Page 20 of What Lies Beyond the Realms

“Remember what I’m doing tonight is for all of you. For your future,” he says.

I watch in horror as Aidan’s face twists and contorts. His jaw cracks and elongates, his lips curling back to reveal razor-sharp teeth. His mouth froths and drips as he snarls in rage. His clothes tear away as a dense coat of scruffy white fur slowly covers his once-human form. I am filled with disgust as I witness his limbs snap and rearrange, becoming more beast-like with each passing moment. His eyes burn with a supernatural blue light, but there’s a hollowness in them, a lifelessness that betrays his evil and deranged nature. I compare him to Rhett, who embodies grace and power as a wolf, but Aidan is nothing like him. Aidan is a monster, the monster that violated me, the monster that my mother foolishly trusted with a deal.

I don’t realize I’m trying to get up until I feel the Sorceress's hands tighten on my shoulders. The dread in my chest is suffocating. I can’t calm my racing heart, and I need to move. Aidan walks a slow circle around the three chairs in front of me. Each paw hits the stage heavy with purpose. My heart beats faster against my chest, and my pulse echoes in my ears. For too long that’s all I hear—Aidan’s slow steps and my racing heartbeat. I don’t think anyone knows what the hell is happening. The audience is quiet except for a few little murmurs I can’t make out. He jumps up, placing his front two paws on top of Dawn’s lap. He digs his nails in, and I see little drops of blood pool around his paws and slowly drip onto the wood below. Everyone is hushed, and I swear I hear drops of blood hit the stage. His paws flex, and I think he’s going to jump off of her, but instead his maw opens wide and thick, and his sharp teeth sink into Dawn’s throat, blood misting across his white fur. It’s silent. Just the complete, utter silence of stunned shock. Then a gurgling noise escapes Dawn. Someone in the crowd screams. I focus on Dawn and her eyes, which want to say something, but Aidan’s jaw clamps down. With that one bite, he almost severs her head completely. It falls to the side, dangling at a terrible angle as her lifeless eyes stare into an invisible abyss. Her last words never take form.

Roars break out in the crowd. My vision falters. I hear commotion to my right, but everything is happening too fast. Aidan does the same thing to Yuri, only Yuri is a lot larger than Dawn, and Aidan’s bite only severs part of his neck. He’s still alive, convulsing and making a wet gurgling sound as blood sprays out onto the stage and into the crowd, which is full of his family and friends. Aidan’s white fur is now drenched with blood dripping down his chest. The metallic smell fills my nose. I lean forward and vomit on my feet before the Sorceress hauls me back in place, lifting my head to the horrific scene unfolding before me. Why is no one stopping him? There’s commotion in the crowd, but no one takes the stage. I try to form the words. I try to yell out for someone to help, but the drugs are drowning me inside. I know if Aidan made the order, then everyone is powerless against him. I scream out again, but I don’t know if the sound actually leaves my mouth or not.

My eyes find Luke. Luke looks so young, innocent, and absolutely terrified. Intense fear tears into my chest. I don’t realize I’m screaming until the Sorceress places her hand over my mouth. There are tears streaming down Luke’s face, and I start to wobble my chair side to side. It’s all my body can do to move. I bite down on the old woman’s hand, and she slaps me hard, sending stars shooting through my vision. Luke is watching Aidan approach him. I know there’s nothing I can do to save him.

“Luke, look at me.” His eyes dart to me. “I’m here. I’m with you. Just look at me.” Aidan jumps up and bites Luke’s throat. I hold his gaze as his head falls to the side and the life leaves his eyes.

I sob, and my body shakes violently. The Sorceress is gone, and I try to stand but fall out of my chair onto my side. My face hits the stage hard, and I almost black out from the impact. I see the Sorceress place a glass next to Dawn's severed head, filling it with her blood. She does the same to Yuri and Luke. I can’t hear anything, and I know my body is in shock and trying to recover from whatever drugs I was given. I’m clawing at the wood with my arms and pushing with my legs, trying to make my way across the stage like a fish out of water. I want to get away from this horrific scene, but everything seems to be happening in slow motion. I can’t get my body to move fast enough.

Aidan is back in his human form, and I feel a fleeting sense of relief. But as he pulls me into his lap and cradles me like a baby, my heart sinks. I try to fight him off, but my limbs are like jelly, and I’m powerless to resist. He runs his hands through my hair, and I can feel the terror building inside me.

Suddenly, the Sorceress appears in front of me, and I know that things are about to get much worse. She grabs my jaw with her withered hand, and I can feel her rough fingers against my skin. I try to pull away, but it’s useless. She motions to pour the glass of blood into my mouth, and I feel a surge of panic. This is Luke’s blood spilling down on me. I can’t breathe, and the metallic taste is overwhelming.

I try to turn my head and spit in her face, but she slaps me hard, and my vision goes spotted. I’m choking on warm blood, and I can’t take it anymore. She pours the whole fucking glass down my throat while speaking in a language I don’t understand. I feel like I’m going to die. My throat is on fire, and I can’t breathe. I need air, but there’s none to be found.

The Sorceress finally removes the empty glass from my face, and I try to suck in a breath. But before I can, she leans into my face and puts her mouth to mine. The smell of rot fills me, and I can feel my stomach turning. And then…blackness.

Chapter Eleven

Something’s burning! I choke on the thick smoke that fills the air. Panic sets in as I frantically search for an escape from the raging inferno. Dropping to the ground, I extend my arms, grasping at the muddy earth and pushing with my legs to propel myself forward. My vision is obscured by a shower of blood that rains down from the trees, coating my face and blinding me. I pause to wipe my eyes, and just as I do a hand grabs me, pulling me violently. I react out of instinct, kicking and flailing, panicked by the sudden touch. I am relieved to see a hooded woman holding my arm. Her face is shadowed, but I can see that her hands are wrinkled and weathered with age.

“You must choose, Lyra.” Her voice sounds desperate and demanding.

“Choose what? I don’t understand?” I cough, choking on the smoke. “Please, tell me what you mean.” Panic fills my voice.

“You are the key; you have all the power. You just need to unlock it,” she says quietly.

“The key to what? I don’t have any powers.”

“You’re running out of time. Choose or it will be decided for you, and you will destroy us all.”

* * *

My head bounces against something hard, and I wake up to find I’m in the back of a carriage. Aidan is next to me, and it appears to be daytime. Outside the window I can see the ground covered in snow.

“What’s going on? Where are we? My head is killing me.” I look over at Aidan, squinting because it’s too bright. He pulls the window curtain up, blocking out the winter sunlight, and I blink a couple times while trying to focus my vision.

“Finally, you’re awake, Cheeks. You’ve been out for two days. We should be arriving back at your castle by nightfall.”

Suddenly, it all comes slamming into me like a storm in summer, and I remember the festival. I remember Luke’s eyes, the look he gave me when Aidan bit into his throat and his life faded away. My eyes swell with tears, and my stomach turns sour. Nausea creeps up my throat. I turn to Aidan.

“You,” I practically spit at him. Vengeance hangs heavy in my voice. I’m sobbing, and I start hitting him hard in the chest with both hands. “You killed them. You killed Luke. How could you?” I swing my fist at his chest and face. He grabs my hands and pulls me close to him.

“Lyra, stop. Calm down, and I’ll explain everything to you.” His voice is stern, and his grip on me is tight. I don’t want him anywhere near me, let alone touching me. I try to pull free, but he’s much stronger than I am. It takes me a couple minutes to focus and slow my breathing. I’ll kill Aidan if it’s the last thing I ever do. I’ll kill this man for what he did. In the meantime, I need to get it together and hear what he has to say. I’ll be home soon, and I can plot my vengeance there. Breathe. Once the tears stop running down my face and my body stops shaking, Aidan releases me. I slide away from him to the other end of the carriage bench.

“I had to do what I did. Do you think I enjoy killing my own kind?”

“No one has to do anything. You had a choice. You always have a choice, and you killed them.”

“I had no choice. Maybe one day you’ll understand that to be the truth.”

“My parents are going to have you killed when I tell them what you did.”

“I’m sorry, Lyra dear. I don’t think you remember the entirety of the night, but I was only executing your parents’ wishes.” My blood boils at his smirk, and I can feel the strain behind my eyes. I clench my fists at my sides.