The crowd was now surrounding them, chanting and stamping their feet to create a thumping beat that matched the chant.

  Death to the unbelievers, death to the unbelievers.

  Gary stood up and pulled Sasha and the others to their feet. “Link arms,” he said. They did as he said forming an outward looking circle as the crowd slowly tightened the circle around them.

  “What now?” asked Calico.

  “We try and break out. If we all run at the same spot maybe, just maybe, we can break through.”

  “That’s the plan?” said Calico, shaking his head. “Ah well, at least we took out the elixir. That will give others the chance to defeat him.” And with that that he ran at the crowd screaming, “Death the Ice King”. He was a few rows deep before he disappeared under a hail of blows.

  “So that’s the spot we run at,” said Gary. “Two out of three isn’t bad. Death the Ice King.” He ran towards where Calico had fallen. Fists connected with his jaw as he reached the encircling crowd, but he was too pumped up, too angry to feel any pain. He punched back and pushed his way through to a crumpled figure on the ground. A small clearing formed around Gary, and he looked round to find Sasha and her guard on either side of them, claws extended swiping back and forwards, the crowd moving back to avoid contact. Gary pulled Calico to his feet. “You didn’t wait for the signal.”

  “Never been very patient,” Calico replied.

  “If we go down, we go down together,” said Sasha.

  A deafening crack of thunder sounded across the sky above them. Gary, his companions and the crowd of Doomwalkers were stopped momentarily in their tracks. They looked up to see forked lightening smashing into the red cloud. The face of the Ice King for the first time looked surprised and nervous. Rain began to fall and with it the red cloud began to slowly disintegrate.

  Death to the unbelievers

  This time the voice from above was not booming and commanding but higher pitched and sounding slightly desperate, trying to issue its command before it was gone.

  Death to the unbelievers

  Quieter than before, as if it was shouting from a great distance rather than being an immanent presence.

  Gary looked down from the sky. The crowd was confused and disorientated, unable to look away from the spectacle in the sky.

  “Everyone, let’s go,” he said, pushing his way through the crowd while holding on to Calico. “Let’s go.” Gary pushed through the crowd waiting for them to turn on him, but they were mesmerised by the Ice King.

  If the garden cannot be saved from the son of Adam it must be destroyed. We will not hand it over to outsiders. If you abandon me, I will destroy it. The river of life is an ally, or it is an enemy.

  The voice was now shrill and barely audible. Gary reached the edge of the village and looked back. They were all still staring upwards at their master fading from view.

  “Gary,” shouted a voice. He looked into the distance and saw Smallgrass, Daisy, Octavia and the others running towards them, weapons raised.

  Gary waved and ran towards them. “No need to fight,” he said. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Damn, missed the action,” said Smallgrass. “I knew I should have gone with you. But what about her,” he said pointed with his sword at Sasha.

  “She’s good. Mean but good.”

  Daisy ran up to Gary and gave him a hug. “I wasn’t sure if I’d see you again.”

  “I’m glad you care.”

  Daisy pulled Gary close and kissed him briefly. They separated and began to climb the hill out of the village to the safety of their lookout. Gary looked at Daisy and at Sasha and at Octavia. He felt confused but happy. Happier than he’d ever remembered.

  Chapter 19

  The companions sat on the brow of the hill watching the events below unfold. They were no longer worried about hiding or giving away their position. The rain and the thunder had subsided, washing away much of the smoke that hung over the encampment. It still lingered however, looking more like a faint red mist. The image of the Ice King was still there but twisted and contorted. The rain had melted his features as if they were heated wax. He still tried to speak to his followers below but all that came out was a garbled slow-motion version of his voice which seemed more anguished than threatening. After the Ice King had begun to fade to the sluggish image now on view the inhabitants of the encampment seemed to lose their drive. There was no attempt to put out the fire in the stockade.

  As the night wore on small fires appeared all over the village followed by the sound of shouting and fighting. The army of Doomwalkers were falling apart, splitting into factions and fighting each other.

  “I wish we could help them,” said Gary.

  “We can’t,” replied Sasha. “As the elixir wears off, doubts and fears crowd your mind that fill you full of terror and anger. I experienced that myself. That’s why people willingly take the elixir. The pain is too great to push through it and get back to normality. If you hadn’t helped me, I couldn’t have recovered so quickly.”

  “They are not cured yet, but they will be,” said Calico. “But regardless, they are no longer a fighting force. We have won.”

  “It’s not that simple,” said Sasha. “Until we take the Crystal City the threat could return at any moment. That is where the Kingsblood comes from and he has true believers there. So long as he rules, there will be no peace in the four lands.”

  “She’s right,” said Daisy. “You heard the Ice King, if he can’t rule the four lands, he’d rather destroy them”

  “It seems to me that he was trying to do both,” said Gary. “The question is why?” The others looked at him quizzically. “Think about it. What is left to rule? He is destroying as he conquers. Look at the forests in Springrise and look around you here in Autumnfall. The village below is already destroyed. There is something more that we don’t understand.”

  “Gary’s instincts have seldom been wrong,” said Smallgrass. “Apart from that time he tried to rescue Daisy by fighting the Doomwalkers singlehanded.”

  “And the time he ran away from the first Doomwalker he encountered,” chipped in the other Smallgrass.

  “But apart from that, he’s seldom wrong,” said Daisy laughing.

  “Gary is right,” said Sasha. “Even when possessed I still felt some niggling doubt about what the purpose of our conquest was. Something that always seemed, somehow, out of reach.”

  “Okay,” said Hannibal. “So, we wait for the elixir to wear off, and we then unite the three lands against Winterhaven and march on the Ice King.”

  “No,” said Gary. “We head for Crystal City tomorrow at the break of dawn. The Ice King has had a setback, but he will move quickly. I don’t know how, but he will. We must travel there as fast as we can.”

  ***

  Gary walked with Daisy away from the camp, holding her hand.

  “There is something I need to tell you,” he said.

  “You made love with Octavia,” she said.

  “She told you?”

  “She didn’t have to.” Daisy stopped Gary and hugged him. “Things must be very complicated in your world when everyone pretends to only love one person.”

  “I was thinking the same about this place,” said Gary.

  “But you like it here, don’t you?”

  Gary nodded. “More than anything. I don’t want to go back to my old life, and I don’t want to mess things up with you.”

  Daisy shrugged, “By making love with someone else? Why would that matter. Besides, you made love to Sasha too, so…”

  “No, no I didn’t,” Gary insisted. So, she is jealous after all, he thought. She is imaging things. Gary felt the world return to something close to normal with Daisy’s display of jealousy.

  “But you did Gary,” she replied. “You don’t realise, do you?”

  He shook his head in denial.

  Daisy stood in front of Gary and held him with both arms. She gazed into his eyes. Gary stared back looking at the beautiful rabbit woman before him, her long blonde hair cascading over her shoulders and her deep blue eyes. He lost himself in her gaze, feeling as if he was falling into her. Then he saw her eyes transform just as they had the first time they had made love, swirling into a blue green orb. He saw her, felt her standing at the top of a cliff looking down on Gary in the water below. She turned and ran. He felt her pounding heart and her muscular legs pushing her in large bounds through the forest and away from the Doomwalkers. Then he was in the village below staring into Sasha’s eyes, seeing the world as she saw it. He came back into focus and was once again standing in front of Daisy watching her eyes flush white as she pulled him closer. Gary held her tight and nodded his understanding.

  “You opened yourself to her and she opened herself to you. Your lifeforces touched each other and in doing so pulled more lifeforce into both of you. That’s how it works Gary. Don’t you see that?”

  “I didn’t realise,” he said.

  “The physical is just a part of it, a small part of it,” she said breathing deeply. “You see?”

  Gary nodded. “But the physical part is good though. You must admit that. It is, isn’t it?”

  Daisy pushed Gary in the chest and laughed. “Yes, it’s not bad.”

  ***

  As dawn broke, the companions gathered their belongings, the remnants of last night’s fire were still smoldering. The sun peeked over the horizon, casting a soft golden hue across the landscape of Autumnfall.

  “Ready?” Gary asked, glancing at the group.

  “Ready as we’ll ever be,” Sasha replied, her voice steady but tinged with an underlying tension. Gary noticed the determination in her eyes, a stark contrast to the fading image of the Ice King they had seen the night before.

  As they marched onward, the remnants of winter began to retreat. Snow that once blanketed the ground melted away, revealing patches of rich earth beneath. Droplets of water trickled from the branches overhead, creating a soothing background sound as they splashed into small puddles below. The scent of damp earth filled Gary’s lungs, a scent that felt foreign yet oddly comforting.

  “Look at that,” Calico pointed toward the trees, their branches now adorned with budding green leaves. “Winter is fading.”

  “Fitting, isn’t it?” Gary mused, his thoughts drifting to the journey ahead. “We’re chasing the snow back to its source.”

  The group pressed on, their footsteps crunching against the thawing ground. As they walked, stories flowed among them, laughter mingling with cautious discussions of their plans. Gary listened, his mind occupied with the way Daisy’s laughter sounded, the warmth of her hand when they had walked together. He felt a pang of guilt when he thought of Sasha, who stood beside him, her presence equally compelling.

  “Gary,” Sasha said, breaking through his thoughts. “What do you think will happen when we reach Crystal City?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, glancing at her. “But we can’t let him win. Not again.”

  “He needs to pay for what he has done,” she replied, her eyes sparkling with conviction. The way she looked at him sent a shiver of anticipation down his spine. Maybe this was the moment to explore what lay beyond the surface of their connection, beyond the complex web he found himself in.

  As twilight approached, they scouted a suitable spot for the night, setting up a camp surrounded by towering trees that whispered secrets in the soft evening breeze. The campfire crackled to life, illuminating their faces with a warm orange glow.

  “Tell us something about you, Gary,” Daisy prompted, settling beside him and leaning against his shoulder.

  Gary smiled nervously. “What kind of story? I haven’t really lived much. Not too much to tell.”

  “Something true,” Sasha said, her tone playful yet serious. “Something that reveals what’s in your heart.”

  He stared into the flames, the flickering shadows reflecting in his eyes. “There was a time I felt lost, struggling to find my place. And I thought I would never belong anywhere. But now…” He paused, looking at Daisy and then Sasha. “Now I feel like I’m part of something greater. Before I came here, I studied books and everything was theoretical. I wasn’t a good student. Having been here I think I understand why. I wasn’t stupid but it just didn’t mean much to me. Here I think I’ve been a protector, a friend. It feels as if I have and I hope that’s what others think of me. That I have made a difference.”

  The warmth of the fire merged with the warmth that spread through him as he shared those words. Daisy’s smile was radiant, while Sasha’s gaze was softer, understanding.

  As the stars twinkled overhead, a silence enveloped the group, heavy with unspoken thoughts and emotions. Gary felt the weight of anticipation in the air, an energy that crackled like the flames before him.

  Later that night, as the others settled on the ground, Gary found himself alone with Sasha, the fire fading to embers. He felt drawn to her, the space between them charged with yearning. Daisy had disappeared, saying she was going to keep watch with Smallgrass. After their earlier talk he knew that she was creating space for Gary to talk to Sasha, to discuss what they had shared with each other.

  “Can we talk?” he asked softly, his heart racing.

  “Of course,” she replied, her voice low. The way she looked at him give him butterflies in his stomach.

  They sat close, the remnants of firelight casting a warm glow around them. “I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier,” Sasha began, her brow slightly furrowed. “About how this place feels like home. It’s clearly very different here, Gary, different to where you are from and I want to understand it.”

  “Me too,” he said, his breath hitching as he leaned closer. “I want to understand everything about your world and everything about you.”

  In that moment, the world around them faded, leaving only the two of them. The connection between them surged, a lifeforce that pulsed with anticipation. Gary reached out, tentatively brushing his fingers against Sasha’s hand. She responded by intertwining their fingers, and the warmth in his body spread downwards.

  “Are you sure about this?” he asked, searching her eyes.

  “I am,” she whispered, her voice steady.

  With that, the barriers between them crumbled. Gary pulled Sasha closer as they shared a kiss that ignited the passions within him. The world around them melted away, leaving only their warmth, their laughter, and the exchange of lifeforce that coursed between their bodies.

  In that moment of intimacy, Gary felt a deeper understanding wash over him. The connection they forged transcended mere physicality. It was a melding of souls, an exchange of lifeforce that offered clarity and strength.

  The moon hung high above them as they lost themselves in each other, both physically and spiritually. This was more than a fleeting moment. It was a glimpse of what could develop between them. As they merged their two lives circled each other. He saw everything she had been through, and she saw into his world. Now that he understood what love-making meant here, it was becoming more intense with every experience. Gary felt a sudden wave sweep over him followed by an explosive climax, he felt his memories, his soul, his fluid gush out of him, leaving him drained and yet fully at peace as he drifted into a deep nourishing sleep.

  ***

  As dawn approached, Gary woke up and became aware of both Daisy and Sasha enveloping him in their collective embrace. He did not have any either-or decision to make. There was no jealously to be navigated in what would have seemed like an impossible situation back home.

  As they continued on the last part of their march through Autumnfall Gary walked alongside Daisy, their shoulders brushing occasionally as they navigated the uneven path.

  “I know that love is food,” Gary said, but sometimes it is more.” He nodded in the direction of Smallgrass and Smallgrass. “Has it ever been more for you?”

  “Not until recently,” she said looking him directly in the eye as she spoke.

  “How can you be sure?” he asked.

  “When you made love to Sasha last night, I felt it. I was there. Not physically, but I was there.”

  Gary understood what would have previously seemed crazy. “I felt you,” he said.

  Sasha caught up with them and smiled. “I felt it too. That was new for me. Three in one but it felt,” she paused to think then her tail swished past Gary’s face followed by the sound of purring.”

  “Good,” said Smallgrass, who had been eavesdropping. “It felt good?”

  “Oh, more than good.”

  Sasha

  Part Four – Winterhaven

  Chapter 20

  “And that my friends, is Crystal City,” said Octavia.

  Gary looked back at the land stretching out behind them. There was no obvious line between Autumnfull and Winterhaven in the way there had been between the other lands. The snow lay thick on the ground and the land swept upwards, always upward. The horizon was dominated by a castle sitting at the peak of the highest mountain. The castle was white and glistened in the morning sun. The light reflecting off the icicles that had formed around the ramparts.

  “Crystal City,” said Gary. “Sometimes I didn’t think we’d ever see it.”

  “It is beautiful,” said Daisy.

  “Huh,” said Smallgrass. “It’s brought nothing but misery to the four lands.”

  “It’s still beautiful.”

  “Does everyone in Winterhaven live in the city?” asked Gary.

  “They do,” said Sasha. “The city is Winterhaven. Our journey to the castle will be easy but getting in is a different matter.”

  “We have time. We can wait them out with a siege once reinforcements arrive,” said Octavia. “We just need to make sure he does not send out any new elixir. The Doomwalkers are awakening from their enchantment by the day.”

  “But we push on anyway,” said Gary.

  “Agreed,” said Sasha. “We should not congratulate ourselves too much. He took control once and could do it again. We don’t know what other magic he may have. I will not rest until I know he is gone.”