Authors: Sarah Bale
“On my count,” Carter said.
He held up three fingers and had just put the first one down
when a voice said, “Well, isn’t this interesting. Why in the world is the head
of my guard escorting the one person I told him to kill into my dungeons?”
A woman stepped from the shadows and Lexi gasped. She was so
beautiful that it hurt to look at her. She was also very familiar looking. Her
skin stood out against the black silk gown she wore and her long hair was swept
up in an elegant bun. Lexi could see how easy it would be to give into this
woman. What would the harm be, really?
“Yes,” the Witch purred. “Give in to me.”
Lexi felt herself taking a step forward when Andrew’s
thoughts slammed into her mind, causing her to gasp in pain. She had almost
fallen for the Witch’s trick. If she had, she would have ended up in the cell
next to him before she died. Thank God Andrew had known what was happening and
had warned her.
“Stupid boy. You never did know when to stay out of someone’s
business,” the Witch said as Andrew cried out in pain from his cell.
Lexi wished she could see him to see what was wrong. She
couldn’t save him unless she knew the severity of his injuries, though.
“Let my friend go.”
The Witch smiled, showing off her fang-like teeth. “My
pretty, if you want your friend, then you’ll have to go through me.”
Lexi’s mind raced as she thought through her limited
options. There was no way she could take the Witch on in hand-to-hand combat. The
Witch would never fight fair and there was no telling what she might do.
“You know, my sister would love to learn that you are here.
Normally she isn’t this distracted when it comes to who’s in the palace but she
has her hands full.”
One word drifted her way and Lexi fought in vain to keep her
face neutral.
Ian.
“They’ve been going at it for hours. Seems the Enchanted
Fields did a number on him. It’s disgusting, really.”
An image of a Witch nearly identical to the one in front of
her crossed Lexi’s mind, only this one was riding Ian with the most euphoric
look Lexi had ever seen on someone’s face. The thing that killed her even more
was the look on Ian’s face. He wanted the Witch so much that he would do
anything to have her.
“I hate to be the one to tell you this but you will never be
enough for him now. The fields have ruined him and, well, no one fucks like my
sister.”
Lexi shook her head. “You’re wrong.”
“Do you really think he’ll want you even if you make it to
the tower? If he has the choice to stay or to leave, he
will
stay. Let
me make this easy for you. Just come over here and let me show you your future.”
Carter, who had remained silent until this point said, “Lexi,
don’t do it.”
The Witch stared at him and said, “I’ll deal with you later,
you naughty boy.”
Her threat struck home and Carter’s mouth snapped shut. Fear
radiated from his body until it made Lexi’s skin crawl.
“You aren’t what I expected, Lexi. I will tell you that
much. Now come and give me your hand. Let me show you a life you never dreamed
of having.”
Her feet began to move again on their own accord. As she got
closer to the Witch, her head began to swim with Brian’s warning.
Think
outside the box
.
“Where’s Sully?”
The Witch snorted. “Sully? Why he’s in the cell behind me.”
“And Brian?”
“He’s being kept near my other sister. She still thinks she
can get some use out of him.”
“Let me see Sully. I don’t believe you.”
The Witch narrowed her eyes and spoke something under her
breath. Another cell door opened. Sully hobbled up to it so badly burned that
he was barely recognizable. How he was able to walk was beyond her. Okay, so
she knew where everyone she was trying to save was located. Now all she had to
do was get rid of the Witch.
“And your precious Andrew is in the very last cell on the
right but I doubt he will be able to get to the door. Walking kind of hurts him
right now, if you know what I mean.”
Lexi took another step forward and asked, “Why didn’t you
capture me when you had the chance?”
“Because we knew you’d find a way to get inside our palace.
Granted we didn’t foresee you using our own guards to do so. That was tricky of
you.”
Lexi nodded in agreement and then asked, “What’s your real
name?”
The Witch flinched for a moment before lifting her lips into
a smile. “Why does it matter?”
“You know my name. I should know yours.”
“No, you don’t need to know it.”
This was what she had been waiting for so she casually said,
“I bet I can guess it.”
“Try me.”
The Witch’s thoughts hadn’t been easy to pick up on but the
one thought that Lexi had seen several times was her anger toward her sister
for letting Ian use their real names. Those names reminded her that they had
once been humans and could be hurt. Now all Lexi had to do was pick the right
name. It was a one in three shot.
One name seemed to stick out when she thought about it so
she took in a deep breath before answering.
“Ricki.”
Thunder shook the palace and she knew she had guessed
correctly.
“I’m right, aren’t I? You
are
Ricki.”
“Who told you that name? Who?” Ricki screamed.
Lexi smiled and took another step toward her.
“Such a pretty name too. Why I bet your mother loved you
most of all.”
“No.” howled Ricki. “She loved me least of all. I was so
glad the day she died. If Miki had never discovered the spell book then we
wouldn’t have known that our power lay within that hag.”
Her anger caused secrets to bubble up from within her soul.
There was only so much that magic could hide and she was losing her control
over it. She didn’t even know she had just helped Lexi, either.
“I bet your mother would have been so disappointed in you.”
Ricki began pacing and screamed, “She wouldn’t have even
noticed. She didn’t love my sisters or me. She only loved our older sister.
Well, we took care of her, didn’t we? Took care of both of them.”
Her words didn’t make sense. Who was the oldest sister?
Miki?
“Your mother loves Miki more?”
“No. There were four of us and…” She paused, then continued,
“And it doesn’t matter.”
Lexi reached behind her back and felt the cold metal of
Sully’s weapon against her hand. This was it. Ricki was distracted and wouldn’t
know what was happening until it was too late. She pulled the gun out and fired
a single shot.
The bullet whizzed through the air in slow motion. Ricki had
just turned and saw it coming for her but it was too late. As it struck her in
the chest, she screamed and fell to the floor. Blood oozed everywhere and Lexi
began to feel lightheaded.
She dropped the gun and fell to the floor too. Her eyes met
Ricki’s green ones and she realized what was happening. The Witch’s powers were
transferring to her. Pain. She had never felt a pain like this. Her lungs
burned but she couldn’t catch her breath. What had she done?
Ricki took in a shallow breath and said, “They were wrong
about you.”
Lexi cried out as the last of Ricki’s powers entered her
body. She felt alive and dead at the same time. Pure fire flowed through her
veins before cooling to ice. It was easy to see how the Witches had turned to
the dark side so easily when every fiber in her body was screaming for her to
just give in. All she had to do was stop breathing. No.
She inhaled and everything began to shift as precious oxygen
filled her lungs. She was going to be able to help the realm out in more ways
than she thought possible. With one breath, she could save those who had been
hurt by Ricki. She closed her eyes and spoke the words to help the victims.
Sully fell to his knees and she watched as his wounds began to heal before her
eyes.
Someone reached out to touch her and she found Andrew
standing above her with a look of awe on his face.
“You’ve done it. You killed one of the Witches.”
His excitement floated through the air like tiny bubbles
that looked so real she wondered if they would pop if she touched them.
Sully came from his cell and pulled her to her feet.
“We don’t have much time. We’re going to need Brian if we
are to save Ian. Come. I know where he is.”
He ran up the stairs and she followed him in a daze. How did
he know where they were going?
“You aren’t the only one who has inherited powers,” Sully
said as he looked over his shoulder. “Come. We may be too late as it is.”
They reached the first floor of the palace. Several
different stairways spiraled up into the air, each leading to a different
place. She wondered how they would know which was the right one to take, when
one began to glow blue. It had to be that one.
She pushed past Sully and took the stairs two at a time. The
farther she went, the more the others seemed to disappear. They were enchanted,
she realized. If someone happened to make it inside the palace, it was the
Witches’ way of trapping them.
They reached the end of the stairs and she ran as fast as
she could. Brian was so close to death that she could feel his life slipping
away. She burst through one of the closed doors to find the second Witch,
Vicki, standing over Brian, cackling as he struggled for breath. Water. She was
trying to drown him.
Lexi envisioned the water being thrown across the room at
the same time the Witch realized she had entered the chamber.
“How dare you!”
Lexi held up her hand, silencing the Witch.
“Brian, are you okay?”
Brian stood as if he were in shock. “You did it. I never
dreamed you’d be able do it so quickly.”
Carter and Sully ran into the room and stopped in disbelief.
“How are you doing that, Lexi?” Sully questioned.
She followed his gaze to the Witch. Vicki was hovering in
the air, as if she were frozen in time, though she could still move her head.
The water that had been drowning Sully was now inches from Vicki’s face.
“Please. Not that. I’ll do anything. I’ll…I’ll tell you
about the woman who raised you in Oklahoma.”
Lexi moved closer to Vicki. She wasn’t lying and it wasn’t a
trick. What could she know about her mother?
“I can see it in your eyes. You want to know what I know.
What if I told you that I knew her before she left Sinoda? Would you spare me
then?”
“I think if you’re smart, you’ll tell me what you know
before I get tired of holding this water.”
Vicki shook her head. “Not until you release the water.”
Brian said in a low tone, “Don’t do it. She can’t hurt you
while the liquid is between you. See how she fears it?”
“He’s lying. I fear nothing.”
“No, he’s not. Now tell me what you know.”
The Witch eyed her a moment before nodding.
“Fine,” she hissed. “I’ll tell you. Haven’t you noticed how
familiar my sister and I look to you? Has it made you wonder? Oh I can see it
in your eyes. You have wondered.”
She had, there was no use hiding it. Seeing Ricki had been
punch to the stomach. She looked so much like her mom that it hurt. And Vicki?
It was her eyes, which were a light shade of green so familiar that it made Lexi’s
chest burn.
“Yes, I think you see more than I realized. Now that you
know who I am, you won’t kill me, will you?”
Could she kill someone who might be related to her? The
water wobbled as she thought this over.
Andrew grabbed onto her arm and asked, “What is she talking
about?”
“The woman who found me in Oklahoma…she was really from
Sinoda. That’s one of the things I found out when I was in the Veiled Room. Her
name was Myra.”
“That can’t be true. King Loren would have never let you
outside the palace if he knew this.”
Brian snorted. “Poor man. You hold your king in such high
regard. Can’t you see the mistakes he’s made over the years? He might have sent
Lexi away from the palace on purpose.”
It made sense. He might not think she was the One but if he
thought she could reach and destroy the Witches, there was no reason to keep
her safe. And Ian. She knew he was hurting over losing the head of his guard.
In essence, he was killing two birds with one stone.
Vicki tried to move but was still held in place by her own magic.
“Come, let me down. Myra would not have wanted you to hurt
me.”
Carter asked, “Who is she to your mom, Lexi?”
“Her sister. The three Witches are my mom’s sisters.”
Vicki’s eyes lit up with malice. “Yes, dear. I’m your Auntie
Vi. You wouldn’t hurt me, now would you?”
Lexi looked the woman over who was starting to look more and
more like her mom. She couldn’t count the times she had prayed for another
chance to hug her mom. Would it hurt to let her down just to feel her arms
around her neck? Vicki’s eyes softened as she smiled at her. Yes, what could it
hurt?
Lexi lifted her hand and Vicki began to lower. Just before
her aunt’s feet were touching the ground, Lexi stopped.
“Did you know she was helping my real mother?”
“What?”
Lexi took in a deep breath and began to see things she had
not seen before. Vicki no longer looked like her mom but like the evil bitch
she truly was. Her skin began to wrinkle and age until she looked much older
than she was.
“What are you doing to me? Stop it! I’m hideous!”
“I asked you a question. Answer me.”
Vicki’s jaw hardened. “No. I didn’t know Myra was helping
your real mother. If I had known…oh how things would have been different. We
didn’t think she had it in her, you see. She was always the good one. The sweet
one.”
Lexi had to swallow the lump that formed in her throat at
the mention of her mother. Yes, she had been good and kind. And she hadn’t
deserved being related to the Witches.
“And when did you realize she had betrayed you?”
“When there began to be whispers of hope in the realm.”
Carter nodded. “She’s telling the truth. All hope had been
lost until recently. Things began to change, even in our area where hope has
been dead for a very long time.”
Vicki said, “I knew then that my big sister had pulled a
fast one. Her good little heart had hidden you from us and once you were ready,
you were brought back to the realm.”
“The tornado?”
Vicki laughed. “My sister’s big ‘eff-you’ to us. Our first
bit of power was to affect the weather in Sinoda but the only thing we couldn’t
control was the tornado. It’s too wild, too untamed to stop. But she had always
been able to charm it. It was like they shared some sort of secret.”
Her mom had always loved it when it stormed in Oklahoma even
though her dad had been terrified. If she could charm the storms, then it made
sense why she had picked the heart of Tornado Alley to live in. She had used
the weather as a cover and no one had been the wiser.
“I have some more information you might want to hear,” Vicki
said, breaking into her thoughts.
“And that is?”
“If you get a chance to talk to Ian again you should ask him
how he played a key part in betraying the queen. You might find it interesting
considering…”
An image of a much younger Ian kissing Miki drifted toward
her at the same time she heard a woman’s scream. Instead of rushing to see what
had happened, Ian had pushed Miki against a wall, slipping his hand under her
dress. Lexi’s heart ached as she saw what had happened. He hadn’t saved the queen
because he had been too busy fucking Miki.
“You’re lying!” Andrew shouted at the same time.
The image was so strong that everyone in the room saw it as
clearly as she had. It was Vicki’s goal to make sure that Ian’s secret was
known. She wanted to ruin him in case they were successful in killing her and
her sister.
Lexi lowered Vicki to the ground and said, “I think I’ve
heard enough from you.”
She was tired of playing games with this Witch.
Vicki smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t hurt me. Stupid girl.”
Lexi waved her hand, causing the frozen water to fly through
the air. It hit Vicki in the face and she screamed as her skin began to burn as
if it had been fire that hit her instead of liquid.
“What have you done?” she moaned as she fell to the ground.
Lexi watched in satisfaction as the water burned Vicki,
causing her skin to melt at the same time. A green mist rose from her dying
aunt and Lexi gasped as it snaked toward her. It surrounded her and she could
smell rain in the air. Then the mist entered her body until it felt as if she
was drowning.
As before, she felt the urge to give in to the darkness. It
would be twice as good now if she gave in. Before, she would have been powerful
but now she would be unstoppable. She could take anything in this world and
make it hers. All she had to do was hand her life over.
But the urge to fight the darkness was twice as strong too.
Not only was she going to heal the realm, she was going to change it. An image
of King Loren came toward her and he fell to his knees, bowing until his head
touched the ground. His prayer for his kingdom crossed her mind and she knew
that he knew who she truly was.
She turned from Vicki, who was just a puddle of goo on the
ground and looked at Carter, Andrew, Sully and Brian.
“We don’t have much time to save Ian but I fear this is
something that I will have to do alone.”
She knew Andrew was going to be the first to try to stop her
so she turned to him and said, “We have to save the rest of the Witches’ army.
They don’t deserve to be under this spell any longer. Get them and hopefully I
will meet you in the courtyard to release them from their misery. And make sure
Colleen is safe.”
“But what if you need us?”
She took his hand into her own. “If I need you, you’ll know.
Go. Help save them and I’ll save Ian.”
All the men left except for Sully who stared at the puddle
on the ground.
“Mercury.”
“What?”
He pointed to his chest and then to the puddle. “They burned
me with mercury and she died because of it. Ironic, don’t you think?”
“Not as ironic as Ian leaving me the very weapon that you
forged.” She held up the gun so he could see it. “I think you knew all along
that you were going to help save Sinoda. For that, I thank you.”
With a wink, he left her, but not before sending some
powerful thoughts her way. He had known the moment he saw her that she was
going to save the realm. Knowing this, he had allowed the Witches to capture
him even though he hadn’t been sure he would survive. Faith that strong was
humbling.
There was only one thing to do now. She took in a deep
breath and left the room. This time there was only one stairway to choose from
and she knew Miki and Ian were in the tower waiting for her. Each step she took
brought on a different thought from Miki. Some were of Ian and some were of the
sisters she had killed.
It surprised her that Miki wasn’t more upset over losing her
siblings. She actually seemed glad that she didn’t have to deal with them
anymore. The only thing she was troubled about was that Lexi now held the
powers that she felt were her own. And she planned on getting them back.
Pushing Miki’s thoughts aside, she focused on Ian. He wasn’t
putting out coherent thoughts and that worried her. Was he injured? Was that
why his mind was so hard to read? The stairs seemed to carry her upward as if
they wanted her to save Ian as much as she did. Her heart began to beat faster
the closer she got.
When she entered the tower, she was surprised to see Ian
lying naked on a large bed. He stared at the ceiling and didn’t move. She moved
slowly toward him, fearing the worst. As she got closer, she could see his
chest rising and falling.
“Ian?”
His eyes landed on her for a moment before looking away.
“Ian, are you okay?”
There was no response from him so she reached out to touch
his arm. He jerked back as if he had been burned. She pulled away too, not
knowing what was wrong.
“Ian, darling. I can tell this woman to go away if you want.
Just give me the word and she’s gone,” Miki said as she stepped from the
shadows, completely nude.
Lexi jumped in fright and then glared at the woman. She looked
nothing like her sisters but it was easy to see why she was the leader. She put
off a vibe that screamed she was in charge, which also came off as sexy. Lexi
had often wished she had this much confidence but not if the price was the same
that the Witch had paid.
“Tell her to go,” Ian said, his voice hoarse as if he had
been screaming for days.
Jealousy stronger than Lexi thought possible swept across
her body. He had lost his voice screaming in ecstasy. Several flashes of him
riding Miki every way imaginable crossed her mind until she felt as if she were
going to be sick. His sexual appetite could not be sated and neither could the
Witch’s.
Miki smirked at her. “You should go, honey. You aren’t
needed here.”
Miki stepped so that she was in the light and Lexi knew it
was a strategic move. Across her green skin were dark marks. Bruises. From Ian.
“Ian can get a bit rough when he gets into it if you know
what I mean.”
Lexi jerked her eyes from the Witch’s body to her head. She
wanted to wipe the smug expression off her face.
“If you know what’s good for you then you will leave now.”
A short laugh left Lexi’s lips. “I think it should be the other
way around. Or haven’t you heard what I did to your sisters?”
“Oh I know you killed them but I’m willing to overlook that.
In fact, I’ll make a deal with you. You can leave right now, leaving my powers
of course and take my pathetic army with you. I’ll take Ian and you’ll never
hear from us again. We both win that way.”
“There’s no chance in hell I’m leaving here without Ian.”
Miki sat on the bed and reached for him. He grabbed onto her
hand and kissed it before sitting up. Tiny scratches covered his chest and
there was no doubt in Lexi’s mind where they came from.
“Maybe you should ask Ian what he wants to do. Ian, tell
Lexi what you want.”
Ian looked at her but it was as if he saw right through her.
His eyes were no longer full of life but empty blue shells with flakes of green
starting to appear. The man she loved was lost and she had to find a way to
bring him back.
“I want to stay with Miki. Leave now.”
“See? You’ll take me up on my offer if you know what’s good
for you. Ian, tell Lexi what you want to do right at this moment.”
His eyes left her face and went to Miki’s body. “I want to
fuck you.”
“Even though your sweet Lexi is here?”
“It’s not her who I want. It’s you.”
“Oh Ian. You know how to get a girl wet.”
Lexi took a step forward. “Stop it. Ian, look at me. Don’t
let her do this to you.”
“It wasn’t me. It was the Enchanted Fields. The fields you
ran through with him.” The Witch stroked Ian’s thigh, making him hard. “Lexi,
just admit that I’ve won him. It will be so much easier for you. Plus, I don’t
want to have to kill another member of the royal family to get him.”
“What did you say?”
Miki smiled, “You heard me. I already killed one queen for
him. I’ll happily kill the princess too.”
“King Loren said I wasn’t his daughter. You’re wrong. I may
be a lot of things but I’m not the princess.”
“Did he say that you weren’t his daughter or did he say that
you weren’t the One?”
Shock hit Lexi full force. Her real mother was the queen and
King Loren had known who she was when he sent her away. He had hoped all along
that she would figure it out on her own but she hadn’t.
“Why did you kill my mother?”
“Ah,” Miki purred. “Now that’s an interesting story. It all
began when the stupid prophecy of the One was first read. I knew then that I
had to nip it in the bud so I went to the source. Timothy really wasn’t as
smart as everyone thought he was and I was able to see the holes in it.
“It was so very vague that anyone could have been the One.
But what I found out from Timothy while I tortured him was that it had to be a
female member of the royal family. Unfortunately there was one other person who
knew this as well.”
“Myra?”
“Yes. My goody-two-shoes sister had a spy within my palace
and found out this valuable piece of information. She went to Queen Grace and
convinced her of my plans and the woman actually listened to her. I have to
admit, that bit surprised me. I had hoped that my reputation would ruin Myra’s
name too. But I was wrong.”
Lexi closed her eyes as a memory from deep inside her soul
found its way out. Myra had gone to the royal palace in a panic. Her mother
held her close to her body while Myra told her of her sisters’ plans. Though
she was associated with the evil Witches of Sinoda, Grace had known she was
telling the truth and had agreed to let her save her only child.
For weeks, the two planned in secret. Not even King Loren
had known that his wife was talking to Myra. They finally found a place in the
other realm that could hide both a witch and a very special infant. With a
chant, Myra summoned a large storm, sending them to the other realm. The last
thing Lexi saw before crossing over was her mother looking up at her with tears
in her eyes. It was a price she had paid to make sure Lexi was safe.
“I wasn’t sure where Myra had taken you but I didn’t care. I
knew she would fall in love with you and not be able to send you back when the
time came. Since you were out of the way, I only had to take care of the other
female left in the royal family. That’s where things get interesting.
“Ian had just been promoted to the head of the Royal Guard.
Before my sisters and I had come into our power, I used to date him. But he
felt it was a conflict of interest. He was always such a good boy like that.
But the day I set my plan into motion, I knew I would need his help. Ian, why
don’t you tell her the rest? Tell her how you fucked me while the queen was
captured.”
Ian’s eyes closed and he mumbled, “No.”
“What did you say?”
“I don’t want to tell her.”
His small act of defiance gave Lexi hope. She needed a plan
and she needed one right away. A bullet had killed Horace and just as it had
Ricki. Though Sully hadn’t died, he had been burned with mercury, which was how
Vicki died. It seemed that the men she had met along the way were the key to
beating the Witches.
Hank. He and Brian were the answer.
Think outside the box
.
The solution struck her and she gasped. How had she not seen
it before?
“What’s wrong with you? Realizing you lost?”
Lexi ignored the Witch and said, “Ian, look at me.”