Night of the Storm: An Epic Fantasy Novel (The Eura Chronicles Book 2) (27 page)

COLDNESS FLOODED LILAE’S BODY
as she opened her eyes to a dark place. The pain of the curse had subsided, yet Lilae was disoriented when she looked around.

Jaiza and Risa.

Where were they?

Where was she?

Realization hit her full force, and she whimpered when she realized that she was no longer in the bedroom in the castle.

Dragnor?

She scrambled to her feet. Her breaths quickened as she looked at her surroundings, stumbling backward. Her eyes darted from one end of the empty rectangular room to the other. A startling chill in the air made Lilae’s teeth chatter. Her breath puffed out of her mouth before her as she exhaled.

Where was Dragnor? Where were his torture tools?

She whimpered, too afraid to face him again like this.

Meet me in the real world
, Lilae pleaded.
Where I can end this.

She knew that he awaited her, ready to torture her body and torment her mind.

Instead, silence welcomed her along with an eerie feeling that she was being watched. She saw something in the corner of her eye. A shadow moved under the cloak of darkness.

Lilae forced herself to speak. “Who is there?” While she asked the question, she truly didn’t want to know. She wanted to escape this place and return to her sisters.

She clutched her arms and walked backward across the slightly damp stone floor until her back was pressed against a similarly damp wall.

“Lilae?” A familiar voice called from one of the dark corners.

Lilae tensed. All color drained from her face as her heart thumped against her ribcage.

“Kavien?”

Her hands flew to cover her mouth as tears sprouted from her eyes.

Kavien.

Out of the shadows, he stepped toward her.

Tall. Swarthy. Handsome.

Naked.

Her eyes swept up the toned muscles of his nude body to fix on his gray eyes. Such adoration and relief filled his gray-eyed gaze as he continued to approach her, unabashed by the display of his body.

“My dear, Lilae,” he whispered, his hand outstretched toward her as he walked. “This cannot be.”

Shaking, Lilae considered closing the gap between them. Still, a mild distrust kept her planted in one spot. Her body wanted to be near him. Her mind yelled at her to resist. Whatever this dream world was, she didn’t feel comfortable.

This was not the same dreamscape she shared with Liam. This place was the exact opposite.

“You’re all right,” she said, tilting her head as she took note of every detail of his face. “Dragnor said he would kill you if I didn’t return to Avia’Torena.”

Kavien’s jaw clenched. “He bluffs. He cannot touch me.”

“But, he was the one to curse you.”

Kavien looked away in silence, his eyes cold.

She couldn’t believe just how much she’d missed watching him. His features were unlike the fair-skinned men from the north of Eura. With clear dark skin and almond-shaped eyes the color of the sky before a storm, under thick dark lashes, full lips that she could still taste, he was still one of the most attractive men she’d ever seen.

Something flashed before Kavien’s eyes, making him stop abruptly. Fear. His face went ashen.

“We don’t have much time. Dragnor is pulling you to his consciousness, but finally, I have you. I’ve been trying
every single day
in hopes that I would you see again, if only for a second. I knew that if I kept trying, that I could bring you here.”

Lilae took a step forward. The urge to comfort him was stronger than the warnings inside her head.

“Don’t let him take me, Kavien,” Lilae said, fear striking her heart at the thought of another torture-filled night.

This place—in its dark eeriness, was better than a minute with Dragnor.

“Don’t touch me,” Kavien said, looking behind him as if he’d heard something. “They are watching us. I don’t know what will happen if we touch. But, dear Elahe, I’d give anything to touch you right now.”

Lilae nodded, unsure of who
they
were, but intrigued by the notion of being in Kavien’s arms again.

She licked her lips. “All right. What is this place?” She rubbed the gooseflesh on her arms beneath her shirt sleeves.

“Misery,” he whispered, his shoulders slumping as he looked down at the floor.

“How do we get out of here?” Lilae asked rushing over to the stone wall to search for some sort of door. Her fingers traced the grooves, hoping to find a clue. She remembered something and paused. “I can get you out of here.”

Kavien’s eyes returned to her and he pushed fallen hair away from his face. Hope flashed before them as he watched her. “Blasted spirits, I have missed you more than freedom itself. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought about your beautiful face. But, it is not going to be that simple.”

“Yes,” Lilae said, nodding, ignoring the warnings that churned in her belly.

Her entire abdomen was tight with anxiety, yet as she looked into his eyes—eyes that were full of love for her, she was afraid and torn.

She lowered her voice to a whisper. “What do you need?”

Kavien rubbed his face with both of his hands, and Lilae willed her eyes to stop exploring his sculpted body. She’d never seen a naked man before, and her eyes lingered a bit too long for her own comfort.

Pursing her lips, she scolded herself for such curiosity in the face of danger, but the way Kavien looked at her made her face grow red.

A screeching sound resounded through the small room, making Lilae jump. She braced herself.

Something flew across the room. A bat-like creature? A shadow…or a being of some sort. It happened too quickly to be sure.

Kavien crossed the room to grab Lilae by the arms and pushed her into the wall. His arms wrapped around her, as if shielding her.

“Leave her alone!”

Lilae’s eyes widened. She could see nothing with Kavien’s body pressed hard against hers. His scent was familiar. She’d smelled his masculine aroma for months, every night as he slept in the bed beside her box and the times they’d slept in the same bed.

The time they kissed.

Her breath came out labored as he held her midair against the wall.

The screeching grew to a deafening roar, and Lilae closed her eyes, willing it to stop.

“Go away! She is not yours. You want me. Not her.”

The noise faded.

Silence filled the room but Kavien seemingly waited for the horrific cries to return.

“What were those things?” Lilae’s eyes searched the room for whatever had flown out of the darkness.

“The Horrors,” he said, holding her in place.

Lilae looked at him, her brows furrowed.

“The voices I hear. They are responsible for them. Except, now, they are more real than I ever realized.”

“Are they gone?”

“I think so,” he said, releasing her. He set her on her feet, but didn’t move away. His eyes searched her face as he stroked her cheeks. “We
can
touch.”

Lilae’s lips pursed as she looked up at him, his cold fingers still managing to warm her.

In her dreams with Liam, they’d never been able to touch. Each time they attempted, they’d be met with a bright light that shot them back to the present.

What made this different? His hands moved to her shoulders, and slowly, he rested his forehead against the top of her head. Lilae chewed her bottom lip as his breath warmed her face.

“I can’t believe I brought you here,” he said into her hair, breathing her in.

Lilae’s eyes fluttered closed. “Neither can I.” The cold of the room started to seep into her skin, chilling her bones. “I fear something is going horribly wrong in the real world. We have to get out of here.”

“I know,” he said. His hands slid into her hair, and he drew in a deep breath. “But, you’re not going to like the journey.”

 

THE FLYING WOMAN SOARED
through
the
sky like an eagle, graceful, powerful. A bright light lit her trail as she descended from above the clouds like a falling star.

Liam, Rowe, and Ayoki stood there, watching as the woman in white landed before them.

Liam had never seen something like this woman.

Not outside of the ancient texts, and he could not believe his eyes.

It is not possible.

Medium-height, with long lavender hair and brown skin, she had blue eyes that reminded Liam of the brightest Orenian sky. She was strikingly beautiful, but what he knew about her was more frightening than having Wexcyn stride into the city.

Her gaze locked with his as she glided across the stone pathway to him.

“Prince Liam Marx,” she said, not a hint of a smile on her stern face. Her skin was flawless, free from any lines or emotion. “You know who I am. Don’t you?”

Liam flinched when he heard the screams of women far into the distance. He looked over his shoulder at the castle.

They were screaming Lilae’s name.

“Pay attention, and you will all be allowed to live,” she said.

Liam swallowed, panic filling his eyes as his breathing quickened. He turned his gaze back to the frightening woman before them and nodded.

The goblins ran back to their homes to hide, quiet and efficient as if they’d done this before. There were no screams of terror, just action.

“You are Litha,” Liam said, his blood running cold. The legends and stories of her notorious reign were unsettling.

Lips pursed, Litha nodded. “Good job. I’ve been watching you. And, I am impressed.” She motioned to Rowe and Ayoki, and to Delia and Vaugner as they left the castle to join them—their faces ashen as they beheld the goddess before them.

Mai stayed inside, peeking around the open door, her fingers clutching the wooden frame.

“Most mortals know nothing of the gods of the other worlds. But you, smart boy, have taken it upon yourself to feast on knowledge. I
love
that.”

Liam didn’t know what to do. His heart pounded in his chest as he fought to keep the utter terror from filling his eyes.

He knew what this woman—no, she wasn’t a woman. Not an ordinary woman. Litha was the Goddess of Law, and he knew what she was capable of.

“What do you want with us?” Vaugner asked; his eyes narrowed as he looked Litha up and down. “You have no business here. Ellowen belongs to the Ancients.”

Litha did smile then, a smile that didn’t disarm any of them, it only struck fear into the deepest depths of their hearts.

“I execute the sacred Law of
all
the worlds,
Elder
. Ellowen, The Abyss, Aden, Varon, etc. etc. Break a Law and you belong to me.”

Liam’s eyes widened as a giant in glowing white armor landed before them, holding Lilae’s limp body in his arms.

At least eleven feet tall, the giant man’s eyes held a white light that scanned Liam and the others from above.

Lilae.

Why was she unconscious?

“What have you done?” Liam shouted the question before he could stop himself.

He didn’t care about anything but protecting Lilae at that moment. He drew his sword, the glow intensifying to an enchantment that made the tense air sizzle all around him. Teeth gritted, his glare met the dark stare of the man that held Lilae.

“Let her go.”

The Goddess of Law clasped her hands out before her. “Listen, Liam. You will put your sword away and lower your tone. We don’t need four dead bodies strewn about this lovely city, do we? Your Elders didn’t bring you here to bury you. My sheriff here has already greatly injured the two human girls,” Litha said. “Someone should tend to them.”

Delia held her hand out. “Please,” she pleaded. “Let the girl go. She has broken no sacred Laws.”

Litha shook her head. “No.
She
hasn’t. But I need her. Just for a while. And I will return her. You have my word.”

“Take me with you,” Liam said, lowering his sword. Anything to stay by Lilae’s side. He’d give up his life for her if it were necessary.

Litha’s eyes brightened. “Of course, you can come along. I am pleased. I didn’t even have to barter with you.”

She summoned a small blue orb and let it hover before them like a glowing ball.

Liam glanced back at Delia.

She looked from Litha to the sheriff that held Lilae, and Liam could tell that she was holding her breath as her eyes beheld the orb.

“Where are you taking them?” Delia asked, wariness in her eyes as she held Liam’s gaze.

The warnings—they shouted at him from inside. Liam was torn. He had to save Lilae. He’d already lost enough. There was no way that he was going to let the Goddess of Law take her away from him.

Litha shot Delia a glare. “It is none of your concern. I strive to keep the balance in all of the worlds.”

“Liam,” Delia said, the color in her cheeks draining. “Fight with everything you have.”

Liam froze. He sucked in a breath as Delia reach into her cloak and pulled out a long, red bone. With a few indistinguishable words, she tossed it before her.

He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and his eyes followed the bone as it flew through the air. It spun and sparked, and landed as a man.

A skeleton man
.

Garion stood to his full, towering height as a black substance trailed along his red bones, fusing to them until he looked like a shining statue. To Liam, it looked like the skeleton was dressed in armor.

“Garion,” Delia said through clenched teeth. “Grow and save Lilae.”

“That was incredibly unwise,” Litha snarled and tossed the blue orb into the sky.

The morning sky went purple, and the veins in Litha’s face became pronounced as she roared.

“You could have let this meeting go on peacefully. Instead, you bring your
pathetic
reanimated man. Alas, you prefer death and destruction. I will play along.”

A loud whistle emanated from her full lips, and with it, she summoned bat-like creatures the size of humans from the sky.

Hundreds of them.

“KILL THEM ALL!”

Vaugner sighed as the creatures let out loud roars, their waxy black wings outstretching the span of their wiry black arms, before running toward Liam and the others.

“And I thought today was going to be a good day,” Vaugner said, his eyes going black. “Here goes.”

Vaugner raised his arms toward the sky as though he lifted something very heavy. The tension in his face and neck convinced Liam that he did indeed lift something, yet his eyes couldn’t make it out.

The sounds of running from inside the castle came to Liam, vexing him as he sliced through the first two creatures that reached him. Black blood spurted into the air, splashing Liam’s face.

Liam stumbled backward as glanced back toward the strange sounds and beheld the most horrific scene he’d ever witnessed.

Skeletons—dead men and women ran from the catacombs of castle like a stampede, pushing Mia from her hiding spot. She screamed and crawled away from their ranks to hide beneath one of the benches.

Litha’s face turned bright red as she watched the ground shake and rumble as more skeleton men shot from the beneath them, their bones all fused with the same black substance that covered Garion’s.

Vaugner shot Litha a look. “Best to leave now,” he warned her with a wink, and his body morphed from that of a man, to a black mass that shot through the city, targeting Litha’s companions.

Delia followed suit, shifting from her human form to her Elder form, nothing more than black smoke that dispersed like a storm cloud.

Liam feared that Litha was not here to keep order as she’d claimed.

Litha’s smile faded as she watched the Elder’s fly through the city, tearing through the army of beasts as if they were pieces of parchment tossed into a fire.

If only there weren’t so many, Liam might have believed they actually had a chance against the Goddess of Law.

Garion grew just as Delia had commanded. His legs widened and stretched upward, all the while his arms and body morphed to match the dimensions of his new height.

The sheriff faced the giant skeleton, and like two nightmarish beings, they squared off against one another.

Garion slammed his fist into the side of the sheriff’s face, causing him to drop Lilae’s body, sending her flying to the ground.

Liam panicked. “No!”

“Don’t hurt the girl,” Litha shouted, her voice booming through the city, making Liam wince. “We need her.”

The sheriff reached for Lilae, but Garion caught her instead, using his armored foot to kick the giant in the chest. A loud yell came from the sheriff as he fell to the ground with a crash of stone beneath him.

He slid into one of the buildings, stones falling all around him, exposing goblins inside their homes. The goblins screamed and ran toward the back where they were safe from the battle outside.

Liam started to run for Lilae, when Litha shot black light from the palms of her hands. He gasped and swung his sword full circle, squeezing his eyes shut as the light from his body multiplied outward, to create a barrier between him and her power.

“Mai! Ayoki! Rowe!” he called to them, making sure they were close enough to be protected by his Shield.

The Shadow Elves ran to him, as did Rowe, and Liam completed the air shield to encircle them all with a sharp ring of steel.

Relief flooded him as the Shield stood between them and her dark power. He wiped sweat from his forehead, and the black light shot through the Shield, effortlessly, whistling like a bird in the wind.

Liam swallowed. His Shield dissipated and left them all vulnerable to her power.

Litha cackled then. Her shoulders shook. “Funny. Very funny,” she said. “Now, about those dead bodies I mentioned earlier.”

Throat dry, Liam looked back at his friends, and told them the only thing he could think of.

“Run.”