Of Fate & Forbidden Desire (The Gatekeeper Duet #1)

33. Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Three

Why can’t life just pause for one minute so you can get your bearings again after the crazy? -Charleene.

A fter Ally had been taken, Jace was inconsolable, screaming and tearing at the grass on his knees. Even Lilah couldn’t get him to calm down. He just kept repeating her name over and over, until I could still hear it echoing in my head now. The Maiden, Mother And Crone had decided that, in light of what had happened, it would be best to cancel the rest of the celebrations. To their credit, they organised search parties to spread out, searching the fields around the village but, as the sky became tinged with the fiery coming of day and we still hadn’t found her, they were called off.

Returning to Lilah and Jace I wondered if I’d helped the man or just made things worse, as my eyes rested on Jace. He was broken, utterly broken as he still knelt in the same spot.

“She’ll be ok.” Lilah cooed to the top of his head, as she stroked his golden hair.

“He took her. They have her. We failed.” He sobbed, finally breaking out of his mantra and looking at Lilah with tear streaked cheeks.

“We don’t know that.” Lilah said.

At the same time I asked, “Who have her?”

“The Shadow Fae.” Jace whispered, as if uttering their name would bring them here. Dina growled beside me and I flashed her a confused look.

“The Shadow Fae were responsible for creating Vampires.” Dina explained, reminding me of her dislike for all Fae. “What do they want with her?”

“She has the ability to open gateways between worlds.” Lilah calmly explained, like she was discussing the weather, not the possibility of other worlds .

“I beg your pardon?” I asked, my mind remembering the scene from the spirit world of the large shimmering archway and the woman with violet eyes who’d seemed familiar.

“Alysium’s mother had the same ability, but when the Shadow War broke out on Agenia, she closed the gateways between the worlds. Then, when Lysais helped the Shadow Fae infiltrate Agata Palace she sent myself, Jace and Ally here to Earth.” Lilah explained, meeting my gaze with one that told me she wasn’t lying.

“It’s true,” Agnes’ shrill voice rang out, making all of us except Dina jump in surprise. “My Mother told me legends of The Gatemaker Fae and of The Gatekeepers.”

“Why have you never told us this before?” Mother’s voice snapped, her hurt showing in its sharpness.

“I’d thought they were nothing but stories until you showed up at my feet.” Agnes said, jabbing her finger at Lilah. “And then when my…Charleene showed up with two Ancients in tow, I knew it had to be more than a story.”

“What are Gatekeepers?” Angelinia asked, informing me that it had just become a family affair of more secret airing.

“We are,” Agnes said, her eyes jumping between us all, “When the gateways reopen one of us will be chosen as The Gatekeeper of Earth.”

I shivered, not liking the sound of being chosen. Heavy footsteps behind me made me turn to see Sophia running towards us like her life depended on it. Confused, I glanced at Dina and my sister before turning my attention back to my new friend, whose face was red and her hair dishevelled. In the short time I’d known her I’d never seen her look so pale and unkempt.

“THEY’VE FOUND ALLY!” She screamed at us when she deemed herself close enough.

I think it took all of our brains a minute or two to understand what she’d said, but once the words settled in myself, Dina, Jace and Lilah charged in Sophia’s direction .

I cursed myself, breathlessly, as we reached the Warlock carrying her. His group had been one of the last returning when they’d seen shadows collect near the village, leaving Ally behind. She’d looked like death had already claimed her. Her lips were blue and her skin even paler than it usually was.

“Quick get her inside.” Julie, the healer snapped at us as she arrived, making us all hurry back to the guest house Ally and Jace had been using.

That had been hours ago and she still looked only marginally better. Heavy bells rang out through the village, forcing my eyes from Ally’s still body. Since she’d been taken by the Shadow Fae Prince and been returned to the edge of the village this morning, she hadn’t moved, her fingers hadn’t even twitched. The only comfort any of us had was the fact that she was still breathing slowly.

What the hell is happening now? I wondered to myself, meeting Dina’s gaze across the room. She nodded towards the door, and without questioning, I followed her from the room, Ally was well protected between Jacin and Lilah.

“What’s going on?” I asked, closing the door behind me.

“It’s the warning bells, the Coven is under attack.” Dina said quietly, already heading for the stairs. Running after her, I was right behind as she flung open the front door, where utter chaos ruled the streets. Witches and Warlocks ran in every direction, some carried small children or dragged older ones behind them, as they made for the large meeting hut. Meeting Dina’s eyes I walked off up the street, my steps hurrying the same way as everyone else.

I was breathing heavily by the time I pushed through the crowd and found Agnes, Aradia and Angelinia standing on the slightly raised dais. The noise was deafening as everyone shouted at once and my new found family tried to field all of their questions.

“We don’t know…” Aradia’s voice was swallowed almost as quickly as I heard it, drowned out before I could hear the end of the sentence. Glancing around, my head spun between the worried shouts and crying children.

“Will everyone pipe down!” I found myself screaming at the top of my lungs and surprisingly my words, fueled by magic, rang out above the din and silence suddenly descended inside the hut. “We will get nowhere shouting at each other.” I continued in a much more reasonable tone.

“Thank you,” Aradia said, flashing me a grateful look.

“Yes, thank you…Charleene,” Agnes said, looking like she was chewing on rocks just saying the words. “Sisters, Brothers, enemies are on the Culloden Battlefield, we must move quickly.”

“Move?!” I called at her. How could she even think of just picking up sticks and moving? “This is your home, where many of you have been born and raised,” I implored the crowd around me and received a few murmurs of agreement.

“We have always moved when danger grows close,” Angelinia’s soft voice answers me.

“You would run, instead of fighting for what’s yours?” I replied, flabbergasted that their first instinct was to run away.

“Why fight and lose lives unnecessarily, when we can leave and all live?” Aradia asks me, with agreement from the crowd.

“And what happens if they find you again, will you continue running forever?” I countered, raising an eyebrow at her.

“If we must.” Agnes’ voice is strong and pinned me with a narrow eyed glare.

“And what if everyone isn’t ready before they get here?” I demand of her, giving my own glare back.

“Then we leave the few to save the many.” Agnes’ reply was cold and calculated.

“You would leave your own behind?” My tone showed everyone the shock I felt at her words and the angry murmurs told me even more about what the crowd thought of them. “And you? Do you agree?” I shouted, turning to face the crowd, “Do you wish to run away, leaving everything you’ve built here?”

The crowd closest to me shuffled their feet and looked down at the ground. I was about to shake my head at their cowardice, when a clear voice rang out strong and clear.

“I wish to fight!” Sophia pushed her way to the front, and like a pebble tossed into a still pond, her words began a chain reaction, until the word fight was chanted throughout the hut. I was amazed at the ferocity that filled the meeting hut to the rafters and I got the feeling that they didn’t want to move again.

Agnes’ eyes tightened in displeasure as they were forced to put it to a vote, and when the choice to stay and fight wins, “I knew you’d destroy us all,” She snapped at me on her way past, storming from the hut.

My stomach flutters uneasily at her words as I realise that without me, the coven wouldn’t be putting themselves in danger.

Biting my lip, I stared out over the dark shadows that shift and shiver across the field opposite us. It hadn’t taken long for the coven to organise themselves with the vulnerable and young being evacuated, while those that wished to fight had assembled upon the hill beside me, Dina and Sophia.

“What are they?” Sophia gasped beside me as we lined up against the Shadow men.

“Demoran.” Dina answers her without so much as blinking. “Abominations created by the Shadow Fae.”

“How do we kill them?” a Warlock who’s name I didn’t know asked.

“I don’t know.” She replied honestly.

“Well that’s not exactly inspiring,” I muttered under my breath, knowing she’d be able to hear me and hoping that the others wouldn’t.

“It doesn’t matter, here they come.” Dina pointed out as with a roar the Shadow men charged towards us.

“Use any magic you have, do not let them get close to the village!” I shouted, launching a fireball. I lost myself, busy fighting off the Demoran, throwing my fire and air magic that has little effect against them. The witches and warlocks around me are doing the same as we kept the shadow men at bay.

Lilah appeared beside me, and the glint of silver caught my eye as she passed two swords to Dina and began passing out daggers to the Coven members around me.

“The metal is spelled, it will destroy the Demoran.” She quickly explained, raising all of our hopes .

“Heck yeah,” Dina said, before flashing into our enemy's ranks and I began to think that we may actually make it out of this alive as Demoran began falling from the blades she’d been given.

I was bunched together with a group of four witches, keeping some of the Demoran busy while others sprinted around the field, felling them with the spelled daggers. When a hopeful cheer began behind me, however, I couldn’t take my eyes off of the enemies before me. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Ally and Jace charging into the fray. They looked formidable in their black leather armour. Ally had twin swords gripped in her hands that she twirled expertly and her hair flamed like real life fire as she plunged one of her swords into the chest of a Demoran and flicked her hand at another group that have surrounded some of my fellow Witches and Warlocks. I watch in awe as bright flames, much more powerful than my own, wrapped around each Demoran squeezing until they melted away.

“Keep together!” I screamed, moving my own group towards another and another. Collecting us together in the chaos.

Jace flashed past at one point, his blade slicing through Demoran like a knife through butter and I had to marvel at how skilled he was in battle. It’s clear that, unlike us, the Fae have had significant training. Human screams and grunts filled the air around me, combining with the inhuman screeches of the Demoran. My ears rang and I knew that whoever lived through this would never forget it.

I’d lost track of how long we’ve been fighting, with the clouds blocking the sun. All I knew was the weakness spreading through my arms as I flung even more magic onto the battlefield. I was weakening when a single scream pierced the air.

I know that scream, my mind shouted at me as I glanced around frantically. Stepping away from my party I scanned the field, trying to find Ally as a deathly quiet settled over the battle like a blanket. Everyone froze and as I turned, I saw Ally surrounded by a mixture of elements. The Demoran closest to her began edging away as the elements intensified. Ally’s eyes flicked from one Demoran to the next, and without any warning, she erupted .

It was amazing to witness as fire shot out in long streams, dodging Witches and Warlocks but engulfing the Demoran. Water flooded the field, washing away Demoran but leaving the Coven standing as mud ran beneath my trainers, turning them brown. Air made my hair whip around my face and the ground shook beneath my feet, making Demoran tumble to the ground as her fire magic destroyed them. Their inhuman screams filled the air until everything went silent and there was not a Demoran left within five feet of us.

My feet slipped and slid on the mud as I stepped towards Ally and Jace. Baffled, I glanced around, waiting for another attack. My heart froze as an agonised scream burst from Ally and my head whipped back to her in time to see her knees wobble and give out. She plummeted towards the ground, not removing her hands from her head to break her fall. I raced towards her but it was like I was moving in slow motion as she neared the ground, and I knew I wasn’t going to be fast enough.

Jace’s arms wrapped around her, stopping her from hurting herself as another scream tore from her throat. Terror raced through me and I forced my feet to move faster as the sloppy mud sucked at them.

“What’s happening to me Jace?” Ally asked as I finally managed to draw close. She was staring into his eyes like he was the only thing keeping her here, and I wondered the same thing.

“I don’t know Ally.” She shook as Jace answered, her hands squeezing her head harder as she whimpered. I stepped closer, wanting to help but a gentle hand on my arm stopped me. I looked down at Lilah who shook her head at me.

“It hurts. Please, please make it stop!” Ally screamed, before her eyes closed and her nostrils flared. I was jostled as Dina came to a halt on my other side and we watched as shadows collected beside them, and I shivered in anticipation of another fight. However, the dark haired Fae that stepped out flashed us all a menacing glare before he strode towards Ally.

“What do you want?” Jace snarled at him, pulling Ally closer to his chest, as though that act alone could stop the Shadow Prince from taking her again .

“I’m here to help Jacin,” Ally’s dark dream man’s voice was smooth and my lips twisted in a smile as I realised whatever I’d done on the solstice was still having a positive effect.

Ally’s lips twitched into a smile as Jace’s arms reluctantly loosened and the Shadow Prince—I really needed to ask Ally for his name— cradled her against him.

“Hey,” I barely heard Ally’s whisper, but the way her eyes lit up made my stomach squirm. Should I be watching this? I thought, but I couldn’t take my eyes off them. They’re a beautiful contradiction; one dark and one light.

“Let go Princess,” his commanding tone made me twitch to follow his order.

“Let go of what?” Ally’s voice wavered and tears ran over her cheeks, but the Shadow Prince’s voice didn't waver in the slightest as he answered her.

“Alysium, let down your walls. Concentrate.” He growled at her and I got the feeling it wasn't the first time he said something similar to her.

“I can’t Ly,” Ally gasped, “the pain’s too bad.” She whimpered and I wanted to run to her side and help, but knew it wasn't my place. I didn’t know what was happening to her or how to help her, but Ly obviously knew something we didn’t.

“You can do this Ally.” He cajoled, gently wiping away the new tears with one hand as the other supported her, keeping her clean from the mud he was knelt in. I watched, along with everyone else, in stunned silence as Ly bent his head down, until his lips met Allys.

She let out a surprised gasp before she kissed him back. It was hot, heavy and made me feel a little awkward watching it. I was about to suggest they find a room, when Ally’s eyes closed and her body went limp in Ly’s arms.

Jace growled, dragging my eyes from the couple to his angry face as he stepped towards them.

“Back off Jacin!” Ly snarled at him, “She’s fixing herself.”

He stumbled to a stop, his eyes flashing from Ly to Ally and back again, “What’s happening to her?” He finally asked, his voice losing a little of its anger as fear for Ally overtakes it .

“When our fated-mate bond snapped into place last night, the block on her mind and magic dissolved. Like the spell was designed to unravel if we completed the bond.” Ly frowned and gently moved the hair clinging to Ally’s forehead behind her ear. “I don’t know what you did witch, but thank you for giving me this time with her.”

Lysais’ eyes flicked to me and I didn't know what else to do but nod at him, as Jace and Lilah looked at me in confusion. But, before any of them could ask me any questions, Ally stirred in his hold.

Strands of strange magic trailed out of her in long, thin bands that flickered in a multitude of colours. I gasped in wonder as it collected, making a shimmering archway behind them. Ally moved suddenly, drawing my gaze as her eyes flew open. She smiled up at Ly, but he stiffened like an electric shock had just run through him and her smile faltered as shadows gathered around his head, like they had been last night, and I knew my spell had finally faltered.

“Find me.” He whispered, pushing Ally away. Before she could hit the mud, Jace grabbed her and my heart broke for them as Ally’s hands wrapped into the fabric of Ly’s shirt.

“Ly?” she questioned, her fists tightening as he pulled backwards. He didn’t speak as he yanked her hands from his shirt, stood and turned his back on her.

“STOP!” Ally’s voice rang out, making Ly’s steps halt. I was hoping that he’d go back to her; I’d try and figure out a more permanent fixture to whatever was going on with him, but his eyes travelled over her before landing on the archway behind her.

“Goodbye Princess.” Ly snapped, making Ally’s head flick back to him as her eyes went blank, but it’s not her that worried me as Ly’s lips pulled back in a satisfied sneer. It was like he was the cat that’d gotten the best cream as his smile made my blood freeze.

“So it’s true.” His mouth snarled at Ally, but it sounded different, colder as his eyes glinted dangerously and he took a menacing step towards her, closing the small distance between them as everyone stared in wonder at the gateway Ally had just created.

Everything seemed to speed up as Ly made a black blade appear in his hand, and dragged it back, before plunging it forward.

Lilah shoved me to the side as she screamed and darted between the two of them and I watched, helplessly, in horror as the blade pierced her chest and appeared on the other side. “Lilah no!”

I didn’t know how to describe the scream that tore from Ally. It was one of those screams that if you hadn’t heard it, you’d never understand. But one that once you have heard it, you never want to again. Tears flowed over more than one person's cheeks as Ly’s new voice filled the clearing.

“Again? They do love to protect you Princess.”

Ally’s eyes went strangely blank again, like his words had triggered something inside of her. Lysais tugged his blade back, and Lilah’s body collapsed to the ground, as I summoned the biggest ball of fire I could to my hands.

“Leave!” I demanded, not knowing who this man was, but he wasn’t the same person who’d helped Ally.

“Ha, little witch, you think you can protect her from me?!” he snarled.

“Not on my own I don’t,” I spat back at him, raising my eyebrow as my fellow witches drew their own magic to their hands, “Now leave or we’ll make you.” I threatened. With a callous laugh he took a step towards me and I threw my fireball at his feet, “The next one won’t miss. You mean nothing to me.” I bluffed.

I watched as he considered his options as more Witches raised their elements, but as he turned and began walking away I let my magic fade and everyone else followed suit. I really didn’t want to hurt someone my friend loved, but I would to protect her.

“Why?” Ally’s voice snapped out, but Ly continued walking, ignoring her, “Why?!” she screamed at him and Jace’s arms wrapped around her from behind, tugging her towards the shimmering portal .

Everyone was riveted on the glowing Gateway that had appeared behind Jacin and Ally, its surface twisting with chaotic rainbow swirls. Frowning, I stared at the archway, racking my mind for where I'd seen something similar. Ally's screams rent the air, dragging my own gaze back to her shattered gaze that stared at Lilah's body. I’d not had the chance to get to know Lilah much, but from the way Ally had spoken about the women had made me want to know her. Now I would never have the chance as the woman laid lifeless on the grass.

Nobody seemed to notice the dark figure standing in the tree line. With a deep sigh, I looked over at the Witches I was just getting to know, my gut telling me that I may not see them again as I approached the waiting shadow. Getting closer, I saw that it was a woman around my own height who was leaning against the tree, with a lit cigarette in her mouth. The tip glowed orange as she took a deep drag of it. Moving closer still, my feet paused as I looked into my own face and my breaths faltered.

She looked just like me, apart from the artificially dyed green hair that wafted in the wind. The woman blew out a steady stream of smoke, her eyes not leaving mine as I felt Dina stop just behind me.

“Hey Sis.” She said with a joyless laugh and raised one of her manicured eyebrows.

The End.