Angered Seasons: Volume Four (I Will Survive) (5 page)

The house shook with the sudden force of an
earthquake. An earthquake! I’d lived in Prince Albert all my life
and I’d never felt an earthquake. I scrambled up the roof so I
could straddle the peak in case things got worse. Not that it would
matter, really. I didn’t think this house had been built to
withstand any kind of ground shaking.

Jenny cried out and joined me.

“Lane!” I watched as the men struggled to stay on the
edge of the roof. Under us, windows shattered and the house
groaned.

Max looked up at us his eyes wide. Glade took his
distraction to throw another gust of wind in his direction. The
younger of the two managed to deflect it with a blast of his own.
The swirl of snow and ice hit me in the chest. My breath left my
lungs with a sickening whoosh. I felt the house disappear from
under me and found myself free falling backwards. I stopped
abruptly, my body snagging on something thick, hard, and cold. I
felt the skin rip from my arm as I slid down whatever I’d hit. My
other hand reached back, hoping to stop my descent before there was
nothing left of my limb. The movement caused me to slip forward and
I was once again falling.

The ground met me, unforgiving, and my legs gave out
with the impact. Somewhere in the wind, I heard Lane scream my
name. The pain rolled through me in waves and I struggled to stay
conscious. I had to move. The Yellow Eyes wouldn’t take long to
find me here. My eyes met Max’s and a strange calm came over me.
Even through the silver, I saw it. That look. The one we’d tried so
hard tame. I smiled and lay my head back down on the now snow
covered ground. Maxy was about to lose control.

It was obviously a look Glade had seen before as
well. His eyes widened and suddenly, he wasn’t the cocky immortal
he’d been portraying all this time. He wiped at the blood running
down his neck.

As abruptly as it had started, the snow, wind, and
rain stopped.

“Max.” Glade took a step back. “It’s been fun,
really, but you need to calm down. This wasn’t my idea, little
brother.”

Silver swirls of power slithered around Max. The
ground started to tremble, the air began to move. A flash so bright
I had to close my eyes appeared from above. The sound that followed
it was a low hum that quickly turned into an octave so high and
loud I covered my ears, tucking my head into my arms to try and
muffle it.

The ground heaved and just as soon as it had started,
it was over. I peered out from under my arms and was shocked. The
Yellow Eyes that had been alive were now laying still, not one of
them breathing. I gazed over to where Max had been and swore.

“Holy fuck, Maxy.” I tried to stand but stumbled.

“Gabby!” Lane was running toward me and was soon
kneeling at my side. “Grant, Jason! Go check on Max!”

The pair ran to where their friend was now laying on
the ground, his chest moving up and down the only indication he was
alive.

“Where’s Glade?” I had to clear my throat and ask the
question again.

“He’s gone.” Lane helped me to my feet. “I didn’t see
much of it, but it looked like he exploded then vanished.” He
smirked. “Yeah, I know how that sounds.”

“Dude! Whatever Maxy did to Glade, it left a crater
back there!” Grant had a hold of Max’s feet as he and Jason carried
him toward the house.

I leaned against Lane. “Remember what he said about
the dinosaurs?”

Lane grinned. “Yeah.” He led me to the house. “Let’s
get you cleaned up.”

I kissed him softly. “I think this is over.”

“God I hope so.”

Brat barked and followed us into the house.

Epilogue

I take a sip of my warm beer. It’s been four days
since our big battle with Glade and so far no more Yellow Eyes have
shown up. Max’s fever is finally down and I’m thinking it will be
safe to move him if he doesn’t wake up in the next day or two.

I lean my head against Lane’s shoulder. “How’s your
leg? I saw it was bleeding again.”

He shrugs. “How’s your arm? You’re not getting an
infection, are you?”

I shake my head.

One second, I’m looking at Bella eating grass ten
feet from the porch, and the next, I’m staring into swirling yellow
and silver eyes.

“Jesus fuck!” I scramble backwards onto the deck and
when I’m standing, I make one of those useless mental notes that I
managed to avoid spilling my beer. It finally clues in that Mother
Nature herself is standing in front of me and I can’t help but
gawk. She’s beautiful; milk chocolate skin, long black hair, and
eyes that never stop swirling silver and yellow. She’s
hypnotizing.

Terra looks at me with unveiled contempt. It’s
obvious that she’ll never share her son’s love for the humans.

“I’m here to see my son.”

“Good for you.” I cross my arms across my chest even
though it hurts like a bitch. “He’s sleeping.”

She glares at me and it crosses my mind that she
could probably kill me with a blink of those phenomenal
eyelashes.

“It’s okay, Gabs.” Max is leaning against the door
frame. He offers me a tired smile which disappears the instant his
eyes meet his mother’s.

“What do you want?” His silver glare won’t back down
from hers.

“To talk.” She actually sounds shy.

“So talk.”

She shakes her head. “Alone.”

He glances at me. “Can you give us a minute?”

I nod and head down the stairs where Lane takes my
hand. “We’ll be around back if you need us.”

We spend the next ten minutes in silence, looking at
the crater formally known as Glade.

“I’d like to say I feel sorry that I vaporized him,
but I can’t.” Max comes to stand with us. He catches my glance
backwards. “She’s gone.”

I smile. “So? How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted. Other than that, not too bad. How about
you?”

I see him looking at my arm and I shrug. “I’ll live.
So, your eyes?”

He grins. “Permanently silver.”

“That’s kinda cool,” I laugh.

He nods and inhales deeply. “I…” He pauses and Lane
puts a hand on his arm to encourage him.

“I have to leave.” Maxy’s eyes look past me and I
know that Jenny is back.

“What?” She drops the water bucket she’s carrying and
runs to us. He pulls her to his chest and smoothes her hair.

“I have too. It’s the only way this will work.”

I frown and try not to show how upset I am. I swallow
the lump rising in my throat. “Why?”

“Earth is mine to look after now. She said I earned
it. I can’t do that from here. The magic I need, it’s over there in
the other realm.”

Jenny’s sobs fill the air and I hug both of them. The
poor girl has literally lost everyone she’s ever loved.

“So what’s going to happen?” Lane, of course, is
thinking ahead, because that’s what he does.

Max thinks for a minute. “First things first, I’ll
get the weather back on track. We need to get some food growing and
stuff so you guys don’t starve. It’s going to take a long time
before life gets back to normal. Terra managed to fry anything
electronic with one of those storms of hers. You’re going to have
to start from scratch.” He smiles apologetically. “Now that the
sprites are gone, those who were strong enough to survive being
possessed will find their way home. It’s going to be a major
clean-up effort, I imagine.”

Lane nods.

Max grins. “But not you. You get to go home to the
farm and relax for a change. You’ve done enough to help me and I
don’t mean just this end of the world shit, either.” He gives me
and Jenny a squeeze. I pull away so he can say goodbye to her.

“I’ll come back every now and then.” He tilts her
face gently. “And if you ever need me, all you have to do is
call.”

She nods, tears streaking down her face. He kisses
her gently then turns to us.

“I need to get going. Can you tell the rest of the
crew I’ll be back to say hey?”

“For sure.”

He gives a small wave and vanishes as is the
Nature/Time family habit. I give Jenny a squeeze.

“Come on. Let’s get home. I feel like making a feast
for supper.”

She smiles. “I think there’s a roast we could cook
up.”

“Perfect.”

“With homemade bannock?” inquires Lane.

I kiss his cheek and laugh. “Sure thing.” I swing up
behind Lane on Bella and wait until Jenny gets onto Fatty Lumpkin.
“Do you know what?”

“Hmmm?”

I look up at the sky and wonder if Max can see us
from where he is. “I think Maxy’s going to make a good keeper.”

Lane grins. “I think you’re right.” He gives Bella a
squeeze and we make our way home.

Books by Mireille Chester

Adult Novels

The Chosen One Trilogy

Crossover

Journey

Destiny

Angered Seasons (the serial novel)

The Worst Birthday Ever (volume one)

Zombies, Aliens, and Meat-Eating Vegetarians? (volume
two)

You Mess With the Bull, You Get the Horns (volume
three)

I Will Survive (volume four)

Young Adult Novels

Knights of Dorathan

Chael’s Luck

Tales of Quelondain

Tyler’s Story

Reluctant to Rise (coming 2013)

Middle Grade Novels

Faerie Dreams

Sweet Dreams (coming soon)

About the Author

Mireille Chester was born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1979
and moved to Saskatchewan when she was eight. Writing is one of her
many passions which also include reading, drawing, painting,
animals, and the outdoors. She is a stay at home mom and wife.

Mireille lives with her husband and their three
children. She hopes to keep readers entertained with her magical
worlds and enjoyable characters.

http://mireillechester.blogspot.com is where you can
learn more about her books and follow her blog.