Chapter 38: In the Presence of the King

KOL

Levi transported the weak and wounded back to the castle.

He was needed there to help with the questioning, to make sure that all the rogues had been held against their will and were not pretending in order to gain closer access to Gia or Raphael.

So, the rest of us had to travel on foot back to the castle.

Surprisingly, we weren’t as far away as we had originally thought, a day and a night at best, provided we didn’t run into any complications along the way.

Frieda had sent a tonic back with Levi for us to use if Merrida woke, but so far we hadn’t had to use it. We tied her to the sleigh, and four of the rogues volunteered to pull it.

We all decided to shift into our wolf forms, as it would give us an advantage if we came into any trouble along the way. Our heightened senses would give us a head start.

Diego came to a stop, and I recognized where we were right away. We were on the border of my pack. I signaled for everyone to go ahead and cross.

As I’d expected, we were met with my patrol. Diego and I crossed without issues; the rogues, however, received some warning growls from my guards.

I growled in response, signaling they were welcome to cross. A bow of the head from my guards allowed the rogues to cross, and we were free, running.

We had to make it to the castle before Merrida came back from limbo.

Even with the tonic, Diego wasn’t a strong enough witch to take her on, only knowing healing spells and spells that would help him in combat.

That, and I couldn’t wait to see Gia again, hoping that she would be back in my arms soon.

Just as we got to the grounds of the castle, we came face to face with an almighty black wolf, easily twice the size of Diego. He had gray on the muzzle and piercing green eyes. I knew who this was.

Raphael, the king. I had never seen him in wolf form before. His aura was strong in human form, but as a wolf, his presence was more commanding, towering over us, almost the size of a bear.

We bowed our heads in a show of respect to our leader, which he returned before turning on his heel and leading us farther into the grounds away from the castle.

I looked at Diego curiously, and he motioned for us to follow. We were led to a firepit a little to the left of the castle, about a half of a mile into the woods.

As we got closer, I could make out two figures standing there. Diego sniffed the air and took off running. I ran to catch up with him and saw Frieda and Liv standing by the pit.

Liv turned around and squealed. “DIEGO! OH MY GOD!” Not even stopping to shift, he lunged at her, shifting midair, grabbing her into a hug as he came to a stop.

“I’ve missed you so much, baby.”

Liv burst into tears. “I missed you too. I can’t believe you’re really here.” He patted her head and pulled her closer.

Frieda walked toward the rest of us calmly and pointed to turn benches. “I’ve set aside some clothes for you all. We will need you in human form for what’s next.”

We shifted back and threw on some clothes. Diego dressed one-handed, not letting Liv go. As happy as I was for them, my heart twinged with jealously because I didn’t have Gia; she wasn’t there.

“So what happens now?” I asked Frieda.

Raphael appeared from the trees, still in his wolf form. She just smiled at him. “Now I begin banishing her like I did when Diego was born years ago, and this time, I’m burning her body so she cannot return.”

She looked around at the rogues standing behind me and frowned slightly.

“I understand some of you are eager to return to your families, and I can assure you my husband will do all he can to see you are welcome in your packs.

“For now, though, I ask that you stay here and provide protection for my family should this all go to shit.”

I laughed at everyone’s shocked expressions at her swearing. “Anything you need, Frieda; you know that.”

She titled her head at me, smiling slightly. “Let us begin, then.”

After constant chanting from Frieda for what felt like hours, she opened her eyes and poured some green liquid over Merrida.

“This will banish her into the realm of death. If she has indeed controlled where Gia is in limbo, this should give her the option to return.”

I felt my throat go dry. “Should?” I croaked out.

She nodded grimly.

“Unfortunately, magic doesn’t always work the way we want it to. If Gia isn’t strong enough, she won’t make it back through the doorway. Her soul will be shredded, and she will pass on into death.”

I felt my knees go weak and fell onto a nearby bench. “Kol, Gia is strong; we all know that! She’s gonna be okay! She has to be.” Liv trailed off into a whisper.

I just nodded and looked up at Frieda pouring more liquid onto Merrida and chanting again. I closed my eyes and thought of my Gia.

~Come on, G.~

~Come back to me.~

~Don’t give up on me now.~

I heard a snap of fingers and opened my eyes in time to see Merrida’s body go up in flames. “It is done,” Frieda announced. “Gia will have a window to return. Let us pray.”

We all bowed our heads, praying internally that she would come back. The ground beneath us started to rumble, and we looked at each other, startled

BOOM.

A shock wave rippled across the forest, coming from the castle. We all stared at each other before coming to our senses.

“Gia,” I whispered and bolted toward the castle. I heard the others behind me, not even looking over my shoulders to see who had followed.

I burst through the doors of the castle and took the stairs two at a time to get to her room. The hall to her room felt like it was going on forever.

Splintering the door off its hinges, I tore into her room and looked around frantically for her.

Diego and Liv burst in behind me, breathless, closely followed by Frieda and Raphael, who was hopping into some pants.

My eyes scanned the room, noticing that her bed was empty. “Where is she?” I whispered. “SHE’S NOT HERE! WHERE IS SHE??” I screamed at Liv.

She just shook her head. “I don’t know, Kol. She was here when I left, I swear.”

I growled, advancing on her, my eyes glowing red.

Diego stepped between us. “Easy, brother. I’m sure there’s an explanation for all this! Mom?”

We looked at Frieda, who just looked dumbfounded and shook her head, her eyes darting to the floor.

I let out a frustrated howl and threw a chest of drawers across the room.

“WHERE IS SHE??” I roared, throwing a wardrobe. A gasp and a whimper behind me had me turning, and my eyes widened, my breath leaving my body in one sharp exhale.

“I’m here, Kol.”