Anastasia walked through the village that morning. For the first time since she had returned from being under the Brute stasis, she had hope. She watched as the Guisnows and Jaitu laughed together. The Fawnis stretched out in the sun and relaxed, but Anastasia noted the way their eyes followed everything that went on around them.
They had a good solid foundation to defeat Vincent now. Strong, honorable creatures who would stand behind them. Well, mostly honorable, she thought as she looked at the Mamsets that were locked in a battle. They fought each other for sport.
Today was the day to go to the fairy people. The other worlds were either uninhabited or already working with Vincent. It was time to recruit the last species, and Anastasia said a silent prayer that all would go well. If it did, they would be going back to Seattle to try and recruit more humans to assist.
She saw Selena on the path ahead of her and she swallowed hard. She hadn’t seen the woman since the day she had gone through the portal and into the first world.
“Selena,” Anastasia said softly as she approached.
“Don’t even say my name. You have no right to be here. You are nothing, and the day Annabelle and Gregory took you in was the day everything went wrong. You have gotten every single person who cared for you killed. Who’s going to be next, I wonder? Dakota?”
Anastasia could see that Selena was taunting her, but even still she felt her temper flare. The villagers who were out looked up at the harsh words.
“I would have never hurt them if I could have helped it, Selena. I loved them.”
“Yeah, that certainly shows, doesn’t it? Brady followed you everywhere and look where that got him. Then you slaughtered my daughter!” Anastasia saw Nix and Nallia approach.
“She had a knife to Elizabeth’s throat!”
“Lies!” Selena’s face was red. She lunged forward and pushed Anastasia hard enough she had to take a step back.
“Stop,” Anastasia warned, and raised her hand to keep Nix and Nallia back.
“Or what? You’ll kill me too?” she yelled again and shoved her. “Go ahead! I don’t have anything else to live for!” Selena screamed, and charged her again. Anastasia stepped away.
The taunting made sense now, Selena was looking for a way out. Anastasia wouldn’t be the one to give it to her.
“They wouldn’t want that for you.” She tried to keep her voice calm.
“How would you know? You don’t know anything!” Selena reached into her skirt and pulled out a knife.
“Selena, put it away.” Dakota’s voice sounded behind Anastasia. She glanced back at him and saw he had his gun trained on the grieving woman while the rest of the villagers gathered around and were watching the exchange intently.
“I shouldn’t have helped you,” she growled at him. Anastasia glanced back at Dakota, curious as to what Selena was referring to.
“Selena, please don’t make me do it,” he warned again.
“Wait, Dakota,” Anastasia said, and stepped towards Selena. “You want to kill me?” She stepped close enough the blade was pressing against her chest.
“Ana,” Dakota pleaded.
“Do you honestly believe I am the monster you say I am?”
Tears streamed down Selena’s face and Anastasia saw the grief shining through her eyes.
“You’ve known me for over ten years. I babysat Sarah for you.” Tears began to fall from her own eyes. “I loved them both as if they were my brother and sister. Do you honestly not think it kills me inside to think about the fact that I am the reason they are dead?”
She felt the blade bite into her skin.
“I-I-I’ll d-d-do it-t-t,” Selena stammered.
“Then do it. But keep in mind that if you kill me, you will lose any hope at having your revenge against the man who is responsible for the deaths of your children.”
Selena’s body began to shake, and the knife clattered to the ground. “I miss them so much,” she cried, falling to her knees. Anastasia sank down with her and wrapped her arms around Selena.
“I am so sorry.”
Selena wrapped her arms around Anastasia and cried until a group of women came and helped her to her feet. They walked away with her and Dakota pulled Anastasia up.
“That was risky.”
“No it wasn’t. I knew she wasn’t going to kill me. She’s hurting and looking for the easiest person to blame. Shit, I blame myself.” She wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Ana—”
“I know it’s not all my fault, Dakota. But simply knowing it doesn’t erase the guilt.”
Dakota nodded knowingly. “I can understand that. When you disappeared, I blamed myself, even though I hadn’t actually done anything. I still blame myself.”
Anastasia put her hand on his chest to stop him. “I know I’ve said it already, and that everything is fine now, but I am so sorry for leaving you, Dakota.”
He covered it gently with hers. “No need to be sorry, Ana, we’re together now.” He pressed a light kiss to her lips and they continued their walk to Elizabeth and Tony’s.
“What was Selena talking about?”
He sighed. “When you were gone, and we were being attacked every damn day, I got pretty beat up. She bandaged me up.”
“She really is a good person.” Anastasia felt a lump form in her throat.
“She’ll come around.”
Anastasia nodded and changed the subject. “Are you happy here?” she asked him curiously.
He smiled at her. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Do you think you might want to stay? After all of this is over?”
“Is that what you want?”
She nodded cautiously.
“Ana.” He stopped and turned her so he could hold both her hands. “I’ve told you, I want to be wherever you are. Whether that’s here or back in Seattle, I couldn’t care less. I love it here, and if you want to stay, then you know I’ll stay with you.”
“I want to make sure you are happy too. Not just me.”
“You are my home, Ana. I will be happy as long as I’m with you.”
She smiled and kissed him softly.
Little giggles broke their kiss, and Ana and Dakota both looked to see Argento’s daughter rounding the corner towards them, him on her heels. She was laughing wildly and Anastasia smiled at the large beast following her.
Argento may have been a Brute on the outside, but on the inside he was no different than any good human dad. He was fantastic with his little one, who wasn’t quite a year old, but was already the size of a four-year-old human child.
Brutes matured quickly, which was a good thing, since she was their rightful queen. Brutes were a matriarchal race, and with Argento’s wife gone, the little girl was going to be taking over very soon.
“Calisi!” Argento called out, and the little girl reached up for Dakota.
“Up!” she called, and then giggled when Dakota lifted her.
“Looking for this one?” he asked Argento.
“She is fast.” Argento laughed breathlessly.
Anastasia watched as Dakota talked with the little girl. She hoped that someday in the near future, she could see him holding their child. Her heart hurt a little at the thought of the little girl she’d had to leave behind in the stasis.
“Be nice to your daddy.” Dakota tickled her and then handed her over to Argento.
“I will.” She giggled.
“Are you two off again?”
“We are going to the fairy world.”
All humor on Argento’s face vanished. “Be cautious and do not underestimate them. You will pay for it in death if you do.”
“We won’t,” Anastasia promised.
Argento nodded. “Safe travels,” he wished them, and then walked off with his little girl.
They approached Tony and Elizabeth’s just as the two were walking outside. Tony pulled Elizabeth in for a kiss and then met them at the bottom of the stairs.
“Morning.” He greeted them with a smile.
“Morning,” Anastasia and Dakota both offered.
“I heard you had an exchange with Selena this morning.” Tony narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you okay?”
Anastasia nodded. “She is grieving. I can’t blame her for looking for someone to hate.”
“She had better turn that hatred where it belongs,” Tony warned.
“It will be fine, Tony.” Anastasia smiled.
“All right.” He smiled softly. “I would like to accompany you again today if that’s all right?”
“You don’t have to,” Anastasia assured him.
“I know. But from what Argento has said about this next world, an extra pair of hands might be beneficial.” Tony strapped on his sword. “Especially since you need to be using your magic sparingly.” He eyed Anastasia.
“Sounds good.” Dakota wrapped his arm around Anastasia’s shoulders, and she smiled. The gesture was such a simple one, and it still brought her so much comfort.
“Shall we?” Anastasia asked, and pulled a vial from her bag.
“Be careful!” Elizabeth said as the portal opened before them.
“We will be!” Tony called out, and they stepped through.
Anastasia blinked quickly as the portal disappeared. They stood in the center of what looked to be a large flower garden. And by large, the stalks stood nearly as tall as the redwoods she had seen as a kid. Sun shone through multicolor petals and cast the light onto the ground around them.
It was the most beautiful world they had stepped foot in, and still, something felt wrong.
“Well, this is not what I was expecting,” Tony grumbled, and Anastasia noted his hand was on his sword. So he feels it too, she thought to herself.
“Well, hello.” A singsong voice sounded behind them, and they whirled to see one of the creatures Argento had described floating a few feet above the ground.
Its body was a pale yellow, hairless, and it wore only a cloth around its waist. Golden eyes stared back at her, and although they looked kind, Anastasia sensed the ferociousness lying just below the surface.
The way it watched her was unnatural. As if it could see straight through her and into her soul.
“Why are you here?” it asked.
“We are here to seek assistance.” Anastasia stepped forward.
“Assistance?”
“The worlds are under attack,” Dakota offered. Anastasia felt Tony at her back, and without looking, could feel that they were now surrounded by the creatures.
“Attack?” It mocked Dakota’s choice of words, and Anastasia felt her temper flare. Was it toying with them?
“There is a sorcerer who is traveling to the different worlds and trying to gain followers. He wants to merge all those who will follow him and then destroy the homes of those who don’t.”
“And you are here because you wish to gain us as followers?”
Anastasia didn’t miss the repeat of her words about Vincent, but she chose to not address it.
“We already have quite a large list of those on our side. We are here because we wanted to give you the chance to stand up and fight for your world.” Dakota’s voice was laced with irritation as he addressed the creature.
“Oh?” it said, cocking its head to the side.
“Vincent is bringing death wherever he goes,” Anastasia warned. “If he comes here, you will all die.”
“And you believe you can prevent our death?”
“I believe that with me, you will stand a chance.”
The creature regarded her for a moment, and with each passing second, Anastasia’s anxiety grew. If they were to attack, there was no telling how much damage they could do before she could stop them. They moved quickly, and according to Argento, would be able to tear them to shreds. She looked down at their claw-like hands. She imagined those would do some serious damage if given the opportunity.
“We will help you,” it said. “We believe it will be in our best interests.”
Anastasia nodded, not wanting to look relieved. “We can give you time to gather what you need before we go back to Terrenia.”
“No need,” it said, its head tilting the other way. Its movements, although small, seemed calculated. “We are ready now.”
“Anastasia, are you sure this is a good idea?” Dakota whispered.
Anastasia continued to stare at the strange creature. Truth was, she wasn’t sure it was a good idea at all. But if Vincent managed to get yet another species on his side, Anastasia wasn’t sure they stood a chance.
“It will be fine.” She offered Dakota a smile. “Let’s go.” She threw the portal down and stepped through the light. Seconds later, the creatures came pouring through the portal like a swarm.
The villagers stopped and stared, while some of the Fighters, Brutes, Jaitu, and Guisnows drew their weapons in preparation for an attack.
“It’s okay,” she said to them as the last of the creatures came through and the portal closed.
“We are the Pickries,” the creature greeted. “I am Alpha.”
“You will be near us.” Argento approached. “So I can watch you.”
“You do not trust us, beast?”
“Not even the slightest.”
“Shame,” Alpha retorted, and followed Argento to the other side of the village.
“There must be a hundred of them,” Dakota commented as they continued.
“I don’t trust them. There’s something off.” Tony sheathed his sword.
“I wish we had a choice.” Anastasia sighed. “I want to meet with all the leaders in an hour.”
Tony nodded. “I’ll spread the word.”
“Thanks,” she said, and turned towards her cottage. “Have you seen Kaley?” she asked Dakota.
He shook his head. “Not in the last few days. We’ve been traveling a lot, though. Could be that we’ve just missed her.”
“You’re probably right.” Anastasia smiled, although it did little to ease the worry she felt for her feline friend. Kaley hadn’t ever been gone for longer than a day since Anastasia had known her. It was strange that she was missing as long as she had. The emptiness Anastasia felt at her absence was only part of what was bothering her.
They had five new worlds on their side and still Anastasia felt as if their victory was going to come with a higher cost than they could imagine. That was if it even came at all.
“Hey, what’s on your mind?” Dakota asked as he interlaced his fingers with hers. Anastasia looked down and smiled as she remembered all the times he had performed the simple gesture through the years.
“Just worried about Kaley. She’s never been gone this long.”
“She’ll come back.” He squeezed her hand lightly. “She’s probably just out chasing giant mice.”
Anastasia let out a laugh. “You’re probably right.”
“Probably? Please, Ana, you know I’m never wrong.” He grinned and lifted her into his arms. “Wanna go for a swim?”
“What?” Her eyes widened when she realized he was heading for the pond that sat near the edge of the training cottage. “No!” she squealed, but he held on. “Dakota, my weapons are going to get ruined!” she said on a laugh.
He very expertly removed them and her shoes from her, then his own weapons and shoes without putting her down. “Ready?” he asked with a smile.
“It’s going to be cold!”
“Too late!” He jumped into the cold water and Anastasia felt the shock as it hit her skin.
“Damn you!” she said as she came up out of the water and stared into his smiling face.
“What? It feels good.” He floated on his back and then splashed her with his hand.
Anastasia splashed him back and then leaned back to float on her back too. “I suppose it is nice.”
“Told you.” He smiled and closed his eyes. “It’s strange, isn’t it? To think that this all might end soon.”
“It is,” she agreed.
“I know you’ve been in the middle of this fight for years, Ana—honestly, for your entire life. I want you to know that when it’s over, you will have a happy future.”
“I know. I have you.”
“Always.” He grinned and she splashed him. “Hey!”
“Payback.” She headed for shore with him behind her. “I suppose we should get dried off for that meeting.”
“I suppose so.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her as if it were the last kiss he would ever be able to give her. “I know I tell you constantly, but I love you, Ana.”
“I love you too, Dakota.”