Three hours later, they were packed and ready to go.
“Be careful,” Elizabeth said, pulling them both in for a hug. “We love you both.” She stepped back and Tony wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Anastasia, you need to make sure you are taking an appropriate rest after using any magic. You could drain yourself and not have access to it if you get into danger. Use these until you run out, but save one for an emergency,” Carmen instructed, and handed Anastasia a small leather satchel with portal vials in it.
“I will, Grandma, I promise.”
“Atta girl.” Carmen hugged her, then Dakota, and stepped back.
“We will be back with help,” Anastasia said to the rest of the village.
“Some of us hope you don’t return at all.” Anastasia turned her head to the female voice at the back of the crowd. She had known who it had come from, and still seeing her face drove a spike into Anastasia’s heart.
“Selena,” Tony warned.
“What? I only speak for every person here who has lost someone because of the so-called ‘Phoenix.’”
“Selena, why don’t we go talk?” Tilly and Robbie tried to pull her towards the nearest cabin but she refused to budge.
“You murdered my children. They loved you and you killed them.”
Anastasia did her best to hide the tears. It would do her no good to dwell on the past right now.
“I loved them too, Selena. I didn’t mean for them to die.”
Selena laughed. “You are the reason they are dead, and I hope you suffer the same fate. Or rather, that he does,” she pointed to Dakota, “that way you can know what it feels like to lose someone you love.” Selena ground her teeth together and tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Selena!” Tony yelled, and the entire village stilled at the sound of his voice. “You will watch what you are saying. You and every single person here knows Anastasia did not cause the deaths of your children nor has she been the cause of any of the other deaths. It has all been Vincent. We understand you are grieving, but you will NOT blame her for that. Have you forgotten that she’s lost people too?”
“Because she brought that girl here. That’s why Gregory died, and Emmitt,” she said, looking at his mother, who stood nearby.
“I don’t blame her for that,” she responded. “Don’t lump us all together, Selena. My Emmitt died because of Vincent, not Anastasia.”
“You are all just as bad as she is.” Selena stared wide-eyed at the people who stood before her. Then she turned and ran back to her cabin.
“Anastasia, she didn’t mean any of it,” Tilly offered.
“She did, and that’s okay.” Anastasia straightened even though she felt the weight of grief crushing down on her. “We will come back with help,” she repeated, “and we will defeat Vincent. I promise you that if it takes every last breath from my body, I will end him and the horrors he has brought to our worlds.”
There were a lot of nods coming from the village as well as some who looked like they leaned more towards Selena’s way of thinking. She ignored them and turned to Dakota. “You ready?” she asked.
“Let’s do this,” he said softly, and gripped her hand.
Anastasia smiled at her grandmother and pulled out one of the portal vials. She threw it on the ground and then stepped into the swirling blue light.
They had known the first world would be freezing, so they had dressed warmly. Still, they were not entirely prepared for the down-to-the-bone chill they felt when they emerged onto the other side.
Mountains jutted up in front of them, covered in ice, and at least two feet of snow covered the ground.
“Holy crap!” Dakota shouted, and pulled his cloak closer around himself.
“It’s pretty damn cold,” Anastasia agreed as she began trudging through the snow and towards the large castle that loomed in the distance.
“Can’t you portal us closer?” Dakota asked.
Anastasia shook her head. “We need to make sure we don’t make too much of a scene, and I don’t want to appear as a threat.”
“Makes sense. Still sucks,” he said, and Anastasia let out a short laugh. She remembered that when they had been teenagers, he had complained constantly about the cold weather. “About what Selena said,” Dakota started, and Anastasia held up her hand.
“She’s not wrong. I am the reason they are both dead. Vincent took Brady because of his connection to me, and used Sarah for the same reason.”
“That doesn’t make it your fault. Deep down, Selena knows that.”
“I don’t carry the blame by myself, Dakota. I won’t lie and say I don’t feel partially at fault, but the bottom line is that Vincent used them. If it weren’t for him, they would still be alive.”
“Ana, stop.”
“Dakota—”
“No, stop moving!”
Anastasia stopped immediately and Dakota knelt in the snow to reveal a wire that had been partially buried in the snow.
“How did you see that?”
“Cop, remember?” He looked up but they didn’t see anyone. “Someone’s watching us.”
“I feel it too.” Anastasia pulled her gloves off so she would be ready if they were attacked. Just then, she saw the figure coming towards them.
Pale as the snow that surrounded them, the man walked easily through it as he approached them. His clothes were white as well, and nearly matched the complexion of his skin. His eyes, however, were a deep purple, and Anastasia found herself captivated by them. It was the only color on his entire body. He was tall, muscular, and his strong jaw and sharp features made him quite handsome. He stopped four feet in front of them.
“What is your business here?” he asked softly.
“We wish to speak with your leaders,” Anastasia replied.
“Why?”
“We bring news of a coming destruction.”
The man’s head tilted slightly. “Are you here to threaten us?”
“No,” Dakota answered this time. “We are here to help you, or rather to ask for your assistance.”
The man studied them. “You speak the truth. Come,” he said and began walking back. Anastasia and Dakota stepped over the trip wire and followed him through the snow towards the large stone castle that loomed ahead.
They followed him inside, where Anastasia hoped it would be warm. Instead, it was nearly as chilly as it was outside minus the wind.
“Wait here,” he said, and left them standing in the foyer.
“What’s your read?” Dakota asked as he surveyed the area.
“I’m,” she searched for the word to describe how she was feeling, “comfortable. I don’t think Vincent has been here yet.”
“I feel the same.”
Moments later, the same man who greeted them reappeared.
“Come with me,” he said, and headed back down the same hall he had gone down earlier.
“Be ready,” Dakota warned in a low voice.
“Always,” Anastasia whispered back.
The hallway ended and Anastasia found herself standing in a wide-open area that reminded her of the throne rooms in some of the medieval movies she had seen growing up. Anastasia stared at the couple that sat in two lavish chairs on the far wall. Physically, they resembled the man who had met them when they first arrived. Their skin and hair were the same pale white, their eyes the same shade of purple. But there was something more about them although she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. The woman was beyond gorgeous, her skin made her look almost like a porcelain doll, but underneath the visible fragility, Anastasia sensed a strength in her that she respected. The woman’s eyes were full of knowledge, and Anastasia wondered just what horrors she had seen in her life.
The man was incredibly handsome as well, only he didn’t possess the same fragile qualities the woman did. He had the build of a warrior, and Anastasia noted a sword at his hip. He did not wear a crown like the queen, which made her think that perhaps they were a matriarchal race just as the Brutes were.
“Nix tells me you bring word of a threat.” The man spoke first.
“Yes, we have come to warn you of a sorcerer who is trying to rally forces in an effort to take over the worlds. Any that do not follow him are being destroyed,” Dakota offered curtly.
The king and queen regarded him for a moment. “You have warned us, now leave,” the king said easily. His voice, just as soft as Nix’s had been, carried no hint of emotion.
“We need your help.” Anastasia bowed her head. “He is gaining power. I am afraid that if we don’t all come together and create our own army, we will fail.”
“We do not wish to become involved in matters that are not of our world,” the king insisted. “You are dismissed.” He waved his hand away and Anastasia stepped forward.
“This is of your world,” she said sternly. “He may not have been here yet, and he may not come tomorrow, but one day soon he will end up on your doorstep, and where he goes, death follows. Vincent will destroy everything and everyone you care about. Our only hope is an alliance.”
“Vincent.” The queen’s eyes widened as she stared at Anastasia. “Do you bear the mark of the fire bird on your back, child?” she asked, standing to walk down the steps towards them.
Unsure how to respond, Anastasia just nodded.
“Let me see it,” she said softly. Anastasia removed her cloak and bag as the queen moved around behind her.
Anastasia felt cool fingers on her back as she lifted the back of her shirt up to reveal her tattoo. Dakota moved to stand in front of her, to block the view from the king. When she eyed him amused, he simply shrugged.
“Such bright colors,” the queen said as she traced the lines. “So much power in this mark. It is just as I have seen it in my visions.” She stepped away and back towards her king. “We will help you, Phoenix. We knew you would come.”
“Thank you,” Dakota said, and bowed his head.
The queen nodded softly. “Nix, gather the men.”
“You will want to leave some behind,” Anastasia warned. “If Vincent has not come here yet, it is only a matter of time, and you will need to be protected.”
The queen smiled and showed shockingly white teeth. “We appreciate your concern, Phoenix, we will be just fine.”
“Once your men are ready, we will send them through a portal and into Terrenia,” Dakota offered.
“Very well. Please join us for some tea to celebrate our alliance.”
“That would be wonderful, thank you.” Anastasia nodded softly, grateful she didn’t have to argue with the king anymore. She glanced over at him. He didn’t look irritated as she had expected, but rather grateful. He bowed his head slightly at her and winked.
“I bet it’s iced tea,” Dakota whispered, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“Actually, it is not.” The queen smirked at him and his cheeks reddened.
“I didn’t mean any insult.”
“I know you didn’t.”
They followed her through the stone castle and into a large, lush living area. A fire was crackling in the fire place and hot tea was already sitting on a tray.
“We enjoy the heat every now and then, but prefer the cold,” she offered as they took a seat.
Anastasia and Dakota took a seat on a surprisingly comfortable couch in a deep mahogany, and took their tea cups off the tray. Anastasia sensed the drink before her to ensure there were no tricks, and then turned her attention to the queen. They couldn’t afford to risk offering their full trust until they knew it wouldn’t backfire on them.
“So you said you had seen my tattoo in visions?”
“I have the gift of sight. I have seen this Vincent come to our world and threaten to destroy it, and then a great colorful fire bird flew down from the sky and saved us. It was quite a powerful vision.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been having that vision?” Dakota asked in the politest way possible, to try and make it appear less of an interrogation.
“Since I was a child. I am nearly thirty years now.”
Dakota and Anastasia nodded. Anastasia hoped that since the queen had been predicting her arrival, that meant they were doing the right thing by looking for help.
“I know that you are called Phoenix, but what is your name?” the queen asked Dakota.
“Dakota, you?”
“I am Queen Orlaith. My husband is called King Cormac.”
“Just Cormac, please.” He came in and took a seat next to his wife. The cool front Anastasia had sensed from him earlier was gone and replaced with genuine love and affection for his other half.
“You seemed against helping us earlier,” Dakota started, “may I ask why?”
“Simple answer. I need to protect my people. I had to determine if you were a threat to us.”
“Not-so-simple answer?”
“I don’t trust those who come here claiming to be on the right side of things, not until I’ve seen proof that what they say is true.”
“It’s happened before?”
He nodded. “Nearly twenty years ago. I had just been brought on as a guard to look after this lovely girl.” He smiled at his wife but Anastasia sensed the shift in his mood just as Monique had described. “A man came and claimed that he had seen the demise of our worlds at the hands of a fire bird. The man begged for help, but the king and queen turned him away kindly and offered him shelter for the night.” He eyed her cautiously. “Later, while everyone was sleeping, he snuck into the young girl’s room and grabbed her from her bed.”
Anastasia noticed the way Cormac gripped Orlaith’s hand.
“Luckily I caught them just before he dragged her through a portal.”
“That was the first night I dreamt of you, Phoenix,” Orlaith said softly. “It is why I was prepared for him when he came to my room, why I was able to stall just long enough for Cormac to get to us.”
“It was Vincent,” Anastasia said.
They nodded. “He was going to use me to force my parents into helping him.”
“I tried to kill him, but he disappeared before I was able to.”
“He has a history of doing that,” Dakota said dryly.
“But you will defeat him,” Orlaith said with a smile, “I’ve seen it.”
Anastasia smiled back and hoped with all her heart that the queen was right.