Winter Goddess_reverse harem romance Page 15

  "Where is the Morrigan?" I ask calmly, keeping my body as relaxed as possible, as if I wasn't ready to skewer her any second now.

  Nyx sneers. "I can bring you to her. Dead or alive, it's your choice. Just lower your barrier and I'll show you where she is."

  I laugh. "Do you think I'm stupid? Tell me now or fight."

  "Not as stupid as your mother, but-"

  She doesn't finish. She's dead.

  I let go of the icicles that have pierced her lifeless body and she crumples to the floor.

  "Did you just kill a Goddess?" Storm asks. "It shouldn't be this easy."

  I'm wondering the same thing, but then the answer comes to me as if it's always been there.

  "My mother created her," I say slowly, speaking as the thoughts enter my mind. "Beira couldn't kill her creations, but I can. I know their weak spots because of my mother's memories, but I'm not bound by the same laws. I think if I have the intention of killing a God she created, then I can do it even with normal magic. I don't need poison or special knives like Angus had to use."

  "That's a tiny bit scary," Frost mutters. "Let's try not to make that public knowledge. We don't want our allies to fear you."

  I look down at the dead Goddess and nod. "Yes, I don't really want to think about it myself. I have no intention of killing any other Gods unless I need to."

  "Except for the Morrigan," Crispin corrects.

  "Yes, except for her." I concentrate on my magic. "The castle is mostly empty. It would be the perfect time to capture it, but it's not like we're here to conquer this Realm. To be honest, I'm happy to leave it to the demons once the Morrigan is defeated."

  "Yes, Queen of the Underworld doesn't suit you," Frost snickers. "Let's stick to the nicer Realms."

  I'm about to reply, but darkness falls and I'm back in the black room that's become so familiar.

  "Hey," I say lightly. "How are things?"

  "The Morrigan just commanded me to come to her aid," Angus says, glee swinging in his voice. "I'm going to follow her call, but not like she thinks."

  "Where is she?" I ask immediately.

  "With me," Flora whispers weakly. She sounds like she’s in pain, even though we’re in this safe place.

  “What is she doing?” I try to sound calm and keep the fear at bay. If Flora is harmed, everything could be lost. We need all four of us to keep the balance.

  “Playing,” Flora replies grimly. “She’s having fun.”

  I don’t ask any more. If Flora doesn’t want to tell us the specifics, that’s fine. We all deserve privacy in our pain. There’s one thing that doesn’t quite make sense though.

  “Angus, how did she command you to come to her when she’s torturing Flora right now?”

  “She spoke to me a few minutes ago, I swear. The same way she always does, in my mind. She seemed very angry.”

  “That’s because we’re attacking her from all sides.” I’m pushing my suspicions of Angus’s statement to one side for the moment. There’s nothing I can do about it now. If he wants to betray us, I can’t stop him. I just have to hope that there’s a logical explanation of how the Morrigan was doing both things at the same time.

  I turn my attention to Flora again. “Don’t worry, she won’t be able to stay with you for much longer. There are more than twenty forces invading her Realm at the same time. She’ll have to coordinate her defences once she realises the scale of the attack.”

  “Good.” She sounds exhausted. “Are you coming for me?”

  “We are,” Dewi confirms, speaking for the first time. “I’m following the connection between us. You were right, Spring and Autumn attract each other. I can feel you, faintly, and I’m flying there as soon as possible. Don’t be scared if a flock of dragon suddenly appears.”

  Flora laughs softly. “I’m in a dungeon, I’m afraid I won’t be able to see you.”

  “You will, after,” Dewi promises.”

  “Dewi, I need to go there too, but I don’t have a connection like you have. If you send me an image of your location though I’ll be able to teleport and follow you.”

  “Dragons fly faster than Guardians,” Dewi says but sends me a mental image nonetheless. There are mountains beneath her, high and sharp, not covered in snow but in a red dust that seems to suck in the light from the burning skies. There’s a black lake that they’re flying towards. That seems a good landmark to zone in on.

  “I’ll meet you at the lake. If we can’t fly fast enough, we can always ride on you.”

  I can feel Dewi’s outrage, but the blackness disappears and I’m back with my Guardians.

  They must have noticed that I was gone because they’re all staring at me. In the past, I was only gone for a second or two when these strange meetings occurred, but I guess the Guardians know me well enough to notice any change in my behaviour.

  “How do you feel about a little race against dragons?” I ask them with a grin.

  All of their auras light up in anticipation at that challenge.

  “Dewi is heading to Flora and we’re going to follow her. I know where she is, so we can teleport there. Ready?”

  “Will we appear on land or in the air?” Storm asks. I hadn’t actually thought about the possibility of teleporting us into thin air.

  “Is that possible?”

  “Other Gods do it.” Storm shrugs. “I’m sure you can do it too.”

  He’s already spread his beautiful wings and the others follow his lead. I do the same, relishing at the feeling of freedom expanding my wings always gives me. I really need to fly more, but I’ve not really had the chance recently.

  “Okay then… If we fall, try and catch each other.” I smile and hold out my arms like always and teleport us as soon as they touch me.

  Air. Falling. No ground. I’m going to crash. Wyn splatter in the Demon Realm, what a fitting end.

  “Fly, Wyn! Remember yer wings!”

  Arc circles me, his wings beating strongly. He looks ready to dive and catch me, but he’s reminded me of how to fly. Silly me, forgetting the essentials. I flap my wings and stop falling. Phew.

  “The dragons are approaching!” Storm shouts and I turn around, changing the angle of my wings so I can hover in place.

  It’s a tremendous sight. At least fifty dragons of all shapes and sizes are racing towards us, their wings so majestic that I need to suppress a gasp. They are formidable, an enemy I really wouldn’t want to meet in battle. Good thing they’re on our side.

  Dewi is flying at the front of the flock, her blue scales glittering in the reddish air. She’s by far the largest of them all and blue smoke is rising from her nostrils. Did she communicate with us while flying? I’m glad she didn’t fall; her weight must make it hard to stay in the air without flapping constantly.

  “They’re fast,” Frost observes with a hint of admiration in his voice. “But we’re fast too.”

  I doubt that we can match the dragons’ speed, but we won’t know without trying. The Guardians are a lot faster than me though. They’re physically stronger and have more practice. Oh well. Here goes.

  As one, we rise to match the dragons’ altitude and prepare to meet them in flight. Dewi roars a greeting, tiny ice crystals steaming from her toothy maw.

  Then they’re upon us, surrounding us. Even the smallest dragon is at least three times as long as I am, not counting their spiked tails. Their wings are thin membranes surrounded by strong bones and muscle, not at all like the almost translucent fairy wings of Guardians. They don’t wait, they just keep on flying and I beat my wings hard to keep up. Even so, they quickly pass me by. My tiny wingspan is no match against theirs. My Guardians stay by my side, even though I know they could fly a lot faster. They’re staying to not make me look weak.

  “Come on, race them!” I tell them when I see the impatience swirling in their auras. “You know you want to.”

  “I’ll stay with her,” Crispin says and the others fly off after I give them an encouraging nod. Storm is the fast
est, but his twin isn’t far behind. Arc almost matches them, but he’s heavier and his bulk is holding him back.

  Storm reaches the dragon furthest at the back and overtakes him, but he doesn’t manage to progress to further in the dragon formation. We’re outwinged.

  A dark green dragon breaks away from the flock and turns, flying towards Crispin and me. She circles around us and the hovers just beneath me. An invitation to ride on her? I didn’t expect any of the dragons to offer that willingly. From the little I know about dragons, they’re incredibly proud beings.

  I let myself sink until I’m just above her, then spread my legs and drop the final few feet. Her back is warm and the scales are surprisingly soft. I keep my wings extended at first, but with some air magic wrapped around me, I feel safe enough to fold them away and ride on the dragon.

  Wow. I’m riding on a dragon. An actual dragon with scales and wings and a very spiky tail. Life really has become crazy. A magical adventure. With a body count, hopefully in form of demons, not Guardians and Gods.

  “Thank you!” I shout and the dragon nods her head in response. I have no idea how I know that she’s female, but I take it as a fact. Crispin is flying by my side, just about managing to keep up. No dragon has offered to let him ride on them, so they must be confident in his ability to fly alongside them. The other three Guardians let themselves fall back a little until they’re flying to the left of me.

  It’s exhilarating and I can’t resist whooping a little. Not too loud, I don’t want the dragons to think I’m crazy. I’m the Winter Goddess now, I can’t afford to be childish anymore. But a little shout of joy…

  “Woohooo!” I scream and the Guardians laugh. Even the dragon I’m riding on chuckles, making her entire body vibrate beneath my thighs. I wrap my air magic a little tighter, in case the dragon decides to make any sudden movements.

  Once I’ve got used to the feeling of riding a fricking dragon, I look down to see where we are. We’ve left the mountains behind and are currently traversing a bleak, boring landscape full of nothing but brown and black stone and marshland. There’s no sign of life, a few ruins, but not a single occupied demon settlement.

  This must be an area avoided even by demons. The perfect place to hide.

  It’s becoming hotter though. The sky above is bright red and the clouds look like smoke that’s rising from a fire somewhere. I follow their path… and yes, it is smoke. From a big, big fire. Well, a volcano. Same thing. And it’s erupting. The closer we get, the more detail I can make out. Lava is running down the mountain in wide streams, culminating in a large lava lake at the bottom which surrounds the mountain like a moat. What’s strange though is that the lake is still burning; none of the lava seems to be cooling and growing black.

  The smell of ash is filling the air and I make sure to keep a filter made from some air magic in front of my face. I neither want that smell in my nose nor any ash particles in my eyes.

  “Look!” Arc suddenly shouts. “There’s a building on the mountain!”

  That can’t be. Who would build on an active volcano?

  Well, easy. Demons.

  But there it is, a black structure that’s both part of the mountain and separate from it. Lava is flowing over the castle walls, but they don’t seem damaged at all. The perfect fortress. Surrounded by lava, the walls unscalable. The only way in is through the air. I bet they have some good defences there as well. We’re about to find out.

  The dragons in front of us start to descend. This seems to be our destination. Great. We’re going to land on a volcano. Could someone wake me up, please? This can’t be real.

  I hold tight as my own dragon begins to tilt downwards. The steep angle she’s taking is making me queasy. If I didn’t have my magic, I’d no doubt have already fallen to my death. Next time, maybe the dragons could supply some reins and a saddle? I guess there won’t be a next time though. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I should be enjoying it… and I did, but now… The dragon swerves right and I almost lose my grip. My stomach lurches as the world tilts and black walls appear all around us. We’re in the castle. How were there no defences? That’s suspicious, very much so.

  We land more elegantly than I expected from such a large creature. It’s hot here, incredibly hot, and even some cooling air magic doesn’t quite get rid of the heat. I slide down the dragon’s side, grateful to be back on solid ground. Which suddenly trembles. How safe is this place? Could the volcano destroy it?

  I smile grimly when I realise what I’m thinking. I’m about to confront the Morrigan. A little earthquake is the least of my worries.

  Chapter Eighteen

  My Guardians land beside me and immediately surround me in their favourite defensive formation.

  “Guys, I can look after myself,” I complain, but they don’t budge. I sigh and head towards the front of the dragon flock. All of them are still in their dragon shape, except for one. Dewi. Her hair is wrapped around her head like a crown and her body is covered in an armour that looks like it’s made from dragon scales. It’s beautiful and probably very efficient. And if she’s lucky, it’s even lighter than my own. I’ve almost got used to the feeling of wearing my armour, but after being on the dragon, my bones are a little stiff.

  How much time has passed since I spoke to the other Gods? Fifteen minutes perhaps? Twenty? Let’s hope the Morrigan is still here. And Flora. Alive. I don’t think I can hope for unharmed, not after what she said earlier, but at least alive. Crispin is here with me and he’s the best healer in my Realm. He’ll look after her.

  “She’s here, I can feel her. Down below, not far. She’s weak though. We need to hurry.”

  “Can your people keep watch up here?” I ask and she nods. “I can feel demons all around us but for some reason, they haven’t reacted yet. How did we get through their defences? There must have been some?”

  Dewi grins. “Dragon scales repel magic. You must have been close enough to us not to be affected.”

  “That’s a useful skill to have,” Storm says in surprise. Seems I’m not the only one who didn’t know this before. These dragons turn out to be even more useful allies by the second.

  “Lead on,” I tell her and Dewi’s smile disappears, giving way to a more guarded, serious expression.

  “I could probably teleport us there, but who knows how many demons are waiting for us inside the castle. Safer to take the longer route.”

  I nod in agreement and she heads towards a door in one of the walls, almost invisible because it’s the same stone as everything else. I’m keeping my magic at the ready. Not seeing a single demon so far is making me very suspicious. There are no demons on the walls because there’s lava there that would burn them alive, but still, there are two doors leading into the courtyard we’re in and neither has opened.

  I feel like we’re being watched, but my magic doesn’t show anyone nearby. Strange. And very, very worrying.

  Dewi opens the door, her hands extended, ready to throw magic at whoever is awaiting us, but the dark corridor is empty.

  “There are demons below us, but none on this level,” I whisper. Dewi walks a little faster and we hurry to follow. When we reach some stairs leading down, she stops and I concentrate on my magic again.

  “Ten demons waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs. More up ahead, but I don’t think there are any really powerful ones.”

  “We’ll deal with them,” Storm announces and steps forward, followed by the other Guardians.

  I’m about to protest, but Dewi holds me back.

  “Let them. They need to feel needed,” she whispers. “It’s the same with Agierth. Sometimes, you just need to step back and let them do their protector thing.”

  I sigh and stay where I am, although I still keep my magic at the ready. Just because I’m not with my Guardians doesn’t mean I’m leaving them to fight on their own. I’m not that kind of woman.

  Screams come from the other end of the stairs, but those aren’t the v
oices of my Guardians. They are demon screams, raw and full of pain. Good riddance. I wish I could feel empathy for them, but after one of them abducted my parents and tortured them in the process, I no longer can. Right now, they’re nothing but obstacles in my way to reach the Morrigan.

  “Clear!” Storm shouts from below and I hurry down the stairs, followed by Dewi. I ignore the corpses on the ground and the blood stains on my men’s armour. They are not important.

  “Two more floors down,” Dewi informs us. “Flora’s in pain. Our connection is getting stronger, I can almost feel the pain myself now.” She shudders visibly. “Let’s hurry up.”

  She doesn’t let the Guardians take the lead this time. Instead, she rushes ahead and only stops when I tell her that more demons are coming. There are five of them and I kill them with an icicle each through the heart. Nobody says a word and we hurry on. This is war, there’s no time for sentimentality.

  Twenty dead demons and two more staircases later, we arrive in the dungeons. They’re just like you’d imagine prison cells in an evil fortress to look like. Rusty bars in front of dark, small compartments. It reeks of pain and decay. I suppress a shiver.

  “Is she close?” I ask Dewi and the Goddess nods.

  “Just up ahead.”

  A moment later, a scream confirms her words. Flora.

  We run towards the pained wails that echo through the stone corridor. Suddenly, a demon steps in our way. He’s fat, there’s no other word for it. His belly is bulging over a leather belt from which hang… are those shrunken… ehm… cocks? I avert my eyes and focus on the rest of him instead. He’s bald, but there’s a shimmering green rash all over his grey skin. Weeping sores cover his face and one of his eyes is missing. This might be the ugliest demon I’ve ever seen.