Harper felt as if she was plummeting into a bottomless abyss. She yelled or felt herself scream, but she couldn't hear herself. Suddenly, she came to a complete stop, and everything around her came to a sudden standstill.
A bright light appeared immediately in front of her as she tried to move her head to look around. She closed her eyes for a moment until the blinding glare faded.
Slowly, she opened her eyes and gasped alarmingly when she saw surprisingly small moving figures underneath her. A gust of wind blew over her, and she drifted closer to the surface, where the landscape below her became more visible.
She was *above* Velaris, more particularly, above Gillen's Casa.
She began to descend until she was hovering over her own body.
*Oh my god.* *Am I dead?* She asked herself as she looked down at her own pallid face. So much blood had pooled around her body. She realized right away that she was losing so much blood. In fact, she was on the verge of passing away.
Perhaps this was the reason why Gwinifer had told her that she might end up dead.
*Shit!* She thought as she began to panic.
She heard a voice in her thoughts say, "Just lie down on top of your body. Hurry up, Harper!"
She quickly lined herself up on top of her unmoving body.
"Harper!" Alex screamed as he watched Harper's body begin to convulse.
Harper thrashed violently for a few seconds before she was lifted by some unseen force off the ground. And as she stood awkwardly, the blood she'd lost that pooled on the ground, steadily reentered the gaping wound in her hand and wrist. Her blood felt warm, very warm, in her frigid veins.
She jerked awake once her mind and body were in tune again. The heat of her blood burned even through her cold skin. Nauseous and dizzy, she groaned. Her head throbbed, her heart pounded, and her gut clenched. She couldn't help but cough and gag.
"Harper!" Gwinifer hurried to Harper within the circle she'd formed as soon as she returned to her body. She slid over to Harper's side. "You've returned! You're still alive. You've done it!"
"I'm…" Harper swallowed an imaginary lump in her throat. "I don't feel good."
"I know. Reconnecting with your body brings a strange and unpleasant sensation. But it will go away quickly. Don't worry."
She surveyed the field. Most of the rebels were dead. Alex was no longer there. The same goes for Lucas. She looked everywhere but couldn't find him. "Where are they?"
"My father's hurt. Alex is with him. Lucas and Francine are fighting the ghouls who have made it through the gate."
"Oh, shit."
"What did Queen Niran tell you? Did you ask for help?" Gwinifer asked.
Harper nodded. "I did."
"What exactly did she tell you?"
"She said..." She tried to remember, but her mind was hazy. It was like waking up from a pretty intense dream and forgetting the specifics of it hours later. She felt as though something crucial was tugging at her memory, but she couldn't remember anything more than the certainty that she had just had an out-of-body experience.
"What? What did she say, Harper?"
"I...I think she said..." She dug as deep into her memory as she could until a deafening screech forced her and Gwinifer, as well as everyone else on the ground, to clasp their hands against their ears.
When the mage looked up, she spotted something she had never expected to see: a griffin. Her eyes were wide open. "The Moon Queen has sent her aid!"
"What is that?" With her gaze fixed on a massive and powerful creature in golden armor soaring through the sky, Harper wondered aloud. Never in her life had she seen such a magnificent creature, and she had never even thought of the possibility that such a creature could exist. But, then again, it wasn't all that long ago that she learned vampires and Lycans existed.
"That's a griffin," Gwinifer said, her mouth hanging open in astonishment.
"A griffin?" Harper's heart was hammering against the inside of her rib cage. She had just gotten used to the idea that another world like Nebiru existed, and now this. Although she knew about them through books, she wasn't even a fan of the high fantasy genre, so what she really knew and understood about them was minimal.
And she just couldn't believe how magical, as well as terrifying, they looked.
The creature had the body of a huge lion, but the face of an eagle. Except for its wings, the rest of its body was protected by golden armor. It was looking down at the battles below it when it screeched once again. Suddenly, two more of them emerged from a large, thick cloud overhead, swooping into the skies.
"Oh, there are now three of them!" Gwinifer's gaze remained fixed on the sky in complete bewilderment.
When another gigantic winged creature soared across the sky, Harper said, "Actually, there are four of them now."
"For ages, the Griffins have protected and preserved the Kingdom of Lemelherv. They are fierce beasts that represent the Moon Queen's strength and courage. Their golden armor is impenetrable, and every part of their bodies is a deadly weapon, including their front legs, hind legs, tails, and even their wings. And their talons are lethal," Gwinifer explained, a spark of hope, confidence, and pride suddenly appearing on her face as she spoke.
"I remember it now. I told Queen Niran that your father needed to win the war. And she said, Okay..." Harper gave it a quick second thought. "Or, I think she said, alright."
"It makes no difference what she actually said. Or how she said it. What matters is that she's sent us help. She's sent us four of her fierce warriors. This is unbelievable." Gwinifer beamed and shook her head. "I believe now that we are going to win this war, Harper."
The large and ferocious beasts began to dive and rip the ghouls on the ground to shreds. As they watched the action unfold in front of them, their lips turned into beautiful smiles.
On the other side of the battle, the same unexpected scene played out right in front of Gillen's eyes. How rapidly the tide had switched had taken him completely by surprise. Following the lethal wounds he had inflicted on Alpha Redmane, he had placed the alpha in the hands of his Lycan warriors to finish off the fatally wounded alpha. And it was just a few minutes ago that he had returned to his human form, convinced that he had won the war.
"Fucking bitch queen isn't playing fair and is siding with them!" he screamed as three griffins descended from the skies and began tearing down his soldiers and a swarm of ghouls, as well as wiping out anybody who stood in the way of their paths.
"Uh, M-master Gillen," his commander said, a little shakily. He could smell the panic emanating from the soldier, and he was ready to rip the soldier's head off with his bare hands. "Our men... they're starting to refuse to fight the Moon Queen's warriors."
As he turned to face him, Gillen's eyes flashed bright red. "Those fucking animals aren't invincible. Tell everyone to focus on their exposed areas. Like their fucking necks!"
He wasn't going to lose everything he had built and worked hard for. Apart from him, he wanted to unleash his demon again and fight the winged-beasts instead, but a greater part of him knew better. Griffins are not only massive and powerful, but they are also quite skilled, and they have been protecting the Kingdom of Lemelherv for generations.
From where he stood, on the balcony of the Casa's main building, he could see that the griffins were ruthless in their attacks. They buried their massive claws and razor-sharp fangs into their enemies, but one brave, or rather foolish, Lycan climbed up one of the griffins and wrapped its strong legs around it, before biting into the winged beast's neck. The griffin shrieked in agony and attempted to fend off the wolf, but was unable to do so. This was no ordinary Lycan. This was a special Lycan. Not until he noticed the silver tail did Gillen understand why.
"Kara!" Gillen yelled. At that moment, he realized that his dear friend and a long-time client would be among those who perished in the fight. There was just no way Kara was going to be able to take on the griffin and come out alive. He shifted his gaze to his commander.
"I tried to get her to leave, but she's unbelievably stubborn. She wants to fight and defend the Casa," his commander went on to explain, clearly scared of what he would do.
"Go over there and help her!" Gillen was not going to stand by and let Kara die. She was far too loyal and valuable to him. His commander responded with a nod and shifted into his wolf form before jumping off the balcony and running to Kara.
"Fuck! Fuck!" screamed Gillen, angrily. Then he chased after the commander, jumping from the balcony as well. Landing gracefully on the ground, he prepared himself to bring out his demon again when Alex came hurling at him, flinging a spear that nicked his left cheek. Instead of shock or disbelief, his rage erupted within him.
"Gillen."
"Alexander. I knew I should have stabbed you in the heart myself to guarantee your death." A fleeting glance turned his attention to the griffins, who were attacking and tearing his minions to pieces. "After all the generosity that I have shown you, you have chosen to assist and bring these rebels, these savages, to my city!"
"This is *their* city, and they're going to take it back from you," Alex stated strongly.
Gillen gave a sly smirk. He could sense the presence of his demon coming through. "I know that the wound in your chest hasn't healed entirely. That explains why you haven't shifted since you got here. Do you honestly think you'll be able to fight me, and win, with your claws, in your human form?"
"Well, I suppose I could give it a shot, couldn't I?" Alex responded casually.
"Very well."