Hello readers,

So here is the chapter. Don't worry, this is NOT the last chapter, there's one more and an Epilogue. Both already on here.

Love,

Robin

*

My car came slipping and sliding to a stop in front of Galen's house. The gravel crunching loudly under the tires and a dust cloud thick enough to hide the forest behind me. I think I made enough noise to scare of the entire forests animal population; I didn't care.

On the porch of the old, cozy looking cottage with its petunia's and other splashes of colorful flowers surrounding the place, stood a very old Witch. This was Galen.

Although retired he was the nearest alive Teleporter that I knew off, when he was younger he'd been a dedicated and passionate warrior and even friend. Now he was old and crippled, one eye a milky white, blinded by age. The other eye a sharp blue that always gave me the feeling he saw right through me.

That was the trouble with Witches; you never knew if they truly did or did not. Their magic often so different now a days from mine that I couldn't always sense it. It was worse for many others because in my veins ran the blood of Witches, I had always been able to sense more than most.

Galen had always been the one capable of cooling me down when I needed it. Not today though, there was no way anyone could talk me out of rushing to free Hayden. There was too many risks in leaving the boy in enemy hands any longer.

At any given time the Demon could show up and kill him, devouring his talents and powers. That was an unforgivable and unacceptable thing. I would not allow it!

Today all I needed from Galen was a single Teleport. A one way trip to Shadowpeak. My only objective was to get to Hayden and Teleport him to the stronghold myself. My Teleportation powers were extremely limited but Hayden was small. It would have to be enough.

I would not jeopardize Elliot again. Not when my sister would stand to lose so much with his death. Already the loss of his limb weighted heavily on my conscious; he had to recuperate first, I couldn't allow him to die from exhaustion from Teleporting people because he wasn't fully healed.

Jumping out of the car I rushed up the porch but all Galen said was: 'Where to my friend?' Lifting one bony hand so I could grab it. For once he didn't spend time persuading me to do something else, something more rational.

'Shadowpeak!'

*~*~*~*~*

The world around me solidified into trees and rocks, a blue sky overhead and the scent and sound of the forest in the air. I breathed in deeply; filtering the air to pick up the scent of either Devon or Hayden.

Behind me Galen called out gently: 'Nate! It's not your fault, you left behind a Dragon to protect a boy that wasn't even supposed to stay there. You couldn't have known that one of the Galamut had been freed.'

I whirled around to face Galen: 'I failed Gale! Seven men lost their lives, my sister's Mate lost an arm, Hayden was taken.' I felt my blood boil at the thought of my own stupidity. I'd allowed myself to be tricked with my blind rage towards Amelia's kidnapping. It was unforgivable.

As if he knew my thoughts Galen echoed: 'Don't go in there blindly, again. You do not know what is waiting for you.' The nearly blind Witch nodded towards the high rock outcrop looming above us.

Somewhere on top of that rock stood an old and abandoned cottage and in it was a cage with Hayden. It was well possible that the Demon was there too, Raïm... Was he already preparing Hayden? To take his life and his power?

'I have to try,' I said as I cast a look at my old friend. 'Seratin is coming with back up soon.' I started at a lope towards the rock face, thinking to scale it with ease and hopefully surprise the wolf. It appeared I'd be downwind from this angle.

'Seratin and your troops have no Teleporters, they will be too late!' I heard from behind me but I ignored his warning. I knew they'd be much too late if things went wrong, yet I didn't know where or in which state Raïm was. At the worst he was already there....

He'd have to go over my dead body before he harmed Hayden.

I cast one look up at the looming rocks above me, then easily jumped for the nearest ledge and started scaling them. Reaching the top in no time; making light work of the rocks and jumps and ledges.

I waited there, not slipping over the edge before I knew what was waiting for me out there. Suspended in the air, hanging from my arms from the edge I allowed my senses to expand and my breathing to ease.

Listening, smelling and feeling I took my time to canvas the rock out crop stretching out before and above me. Yet all was quiet; so quiet in fact that for a moment I feared Amelia had been wrong about the location.

That's when I heard the distinct, slightly too slow heartbeat and even breathing I had learned to recognize as Hayden's.

It had to be a trap, I knew it but I had no way to avoid it. I just had to let it spring close around me and hope that being aware would be enough. That it would give me just the edge I needed to survive and bring Hayden home.

Raïm had no heartbeat that I could hear which meant he could be there with Hayden right now while I waited here. Yet it was comforting to hear that Hayden's heartbeat was even and slow, not too slow for him yet slow enough to indicate that he wasn't terrified.

I spend more precious seconds hanging from my arms like a fly on the wall, just below the edge. Amelia had said that she'd been able to trace Devon only because he'd been in severe pain. I could only assume this meant someone more powerful was present.

The question was: who?

Certain I would get no wiser from hanging there I pulled myself up so I could look out across the plateau. It was larger than I expected it to be; with the cottage almost 300 ft. back from the edge and fir trees and boulders scattered about.

There was no living soul in sight but still I was careful when I pulled myself up and onto the plateau completely.

It was a good thing too, I'd only barely set foot onto the solid ground when blue exploded all around me. The freezing cold yet burning at the same time kind of blue that indicated a frost Demon or water Demon of some sort.

A solid kick which seemed to come out of nowhere landed on my chest a fraction of a second later. It knocked the air right out of me and send me flying over the edge.

Only because I'd been prepared did I manage to respond appropriately, drawing both my blades as I flew backwards and upwards into the sky. Then just as I started falling down I used my power to fling myself back onto my opponent. Fire trailing in my wake.

On the plateau stood something akin to a human, tall and graceful and distinctly feminine with curves and flowing lines. A white wispy dress flowing around her long limbs in the air currents around her. While hair the color of polished sapphire whirled around her.

Her skin was a chalky white and although her face was strikingly attractive in a surreal way, it displayed horns. Proudly standing on her forehead like a crown.

At the sight of her my belly chilled; a frost Galamut. Two Galamut on free foot? This was terrifying news... I had to destroy this one yet I was not certain that I could.

Had it been the same Galamut that had attacked the house in Riverwood and taken Hayden I wouldn't have been worried. He was a fire Demon and I was immune to his powers, this one was frost and water. It meant I had to use talents hardly developed, the powers weakest.

She was laughing evilly, as if she knew just what I'd been thinking.

My attack was slow and I knew this, coming in from so high she had plenty of time to consider what to do. I was only a few feet away when she raised her hands towards me. The wrists pressed together and her hands opened; something blue gathering in between her palms.

It seemed like slow motion as I neared her and the beam of ice shot up towards me. I dropped like a brick, with the grace of one too, rolling to avoid the shards of ice. With my blades I slashed at her legs and upward to her torso.

They met only thin air.

The Galamut vaporizing and blowing away on an air current, disappearing like a Fata Morgana. I growled in frustration, knowing that the longer I fought the bigger the chance was that Hayden was moved or killed.

Spinning around I searched for my opponent but she was invisible, waiting for me to be less alert. My senses were straining to find her or the Wolf that I knew had to be here somewhere... I'd caught his scent although it was faint.

My mind scrambling around to remember all that I knew about the powerful Galamut. Demons so strong and so evil that they had been captured and put under an ancient spell. One that kept them from acting on their free will, sealed them away deep beneath the ground.

There had been many Galamut at that time and they had reigned the Demon realm and nearly this realm too with blood and terror. It was only because they'd fought amongst themselves, jockeying for more power that the other powers to be had managed to do this.

My eyes darted around the rocky out crop, searching each of the possible hiding places. Behind boulders, trees and inside the lengthening shadows.

Amulets had been forged afterwards for each one that would allow the wearer to command them to do their bidding. Something the original capturers of the Galamut had never intended. Something done by darker minds, other Demons craving power and not beneath using the now contained power of the Galamut.

Searching was in vain because the Ice Galamut had remained invisible. I was certain that she could remain that way indefinitely and I had to lure her into the visible spectrum and especially the physical spectrum if I wanted to do her any harm.

I surveyed the area slowly one last time, using all my senses as I started towards the cottage in the distance. I couldn't let the fight get too close to it, endangering Hayden. But if Raim was nearby I had to find out and if he wasn't then the Galamut wouldn't want to risk Hayden getting hurt either.

My footsteps crunched on the gravely surface, hardly loud enough for human ears but I knew that to the Galamut and the wolf it would be more than loud enough. They'd both had me in their sights anyway probably.

At least now I knew why Amelia had managed to trace Devon. Obviously it had been the Galamut hurting Devon and poor Hayden had been forced to endure it too, with his strongly developed sense of empathy.

I was only a hundred feet away from the derelict cottage when I felt a sudden chill in the air; it was the only warning I got. Reflexes kicking in, I launched myself upwards, ice blasting through the space I'd occupied only moments before.

Steam rose into the air as the ice melted in the heat of my fire trail. I had to get a reign on that, I couldn't just expend energy that way because I was furious. It was never good to fight with a head filled with anger.

I spun around in the air, allowing my blades to heat up and glow red as I located the source of the beam of ice. I knew the Galamut had already moved, maybe she was even nearly on me and I hoped the heat of my weapons would keep her away forcing her to use ranged weapons instead.

I landed on the same spot I'd vacated moments before, in a puddle of water. I threw one sword at the spot the Galamut had been in when shooting her shards of ice at me. I knew she wasn't there any longer but I was certain it would draw her out.

As soon as the blade left my hand I felt the air around me chill again. This time it was already at my back, touching me.

An arm appeared around my chest, curling up almost like a lovers embrace while a second hand smoothed across my throat. I felt the firmness of a body against me, the soft female curves, hardened by the bite of frost.

Air misted around my face as the Galamut breathed out and laughed huskily, 'So this is the stuff a Regis is made off now a days?' The sound was mocking as one hand slid lower, towards my privates, nails scratching across the bare skin of my chest, still bloody from the previous fight.

Her other hand convulsed around my throat.

'So this is the stuff a Galamut is made off?' I replied, mocking her words even as I pushed on my dagger; the one I'd drawn the second after I'd thrown my sword. I heard an intake of breath and then she laughed again.

'You're a naughty boy, tssk!' the air around me chilled again and I knew she was going to vaporize into thin air once more. I pushed the dagger home, into the soft flesh of her belly at the same moment she shot shards of ice into my throat.

With a strange sense of detachment I could feel each of the separate shards cut through flesh, like needles. Ravaging and tearing, arteries ripping apart; the vulnerable flesh of my throat yielding only too easily.

Blood gurgled and bubbled in my windpipe, blocking air and gushing down across my chest. For the first time that day staining my skin a crimson red with my own life's essence.

The shards melted and as they did my body started regenerating; knitting the skin back together and mending veins and tendons.

I'd been forced to my knees but as I looked up through heavy eyes I saw the Galamut not too far from me. Also clutching hands to a tear in her gut that spilled entrails out onto the cold rocks; she was laughing. A deranged sound that send chills down my back.

Oh yeah, she was one evil, sick creature alright; reveling in the pain as she did. Regenerating almost faster than I could myself with no apparent loss of power. I could feel the drain on my own reserves already, of course I'd been fighting for hours on end yesterday and had not rested since...

The white, wispy dress she wore was now stained a strange aqua color at the front. The blood of this frost Demon nothing like that of a humanoid.

'You shouldn't have done that boy,' the woman said, her voice almost sing song as she looked at me with clear intelligence and mirth in her eyes. Raising a hand, also blue with her blood she smirked at me.

I had only a fraction of a second to dodge, instincts honed with time my savior. The shards of frozen ice she propelled at me a thousand times more deadly than a bullet.

Still a searing pain shot through my shoulder where some of the fragments hit, the affected arm just a little too slow to catch my weight as I rolled. Still I raised my other hand to blast her with sheer telekinetic force; I had to damage her more permanently so she couldn't go invisible again.

She slammed back with enough force to crush a human ribcage and tear internal organs, hitting one of the larger boulders with a resounding bang. Cracks appearing across the stone's surface and dust wafting up from it.

The frost Galamut didn't move and I took the time to assess the damage to my own body. The pain in my shoulder was fading but a lot worse than the shards that had hit my throat before. This was her blood she'd used.

It could be toxic or at least it appeared to be acidic.

These shards didn't melt as I healed, instead my body forced them out as the wound regenerated. They tinkled and then shattered as they fell from my shoulder to the ground like crystals of pale glass would.

The sound was loud in the silence, only a steadily rising wind howling across the Shadow peak. Standing up I slowly walked towards the unmoving Galamut, not once believing her to be dead, it had been way too easy.

I was nearly at her body, watching the ice-crystals slowly crawl across the shattered boulder beneath her. Still she didn't move, no sign of breathing.

Gripping my blade tightly in my hand I raised her body slowly up from the boulder, using my mind only. Certain that touching her would make her spring her trap. Two big chunks of stone followed her up in the air.

I'd crush her skull and tear her heart out, only then would I be sure she was well and truly dead.

As she floated before me her eyes, glowing an evil blue, met mine. She was smiling again, showing off a disturbing set of pointed teeth in an otherwise human looking mouth.

'You are too late and now you will die,' she murmured.

Anger and grief spiked hot through my blood , 'You lie!' The growl erupted from my throat as I swung my blade, aimed to pierce her heart. The rocks gaining speed and hurling forward to collide with her head.

One second she seemed doomed to die, the next she exploded into a million icy spikes; much like a hedgehog. The stones fragmenting and my sword bouncing off and catapulting from my hand as if I'd struck diamond.

The spikes were still shooting outwards and I had to summon my powers to form a shield around me. Fire my defense as it billowed up from beneath my feet. Still the spikes advanced, so fast that I hardly saw them move.

One pierced my left leg, another my right shoulder and a third managed to scrape across my cheek. I'd have been dead if not for the shield that had melted the other advancing blades. That's when my back collided with the ground.

I was trapped, pinned to the rock by the ice.

A blinding light and then I heard the same tinkling noise as the ice everywhere shattered and collapsed. The next instant a strong wind blew across the rocks and all the ice went up in smoke, a blue vapor that gathered several feet above the ground and then disappeared.

A groan escaped me as I was released, no longer pinned down. The wounds healing but slower than before. I staggered to my feet anyway and looked around, expecting an attack at any moment.

Only the howling wind.

She was mocking me, playing with me... Clearly thinking she had the upper hand in this fight and she had. I couldn't deny that. I couldn't take many more hits like this and regenerate fully, in fact my left shoulder didn't seem fully functional.

I knew with growing certainty that one of the shards she'd shot at me, made of her own blood, hadn't left my body. It was wreaking havoc now.

'Give up, you are doomed! I will feed on your Mate's dead body soon...' The Ice Galamut taunted. She was standing on a rock, almost a hundred feet away from me, taunting, riling my anger like before.

I knew this but I couldn't stop myself, images of Amelia dead enough to make my body jerk into action. I had everything to lose I knew, I was a dead man and so were Hayden and Amelia if I didn't fight.

Hopeless as things seemed, I would never give up.

'Face me then! No disappearing, just you and me and our weapons,' I growled at her. She knew as well as I did that she was too fast, even in a more fair fight like that. It would give her every opportunity to toy with me until she decided she was ready to kill me.

She laughed, 'Very well.'

In a flash she was right next to me, having moved so quickly that even to my eyes she'd been only a blur. Her gown was tattered where I'd ripped open her belly before but other than that she appeared completely unscathed.

Bother her hands were encased in ice, forming long sharp blades about the same as my own swords. She smirked, 'On the count of three.'

I nodded as I teleported both my blades back into my hands and sunk into a defensive crouch. I had to kill her, there had to be a way! I just had to figure out how and survive until I did.

'One,' she said in an eerily sing song voice.

'Two,' I muttered, summoning fire to cover my own hands and weapons.