Edmond and I stood beside Andrew in front of the shed. Waiting. I gripped the bow, Diana beside me.

'Be calm. I'm here with you.'

Edmond looked over at me, raising an eyebrow.

Could he hear her too?

I didn't have time to think about it. The door creaked against the weight of the creatures throwing themselves at it. I glanced at the warriors behind us as they jumped slightly when the door began to give.

They're nervous.

I swallowed hard and tried to calm the thudding of my heart.

'It's okay, Ellie. We're going to be okay.'

I looked at Edmond he smiled weakly at me.

'You don't look so sure.'

'I am. Promise."

'At least one of us is sure.'

The creatures continued throwing themselves at the door. You could see it bowing at the hinges. It swelled as the wood took the brunt of the force. The splintering started in the center and slowly spidered out to the sides as the thick wood gave out to the assault on it.

Ashley stood behind me. Her breathing grew heavier, nearing a sob from the sounds of it.

The door cracked as long, white fingers breached the hole as unearthly shrieks filled the air.

"Stand your ground!" Andrew hollered to his warriors. "Remember your training."

The creatures pulled at the wood until they were able to squeeze their bodies out.

The eyes glowed red as saliva hang from their lips. They seemed ravenous and crazed, but these ones didn't look like the one that attacked at Silver Peak. These ones looked like us. Smaller in stature. Weaker almost.

"Are they human?" Edmond questioned.

"What? But how?" Alastair asked, raising his sword.

"Talk later, fight now!" Andrew commanded.

I nocked the arrow and released it, watching as it made contact with the target. The creature fell backward, laying still on the ground. A wild shriek erupted from the rest as they rushed in a frenzy toward us.

Edmond stepped forward, meeting the creature and its razor-sharp nails with Apollo's sword. The sharp blade sliced through the pale white flesh easily. Crimson blood flowed from the wound, soaking the blue shirt it wore.

'These aren't just creatures. What are these?'

'Worry about that later. We have to survive right now.'

Diana reached into the quiver with me, pulling another arrow. The creature that was focused on me was close. Almost too close. I let loose the arrow and quickly pulled another as a second creature was right behind.

I had no time to shoot and opted to ram the silver tip into the neck of my attacker. The blood spilled onto my hands, covering the front of me.

The creatures breached our lines and attacked. Warriors fought back, slicing and stabbing as the shrieks of the damned attempted to kill us.

The hoard seemed to be never-ending. For every five we killed it looked as though ten more would emerge from the tunnels.

"How many are there?" Ashley asked. "I can't keep this up."

"We're getting overwhelmed," Alastair shouted to Andrew. "We need to retreat."

I looked around at the carnage before me. Warriors and creatures alike lay in bloody heaps across the area. Andrew nodded, sweat pouring from his brow, mixing with the blood from those he slew.

"Retreat! To the meeting house!" he yelled.

Those of us who remained quickly turned and ran toward one of the largest buildings in the small village. Once the last warrior was inside, we barricaded the doors. The shrieks surrounded the building as they began battering the door.

"We need to find more weapons and clean up our wounds. Fast."

"There's a first aid kit in the back," a young boy said, running to a long hallway.

"Why are there so many?"

"I don't know. I don't know," I said, sitting down.

"I can't keep this up," Ashley said, collapsing next to me.

"I don't think any of us can."

"We need a plan. We need to figure something out."

"We need Artemis," I mumbled.

"Are you sure?"

I looked around me at the tired and injured. Nodding, I stood.

"I guess this is a secret that's about to come out to the secret pack."

I closed my eyes, breathing heavily, focusing on Artemis. I could feel the cold heat of her growing within me. As the strange feeling overwhelmed my body, I opened my eyes to darkness.

The abyss that I saw before.

"Daughter. What happened?"

"Artemis, they're being attacked."

"Diana? How did you..."

"I don't know."

"She appeared when I started to train with her bow."

"Fascinating. You're attached to the weapon."

"We can figure all of that out later. Right now, we need help."

"What happened?"

"The creatures. They're attacking. There are so many."

Artemis took a deep breath and nodded.

"Can you help?"

"I can't, but I can help you."

"How?"

"I will have to take over your body, temporarily. Is that okay?"

I nodded. She smiled and the abyss faded.

When the light broke through, I saw everyone staring at me.

"Ellie?" Edmond asked.

'I'm here. Are you ready?'

'Yes.'

The world grew fuzzy as I was pushed to the back and Artemis took over my body. I could see what was happening, but I had no control over anything. It was as though I was just taking up space in my mind.

Her blue light grew brighter around my body. Changing me. My bloody clothes were replaced with a long, white gown, my silver hair was golden and swirled about my body. Artemis' body.

Artemis walked toward the doors, opening them as those behind her screamed to stop.

The creatures quickly rushed into the building, overtaking everything.

Artemis raised my arms into the air, and a breeze picked up inside, swirling around. Blue light emanated from my fingertips as Artemis called on her power.

She let loose a powerful blast of light throughout the room. Decimating the creatures.

She walked further outside with my body, shooting out the blue beam of light at the attackers within the village.

What we fought to do, while getting hurt and dying, she accomplished in a few short minutes. As the last one vanished into a poof of dust, she released her hold on me. The golden hair changed back to my silver, but her white gown remained.

"What the hell was that?" Edmond asked.

"Uh, that was Artemis. That was her...taking over my body."

"What? How long has she been able to do that?" Ashley questioned.

I shrugged.

The warriors whispered amongst themselves, staring at me as though I were some freak of nature.

Perhaps I was but at least we were alive.

For now.

"That wasn't the end of it," I said softly.

"How do you know?" Alastair asked.

"I don't know. I can just feel them. There are more. We need to head back to Winter Lake."

"What? No."

"Ashley, if you don't want to you don't have to. You can stay here and help the queen."

"Mom," Edmond said, remembering his injured mother.

"Let's go see her."

We hurried to the house where she rested, entering the room as the village physicians examined her.

"I'm sorry, your majesty. There is nothing else that can be done."

Edmond stepped forward, watching as his mother struggled to breath. Watching as her chest rose and fell for the last time.