赤裸裸的滑稽故事

“The souls that died there… were never meant to be found,” continued Lian.

“They were criminals and prisoners. Fae from all different clans that had been judged as irredeemable,” Solana added.

“We didn’t know that those spirits still clung to life. We assumed they had rejoined the ley lines like all are meant to do,” said Talis. “But when the chamber was opened, we felt them, and so did Irina. We don’t know exactly what happened, only that something changed her the day she found the tree.”

Ashleigh remembered Alpha Cain’s journal and how he had said that Luna Irina acted differently after they found the chamber.

“I went to her sometime later. I told her to keep Cain away from the chamber at all costs,” Talis continued, looking away sadly. “I didn’t realize then that she had already been infected with the Dark Queen’s energy.”

Ashleigh thought of the journal entry that talked about Irina having attacked Cain.

“Why did you need to keep Cain out?” Ashleigh asked. There had to be something more to their reason for keeping him away.

“Because his blood was pure,” Solana replied. “Irina was infected by the Dark Queen, but her fae blood was so muddied and faint that it took years for her to hear the call. Cain, if he had approached that tree, she would have sensed him and penetrated his heart. The Dark Queen would have used his blood to resurrect herself and pierce the barrier between her tree and the ley line.”

“Then what about Irina?” Ashleigh asked. “From what I know, she went mad and killed herself after this… so what happened to her?”

Talis took a deep breath.

“As I said, I didn’t know at the time that she was infected… But when I returned to her, she begged me to stop the voices, to ask the Goddess to cleanse her. So I did try,” Talis sighed. “But it was too late. The Dark Queen had already gotten her claws deep into Irina’s mind and body.”

Ashleigh took a deep breath.

“So, she killed herself…to stop it?” she asked.

“She did…” Talis nodded.

“She tried,” Solana corrected.

Ashleigh furrowed her brows.

Talis closed her eyes and clenched her jaw.

“I’ve told you already,” she sighed. “Irina is gone. The creature that emerged from that mound is not her.”

“It has her face, mostly, and it has claimed her child,” Solana replied with her arms crossed over her chest.

“It used her like a cocoon!” Talis shouted, “but that is not Irina! She died!”

“Then why didn’t we see her soul pass into the ley lines?” Solana growled.

“Because the Dark Queen consumed it.”

Solana and Talis both turned to look back at the one that answered. Talis with a look of concern and confusion. Solana with a look of agitation and curiosity.

“What are you talking about, Lily?” Lian asked.

Lily stepped forward and took a deep breath.

“Loki, toward the end, he had begun to turn on his own troops from time to time. First, he would fatally wound them and then… absorb their souls into himself,” she said sadly.

Lily’s eyes lifted just enough to lock with Solana’s.

“He tried to do it to me…” she whispered. “But Geri arrived before he could finish.”

Solana turned away, her fist clenched into a tight ball.

“Why have you never shared this with us before?” Lian asked, her voice concerned and sympathetic.

Lily gave a half-smile.

“Not the easiest topic,” she said. “And I didn’t know the knowledge had any value at this point.”

Lian nodded in understanding.

After a short silence, Solana spoke.

“Whether it is her or not doesn’t matter,” she said. “The Dark Queen has returned, and her strength is finally enough that she is comfortable making her creatures and abominations.”

“It does matter!” Talis shouted. “If Irina is gone, then even the tiny bit of my power that she had access to will have awakened in another descendant. One that will be able to lead Ashleigh to the location of the way gates and the Spring mound.”

“Why can’t you just tell me where they are?” Ashleigh asked.

“Time is running out,” Lian said, looking into the distance as though she could see something coming. She looked back at Ashleigh. “Will you help us? Will you find and destroy the mounds and the way gates?”

Ashleigh furrowed her brows.

“I… still have a lot of questions. I can’t just–“

“There is no time. The flow is coming back in on itself. Our places in time will be righted. But, your memory of this conversation will be lost to you until you experience it again.”

“Ok…” Ashleigh said, not understanding precisely what Lian was saying. But she knew that she had already agreed to this plan, and frankly, she saw no reason not to. “Yes, I will destroy the mounds and the gates.”

“Good,” Lian smiled. “Very good.”

Ashleigh felt a strange pulsing in the air.

“What is that?” she asked.

The pulsing grew stronger until she felt it pushing and pulling against her skin.

“What is that?!” she shouted.

The intensity grew until it finally snapped at her painfully, knocking the wind from her lungs. She fell to her knees, coughing.

As she regained control of her lungs, a hand reached out in front of her. Ashleigh lifted her head and gasped when she saw Lian, only now she looked at least thirty years older.

“Lian…?” she asked.

Lian nodded and smiled.

“Yes,” she said. “Our times have righted themselves. The past has returned to the Ashleigh that came seeking answers about her mate bond. The present has returned the one that has been sleeping in her bed for far too long.”

“What happened to you?” Ashleigh asked. “How did you age so much?”

Lian gave a soft smile.

“Talis, Solana, and I built this place to preserve our Queen. Because of that, time doesn’t affect us,” she said. “But, when we return to your world, we begin to age. And when we use our powers in your world… well….”

Lian smiled and raised her arms, indicating her current state.

“This.…” Ashleigh whispered hesitantly. “Is it because I called you to save Axel from Roman?”

Lian nodded.

Ashleigh gasped, bringing her hand to cover her mouth.

“I’m so sorry… I had no idea. I didn’t even know I could do that….”

“I know,” Lian smiled. “But it is not your fault.”

Ashleigh furrowed her brow.

“I am the one who made the decision to attack Roman with my abilities. However, when I saw him, I couldn’t help myself. He was just such a disappointment.”

Lian grinned and then took a breath.

“Now is not the time to be worrying about such things. You have a mission to accomplish.”

Ashleigh nodded.

“Yes, but I don’t know where to begin.”

“Well, that’s easy enough. You start by finding the long-lost brother of Luna Irina,” Lian smiled.

***

Peter sat heavily in the chair. His eyes burned from the tears he had shed, and his body screamed from the day's exhaustion. He could hardly tolerate the waiting. He hadn’t ever experienced this side of it.

He didn’t like it at all.

Peter knew how long it should have taken to repair the injury and how long to open and close. But, unfortunately, they were already an hour overdue.

“Peter?”

He looked up. Alice’s voice drew him from his quiet frustration. But the blood stains on her shirt from trying to treat Myka as they rushed him to the hospital only served to heighten his panic.

“What happened?” he asked, standing from the chair.

“He’s out of surgery,” she said gently.

Peter looked at her carefully.

Alice was naturally cautious in her expressions, but this was different. This was her brother surviving surgery. She should have been excited, not apprehensive.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Alice licked her lips and took a deep breath.

“There is an infection,” she said. “They have managed to slow it down, but it’s aggressive and unlike anything the doctors have seen before.”

Peter swallowed.

“How bad?” he asked.

Alice clenched her jaw and swallowed.

“How bad, Alice?” he repeated.

“It’s not good,” she said. “I’ve already reached out to Summer. They are looking at their records to see if there is anything they can do, but….”

Peter took in a shaky breath.

“I need to be with him…” he whispered.