Triumph Page 16

  They walked across the threshold into the dark lord’s castle. A wave of cold chilled her bones as the doors screeched closed behind them. Bane whimpered. A voice boomed in the darkness, and Kayla nearly jumped out of her skin.

  “Greetings, Kayla Redclaw. Thank you for joining me in my humble home. I have so much to share with you. The feast is about to begin."

  She wanted to resist—to scream and curse—but she felt compelled to follow the voice into the dim light beckoning them down the wide hallway. Torches flickered, casting eerie lights on the walls. At the end of the hall, a set of double doors opened into a large chamber. Chandeliers made of human skulls hung overhead, dripping with candles that bled light across the floor. The room was furnished with a long grand dining table set for ten.

  “Show yourself," Sid demanded. Kayla had wanted to say the very same thing but found her words caught in her throat.

  “I am surprised you are so eager to see me, Sid Blackfang,” the voice rang out. "But I ever so hate to disappoint. Please have a seat at my table, and I will join you presently.”

  "I’m not going to eat his food.” Quinn flicked a hand in the air.

  “You would deny my hospitality, Quinn Blackfang?”

  "Let’s just see how this plays out,” Kayla whispered as she sat down.

  One by one, the party sat at the table. Demonic butlers appeared from the shadows, carrying plates of food. They set down the trays and opened the lids, revealing lambs' heads and pigs' hearts, ears, snouts, and hooves. Kayla recoiled at the display, and the demonic voice laughed, the sound echoing through the chamber.

  “Why so squeamish, Kayla Redclaw, the great hunter of Smoke Mountain? You are quite familiar with death, are you not? Or are you as big a hypocrite as Veronica said you are?"

  The mention of Veronica made Kayla fume with anger. “That witch knows nothing about me," she spat out.

  “No?" the voice laughed. "She seemed to believe otherwise. Why don’t you share some of your insights, Veronica?”

  Kayla’s mouth dropped open as the witch sauntered into the banquet hall and sat down at the table.

  “Kayla Redclaw is the biggest hypocrite I’ve ever met,” Veronica said. "She claims to be on this mission to save her child, the very same child she abandoned and feared. It’s the biggest crock of bull I’ve ever witnessed in my life. Or death.” The witch cackled.

  Kayla shot to her feet, growling. “Where is my daughter?"

  “All in due time, my dear," the voice said. "But first, let me introduce you to your host."

  At the far end of the room, the shadows parted to reveal a throne. Slowly, from out of the depths of the shadows, emerged the source of the voice. The figure was not the black-horned demon Kayla had encountered before—this was a handsome, well-groomed man, wearing the kind of suit a human would have worn before the cataclysm. He smiled a toothy grin full of self-satisfaction. The sight of him sent a sharp sense of rage through Kayla, and it took every ounce of her strength not to jump from her chair and lash out.

  “I am so glad you could join me. I have been waiting quite a long time to meet you. There is someone here I'm sure you would like to see. Come out, my dear. It’s time."

  Kayla’s heart leapt. What she saw next took her completely by surprise—an adolescent wolf walked from the shadows and sat at the foot of the dark lord.

  “Kayla Redclaw, let me introduce you to your daughter, Oksana, the greatest alpha shifter of all time. Go ahead, my dear. Show them."

  “No. My child is a baby. Where is my baby?” Kayla smashed her fist into the table.

  "I’m afraid time works differently here from the way it works in your world. Come, my dear. Don’t be afraid. They’ve traveled a long way to meet you."

  The wolf began to shift, her body morphing and reforming until a young woman stood before them, tall and strong and beautiful, her eyes tilted slightly like Riddick’s. Auburn hair hung in a braid over her shoulder, mirroring Kayla's.

  Kayla shook her head, unable to accept what was before her. "No, this is a trick."

  “I’m afraid not, Mother,” the girl said with a sneer. “I can’t believe that is the great Kayla Redclaw. What a terrible disappointment after all of this time. I'm terribly unimpressed."

  “Why don’t you go join your mother?” the dark lord said. "I’m sure she’s missed you."

  The girl sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She stepped down the stairs to join the others at the table.

  “This can’t be happening,” Kayla said.

  “I told you she'd never accept the child.” Veronica stabbed her fork into the boar’s head. "She likes to tell herself her love is so strong, but the truth is, she doesn’t love anyone but herself."

  "I can’t believe this pathetic woman is my mother, ‘the great shifter queen.’ I was expecting so much more.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Kayla’s words were almost inaudible.

  "We want to offer you a place by my side, shifter queen. We want you in the fold."

  "Why do you want her when you have me,” the girl grumbled.

  "Time to be quiet, dear. The grown-ups are talking," the dark lord said.

  The girl rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. She sighed and stared daggers at Kayla.

  "If you join me, Kayla, I could give you everything you’ve ever wanted. I could even turn Oksana back into a baby if you would prefer."

  “What I want is freedom for the world—for shifters, witches, vampires, and humans to get along. For the monsters of hell to go back where they belong and for all of us to live in peace."

  “Is that what you want, or is it just what you think you want?” he asked. "I believe if you searched your heart, you would find that something far different resides there."

  “I know what I want, and I know who I am,” Kayla said.

  "But do you? Don’t you remember what it was like to feel true power? When the strength of my blood ran through your veins, you were more yourself than you'd ever been. You knew the truth of your soul as I know it. You were so close to coming into alignment with the greatest version of yourself."

  "That wasn’t me. That was a soul sickness. I’m better now."

  "Are you sure? Or have you just buried it because you fear these men won’t love you if they know the truth?"

  "Kayla is the purest person I’ve ever met.” Sid rose to his feet. "Enough of these mind games. It’s time to do what we came here to do." He drew his hammer, and the five Blackfangs were quickly on their feet by his side. Riddick grabbed the girl’s hand, and Gloria began to open a portal.

  "I’m not going anywhere with you,” the teenager barked.

  “Daddy’s home,” Riddick said, pulling her toward the portal.

  “Get off me. Father, make them stop!"

  “This is the most entertainment I’ve had in an age.” The dark lord laughed.

  "Father, make them stop!”

  Kayla drew her bow and nocked an arrow, still searching for the source of her angelic power. If she could just tap into it, she could end this. But her power wouldn’t come, and she stepped through the portal.

  Chapter 35

  "How dare you!" The girl screamed. "My father will kill you for this."

  "Oksana, don't you remember me? I'm your father," Riddick pleaded.

  "I've only ever had one father—the lord of darkness. The only one who has ever cared about me."

  "He’s the lord of lies. You can't believe anything he says.” Kayla gripped the hilt of her sword.

  "It's me, your papa." Riddick held her hands and stared into her eyes. "Don't you remember?"

  "Whatever you remember of me was a long time ago. I am not that baby anymore. You don't know me. You don't know anything about me."

  "I know that you like milk in your oats. I know that you had the sweetest smile of any baby ever born in Mist Valley." Riddick put one hand to his chest while the other held the girl he believed was his daughter. The look on his face hurt. Kayla’s
heart ached like it was being squeezed by a cruel giant intent on forcing the life out of her.

  "You shouldn't have done this," the girl said. "I warned you to leave me alone."

  "Where are we?" Quinn asked.

  "This isn't where I thought we’d come out," Gloria said.

  "You think that your magic is going to work in my father's home?" the teenager mocked, bursting into cruel laughter.

  "How do we get out of here?" Sid grasped her arm.

  "Let go of me!” She yanked her arm away. "Take me back to my father right now!"

  "I'll try to recalibrate," Gloria said. "Maybe now that we’re farther away, it will work."

  "You'll never get out of here," the girl cut in. "You have no power here. You can do nothing. You might as well just lie down and die like the dogs you are."

  The girl began to shift, her body wavering and morphing into the form of a wolf. But it wasn't the same adolescent wolf who’d stood before them near the throne of the dark lord. This wolf was gigantic, standing as tall as a man. Her lips curled back over her sharp cruel teeth. Her eyes glinted with hatred as she stared at Riddick.

  "Don't do this, my daughter."

  She snarled and snapped at him, narrowly missing his outstretched hand. He yanked his hand away, his jaw dropping and his eyes glistening with tears.

  "My daughter, what has he done to you?"

  "It's not her, Riddick," Kayla said.

  The girl snapped at him again, and he dropped into his wolf form, turning on dexterous legs. He burst into a run, and the girl he believed was Oksana gave chase.

  "Stop! Leave him alone!" Kayla screamed.

  Riddick ran as fast as his smaller legs would take him. But the larger wolf was much faster. The rest of the party followed them, running through the tangled forest. The earth smelled of sulfur, and the trees grasped like clawed hands, snagging their clothes, skin, and hair.

  Kayla drew her bow and nocked an arrow, aiming at the larger wolf's hindquarters. She took a breath and let it out, holding her arrow still. Could she shoot a girl who was said to be her child? If she didn't, the girl would hurt Riddick. Kayla closed her eyes and let her arrow fly, but it missed its target by a long shot. Maybe she couldn’t do it.

  Kayla joined the others in chasing down the wolves through the forest. Sid and Jagger had managed to drop into their wolf forms. Quinn was calling down his spirit lance and held it in his hands, staring at the object as it glowed brightly in the dim forest. Kayla stopped beside him, giving him a questioning look.

  "What if it is her?" he said. "How can I?"

  "We need to stop her somehow." Kayla burst into a run, chasing the wolves over the ragged path, jumping over trees and rocks and stumps. She searched for her angelic power, but it felt so very far away, as if hiding in the depths of her being, locked away in a cage. But she still had her alpha magic. Drawing on the power of her wolf blood, she dug down deep and scanned Oksana's body. She focused on the wolf's front leg. With the power of her will, she sent a burst of energy right into the leg bone. Kayla heard a crack and felt it break. The wolf gave a bloodcurdling howl and screeched to a stop, lifting her leg.

  She hobbled on three legs and finally fell to the ground. She shifted form in the mud. Her long flowing black dress was covered in grime. She screamed and cried, barking curses at Riddick and his family.

  "What have you done to me? Why would you do this? Veronica told me you never loved me, and now I know it's true."

  "We had to stop you," Kayla said, walking up to the girl. The sight of the child, who looked so much like her, suffering and cradling her arm made Kayla's heart hurt. She knelt down and reached out to the girl.

  "Don't touch me," Oksana said.

  Riddick walked back in wolf form and sat down beside the girl before he shifted back into his human form. "Why did you hurt her?" he said, his eyes big and watery.

  "She was going to bite your leg off, Riddick," Kayla said. "I couldn't let that happen. Besides, I don't know if this girl is really Oksana." She said the words, but deep down, she knew the girl really was her child. Somehow, her daughter had grown from a baby into a young woman in the time since she'd been kidnapped from her crib. Gone were Kayla's days of holding her sweet babe in her arms. This young woman who hated all of them had replaced their child.

  "I can heal it," Quinn offered, kneeling beside her.

  "We can't let her do that again," Jagger said.

  "If you bind her hands, she won't be able to shift and attack again.” Felix pulled a rope from his pack.

  "Do it," Jagger said.

  "Don't you dare.” Oksana growled.

  "Do you know the way out of hell?" Kayla asked the girl, raising an eyebrow.

  "I wouldn't tell you if I did."

  Quinn reached out for Oksana’s hand, but the girl bared her teeth and barked at him.

  "I have the power of Wolf Mother," Quinn said. "I can heal your arm. You have to trust me."

  Quinn called down his prayer, holding his hands over the broken bone. Kayla wasn't sure if the spell would work in hell, but soon, she could see the pain in Oksana's eyes easing. There was a pop. She gasped and then sighed.

  "It worked," she whispered. "You healed me."

  "I have the blessing of Wolf Mother, the goddess of the shifters."

  "She's not my goddess," Oksana said.

  "You may not love her. That doesn't mean she doesn't love you," Quinn said, binding Oksana’s hands behind her back.

  Chapter 36

  Sid helped Oksana to her feet, every cell in his body screaming with anger. He knew what this girl was doing to Kayla. And to Riddick—to all of them. The dark lord was playing some kind of trick, trying to hurt them. But it wouldn’t work on Sid. He didn’t believe this girl was Oksana. It wasn't possible that the baby they had left behind less than a year ago had turned into this defiant, angry teenager. He wouldn’t believe it. But he saw the way that Riddick and Kayla looked at her. They believed it. And if they believed that, the dark lord had already won.

  "Here goes nothing,” Gloria said, opening a portal in front of them.

  “Ladies first,” Sid said, leading the girl toward the portal.

  “You won’t get away with this," she said with a sneer. "My father will find you, and he will stop you."

  “Let him,” Sid said, walking the girl through the portal. When he stepped out on the other side, he hoped beyond hope to find himself and the others standing at the rift, but he was disappointed. They were right back in the dark forest. The others walked out behind him, voicing a collective groan of disappointment.

  “We're right back where we started,” Quinn said. "Those are our footprints." He pointed down at the ground where they had just been.

  “I told you that you wouldn’t find a way out. Just take me back to my father."

  “He’s not your father,” Riddick said.

  “Just give it up, Riddick. It’s not even her.” Sid glanced at his brother, wishing this could be easier.

  “The resemblance is uncanny.” Felix stared at the girl.

  “That doesn’t mean that it’s her,” Sid said. "It could be anyone. It could be a demon. It could be an illusion."

  “I assure you, I’m not an illusion.” Oksana laughed, mocking them.

  “Then what are you?” Sid was getting frustrated. He’d traveled all this way through hell to get their baby back, and all they had to show for it was this angry teenager. He couldn’t believe it was her.

  “I might be your daughter, but that doesn’t mean I want to go back with you. The dark lord is the only father I've ever known or ever want to know."

  “He’s brainwashed you. We are your family. I am your father.” Riddick’s voice trembled.

  “I don’t care. Take me back now, and maybe he will kill you quickly.” Oksana yanked at the ropes binding her.

  “Should we try another portal?” Sid turned to Gloria.

  “The last two didn’t work. I doubt that a third is going to do the tr
ick." Gloria walked beside Malik. She had been so relieved when she was reunited with her husband. Sid hated to think that they’d all traveled so far for nothing.

  “We’ll have to find our way out on foot.” Jagger slashed his sword through a bramble in the path.

  “Take me back to my father,” Oksana demanded.

  “That’s not going to happen.” Jagger stared at her. “I don’t know if you’re our kid or not. But on the off chance that you are, we're taking you out of here. You can come willingly, or you can come as our captive.”

  “My father was right. You are hypocrites."

  “Think whatever you want, little girl.”

  “You can’t do this to me!"

  “I’m pretty sure we can.” Jagger tugged her down the trail.

  “My father will come for me. He’ll avenge me. He’ll kill you for what you’ve done.”

  "Then we'd better get moving,” Jagger said.

  “Take it easy on her. It’s not her fault.”

  “I don’t care about any of that, Riddick.” Jagger glared at his brother. "All I care about is leaving this place, closing the rift, and getting home."

  “What do you think, Kayla? Do you believe that it’s her?” Riddick turned to Kayla.

  “I don’t know what to think.”

  “She’s my daughter. Look at her eyes. Look at her face.” Riddick’s words increased in pitch and intensity.

  “You know that doesn’t mean anything,” Jagger grumbled.

  “If this isn't her, then where is she?” Riddick demanded.

  “We have no way of knowing.” Kayla looked at the ground.

  "I may be able to determine if this girl is really Oksana," Malik said. They all stopped in their tracks.

  "Do it," Jagger said.

  Chapter 37