“That’s what I’m hoping,” I replied. “Where’s the entrance?”
Ben gestured straight ahead, and all five of us moved through the mists, each defending our small unit as best we could.
“This is impossible,” Ash raged, “how are there so many of them?”
“We think the planet of the stones erupted in the In-Between, much like they did in Nevertide,” Ben called out. “What about the barrels of the immortal water? Can they do something?”
“The witches are dealing with it. Hopefully we’ll see some results soon,” Ash replied, charging on, his sword swinging into the darkness.
Tejus of Hellswan, came a voice. We couldn’t see the entity, but clearly it could see us. I deduce from the presence of these armies that your brother has been abusing his power. However, I can’t say I’m disappointed to see you here—you and your emperor can witness the destruction of fae lands, and can perhaps commiserate with them, your own land as unfit for purpose as theirs.
The shadow started to move back, revealing the stone steps that led up to Sherus’s palace. Standing at their apex was Jenus—clean shaven, his hair neatly tied back, and wearing the richly embroidered gowns of the fae. He held no weapons, but as he raised his arms up, further separating the mists like a curtain, there was no doubt about who had the superior power. An entire army of millions at his disposal.
His face rested in a sly smile, his eyes slowly taking in the group. There was no evidence of panic or fear, just a knowing look saying that we would fail, that he was undefeatable. I didn’t know if it was because the monster wore the face of my brother, or because I felt that Jenus was the monster, but I lost my head and launched at him with a cry, every fiber of my being wanting to destroy him, eradicate him from this dimension and all the others.
I played right into his hands.
Laughing, Jenus swatted me away, sending me flying into Ash, putting us both at risk from the encroaching shadow. We scrambled to our feet. The shadow moved back further, allowing us a pool of light. I wondered why the entity had called back its armies from attacking us, when I could hear the fighting continuing elsewhere. Jenus stepped into the space, and the armies followed him. We were completely surrounded—cut off from the entrance to the palace that I’d envisioned being our only possible escape option.
The smirking face of my brother was making my blood boil.
“Tejus,” Hazel gripped my arm and whispered, “call him.”
I nodded, waiting for the right moment. I glanced over at Ash, who gave me the briefest of nods and launched himself at Jenus. Ben followed him, both warriors battling the entity best they could.
While he was distracted, I tried to call out to my brother. I let my mind wander across the confined space, letting Jenus know that I was there. I drifted past Ash, feeling his anger and rage at the creature, but also his pride, how he wouldn’t let himself be defeated at the hands of the entity once again. I drifted past Ruby, sensing her fear and determination, the worry she had for her parents, but most of all Ash. Ben’s energy was bright, purer than the rest of us, a brilliant flame that was only preoccupied with justice—with bringing down the creature, with forbidding him to take the land of the fae, that land Ben felt he was partly bound to. Hazel’s energy I didn’t need to feel with my mind. I knew what it would contain. I knew her fear and anger were intertwined, but that her hope would overshadow both those emotions, trusting that we could end the entity somehow, that we could perhaps even bring back a repentant Jenus from the dead.
I loved her for that hope, but I felt it was misplaced.
I reached toward Jenus, feeling nothing but a sickening darkness, a bleak despair that I’d never known, so wretched and absent of any light that everything about it felt gray and dead, as if the mind wasn’t even alive. I kept trying, mentally prodding the creature as he tried to destroy Ash and Ben.
A few moments later, just at the point in which I was going to give up on the idea and join in the fight, I felt a flicker of anger—a small, twisted whisper of jealousy and hate, emanating from the figure of Jenus. I latched onto it, feeling it with my mind, recognizing the feelings as those belonging to my brother, not the creature who borrowed his form. As our energy met, the emotions changed to relief and recognition, and I could feel Jenus, the imperfect brother of mine who had gotten it so horribly wrong—whose pride, hatred and acid jealousy had been his own downfall. The same brother who reached out for me now, begging for forgiveness.
I held the energy, bringing it forward, chasing his mind with my own. I hesitated for the briefest moment before latching on to Hazel’s hand. Our three minds met, the energy electrifying. A border sprang up, pure and white, appearing as a great flame engulfing us all. Ben, who had been knocked back by the entity only a split second before, was blown back by the force, flung into the shadow, and Hazel screamed out his name.