The Forest Fae stepped forward then and said, ‘The Ancient Forest. The magic that runs through that land is old and strong; if any place could contain it in this world, it would be those woods?—’
‘—But that is sacred and holy grounds to your people,’ Sage interrupted, shocked at his offer.
‘We will all have to sacrifice something substantial to end this because if we don’t, it will not matter anyway. That forest and the rest of it will no longer exist or mean anything,’ he said, sure of himself.
Sage nodded to herself slowly. ‘We will need a vessel to contain the black magic and spirits within. A powerful object would suffice, but something living would be better.’
‘That is the burden we will bare,’ came the gravelly voice of the dragon once more.
My ancestor looked at it in shock and prepared to argue before the dragon shook its head and continued talking. ‘This is not something I will debate. It was our mistake that led us here. We gave you people too much power, too many gifts, turning you into Fae. We did not think it would corrupt the way it did so now we must fix this. I will be the vessel. Once this is done you will strip every Fae of the memories of this time, except for your lineage, who will bear the responsibility of protecting this secret and preventing the dark magic from escaping. History will forget, and I, along with that magic, will be lost to time. Only then will this world truly be safe. Should what we bind to that forest ever be discovered, there will be nothing that can stop it a second time.’
‘What is it that we are binding?’ the Forest Fae asked.
Ember, the smaller dragon, responded, ‘The Mrak. It is death and destruction incarnate. It is all the evil that has pooled over millennia in the spirit realm. Every creature that ever lived and died embodies every evil word, thought, and deed that has ever existed, plucked from their souls and now taking form to plague this world and send it into chaos. It is a consumer of worlds. Fredrick did not know what he was unleashing. It told him half-truths about what it was and what it could do, but he knew enough to understand that it should not be done. While you bind the Mrak, I will find him and kill him for this.’
Sage gripped my hand tighter as she pulled us forward into a different memory. It was what I could only assume was the Ancient Forest. It had a dark, damp heaviness to it that left my skin crawling.
Sage stood there waiting until those familiar blue eyes peered out from behind a tree, followed by the grey dragon. ‘Axia, please stand before me,’ Sage beckoned as the grey dragon prowled towards her, its wings knocking down trees at the edge of the clearing.
‘Azayla, the Mrak craves power more than anything; it seeks to consume it so that it may spread further. I need you to make Axia bleed. Cut him and wound him deeply, so that the magic in his blood will call on the Mrak.’
Azayla walked over to the dragon and drew her sword—a sword I knew well. It was the same sword that was currently sitting in my own sheath. The dragon and its rider stared deeply into one another’s eyes. Speaking without saying a word, I had heard of the first dragons sharing mental bonds with a select few Skin Seepers; it was more awe inspiring than I could have ever imagined. The love that flowed between them was undeniable. A single tear rolled down her face as she silently mouthed a ‘thank you’ and plunged the sword into Axia’s legs dragging it up and flaying his hard-scaled skin like butter.
Unlike my sword that was dragon made, most weapons could not penetrate a dragon’s scales. They only had a few weak points, and one must know where to find them and how hard to press in order for them to die. Dragons forge weapons capable of killing their own kind for their riders—a show of complete trust. Over the years, those swords fell into the wrong hands and dragons were hunted with the weapons they had entrusted to our kind. People who were denied their gifts because they weren’t worthy in the eyes of the dragons, sought to take them by force.
Axia began bellowing in a pained cry before he fell silent, gasping. Azayla fell to her knees and sobbed as the forest around them darkened. A black, tarlike substance began to pool aroundour feet, sucking all life and air from the forest, turning everything cold and into bottomless blackness1.
‘It’s here, Ember. Say your goodbyes and run—kill Fredrick. The Elders are warding the forest as we speak,’ Sage said as she raised her hands and began chanting.
Azayla flung herself around the dragon’s neck and said goodbye. Slowly, the dark magic that pooled on the ground began to move towards Axia. It found his blood on the floor before slowly climbing up his leg and cleaving its way into his flesh. Azayla did not flee; instead, she gripped him tighter as he shuddered through the pain, the dark magic seeping deeper and deeper into him. She whispered sweet nothings to him, thanking him and comforting her scaly companion.
Axia became unsteady on his feet before his legs gave way, and he slammed into the ground with a sound that shook the earth. More darkness flowed through the forest and poured into him as his breathing became ragged. Sage was sweating and trembling under the weight of her magic as she fought to bind the dark magic into the living vessel that was Axia.
After what felt like hours, the forest became lighter; the darkness leached out of the world and slunk away into Axia’s body. His bright blue eyes had turned pitch black and his breath was shallow, he could barely move but I could see the agony in the ripples of his muscles. Azayla remained by his side as, scale by scale, he turned to stone while Sage, in her exhausted state, whispered the incantations that would bind the Mrak inside him.
Sage collapsed to the floor as Azayla ran to help her.
‘I still feel it, it wasn’t everything,’ Sage breathed, bleary eyed. The scene turned black as Sage passed out. We were suddenly pulled back to the circle of stones on the summit, surrounded by the Elder Wiccans, Sienna and Jasper.
‘You did not contain all of the Mrak. What happened to the rest?’ I asked.
‘I along with the forest fae used another vessel, but it was notas strong as a god. It was only a matter of time until the dark magic began leaching back into the world, finding someone to infect, to set it free. King Sebastian has been corrupted by that same black magic.’
‘That is what we must do again—contain it and wipe the memories of those who know of it once more,’ I said, nodding more to myself than to anyone around me.
‘We can try, but this magic is old, and it has sat in that forest for hundreds of years searching for a way out. It will not be tricked in the same way again. We need to find another way, but I do not know what that is,’ Sage said, shaking her head. The other Elders looked solemn. It was a rare sight, but even they had limits to their powers.
‘Please, is there anything else you can share that may help?’ I pleaded, throwing away my pride. I had already bared my soul in the three promises. There was no more hiding.
‘There is no other information that I can offer you that may help, but we will be there the day you need our help to bind or destroy the Mrak. Until then, all I can offer is to bolster the wards.’
‘Thank you. Please do,’ I said, stepping away. We were exhausted, but we had to head back and try to get ahead of what was coming our way
‘You will not find your horses at the base of the mountain; we have sent them back.’ I shot them a lethal look before Aurora threw up her hands in mock surrender.
‘There are faster ways to return home from here. Sienna, show her and that forest mutt the way.’ One by one the Elders vanished into smoke again. Jasper, the ever-jovial guy, laughed at their insult.
‘I have never understood the bad blood between your people. Now I understand it even less, knowing you once stood on the same side of this evil.’ I shook my head at no one in particular.
