Page 114 of The Bones of the Cursed

By sundown the following day, we are slowly moving along the dangerous slopes of the Sinwood Mountains. Howls in the distance make my skin pimple, reminding me of that fateful day in the Golden Vale. Alanis taking on the Amorak to save my life. I wouldn’t be here without her. None of us would be. Now it’s our job to save her.

That night I finally crash, sleep overtaking my body and my brain. Sweet dreams find me, ones where Alanis is there.

“Mal, what are you doing here?”

I look at her, mesmerized by her beauty. I reach out and brush my fingers down her cheeks. Gods, she feels real. What I wouldn’t give to hold her in my arms again.

“Mal, you can’t be here. It’s dangerous. Leave me.Do notcome for me.”

Her determined voice brings me back to my senses. I’m in a room I don’t recognize. Vials of unidentifiable liquids surround what looks to be an operating table. My dream-self feels nauseous. There on the table lays a human woman. Alive, but barely.

“Alanis, what is happening?”

She gives me a sad smile. “Iclas was one step ahead. They plan to put me into this poor human. They’ll only keep her alive until the spell can be finished and allow Iclas to break his curse and let evil free. You can’t come here to save me.”

I scoff. “I am not leaving you. I’ll be there in a day’s time. Iwill get you back to your body and we will have all the time in the world together, you and me and Kailu.”

“It’s too dangerous. These witches are insane and powerful. They can wipe you all out in an instant. Curse you and make you suffer to die slowly. Please, please don’t come.”

I smile at her. “That might be true, but they don’t have a Witch covenandthe Gods and Goddesses on their side. Let alone a pissed-off dragon.”

Her mouth gapes open, a spark of hope flaring in her sad eyes.

“I’m coming for you, firecracker.”

I wake up with a start. The mating bond must have somehow sent me to her, our souls connecting in my sleep. The bond never fully severed because she didn’t die that day, not her soul. They already have a body to put her in. We are running out of time.

I hurry, informing my father and the deities of what happened in my dream. The Gods and Goddesses look shocked at this new revelation.

“It has been millennia since a mating bond was strong enough for the souls to connect even when one was lost,” Ryta says with wonder in her voice.

“That means it is a bond that we must honor above all others,” Ames says. “It is a bond strong enough to lead this world for centuries. I think it’s time we called upon the Fates.”

“Wait just a damn minute,” I snap. “We can summon the Fates? Why the hell didn’t we do that forever ago?”

“You can’t, but we can,” Ames says. “We didn’t do it before because the Fates only respond when they feel it is warranted. If you summon them without just cause, they will smite you and everyone you love. You think us Hell Gods are bad? You don’twant to see a furious Fate.”

The Gods stand in a circle, speaking in ancient tongues and offering blood while the Goddesses kneel in prayer. I wait, silence surrounding us.

“Why is nothing happening?” Impatience drips from every word I speak. Alanis is running out of time. And then a blast of wind blows everyone off their feet.

The dust settles, revealing three women dressed in white robes, long golden hair cascading over their shoulders. Their faces are so perfect they look almost like they’re made of marble. Each has matching golden eyes.

“Why have we been summoned here, God of Hell?” the one in the center asks.

Ames clears his throat as he gets to his feet and dusts himself off. “We have questions regarding Alanis Bowman, daughter of Odessa Grim and Viros, God of Magic and the Land.”

The Fate in the middle clucks her tongue in boredom. “Ah, yes. The Witch the prophecy discussed. What about her?”

I stand up, determined to get the Fates on our side. “She fulfilled the prophecy.”

The Fate smiles and claps her hands. “How wonderful. Now your world is free. You are her mate, are you not? I can smell the bond. Where is her other mate?”

I rear back, shock and euphoria flooding my system. Oh, how I wish Kailu was here to actually hear the confirmation that his theory was true. I can’t wait to tell him, to see the joy on his face. “Currently on his way to retrieve a traitor who used Alanis for Iclas’s gain. What I want to know is why give her any mate at all if you just meant for her to die?”

The Fate closest to me answers. “It is a blessed thing to have such a strong mating bond. We did not rip her from this world. Did you not say you fulfilled the prophecy?”

I glance to the deities and find them looking just asconfused as I feel. “We did. The Witches came together, causing the crescent moon to rise which released their full power, unleashing my dragon. Blood was spilled. We lost many souls in the battle.”

---