Chapter 152: Dark Wedding

[Evander].

By the time I reached his location, it was already too late.

Axel fell through the opening in the sky, hungry arms grabbing him and drawing him in.

It was as if the void itself took him.

I have been flitting through the shadows, looking for a trace of him. Wherever he was taken does not lie within the shadow roads. My best guess is that he is somewhere inside one of these buildings.

My worst guess is that he is somewhere I cannot follow, deep in the void itself, unable to reach any of us or call out for help.

“If you are listening, Universe, we could use your help.”

The universe never answers, at least not with words, but my instincts are telling me to head toward the smaller of the two buildings.

I cannot blink beyond the walls without knowing what is on the other side. Which means I need to get close enough, undetected, to see where I might land. And then I need to search and keep going until I find him. Until I can find both of them.

Because I am not leaving until I have found them both.

“I’m coming, cousin,” I whisper under my breath as I activate a charm hidden along the edge of my black jacket. I can feel the energy from the released magic ripple over my body, concealing me from the top of my head to the bottom of my soft-soled shoes.

The charm also gives me a small amount of resistance to defensive wards. As long as I do not push the spell too far too fast, I should remain hidden. It only works for a limited amount of time from the moment it is activated, so I need to hurry.

Gideon is possessed. Axel has vanished. Rosie was taken.

I am all that remains of our family. It is my responsibility to bring the rest of them home.

The universe must be on my side because a window was left open on the bottom floor. Peeking inside, I can see that there is nobody around to notice as I blink inside.

The room is abandoned but it smells like my wife. She was here, not long ago. I am tempted to call in my troops now, but I need to know where they are first. Calling them too soon could lead to our discovery before we can make sure everyone is safe.

I do not glimpse another person as I make my way through the building. There are rooms with beds that have large leather straps for tying people down. I wonder what kind of procedures would require straps on every limb.

How many have they done to Rosie? When I find her, will she still be whole? Will our babies?

My hands begin to itch with unspent energy. I need to find her, but I also need to find the warlock and shove my blade so deep into his heart that there is no chance he will recover.

A flickering light in the distance draws my eye.

Sticking to the shadows, I find myself in a room lit only by candles. They make two aisles that lead to a grand altar of obsidian. The altar is long enough for a person to lie upon.

A man in a top hat and tailcoat walks into the room. As he follows the trail of candles, they all flicker, changing from gold to blue. By the time he reaches the altar, the light has changed into something eerie, his face etched in hard relief made of shadows.

Which is likely why I didn't recognize him until I heard his voice.

"Hello, Cousin. You can come out of the shadows now. I want you to meet my bride." He smirks, reminding me of the way he was when I first met him, full of anger and sarcasm. "I think you'll find you are already acquainted."

Draped in what looks like a folded sheet of gray satin, clasped at one shoulder with a large golden pin, is Rosalynd. She doesn't look well. She is walking forward slowly, her eyes glazed over, under some kind of spell. To her right is her father, the grand warlock, Vincent. Three steps behind them is Slone, holding an athame in one hand and a book in the other. On her brow is a sick bastardization of the headdress of a high elvish priestess. Instead of silver vines of ripe fruit, the frame of the headdress shows black, bare branches, the fruit long gone, the leaves long dead.

I rush forward, a sword of green light forged from the magic of my soul blazing in my hand.

I make it 10 feet forward before I hit a wall of energy, but I am determined. I will not give up on either one of them. I will not give up on saving them both. I push against the barrier with the power of my will and the strength of the concealment charm, but I only make it inches further before exhausting both. With a final burst of energy, the charm fizzes and dies, falling to the ground as a hardened lump.

"It was a valiant try," Axel concedes, "but now it is your turn to watch me take what is mine."

He turns towards me and his eyes are black all the way to the edges. This is not Axel, or not just Axel, this is the void itself, one of elements within everything. And for some reason, it wants Rosie.

Rosie is mine. She is a part of my family with Gideon and Axel, and our extended families beyond us. She is part of the Fae, part of the wolves, and all witch.

And yet, despite all that, I watch helplessly as she is marched down the aisle by her father, presented like a trophy in a mockery of true marriage and the joining of souls.

We claimed her first. But how does one fight a deity? How do you say no to a god?

You don't. Only another god can do that.

So I pray.

"Universe beyond, the Great Eternal, the one who lives in all things and gives us life, give me the power to protect those I love, to cherish them as I should, and defend them until my last breath. As the Oracle is your voice, let me be your sword and shield. I give over to you all that I am."

"Granted."