ENCHANTED WORLD SERIES BOOK 4: MOON CHILD'S WAR
Chapter 24

Something hard and painful slammed against Alli’s body and rattled all the bones in her body. The air left her lungs in a loud whoosh as she landed painfully in what felt like mushy leaves and jagged rocks on the forest floor.

She choked hard as she managed to roll away from the male who looked like he had collapsed suddenly on the ground. She wiped her mouth with the back on her hand and rasped as she tried to catch her breath.

“Asari?” She looked around the darkness.

“Over here.” Asari groaned softly as she got on her hands and knees and crawled to Alli. “Something blocked me from carrying you and Torin through the gateway.” She explained.

Alli turned to Torin but the man was not moving. Hope bloomed in her heart. Was he dead?

“Well, well, well.” Someone said behind them and when Asari and Alli both turned, Alli’s eyes widened in shock. “I am happy Torin was able to bring you to me instead of me looking for you myself. I am fond of such presents.”

“You are Zacharius!” Alli exclaimed. “You are one of the House of Five! And you?” She stared at Charissa in utter shock. She didn’t see just when the bitch disappeared but all this time she was working for Torin.

Charissa smiled darkly.

Asari held Alli back. “That’s not Zacharius. That’s the sorcerer, Rowan. He has possessed Zacharius’ body.” She whispered.

Alli looked back up at the man. The cruel smile on his face and the cold red eyes assured her that it wasn’t Zacharius. She looked closer and realized that there was so much disintegrating energy escaping from him. Zacharius’ body wasn’t going to last for long because it was too weak to contain such a strong being!

“Charissa? Why would you do this? Faelen raised you like his own daughter!” Alli demanded.

Charissa made a disgusted sound as she turned to Zacharius and the man with the silver sash across his chest. It was the same male who was warning Zayn off. How ironic it was that he wanted to serve her to a worse person.

“Faelen is a coward and he is weak. Lord Zacharius deserves to be the new clan leader because we have seen his power. It is nothing like you could ever comprehend.”

“But that’s not Zacharius!” Alli exclaimed.

“How dare you question Lord Zacharius’ identity?” The male with the silver sash barked taking a threatening step towards her but Asari quickly slipped in between them, hissing in a warning.

“This world needs a new revolution. A world where the ones favored by God have the right to rule it. We are much stronger than humans, we live longer and are more intelligent. Why don’t we just rule?” Charissa asked.

“You will not get away with this, Charissa. He will kill you once he is done getting what he needs from you.” Asari stated as Torin started stirring.

Zacharius held his hands up with what looked like a staff beside him. “My successor is awaking, bring him his dinner.”

Alli watched in horror as Charissa moved back and returned with Tyson, Larimar, and Robin all tied up.

“Charissa, you crazy bitch!” Alli exclaimed and was about to run across and claw her eyes out but Asari held her back.

“Get up, Torin.” Zacharius moved forward. “We still have so much to do.”

Torin’s eyes snapped open and he sat up. He scanned his surroundings for a moment and snarled when he saw the gateway just a few yards from him.

“You were about to get carried off to the Enchanted World by your daughter. How many times have I warned you to be careful?” Zacharius asked in disgust. “Do you know what would have happened to you there? The three Nosferatu Fathers would have woken up and have your head! You are being too careless and you are going to cost us our plans!”

“Shut the hell up!” Torin growled at Zacharius. “I bloody well know what will happen when I cross that gateway so stop being a fucking asshole and let’s get this over with.”

“You need to feed first,” Zacharius announced.

Torin’s eyes snapped towards Alli who shrunk back wondering if this was it.

“Not her, yet. She’s still unstable.” He turned to Charissa and gave her a nod.

Charissa nodded and pushed Robin towards Torin.

Alli screamed.

Robin landed with a thud beside Torin. Torin’s black pupils began to bleed around his eyes until they were completely black like the blackest night. “This won’t help, you know I don’t feed normally. Her bloodline is too weak to sustain me.”

“Well, you will just have to for now.” Zacharius snapped.

His fangs slid out from their hiding place as he dragged the unconscious Robin to him, sniffing her lightly.

“Asari, do something!” Alli exclaimed.

“I can’t! Somehow, Rowan is blocking all my abilities as a Mage, a beast, and a Nosferatu. His bond to Torin must have given him a way to control me as well.” Asari sounded so defeated and they watched helplessly as Torin mercilessly opened his mouth and a brilliant light started making its way out of Robin's throat into Torin. Robin gurgled and strangled whimpers escaped her mouth but Torin didn't stop. Robin's body paled and her skin shriveled before her eyes faded just like the way Conrad was. Alli’s stomach rolled in repulsion because she recalled how it felt to have one's life sucked out from Conrad's experience!

“Stop it! Charissa!” Alli turned to the girl but she merely watched with what looked like maniacal satisfaction shining in her eyes.

Torin sucked deeper until Robin's eyes rolled towards Alli and she stared at her sightlessly.

This was what she had seen that day when she touched the girl’s hand. She was never a danger, she was in danger! Alli felt torn up for not being able to help her. She cried silently as Torin finally drain her, leaving behind a corpse with no blood in its veins. He tossed her body away like it didn’t mean a thing.

Alli crawled to Robin and pressed her hands on her chest and tried to revive her but who was she kidding? The moment she touched Robin’s chest, the girl spirit appeared before her. A sad smile appeared on her face.

‘I should have said something. I knew about everything all along but I kept quiet and now, so many people are dead and hurt because of it.’ She said softly.

Alli sniffed. “It’s not your fault.” She whispered softly.

“Alli, let her go. It’s not helping.” Asari held Alli’s shoulders and pulled her away from Robin’s body.

Alli let the bouts of tears take over her as she looked down at her shivering hands.

Robin’s spirit faded and soon she was gone.

“Oh, enough with the tears!” Zacharius rolled his eyes.

Charissa pushed Larimar forward.

“No!” Tyson exclaimed as he fought frantically for her but Charissa backhanded him and sent him staggering to the ground. A burst of black powdery energy wafted from her.

Charissa had no idea that she was dying along with every other person who had decided to join with this Zacharius-Rowan character.

Larimar tried to crawl away, begging for her life but Torin caught her.

“Just stop it!” Alli exclaimed.

“Do you want it to stop?” Zacharius asked. “Then give me your abilities! Show me where the Light Sword is.”

“Hey, that was not part of the plan!” Torin exclaimed. “She is mine!”

Zacharius looked bored for a moment as he turned to Torin. “That was the plan...before I saw what she could do. Now, I need her energy if I am going to replace the Light Sword and resurrect Aidan, the one True King!”

“No!” Torin shoved Larimar away and approached Zacharius. “She is my salvation!”

“She is the key to replace the Light Sword and she is the perfect vessel for Aidan once he returns to this world! She is able to walk in both the world of the living and of the dead! Imagine what she could do when she is able to control her power?” Zacharius roared.

“She. Is. Mine.” Torin snarled.

“With everything I did for you, you ungrateful piece of shit! I showed you how strong your blood was by using it to all those weakbloods into Vargas for your army! Not to mention I fortified it by using precious energy to create the guard wolves and had the fucking human hunters in on it just so you could take this world but that is not enough for you?” Zacharius looked very angry as he took a threatening step towards Torin.

“You knew from the beginning what I was up to!” Torin gritted his teeth. “I had no use for this world if I can't feed properly! I was solely after Alli!”

Alli’s heart thundered in her ears as the two men argued over her. Her mother had warned her about falling into the sorcerer’s hands. She wanted to crawl away but Charissa was watching her like a hawk. The man with the silver sash was as quiet as a statue, just watching what was happening in front of him. Alli grabbed Asari’s hand tightly and turned to her.

Did you do what I asked you to? Did you leave the energy trail so that Ruvin, Zach, and the others can follow? She sent the mental question.

Yes, they will be here in a matter of seconds. Asari answered. In the meantime, we need to destruct them before they leave this place.

Alli nodded and turned to Torin and Zacharius. “Hey! I am right here! Why don’t you ask me who I want to go home with tonight?” She called out.

They all turned to her and Charissa crossed her arms across her chest eyeing her like she was some sort of disgusting insect. “Why don’t you shut the hell up! Just because I can’t crawl up your head doesn’t mean I won’t replace other ways to hurt you.”

Alli was positive Charissa was a depraved sickling. Why didn’t Faelen see it all this time? Perhaps she was the one who used her abilities to scout out potential meals for Torin. But Alli failed to see what Charissa was going to get at the end of the day. To her, it looked like she was just in it for the thrill.

Alli watched as Larimar crawled to Tyson. Tyson looked so concerned for her. He barely even looked her way. Alli waited for some sort of gut-wrenching feeling to overwhelm her that Tyson didn’t care about her but instead, her mind was filled with thoughts of Ruvin and if he was okay.

“So tell me, sweetheart.” Zacharius turned to her with a wicked smile on his face which made Alli wonder why she had to open her mouth. “Who you rather go home with? Your dreadfully boring father who is going to drain you dry the moment the opportunity presents itself or me who would have you participate in something larger than you and me?”

Alli stuttered. Either way, she was not going to have it easy. As she stared at Torin, she could tell the male had an explosive temper so she quickly turned to Zacharius. “I want to go with you.”

“Alli?” Asari gasped in shock.

“No!” Torin bellowed

Alli watched as Torin swung his claws towards Zacharius but the male swiftly rebuffed them and knocked Torin off his feet using the staff in his hands.

How much longer? Alli asked desperately.

I don’t know. Asari looked around the dark space in front of them.

“Where did they go?” Ruvin roared as Zach stood at the position where Alli, Asari, and Torin were a few seconds ago. His hand softly caressed what must have been Asari’s energy trail. Ruvin didn’t know because he couldn’t see it but he knew all Mage did.

“I don’t know but I can follow the trail...” Zach’s voice faded as he narrowed his eyes at the energy trail. “This is the same trail I saw on the night at the graveyard--same scent.”

“We don’t have time for that!” The Lord Mage interrupted. “Those two females are in grave danger and we need to go! Alderone, Constantine, Sheila, Ruvin and Zach, you guys come with me. The rest of you finish up here.”

“We are coming too.” Titus and Faelen moved forward irritating Ruvin further. What was the deal with everyone and his mate?

It was surprising that Faelen hadn’t passed out yet now that he was surrounded by enchanted beings from all corners...not to mention the Lord Mage in front of him.

“Aro and I are coming too. The three fathers of the species sent us to bring Torin home. I have no choice but to abide by their rules.” Gabryel’s voice came through and again they had to shake away the effects. Was he doing that on purpose or was it just in his nature to allure everyone like that?

“No one is taking Torin down but me!” Ruvin exclaimed fiercely.

Ruvin couldn’t even think straight with the rage that was boiling up in his gut. He wanted to kill the bastard off slowly and painfully. He wanted to make him feel all the pain he and Alli felt because of him! Ruvin knew of several torture techniques he learned from the Father that would have the male screaming for days and at that moment, he really didn’t mind trying them on Torin!

Gabryel gave him a flat glare. “You can barely stand on your own two feet and you think to take down Torin....do you have a death wish?”

“Ruvin, listen to Gabryel.” Aro moved forward and stuttered when Gabryel suddenly turned to her. He slowly turned to Ruvin and narrowed his strange ruby red eyes then sniffed lightly at Ruvin. His face turned grim suddenly and Ruvin knew why. He must have caught his scent at Aro’s place the night she made the call to tell them that Torin was up and about.

“My mate is out there with that animal and we are here wasting time!” Ruvin exclaimed.

“Why the fuck do all of you replace such troublesome mates?” The Lord Mage muttered irritatedly. “Let’s go then, fancy eyes--”

“Alli? Alli!” Gunshots rang in the corridor as Corleen came racing in. Her hair was in her usual tight pony above her head and her once beautiful dress had a slit torn up one leg. She was barefoot and held a gun on either side.

Ruvin wanted to entertain a smile but couldn’t. He was too worried to enjoy the sight of his sister-in-law. This was Corleen. Gone was the female who dressed up for a ball and in her place was a warrior like no other. The Lord Mage would have really loved to have her in his army!

“Where is Alli?” She asked standing in the doorway like a temptress. She directed the question to Ruvin and he felt his heart twist in his ribs. Corleen had finally started trusting him and what did he do? He let Torin take Alli!

“We were just on our way to get her back.” The Lord Mage stated. “Wanna join in?”

Before she could reply, Gabryel blurred to her, twirling her from the doorway just as a weakblood male with a large blade lunged forward slicing into the air after missing Corleen’s neck. Ruvin remembered him from earlier and telling by the sash across his chest, he was a Wolfen representative.

Gabryel’s eyes bled black as he gripped the male with one hand, his glassy claws digging into his neck. He lifted the male up and brought forward before sinking his hideously long pairs of fangs into his neck. The weakblood struggled and gagged until finally he stopped fighting and went limp in Gabryel’s grip.

Ruvin watched in horror as a small line of blood ran down the corner of his mouth to his chin. He dropped the corpse and turned to Corleen who looked like she was about to pass out.

His eyes returned to their eerie color as he bent down and sniffed Corleen. Nosferatu were like dogs, and the more ancient they were the more animalistic they acted! Ruvin wanted to move forward and remove Corleen from the bloodsucker’s grasp but a hand suddenly clasped his. He turned to replace Aro with her face paler than even Corleen’s.

Without a warning, Gabryel sank his fangs into Corleen’s throat. Corleen’s eyes widened as she struggled against him, a whimper of fear escaping her lips. She punched and kicked him but Gabryel held on.

“Let her go, you fucking animal!” Ruvin charged to fight him off but Gabryel held out his hand, his palm facing Ruvin and Ruvin found himself frozen in place. It was as if his body wasn’t his own. Gabryel continued feeding. Corleen was no longer fighting him off. Her body had gone soft against the beast and her hands were grabbing the lapels of his suit jacket, holding on for dear life. What the hell was he supposed to tell Alli once Gabryel finally killed Corleen? And why wasn’t anyone else reacting? Did everyone fear the fool that much? Even the Lord Mage? Ruvin turned to his king and the Lord Mage was...smirking?

Gabryel suddenly moved from Corleen’s neck. Ruvin noted that he didn’t feed off her as viciously as he did the Wolfen male. Four tiny pinpricks were visible on her neck. Gabryel tore at his wrist and his blood trickled into Corleen’s mouth.

What the hell.....

“He is blood-bonding with her.” Aro’s voice came through quietly.

“Why is he blood-bonding with a weakblood? I thought you said he hated my kind?” Ruvin rasped still frozen in place.

Aro didn’t answer but she just walked away.

“This night just keeps getting better and better.” The Lord Mage chuckled then turned to leave. “Let’s go get the girls--and Gabryel, release my commander this instant!”

Gabryel let his hand fall and Ruvin could control his body again.

Ruvin wanted to punch Gabryel but Zach quickly grabbed him and they flashed out of the hall.

The next minute, Ruvin was standing in front of the gateway, a watery-like screen in between two very old oak trees. The air was cold and damp up the mountain but it was also foul. The pungent smell of evil had managed to taint the entire setup.

It was eerily quiet with not even a mouse to scurry and an owl to take off. The only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of two people arguing about someone.

Ruvin’s heart burst in his chest as he caught sight of the several people in front of him. Torin was standing with an older male, one of the Wolfen members, and a tall slender blond. On the ground were Tyson and his new girlfriend, Asari and...Alli. His heart clenched painfully when he saw her slight body on the ground. She was alright! She was alive!

None of them had made it across the gateway and Ruvin wondered why.

“Rowan!” The Lord Mage hissed as he narrowed his eyes and stalked forward.

They were suddenly surrounded by human hunters with face masks over their faces.

Ruvin knew exactly what was to follow. Everyone was in danger of silver poisoning except the Mage who were not really affected by silver. The abrupt shift beside him brought Gabryel forward, his eyes glowing with menace.

A surprising snarl escaped Ruvin’s lips as Corleen’s scent wafted from the bloodsucker like a cologne. “What did you do to her? Where is she?”

“She’s safe.” Gabryel passed the words thickly through his lips.

Gabryel didn’t lose the mask of pure fury as he looked at the males in front of him. It looked as if he lived for that kind of life where there was always chaos and violence.

“Alli!” Faelen called out wanting to move forward but Zach quickly held him back and showed him the silver string that had been wrapped around the area where Rowan and his people were. It dripped with lethal silver that crippled and killed slowly and painfully.

The human hunters also had silver capsules hanging on their belts. Ruvin had experienced them and it wasn’t something he wanted to experience again any time soon.

“I guess the whole gang is here.” Rowan smiled maliciously as he looked at them.

He had a new face but it did not hide the ugly and depraved male behind it. Rowan was the last remaining priest of the Bachu’ane people who were the current Ghouls. After lying to the Bachu’ane leader, Aidan about the Dark Energy, Rowan managed to escape when the ancients of the Enchanted World hunted down Aidan and destroyed him then locked the Dark Energy away using the five Mortal Locks.

Rowan had been hiding for a while until several months ago when he emerged in the Realm of the Dark to try and tempt the Dark King with the Dark Energy but with the power of love, King Rhol was able to resist the pull of the Dark Energy.

Rowan managed to escape and now he stood once again in front of them in a different body. This must have been due to the fact that in the human realm, using too much energy weighed hard on a body and so he was burning other bodies while his was secured somewhere.

“It’s nice to see you again, Lord Mage. Tell me, how does the Dark King fare?” He asked.

Ruvin! Alli’s silent gasp of surprise entered Ruvin’s mind.

Are you alright? Ruvin eyed her quickly. Apart from the dried blood on her skin, she didn’t have any other injury.

I will be alright. What about you? And Corleen? Where is she?

She is helping out back in the Fortress. Ruvin lied. He didn’t even know what the hell Gabryel did to her and why he did it so suddenly.

“He sent me to bring him your head.” The Lord Mage barked.

Rowan shrugged his shoulders. “You could have this one, I can always get another body.”

The Lord Mage snarled. “You will not get away with this!”

“I already did,” Rowan assured them.

“I would have suspected this to come from Jerome but you, Charissa?” Faelen looked at the blond female in disbelief. “Why?”

“Because you are weak!” Charissa snapped. “And the wolves need a stronger leader!”

“And you think Rowan is the best choice?” The Lord Mage arched his eyebrow at her. “The male is responsible for bringing down an entire species! One that was a hundred times stronger than yours! You have just signed your death sentence with him and everyone else that had allowed him to share his energy with.” He looked around at the hunters who had their guns pointed at them, waiting for the command to pepper them with bullets. “All of you are dying. Your bodies are already disintegrating.”

“Lies! They are all lies!” One of the hunters exclaimed.

But Ruvin knew it was the truth. The Lord Mage never bluffed. It must have been similar to what happened to Tonny. His body was rotting away because it could not handle the Dark Energy.

“You people just love talking.” Torin sighed irritatedly. “You!” He pointed straight at Ruvin. “If you want your mate, come and get her.” He yanked Alli up by her hair. Her whimper made the almost-human side of Ruvin shatter and remain thoroughly predatory. White-hot rage engulfed him as he roared and lunged forward, his body expanding once more into the ultibreed! Torin pushed Alli away and she was caught by Charissa. Asari immediately shot forward to attack Charissa who was about to attack Alli.

Gunshots rang but all Zach and The Lord Mage did was raise their hands and the bullets fell away harmlessly. There was an enchantment to suppress the Mage's abilities so all the high Mage had to use extra power to counter it. Alderone, Constantine, and Aro dealt with the human hunters while Lord Mage stalked towards Rowan forging his double swords.

Faelen and Titus managed to get to Tyson and Larimar but their arms were bound with an enchanted lock.

Ruvin attacked Torin viciously, seeing nothing but blood and death. Torin had to die for even laying a hand on Alli. His long claws slashed across Torin but he was able to prevent them from causing damage. Torin managed to catch one of Ruvin’s hands and pushed him off with so much strength that Ruvin found himself sailing across the space and landing with a loud smack on the tree bark. The tree split into two.

Gabryel blurred forward and managed to secure several punches and kicks on Torin. They were almost evenly matched in speed and strength. Their movements were barely seen.

Gabryel clasped his arm on Torin’s neck and squeezed. Torin merely smirked and swiped the hand away then pulled Gabryel forward and smacked his head against Gabryel’s. Blood spurted from his nose but the male did not look fazed. He snarled, his incisors elongating to show his agitation.

Ruvin got up, his back sore but his fury a thousand times worse to the point it felt as if it were coagulating in his blood. He stalked towards Torin and both he and Gabryel attacked him at the same time.

The Lord Mage slashed his swords against Rowan but the male moved out of the way. The last time Rowan was fought, he couldn’t be destroyed because he had hidden his staff which meant even if they had managed to kill him, his staff had the ability to bring him back over and over again.

Rowan held his hand up wanting to throw the Lord Mage out of his way but Tyran quickly countered the spell and returned the favor sending Rowan backward.

He broke his fall by using his staff. It looked like he wasn’t as strong as he was back in the enchanted world. He paced away from the Lord Mage and smiled in cruelty.

“The true king will rise, Lord Mage. And when he does, all of you will kneel down before him and acknowledge him!” He said.

“There is no true king in the enchanted world. You have always been greedy for power so I know you are not rising Aidan without gaining something else in return. Your faulty plan will never work so give up while I am still nice!” The Lord Mage answered.

“Oh, he is there, alright. He is waiting and all I need is her to point me to the last Mortal Lock and to bring forth his spirit. The sacrifice of a mass is done thanks to all that died in the Realm of The Dark and had the sacrificial mark. Queen Seranis completed the death of the ancient. With Queen Oriel barely keeping her Realm together, it is bound to collapse thanks to my rebels riling up people to reject her as queen...and then there is that one thing that remains.” He turned knowingly towards the Lord Mage. “The blood spill of a royal child on blue moon day. Now that’s a tough one but everything has its way of working itself out.”

“It will never happen. Not while I am breathing!” The Lord Mage attacked and sparks flew as his energy swords and came into contact with Rowan’s staff. The two of them Tangoed to the dance of death, the Lord Mage able to slash Rowan’s hand but Rowan retaliated by catching The Lord Mage’s cheek.

So much energy burst from the two of them sending ripples of it through the forest and causing every animal in close proximity to flee for their lives. Not even the mountain wolves stuck around to see who was winning.

Winds burst out from every direction, disorienting most, especially the weakbloods.

“Constantine, get the weakbloods out of here!” Ruvin roared to the Mage and he felt cold glassy claws rake down his back. He arched forward and howled but Gabryel was there, able to sink his claws into Torin’s stomach.

Constantine flashed himself in front of Faelen and Titus and grabbed them just as Charissa whimpered while rolling towards them. She thought she could take on Asari but the female was ancient and she didn’t need to touch Charissa to cause her pain. Because her Mage side was weakened, she was using her Nosferatu side, crippling Charissa using her strong mind.

She stood in front of Alli guarding her like a sentinel but she failed to see Jerome creeping up behind her with a poisoned blade. Zach saw the weakblood though and just as he was about to stab her, Zach toppled the male and twisted his hand, gaining a cracking sound from the male’s wrist.

He bellowed in pain, dropping the blade. Zach punched Jerome hard and sent him to dreamland. The female turned to him, her dark eyes hard but they suddenly faltered as Zach felt the strange shift deep within him. It brought a sense of familiarity as he drowned in her eyes. She was the most beautiful female he had ever seen--

“Zach!” Alderone called out. “Behind you!”

Zach flushed away just as the area he was standing in was peppered with bullets. Several caught Jerome on his chest and legs. Silver pooled and oozed out of the wounds. The male shrieked as he writhed and convulsed on the ground until he finally died.

Zach reappeared behind the human who had just shot at him and twisted his head. The male slowly sank into the ground, his head awkwardly askew.

Aro backflipped several times as two human hunters followed her with guns, peppering them against her. She reached a thick tree and run up the length of its bark before backflipping again and ending up behind the two hunters. She punched forward and her hands slipped into their ribcages from the back. When she yanked them out, she had two pulsing hearts in her palms. The two hunters gurgled and sank to the ground.

Constantine and the four weakbloods had managed to get out of the way by being flashed away from the scene while Torin and Rowan tried to get to Alli. Ruvin, Gabryel, and the Lord Mage prevented them from getting even an inch within her proximity.

The longer she sat down there the brighter she glowed and the colder the atmosphere became.

“Alli!” Ruvin called to her.

She snapped her attention to him, her eyes wide with unshed tears and fear like no other. He saw how pale she was and the deathly strange glow that had suddenly engulfed her.

“You will be alright, Alli.” He assured her.

She gave a little hesitant nod but then a small line of blood came down her nose. She swiped it away but more came.

“Don’t use your abilities,” Ruvin exclaimed.

Ruvin...I am scared. Her voice penetrated into his mind just as Torin sank his hideously long and sharp teeth into his neck.

The pain was nothing he had ever experienced. The ultibreed roared, shaking the leaves from the trees. It was like a thunderclap! He clawed at Torin, ripping at his stomach and chest trying to get to his heart but Torin tore harder into Ruvin’s neck.

“No!” Alli screamed trying to get up.

Energy rippled around her casting everything around her into ice and frost! She got up, her eyes turning completely white as two icy figures pushed their way out of an icy entrance behind her. Her hair danced in the cold wind as white strips began appearing in it! She held up her hands and pointed forward.

“Destroy him!” She roared, double voices escaping her throat.

The icy males stalked forward as their bodies solidified and they became flesh and bones.

“Holy Fucking Heavens above me!” Ruvin gasped in utter shock.

Everyone else gasped around and watched as the two males moved forward with murder in their eyes.

The Lord Mage staggered on his feet as he looked at the two males who reached Torin and tore him away from Ruvin. One pushed Torin down to the ground and held his hands behind him while the male’s knee was on his back. The other male grabbed Torin’s head and twisted it before he yanked it off.

Rowan roared but the males were not done as both had veins of energy flowing down their arms and pooling in their palms. They muttered something in their breath and placed their pulsing hands over Torin.

Torin’s corpse bucked and convulsed on the ground.

“No! No! No! You don’t get to do that, Gregor!” Rowan wailed as he lunged forward towards the males.

Unfazed by the sudden attack from Rowan, Gregor held his hand up and Rowan was frozen in time. He watched helplessly as Gregor undid the immortality spell on Torin.

Finally, Torin’s body stopped moving. Asari gasped gripping her heart and suddenly collapsed against Charissa.

Gregor looked up at Rowan.

“This ends today!” He barked, his voice pure power and strength. “You are tipping the balance between this world and the world of the dead and the fabrics are tearing apart. If you don’t stop you will end existence!”

Rowan looked down bitterly at Gregor. “Why don’t you just go back into the dark hole from which you crawled!”

Gregor smirked and turned to the male who was dragging Torin’s body behind him towards the gateway. “Father?”

The male flicked his wrist and the spell cast over the gateway shimmered away. He then turned to Rowan and fisted his hand. Rowan’s staff shattered into a million pieces.

“No!” Rowan howled as black smoke began to waft from his body.

All the hunters and Charissa sank to the ground whimpering as black smoke escaped from them too. Their bodies were disintegrating now that their power source was destroyed.

The remaining enchanted beings, including the Lord Mage sank to their knees in the most respectful gesture given to someone.

Gregor approached Lord Mage. “Tyran.”

“Father mine.” The Lord Mage answered his voice thick with emotions. “How is this possible?”

Gregor turned to Alli who was still glowing with power. “Ask her. She is not just a Death Walker if she can call on the dead to her aid. Take care of her because she will not last in this Realm. That much power will kill her. Ruvin,” he suddenly turned to him and Ruvin was surprised as to how he knew his name when Ruvin wasn’t even born the time he was king. “Take your mate to the enchanted world the moment we leave.”

Ruvin gave a small nod still not believing what was happening in front of him.

It was as if the Lord Mage had been tripled. The only difference was the hair and eyes. The Lord Mage’s grandfather was a large male. He looked very powerful as he dropped Torin’s headless body in front of his grandson.

“Take him back. Jafariel, Isir, and Idris will know what to do with him. Gabryel will aid you in this.”

“Yes, grandfather.” The Lord Mage answered.

Gregor and Calister, Lord Mage’s father and grandfather, moved back towards Alli.

“Until next time,” Calister said darkly as their bodies crystallized into icy figures once more and disappeared through the icy wall behind Alli.

Alli collapsed onto the ground trembling while more blood frothed from her mouth. Ruvin dashed towards her and scooped her into his arms, brushing the brunette and silver-white hair from her face before he raced towards the gateway. Alli was not going to die on him! Not if he could help it!

Zach also pulled Asari into his arms and rushed off through the gateway.

The hunters died off slowly on the ground, their bodies turning into a gray color.

Charissa’s eyes stared sightlessly into the night and so did Robin’s and several others. The heavens broke down and rain began to slowly putter into the ground, washing away and ridding the earth of the dark taint that was hovering above it.

The Lord Mage grabbed Torin’s headless body in one hand and Rowan’s disintegrating body in the other. He took a moment to look at all the death that surrounded him. He was the last person standing as everyone else passed through the gateway. He sighed and passed through the watery screen back to his Realm.