to heal her. I’m certain she would have tried. Did The Sword of Silanthia harm her? I sense weak magic radiating from her and know she’s attempting to summon Alaron.

I storm toward her and stop just outside the rocks as the weight of energy bears down on my shoulders. I brace myself against the side of the rock while I breathe through it and then raise my right hand. A strength unlike anything I’ve experienced before surges through me. A bright white beam blasts out of my hand, cuts through the invisible barrier, and shoots Hethenos out the other side and into the clearing.

My body feels replenished, ready for a fight. Hethenos struggles to her feet and raises her head, pressing her lips together in a tight line. I can see how difficult she is finding this. Her strength has been seriously diminished.

“You are no match for me,” she says, her voice strained.

I can sense her own uncertainty at her words. She’s worried, and that alone further feeds my strength.

“Actually, I think it’s you who’s no match for me ,” I say.

She chuckles and forces her body to straighten up. I hear her back crack as her focus zones in on the sword on my hip and then back up again.

“You are so much like your mother,” she says, as if it’s an insult. “You look the same. You act the same. You’re just as ordinary. I never understood what Harlum saw in her.”

I frown and grit my teeth while I listen to Hethenos speak lies about my mother, waiting for the right moment to strike.

“I enjoyed taking her life. She was so weak, so desperate to protect you, she didn’t even see it coming. Or maybe she did, according to her journal.”

My eyes grow wide with shock as Hethenos pulls my mother’s journal from her jacket pocket and holds it up in the air.

“You know, it was interesting reading all about when she became a guardian angel, who her second was, and how he was in love with her. More like obsessed, actually. Harlum didn’t like it, but they came to an understanding, and that’s when Harlum took her as his wife, and she ceased her guardian duties.”

She slowly walks around the edge of the clearing, and I follow suit, wanting to maintain as much distance as possible.

“I bet you’d just love to know who her second was, wouldn’t you? Too bad.” She reaches into her pocket, pulls out the torn pages from the journal, and then lights them on fire with a wave of her hand.

“No!”

I rush forward, but Hethenos has the advantage and fires a ball of power into my chest that sends me flying into a tree. There’s a distinct crack in my back at the impact, and I know I’ve broken a couple of ribs. I roll onto my stomach, groaning as pain radiates through my back and into my chest.

“Serona’s true love. Now he was an impressive male,” she says as she slowly paces the forest floor. “A god. She loved him more than anything or anyone. But he grew tired of waiting for her. He had desires he needed fulfilled, and I was there to fulfil them. I kept him company many, many times, until she finally gave herself to him.”

Disgust twists my stomach. Hethenos was jealous of my mother even then, wanting what she had.

“Long after Stavros forged Silanthia and Zarlin murdered him to take The Throne, Harlum learnt of the beautiful goddess Serona visiting friends in Zarquon. He and Amaros hatched a plan together to take her. Harlum didn’t care about her true mate, a powerful god. He had Amaros take care of it, like he always did, and had Amaros remove her memories of that inconvenience.”

She fires another ball of power at me, and I’m caught off guard. I cry out as it hits me in the back, and a fresh wave of pain cuts into my spine.

“Harlum had to have her at all costs, no matter what,” she continues. “He even resorted to imprisoning her within the Kingdom to get his own way, and prevented her from seeing her true mate,” she says. “He had the most gorgeous green eyes…”

Her words take a moment to sink in, and then I remember my mother’s journal. How she described my father’s green eyes, just like mine. But Harlum doesn’t have green eyes.

Hethenos claps her hands. “You’re finally starting to get it, aren’t you?”

My mind races as I stare at her in shock. Harlum isn’t my real father? How is that possible?

No, don’t listen to her. It’s all lies, I tell myself. But somehow, deep down, I know that it’s true. I take a deep breath, using the dark magic to heal myself before I get to my feet.

Hethenos giggles in an evil way. “You’re wondering where your daddy is, aren’t you, Zarla? Well, truth be told, no one really knows. Harlum took care of it. Well, his lap dog did actually.”

Is she talking about Amaros? He knows ? And then a thought occurs to me.

“Is Harlum Astelle’s father?”

Her lips curl up at the sides. “I was wondering when you would put those pieces of the puzzle together,” she says, circling the edge of the clearing. “You’re smarter than I give you credit for. And no, he isn’t. But Astelle is your sister. Half sister, to be exact. You do share the same father. Your mother’s mate filled us both with his seed.”

I cringe at her words. Despite not knowing my father, I already despise him. How could he do that to my mother? With Hethenos, of all females. Disgust swirls inside me as I clench my fists.

“I’m guessing you won’t tell me anything else about him, like his name?”

She laughs. “As I said, you’re smarter than I give you credit for.”

It’s a long shot, but I have to try. Amaros will know, and he will tell me.

“Did Amaros help you in any way?”

“Many have helped me. Your handsome second, Finlay, barely batted an eye when I roped him in. Another stupid male, willing to do whatever it took out of his love for you. I suppose threatening his family may have played a part, but he was still more than eager. I think he enjoyed the power, leading those watchers down to Earth to kill Kyle and remove him from your life. It’s a shame it didn’t work out for him, though. Poor Finlay.”

My jaw tenses at her admission. I knew she was responsible for the watcher attacks. “You were behind all the watcher attacks, weren’t you?”

She presses her lips together to stop herself from laughing. “Yes, and no. Like I said, I had plenty of help. You don’t really believe I’m the only one who wants to rule the Kingdom, do you?”

She suddenly sends a blast of power at me, but this time I see it coming and roll to the side to dodge it. I leap to my feet as she pulls my mother’s daggers from her belt. I narrow my eyes at her, and she smirks, raising them up into the air.

“Those are mine,” I say, my voice laced with anger.

She spins them around in her hands. “I remember your mother wearing these daggers. I always wondered where they came from. Likely a gift from her mate. That’s the thing about gods and goddesses; they possess powerful weapons. I saw these daggers pictured in the book I discovered in the library that spoke of the weapons of the gods. I couldn’t let you find that out.”

My mind races as I think back to the book in the library and how its pages were torn out. “That was you?”

“You already had the Locket of Leodona and the Ring of Rykel. Having the Daggers of Gallerria as well was out of the question. I knew I had to take them from you before you realised their power, but my watchers failed. Everyone fails me.

“Yimel and Rimel couldn’t even get the explosion in the Great Hall right. You and Harlum both survived it. Seems if I want anything done right, I have to do it myself.”

I shake my head at her admission. “Of course you were behind it.”

She twirls the daggers in her hands. “It was a marvellous plan that would have succeeded if those idiot twins could follow instructions. Oh well, it’s planned out just fine. Here we are.”

She holds the daggers together high in the air, as if expecting something to happen, but nothing does. Frustrated, she tosses them to the ground.

I pull The Sword of Silanthia from my holster. “I have already unleashed their power,” I tell her.

Her chest heaves up and down as she grits her teeth and pulls a sword from her holster. “I prefer my own weapons anyway,” she says and charges forward.

She brings her sword down hard, and I meet it with my own, the sound of clashing metal echoing around the clearing. She lands a kick to my chest. I fall to the ground, losing my grip on the sword. I roll out of the way as she plunges her sword down, and it cuts into the thick layer of leaves on the forest floor. I leap to my feet. She swings her sword again as I jump back, but the next swing of her sword catches my arm. I cry out as it slices through my leather wristband and into my flesh.

She grins and raises her sword above her head as I take up my fighter’s stance, holding my hands up in defence. Blood drips down my forearm, and this time I don’t give her a chance to attack first.

I charge at her and land a firm kick to her chest that sends her stumbling back. I surge forward again, smack my fist into her face, flip backward, and land on my feet before her.

She runs her hand along her lip and lets out a laugh before slowly moving toward me. We circle one another, both crouching down as we look for an in.

A branch snaps to my right, catching me off guard for a moment, and it’s enough. She uses the opportunity to snatch up the Sword of Silanthia from the forest floor and blast its power at me, sending me flying into a nearby boulder.

I crack my head hard against the edge of the stone boulder, and my vision blurs as nausea takes hold. She stalks toward me, curls her hand through my hair, and hauls me across the ground. I kick at the leaves and twigs as she drags me through the dirt. A searing pain rips at my head. I attempt to pry her hands from my hair, but it doesn’t stop her. Before I have a chance to use my powers, she throws me up against the stone ruins and smacks me hard across the face.

I wince, reaching up to my lip as a familiar metallic taste fills my mouth.

“I am a powerful goddess, Zarla. You were never a match for me,” she says with certainty.

Then she plunges the Sword of Silanthia into my stomach.

Pain slices through me as I glance down at the blade embedded deep in my stomach. I reach for it with a shaking hand in a feeble attempt to stop the bleeding. Tears pool in my eyes while I choke and splutter on my blood. It runs down my chin and drips onto my hands. I meet her gaze and find pure satisfaction there, as if she has finally achieved something she set out to do.

“Another familiar sight,” she taunts. “Now, where have I seen this before?” she says, tapping her fingers across her chin.

She yanks the sword out of my stomach, and I almost black out as an intense pain surges through me. My vision blurs and my stomach turns as a cold sweat breaks out across my forehead.

“That’s right. This is the same sword I used to kill your mother, in much the same way, might I add.” She turns away, dragging the sword across the forest floor, cutting through leaves as she crosses the clearing.

White spots dance across my vision, and then there’s nothing but darkness. I blink my eyes open as a bright light beams down on me, and I have to shield my eyes from it. What is that?

“Zarla,” someone calls.

I’m so drawn to the voice. It’s like music to my ears. The perfect song made just for me. I stumble to my feet and move toward it. It grows brighter and brighter the closer I get, and then it’s gone and I’m standing in a familiar meadow, the sound of running water in the distance. I follow the sounds of water and find myself at a familiar waterfall.

And then I see her. My mother is swimming through the lake toward me. She reaches the shallows and stands, her gold dress clinging to her body while she steps out of the water. Her wide smile lights up her entire face when she reaches her arms out to me, and I run to her.

“My darling daughter,” she whispers against my hair and strokes my back.

“Mum,” I whisper, tears pooling in my eyes, “this is heaven. I’m dead, aren’t I?”

She pulls back and stares at me. “No, Zarla. You are not.”

I crease my brows as I stare at her with confusion. “Then where am I?”

She cups my cheek, rubbing little circles with the pad of her thumb. “I cannot speak of this, but you are far from dead. You are a goddess, Zarla. You are stronger than you know. Your father’s blood runs through your veins. She cannot defeat you.”

Does she know what just happened with Hethenos?

“Yes, I know,” she says, her expression grim. “It was difficult to watch.”

She wanders across the grass and sits down amongst the flowers.

I stare after her for a moment before I join her. “If I’m not dead, then why am I here?”

“Because I needed to tell you something,” she says, searching my face. “You are special, Zarla. You have the ability to finish something I started long ago.”

I bite my bottom lip. “The Kingdoms. You tried to unite them, didn’t you?”

She nods. “I did, and I would have, if it hadn’t been for her. Well, there were many reasons, in fact.”

I pick a flower and bring it to my nose, breathing in its floral scent. “Is that what I am to do? Unite the Kingdoms?”

She suddenly stands. “You will know what to do when the time is right. My beautiful daughter, you must go now. It is not your time.”

She reaches out to me, and when I take her hand, I’m suddenly back in the clearing of the forest. I glance down to see my stomach has healed, and when I look up, Hethenos is facing away from me.

She thinks I’m dead. I leap to my feet, and she spins around, staring at me with shock in her eyes.

“Impossible,” she breathes.

Rage unlike anything I’ve ever felt before surges through me as my powers build inside, stronger and stronger. I shake as my breathing increases, my chest lifting with each inhale while my wings release, and I slowly lift into the air. It’s like someone has taken over my body as I look down at Hethenos. She stares up at me, and her mouth gapes open, her eyes filled with pure shock while she backs up, unable to tear her eyes away from me.

A bright glow illuminates the clearing. I look at my hands and realise it’s coming from me. I grit my teeth, clench my fists, cutting my nails into my palms, and I let out a scream, shoving my hands out in front of me toward Hethenos.

Her gaze darts around the clearing as the ground rumbles below her before giving way beneath her feet. She lets out a blood-curdling scream as I fly above the hole and fire my powers down on top of her with the vengeance of a goddess, blasting her deep in the ground. The glow from my body slowly fades when I lower myself to the forest floor. I look around, confused at what I was just able to do. Did I just levitate off the ground while glowing?

“Now that was pure goddess power.”

I spin around to face Alaron.

“I am impressed, little angel,” he says with a wink.

“How was I able to do that?” I ask.

He crosses the distance between us and stops a few inches from my face. He always likes to get close.

“That is something I cannot tell you, as it would?—”

“Upset the balance?” I interrupt.

He laughs. “That it would. But I think you may find you already know the answer, little angel. And if not, the answers will be found inside that journal.”

He nods towards my mother’s journal lying on the forest floor amongst the leaves and twigs.

I rush to pick it up, thankful it isn’t burnt to ash. The pages she tore out of the other journal, though, are. Now I’m never going to find out who her second was.

There’s a cool tingle on the skin of my neck, and I turn to face Alaron, who is standing about as close as he can get.

“Did you just kiss my neck?” I ask, arching a brow.

He takes my hand and presses his lips to the back of it. My skin tingles at his touch, the cool sensation lingering.

“I did,” he says with a cheeky glint in his eyes before his expression shifts back into a serious one. “I am glad you are okay, but not all that surprised, given who your mother was. Who your father is. Their power and strength flows through your veins, Zarla.”

“She was a goddess,” I tell him, “and my father a god.”

He simply smiles. “I think you knew that all along,” he says before dropping my hand and walking over to where Hethenos is deep in the ground.

He reaches a hand out and closes his eyes as dark magic leaches up from the ground and into his chest. He shakes a little and opens his eyes.

“She won’t be needing that anymore,” he says as he walks over to me, “and I don’t believe you need it anymore either.”

He reaches his hand out, and the dark magic swirls inside me before leaving my body and flowing back into Alaron. Once it’s gone, a sense of relief washes over me.

He moves to the stone ruins and places his hand against the edge of one. “Stones hold a lot of memories, you know.”

I knit my brows together at his words, and he looks back at me.

“You are very cryptic,” I tell him. “I don’t suppose you can explain that one a little further?”

He presses his lips together and pretends to zip them closed.

I let out a laugh. “Thank you, Alaron.”

He leans against the stone and looks at me. “Anytime.” He pauses for a moment. “I say this because I find myself deeply intrigued by you. There are those close to you who cannot be trusted. This is not the end of their deception.”

I frown, but before I can ask him who he’s referring to, he vanishes.

A cool drop of water lands on the end of my nose, and I glance up through the tree canopy to see it’s starting to rain. Great. Am I going to have to haul Hethenos out of that hole before it fills with water and she drowns?

She deserves nothing less, but I decide against it. If only Alaron could have helped me out with this one.

And then Demetros and Lacinda land in the clearing.

“What in the gods happened here?” she asks as she scans the area.

I run to them, and they open their arms wide to embrace me.

“Thank the gods you’re okay,” I say before stepping back and spotting Lacinda’s cut lip. “Well, mostly okay.”

She shrugs. “This is nothing. You should feel the lump on his head.” She laughs, gesturing to Demetros.

“How are you doing?” he asks, looking over to the large hole in the ground containing Hethenos.

I give him a tight-lipped smile. “I’m fine. Thank you for taking on Yimel. If you hadn’t been there, I don’t know what would have happened.”

His eyes darken. “What happened after he knocked us out?”

I tuck my hair behind my ears. “Yimel came into my cell. He was pretty pissed, saying we could rule the Kingdom together. He was deluded. Then Hethenos showed up and killed him and Rimel.”

They both gasp.

“She tried to kill me, but Amaros stopped her. Then I flew here and found her, and blasted her ass deep into the ground. And here we are.”

Demetros pulls me into his chest and rubs my back, and I find myself finally able to relax. It has been the hardest few weeks of my life, but it’s over. Hethenos has lost, and she’s going to pay for all of it.

“What can we do to help?” Lacinda asks.

Demetros releases me.

“We need to move Hethenos to the cells before she drowns down there,” I tell them. “She’s going before The Throne to pay for what she’s done.”.