A Surrender Of Hope (Umbra Hunters #3)

2. Meyer

TWO

Meyer

I wince as small snowflakes fall onto my face, startling me awake and making me sit up with a start. My head spins, my stomach turning as I bring a shaking hand up to my throbbing temple and groan as I look around the frozen landscape. Everything is hazy like I’m looking into a pond and watching the events play out underwater.

“Where the hell am I?” The taste of blood is thick in my throat, and there is a slight breeze in the air around me. The sun is shining, making the small layer of snow on the ground glimmer like tiny diamonds as I push to my feet, wincing as my body cries out in agony with every move. The stupid blue slippers are back on my feet, and I groan, fisting the silk of my blue gown when I realize I’m stuck in a dream. My back lights up with a stabbing pain that tears a small scream from my lips. My legs sway, and my knees threaten to buckle, but I manage to stay on my feet as I slowly turn in a circle, taking in my surroundings and freezing when my vision finally focuses.

The calm, snow-covered field where I’m standing starkly contradicts the behemoth of a castle lording over a small kingdom below me. Mountains rise on all sides of a ravine, and at its center is a city ablaze with fire. The castle resides at its center; its dark red stone glimmers in the sun, and the uneven cut of the walls makes it look like they are dripping blood in the bright light of day. Multiple towers spiral up to the sky with harsh lines and odd angles, making them appear like the twisted claws of a Beastia. They close in around the central portion of the castle with an open ceiling and a large, black tree protruding from the center.

Fire lines the blood-red walls of the castle; the flames are so high I can easily see their glow from at least a mile away. Crying and wailing echo through the air, the eerie sound sending dread through me as I look at the small, dilapidated houses of the kingdom. Everything is in ruins, smoke and fire fill the air, making a dense smog that lingers above it all. People run through an open gate on one side of the city, and chaos unfolds as they sprint for the cover of a forest to the north at the base of a mountain.

On the south side, an army of men and Beastia line up around the city walls in formation. Their armor is dirty and weathered as they face forward, the heavy scent of death lingering in the air. I stare in shock and disbelief at the hundreds of Beastia standing under control at the sides of the thousands of soldiers. There are so many that the army wraps around the city walls and out of my view.

A battle horn I’ve heard before sounds in the distance. I look to the ridge of the mountains, watching as a man appears, sitting astride an enormous animal I’ve never seen. It has a lion's body with massive feathered wings sprouting from its shoulder blades and a sharp beak where its mouth should be. Its coat looks like crushed black velvet, lightening to a silvery gray at its head and deadly-looking paws. It opens its mouth and a roar that could rival a Beastia comes out, making the army below tremble as they look up at the man.

I watch, mouth parting in shock at the familiar face of the man who holds a huge hammer in one hand. His long black hair is braided, twisted back in a complicated design, and a silver crown rests on his head. His dark green eyes narrow as he takes in the monstrous-looking army below him with a calm I only wish I could replicate.

“Lennox?” I whisper, stepping forward, then stop as I keep studying him. His strong jaw is clean-shaven, and a scar runs over his right eye, giving him a roguishly handsome appearance. He looks older than Lennox, not by much, but there are small wrinkles in the corners of his eyes that Nox doesn't have.

The horn sounds again, and the ground trembles under my feet, making me stumble in surprise. I throw out my hands and regain my balance just as another man rides up next to the one who looks like Nox. This man I’ve seen before in a dream. His fine-tailored suit coat is light blue with gold lining the cuffs at his wrists, his white hair longer now than when I first saw him, the silvery white-blond strands hanging well below his shoulders. The crown on top of his head is silver, but more elaborate than doppelganger Nox's, swirling in an ornate pattern and dipping low on his forehead before curving up and over his ears.

Valen’s dad.

He is riding what I can only describe as an enormous deer, its antlers so large I wonder how the animal can keep its head up. Its body shape resembles more of a horse, the strong muscles shifting under its white fur as its master pulls it to a stop beside the other man. I gasp as I look between them, realization dawning as my pained mind tries to take in what’s so clear in front of me. If one is Valen’s father, the other has to be Lennox’s. Movement behind them draws my attention back to the two kings who stare down between the army below them, and I watch as two very different armies slowly emerge from the trees. One is in the black fighting leathers I’m so used to seeing on the guys, and the other is in shining silver armor.

The black army is taller and broader, holding weapons that look like they were crafted in the very pits of Hell. The soldiers in silver stride forward with a unity only possible through years and years of training together. Their movements are in sync; their faces the picture of cold heartless killers. In place of weapons, magic lights their fingertips, making the air around them shimmer as if it is alive.

As the new armies move forward, the sky darkens, and the trees quake. A shadow, moving like tar, circles around the castle below. Its presence grows as it moves through the city, leaving screams of agony in its wake until it spreads over the army of Beastia and men. Just as before, the darkness curls in on itself, and then an explosion of magic sends everything nearby to the ground. A massive wave of sound snaps from it, taking down the trees and even a tiny portion of the city walls.

“Shields!” Valen’s father roars, and suddenly the silver army behind him moves as one. All of them step back on their right foot, hands outstretched; then an equally explosive wave of blue and green magic erupts from them, forming a dome around the two kings’ armies just as the wave of red magic hits them.

The spot on my wrist itches, then lights up with a burn of pain, making me groan as the feeling of fire races up my arm.

I close my eyes, already knowing what I’m going to find as the magic settles. When I hesitantly open them, I watch as the giant male stands tall at the front of the Beastia army, his thick black hair coursing down his back in intricate braids. His chest is bare save for the black leather belts strapped diagonally across his body, holding even more weapons than the first time I saw him. He clasps the enormous deadly sword in his hand as the largest Beastia I have ever seen steps up to his side.

The monster is beyond description, larger even than Razar’s Beast. Fear courses through my body as it slowly turns its head from the Kings’ armies and looks directly at me. The black spike-like fur is patchy, parts of its body scarred and mangled. It’s several heads taller than every other Beastia behind it, and its paws look as if talons are strapped to its feet rather than sharp claws.

I step back, eyes wide as the monster tracks every slight movement I make with an awareness that scares me. The red glow of their eyes is almost non-existent, looking more pink than red. I inhale sharply as I take them in. They’re not like the eyes of the other Beastia I’ve seen before. These look almost… human.

Darkness swirls at the giant’s feet, making the Beastia snarl and finally tear its attention from me. The giant steps forward, a feral smile spreads across his face, exposing long, sharp canines behind his full lips, making him appear more beast than a man. All while the symbols etched into his leather-like skin begin to glow.

“Why am I here?” I wonder out loud.

Is this simply another dream? Am I physical again? Only the massive Beastia has looked my way, not even the giant who walked directly to me in my last dream. I hold my hand up in front of me and curse as the spiraling red symbol on my wrist glows. It fades in and out like a heartbeat — a living thing inside me.

The battle horn blows again, the same horn the Umbra Hunters blow when Beastia attack the castle, and I look back at the ridge where the two Demon kings sit astride their animals. Their army has grown, curving up and over the mountain ridge and stretching so far I can’t even guess their numbers.

There is another blow of the horn, and I can see their army readying for battle. Shit, the people! I whip my head back to the gates, watching as men, women, and children run from the city. Most of them were in tattered clothes, looking underfed and dirty. But just as I’m about to look back at the kings, a woman in a clean, green cloak catches my attention, and something inside me twists, making me step forward.

A man wraps his arm protectively around the cloaked woman’s shoulders as they stumble through the gates of the city. Their clothes are finer than the others, and instead of running for the forested area to seek shelter, they run across the flat ground east of the city directly toward me. A wisp of bright blonde hair whips out from under the hood of her cloak, and I strain my eyes to try to see her better. The pair keep tossing glances over their shoulders as if they’re afraid they are being followed.

I watch as the woman stumbles, the man catching her just before she falls. Both of them reach out, cradling her swollen belly, and my eyes widen. The woman is heavily pregnant. Like a magnet, I’m drawn to her, watching intently as the man urges her to run faster, and they finally make it to the base of the mountain. The world shifts then, the air around me growing heavy as the giant below releases a roar, hand outstretched toward the Kings. The Beastia charge as the world spins, my attention bouncing between the cloaked woman and man, then back to the armies.

Dammit! The water effect on my vision starts again. I begin to free-fall as the ground gives out beneath me, and the world darkens as I scream in fear. It only lasts maybe a handful of seconds, and I squint as light once again fills my hazy vision. I clutch my stomach, willing myself not to throw up as I lean forward and inhale deep breaths.

“What the actual hell?” Turning on my heel, I take in the dark green, densely wooded forest I now stand in. There is a tiny log cabin to the right, smoke coming from the chimney, and the smell of something delicious hangs in the air. “Where the hell am I now?”

“Lucas?” The voice startles me as I turn, watching as the woman with the bright blonde hair steps out from the small cabin, a cute chubby baby sitting on her hip. “Dinner’s ready,” she says with a bright smile as the man I saw her with steps right beside me, scaring me so badly I swear I jump out of my ridiculous silk slippers.

“Perfect timing,” he murmurs, walking over to her and dusting a soft kiss on her lips before he grins at the tiny baby, who has matching blonde hair as the woman, and scoops her up into his arms.

“The wards?” the woman asks as the man, Lucas, peppers the baby’s face with kisses.

“Holding, but I’ll need to add some extra magic to them soon,” he whispers. A frown graces her face as she looks around the forest, her eyes moving over me like I’m not here.

“Are you sure… I can sense them near,” she admits, shoulders slumping. “What if they are tracking her magic?”

“The spell on her magic will hold no matter what, Erin,” Lucas reassures her. “Even if they find us, she’ll be safe in this world. Despite having the sight, she is no more than the rest of the humans. He’ll never find her.” Lucas wraps Erin in his arms, turning to head back inside just as a bone-chilling howl echoes through the evening air, making the hair on my arms stand on end. They freeze just as the baby starts to whimper. Her bright green eyes well with tears as another howl sounds, then another.

“Lucas,” the woman rasps, blood draining from her face as he shoves the baby in her arms.

“Run,” he yells. “You know where to go.” Erin releases a small sob before holding the baby to her chest, and she takes off with more speed than I thought she would possess. I follow her as Lucas runs into the cabin, the urge to keep her in my sight is something I can’t ignore.

“It’s okay, love,” she soothes as she runs, darting between the trees as she weaves further into the forest. I pant as I run after her, kicking off the silly blue slippers so I can attempt to catch up. Movement to the right makes me pull up short, just as Erin does the same. She presses the baby closer to her chest, kissing the crying child on a chubby cheek as she suddenly darts to the left and keeps running.

“Shit!” I run after her, then gasp when three Beastia charge in front of me. They pay me no mind, their attention solely on Erin as she runs with her baby. “Run faster!” I scream at her, even though I know she can’t hear me. I fall behind, and then when I hear a scream, I almost fall to the ground, and the world starts to spin. “No, no, no!” I cry out, desperate to find Erin and her baby. I need to know they’re okay! But as the ground shifts under my feet, I know it's a lost cause, and I slam my eyes shut as the world darkens, only to lighten again.

“I’m going to be sick,” I moan, my body screaming in pain as I try to once again gather my wits about me and see where the hell I’m at this time. There’s only a flash of light, but I’m able to see an older woman holding a baby in a small room.

“Poor thing was found in the woods. It looks like the mother hid her, and whatever wild animal got the mother, the father never found the babe. Lucky little thing,” an older woman with cotton white hair coos at the tiny blonde-haired baby in her arms.

“Those forests are dangerous. Why anyone tries to live up there is a mystery to me. Too many bears and wolves. Now, this one will end up in an orphanage,” another woman says, bringing over a small bottle and handing it to the woman.

And then the flash is gone, and the older woman and baby are replaced with a young girl with long white-blond hair and green eyes. Tears trail down her face as she hides under her bed.

“Come out, dear,” an older man says, beckoning her out with an annoyed sigh. “She’s not right in the head, Meredith. I told you we shouldn’t have taken her. Talking about silly monsters in the shadows,” he grumbles as he sits up and shakes his head. I look from the girl to the darkened window of the tiny house and gasp when I see the glowing red eyes staring back at me.

Beastia. Dozens of them.

The light in the room shifts, and suddenly, the older man is gone as the young girl climbs out from under her bed and creeps to the window, her steps slow but sure. The moment she’s in view, the Beastia snarl and snap at her, the sound making my blood run cold as they throw themselves against the glass of the window and make it crack. The girl simply stares at them; the fear she previously wore on her face is gone as she slowly raises a hand up, palm toward the window. A soft glow of red magic gradually grows at the center of her hand, from a small, almost non-existent ember to a bright, fiery light. I cringe and step back, bringing my hand up to shelter my eyes from the intense light now filling the room around me. Suddenly the Beastia outside stop, their glowing red eyes intensifying as the girl keeps her hand outstretched.

“What the hell?” I try to get a closer look, then gasp when I realize the girl's eyes are glowing red.

“Go,” she rasps, the command barely a whisper, yet the Beastia turn and sprint from the house without a second glance.

Holy shit! That girl just controlled them with a single word.

Light flashes again, and I groan as I’m tossed from this dream and into the next. My head is pounding, and I reach up when I feel warm liquid running over my lips. My fingers come away stained bright red with blood, and I swallow hard.

Something is wrong. My already sore body is hurting more and more with each dream shift.

When the world around me stops spinning, I look up and find a beautiful blonde woman dressed in an old sundress, holding a small child in her arms. She appears slightly different from the small girl I had just seen. A smaller nose, and eyes a different shape…. It’s enough to know this is a different girl, yet the similarities are there. Maybe her daughter?

“I’m sorry,” I hear her whisper as she presses a kiss to the toddler’s cheek. A choked sob shakes her shoulders as she slowly places the tiny sleeping child in a basket on what looks like a small town hospital step. A car drives past, and the woman stiffens, looking over her shoulder, fear heavy in her green eyes. I gasp when I see scars streaking across her right cheek, two thick white lines that curve from the bottom of her eye over formerly soft heart-shaped lips that are now pulled down in a permanent frown. They run down the length of her long, slender neck and disappear under the collar of her shirt. I inhale sharply, the ghost of crippling pain echoing in my back. The marks on the beautiful woman are smaller versions of the ones I have, and I know the pain all too well. My eyes bounce between the crying woman to the sleeping child, and I shake my head, wondering how the hell she’s been able to keep the child alive when she so obviously doesn’t have any help if she’s standing here alone in the middle of the night.

“They’re following me, and this is the only way to keep you safe.” She kisses the wispy blonde curls on the toddler’s head, her fingers trailing over the toddler’s tiny nose and lips as if she’s trying to memorize every detail. After a prolonged moment, the woman stands and backs away, her hands covering her mouth as tears stream over her scarred cheeks, her chest heaving with silent sobs as she keeps her eyes on the toddler. Then she turns and runs, darting across the road and hiding, watching the doors of the small hospital until they open, revealing a nurse who startles back when she sees the sleeping toddler on the step.

“Oh! Good heavens!” The nurse scoops up the small, sleeping child and rushes her into the hospital. I watch as the woman breaks into hysterical sobs as she stumbles back from her hiding place and runs into the dark night.

My cheeks are wet with tears as the dream darkens once more, and this time, I don't fight it. I fall into the darkness and wait for light, but when I open my eyes, I startle back, a sob catching in my throat as I stare at the woman wearing a white vest, arms bound to her chest as she sits in the corner of a dimly lit room.

“Mom?!” I rasp, unable to believe what I’m seeing. She’s sitting on a bed, her back pressed firmly to the corner, and she stares at the door of the room. An odd sort of calm is coming from her I can never remember seeing. There was always panic in my memories of her. She would hold me close and tell me she would keep me safe. I knew she loved me, but she was always scared, always crying and screaming about the monsters hiding in the shadows.

I step forward as something loud explodes just outside the room. I gasp and stumble back, the weird dream rippling, reminding me this isn’t reality. My mom is gone. She died years ago. But seeing her here, with her long blonde hair and bright green eyes that are slightly lighter than my own is a mind fuck. “Mom?” I repeat once more just as the door to her room crashes open, swirling black magic following in its place.

Mom doesn’t scream or cower, only glares at the man who slowly walks into the room. I watch as he ducks through the doorway, a long black cloak covering his shoulders, a hood drawn up over his head, hiding his features.

“It won’t work. Killing me will only keep the magic from you,” Mom whispers, her voice void of emotion as she looks up at the man now towering above her. There is an echo of a Beastia howl that courses down the hall, and I gasp, looking from my mom to the opened door, and then to the man who pulls a monstrously ugly sword from his hip. The silver blade gleams in the small amount of moonlight streaming through the tiny bar-covered window of the room. Realization dawns, and I shake my head, stepping forward, then gasp as pain shoots down my spine, making me cry out as my legs quiver under me.

No! No, Dad said she killed herself… that she lost her mind and ended it.

“I guess we will soon find out,” the deep voice grinds out, hands lighting with magic as the dream shifts.

“No, don’t!” I scream, trying to lunge for the man as he reaches out and grabs hold of my mother by the neck, but then everything darkens, and I’m ripped out of my mother’s room with a force greater than the first few times. My chest burns, fire lighting me up from the inside out, and I scream as I fall into oblivion.