Behind the Mask

33. Trapped

Victoria

I was seated in the garden in the Silver Palace within the clouds, where I’ve moved to with my mate to be closer to my mother, the Goddess. 

We watched my brother, Avalon, often. Yet we couldn’t ever intervene, it was the rule cemented by the Fates, the cold and emotionless deities that ruled over the destiny of all beings, even the Gods. 

Suddenly, I heard my brother’s call. I portaled to the full-moon window, from where I could see him, watch the Six Realms. My mom was already there, looking at him, her normally serene eyes were flooded with gloom, and we looked at him through the full-moon window. His voice vibrated with pain, desperation, hopelessness. 

Hearing him broke my heart. 

“Avalon, how I wanted to talk to you. But all I could do for many centuries was wait and watch,” I muttered under my breath, knowing that my words wouldn’t ever reach him. They would be wasted in the wind. 

My Mom, the Goddess, wrapped an arm around my shoulder. He hadn’t ever talked to her, called for her in many centuries. 

He was too hurt. 

I sighed deeply, my eyes still fixed on his grey sad ones. My case was even sadder than my mom’s, for Avalon didn’t even remember me. He didn’t remember our siblings’ bond and everything we went through together, he didn’t remember how my love and affection felt like. The sweet warmth of our friendship was completely absent from his oblivious mind. 

All there was left was the cold emptiness of loneliness and absence. Darkness. 

A wrongly cast spell washed over our bond with eternal forgetfulness, and forgetfulness was the death of love even for us immortal beings. 

All the love he had experienced in his life before his mate came to his life, faded away from his memory, leaving only a void to be filled by his darkness. To my utter relief, Liv saved him from his darkness, showing him how to love and to be loved. But darkness was descending upon his life once again in the form of these vile mages, the Triad. 

“Mom, can’t we do something for him? Can we listen to his plea, save Melinda, and eliminate the Triad?” I asked her, looking intently at her silver eyes. 

My mom sighed deeply, her eyes shining with crystalline tears, “No, Vicky. I’ve already consulted with the Fates a few days ago when the danger was approaching. We can only watch them, at least for now,” she replied. 

I breathed deeply in exasperation, dreading that he would suffer further, loathing that he would think once again that Mom ignored his call, that she didn’t care about him. 

We loved him immensely, but our love was distant, unreachable. 

We could only love him and look after him in silence, secretly. 

~ * ~ 

Lea 

After crossing the portal we arrived at an empty alley, but after a few minutes of walking, we reached the busy streets of London. I looked around the illuminated buildings and the people strolling around, entering the pubs, drinking, smoking. 

Humans were fascinating! 

We stopped in front of a very tall building, a hotel like the ones in the movies. 

“I’ll contact the male that lives here and find us a good place to stay, Sunflower,” Valentin told me, pressing a kiss on the top of my head and taking a few steps away to make a call. 

I snuggled my crying baby in my arms, my heart was still clenching in fear and sorrow for my mom. But I was relieved that my Sun would go back there and help her, try to heal her, while Alexus and I would keep Alexander safe in this realm. 

“It was a fast portal-trip but we crossed a great distance, that’s why he is tired,” Alexus explained, looking at our fussing baby. 

We entered the hotel lobby, I couldn’t wait to nurse my baby and calm him down. 

“I will check-in and get us a key,” Alexus told me. 

“You seem to know a lot about human things and what to do.” My words were laced with surprise.

“I’ve been to this realm many times.” He swallowed hard, “I’ve done many things you wouldn’t be proud of, Love,” he added. 

Did he come here to drink from humans? I wondered, gulping hard. 

I shook my head and sighed, he was a better male and a better king now. His Realm was doing much better and no one was allowed to keep creatures as their blood bags against their will anymore. 

“It’s our realm, not only mine, Lea. We will have your coronation once we solve all these issues and eliminate the triad,” he reassured me, running my arms affectionately. He probably caught my thoughts through our bond.

A small smile formed in my face through all the fog of fear and sadness, I knew it was our realm and we would revamp it together. 

Soon Valentin was back with some news, “We can move tomorrow, he has arranged a big apartment, where Liv and her mates can join us. I know that you two want to be together, you are stronger together,” my Sun said,  stroking my face gently with the back of his hand.

He kissed Alexander’s head and rubbed his back soothingly, making him stop fussing. My Valentin’s touch had the same soothing effect on our baby that it had on me. 

“I am going to see Mel now, Sunflower, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.” His words were followed by a sweet kiss of goodbye.  

Alexus came back and we went up using an elevator. They had such magic boxes in the Elf Realm but only a few of them, so it was interesting. I looked intently at the elevator’s mirror, my face was pale and my eyes were a bit puff. It has been an insane night, filled with contradictory emotions and fear. 

My gaze roamed to my boys, Alexander was in Alexus’ arms and he seemed much calmer than before. His little mouth opened in the cutest of the yawns, making my anxious heart melt a bit. Sometimes the healing we need, the balms to comfort our souls, is in the smallest and most simple things, like a smile, a kiss, or watching my baby sleeping soundly. 

After crossing a broad hall, we arrived at our room and Alexus put our baby down in the crib beside the double bed. The room was ample and modern, and I was sure that I would enjoy it a lot, being here and everything, if the circumstances were different. 

I sighed deeply and Alexus wrapped me in his arms, holding me tighter. He ran his fingers through my hair and sent me love through our bond. 

“We will find a way out of it, Baby,” he muttered, and I finally let my tears fall again. 

~ * ~ 

Elric

Only a love designed by destiny and intertwined with the golden strand of desire shall wash over with peace the Six Lands under the sky. 

Into the darkness, it shall emerge, from the entrails of feud, fire, and blood it shall lit its uncanny light. Love shall bring two, uniting all. Two will divide to finally multiplying, and attain one. 

The prophecy was resonating in my mind, occupying all thoughts and filling me with worry. It stated that two should bring the Realms together. Two; the two daughters of the first interspecies couple in many centuries, but such a prophecy never mentioned the twins Mel was expecting, and it made me wonder if their existence was indeed in conformity with the Fate’s design. 

Would these children ever come to be? Would they ever see the light of the day?

Dread flowed my soul, I feared for Mel and her twins, afraid that we wouldn’t be able to save them all. 

I tried to reach the Goddess, but she didn’t answer my calls.

I looked at my Liv, we had just flashed to Maximus’ villa. Her beautiful face was contorted with deep worry and anxiety, and her fingers were intertwined with mine for the first time in weeks, even though we hadn’t exchanged any further words since we left the house. 

I couldn’t tell her about my theory, my suspicions, else she would be broken and endanger her own life by staying here with Mel. I knew that she would fight the Fates fiercely, risk her life and do anything to save her mom. 

We knocked and entered Maximus’ room. He was sitting in his bed and had Mel in his arms, almost cocooned in his protective hug. My gaze moved between them, she looked pale and was releasing soft whimpers, while my friend’s face was stained with tears. I couldn’t tell him about my interpretation of the prophecy, it would only break him and take the only thing that he had now—hope. 

I had to be wrong, I wished to be wrong. 

Liv let go of my hand and ran towards her mom, crouching down to stroke Mel’s face.

“Mom,” she called between suppressed sobs. 

Valentin arrived in a flash of golden light and approached Mel with two long strides, hovering his hand over her forehead. 

He closed his eyes, focusing on her, and only after a few minutes the heavy silence wrapping the room was broken, “The Triad trapped her in her deepest fears, and pains, in her nightmares,” he exhaled sharply, his eyes still fixed on Mel. 

“What can we do? We must be able to do something, anything… Can you heal her? At least a little bit?” Liv mumbled looking into space. 

I closed the distance between us as fast as I could and embraced her trembling body in a hug, she was finally allowing her tears to flow freely. 

Valentin closed his eyes and soft golden light left his palms, entering Mel’s head. 

My eyes met Maximus' expectant ones, he seemed to be holding his breath while waiting for Valentin’s reply. 

Valentin cleared his throat before he started speaking. His normally luminous eyes were somber. It wasn’t a good sign. 

* * 

If you want to know more about Victoria, read The Queen of Alphas, it's completed.