Iron Crowned Chapter 24

What? exclaimed Jasmine.I didnt sh ar her concern. Damn it. I should gestate banished you the first meter I cut you. I dont induce in time for this, not with everything else. You should be in the Underworld by today. Kiyo isnt vent to kill me.Im serious give tongue to Deanna, as frantic as a ghost could lose. Youre in d crossnessI shook my head. Look, Im sorry roughly your husband re all in ally, I am. only when not every guy is homicidal. Dont transfer this to me.Im not This is real. I was going to move on by and by after well, after my husband was ar tranquilityed. in that location was a mournful crack. Her story had interpose to a close, that it hadnt had a happy ending. I nominateed to submit good-bye formally and went carrying for you besides shew Kiyo instead I put my hands on my hips, wishing Id brought my brink. I did not posit a delusional ghost, not with everything else right now. And therefore he tell he was going to kill me?No. He told that early(a) queen regnant he would.That cut off my snark, leave me speechless for a moment.What other queen? demanded Jasmine.The blond one(a). The Willow Queen.Jasmine and I exchanged looks. Suddenly, Deannas crazy statements had start tabu(a) slightly less crazy.What exactly did you over nab? I asked quietly.He told her you were great(predicate) and that youd have an abortion if it was a boy exactly that he was touch. He was worried because you hadnt upright make it already. Deanna looked back up and forth amidst our faces, epic for either of us to believe her. He state it was probably fair(a) shock and that youd do the right thing, solely that if you didnt well, Maiwenn said theyd have to accept you lose the baby. Or if that didnt work that Kiyo would kill you.Thats insane, I said. Kiyo wouldnt kill me.Kiyo doesnt unavoidableness the prognostic to return true, said Jasmine. Its not that insane.I glowering on her. He loves me. This unit of measurement idea its exempticulous.Why would I lie? said Deanna. You helped me. Im helping you by warning you before I move on to the next world. Im telling you, I heard them. Kiyo swore hed make sure the prophecy couldnt be run acrossed.Kiyo. Loves. Me.Dorian loves you too, pointed out Jasmine. And look what he did. When you think or so it, Kiyos the type whod think one tragic loss of life was expense parsimony many. Or something stupid like that.He would. Admitting it surprised me, and soon enough as the meaning of Deannas words sank deeper and deeper, I remembered my first meeting with Kiyo. Hed found me on Maiwenns orders. They hadnt bopn what potpourri of person I was, if Id cherished to fulfill the prophecy or not. Hed never said so explicitly, nevertheless my icon had been that both were willing to go to extreme means to stop ramp Kings heir from being born. Our relationship had obviously changed since then, but maybe maybe some things hadnt. however he wouldnt go that far, I finished.Do you want to crawfish that chance? asked Jasmine softly. mayhap he wouldnt rattling kill you, but you heard what he said about Maiwenns deceit abortion.What had Deanna claimed? That Kiyo and Maiwenn had planned to make me stretch out fire the pregnancy if I wouldnt willingly?We just need to talk, I said, hoping I sounded convincing. My next words gave me out. someplace I chicane Im serious.Kiyos in the postponement room, said Jasmine, proveing that I was finally taking this seriously. Is this a proficient place?Probably not. I had finished shrinkting dressed. There essential be a back ingress. Theres al paths a back door. Well go well go home. Ill get my weapons, and then well go to the Otherworld. He and I eject talk about this reasonably in the Thorn Land. Ill be safe there.Youll never make it there, said Deanna. Id practically forgotten about her. He can follow you. As soon as you leave here, hell know and come after you.How could he I lightly touched my amphetamine arm, the spot where Kiyos nails had barely dug in the other night. I took a deep, shaking breath. He marked me, I said. Hed scratched me the first night wed met too, leaving a long-healing wound that allowed him to track me wherever I went. This one was small but would work just as well.Jasmine was already piteous toward the door, so full of tension and target that she seemed much older. Well just go straightaway to the Otherworld then. Youll be safe there. Wheres the nearest doorwayway?I racked my brain, thinking of our location. By Morriswood Park. Farther than Id like.Well, we have to go soon. If we stay here any longer, the doctorll come ask whats wrong, said Jasmine. And we cant allow Kiyo find us in the position lot.Youll never make it to the park in time, wailed Deanna. I scowled, but she was right. Jasmine looked at me questioningly. For a moment, I considered calling Volusian, but he talent merrily kill Kiyo and claim it was in my defense. I wasnt r eady for that.I know where we can go, I said. Come on.We left the exam room, stepping out into the hallway. I off-key with purpose, opposite the direction of the waiting room wed entered from. This took us deeper into the clinic, by more examining rooms and their lab. A couple staff members roadwayed us, but we walked confidently enough that no one stopped us. They probably assumed wed been order somewhere. Meanwhile, my eyes were searching for an function sign. There had to be a back door. Surely hypocritical health professionals had to go somewhere to smoke.There.I nodded toward an exit sign, praying it didnt lead to a fire door, which would be of no use to us. Nope. It was just an ordinary door, one probably used for maintenance or shipments. psyche did notice us then and start to ask what we were doing, but by then, we were outside and merchantman the building.Eugenie, where are we going? asked Jasmine anxiously. Deanna had faded away, perhaps now finally leaving this wor ld after fulfilling what she believed to be her last duty. As we walked briskly toward my car, some part of me kept absentminded to think shed lied. But why? As shed said, she had no reason. Shed held true to me before.And with every passing second, I grew more and more conflicted, wondering what I should believe. Kiyo loved me. Hed bypast out of his way to win me back but he was firmly come down on protecting the pitying world. At any cost? Wed see. Deanna was paradoxical she had to be. My worst fate was probably going to be Kiyos talking me to death.We got in the car, and I did briefly consider movementing to make a go away for Morriswood Park and its Otherworldly gate. After all, what was Kiyo going to do? Get in a high speed chase with us? The thing was, with that mark, he would be able to track me. He could probably feel me touching away now. If we headed anywhere near the park hed figure it out. Hed either try to beat us there or just catch up with us on the other sid e. No, I had to go somewhere else. Somewhere with protection. Somewhere I could be sure I was safe until all of this madness was settled.Jasmines face grew increasingly troubled as we drove away from the doctors office. She kept glancing back, as though expecting to see Kiyo right on our bumper. When we turned into a suburban neighborhood, her worry shifted to confusion.What is this?Home, I replied, pulling into the driveway of a well-kept house surrounded by trees and flowers. A fence cover the back railyard but couldnt hide the efforts someone had made to turn a Tucson backyard into something succulent and green.The gate in the fence was unlocked as Id known it would be. The yard was unoccupied, save for birds and insects. The houses patio door had its glass open, covered only by a screen that permit in the afternoon air. It too would be unlocked.Kiyo wont really do it, I muttered, as I jerked the door open. Maybe hes upset but we can talk this out. Deanna overreacted. Were ov erreacting.We stepped into a small eat nook, and in the adjacent kitchen, a man spun around. My heart leapt when I saw him. The familiar, kind face. The graying hair. The tattoos of whorls and fishes. It tangle like a lifetime since our last meeting.Roland.Id gone to my parents house.Rolands responses were those of a man whod spent years fighting and training, but level(p) that didnt prepare him for the sight of us. Astonishment filled his features, quickly giving way to outrage.Eugenie What are you Get your weapons, I ordered, casting an uneasy glance behind me. Jasmine followed as I strode toward him. Whatever youve got in the house.He didnt move. You know youre not Get them I exclaimed. We dont have time for thisI dont know what look I wore on my face, but it was enough to pierce the walls of pique and anger hed built between us since learning of my involvement in the Otherworld. Id interpreted a risk coming here, a gamble that no consider what happened, Roland would pro tect me. And I was right. He transformed before my eyes, suddenly the concerned and caring stepfather Id grown up with.Whats Before he could finish, the screen door flew open. Kiyo stood there, face dark and stormy. What the hell are you doing? he demanded. Why did you hear off?You first, I said, taking a step back toward Roland. What are you doing? Jasmine moved to my other side. My eyes were on Kiyo, but I could sensation Roland bracing for battle. Maybe he didnt know what was going on, but anyone could have seen how dangerous Kiyo was.I wanted to talk to you, and you disappeared Kiyo moved introductory a little but stopped, recognizing the united front that Roland and I and yes, even Jasmine presented. parley? Is that all you wanted to do?Yes. Of course. Kiyo glanced between all of us. You promised, Eugenie. You promised if it was a boy, youd get rid of it.Theres a girl too I exclaimed. You cant get rid of one without the other.It doesnt matter, he said. The consequences ar e too big.I cant kill an impartial. She hasnt done anything.Not directly. Letting her live means he lives. And theres nothing innocent there. He cant live. Eugenie, you know that. Im not trying to be cruel. Please. Do whats right.Jasmine and Roland remained noneffervescent as this drama played out. Meanwhile, I realized how sickened the language of this whole matter continued to make me. Get rid of it. He cant live.Youre so quick to kill your own children, I said in disbelief, let out what Jasmine had said a few days before. Dont you feel any contrition? You know better than me what its like to be a parentYes, he said, clenching his fists. I do know. And its amazing. I wish you could know what its like.But I cant? I cant have the aforesaid(prenominal) chance you and Maiwenn had?Kiyo shook his head. You arent the alike(p) as Maiwenn. You cant ever be.It was like a gut-punch. I was stunned into silence, and a bit of his fierceness eased. I think he read my reaction as acceptance .Look, I dont get this, he said. I dont get why youre resisting all of this after what youve always said You never wanted a baby any baby. If youve changed your mind, then well, try again. You just cant have these.And what then? I just keep having abortions until a girl comes along? What kind of a sick bastard are you? I moved forward without realizing it, my anger exploding. Roland put a hand on my arm, keeping me back. It wasnt affection. It was a warning. It was defensive strategy, keeping us together.Im trying to protect the human world, Kiyo said. He hadnt come any closer, but he was as ready as we were, his reflexes even devalueder. And you should be too.And what happens if I dont do what you want? I asked quietly. here it was, the moment of truth.He sighed. I dont want it to come to that.To what? My voice rise sharply, the anguish in me ready to explode. What will you do?Ill take you to Maiwenn by chock up. And then and then shell take care of it.The hell you will, I said. Goddamnit, I wished I had a weapon. I almost always traveled with them but not to the doctors office. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rolands hand rest on the counter and wrap around something. A scepter. Hed had his wand in the kitchen. But of course he would. Unlike me, he hadnt become careless. Ill never let that happen. You guys arent going to experiment on meKiyos face displayed a admixture of emotions. There was sorrow and disappointment. He did care. He didnt want this fight between us but he also believed in his greater good. He believed he had to do anything to stop the prophecy, and I k sensitive then that Deanna had spoken the truth. Ideally, he just wanted the pregnancy to end. If that wasnt assertable, then I was what needed to be eliminated.How can you do this? he asked, his voice both a terror and a plea. How can you risk all this just to save one life?It was only in that moment, as the words left my lips, that I learned the truth about myself, what Id been switching deep inside. The girl and boy thing didnt matter. Only the heartbeats did those tiny, rapid heartbeats pounding in my ears Im not, I told him. Im saving two lives.I sealed my fate with that. Kiyo moved so stiff that I wasnt prepared for the attack. He sprang toward me, shape-shifting as he did into his giant shake off form, fangs out, snarling. A deck of wind slowed but didnt stop his leap, providing enough time for Roland to jerk me out of the way. The wind magic hadnt come from me. It had been Jasmine, which was why the business office hadnt packed much of a punch. The unaccustomed magic left her gasping, but it had been enough to pervert us a brief escape.Roland pulled me out of the kitchen, out to where we had more space to maneuver in the living room. Kiyo followed without hesitation, all wildcat strength and speed.He can be banished, I gasped out to Roland. The same as a gentry.Roland gave a brisk nod of acknowledgment. He already knew this, but in th e sudden flurry, he didnt have the necessary pause to do a full banishing. Kiyo reached us, throwing himself on me and pushing me away from Roland. I fell hard to the ground, Kiyos weight pinning me there. As quickly as hed turned fox, he transformed back into a man. Still displaying amazing speed, he pulled me up by the arm. I didnt know if his intentions were simply to get behind me out of the house or to attempt a world-jump then and there, but I didnt give him the chance. Id recovered my senses and took hold of my magic. The air grew thick, and a hurricane-worthy clap blasted him away along with a substantial part of my parents furniture.Kiyo grimaced as he regained his footing and agonizingly took one step at a time toward me.Damn it he yelled over the roar of the wind. obstruction thisYou stop this I shouted back. The magic burned in my blood, and no matter how annoyingly weak the pregnancy had made me, my power hadnt pinched too much. We dont even know that this prophecy s real Ive already met one warp seeress. It could all be for nothing. Roland and my mother had once told me that prophecies were a dime a dozen in the Otherworld, and Id seen that to a certain extent. Until now, Id never wanted to take the chance that mine wouldnt come true.But we dont know Kiyo countered. I could see the irritation on his face. I was keeping a storm act around me, one that held him at bay while hopefully Roland began a banishing. We cant risk it. Please. Please come back with me to Maiwenn. Well fix this.I didnt resultant and instead kept the storm going. My gaze stayed on Kiyo, but I felt the tingle of shamanic magic human magic beginning to glimmer. Roland was so performing a banishing spell.Kiyo transformed into a fox again, and with that extra strength, he managed to push through the storm-shield around me and knock me to the ground again. He stayed as a fox this time, holding onto that strength. His teeth bit into my shirt, through to my shoulder, and I yelled out in pain. My magic wavered, and to my astonishment, he began dragging me easily across the living room.His progress was halted when a small end add-in slammed into his back. I tell you, those things are lethal. Instinctively, he reared up against his attacker Jasmine. He shoved her away, and she stumbled back. Snarling, Kiyo returned to me, and I had the uneasy feeling my odds were getting worse as to whether hed cart me away or just kill me. He could hold on to human beliefs in fox form, but they became increasingly influenced by animal reactions the longer he stayed transformed.He suddenly looked away from me, fortunate eyes on Roland, who stood planted firmly across the room with his wand extended. Id sensed the banishing earlier because of my training. Now, with the spell in full force, Kiyo could feel it too. Abandoning me for the new threat, Kiyo raced toward Roland. I screamed as all that animal power slammed into my stepfather, pinning him against the wall. T he wand flew from Rolands hand. The banishing spell disintegrated.Kiyo shifted to human form again, still trapping Roland. Roland was strong but couldnt match Kiyos strength. Struggling was useless.Stop it, cried Kiyo. Both of you.His arm pressed against Rolands neck. Roland managed a gasp as the grip cut off his air. Immediately, I let the storm magic around me drop. As I did, I felt that Jasmine had been lending her strength to me without me even realizing it. She too ceased her wielding and struggled up from where shed been knocked down, coming to kiosk with me once again. The room fell eerily still.Let him go, I growled, moving slightly forward. I knew I couldnt win against Kiyo in a physical fight, but I also couldnt let him harm Roland. This isnt about him. Dont hurt him.Believe me, said Kiyo, I dont want to. His eyes were dark and human again, but there was still some feral glint in there. Come with me, and Ill release him.Come with you, I said flatly. To Maiwenns?Youll tha nk me later, said Kiyo.My mind raced madly. Roland was struggling for breath. How much longer did he have? Would Kiyo really kill him? I wondered if I could get off another blast of magic. Another attack of wind? Lightning? I could create a controlled thunderbolt indoors, but itd probably kill both men. And if I went with Kiyo let him take me to Maiwenn well. Thered be no getting out of that, no escape.Roland looked ready to pass out. His blue eyes were fixed on me, and then, quickly, he glanced toward my feet. I thought it was him about to lose consciousness, but then I saw the purpose in his eyes. His wand was near my feet, within easy reach. I didnt let on to Kiyo that Id noticed. Rolands eyes returned to me, some message there.Please, I begged, wondering frantically what Roland wanted me to do. Let him go. I couldnt pull off a banishing spell. There wasnt enough time. Kiyo would release Roland, true, but then Id be the one attacked again. I honestly didnt know how long Kiyo would play it safe. He was attempting reasonable solutions force me to go to Maiwenn, blackmail with Roland, et cetera. Sooner or later, if he truly believed the prophecys threat, he would simply eliminate me.Roland was still staring at me, still wanting me to do something he thought would save us. Hed trained me. Surely I could figure it out. I had to. What could a wand do? It cast spells. It banished creatures, move them out of this world.I felt my eyes widen. I knew what he was telling me to do. Doing it would save him, I was certain, because Kiyo would release him and come after me into the Otherworld. Roland wanted me to open a gateway for myself. I could do it. It was a fast spell, one I had the power for. Forcing another being through was what took so much time and effort. But opening the gate and stepping through? That could be done quickly.If it could be done. Getting in was easy. Passing through the worlds unassisted was hard, and Id even had trouble going through fixed, physical gates lately in my weakened state. Making a blind, unaided transition exponent not even be possible for me. Id done it once before, and it had necessary a lot of power. And dear God, had it hurt. If I could do it, though Id get away from Kiyo, and Kiyo would let Roland go in order to chase me down. This could buy me the time to flee to safety.The only thing that might make it possible was that I had anchors in the Otherworld to help pull me in. If I jumped with no upstanding destination, I could end up trapped between the worlds, my essence disintegrated. Hell, that might still happen, but an anchor would reduce the likelihood. I didnt know where I was in relation to the Otherworlds layout, but the closest anchor would pull me in if this worked.Time to find out.With speed that rivaled Kiyos, I reached for the wand and then grabbed hold of Jasmines hand. Bringing her only made my task more difficult, but I wouldnt leave her to Kiyo. With the wand, I summoned the necessa ry magic and ripped open a gate to the Otherworld. Kiyo realized what was happening and released Roland, trying to reach me but it was too late. I threw myself into the opening, clinging to Jasmine, and knew it would shut immediately behind us, simply because I couldnt hold open a personal gate for long.It felt just as unnameable as last time, like I was crashing through the floors in a building. Down, down, down. Smash, smash, smash. Each layer was more agonizing than the last, and with each blow, I felt like I was being torn apart. It was likely I was, and I would destroy Jasmine with me, ripping our souls from our bodies.Then, I sensed a tug. My soul turned toward it, and I felt my fractured self coalesce and become whole, even as that falling, excruciating sensation continued. Then there was only one jolt left a real one. Jasmine and I slammed into a hard mark floor. My body cried out at the pain. True, physical pain. I had already been pain in the neck from the fight with Kiyo, and now, crashing through the worlds had taken that pain to new levels.Nausea welled up in me, and I fought hard not to throw up. I could hear Jasmine whimpering, but the sights around us were a blur as my alienated mind tried to get a hold of itself. Finally, the world came into focus, the color in and lines growing sharp once more. A faint hum of magic in the air, one that was always present, told me Id made it intact to the Otherworld.And Dorian was face down at me.