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Arric
Unable to contact Isla, I reached out to the only one I knew for certain could slip his bonds and come to my aid. The only one with the bravery and determination needed to break the circle as well as cause a big enough diversion to distract Erik. I focused my thoughts, making contact immediately. Then I waited.
I walked toward Kade as slowly as possible without arousing suspicion from Sindri. Keeping him out of my head was easy, but he wasn’t stupid. If he suspected for one instant that I wasn’t under his complete subjection, he could kill the women within seconds.
“Arric, don’t do this. Please, son,” Connall, begged as I approached.
“Arric Mann is dead,” Sindri called out. “Twice over, in fact. The Arric Mann you knew was nothing but a carbon copy of a dead man’s mind walking around in Ketill Feilan’s body. My apprentice has been re-born and fully himself once again.”
“You’ve turned him into a robot,” Connall shouted.
“Ketill is my obedient apprentice and will serve at the pleasure of the true king and queen,” Sindri replied.
“I know who he truly is, and I’m certain he would never harm us,” Kade said as I stood before him.
“We’ll see if you still feel the same while you’re burning alive at the stake,” Sindri replied.
I reached for Kade, and both Alasdair and Connall moved in to protect him. I swatted both away with a powerful backhand that sent them sailing high into the air, and landing on the ground several yards away. I grabbed Kade around the elbows, completely incapacitating his movements as I effortlessly lifted him off the ground. I ignored the pleas of the other men as I brought Erik’s prize to him, Kade groaning and struggling within my grip.
“Look at you now, my son,” Erik said. “How pathetic you are. If you were truly fated to be king, this day could not have come to pass. But Sindri’s visions have led us here just as he foretold. Now you will die, and your clan will become my slaves.”
“Even if I die by your hand,” Kade said with a groan. “The Cauld Ane will live on. We are bound to one another by love and by blood. A bond that will last throughout the ages. A bond that you, my father, will never be strong enough to break.”
“We’ll see who breaks,” Erik said, looking up at me. “Kill him.”
As Erik spoke these words, my four-legged reinforcement arrived, rounding the corner at top speed, making a bee line for the binding circle.
Hershey barreled across the line, stamping his hooves, snorting and breathing out heavily through his nose, causing the luminescent sand to disperse in a puff of brilliant smoke, freeing the women from their prison.
I locked eyes with Isla, for only a second, but that was all we needed.
Are you okay? Isla demanded.
Yeah, baby, I’m good. I decided not to expel the energy to create a world of wildflowers for us, but it didn’t make our reunion any less sweet. You ready to kick ass and take names?
Hell, yes.
I kissed her quickly, guiding us back to the present where Isla turned to the enemy with a hiss.
“Now,” she said. “Why don’t you let go of my uncle, so we can kick the living shite out of these arseholes?”
“Damn, I love you,” I said before breaking our connection and making a quick call to Andi.
Isla formed a fireball in her hands and hefted it toward Gillian.
She ducked, standing straight again with a sneer. “Nice move, Wandavision. That the best you got?”
Confident my woman had things under control, I released Kade and grabbed the sword from the ground. Sindri, now realizing I was no longer under his control, grabbed his staff and ran towards me. I ordered Hershey to guard Isla as I ran to take care of Sindri.
Kade, standing face to face with Erik, smiled and nodded politely, saying, “Dad,” before headbutting him squarely in the face.
From there it was all out pandemonium. The women teamed up with the Gunnachs to battle Erik’s guards, while Kade fought Erik.
“Heed your master’s call!” Sindri shouted, pointing his staff at me. “Ketill Feilan, I command you to obey me.”
He tried to compel me, but the power he once had over me was gone. I had the strength of the oracles flowing through me, and the love of Isla deep within my heart. I was surrounded by my clan on the field of battle and my thoughts finally belonged to me and me alone.
“Yeah, about that,” I said, raising my sword. “I’ve had some time to think about it, and I’m done doing what you say.”
“Obey my commands,” Sindri hissed, trying once again to compel my thoughts.
“Suck my sword,” I said, throwing the enchanted blade at Sindri, which he swatted to the ground as if I’d thrown a paper airplane at him.
“Did you forget I made that sword?” Sindri screamed. “Did you forget I made you?”
“You’re not my father or my master, Sindri,” I said. “You’re a political opportunist who put his own selfish need for power before the common good of the powerless. You’re a monster who must be brought to justice.”
“Who’s going to do that? You?” Sindri challenged. “You may be a powerful oracle, but you’re not knowledgeable enough to banish me on your own.”
“Not him, me,” Haddi said, and Sindri turned to see him standing with the blade Andi removed from his chest now firmly in his grasp. Haddi drove the knife into Sindri’s chest, and he dropped to his knees before him.
Haddi’s rune glowed bright white on my chest as I spoke the ancient words of eternal banishment.
“Sindri, þú hefur verið fundinn sekur um að brjóta heilög lög öldunganna og ert hér með dæmdur í eilífa bannfæringu.”
Within seconds, Sindri’s body was reduced to a pile of ashes and his soul sent into eternal limbo. Haddi dropped to his knees and wept over his brother’s remains while the fighting continued all around him. As I held onto my truth, my tattoos glowed blue, shining onto their people, giving them each a boost of power as they fought.
“You’ve lost, Erik.” Kade said. “Your guards have been defeated, your pet wizard is dead, and you’ve failed to bring about the prophecy. It’s time for you to face the true death.”
“You won’t do it,” Erik challenged.
Kade began, “Erik Gunnach—”
“Wait!” I interrupted. “He needs to know he wasn’t wrong.”
“What?” Kade asked. “What do you mean?”
“About the prophecy. He and Sindri were right. This is the time of the Great Awakening.”
“What are you saying?” Isla asked.
“The elders prophesied of the Vakningin Mikla. A time when all Kalt Einn would be free to walk alongside mankind. This is that time. Sindri read all the signs correctly but was unable to see the true meaning of the prophecy, which is not about ruling over mankind, but about working with them side-by-side to make a better place for us all to live.”
“Sentimental foolishness that will lead to the demise of our people,” Erik said.
“No,” I said. “It’s the dawn of a new era of Cauld Ane, Kalt Einn, and humanity. An era of peace, prosperity and of making the planet a place where immortal children can live freely without fear.”
“Is this true?” Isla asked.
I nodded. “Before you are sentenced by king Kade, I wanted you to know that your sons will succeed where you have failed. Their names will be celebrated for all time while yours will live on no further than this day.”
“Erik Gunnach, also known as Gunnar Egilson, I hereby sentence you to the true death. Your body is to be burned and your name to be stricken from memory and text. There will be no further mercy granted to you.”
Erik joined Sindri in ash and I turned to Kade just as Alice grabbed one of the guard’s swords and made a run for me.
“Arric! Sword!” Abela demanded, and I threw it to her.
She caught it and swung the sword, taking Alice’s head clean off with one blow. The sword began to glow, followed by Abela herself. Her body elevating two feet off the ground as light enveloped her.
“Abela,” Isla, cried.
“It’s okay, babe,” I said, “Watch.”
The ground around us hummed and the air crackled with static electricity as Abela continued to glow brighter and brighter still before suddenly stopping.
Abela floated gently back to the ground to reveal she had returned to her younger form. Radiant, beautiful, youthful, and most of all strong.
“Oh my god,” Isla breathed out.
“Mum?” Brodie rushed to her. “Are you alright?”
She wrapped him in a hug. “Better than alright, love. I am finally free.”
“You killed him!” Gillian screamed, dropping to kneel beside the captain. His throat had been cut, but I’m not sure by whom, considering the chaos surrounding us.
“Gillian, he was obviously not a good man,” Payton crooned. “Now you can come back to us.”
Gillian scowled at her sister. “I’ll be nowhere without him.”
“Don’t say that, love,” Payton begged. “We’re here for you. All of us.”
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face, reaching for her mate’s dagger at his side.
“What are you doing?” Payton demanded. “Gillian, give me the dirk.”
“No! I will not live without him.”
Before anyone could do anything, Gillian shoved the blade into her heart, falling over her dead mate and Payton screamed as both bodies disintegrated into ash.
“No!” Payton cried.
“Come on, love.” Brodie wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. “I’ve got you.”
“Get my daughter inside,” Connall demanded. “Kade and I will take care of the rubbish.”
“I’ll help, Your Highness,” Alasdair said.
Isla and I led the group of victorious, yet exhausted, Cauld Anes back into the castle, and I pulled her into the library once Samantha had ordered everyone to the kitchen for something to eat.
“Are you okay?” I asked, cupping Isla’s face and checking her for injuries.
“I’m fine, love. But I have realized that my mother is a beast and I want to be just like her.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, she is. But you be just like you and all will be perfect.”
“You’re quite romantic when you want to be.”
“Don’t tell anyone. I have a certain level of street cred I need to keep.”
“Your secret’s safe with me.” She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed me. “I didn’t think I believed in fate.”
“Me neither.”
“I’m very glad I was wrong.”
I grinned. “Me too.”
“I love you, Arri—do I call you Arric?”
“Yeah, baby. I’m still Arric. I’ll always be Arric in here,” I said, patting my chest, “because Arric is who you fell in love with.”
She blinked back tears. “Yeah, he is.”
“I love you, Isla. Forever.”
“I love you too, honey. Forever.”
I kissed her once more before taking her back to her family and letting the love these amazing people heaped upon us to settle deep in my soul.
I’d found my home.
