The giant reached out and grabbed the saber-tooth by the back of the neck, and flung it across the room. The cat nimbly landed on his paws and then shape-shifted back into the young handsome Teague, who looked winded and had a smear of blood coming out of his mouth.
“Very good, brother. I am impressed. You have gotten stronger, but you are not strong enough.”
Brother? The word made Mina’s knees weak with relief. It couldn’t be—could it? He said he would never come. That he couldn’t come. She couldn’t help herself; she yelled out his name. “Jared!”
The giant’s head turned to her, his eyes looking very human and every ounce Jared. He had one hand over a deep wound in his side, and he was slowly falling to his knees. She heard him call out her name—“Meehna!”—and then he fell forward onto the marble. But when he finally crashed into the ground, he was completely human and injured.
Teague danced over to his brother’s body and kicked him in the stomach. Jared curled up into a ball, and then, slowly, ever so slowly, he got back up to his feet. His hair was tousled, his clothes torn, and even in his human form, the injuries translated into large slashes crisscrossed across his chest and face. And even though his brother taunted him, Jared never took his eyes off her.
Her heart soared! He’d come for her! He hadn’t abandoned her. She was going to have quite a few angry words with him later, but for now, since her Jared was here, she knew they would be all right.
Jared’s hands going up in the air and his eyes widening in fright were Mina’s only warning that something was wrong. She turned just as Temple’s ungloved hand reached for her arm.
Her arm swung up, and she stabbed Temple in the palm of the hand with the piece of the glass knife. Temple screamed and stepped back, holding his bleeding hand. He stared at the golden glass in horror and then at the blood that dripped from the wound. It was first red, and then slowly, drip by drip, it turned to gold. He pulled out the glass and dropped it in shock.
“No! No! What have you done? How did you know?”
Mina stared at him without any sympathy. “A deal made in blood that can only be broken by blood. Yours.”
“How could you have come by my blood?” He groaned in pain, trying to use his power to reverse the effect of the magic that was turning his arm and shoulder into gold. He was able to change it back for a second, but then he would be overwhelmed and lose the ground he’d gained. He was sweating and fighting it so hard. Mina knew he would lose the battle.
“You gave it to me…freely.”
“I would have done no such thiii—” And he was gone. The most powerful Stiltskin encased in his own golden curse. And she’d done it without the Grimoire.
A loud screeching noise came from the ceiling, and the phoenix flexed its wings and flew in a giant circle. Thank you for freeing me, the voice echoed in Mina’s head. The bird flew over her head, making Teague duck for cover, and in a wink of an eye, all of the flames in the room were gone. The bird came to light on Teague’s book and looked at Mina with large solemn eyes.
“You’re welcome, but now can you help me?” Mina turned to point to Nix, whose shoulder had turned a deep purple color. He was gasping for each and every breath. “They say that a phoenix’s tears can heal people. Is that true?”
“Yes, but even if I heal him, he will still die on this plane.”
“So there’s nothing you can do?” Mina cried out. A warm arm wrapped around her shoulder, and she could feel Jared coming to aid her.
“No, there’s nothing I can do. I am truly sorry,” the bird said, using tones of her mother’s anguished voice. “But I thank you again for our freedom.”
“Our?” Mina looked around, confused.
“Your bravery not only freed me, it freed all of those entrapped by his malicious deals.” The phoenix’s voice became deeper, more masculine. The timbre of the familiar voice made Mina go weak in the knees. The voice of her father. The bird looked toward the Stiltskin, who was surrounded by gold orbs that grew and grew until they took the shape of their true form.
A small gold bubble phased into a young tree nymph who looked around the room and took off running down the hall. An even larger orb phased into a dazed and confused griffin. Another released an ogre, a small fairy. One after another, hundreds of orbs shifted, and Fae of all races and sizes began to walk among each other, hugging one another and rejoicing in their freedom. Then the most amazing thing happened as each and every one of the freed Fae bowed toward Mina in respect.
Teague walked back and forth, his anger spilling off him in waves. “No, no, no! You shouldn’t be bowing to her—I’m the one who freed you. I sent the Stiltskin into her world so she could defeat him. I’m the one who instigated the quest! You should bow to me!”