Fairydale a dark gothic.., p.83
Fairydale: A Dark Gothic Fantasy Romance, page 83
Just as I reach the door, Amon opens it for me, a grim expression on his face.
"The codices are in the back. But there is a shield all around them," he says. "We don't have much time, darlin', we need to think of something."
Taking my hand, he leads me to the area where the codices are.
Surprisingly, the suitcases haven't been opened. They are all stacked up one on top of the other.
But there is one other thing.
There are only five of them.
"Rhiannon's isn't here," Amon says.
"It should be," I frown. "Maybe not in plain sight but..."
I pivot, walking around and remembering the last time I was in here. As I reach the middle of the room, I spot an empty table that is nonetheless spotless—no trace of dust or dirt.
Frowning, I reach with my hand, grasping at the empty air.
"Here. I think it's here," I murmur, my eyes narrowed as I study the space.
Before I can overthink it, however, I randomly try something.
"Revelare," I whisper.
Slowly, the codex is revealed. Just as Fiona had kept hers, Rhiannon has a glass case covering it.
"Good job," Amon kisses my cheek. "Now five left."
"Do you think the spell Lydia left us might work?" I ask as we both stare at the five suitcases.
"I'd be willing to bet it would," Amon answers.
"Walk me through it," I give him a smile.
He nods, threading his fingers through mine as we focus on the barrier surrounding the codices.
Amon starts chanting the barrier spell Lydia had left behind and I echo his words, imbuing my energy in my voice.
With our combined energies, the barrier breaks, a whooshing sound reverberating in the room.
Tentatively, I reach out, a big smile spreading across my face when I realize it worked.
"Oh, Amon. We're so close," I whisper as tears of joy stab at my eyes.
It's not the time to be sentimental, though. We both make quick work of opening the suitcases and spreading out the codices on the ground.
"Do you remember how the initial spell went?"
"Yes. Let me see if I can find it," he says as he shifts through each manuscript to find the beginning of the spell.
"This one," he suddenly breathes out, his features shining with excitement.
I look at the page he's pointing out, checking the title and location before going to each codex and turning the page to the spell.
Every codex has a few paragraphs of continuation, and though we have them all open at the same spell, now it's a matter of seeing the order of the verses.
Amon scrunches his face in concentration as he tries hard to remember the spell.
Taking hold of one codex at a time, he orders them around.
"I think this is the order they go in," he tells me, still deep in concentration.
"We can only try and see if it works. At this point, anything is better than waiting around. Every moment is too precious."
"Alright. Let's do this."
I take a deep breath as I go to the beginning of the spell.
Each of the forbidden spells have both an offensive spell and a defensive one—the offensive had been used to trap Amon while the defensive would work to undo the initial spell.
Channeling my energy to the surface, I focus on the words as I say them out loud, following Amon's cue as he points to the next codex, and then the next.
As I say the words, I feel pressure mounting inside of me before being released in the open.
Amon's eyes are wide open as he stretches his arms and legs, his strength slowly coming back
A small whirlpool of energy surrounds him, tearing at his clothes just as his appearance changes back to his original one. His long white hair flows down his back just as his jacket and shirt are ripped to pieces, leaving his torso naked.
More injuries appear on his body, his skin tearing with the power of the currents.
"Amon," I whisper, worried.
"No," he shakes his head. "Keep going," he urges as he grits his teeth in pain.
Trusting him, I continue chanting, moving from codex to codex as the spell uses up more and more of my energy.
Strong winds envelop Amon, the air cutting at his skin and punishing him just as the prison had for his brief escapes.
"Go on," he squeezes his eyes shut.
I focus all the power within me into the spell and as I say the last words, a loud noise resounds in the house just as the ground starts to shake.
"Amon... What's happening?"
Yet as I turn to look at him, I find him fully in his Reva form, his eyes wholly black as he stares at me.
"Did it... Did it work?" I ask as I swallow in uncertainty.
He gives me a brief nod just as he extends his hand towards me.
I take it, catapulted in his arms as he gives me a big hug.
"My strength is coming back," he whispers in my hair. "I can feel it filling every cell of my body. Gods... I haven't felt like this in forever."
"Do you need to heal? The wounds..."
"No," he shakes his head. "I'm perfectly fine."
And to prove to me that he is, he returns to his original form, his skin flawless.
"No wound," I blink in surprise. "But how..."
"I don't know, but it's done, darlin'. You did it," he smiles at me. "You fucking saved me."
Tears pour down my cheeks as I continue to hold onto him.
He's only wearing his pants—or what's left of them. The rest of his clothes have been torn to pieces. But I don't mind it as I take in the warmth of his skin and his sheer presence.
"Can you travel out of Fairydale?" I inquire softly, somehow still skeptical.
I barely ask the question and he disappears from my side only to return a moment later.
"Yes. I can. I was just in England so it's safe to say I'm not a prisoner anymore."
I breathe out in relief.
"We need to search for a spell to neutralize Kress and Finn's shield," I suddenly remember. "While there's time."
I don't wait for him to agree with me as I lower myself to the ground to pore over the manuscripts. Amon helps, too as he flips the pages rapidly, his eyes taking in all the words.
Where I might be a little slow with memorization, he is my opposite, able to retain everything in the blink of an eye.
"Here," he calls out, pointing to the spell.
Yet just as I'm about to align the other manuscripts to the same location, Amon rises to his feet, his eyes narrowing towards the door.
"They're coming," he purses his lips. "I'll hold everyone off while you search for that spell. Until you find it, I doubt I'll be able to lay a blow on them."
I nod just as the door bursts open.
Kress and Finn are the first ones to come inside while the coven is not far behind him.
"Hello to you, too, Kress. Long time no see, no?" Amon clicks his tongue as he regards the two with amusement.
"Darcy! What are you doing?" Rhiannon comes forward, her eyes fluttering between Amon and me. "The demon...he's..."
"He's not a demon, Rhiannon," I tell her. "Just as I am not Darcy."
"W-what?" she sputters.
"I gather you didn't touch the sword, Mrs. Ito?" I call out to the elderly woman in the back.
"I did."
"And what did you see?"
She purses her lips.
"Something that can't possibly be true."
"Ah, so you decided not to share that information? Pity," I give her a mocking smile. "You see, for thousands of years your coven has thought itself the ultimate moral authority, but when you take away all the lies, a dire truth remains."
"What are you talking about?" Isabella frowns.
Just at that moment, Amon disappears, with Kress and Finn on his tracks, undoubtedly moving the fight away from here.
Good luck, my mate. I'll find you that spell.
"All the history you know is wrong," I say as I pull down my neckline to reveal my unblemished skin.
Rhiannon gasps.
"The mark..."
"It was never a birthmark. It was an empty spot for something that was stolen from me. Something the Elder Ambrosius took from me, after which he blamed Amon for something that wasn't his fault."
"She's lying," Rhiannon spits at me viciously, already preparing to attack. It seems the coven, too, are calling on to their energies, directing them towards me.
All but Mrs. Ito, who is still trying to make sense of everything.
"You want to fight?" I laugh. "So that's it, only your version of the past can be the truth."
"The Supreme Authority would never allow something like this," Mr. Toussaint declares.
"Of course. They are oh, so saintly, aren't they?" I roll my eyes. "Fine. If you want to fight, I will fight you. But if you lose..." I trail off as I zero in on Rhiannon. "I want the spell that can neutralize Kress and Finn's shields."
"You dare ask something of me?" Rhiannon bursts out just as she taps her cane to the floor, energy rolling off it.
"If you're as honorable and true as you claim, you will," I state matter-of-factly.
"I won't make any deals with the likes of you," she grits out before she charges at me.
"Then I might have to get it out of you," I release a weary breath, stepping aside to avoid her blast.
But just as she steps forward to deliver more blows, so do the others, each using their abilities and spells to charge at me.
Creating a shield with my energy, I use it to absorb all their blows before hitting back with milder blasts. I don't want them to die, after all.
"It's useless to fight against me," I warn. "And I truly don't want to kill any of you."
I don't get to speak more as Amadi comes forward, his speed similar to Amon's as he aims to lay a blow on my body.
Closing my eyes, I call forth my tendrils of electricity, letting them coil all around the surface of my skin. When he finally hits me, instead of harming me, he harms himself as shocks claim his body.
He falls to the ground, not yet dead, but not far from it.
"Are you really going to keep this up?" I raise a brow as I send the tendrils of electricity towards them, wrapping them around each and everyone. "If I triggered them right now, you'd be fried. Is that what you want?"
"Stop," Mrs. Ito cries out. "I think she's telling the truth."
"Which truth?" Rhiannon asks, her lip twitching in distaste as she finds herself caught.
"Amon isn't a demon. She's not one either. They are...from another world."
"What?" Everyone gasps at the revelation, and I let Mrs. Ito continue.
"I saw it when I touched the sword. I saw their world, Arkgor. Kress and Finn are from there, too. They aren't part of the coven, nor do they work with the Supreme Authority."
"That's preposterous!"
"Is it? I saw them hundreds of years ago and they looked the same. No witch, despite our advanced lifespans, can live that long."
"Then what are they doing here?" Isabella asks.
"They're after Amon. They've been after him from the beginning. And they took advantage of the only weakness he has," she pauses as she raises her eyes at me. "Her."
Mrs. Ito starts to recount everything she's seen when she touched the sword—from Arkgor to what happened in the past and how Kress and Finn had become fanatical in their quest for Amon.
"In their world, Amon was a legendary warrior and an honorable man," she finally says.
"You don't believe that," Mr. Toussaint complains.
"I do," Isabella says. "Why would Mrs. Ito lie? About this?"
"No... That can't be true," Rhiannon mutters, too shocked by what she'd heard.
Seeing that everyone is starting to think about the probability that this could be true, I release them.
"Will you help me?" I ask after a few moments. "I know Kress and Finn are protected by a shield, but I don't know what spell could neutralize it."
No one speaks.
Minutes on end pass as they simply stare at me before Mrs. Ito takes a step forward.
"I'll help."
The others don't speak, merely watching as both Mrs. Ito and I get on our knees on the ground as we sift through the spells.
One by one, the others join us, too—all but Rhiannon.
We look through the codices and we find several spells that could work in this context.
"I guess I'll try all of them," I sigh as I pick up a pencil and a sheet of paper to copy them in their entirety.
There are about five spells, and it takes me a good chunk of time to transfer them onto the new piece of paper.
All the while, loud noises are coming from the outside where the fight is in full swing.
"Can we help?" Mrs. Ito asks as I get up to leave.
"If you want," I shrug.
They can do whatever they want. As long as they aren't my enemies, I no longer care. I can save my mate on my own.
"You're really not Darcy?" Rhiannon finally asks.
I shake my head.
"My name is Sela."
"Sela..." she nods slowly. "Why... How..."
"There was one spell in the original codex that Amon used. I was dying and he managed to save me. I came back as Elizabeth, and now as Darcy. But I'm still...Sela."
"I see," she swallows hard. "Is it really true then? He's not...a demon?"
I give her a tight smile, realizing that all her hopes and dreams are crumbling at this moment. Her entire life's purpose turned out to be one big lie perpetuated for the personal gain of Kress and Finn.
"There are demons in this world, Rhiannon, but my mate is not one. Sometimes, humans can be just as demonic as those biblical hellish creatures. Just look at Ambrosius or Archibald. Just look at everyone who was so ready to crucify us for merely existing or being different."
"But he killed people... He..."
"My Amon has never killed without a reason—without being provoked. He's never killed out of malice. Yes, he is dangerous, just as he is deadly. But if you are good to him, he will be good to you."
Her lips tremble as she digests my words.
"Then go save your mate," she inclines her head, surprising me with her words.
I nod, hurrying out of the house and to the front lawn where Amon and the other two are engaged in a fierce fight.
Amon is breathing hard, clearly tired, but he is still in his original form. That tells me he still has plenty of strength to spare before tapping into his Reva powers.
Keeping out of sight, I turn my attention to the spells I'd transcribed, focusing my energy on Kress and Finn as I say the words.
The first one doesn't work, as they are still resisting Amon's blows.
On to the second one. And the third.
Yet as I start on the fourth, Kress suddenly sees me, dashing towards me with his sword.
Seeing he's aiming for me, I call on a shield of my own, using pure electricity to keep him out. And as he makes contact with my shield, he reels back, his own protective barriers activated to keep him from getting burned to death.
"You really have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?" I smile as I nod towards Amon.
Just Kress' intention of going after me is enough to make him lose his mind. It doesn't matter that I can take care of myself or that nothing can hurt me.
The intention is more than enough to sign his death sentence.
Amon's muscles ripple as his skin turns black, his white hair a stark contrast to his dark skin. His size is absolutely terrifying and both Kress and Finn pale at the sight.
"That's..." Kress mutters as his eyes widen.
"A Reva," I add from behind him. "And if you've never encountered one before, then I feel sorry for you."
The moment Kress goes after Amon, I continue on with the fifth and last spell, hoping from the bottom of my heart that it will work.
I chant the words fast, all the while imbuing them with all the strength I can muster.
Please work.
As I finish the last word, I look up, afraid this one hadn't worked either.
But as I see Finn try to lay a blow on Amon, my mate swipes his claws at him, tearing off the entire skin off his face.
"It worked," I whisper.
Right at that moment, the coven exits the house too, their eyes bulging in their head as they look upon my deadly mate.
Granted, in his Reva form, I don't doubt anyone would think him a demon from the depths of hell.
Finn falls to the ground, groaning in pain.
Amon doesn't give him a moment to recover before he's on him. His big hand covers Finn's head just as he squeezes tightly, his skull exploding under the immense pressure.
Bits of bone and brain and other bodily fluids paint Amon from head to toe as he drops the dead body at his feet before setting his sights on Kress.
Whereas before he'd been so confident about Amon, now he looks as if he doesn't know whether to keep fighting or simply run.
Well, I guess he chooses the latter as he tries to get away.
I shake my head at him.
In this state, not even a Vissirian army could defeat Amon, and he thinks he stands a chance?
In just a second, Amon is in front of him, his claws sinking deep into his gut before he uses his other hand to decapitate him.
The head falls to the ground just as Amon withdraws his bloody claws.
He's breathing hard, his chest rising and falling with the residual adrenaline. But when he sees me rush towards him, he sheds his Reva form in favor of his humanoid appearance, drawing me to his chest and giving me a tight hug.
"We made it," he whispers. "One hundred and fifty years and I get to hold you in my arms again as a free man. One thousand four hundred and fifteen years and I get to hold you as my Sela again. I love you, darlin'."
Tears course down my cheeks as I tighten my hold on him, burying my face in his chest.
"We made it," I echo. "We're finally free."
Epilogue
"Are you done?" Amon inquires as he comes into the room with a bowl of popcorn and a couple of cold sodas.
"I think so, but..." I frown as I turn around in the mirror, trying to check all my angles.
"What is it?"
He places the items on the table before coming behind me, his hands settling on my shoulders as he offers me the comfort of his touch.
