Worshiped By The Bear Kings - Complete (26 page)

 
CHAPTER
SEVEN

Spike stood up. He looked out to the
group awaiting the end of their discussion. “Zane!” Spike called. “Just Zane.
Come over here.”

Zane looked
to the others a moment first, before stepping away and joining Spike and
Lynette on the grass. “What?” he grunted.

“Look,” Spike
said. “I need you to let her go.”

“Huh?”

“She’ll tell
us what she knows and then you’ll promise to release her.”

Zane gritted
his teeth together. “What does she know?”

Spike turned
back to Lynette. “What do you know?”

She stood up.
Stared directly at Zane. “You have to promise to release me first.”

“I’m not
promising anything if you know nothing.”

Lynette
turned to Spike. “I know where he is.”

Spike’s eyes
widened. “The Mage?”

“Yes,”
Lynette said.

“So he and
Gaspar were working together.”

“I never said
that. There was … a meeting a month or so ago. The Mage knew that Gaspar would
be after the baby once it had been born. He wanted to convince him to hand the
baby over to him, as he believed he was better equipped to raise the baby as
Quraal would have wished. But Gaspar wouldn’t have any of it. He said if he
ever saw him again he’d kill him.”

“Wasn’t he
worried the Mage was going to come after the baby anyway?”

“No. The Mage
wouldn’t have been that stupid. It was only after Gaspar saw Jasmine with you
and Thunder that he knew there could be trouble. Which is why he had her taken
when he did.”

“Enough of
this babble,” Zane barked. “Where is the Mage right now?”

Lynette’s
eyelids opened and shut. Several times.

“Will you
agree to release her?” Spike asked.

Zane frowned.
He looked back to the group. “What if she lies?”

“You’ll know
it’s not a lie when I tell you,” Lynette said.

Zane sighed.
“Very well. Tell us where the baby is.”

“No,” Lynette
said. “Bring everyone over. They all need to hear it.”

Zane signaled
for the others to come over.

One by one,
the dragon guards, Stacey, Thunder Brad and Jasmine gathered around them.

“She’s going
to tell us where the Mage is,” Zane said. “And then we’ll let her go. Are there
any objections?”

Spike
couldn’t see that there were. “Tell us, Lynette,” he said to her. “Tell us
now.”

“You still
owe me,” Lynette whispered.

Yes.

Yes, she was
making him do this.

And it
shouldn’t have mattered that much. What with poor baby Grizzly’s life on the
line, a simple gesture between them, was nothing in exchange.

Still he felt
their eyes go cold as she stood close to him.

She took his
arm and put it around her waist. His other arm around her neck.

Spike’s eyes
glanced at Thunder who was burning hot with anger.

Then at
Jasmine, whose cheeks were flushed pink and lips were quivering.

Spike then
turned back to Lynette again found her already there.

She pushed
herself into him and kissed him deeply…

The purple
moisture, melting between…

CHAPTER
EIGHT

Oh, Spike

Oh no.

Jasmine
couldn’t believe what she was witnessing. What was this? Why would he do it?
Had Lynette found some way to pull him underneath her spell?

They broke
away. Spike took a step back, his balance beginning to wane.

Lynette
stayed right where she was.

“What the
fuck was that?” Stacey demanded.

“Yeah, what
the hell was that?” Brad echoed.

Spike looked
up at Jasmine. Ashamed.

Lynette waved
their concerns away. “Okay. I’ll tell you where to find him. So listen up.”

Spike stepped
outside the circle, his hands on the back of his head.

Jasmine’s
focus returned to Lynette.

“Gaspar’s
plan to raise the child was first here in this palace, and then at whatever
other fortresses Gaspar’s conquests were able to acquire. With his eyes on the
destruction of human society, and ruling this world, that would have left
little room for him to be devoted to the baby. That wasn’t how Gaspar saw it of
course – but that was the Mage’s take on things. He said he wanted to take the
baby back with him to where the dark dragon’s first uprising began. Through the
gates of hell…”

“Hell?”
Jasmine shrieked. “
Hell?!
”

“You will
have to travel to the otherworld in order to get there,” Lynette went on. “And
once you’re there … I … well, who knows what kinds of terrors await you.
Anyway, that’s where you can find him. I trust the king will be good to his
word…?”

She tapped
Zane’s chest with her index finger.

“Be off with
you then,” Zane muttered.

Lynette
smiled and backed away.

“Wait a
second,” Jasmine cried. “What else do you know? What can you –?”

Jasmine ran
to where Lynette was, only to have the lioness’s claws prickling into her skin.

“It’s not
over between us,” Lynette said to her. “I’ll be coming back for my bears. I’ll
be coming soon.”

She then
shifted into her lioness and let rip a ferocious growl at Jasmine.

Before
Jasmine even had a chance to put her arms up and defend herself, the lioness
was already bounding off into the faraway distance.

Until Jasmine
couldn’t see her anymore.

Until she was
just a dot on the horizon.

Thunder Brad
stood next to Jasmine. “Don’t worry about her,” he said. “Her day of reckoning
will come.”

Jasmine
looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “Let’s find our child.”

CHAPTER NINE

Jasmine had heard about the
otherworld before but wasn’t really informed on the exact nature of its existence
or how one would travel there. Turning back to the group, she could see their
faces were grim. Stacey was clutching onto Zane’s arm, whilst he drew a line in
the grass with his sword.

“What?” she
demanded. “Do you not know where it is?”

Zane looked up.
“I know where it is. But…”

Jasmine moved
close to him. “But what?”

“Hell has no
solace for wandering adventurers. There is no balance there. No safety net to
hide behind.”

“I don’t
care,” Jasmine seethed. “We’re going.”

Zane tilted
his head back. “I cannot go. Nor can any of my people. The bear kings must face
this alone.”

Thunder Brad
returned to Jasmine’s side.

Spike’s gaze
drifted back to the circle.

“What are you
talking about?” Stacey pleaded. “You’ve got to help her. They can’t just go
there by themselves –”

“Enough!”
Zane shouted. “I have failed this island once – I will not fail it again. We
don’t know when there’ll be another attack. I can’t abandon this place ever
again. Especially not when you’re…”

Stacey
lowered her eyes. Her hands nursed her belly.

“It’s okay,”
Brad said firmly. “Isn’t it, Spike?”

Spike took a
deep breath. He then nodded. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

Zane stroked
his chin. “Very well.” He snapped his fingers together.

One of his
men immediately ran to his side.

“Fetch me
some ink and paper,” Zane said.

The guard
immediately then raced back to the palace to retrieve it.

“What’s that
for?” Brad asked.

“You’re going
to need a reason to get inside the gates of Hell. They won’t let you in for
nothing. So I’m writing you an order from me for the recapture of the Mage so
he can be brought back here and tried for his crimes of treason.”

“Once we get
through these gates,” Spike said, “where do we go from there? Whereabouts in
‘Hell’ can we find the Mage?”

“You’ll have
to ask the keepers of the gate,” Zane said. “Hopefully they’ll know.”

A couple of
minutes later, the guard returned with the paper for Zane to write his order.
Once it was complete he handed it to Brad.

“We have a
portal on the island,” Zane said. “The former king told me where it was before
he officially handed over his crown. I’ll have my men escort you.”

He snapped
his fingers again and two of his guards moved out to the open grass and shifted
into their dragons.

Brad and
Spike began walking towards them.

When they
realized Jasmine was following, they turned around abruptly.

“What are you
doing?” Brad asked.

“I’m coming
too,” she said.

“Don’t be
ridiculous,” Spike said. “This is far too dangerous.”

Jasmine held
her head high and pushed past them.

“The way I
see it,” she said, “all four of us come back, or none of us come back.”

The bears
didn’t know how to respond to her.

She looked
back at them, showing them she meant business.

“If we’re
going to be a family, then we should act like it,” Jasmine stated. “Families
stick together.”

CHAPTER TEN

Before Jasmine and the bear kings
climbed aboard the dragons, Zane had his men bring out an assortment of heavy
armor and enchanted weapons for them to take their pick of. Spike took a golden
broadsword, whilst Thunder Brad equipped himself with a battleaxe. When it came
time for Jasmine to select her weapon she declined.

“You must
take something,” Zane insisted. “What shall you do if you’re attacked on your
own?”

Jasmine shook
her head. “Before any blood is drawn, I intend to speak with the Mage. The
safest, most assured way to ensure our baby’s safety is to convince him to hand
him over. I’m sure he will listen.”

Brad stepped
in behind her. “You know, Jasmine,” he said, “Zane might have a point. You
should take something just in case.”

Jasmine shook
her head. “No. I can’t. I won’t.”

She looked
past Brad to see Spike staring at her. Once their eyes met, he turned away and
went to his dragon.

“Very well,”
Zane said. “Best of luck to you then.”

Stacey made
her way over and gave Jasmine a hug and kiss goodbye.

“I’ll be
praying for you,” Stacey said.

“Thanks,”
Jasmine replied. “You know…”

“What?”

“Come on,”
Brad said calling from his dragon. “We don’t want to waste any more time.”

Spike and his
dragon leapt up into the air and began to fly away.

Jasmine
turned back to Stacey. “I feel this is meant to be.”

“What do you
mean?” Stacey asked.

“I have to
face him,” Jasmine said. “It’s the only way to undo…”

Her body
shuddered.

Stacey hugged
her again. “If you die, I swear I’m going to kill Zane.”

“Don’t say
that,” Jasmine gushed. “I’m … I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

They both
smiled.

“Jasmine,”
Brad called, his dragon ride lumbering over. “We have to go.”

Jasmine
nodded and said goodbye to Stacey.

Then she
reached up for Brad’s hand as he brought her up upon the dragon.

They soared
into the skies together, the palace soon fading from sight.

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

A dark purple dome stood out in a
midst the centre of the forest jungle. As the dragons dived and prepared to
land, Jasmine realized this must be it. Once they hit the ground in a
tremendous thud, Brad slid off the dragon’s back and held his arms out to catch
Jasmine as she dismounted.

The dragons
didn’t stick around. Without giving any further explanation, they took off into
the air leaving Jasmine and the bear kings stranded. Jasmine and Brad were
still staring up at them in a perplexed state as Spike approached them.

“I guess
we’re on our own now,” he said glumly.

Brad turned
to him. “We’re going to do this,” he declared. “I’m not afraid of him.”

Jasmine took
Brad’s hand and squeezed it.

Spike blinked
a couple of times. Then looked away.

“I think I
saw the door over here,” Brad said taking charge, and leading he and Jasmine
around the side of the dome.

Spike
followed on behind them.

As they came
around to the entrance, they found it was a wide open archway, with nothing to
stand in their way. Inside the dome it was dark, and the metal walls were
painted with a dull blue color that radiated towards the centre.

Jasmine let
go of Brad’s hand and moved to the furtherest end of the room. There were no
objects. No ledges or buttons or devices. It was completely empty.

“Did he give
you any further instructions?” Brad asked, his voice echoing around the
chamber.

Spike stopped
in his tracks. “None.”

“What are we
supposed to be looking for?” Jasmine asked. “A portal? A door? A switch of some
kind?”

Spike
scratched his head. “If he said, then I don’t recall.”

Brad’s
attention had been caught by the opening. “Did we come through there?”

Jasmine
walked to his side. “Through there?” she said pointing to the opening.

“Yeah.”

“Of course,”
Jasmine muttered. “There’s nowhere else we could have come from.”

Brad stepped
away from her and started walking towards the opening.

“Brad?” she
called after him.

As they both
stepped out into the daylight again, it became immediately apparent that they
were no longer on Firebound Island.

“Spike!” Brad
called excitedly.

He hurried
out behind them.

“What’s all
the fuss about…?”

He trailed
off as he now saw what the other two had seen.

Namely that
they were standing on the edge of a cliff surface, and below them was the
greatest kingdom each of them had ever seen.