My mother really was trying to get me killed. Why else would she pull me out of my body in the middle of a battle? It made me sick how quickly she'd changed her mind from having me captured to intentionally sabotaging me.

Her smoky form stood in front of me in a proud stance as if she'd seen nothing wrong with what she'd just done. In her eyes, I was just a naughty child that needed to be disciplined. She didn't care if it cost me my life. It was the stupidest, most entitled thing I'd ever seen her do. She was a complete and utter psycho.

Have I mentioned I hate my mother?

"Send us back," I demanded.

I still hadn't mastered that trick. I was starting to wish I'd asked Victor to teach me better control here in this weird, smoky realm, in or around that well of magic. No matter how much I wished it, I couldn't return to my body.

"What is it that human mothers do?" Ellenora's voice was sing-songy, as if she were about to burst into motherly nursery rhymes. "I know, Theresa. This is time-out."

That made me want to scream. I didn't need a time-out. I needed to get off the battlefield. I remembered Tytan's warning about sabotaging me, but I hadn't realized my mother would take us both out in the middle of a skirmish.

"Time-out?" I fumed. "I'm not six years old. News flash, Mother, you missed my childhood. I'm an adult."

"You're acting like a child," she sang.

"So are you," I said. "Drop the act. Stop the voices and the crazy delusions. What do you really want?"

"My son," she sang again.

I raised my smoky hand and backhanded her misty form. My hand went straight through her body, but I didn't care. I was done with this. I couldn't deal with Ellenora and her stupid fantasies one second longer.

"You stop this," I said. "You are the worst parent ever, and you're going to get us both killed."

"You can't hurt me," my mother laughed. "I'm all broken 'cause my daddy took out my heart years ago. All I want is the throne for my troubles, sugar."

It was my turn to laugh. "You don't deserve that. From what I can tell from our family, none of us deserves it. We're the worst."

"No," a dark voice chuckled. "We were chosen by a higher power."

I whirled around to see the smoky form of my grandfather. Tytan Nikone seemed to radiate power in this place. It was almost like he could trick the magic into bolstering his strength.

"Tusi," Ellenora sang. "The benevolent mother of all. Incarnate majesty and savior of Jontun. You'd think that Tusi wouldn't entrust their creations solely to a self-centered nepotistic giant who's never done a day of hard work in his life since he offed his own father for the throne."

"Tusi chose our line," Tytan said.

"But Tusi didn't say that only men could take the throne," Ellenora said. "That was someone's silly idea later formed out of the ridiculous notions of no Nikone bearing a firstborn daughter for six generations."

Tytan looked at his daughter and even in his smoky form, I could tell that he was filled with derision and disgust. For just a moment, I thought about what it was like to be my mother—a girl told repeatedly that she was unworthy for her birthright. It must have consumed her, leaving behind a bitter and resentful husk.

I could almost even forgive her for it. Unfortunately, I knew better. My mother was a product of her own poison. Eventually, all that evil would swallow her alive.

"You cannot rule Jontun," Tytan said. "You both are just silly little girls who don't understand weight or the consequence. The crown on your head, daughter, would cause our entire world to shatter and break. Therefore, you should not even dream of achieving the throne."

"You know, belittling her won't help," I said. "She knows you hate her. If we all destroy each other in this place, none of us will get to live."

"He's lying," my mother spat. "I've seen it too. He's a scum. I saw the other way in my very first vision when I was sixteen. I saw my son ascend and take the throne. Then Tytan, king of manipulation, took my son away from me. He left me with a disappointment of a daughter and exiled you from the land. He took away the answer to his problem so he could sit on his throne and smile."

Maybe she'd seen something else. Perhaps she was lying. Everyone seemed to think that she was crazy or purposefully manipulating the narrative. Still, she stuck to her story with such conviction that it was almost admirable.

Tytan laughed. "My daughter comes up with the craziest ideas. I don't know where she gets this stuff. I suppose without knowledge and understanding, this realm can make one go mad. My father was that way."

"You killed him," Ellenora said. "You killed Grandfather Ketos for the throne to bring your reign early."

"King Stormos Ketos was mad," Tytan said. "It was better to get him away from the throne."

"And your sister?" Ellenora asked. "What about Aunt Venus? Was she a threat to the throne, too?"

"Her death was a tragedy," Tytan's words sounded rehearsed. "It was never my intention for her to die alongside him. She should have listened to me."

"You're a murderer," Ellenora said. "And funny how you think I'm the one who's done wrong."

Neither of them was winning here. Ellenora ordered kidnappings and torture. Her father was a murderer. It was embarrassing to be related to them. The Nikones were just an endless cycle of petty blood rolling down a throne.

"Enough," I said. "It's no wonder your own people are divided. You can't even hear yourselves over your own bickering. It's not befitting of a royal family."

Both of them whirled on me. Tytan stepped forward, and I was really glad we were in this strange, magical astral plane. I'd seen him try to take a swing at me in a vision before. Somehow, here he was less frightening, especially now that I'd met him. He was just an irate old man with a control freak complex.

"You should learn your place," Tytan said.

"Is that all you'll ever say to me?" I asked. "Because it's exhausting. I already told you I don't want in the family soap opera. I don't want to be a princess or a pawn. I'm halfant and I belong with them."

"She has spunk," Tytan said to himself. "I can see my sister in you more than my daughter. Venus once told me that the future was a curse. I've always thought that anyone who believed that didn't deserve such power. After all, this is our birthright. There is no reason that anyone should stop us."

"Yeah, right," Ellenora said. "Just because our ancestor had some grand vision to unite the giants and flee the human world? We don't even have proof that Tusi is real. Just a bunch of religious nuts like my mother keeping their face on the ground in reverence to a fake entity."

I didn't know what was right. Maybe Tusi was real. Jontun certainly was held together by something. I would not dismiss the idea of a god because of my jaded mother, especially when I barely understood this world.

"Power means nothing by itself," I said. "That's why I don't want or need the throne."

It was true. Victor was right. It was best to stay in the background and let them fight, as there was no reasoning with them. I just needed to be as far away from the fallout when eventually they detonated, taking out everything around them.

"Would you swear to that?" Tyan's voice took on a malicious quality.

"Don't you dare," Ellenora jumped between me and Tytan. "She's my daughter. Don't you take her away. You already took my son."

"Swear to what?" I asked.

Tytan pushed his daughter to the side, and he could actually move her, which surprised me. "Your abstinence from the throne. A forbearance and a solemn oath against power. It was something your mother denied when her sister swore it willingly. My sister swore it too. It's just a reassurance you'd do nothing rash."

My mother said a few colorful things that I recognized mixed with a few words from other languages that I didn't understand, but I had a feeling they were similar. Tytan had asked nothing of me. That was fine. Still, something about this request bothered me.

"Elle, don't speak so badly of your elders," Tytan almost sounded fatherly. "It's the only deal I will offer you, Theresa. Your mother found this request unreasonable, and she decided to leave my clan because of it. Let us hope you do not make a similar blunder."

"You wanted me to submit and marry," Ellenora said. "I wouldn't have married that insolent petty lord even if he showed up on the wedding day. Poor Savanah got saddled with his brother instead, and then I left because I realized you would never change."

"I'll have Loki Babilyn's head for his insubordination someday," the king said darkly.

"He was a poor choice, and you knew it," Ellenora said. "At least my lover treats me like a princess."

I snorted. "You mean all those times you sent him to kidnap me? What do you even see in him? Finn Hassan'son might be your baby daddy, but I doubt you love him."

Tytan whirled on Ellenora. "Excuse me? You had another child?"

I hadn't realized that Tytan didn't know about my half-sister Joan. I supposed it made sense in a sick and twisted sense. It's not like Ellenora had been home in over a decade, and I doubted she sent out birth announcements inviting her family to her baby shower. Did giants even have those?

Tytan started screaming and talking so fast in a language that I didn't understand. Occasionally I could make out a word in English like worthless or bastard. His language seemed to be even more colorful than my mother's earlier.

A warm hand touched my misty shoulder, and I turned to see another figure. Ric was back, and he seemed to hold his hazy finger over his lip as if he was trying not to draw attention to himself. I didn't blame him. At least Tytan's rage was pointed away from me for the first time.

"You need to get out of here," he whispered. "Come on."

"Where have you been?" I demanded of my mysterious savior.

"Doesn't matter," Ric said. "At least I've mastered keeping my head down."

He led me a few steps away from the fight. Then he reached up and his warm hand trailed down my cheek and he pushed my misty hair back. I didn't understand why he was the only thing in this place that felt real, but I didn't have time to figure it out.

His head lowered, and he kissed my forehead. My misty form spiraled backwards and suddenly I reentered my body, shocked and reeling. Ric had sent me back, and I gasped for air like a girl who'd been underwater for some time as my eyes flew open.

Moreno stood beside me, trying to shield me the best he could from the battle. Blood matted his long hair, coming from a cut above his eye. Two bullet holes had pierced his leathery armor, and he was furiously unloading blue bullets at anyone who came near. Paralyzed giants littered the surrounding ground.

"I'm back," I said, but my words sounded distant.

I realized there was blood dripping down my neck. I wasn't sure what had happened in my absence, but I was alive and breathing. That was what counted.

"I'm sorry," Moreno muttered. "So sorry, Terri."

"I'm fine," I said.

He didn't seem to hear me. It was like he was in some kind of battle trance. His accuracy and speed made him a whirlwind hurricane for any giant to contend with. They were giving him a wide berth.

One giantess on the ground twitched. I wondered if the drugs in the blue bullets were wearing off. Her ivory skin glistened in the sunset. Her lips slowly pushed into a smile. Then she lunged forward at me and pushed a knife at my throat before I could scream.

"Stupid princess," her voice was rough and hot against my ear. "Looks like your mommy is going to reward me."

"Terri," Moreno spotted the giantess holding me, and he pointed the gun at her head.

"Shoot and she dies," the giantess said. "Just try me. I don't care what happens here. I just want a reward, but I don't need it."

"Jordan," I cried out as the knife dug into my skin and more blood tricked down my neck.

The giantess laughed. "No funny business, princess. Loverboy is going to put down the gun and let me walk away, or you're gonna get it."

With that, Moreno lowered his gun, and I screamed as a bullet caught him in the back. He fell forward, and all I could see was red. The giantess laughed, and the edge of her knife pierced further into my neck. All I could do was watch in horror as the boy I loved crumbled. 

Hey Friends!!! I thought this was a fun cliffhanger. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think. Until next time!!