“Okay,” she muttered with a sigh of regret. “But, I still call it, even if we never found it.”
Orion laughed. “I’ll give you this one,” he agreed with a grin. “I’m still ahead though.”
Magna rolled her eyes. She was about to argue with Orion when a dark shadow rose up from the depths beneath him. Her eyes widened when she saw the mass of dark tentacles reaching for him. Without thinking, she kicked Raine’s sides and rushed toward him in a race to get to Orion before the black mass did.
“Orion, look out!” Magna cried in horror.
Orion yanked the reins in surprise to avoid colliding with Magna’s mount. The move startled his stag, and it bucked. Magna watched in horror as Orion flew over the neck of his sea dragon. His head struck a section of the rock face, and his body went limp. Terrified, she moved on instinct. She grabbed Orion around the waist as he began to sink and pulled him over the saddle in front of her.
“Go, Raine, go!” Magna urged as the tentacles began to close in around them. “Go!”
The young sea dragon, weighted down by two riders, fought in vain to rise above the reach of the creature coming up out of the abyss. Raine cried out in pain when one of the black tentacles grazed her hindquarters, leaving behind a long welt. The frightened sea dragon kicked back, but the ugly tentacles continued to reach for her.
Magna realized that if she didn’t immediately do something, they would all be lost. Sliding off of Raine, she slapped the sea dragon on her hindquarters. The sea dragon bolted upward and away.
A strangled scream of pain and terror slipped from her lips when a tentacle wrapped around her slender ankle. Searing pain exploded through her and began spreading up her leg. She struggled to break free, but more of the creature’s tentacles wrapped around her, pulling her struggling body down into the abyss.
She reached up, grappling for a hold on the rock wall of one of the lava vents. Her palms were shredded by the sharp rocks. Blood from her torn flesh mixed with the water. Anguish filled her when she realized that there was no way she would be able to break free. The grasp around the lower half of her body was slowly moving upward, consuming her.
“No!” she choked.
Despair filled her as she watched Raine disappear with Orion, still unconscious, on her back. The black sludge was rising higher and higher. She felt like she was on fire instead of surrounded by water. Fear gave way to a certain knowledge that all her dreams would never be realized, because she was about to die.
“Help me,” she whispered, stretching her lacerated hands upward in a silent plea even as her vision began to blur.
Magna twisted and was pulled deeper into the abyss. Shivers wracked her body. The water had never sent a chill through her before. As one of the sea people on her father’s side, the oceans were her home. Now, the frigid temperature of the water seeped into her bones. Whatever held her in its grasp was sliding beneath her skin, scorching the very core of her bones with a fiery cold. The pain burning through her was overwhelming. Her heart thudded violently as she desperately tried one last time to break free.
Please, do not let me die like this, she silently begged as her mind became cloudy and disoriented.
You will not die, a hollow voice whispered through her mind. We need you. We need your world and you will give it to us.
For a moment, Magna saw what the creature was and what it wanted. It would use her to take over not only the sea people but all of the kingdoms. It would spread like a deadly virus; taking, using, and destroying everything in its path until there was nothing left. The alien creature would feed on the misery of every species here. Only when it had used up all of its resources would it move on to other worlds.
“Never,” Magna whispered. “I will… stop you. I bind you to me. Neither you nor any of your kind may live inside another. Let this spell unite us and give only me the power to set you free.”
The spell she wove was powerful, born from fear and the determination to protect those who she loved. If the creature thought to destroy her, it would also destroy itself. She bound the alien to herself, trapping it inside her own body. She could feel the creature’s shock and rage at the unfamiliar magic that slid through her and wrapped around it.
Magna’s lips parted as agony ripped through her. As the spell continued to wrap around the creature, it tried to withdraw from her. Rage poured through the alien when the spell prevented it from leaving her body.
The creature’s tentacles shot outward in an effort to catch up with Raine when it realized what Magna had done. It thought to seek out Orion, to use his body as well. Barely conscious, she felt the recoil as it was jerked back toward her. The spell had held.
A sense of relief swept through her even as she felt the cold surround her heart. With one last effort at self-preservation, she tucked a small part of herself away. To protect that part of herself in a place where the creature could not find her, she used a touch of the ancient magic she had learned from her mother. She would bide her time, and when the creature was least expecting it, she would kill it.
Even if it means destroying myself, she vowed before she slipped away, and the creature took control.
Chapter One
Present day – Isle of Magic:
* * *
Relief filled Magna. It was a feeling she had not felt in so long that she almost didn’t recognize the emotion at first. Relief and a sense of peace – another sensation that she had not felt in over a century. Today, she – and the Seven Kingdoms – would finally be free. She had to believe that they would be, because this last shred of hope was all that was keeping her sane. The Goddess would give her the strength she needed, and they would all be free.
Her failures and successes – some new, some old, and some previously forgotten – flooded her until she felt like she was reliving them over and over again. Her heart ached when she thought of how Orion’s father had been forced to banish her to the depths of the ocean over a century ago, but it had gotten the alien entity isolated.
She had hoped that given enough time, it would die, and she would be free of its evil grasp, but that wasn’t what had happened. Instead, the creature had tirelessly plotted the destruction of her world.
When the Isle of the Sea Serpent was no longer easily accessible, the creature had searched her memories until it discovered her fascination with her mother’s home, the Isle of Magic. Tapping into her magical skills, it had forced her to return to the beautiful isle and betray her mother’s people.
The creature had wanted her to kill everyone who resisted. Instead, she had turned them to stone, convincing the creature this was a crueler punishment than death.
When the creature had used her to weave a spell that took the magic from the Isle of Magic’s residents every night, intending to harvest their magic for its own use, she had twisted the words at the last second to include herself – and by extension the alien – among those who would be powerless at night. Enraged by her blunder, the creature had come close to killing her. The only thing that saved her life was the alien’s need for her body.
Over and over again throughout the years, she had tried to take her own life or give others an opportunity to kill her. Each time, the creature had prevented her from destroying them both. Their lives were melded – it could not leave this world, nor could it exist without her.
But finally, her diligence and patience would pay off. Outside of the throne room, she could hear the battle raging. A malicious smile curved her black lips. She ran a trembling hand down her white gown. Deep inside, she could feel the alien’s growing frustration and rage.
The creature, in its thirst for power, had spread itself too thin, just as she had hoped it would. The attacks by the combined forces of Drago, Orion, and the other rulers of the Seven Kingdoms were weakening it, and the alien was beginning to realize that it was in mortal danger.
Magna took a deep breath. She would know when the time was right to strike the final, deadly blow. Almost a century of i
mprisonment had passed before she’d conceived of a way to defeat the parasitic creature possessing her body. The planning had taken time, and she’d had to wait in the shadows of her mind, carefully manipulating the creature until the pieces fell into place.
She had lost count of the times she had been forced to commit atrocities against the peoples of her world. Her acts of defiance had to be subtle, but they had preserved a small amount of hope that one day she could reverse her spells and free those she had turned to stone.
As the years passed, though, harboring the creature’s dark essence had drained her. Now, her body was frail from the constant stress of fighting the creature, but she fought to retain enough strength to ensure that her spell would be powerful enough to succeed. This would be her one and only chance to destroy the creature. If she failed, the Seven Kingdoms would be doomed.
Taking another deep breath, she mentally considered her plan. In order for everything to work, four things had to occur. The first three had been the most difficult to set up, but it was the last one that was the most important.
The first thing she needed was the magic of dragon-fire. Guilt-ridden grief struck her at the high cost to the Kingdom of the Dragons. The alien inside her had rightly feared that the dragons had the most potential to destroy it, and so a whole species was taken out of the war, all except one dragon.
Dragon-fire burned hotter than a normal flame, and none was more intense than that of Drago, the Dragon King – especially now, fueled by his all-consuming need for revenge. That was why she had refused to turn him to stone so many years ago.
The creature had railed against her, inflicting excruciating pain on her after she had briefly taken control and escaped into the sea. During it all, Magna had desperately tried to convince the alien entity that leaving Drago alone was the smart choice. She had told the creature that only the natural death of Drago would void the spells and wards protecting the famed power of the dragons – the Dragon’s Heart. She’d told it the King of the Dragons would suffer greater pain if they did not turn him to stone. He would retreat into his unbearably empty kingdom and die of loneliness and grief. When the spells lifted, she reasoned, she would safely be able to retrieve the Goddess’s gift to the dragons.
The creature had finally relented, but only because it could sense the tremendous pain and the piercing silence that had followed when Drago had retreated to his lair. She’d gotten lucky that Drago really hadn’t died of loneliness and grief.
She needed Drago’s aid to weaken and destroy the tentacles the alien had posted along the surrounding wall and huge portions of the palace itself, while she focused on the parasitic host that was her master. Only a fire created by a dragon’s magic could injure the alien creature.
Second, she needed the power of Orion’s trident. The electrical energy contained within the trident would disrupt the creature’s ability to communicate with, not only her, but also with the unnatural creatures it had created from itself with the help of her magic, like the Hellhounds and the living vines.
The third element she needed was a weapon not of her world. This had been the trickiest part of her plan. She had opened a portal between the Seven Kingdoms and another world using a spell she had discovered in King Oray’s library. The portal had allowed the arrival of Carly Tate which had resulted in a series of events that had led to today’s final battle.
The final element was the spell she had carefully crafted. The alien had to have a host to thrive. The only way to kill it was to release the bonds she had crafted so long ago, allowing the creature to leave her body. Currently it was incapable of leaving her body – unless she died, and then, she feared, the creature would merely find another host.
Timing was everything. She needed to release her bond on the creature inside her and utter the spell to kill it while the alien was still within a few feet of herself. At the same time, she needed the others to attack the alien, disrupting its powers and distracting it, while continuing to prevent the creature from finding another host. She had to do this while giving everyone else in the room enough time to escape. Anyone remaining with her and the alien would perish from the power of the spell.
There were so many factors which could go wrong that she was beginning to have serious doubts about being successful. She ruthlessly pushed them away. Each horrible thing she had been forced to do, each day of torture she had endured since that night so long ago, and each desperate ploy had led to today. She refused to give up and concede defeat.
She didn’t wince when the doors to the throne room exploded inward, the burning body of a Hellhound collapsing under the scorching heat. From where she stood in the shadows behind the throne, she saw two figures cautiously enter the room. She recognized the woman as a witch from the Isle of Magic, but it was the man with her who drew her attention. He was from the other world, the one that Carly Tate had come from, and the one who would unwittingly help her machinations succeed.
She lifted her chin and breathed deeply in an effort to quiet her eagerness. Orion and Drago were not far behind the man and witch. Inside her, she could feel the creature trying to command its minions to coalesce in the throne room. There were few remaining. Vast sections of its vines stationed outside and most of the Hellhounds had already been destroyed. The creature’s extensions who persisted inside the palace came closer to the throne room, covering the ceiling with a thin film of black ooze.
Prepare to attack, the malicious voice whispered in her head.
I am ready, she dutifully replied.
You will unleash all of your power on them. Our combined strength will not be defeated, the alien vowed. Without their leaders, the Kingdoms will be ours. It is time to destroy them all!
Yes, Magna agreed.
Do not fail me this time or the pain you feel will be unlike any I have given you before, the alien warned.
I will not fail, Magna quietly vowed.
The creature sensed the resolve inside her, unaware of the true reason behind it. The alien’s arrogance was a tumor, rapidly growing out of its own control, much like its tentacles. Keeping a tight grip on her own emotions, she patiently watched and waited for her opportunity. Her eyes drifted to the throne where King Oray, the King of the Isle of Magic, sat. His body was unnaturally stiff and frail; the spell he had cast to protect himself and the kingdom was slowly draining the life from him. Once again, a shaft of remorse swept through her at the pain and suffering she had been forced to cause.
Taking a deep breath, she waited until the witch and man neared the throne before she stepped out from behind it. She inwardly grimaced at the high-pitched laugh that escaped her and echoed throughout the room. Sliding one hand along the back of the throne, she drew a long, curved dagger from the sheath strapped to her waist.
The witch was the first to straighten when she saw her. Magna caught and held the woman’s intense gaze.
“Release him, Sea Witch,” the female demanded, her face and voice filled with fury. Magna’s head tilted to the side and a sardonic smile twisted her lips in a silent reply. “We are not alone. The Sea King and Drago have joined with my people to stop you.”
“I tremble at the mere thought,” Magna drawled sarcastically, looking at the woman with utter disdain.
She turned her head slightly to the side so that the witch couldn’t see the flash of grief in her eyes. She focused her attention on the bent form of King Oray. He looked ashen and listless. His continued fight against the alien had drained him of most of his power. It was time to free him and the others as well.
It shouldn’t be too difficult to convince the others to attack me, she thought with morbid self-loathing.
Taking a deep breath, she returned her gaze to the woman and raised the curved dagger. With a quick motion of her hand, she cut a thin, shallow line across the king’s throat. The alien inside her grew excited by her bold move. A soft hiss slipped from her parted lips when the creature surged forward for the next action.
Not yet, she m
urmured.
Kill him! He will be the first to die. I no longer need him, the alien entity ordered.
If I kill him, the others will have no reason to come closer. We must wait until they are all close enough before we strike, she insisted, keeping the swirling mass along the ceiling in her peripheral vision.
Magna released another shrill laugh before she addressed the witch. “The Sea King is bound by the laws of his people. He is weak and unable to harm me,” she goaded with a shrug of one slender shoulder.
“He might be, but I’m not,” a loud voice retorted from the entrance to the throne room.
Her eyes shifted to the doorway. Inside, she felt the alien recoil. She could almost taste the creature’s fear and craving for the overwhelming power of the dragon. She took in Drago’s massive form with a surge of satisfaction and anticipation.
Drago stood in the center of the now destroyed door frame, his face and body taut with rage. Magna bit her lip. The alien inside her was still too strong for her to release her bonds. Before Drago’s fire could be effective enough, she needed the last element of her plan – Orion and his trident.
“It is time to die, Sea Witch! I have waited far too long for this moment. You should be thankful that I will make it swift. I would love nothing more than to make you feel a measure of the agony that you have caused others,” Drago sneered as he stepped into the room.
His eyes blazed with a ghost of his dragon-fire. Vengeance burned so brightly within him that his chest glowed a dark, blood red through the fabric of his shirt. His features were hard, and his long black hair flowed around him as he strode toward her. The intent was clear in his eyes – death.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the movement of long threads of the black, thorny tentacles reaching downward to wrap around Drago. Her hand reached out in warning, and a cry slipped from her lips.