“All right, we get in and we get out quickly. Grab whatever weapons and prisoners you can and we will meet back here.” Anastasia pointed to an area on her drawing of the docks. It was the clearing where she had sent Dakota back through the portal after he had been shot by Mitch. It was also where she had lost herself to dark magic.
She swallowed hard. She was not looking forward to going back, but it was the only place that seemed a good spot to rally, especially in the event they didn’t win. She shook her head. They would win.
“We got it, Phoenix,” Nix said, and clapped his hands together. “Now how about we go and deal a blow this evil man will be feeling for years to come?”
Anastasia smiled. It seemed Nallia was rubbing off on the normally cool-tempered Nix. Good, she thought to herself. He needed to loosen up a bit.
“Everyone ready?” Anastasia asked, looking around at all of the warriors before her. The Guisnows nodded, their amethyst eyes full of anticipation for the battle that lay ahead. The Jaitu let out a war cry that sounded like a bird. The Brutes slammed their fists to their chests, the Fawnis simply nodded, the Pickries hovered low above the ground, and Ambrose offered her a nod. Ashere just continued to stare at her, as did the other Mamsets.
Well, this should be interesting, she thought to herself, and prayed she hadn’t made a mistake by bringing so many different worlds together.
Anastasia threw a vial onto the ground to open the portal, heeding Carmen’s warnings about using her magic sparingly until they could determine the exact reason she was feeling so drained.
“Nothing like starting a war for your honeymoon,” Dakota said with a smile.
“When have we ever been typical?”
“Good point. Ready?”
“Anastasia!”
Anastasia recognized the voice. She turned to see Selena running towards them.
“You okay?” Dakota asked her.
She nodded just as Selena reached them.
“I know that you have to go, I just—” She closed her eyes tightly and tears began to fall softly down her cheeks. “I wanted to say that I’m sorry for blaming you. I know it wasn’t your fault, what happened to them.”
“Thank you. I promise I will make him pay.”
“I know you will. Good luck.” Selena stepped back and smiled at Anastasia.
Armed with renewed strength, Anastasia stepped towards the light and drew her sword.
“Let’s get this bastard,” she yelled, and stepped through the portal with her husband and family.
Anastasia opened the portal in the same clearing she had asked everyone to meet. Once all the warriors were through, it closed and they began their short trek to the docks. Once they reached the outskirts, Anastasia halted them and took a look around. Two Brutes patrolled out front, but Anastasia didn’t see anyone or anything else around.
“Not heavily guarded.” Argento offered from her side.
“He’s cocky.” Anastasia replied.
“I agree. Shall we go and knock him down a few pegs?” Argento smiled.
“Well it seems you have learned some things from me after all.” Dakota laughed and signaled for everyone to begin moving again. Once they were in full view of the facility, they broke ranks and ran directly for the warehouse.
The two Brutes that were out front let out a yell and then did their best to block the doors as a herd of Humans, Brutes, Fawnis, Pickries, Jaitu, and Guisnows charged them.
They tore through the door easily and immediately launched into battle with the creatures that were inside.
Anastasia attacked the nearest beast, which was one of the strange dragon-like creatures Dakota had told her about. It was a lot harder to kill than the Brutes she was used to, and its tail caught the skin of her arm and tore, so as she fought she had to ignore the pain of her body healing itself.
She continued her fight until she reached the room where Dakota had been held when Mitch had kidnapped him. She peeked inside and recognized the faces behind the glass as Zoey and Izzy. The two people she had saved from Brutes while she had been on her way to save Dakota.
They were Gage’s daughter and very pregnant wife.
“Anastasia, look out!” Nix yelled, and she turned just in time to block an attack from a Brute. It seemed that fate was smiling on them, because as she fought through the Brutes and dragon creatures—Drycos, she remembered Argento saying—the enemy numbers seemed to be thinning and Anastasia didn’t see any of her people as casualties.
As fate would have it though, it wasn’t long before things turned bad. The sudden chill in the air had her spinning to see the horrible Trepidos pouring into the room. At least a dozen filled the area, and she began seeing the effects they were having on her people. Panic weaved through her ranks until nearly everyone was fighting some kind of invisible war. The distraction was just long enough that no one realized they had been betrayed.
“Dakota!” Anastasia screamed as a portal opened up directly behind him. She watched in horror as they began popping up everywhere in the large room. Pickries began lifting people and throwing them inside.
“What the fuck!” Dakota yelled, and stabbed the Pickrie who had grabbed Nix. Nix fell to the ground as the Pickrie collapsed.
“Traitors!” Argento yelled, and began attacking the Pickries. Nix, Nallia, Dakota, and Anastasia fought their way through the known enemy to the one who had caught them by surprise. The portals began closing and she continued to rescue who she could.
When she saw Ambrose near one of the portals, she left her mission to the others and went straight for the deceitful fairy. He saw her coming and tried to get away, but Anastasia was faster.
She jumped and pulled him down by his legs. When he was on the ground, she pressed her blade to his throat.
“Why?” she growled.
“Why not?”
“You betrayed us!”
“We saved ourselves.” It smiled at her, but Anastasia could see the fear.
“What did he promise you?” she yelled over the fighting that was still raging around them.
“Life.” It bared its sharp teeth and bit into her shoulder. She screamed in pain and jumped back just as Ambrose took off.
“No!” she screamed, and ran. She saw who he was heading for and who currently stood directly between him and the portal. “Dakota!” she screamed.
He didn’t hear her and she watched in horror as Ambrose lifted Dakota and threw him into the portal, than sailed in after him. She ran for it even though it was gone. The fighting had finally stopped, and those who remained were hiding from the Pickries who were still looking for victims.
One narrowed its eyes on her and she spun her blade. “Come on, you motherfucker,” she muttered under her breath. It got within reach and she ripped it out of the sky much like she did Ambrose. Only this time, she would make sure it didn’t escape.
“Where are they taking them?” she yelled.
“We will not tell.”
“You will tell or I will tear out your insides while you watch,” Argento growled from behind Anastasia.
“W-We do not know.”
“Liar,” Anastasia growled, and brought her blade down on its wing.
It howled with pain and rage and Anastasia showed it the yellow blood that was dripping from her blade.
“We WILL NOT TELL!” it howled again, and Anastasia brought her blade down again. Its eyes closed and Anastasia cursed.
“Where the fuck did they go?” she yelled, and stood. She looked around at everyone who remained. Out of the nearly four dozen warriors she had brought with her, she counted only eleven remaining.
She closed her eyes and brought her magic to the surface to blast the two remaining Trepidos. They howled in rage, but vanished just as quickly as they had come.
“Where’s Tony?” she asked Argento.
His chest rumbled with a low growl in response, and she knew he had been taken as well. “Nix?”
“Gone,” Nallia replied somberly. “Taken.”
“I know where they are.” Anastasia turned at the sound of the familiar voice. “But you have to take me with you.” Gage stood with his arms around his wife and daughter. “I want to be there when you bleed them dry.”
“Where are they?” Anastasia began walking towards them.
“A penthouse in downtown. Vincent owns the entire building.”
“Is there a woman being held there?”
“Monique,” he responded sadly. “She’s in bad shape, but she’s there.”
“I am glad to see you survived.” Argento stepped forward and Gage’s daughter, Izzy, cried out and pushed herself behind her mother.
“I did what I had to do to save my family,” Gage insisted, and backed away.
“You don’t need to be afraid of him,” Anastasia said softly. “He is not like the others.” She shot Argento a look and his facial features softened slightly.
“I did not mean to frighten you, child, my apologies.”
“I’m so sorry for what I did, Anastasia. I understand if you want to kill me, but please don’t hurt them.” Gage pushed his wife and daughter behind him and stepped forward.
“Gage, I’m not going to kill you. You saved me.”
“I killed your grandmother.”
“What?” Zoey said softly, and put her hand on his arm. “That’s what Vincent made you do? Oh, honey.” Tears filled her eyes.
Anastasia walked to him and held her hand up. “May I?”
Gage nodded and put his head down, expecting the pain that would come when she read his thoughts. Instead, a wave of peace overcame him and the memories of the murder faded away.
“You saved us. We had to give you a different memory so Vincent wouldn’t hurt you or your family.”
Gage looked up at her. “I didn’t kill anyone?”
Anastasia shook her head.
Gage breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, then turned and kissed Zoey. He turned back to face Anastasia, Argento, and Nallia. “Vincent knew you were coming, the Pickries warned him.”
“I figured as much.”
“I’m not even supposed to be here. When I heard you were expected, I killed the Brute he sent to move my family and came here myself.”
“What were your plans if we didn’t show?” Nallia asked.
“I was going to get my family out, or die trying.”
Anastasia studied him. The Gage that stood before her was so different from the one she’d known growing up, that she wouldn’t have believed they were the same person. The Gage she had known spent all his time trying to get out of responsibilities and would have never risked his life for anyone, no matter what.
Even the Gage she met nearly a year ago was different than the one she was looking at now. His eyes had grown harder, as if he had seen things he would never be able to unsee. He reminded her of how Dakota had looked when she had run into him in that alley. A man who was determined to do what was right at any cost.
“Ahhh,” Zoey cried out, and clutched her stomach.
“What is it?” Gage turned to her, his eyes wide with worry.
“The baby. I think the baby is coming.” She cried out again.
“We need to get them back to Terrenia,” Argento said quickly, and walked towards her. “May I?” he asked Gage.
Gage nodded and Argento lifted Zoey into his arms. Anastasia opened the portal for them and stepped back to Nallia and three of her Jaitu.
“Take this.” Anastasia pushed the vial into her hand. “Stay here, but hidden, and warn us if he comes back. I am going to get them settled and grab some medical supplies then I’ll be back. To use it, picture where you want to go and then throw it onto the ground.”
“Yes, Phoenix,” she said, and turned to the others. They ran towards the back of the warehouse where they could climb and gain a better vantage point.
Anastasia stepped through the portal and into Terrenia.
“Anastasia!” Elizabeth called out. “Is it true?” Her eyes were full of unshed tears. Anastasia nodded and Elizabeth took a deep breath. “You will get them back.”
“Absolutely.”
“Then we need to focus. What do you need?”
“More Fighters and some medical supplies. Some of those that were taken were injured.”
“I’ll gather them.”
“Where are Gage and his family?”
“In Carmen’s cottage. The woman is in labor and Selena is helping Tilly.”
Anastasia headed towards Carmen’s cottage and reached the porch just as Gage stepped out.
“How is she?”
“Beginning stages of labor.” He smiled, but Anastasia could see the stress behind his soft brown eyes.
“Carmen will take good care of her.”
“I can tell. So this is where you have been all this time?”
Anastasia nodded. “I need to know where they are.”
“I'm going with you, I’ll show you.”
“You need to be here with your wife, Gage.”
“No. I need to be where you are. I need to watch Vincent die so I know this is over. It has to be over.” He covered his face with his hands. “He made me watch them die.” He looked up at Anastasia and she saw the tears streaming down his face. “I knew it wasn’t real, but he made me watch.” His fists tightened at his sides.
“He seems to like doing that,” Anastasia growled. “We need to gather more Fighters. Go and be with your wife. I will come get you when it’s time to leave.”
“Thank you. Can you please check on Izzy for me? That large Brute brought his daughter over and introduced them. Last I saw they were playing.”
“I will. Argento is wonderful, don’t worry too much about Izzy. She is safe with him.”
“Thank you.” He headed back up the stairs and Anastasia ran to the camp where the Pickries had been staying. Just as she had thought, the ones that had been left behind were gone.
“Cowards,” she growled, and went to look for Argento.
She found him sitting underneath a large tree in the center of the village, watching Calisi, Izzy, and some of the other village kids playing.
“I’m truly sorry the Pickries betrayed us. I should have seen it coming.”
“You warned us. They will get what’s coming to them.”
“We are going back after them today?” He turned to face her.
She nodded. “We need to gather the rest of the able-bodied Fighters so we can go. We can’t give Vincent too much time to plan.”
“I agree. I will ask one of my men to watch over the children. “
“Thanks, Argento.”
He nodded. “You knew Gage before?”
“He was Dakota’s father’s partner’s son.”
“That’s a long description.”
Anastasia smiled slightly. “I suppose it is. He is a good man.”
“Go and gather the men. I will appoint someone to keep watch.”
He headed for the children, who both ran to him giggling. Anastasia headed back towards the camps. She had to stay focused. She refused to panic over Dakota and Tony. They would be fine. They had to be.
She made a beeline for the Mamsets. They were the only creatures who had stayed behind, and the only other ones whose loyalty she doubted.
“What can we do for you, Phoenix?” Ashere asked, bored as he lay sprawled on the ground.
“Did you know what they were planning?” she asked, eyeing him carefully, searching for any sign at all.
“About what, Phoenix? Since we were not invited to go along on your little adventure, we are unaware of what happened.”
Her temper snapped, and Anastasia conjured a ball of flame and tossed it at him. She had purposely missed, but it did its job and Ashere jumped to his feet.
“How dare you,” he growled. “Do you not understand I could crush you in an instant?”
“Do you not understand that I don’t care? People have been taken, Ashere, people I care about, and I want to know if you knew the Pickries were planning on double-crossing us.”
Ashere’s beady eyes focused on her and he shook his large head. “No, Phoenix. We were unaware. Truthfully, I wish some of the Pickries had remained behind so I could watch them die for what they did. We may not—” he paused, and Anastasia imagined he was searching for a word he believed she would understand, “care for you humans or these other creatures, but a word should be binding. We do not tolerate those who double-cross.”
Anastasia reached out to him with her magic, searching for a lie, but found none. She let out a breath. “We need you and your fighters on alert. If I had to guess, I would say we will have visitors soon.”
“Yes, Phoenix.”
She could have been wrong, but she swore she sensed the slightest bit of respect coming from him.