Mira galloped all night then all the next day up and over the mountain pass. Orin had remained awake and kept Shawna from falling when she could no longer keep her eyes open. She had awakened the next morning to find herself clutching to him as Mira still smoothly loped on. She quickly let go and rearranged herself to clutch Mira’s mane instead.
“My whole body hurts. Aren’t you tired?” Shawna said, leaning over Mira’s neck.
Night was beginning to fall again as they reached the forested foothills.
Mira shook her mane, breaths blasting from her flared nostrils, her neck wet with foam. “There are more important matters than my lack of strength, or your sore end. We’re close. I can feel it. The air pricks my skin like thorns. It is full of magic.”
Shawna could feel it to. She wanted to rub her arms, then she felt hands slide from her waist to wrap around them. She turned her head to see Orin staring at her. Her heart flip-flopped.
“Whatever happens,” he said, “I hold to my promise from when we first met. I will protect you.”
She swallowed, lips pursed tight, but didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. He saw the disbelief and mistrust in her eyes.
“I know you don’t believe me,” he said, “but that was before I understood everything.” His lips almost brushed her ear. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep that promise.” His breath was warm on her neck. “I think of it every night, and I know you do too.”
She knew exactly what that ‘it’ was.
They were suddenly jerked out of their romantic memory when Mira slid to a stop, snorting. Antares was growling, fixated on the descending dark beneath the tall trees.
“Hold tightly,” Mira said in their minds.
Shawna wanted to ask her why, but the way Antares was snarling made the hair rise on her neck.
“Orin,” Mira said, using his name for the first time. “Honor your oath.”
“What is it?” said Shawna as he slid off.
Lula flew over to her usual comforting perch on Shawna’s shoulder. Orin unsheathed his axe and walked over to Antares. Shawna tried to see what they were staring at, but all she saw were shadows until she heard the voice. His voice.
“Looking for something?”
Gavan materialized from the dark tree trunks, his fists clenched, his eyes shining from the scant light.
“You won’t stop us,” Orin said, raising his axe. “There’s nothing you can do, Gavan.”
“Isn’t there?” He tilted his head and grinned.
Shawna’s skin crawled at the pale teeth in his silhouette. Antares growled even louder. Mira had been backing slowly away the whole time.
“I wouldn’t move if I were you, unicorn!”
Mira paused, ears back, and Gavan took a step closer to them.
“Ava,” He said. She was surprised that he had used that name. “Your mother is waiting for you.”
She gasped and stared into the shadows of his eyes.
“What are you talking about?” Orin said for her.
Gavan looked like he was finding this all highly amusing. His teeth flashed again as he stepped forward.
“Don’t you want to find her?” he said, ignoring Orin. “Don’t you want revenge? She tried to kill you, her own child.” He pouted his lips and pretended to be sad by this. “Oh, you two have so much in common.” He glanced between her and Orin. “What a pair you make.”
Orin looked about ready to cleave Gavan’s skull, but he only followed him with his eyes.
Gavan spoke to her again. “She didn’t want you. Didn’t care about you. She knew you would destroy everything.”
Shawna knew she shouldn’t be listening to him, but the words hissing from his lips, like the slither of a snake on her bare skin, held her captive. All her roiling emotions were beginning to rise again and stab her in the ribs like knives from within as he kept speaking.
“She hated you, more than you can understand. She was repulsed at what she had given birth to. Can you imagine? Your own daughter being the one that would destroy all humanity, all the world?”
“Don’t listen to him, Shawna,” Orin said, then shouted, “Run, Mira! Get her away from here!”
Mira didn’t move, she couldn’t.
“What have you done?” she said, tossing her mane, but unable to move her feet. “Release me, or suffer my horn through your heartless chest!”
Her horn blazed with white fire, illuminating the small clearing, and slashing sharp shadows across Gavan’s face.
“I’m not holding you prisoner, unicorn,” he sneered. “Nor any of you.”
“What do you mean?” Orin said. “Stop talking in circles, you vulture.”
“Shall I rip his head from his shoulders?” growled Antares, flexing his long claws.
“Try and we’ll see whose blood stains the ground first.” Gavan’s face shifted and morphed bear-like for a moment.
“No,” said Mira as Antares bared his fangs. “He doesn’t lie. Adhara is here.”
Shawna clutched the sapphires at her chest. She felt her heart pause with fear then beat again with pure hatred. Here? She could barely breathe. Everyone was looking around as if Adhara was miraculously going to step out from the shadows.
“Where?” breathed Shawna, finally finding her voice, eyes darting to every moving shadow and rustling leaf.
She gripped her sword, her whole body tense.
“I will crush you beneath my hooves if you do not release us,” Mira demanded again, trying to break free.
“I told you,” said Gavan. “I am not the one holding you all captive.”
“He’s lying. You know that,” Orin said as he tried to move his arms and found he was frozen, every limb unresponsive.
Antares roared, discovering that he too couldn’t lift a paw. Not even Lula could move. Only Shawna and Gavan were free. She moved her arm up, flexed her hand, then looked at Gavan staring at her like a predator that had just cornered its prey.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered, sliding off Mira to the ground.
“Don’t!” demanded Mira, but Shawna ignored her.
“You don’t understand your own power, do you?” Gavan said. “Amazing.” He smiled like he had pointed out wings she had never realized were sprouting from her back.
She gripped her sword in both hands, advancing on him. “Let them go!”
“I cannot.”
She stopped.
He lowered his voice. “You release them.”
“What do you mean?” Her hands were beginning to sweat.
Gavan glanced at her necklace. She could feel that the sapphires were dull and cold.
“How are you feeling?” He asked.
“What?”
“Feeling afraid? Upset? Angry?”
“Tell me what you mean, or I swear!” She was growing more angry and doubtful by the moment.
“You swear what? You don’t have the courage to swear, much less use that glass sword.”
“Run Shawna!”
Something collided with Orin’s temple and he fell to the ground.
“Orin!” She swung her sword at Gavan, but he jumped out of its reach with ease.
“Don’t touch him,” she screamed, “or I’ll kill you!” She was shocked at her own wrath.
“Ava,” Mira’s voice echoed in her head. “Don’t listen to him. You must run when I say. I’m beginning to break through his magic.”
“Oh, come now,” said Gavan, not noticing the silent exchange between them. He tossed some stones in his fist high into the air and they hovered there like tiny orbiting asteroids. “There. I won’t touch him, or anyone, unless—”
“Unless what?” She was tired of this conversational cavorting.
“Unless you refuse to find her.”
“Adhara? How am I supposed to find her? You’re the one that keeps saying she’s here. Why don’t you tell her to come then. Aren’t you a slave to her
?”
He moved so fast she had no time to react. He was suddenly holding her own sword to her throat with her arms secured behind her with his other hand.
“Slave?” he snarled. “Of the two of us there’s only one slave, only one that can’t escape her, and it is not I.”
He pressed the sharp edge closer to her throat and reached for the sapphires. She tried to struggle, but either by his strength or magic she was helpless. As his fingers touched the stones, a blazing crackling light erupted, and he threw her from him. She sprawled face first across the mossy earth, then quickly rolled over to see him holding his hand in agony. Her sword was thrown behind him.
“You!” he roared, infuriated.
Everyone shouted her name as Gavan snatched her sword again and leapt towards her. She kicked up at him and her boot made contact with his stomach, but his anger seemed to numb him. He deflected her attacks, threw her down, pulled her head back, and once more she felt the edge of her own sword.
“Now, find her!”
“How?” she choked.
She was trembling as the sword’s sharp edge sliced her skin. She had never felt so afraid in her life. Even the molochs hadn’t instilled such helpless fear in her.
Mira neighed. She was just starting to lift a hoof, her nostrils flaring and muscles straining.
“How?” said Gavan. “By wanting to find her.”
She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, but unlike Orin’s, it made her cringe.
“You will want to.” His lips tickled her ear. “Because she sent me to do one other thing. To give her love to you both.”
Before she could move, or even think, he had whirled away from her and stabbed Orin in the chest with her own sword. He gurgled a cry when Gavan pulled it out, then Orin slumped, and fell limp to the ground.
“Nooo!”
She heard someone screaming.
Gavan laughed. “From mother to daughter,” he said before dropping her sword and vanishing into the night.
She eventually realized it was herself screaming. Shawna rushed to Orin’s side. Mira reared up, finally released from Gavan’s powers. Antares roared and made to rush after Gavan, but Mira ordered him to stay.
“It’s useless,” she said. “He’s gone.”
Everyone crept close around Orin’s still body.
“Orin?! Orin!” Shawna cried, touching his shoulder.
He groaned, his eyes fluttered. Tears were streaming down her face as blood trickled through his fingers that were covering his wound.
“Orin,” she sobbed.
“I’m going to kill him.” He slowly raised himself. “He never did learn not to play with other kid’s weapons.” He grinned, and spread his sliced fingers to reveal a shallow cut.
Shawna couldn’t believe her eyes. “You’re okay?!”
“Well, no. Not really.” He did look quite pale. “I used a deflection maneuver, but not quickly enough.”
Mira stamped a hoof, Antares huffed, and Lula flew up and smacked Orin hard on the cheek.
“You dung-head!” she screeched at him. Both Orin and Shawna were stunned speechless. “That’s the last time you make her cry!”
Shawna burst into a crying laugh and threw her arms around him while he cringed and looked confused. Lula continued to sputter at the both of them.
“I thought he had killed you,” Shawna said, wiping tears away.
He hesitated before pulling her away. Her front was stained with blood. “He nearly did. Although, he forgets he’s the one that trained me in combat. I learned quickly that blades are sharp.” His fingers touched the long gash streaming blood and winced. “He didn’t entirely miss.”
“Here,” said Mira, walking over with horn lowered. “And this is the last time I mend your careless hide, boy,” but she said it with a hint of concern.
“You won’t kill Gavan,” Shawna said, as Mira healed Orin. “None of you will. I will.”
They all turned and looked at her. She gingerly picked up her sword. A droplet of Orin’s blood ran down the once clear blade, and as she followed its descent she saw another figure had formed within the sword. An iron wolf thrust its nose towards the point, howling silently within the crystal.
“Zev,” said Shawna, wondering if the majestic guardian had survived the moloch attack. Her smile fell as she felt a weight drag at her heart, and she feared the worst. “If Adhara’s here, I’ll find her.”
She shot a sharp look at Mira who was about to say something, but then only stamped her hoof and remained quiet.
“She’s done nothing but cause all of us pain,” Shawna said. “She’s cruel. She deserves to die.”
The three sapphires were glowing again. They seemed to grow brighter as her courage and determination to protect her friends above herself grew stronger. She didn’t care about anything except finding that woman, and keeping her away from everyone she cared about. That traitorous vile woman who gave her life then tried to take it away; that tried to impede their every step, destroyed the second realm, kidnapped and enslaved Orin, and now almost killed him. Shawna looked at him, her first true kiss.
But do I love him? She was surprised she had to ask herself that. Part of her wanted to, but the another part was holding her back.
Her eyes slid to the scar now upon his chest, and the sapphires flared like suns. She shielded her eyes, but the light didn’t abate. She thought she heard someone calling her name, but the light seemed to deafen as well as blind her. The forest was cast into sharp relief. The night was becoming day as the sapphires glowed ever brighter. They were soon so bright she felt like she was engulfed in the sun itself. The sword dropped from her hands. She covered her face, curled upon herself, and yelled, but wasn’t sure who’s name she screamed. There was nothing but a dull throb and hum all around her. Then as soon as the bright eruption had begun, it vanished. She blinked, opened her eyes, and couldn’t believe what she saw.
Before her stood Adhara, her mother. The woman she hated more than anyone was standing right in front of her.