As we’re walking deeper into the forest, I sense my beast inside of me. It's suddenly awake and disturbed. Dark, twisted energy rolls down my spine as I take a deep breath.
Seconds later, my heart stops when I see Ruscal walking towards me from the distance. I have to stop to make sure that it’s really him, but I would never mistake that nasty grin on his face, and he’s not alone. Bratlav, the leader of the wild shifters is walking right behind him. His colourful mask is hanging over his back. I grab Aria's hand, and whisper in her ear.
"Don't let them anywhere near Ruscal. I don't care what spell you’re going to use, just keep them away from me. He's mine."
I look at her and she nods, like she understands me; she needs to do whatever’s necessary to keep my Pixies alive. Seconds later, I sense that she’s already bonding Lenin and Jetli to her with an ancient tightening spell that her father taught her when she was still a child. Lenin’s shouting something at me, but I'm already hopping between the trees, gripping my knife tightly in my hand. My fire magic’s already filling me with raging power, it's time to make him pay–to leave Ruscal with nothing.
My Pixies are most likely pissed off at me, but I don't care. Lenin and Jetli have suffered enough and I want to kill him with my own bare hands.
I jump from the bushes, blocking his and Bratlav’s way. I'm ready to burn this whole forest to ashes to make him suffer, exactly the same way that I suffered day after day when he left me scarred in that dark chamber.
"Hello Ruscal, you scum. Stand up and fight or die!" I roar, aware that there are other shifters nearby, most likely ready to die for their master. I count a dozen, and if they’re willing to protect him, then so be it. I smile confidently, charging my fingers with electricity. He needs to see that I'm no longer that scared ten year old child that had no idea what to do.
His resemblance to Jorgen is striking in the most disturbing kind of way.
"Who is that small girl who dares to interfere in our business?" Bratlav asks and then spits on the ground. I gather energy from all around me, bonding and tangling it like an invisible ball. My heart starts pounding inside my chest. This time I have nothing to lose, and I would love to see him begging me for his life once I use all my power against him. An arrogant smile breaks through his face, and he starts rubbing his hands together.
"I knew you would show up sooner or later, Wyvern girl. I have been dreaming about this moment for a long time," Ruscal says, and takes off his sword. He’s wearing a black jacket made from dragon skin, and smells of blood. "This is the girl that my brother’s taken as his mate, the reason that our clan is doomed."
I don't even let him finish what he has to say, because something inside me snaps. Without any warning, I launch myself at him filled with unbridled rage, and start waving my knife so fast that he can't keep up. I cut deep into his thigh, then his arm and he roars in pain, trying to back away. I'm losing control, led by the violent need of avenging my parents and every other member of my family that this shifter’s murdered.
His sword and my knife clash a few times, but I keep going, until he’s out of breath, panting on the ground.
"You shouldn't have survived. Now, I will take exceptional pleasure in ending your life. Your death will be slow and very painful," Ruscal snarls, somehow managing to get back on his feet.
I keep breathing hard, charged with so much power that I'm struggling to control it. The temperature in my body is rising fast, causing destruction and despair. It's time to release my fire magic; it's time to show him who’s going to suffer badly and it won’t be me.
"Leave her to me Bratlav, she's mine to kill. The last Wyvern, and she’s been walking this land for a very long time," Ruscal screams and every cell in my body feels the power that’s pounding through me, waiting to be released. Ruscal tries to attack me when my feet rise inches above the ground, but he misses. I smile, releasing the fire that’s been brewing inside of me for years, from the moment I found out that he was the one who ruined my life and killed my parents.
His sharp blade catches my arm, and blood pours from the wound. In the exact same moment, I finally release my magic fire. The flames appear at the tips of my fingers, then move down to my hands and arms, soon my body begins to tremble. A split second, later Ruscal finally realises what’s happening and panics. I'm already feeding on his fear. Streams of light and fire explode through me, turning into a small tornado chasing and destroying everything in its wake.
My fire song violently slams into Ruscal, and he goes down instantly. The energy bounces back, and crashes into Bratlav too. This is it. My nature wins and I'm not going to spare anyone.
"You killed my parents, shifters who were innocent and now you're going to burn alive for all of yours sins."
Chapter Twenty Four
The truth hurts.
I'm sensing other troops nearby, and I know that my fire magic, once unleashed, won't spare anyone. The deadly flames will burn everything and everyone that stands in its way, even the innocent men and women who joined Ruscal's troops to protect him. I run my finger over my deformed cheek, sensing that my fire must be affecting my old scar. My skin’s stinging a little, but I ignore the pain. Ruscal’s rolling around on the ground, trying to put out the fire spreading all around him. His neck and part of his face is badly burned.
I smile to myself, knowing that this is just the beginning. I'm only just getting started.
I wonder what my dead mother and father would have to say if they saw me right now. I’m finally able to get my revenge, and nothing can beat the satisfaction that I'm experiencing seeing Ruscal writhing in pain. He doesn't even realise what else is coming for him. I summon a wave of my strongest magic, ready to treat him with another blast.
"Wyvern girl, stop spreading your fire or the duke dies!"
The voice echoes through the forest and I move my gaze over the trees, trying to see who’s speaking to me. My heart throws itself against my ribcage when I see the guard from the castle and realise that he’s holding Jorgen captive. I remember questioning his niece several weeks ago, and she was convinced that he hung himself. There are several other wild shifters standing right behind me now. My skin tingles and flushes, and slowly my entire world comes crashing down all around me. The buzzing in my ears increases and I don't know if this is really happening. Jorgen failed, he didn't get his magic back, otherwise he would’ve have fought back.
Ruscal’s swearing loudly, trying to lift himself up, and Bratlav looks severely injured. He isn't moving at all.
I open my mouth, but no sound passes through my lips, the duke is staring at me with desperation and madness envelops his features. Then his gaze slowly moves over to his twin brother, and I feel like he’s silently asking me kill him. This is my chance, maybe the only chance that I’ll ever get. Every part of me is ready for this step and I already imagining him burning alive, but then the guard takes a few steps forward and I see that he’s ready to slash Jorgen's throat.
My chest keep rising and falling in rapid movements, shaking with frustration and rippling disappointment. Somewhere in the background I hear my Pixies squeaking, Lenin’s probably fighting hard, trying to remove Aria's spell in order to help me.
I wonder what happened to Edvard. He was supposed to protect Jorgen. Why is everything going so terribly wrong right now?
"Are you willing to go that low, to kill your own brother in order to have me?" I question Ruscal who’s now standing up, breathing hard. Then Bratlav starts coming around too, and a moment later he manages to drag himself back to his feet, holding something in hand. The flask shines in the distance as the dreaded silence starts to fill the forest. The venom, Bratlav has Jorgen's venom, which means that something must have happened in the Decaying Mountains while I was saving Jetli.
Ruscal walks over to the guard, limping and then ruffles his brother’s hair, like he’s trying to emphasise the fact that now I have to do what he says, otherwise Jorgen dies.
"You're the one that
went really low, Wyvern girl. A little birdy told Bratlav that you're the reason that my brother isn't a mage anymore," Ruscal says, and a satisfying smile appears on his face.
Jorgen jerks slightly, trying to get away but he knows that one wrong move can cost him his life.
I tighten the grip around my knife and tell myself that he doesn't know anything. I sense the fire magic soaring inside of me, and I just have to unleash it and they’ll be dead in moments.
I glance at Jorgen, and he keeps staring at me confused, and I feel terrible that I let him down. Jetli was fine, and she could’ve waited before I returned to the castle.
They know, they all must know now that Jorgen lost his beast, maybe it's because he couldn't shift when they caught him. Aria can't help me and I can't rink anything happening to her.
A burst of energy raises the tiny hairs on my body, and the air smells of something musky and sweet.
"You were so desperate to get revenge for your parents’ deaths that you went even lower than me. I suspect that you had no idea that Jorgen had a twin, so when the opportunity presented itself, you stood in the trees watching when Bratlav performed the cutting of the mage ritual on your now mate. I bet that my dear brother over here, had no idea that you could have helped him, but instead you chose to do nothing," Ruscal continues sinking me further.
I can't take my eyes off of Jorgen, shaking my head, at the same time unable to say anything. I was the one that was supposed to tell him the truth. This wasn't how this was meant to happen. Zain gave me a chance to repair the lost part of me, to get my passion back. It was my payment for the venom.
Jorgen's eyes drift over to my face, down to my body and I know that in his head he’s asking me if this is the truth. I feel my heart skip a beat and my face blazes hotter. My entire plan has fallen to pieces and I can't keep lying to him any longer.
Another stretch of silence follows, and tears are slowly beginning to burn my eyes. I drop my head, knowing that this is only going to confirm that Ruscal’s telling Jorgen the truth. Anger and hot guilt swirls inside me, causing my hands to clench until my nails painfully dig into my palms.
"Astri, is this true? You said it yourself that you got there too late. I don't believe Ruscal; he’s lying in order to be spared. You would’ve saved me then, even if you hated me, right?" Jorgen asks, as he tries to get up, but the guard keeps forcing him to stay on his knees. I can't look at him, his voice drills holes in my stomach and I can't bear to disappoint him.
Ruscal hasn’t won yet, especially not after everything that’s happened. Me and Jorgen fought to get our hands on that venom and now it seems it was all for nothing.
"After she eliminated all the other contestants, the Wyvern girl got there early. She had a chance to stop me, she could have used her magic to save you. I admit, it would have been an interesting battle, but she stood there watching me, and she didn't lift a finger to help you. You're not a mage Jorgen II because your mate didn't act. She chose not to save you," Bratlav says, laughing and I look at Jorgen, trying to speak, but my throat feels raw.
"I'm sorry Jorgen, I tried to tell you many times," I say, but I struggle to keep my voice even. All the anger, frustration and sadness rushes to the surface, washing away all of the memories that we built together.
The duke’s shaking his head, paling, but he fails to say another word to me. Our connection is slowly breaking. I don't even have a chance to explain myself, to go over that night in detail. He should know that I would’ve made a different choice if I knew that he wasn't the mage from my vision. Things would be different–better.
"Sorry brother, but your girlfriend is a coward and now she’s proven to you that she was never planning to save you. You should’ve never gone anywhere near Wyverns. Ming caught you straight after you arrived in the Asian World and he never realised that he had the Duke of Rivenna right under his nose. Once he went over everything that happened, I instantly realised that you left Rivenna unguarded, hoping that our ill father would protect the city. You were sadly mistaken, my dear brother. It was finally my chance to return and take back the land that always belonged to me," Ruscal says, laughing out loud and walking around Jorgen.
I still have options, together my invisibility spell, along with my fire magic can cause havoc. Then… I can get to Jorgen.
I finally look at him and I see that he’s staring at me with a detached look on his face. He believes that I betrayed him, losing the inner strength to fight.
"Yes, the Warlock witch learned about your secret. She came to me because she realised that she finally had a chance to gain respect from shifters and mages. Rivenna has always belonged to the wild shifters, and after joining our forces with Ruscal, we figured out that we wouldn't have to live in the mountains anymore like mere savages," Bratlav explains, sounding too satisfied with himself. I bet he’s loving the fact that Jorgen’s lost everything.
He and Ruscal, they’re both vile creatures.
I see them stepping away from the trees, there’s at least dozen wild shifters around. They all stare at me, wearing their colourful masks and waiting. Ruscal and Bratlav joined forces together and I walked straight into their trap just as we suspected from the beginning.
Seconds later, Ruscal grabs Jorgen's arms and gestures for his people to take him away. I had a chance to tell him and now it's too late. Nothing’s going to change the fact that he thinks that I betrayed him.
"Ming was a fool, but he was useful. It was my time to return to the place where I was born, and claim the city as mine," Ruscal shouts, laughing out loud.
He knows that he gained a significant advantage when he captured Jorgen. He’s too cowardly to stand in front of me in a fair fight, because he knows that he’ll lose. I have my fire magic, the most powerful energy that can burn him and his entire army to ashes.
I have no idea if Jorgen will ever forgive me. He knows that I had no idea that he wasn't the one that murdered my parents, but nothing else matters to him right now.
He lost the venom, and now he lost me too.
"I have nothing to lose now, let Jorgen go or die. It's up to you," I say, ready to unleash my fire magic anyway. They’ve gone too far and I no longer care what’s going to happen to me. Bratlav moves closer to Ruscal, as he realises that I'm about to lose control at a moment.
"Now you’re finally showing us your true nature, Wyvern girl, you're willing to let your mate die …"
"Astri, just step aside, this isn't over yet," a voice echoes through the forest again. It's a voice that I recognise, and my instinct forces me to back away closer to the trees.
Seconds later, something explodes between me and Ruscal. The impact knocks me off my feet, and thick black smoke starts filling the space around me. I hear screams and loud voices. Ruscal and Bratlav tell their people to back away. Edvard must have blasted a very complex spell all around. He must have been watching my exchange with Ruscal for a while now. I cough, covering my mouth as the smoke works its way into my lungs. Disorientated, lost and confused I start crawling towards the opposite direction, when someone grabs me from behind. "It's me, Astri. Come on, we have to get out of here!"
Edvard helps me to my feet, and I can suddenly breathe in normally. My head’s spinning and I hear more panicking voices around me, shifters are trying to run away. I have no idea what happened to Jorgen or where they took him.
"No, no, we can't leave Jorgen now. He needs me and Ruscal’s going to kill him," I shout back, trying to pull away from him, but he slaps me.
"Get yourself together, girl or we’re all going to die. It's too late. He’s gone and there are too many other shifters around!"
My cheek stings, but I realise that Edvard’s right. We need to get away from here, and think about a new plan. Ruscal’s now aware of my fire magic, but Jorgen’s his leverage.
I hesitate, knowing that time is running out, and we’re outnumbered anyway.
"Fine, let's move," I finally say.
"Where is Aria?" he asks a
nd I gesture for him to follow me, as we start moving through the smoke that doesn't seem to affect us the same way as the others. Shifters are slowly suffocating, I see a few falling on the ground holding their throats.
"Astri, Dad, over here!"
We stop, seeing Aria waving towards us from the distance, and I'm suddenly relieved that she’s all right.
"Aria, is everything okay?" Edvard asks, embracing her in his arms.
Lenin pinches my cheek, probably because I kept him out of the fight with Ruscal, and Jetli’s flying around me looking angry too. Some wild shifters run past us, looking scared and I don't have time to explain to Lenin why I forced him to stay with Aria. No one notices us; they’re all trying to get away from the thick smoke. Ruscal’s regrouping and soon we might be surrounded again. We need to get out of here.
"Astri asked me to protect her Pixies and I used the spell that you taught me from when I was a little girl," my cousin explains, then her smile fades. "What happened? Where’s Jorgen?"
"It's a long story," Edvard says, sounding angry. "We need to disappear."
"Come on guys, follow me. I know where we can hide," I say. My heart’s beating in my chest, but I'm so numb. I betrayed Jorgen, and I let him leave alone; without me by his side where I belong. I have no idea what Ruscal’s going to do to him. We can't head back to the mountains, and risk crossing through the Black Forest. Ruscal has shifters everywhere, so we need to head back to the city. I know places where no else one knows about; where we can hide until we figure out what to do next.
"Astri, where are we going?" Edvard asks, when we start walking towards the castle.
"We’ll be safer in the city, trust me. The wild shifters have an advantage in the forest."
Most of the warriors are patrolling the streets, but they’re in unfamiliar territory. We need to keep moving quietly, and approach the city from the human area. This way, we shouldn't be spotted. Tears keep burning my eyes, but I can't break now. Jorgen still needs me.