Broken Souls

Kay’s POV

Four days. That’s all it takes to have everything ready to move to the mountain. Honestly, don’t know many of the details of the battle plans; I just know what Grandma and I need to do. I have to find Seth in the void as well as in life and make them one again. That still sounds so strange to me. I have to be in the void to free Seth’s soul from Hadeon while Grandma hopefully can help me in this world. It sounds like madness,

I try not to talk to Aaron about it because he hates all of it. At least now he’s not just growling and pacing trying to tell me I shouldn’t be doing any of this. I understand his fear; I’m just as scared that something could happen to him. I just want this to be over. I’m doing everything I can to try and calm my nerves when I feel Aaron through or bond.

“It’s going to work. I know you can do this.” His words shock me a little at first, but they do help calm me down.

As we move up the mountain, I know the witches and fae are there waiting for us and providing cover as we head up. Thousands of wolves climbing the side of a mountain is quite the sight, but Grandma says we won’t be seen by anyone until we get there. I can see the magic swirling through the air, but it’s strange. I can’t feel Hadeon yet. I also don’t have the feeling of foreboding that I have had every other time he was after me, so I have to believe Grandma’s words that he is unaware of us. This place does feel like the woods around Seth’s pack lands. It feels like nothing could live and thrive here. The trees look normal, but they don’t feel alive. They are just there. Everything is like that. You can’t hear any animals; you can’t feel any life; it almost feels like being in the void.

I glance at Aaron as our group slows to a walk slipping in and out of trees. Oriel spears on ahead, and I see Michael stop. Grandma slips off his back. I almost died of laughter when Grandma informed him that she would be coming and needed a ride. The look of horror on his face was priceless. Poor Michael didn’t even get the chance to argue before Aaron slapped him on the back.

He turned to Grandma and said: “Great you got your ride then.” Aaron then promptly left with Michael looking at him his mouth hanging open.

“Kay, I need you come on dear. We should start looking for him. The castle is close now.” Grandma murmurs in the still air. The breeze is even dead here. All the humor leaves me at once as I meet Grandma behind a tree, so I can get dressed. I can feel Aaron watching me as I walk to Grandma. I get dressed and walk out from behind the tree. Before I can go with her, I’m wrapped in a nearly crushing embrace and the familiar scent of cedar. I feel warm and calm for that moment as I hold him just as tight.

“This will be over soon. I love you,” he whispers in my ear. Looking into his warm eyes, I kiss him softly.

“I love you.” As soon as he lets go, Grandma has my hand.

“Come on dear. Let’s get this started.”

We walk through the trees, and a small group of witches meet us as forming a circle around us.

“Are you ready Kay?” Grandma asks.

“Yes. Are you ready?”

“Yes. Time to end this,” Grandma says giving me a small warm smile.

The other witches are in the circle to protect us. A few wolves weave in and out of trees as well. Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, I feel Grandma with me as we both slip into the warmth of the void. The blank nothing seems to stretch on forever. I know that Aaron and the others will soon be approaching the castle, but I try to keep my thought clear of them and focus on finding Seth. I can’t feel or sense anyone other than Grandma and Diana with me. I’m beginning to fear we won’t find him. Then, the white fog begins to burn off like the times before.

I can feel my feet on the ground and Diana’s warmth at my side, but I don’t see Grandma. I start to look for her when I see the most beautiful woman. She’s a little taller than me with long golden blonde hair that shines in the sun light. She looks like a goddess.

“Hello, dear,” she says, and her gray blue eyes dance with amusement.

“Willow?” I murmur as I manage to make my voice work.

“It’s me. I promise. Here it seems I get to be who I was before I lost my power. Without my power, I grew old like everyone does. Well, I aged much slower, but still. Most witches never age at all if they don’t wish to. Come. Let’s find Seth. I’m being told everyone is ready. The battle is about to begin.”

As we move forward into this unfamiliar place, I begin to realize we are walking through the wood on the mountain. When the castle comes into view, my breath catches. It looks just like a fairy tale: this shining beautiful castle. The gray stones are so light in color they nearly look white in the sunlight. I’m left wondering how something so beautiful can be the place that Hadeon resides in.

“I know what it looks like. It was beautiful, but that is just a lie to hide behind.” Willow looks at the castle in disgust as she marches forwarded. We know we can’t sneak in, and Diana’s soft growls tell me we have been found out. The air shifts from bight and warm to dark and cold in an instant. He knows we are here.

“HADEON!” Willow screams as the air begins to buzz.

“Kay, go now. Find Seth. He’ll be in there somewhere. Hadeon and I need to have a chat for a moment,” Willow says shooting me a wink.

Diana and I make our way through the trees to the open castle door. I can see a small figure of a girl peek out of the door before taking off into the castle. I make it to the door just in time to see Willow’s lean figure swirled in black shadows.

“What, don’t you want to talk to me my love?” I hear her say as Diana and I slip into the door.

“How am I going to find Seth, Diana?” I whisper as she continues to growl low.

“Maybe I can help,” a small voice says behind me making me jump and spin around as Diana snaps her teeth. The small blonde girl jumps back from us and nearly runs off.

“Wait! I’m sorry. Please come back.” Her little face holds fear and her large blue eyes brim with tears.

“I’m sorry we scared you. I’m Kay, and this is Diana.” I try and soothe her.

“I know who you are. Daddy is mad at you. He says you were a mistake. But I like you, and I want to help you. You brought Mommy back here,” the small child says. Her face becomes brighter.

“Come on. We should hurry before Daddy knows you are in here. He keeps us all here. So, Seth should be here somewhere. It’s sad. Daddy won’t let mister Seth be with his family. That’s all he wants, and he cries a lot about it. I don’t think I have ever seen someone cry like he does.”

I’m in shock hearing this child, that can’t be more than six, talk like it’s the most normal conversation. She’s Willow’s daughter, well the soul of Willow’s daughter. How many does he have trapped here?

“Serena, how many people are here?” I just feel like I need to know.

“Oh, I don’t know. Lots, but most can’t leave the room they are stuck in. Daddy doesn’t know that I learned how to get out of mine,” she says smiling brightly at me. Suddenly, her smile fades.

“Oh no, you need to run Kay. He knows! Run Kay!” Serena gasps as she takes off up the stairs, and I take off after her. The air is buzzing and cold as Diana and I run after the small child. She flings a door open, and we rush in after her. As she slams it shut, a pink glow comes from her tiny hands.

“That won’t hold long.” Serena huffs turning to look at me. “You know Daddy will be very happy with me. He said if I was a good girl, I could play with you. Maybe I can even have your soul to play with forever. My other playmates have gotten so boring,” Serena says her sweet face now changed with the dark grin spreading across her face. It takes me too long to realize that Haedon’s child is as twisted as he is. I shouldn’t have trusted what I thought I saw.

“Serena, you don’t want to do this. Please let me out of here, so I can help you. I want to save you.” I try and reason with the child.

“No. No one can save me. Mommy left me here, and Daddy loves me. No one else,” she shrieks glowing brighter and turning dark all at the same time.

I can feel her in my head just like Hadeon. She’d trying to take me over and cloud my head. Diana rushes at the child but is flung to the wall quickly. Diana goes to get up. Before she can, the darkness surrounds her squeezing her.

I do the only thing I can think of and reach out with my mind to find little Serena’s brokenness.

“Serena, you need to stop. You need to let us go. Your mommy loves you. She told me so. Losing you was the day she lost everything. You should go and see her. I know she wants to see you.” I can feel all the cold broken pieces in her, and I wonder how I didn’t feel it before. I was so caught up in her sweet face and innocence that I missed how broken she is. I start fitting pieces together when I’m hit with the blast of energy that knocks me to the ground.

“No! You stop that. No one loves me but Daddy!” she screams louder but sounds less sure of herself.

“You don’t really believe that. I care about you, and I want to help you,” I say as quickly as I can trying to fix what I can before she lets her daddy into the room.

“No! You are a liar. Daddy said you are a bad girl and not to listen to you.” Serena starts to cry as I get up from the floor moving slowly to her.

“I just want to help you. Please let me let me help you find your mommy again. I know she wants to see you.” I keep talking as the small girl crumples to her knees.

“But mommy left me. Why did she leave me here with daddy then?” She asks as I feel the last of her power let me go. She seems like she did before: a sweet and innocent girl.

“She didn’t leave you. He took you from her. She couldn’t get to you,” I answer kneeling in front of her.

“He took me?” She asks sounding a little confused.

“I remember now. I forgot before. Oh, I’m sorry.” Serena cries flinging her tiny arms around my neck. I hear Diana huff air behind me. I know she’s annoyed at all of this.

“We need to find Seth now, and I need to get him back to his body. Do you know where he is Serena?” I ask pulling the child off my neck gently.

“Oh yes. I wasn’t lying about that. I know where he is, but I can’t go. I have to find mommy. Just go up the stairs. You’ll find him at the top,” she says getting up and running from the room.

When I get back to the hall, the stairs leading up are easy to find.

“Well, let’s hope this works. We just have to get to Seth and get him to Willow outside. That should be easy, right?” I ask looking at Diana as she huffs at me again. I swear she even rolls her eyes at me.