N. Walters - Howl of the Wolf

He raised his arm until his palm was facing Hades. Hades shot up his hands to deflect his brother’s attempt to take what was his.

Arand could have told Zeus it wouldn’t be that easy. A shower of gold sparks shot twelve feet in the air as the two balls of energy met. The two strained against one another, their power building between them. It was as though two walls of energy had slammed together, neither able to budge the other.

The two gods renewed their efforts, sending another burst of sparks showering over them. The demons closest to Hades, including Agmar, were engulfed in the gold energy. They screamed and burst into flames, the flesh melting from their leathery bodies. It was a horrific sight to behold. Still, the two gods battled for supremacy. The other gods began to grumble, getting restless as Zeus was not able to defeat Hades.

Mordecai sidled up to stand beside him. “Go to your woman.”

Arand risked taking his gaze off the battling gods and stared at his former friend, torn between attacking him and embracing him.

As if he knew what Arand was thinking, Mordecai shook his head. “There is little time left, but you can save your woman. Give her your life force. Share your immortality with her. It’s not too late for you.”

Dare he believe Mordecai?

The serpent sneered at him. “Maybe you don’t want her to live. Maybe she was nothing more than a means to an end, someone to fuck after being held prisoner for so many years.”

Arand snarled and shot his arm out. His fist caught the serpent square in the jaw and Mordecai staggered back several steps. His friend rubbed the side of his face and shrugged. “Up to you.”

Breaking formation, Arand raced toward Sabrina, praying he wasn’t making a mistake. He fell to his knees beside Tilly. “Is she still alive?”

Tilly shook her head. “No, but I’m not giving up.” She continued chest compressions.

Arand’s heart almost shattered, but he took hope from what Mordecai had told him. He was immortal, his body able to repair itself. Could he bring Sabrina back?

“Let me.” He pushed Tilly’s hands aside and placed his own on Sabrina’s chest. He could feel no beat from her heart, no air going into her lungs. He closed his eyes and shut out the rest of the world. The gods could fight among themselves. His only concern now was Sabrina.

She was cold and unresponsive, but that didn’t stop him. He pushed his life force into her, willing her to take it, pleading with her to live.

Sabrina floated just above the clearing, watching the bizarre scene unfold below. She felt light but disoriented. Why was she floating? And why was she no longer in pain?

Zeus and other Greek gods had appeared out of nowhere. The King of the gods and the Lord of the Underworld were currently locked in battle while the other gods and the Lady looked on. Why couldn’t they all go back where they belonged and stop plaguing the world?

She could see everything so clearly from here—the other warriors, all strong and determined, three women she didn’t know. No, that wasn’t quite right. She knew one of them. Kellsie, she’d said her name was Kellsie and that she was with Marko, the bear. She could see Jessica hiding in a tree, peeking through the branches, and gave a snort of laughter. Now her friend really did look like a woodland sprite.

Where was Tilly? As though simply speaking her friend’s name was enough, Sabrina’s awareness was spun around and she could see her friend. Tilly was crying. Bent over Sabrina’s body, she was doing CPR. It was weird to watch her friend work on her unresponsive body.

She was dead. But if she was dead why was she still here? Why was she aware?

Because it’s not your time yet . The soft feminine voice surrounded Sabrina like a warm blanket.

“I don’t understand.”

Your warrior will save you. Will you save him ?

As Sabrina watched, Mordecai spoke to Arand. Her wolf punched the other warrior in the jaw and then broke from the crowd and raced toward her, falling on his knees beside her lifeless body.

Will you save him ? the voice asked again.

“Yes.” Sabrina spoke aloud even though no one else could hear her. “I’ll save him.”

Arand placed his hands over her chest, just above her heart. What felt like about a thousand volts of energy shot through her, making her entire body jerk. Abruptly, she was yanked from the ether and viciously shoved back into her body. Pain enveloped her and she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound emerged.

Her eyes popped open to see a determined Arand bent over her. “Come back to me,” he commanded.

She heard a male voice yell, “No.” She recognized it as Hades and wondered what was happening. Then something hit Arand hard. His entire body jerked, suspended in midair for what seemed like forever before falling on top of her. Whatever Arand had been doing to her stopped, and Sabrina felt her life draining away from her again.

This wasn’t right, wasn’t fair. Arand deserved to live. She used the last of her strength to wrap her arms around him and hold him to her heart. At least they were together.

“Enough.” The purity and sheer power of the Lady’s voice froze all of them, including the other gods, in their tracks. She raised her hands, palms facing away from her, and aimed them toward Hades. His eyes widened and his lips parted on a silent scream.

Zeus dropped his hands and whirled toward the Lady, arms raised, ready to attack. The warriors moved into position to protect her.

“What are you doing?” the god demanded.

“What you could not.” She slowly lowered her hands. “I have drained much of Hades power. He is still a god, but he is weak. I would not do to him what he did to me. It is up to all of you to keep him contained from now on.”

Zeus squared his shoulders and looked down his nose at her. “You do not tell me what to do.” He looked ready to fight, and all her warriors tensed in anticipation.

“It was merely a suggestion.” The Lady glided forward, flowers and soft grass pushing up through the ground to cushion her every step. “Take your brother and go home, Zeus.”

Poseidon came up behind her, but she ignored him as she continued speaking to the King of the gods. “The world has changed and so have we. There is no need to battle and fight one another.”

Zeus glanced at the warriors and back at the Lady. “You have grown more powerful.” She could see his mind working to find a way to steal her power from her. Would these Greek gods never learn?

“I am no threat to you, as I was no threat to you five thousand years ago. Nature and the animals are my domain, and I am content to be among them. If they die so do the humans and any chance they might worship you again,” she pointed out. Zeus was nothing if not practical. “If Hades had his way, the sons and daughters of man would worship only him until all of you are nothing more than a faint footnote in history, totally defenseless against him.”

Zeus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You speak the truth. You are no threat to me. To us.” He raised his arms to encompass his fellow gods and they all inclined their heads in agreement. The Lady didn’t mind. She understood Zeus needed to save face if he was to leave in peace. She inclined her head slightly in deference.

“Come. Let us take our brother home.” Zeus motioned to two of the other gods.

The Lady thought one of them might have been Ares and the other Apollo. It had been so long and she’d never really paid much attention to them. And she should have. Her warriors were right about that, and they’d paid the price of her arrogance.

She watched and waited as Zeus opened a golden portal of light and stepped through it. The two dragging Hades by his arms entered behind Zeus. She could almost pity Hades. Almost. She hoped he learned from this defeat, but she doubted he would. He would regain power and begin plotting once again. But that would be decades, centuries in the future.