Taming Darkness

~Aleera-

My mind becomes utterly lost in the dream walk with my mates. The experience is so vivid and tangible that I feel as though I could simply reach out and touch them, to share the euphoria that vibrates through their beings. Emotions swell and consume me until I sense the ground trembling beneath my feet, the walls cracking around me. Fissures shoot up them and create openings to the adjacent cells. Although they aren't big enough for me to pass through, I can see my terrified neighbor through them. As I look up at the ceiling, dust sprinkles over me, and my eyes dart to the other Fae locked in their cells.

The power of my mates flares through the bond, my infinity mark glowing brilliantly, burning against my skin-they are coming for me. The tremors grow violent, murmurs and panicked cries echo as the Harmony-Fae fear that the roof will cave in. Now or never, so now it is. The time for my mother to maintain the upper hand-or even to delude herself into thinking she still has it-is officially over. I refuse to let her use me for her schemes or risk my unborn child's life during the process. This twisted game of hers is over; I'm ending it.

Due to Porter's grief, he didn't bother tying me up again, so escaping wasn't difficult. In fact, it's almost too easy. Disabling the cell's locks is as simple as sending surges of electric current through them. My neighbor jerks to attention, watching me with wide, astonished eyes. I'm determined to free all the Harmony-Fae from this hellish prison. The time for waiting has passed.

With more power channeled into the cell door, the surge travels not just to my cell but up and down the entire row. The moment each lock clicks open, the digital panels controlling the collars that once disabled their magic explode and clatter to the ground. Alarms blare as every single door slides open. One by one, the Harmony-Fae tentatively step out of their cells, uncertainty etched on their pale faces as if they can't believe that their nightmare is finally drawing to a close. They glance towards me, or so I think until a stampede of footsteps rushes our way.

The stench that precedes them tells me what we're dealing with long before their hideous, zombie-like faces appear. My mother's power-hungry soldiers, the ones she used before, are preparing to mob us. If only she knew that her little trick won't work on me or the rest of the Harmony-Fae, who are bracing themselves for the battle that looms.

The first wave of power hunters stumbles towards me, and I can't help but smirk as fire dances on my fingertips before I hurl it at their chests. The flames burn so hot that they're blinding, the scorching inferno spreading from one monster to the next, setting an entire squad ablaze.

I am certain that my mother is lurking somewhere behind these brutes, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Knowing her twisted mind, she probably assumes that they can subdue me, and she can swoop in to pick up the pieces before they finish me off. My wings ripple along my back, and though there isn't enough room to spread them, I urge them to manifest. Feathers appear with a mere thought, and reaching back, I pluck them off. I hurl them like daggers, determined to cut down their numbers and draw my mother out of her hiding place. The entire place will be reduced to ashes, as will her network of power hunters.

The battle I'm waging seems to have inspired the Harmony-Fae around me. Wisps of power flood the hall as fireballs slam into more of the zombie power hunters, setting them alight. Lightning cracks through the air, bolts piercing the heads of the brainless soldiers. The wind whistles around me as a group of hunters gather together, only to be consumed by another fireball.

The Harmony-Fae appear to be fighting back with newfound hope. Even after years of t*****e, they remain a formidable force-no longer confined to their cells, their power no longer stifled by the shackles around their necks.

They rally together, throwing their attacks with increasing enthusiasm as they witness the zombies falling one after another. I need to reach my so-called mother before the cunning woman slips away in the midst of the chaos.

All of these lies, death, and destruction started with her, and I am determined to make sure they end with her as well. Under no circumstances will she escape this time. I will use all my power to ensure she doesn't slink off into the shadows to continue plotting our downfall, all for the sake of her insatiable greed and relentless pursuit of power.

This ends today.

The hunters fall to my razor-sharp wings, the feathers slicing through their bodies as easily as a hot knife through butter, causing devastating damage. I clear a path in the direction I see my mother retreating. Reaching the stairs, I hurry to the next level, finally having enough room to move with ease.

Turning a corner, I freeze when I come across an area full of science labs. Porter lies on the ground in a lab coat, surrounded by vials, trying to stem his bleeding. At first glance, I assumed he was dead since he didn't move quickly. His sharp exhalation stops me in my tracks as I step around him. Looking down, his hand reaches for my foot. Blood spills from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

"Wait," he gasps, his voice trembling. "I know I don't deserve your kindness or your pity, but what I've done..." He trails off and shudders, coughing up a dark red, almost black blood clot that reeks of chemicals. "You were right. It was all Lydia. She started the virus and mutated it into a plague. She created the first plague with your father. Here, take these. It's all the proof you'll need for the council."

I drop my gaze to see what he's clutching so tightly-two vials in his shaking hand. Crouching down next to him, I gently take them and turn them around to examine them. My brows furrowed in disbelief. This... can't be real. But there, in bold writing, one is labeled with the name of the first plague, and the second one has... my name on it? It's evident that this isn't from the spinal fluid sample.