Calliope [Book 2]

“I don’t believe you,” Mido growled to the witch queen, standing above Calliope’s body. “You didn’t try everything. You’re the fucking queen of witches.”

“Mido, I don’t know what else I can do. She knew this could happen when she agreed to trade her immortality.”

“Try something else,” Mido shouted at her. “You can’t give up on her.”

“I don’t know what else I can do,” the witch queen said with a sob.

“Fix her, damn it. She gave her life for you.” Mido turned away. “I shouldn’t have let her do this.”

“What’s done is done,” Queen Ryenna said, steadying her voice. “She’s gone.”

“No,” Mido muttered. “She’s not. She can’t be. I know she’s not. She fights through everything.”

“Mido,” Ian said quietly.

“No, no, no.” He fell to his knees once more and let his hand caress her face. “Come on, Calli, I know you’re there,” he whispered to her. “You’re not gone. Don’t play these games with me.”

Calliope’s body remained still and quiet.

“Where are you, Calli?”

Queen Ryenna scoured her mind as she watched the man who was in love with the witch. Her heart ached for him as she recalled a far away memory of the mortal she once herself loved. There had to be something she could do, something she missed. Anything.

She thought back to the battle just before the witch attacked Calliope. There had to be some clue. Was it possible that Calliope summoned black magic, just before the witch struck? It couldn’t be possible; her body remained in their world.

She had not known of any witches who had died in The Land of the Shadows. She didn’t think it possible, except if they were beheaded or burned. But, if there were a way to burn a witch, it could be possible for their spirit to remain trapped in that void. Was there a possibility that Calliope’s spirit was there? Perhaps if she could reunite the spirit to the body, Calliope would have a chance.

But, if she had used black magic and her spirit wandered aimlessly in that dark land, how would she bring the spirit back into their world? There had to be a way.

“The Land of the Shadows,” Queen Ryenna mumbled.

Mido looked up and met her gaze.

“There’s a chance Calliope used black magic. Her spirit could be stuck there.”

“How?” Mido asked.

Queen Ryenna shook her head. “It’s very complicated, especially when it involves someone like Calliope. But, there’s a chance that her spirit is there. Perhaps, if we can reunite her spirit to her body...”

“How do I do it?” Mido asked quickly.

“I don’t know. If this is possible, you won’t have a lot of time. A body cannot be without the spirit for too long. I doubt you could find it in time.”

“I’ll find it.”

“It’s a huge risk, Mido. The risks of before remain; you could be killed. Two of the witches have been returned to that world. If they by chance find you, I can assure you you will not live.”

“I will die if it means bringing her back.”

Queen Ryenna hesitated. “I don’t know...”

“Tell me what to do,” Mido demanded.

“If you’re lucky, Calliope’s spirit will remain where her body was. I could get you there no problem. But, again, that’s if you’re lucky. I wouldn’t be surprised if her spirit moved on in some desperate attempt to be with you.”

“How do I bring it back?” Mido pressed.

“I don’t know,” the queen said slowly. “It’s not like before – you can’t speak to it or will it to lose it’s bond to that world.”

“I’ll find a way,” Mido said, determined. “Bring me there now.”

“Mido, this is suicide,” Ian said.

Mido met his gaze. “I know.”

“Don’t do this,” Ian pleaded with him.

“I have to try. I promised her.”

“Mido-”

“If I die, I die, and at least then I can be with her.”

“This is ridiculous.” Ian’s eyes searched his friend frantically.

“Let him go.” Jon’s voice said, just over a whisper. “Bring her back.”

Mido went rigid at the sound of Jon’s voice. He cursed under his breath. He shouldn’t have been there. He wanted to protect him from more death, but it was too late now. He was suddenly overwhelmed and exhausted trying to protect everyone, and he couldn’t even do that.

“Jon.” Mido’s voice shook.

“Just bring her back,” Jon said.

Mido couldn’t dare to look at the kid in his presence. He turned to the witch queen. “Bring me there.”

Queen Ryenna hesitated, then nodded. “We have no time to waste. You need to get in and out quickly.”

“Hold down the fort, Ian,” Mido instructed Ian, and with a flash, they were gone.

#

Mido found himself back in Re’iam. He and Queen Ryenna hurried through the battlefield where Calliope had fallen. Mido waited as she began the enchantment and just as before, he found himself back into The Land of the Shadows. The familiar white, foggy land surrounded him in an eerie silence. Mido spun around quickly, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He ran this way and that, his heart racing, desperate for a sign of Calliope’s spirit. He attempted to search the battlefield, quickly disorienting himself in the void.

He called for her. He shouted her name. He turned and found the shadow belonging to the witch queen, back where he started. He grew panicked and desperate and suddenly claustrophobic. He spun around and around, running and running, until his head spun and he fell to his knees.

A quiet cry caught his attention. He looked around, searching for the sound. He heard it again, closer this time. His name; something called his name. His heart flipped in his chest as he continued to follow the sound. He slowed as he came across a small, glowing golden orb. He got to his knees and cradled the orb in his hands. It had to be Calliope’s spirit.

Mido peered into the orb as it hovered in his palms. Swirls of golden color circled and twisted inside the orb, faster as he brought it closer to him. It reacted as he moved it closer and further to him, as if it recognized his presence. Calliope’s voice rang through his ears. He got to his feet slowly, keeping the orb close to his chest. It pulsed and spun quicker and quicker.

“You in there, Calli?” he whispered to the little orb. It hovered in his hand, pulsing violently and spinning rapidly until it launched out of his hands. Mido chased the orb, desperate not to let it get away. He followed the orb through the white world until it slowed once more and hovered in place. He put his hands under the orb once more, pulling it close to him.

“Don’t you play these games, Calli,” he said quietly. “We need to get you out of here.”

Mido searched the void and found Queen Ryenna’s blurred shadow in the distance. He approached the shadow, but the orb lurched out of his hands once more. Mido turned and chased it back to the same spot it stopped before, hovering just before him. Mido approached the orb slowly and watched as it pulsed calmly. He put his hands under the orb again and stood quietly as the orb spun and beat quickly. It appeared to grow in his hands. He backed away as it grew larger and larger, still pulsing and spinning.

Mido looked around nervously; there was no sign of any witches around. He began to grow nervous, not wanting to be stuck there any longer. As if reading his mind, a light shot out from the orb, followed by another and another until the white void was cast in a golden glow. Mido squinted in the bright light and shielded his eyes as the light grew stronger. When the world dimmed, he found himself back in Re’iam. Queen Ryenna hurried to him, shocked to see his safe return. Mido opened his palm, revealing the golden orb to her.

“Shit,” she murmured.

Mido looked to her, surprised to hear the word come out of her mouth. “What?” he asked.

“I’ve only heard stories of spirit orbs passed down from my ancestors. They seemed to only be stories, but it was said that all spirits, witches and humans alike, were round, clear orbs that danced along in the afterlife. Human mothers often explain to their children that the orbs dot their night sky, looking down and watching over their loved ones. But, there was only one legend of a golden spirit.”

“What does it mean?” Mido asked.

“My ancestors always talked about the golden spirit,” she continued. “They worshiped it. They often referred to it as “The Savior.” It was said that the golden spirit lived amongst the spirit world, since the dawn of time, waiting for the moment it was needed, and then it would make it’s home in a worthy body where it’s fate was determined to save the world.”

“Calliope is the golden spirit?”

Queen Ryenna nodded as she gazed into the orb. “Seems it. As queen, it was my duty to protect this spirit, should I ever be granted with it’s presence.”

Mido smiled at the little essence of Calliope hovering quietly in his hands. “Guess it’s a good thing I made you come and get it.”

The witch queen shook her head. “I should have seen this. I should have known Calliope’s true power. Of course she was the golden spirit. This changes so much.”

“Why?”

“The fact that you were able to bring it back is incredible. The Golden Spirit would never be in The Land of the Shadows. When it’s true purpose is finished, it returns to the afterlife to dance with the other spirits.”

“What does that mean?” Mido asked, growing nervous. “Her true purpose? She hasn’t been through enough?”

The witch queen shook her head. “We have no way to know what its purpose is or when it will fulfill it. Only the spirit knows. It doesn’t mean there will be another war.” She met Mido’s gaze. “Maybe it’s purpose is to bare you your proper heirs.”

Mido was quiet as his continued to stare at the orb, amazed and humbled in it’s presence. “She’s not just going to drop dead on me, is she?” he asked.

“No, I don’t think it works like that. Her fate is already written in stone, though we will never know what that is. You shouldn’t worry about it, Mido; her fate is no different than yours. You don’t know when you will finish with this world, and neither will she. There is more this world has to offer her. I suspect she will be around for quite a long time. She’s an incredible little creature.”

Queen Ryenna stood and beckoned to Mido. “Come. She may have more in store for her in this life, but her body will still die if we don’t get back quickly.”

In a blinding flash, the witch queen and the mortal king disappeared and found themselves in Asmar once more, just outside of the castle. Ian stood with Jon, Maria, King Sloan, and Prince Lucas on the stone steps, staring in awe as the two were transported before them, the little orb still safe in Mido’s palms.

Mido hurried carefully up the steps, his eyes fixed on the golden spirit. Ian watched as his friend brought the glowing orb into the castle. Queen Ryenna motioned for them to follow, and so they did. They followed Mido into the throne room where Calliope’s body lay. Mido knelt at Calliope’s side as the golden orb hovered over Calliope’s body. It pulsed and spun quickly as it recognized her body. Queen Ryenna hurried to Mido’s side, getting to her knees and inspecting the orb as it hovered over the body.

“What do we do now?” Mido asked as he watched the orb hover up and down the body.

Queen Ryenna lifted her hand over the body, following just above the orb as it traveled. She whispered a spell, encouraging the orb to find it’s way back into the body. The orb spun and pulsed faster and faster as the queen witch spoke to it. The air around them began to glow in a warm, golden light, brighter and brighter, forcing the mortals to cover their eyes. Queen Ryenna watched as the orb found it’s way into the body, landing lightly on her chest and melting through into it’s rightful home. The light subsided and Queen Ryenna grew quiet. All eyes were on Calliope, waiting anxiously.

Calliope’s chest heaved as fresh air entered her lungs. Her eyelids flew open, and before she had a chance to catch her breath, she found herself in Mido’s arms. Mido cried into her hair, soaking her face as she coughed and gasped. When she finally caught her breath and her breathing slowed, she let her body go limp as Mido pulled her into him. She let her head rest against his chest and let his arms wrap around her in a protective cocoon.

Mido pushed her away and examined her, making sure she was all there. Calliope smiled and laughed as Mido stared in amazement, kissing her face in every spot he could.

“Never again,” he whispered to her as he pulled her in once more. “You are to never leave the safety of my walls for as long as I live, do you understand?”

Calliope giggled and nodded as she struggled to see through her blurred vision. Mido got to his feet, carrying her in his arms, and spun her around. They were alone in their own world for a moment, finally safe and happy.

“Marry me,” Mido whispered.

“What?”

“Marry me now before I have to go through this again.”

“Right now?”

Mido shrugged. “We can wait. We’ll plan something big and extravagant.”

Calliope shook her head. “No, no, nothing big. Small. Small and cute.”

“Nothing a king does is small and cute,” Mido reminded her. “You’ll have to get used to that as my queen.”

Calliope blushed through her smile.

“So?”

“Yes, King Mido, I will be your queen.”

Mido pulled her in once more, kissing her forehead and spinning her around.

“Oh, stop hoggin’ ’er,” Maria’s voice said, bringing them back to reality. Mido put her down as Maria wrapped her into her own hug. His heart jumped in his chest in a brief moment of panic as she left the safety of his arms. They each took a turn welcoming Calliope back, hugs and kisses passed around. Calliope threw her arms around King Sloan’s neck and kissed Prince Lucas’s And Jon’s cheeks. They looked to her lovingly, thankful she was alive with them.

“Queen Calliope,” Ian commented. “I don’t know if I could get used to that.”

“Don’t you dare, Ian,” she scolded him. “None of that. No bowing. Nothing.”

Ian smiled as he wrapped his arms around her.

Queen Ryenna bowed to Calliope as Calliope turned to her. “I am humbled to be in your presence,” she said to Calliope. “You are fortunate to have people to care for you so much. I regret that I almost let a creature like you get away. I hope you can forgive me.”

Calliope looked to Mido, confused. “It is I that should be thanking you,” Calliope said. “You were able to bring me back.”

The witch queen shook her head. “You are a special being, Calliope. You are the legend that my ancestors have passed down for many, many years. It is not I who rule this world, but you, for we would not have survived if it weren’t for you.”

“I don’t understand,” she said, turning back to Mido. “What happened?”

“I’m sure Mido will explain,” Queen Ryenna said. “And now that my duty here is done, I need to return to my own grieving kingdom and help them rebuild their lives. I will share the story of yours, Calliope. And know that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe for as long as you live.” And with that, the witch queen vanished.