A Touch of Spring: Spellbound Series Book 1 (The Spellbound Series)

by Sabrina Sable

  “Dear, you have been through something terrible,” said the old witch, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Jane was surprised to see her, but she let the woman guide her to her cottage and feed her.

  “Now, the last time I saw the prince he was hell-bent on finding you. Where is he now?”

  “He tried to rescue me from three men that want to be rid of human women. Why would they hate humans so much?” She felt a little calmer after taking the tea the woman offered her. She was sure it was laced with some drug, but she didn’t care. Anything that slowed her racing heart was welcome. She felt much better now, though her thoughts were constantly with Axel. She wanted to return to the big house where she knew they must be eager for news.

  The woman sat down next to her. “Well, I think everyone around here understands the necessity of bringing humans into our community, and so I’m not sure. But these men, they are not from here?”

  Jane shook her head.

  “Then they must be from beyond the hills. There is a much greater people there with a citadel at its center, and many years ago we were under their rule. But then Axel’s grandfather, who was of the royal bloodline, was named ruler here on one of the Nights of Eternal Light. I was just a little girl, and so I don’t know why this all happened.”

  “Hmm,” Jane said, absorbing this information. Maybe these people weren’t fairies of legend. In fact, since she’d come through the portal, nothing was like anything she’d ever known.

  20

  Axel

  After finding out the men were from the citadel, Axel knew he had a bargaining chip— himself. The king from beyond the hills had been requesting a visit from his father for years. Axel agreed to go with the men if they would let the humans go. It took a lot of back and forth, but Ferdan, the largest of the three, eventually agreed.

  Axel’s ire rose from the entire situation, but nothing had provoked him more than seeing Jane, helpless in the ground with a gag and blindfold. That’s when they did the same thing to him, the men’s minds bending him to their will. How had they crafted their minds to such strength?

  He had never felt so helpless as when he saw Jane’s eyes, surprised to see him buried to the neck like her. He felt small, powerless, and not worthy of what had happened between them earlier. Where was the all-powerful king he was supposed to be? The best thing he could do for her, and his mother whom he’d also failed to protect, was this bargain he made. He’d go to the citadel, be their prisoner until summer when Father could make the portal again. He hoped his father would be well enough.

  Axel knew his mother would never leave her family, and so somehow he had to convince the king beyond the hills to leave his village alone. Once he was there, he’d formulate a plan. He had tried sending Darick a message not to follow him, but he wasn’t sure he’d received it. His own mind was still a mess.

  Ferdan wordlessly told him not to try anything, that they would tie him up. Axel came out of the ground, covered in dirt, and he let them tie his hands together with a rope that Ferdan then tied to himself. The other two men walked along either side of them.

  They moved swiftly, much faster than when he’d brought Jane to the village from the portal. It was amazing the speeds they could get to when not hindered by a human. Before nightfall they’d passed the hills, and the lights from the citadel were visible in the distance.

  Axel tried again to send a message to Darick, but nothing came back to him from anyone. He was sure that Ferdan and his friends were blocking him somehow, but these capabilities were nothing he’d ever heard of before. He would try to find out how this was possible.

  They approached the citadel, a massively tall stone tower surrounded by a fortified wall. Once within the walls, they passed rows of wooden cottages and what looked like a bazaar. The people looked a lot like Ferdan and the other two— dirty, rough clothing, hair everywhere. Even the women. Axel had to hold his breath as he passed some of them to clear his head from the stench.

  The arduous climb to the top of the tower led them to a closed door that Ferdan pounded on. A man, whom Axel thought looked more like an ogre, opened the door and let them in. The ogre led them through a series of passages that opened to a large room, in the center of which was a circle of chairs occupied by several men.

  These were obviously rich men with silk robes and heavy jewelry. They were also much cleaner-looking than the commoners outside the tower. Ferdan sat in an empty chair, and when they continued to look at Axel, Ferdan finally spoke.

  “I apologize, my king. We’ve had to block the messages coming in and out of the prisoner for our safe passage,” he confirmed what Axel had feared.

  An elderly man with long, scraggly white hair spoke up, “Then I suppose we should keep it that way, and use other means to communicate. You must be the famed prince of our lost village.”

  “I am the eldest son of King Hareld,” Axel replied. He surveyed the group of men, all much older than him except for the brigands that had captured him. The air in the room was dense and stale. These men were the very definition of gloom.

  The old man stood then, circled Axel, and pronounced, “At last I have you in my command. Take him to the dungeon,” he motioned to the ogre. Then he looked at Axel’s clenched jaw. “We will speak later,” the old man said, returning to his seat. Axel realized this must be the king of the citadel, and Axel wanted nothing more than to cut off his head for the actions of his men on his behalf.

  The ogre, who made various random grunting noises, led him to a dark and secluded room with an iron door that bolted from the outside. He sat down on a stone bench, wondering how long they’d keep him locked up. The darkness was difficult to get used to, him being from a place with so much light. Even in winter, the fires were always lit to guide your path.

  How the hell had he come to this place? He thought of Carl, and how his actions had led to this moment, sending him back prematurely to his homeland. What if he had not come home? What would have happened to his mother and the other human women? He tried not to think about it.

  Even harder was trying not to think about Jane. She pervaded his every thought, and he didn’t know how to rid himself of her. Soon she’d be gone from his life and back to Andrew, who’d forgive her for her transgression. They’d be married, and she’d live a long life of happiness with that bore.

  But she would be safe. He knew he’d forget her after some time, as he did all the other women. She’d simply be a fond memory of a great fuck he had in the bath. He lay on the stone bench wrestling with that thought, afraid it was not true.

  21

  Jane

  Ever since Jane returned to the tree and relayed to the family what had happened, they’d insisted she stay in the house. She moved into Genevieve’s room, her first night difficult as she reflected on how Axel had just slept there less than 24 hours earlier. She tossed about in the bed, every so often falling into a half-dream state where faceless strangers buried her alive, and she suffocated from the layers of dirt above her head.

  The next morning she was a mess and discovered that Axel’s mother was not faring much better. Added to Queen Grace’s constant worry over her husband, she now had her son taken from her.

  When the family received the news from Darick that he and the men could not get to Axel in time, the king ordered Darick to return to the village. Jane wasn’t sure what this order meant, but it shocked her that the king would not order his son’s rescue. Axel seemed to think so highly of his father, and now he’d leave his son to the enemy? Why?

  She had tried to ask this question several times, but always got the runaround. Dori, who was usually open with Jane, would just give her vague answers such as, “My father has dealt with these people before.” That didn’t reassure Jane at all.

  In all other matters, however, the family tried to include her. She was to be part of the family soon, after all. Jane felt guilty sitting at their large, food-stuffed table for dinner. Sometimes the king’s cousins and their children ca
me, and Jane imagined Axel sitting next to her as her real fiancée. It was so ludicrous that she promptly reverted to feeling guilty again for the lies. The only thing that made her feel a little less ashamed was knowing that Axel, who must have been suffering right then, would have wanted her to do just as she was doing.

  Jane tried to speak to Darick as well, but he was tight-lipped when it came to discussing Axel’s rescue. Her frustration grew every day, and she visited the witch often.

  “I am sorry to ask after knowing you so long, but what is your name?” Jane asked the old woman one day after being invited in for tea.

  “The reason you do not know my name is because I haven’t given it to you. A name is a very powerful thing. People can do things to you if they have your name. I keep mine secret,” the woman said, pouring herself a cup.

  “What about when you were growing up? Someone must know your name from then.”

  “My mother took it to her grave. She’d had a curse put on her before I was born, and so she promised herself no one would know my name. Her name was Lili. People around here called me Lili’s girl. All day long I’d hear Lili’s girl when I was little. Then they started calling me Lili after my mother. You may call me that if you wish.”

  Jane considered this and wondered if for this same reason the village did not have a name. She asked Lili this question.

  “That may be, but I do not know,” she answered Jane. The old woman watched Jane carefully as she drank the tea. Then she stopped her from taking the last sip, grabbed a small bottle from the shelf, and put two drops in Jane’s tea.

  “What is that?” Jane asked, remembering what happened last time.

  “It is not a truth drink. You know your truth already. Now you must know our truth. Drink. Your mind will open,” Lili said, her blue eyes seemingly darkening.

  “Is it safe?” In all her years as a teenager at a regular high school in a large city, Jane had never so much as touched a cigarette, much less any psychedelics. While she would have shuddered away from such a thing a few weeks ago, now she wondered if she might as well dive in deeper.

  Lili smiled, “I wouldn’t hurt my prince’s future wife. That would be treason and punishable by death.” Jane’s eyes darted to the old woman. Had she read her mind? Did she know the truth?

  Jane didn’t know what had led to this strange turn in her life, but she felt more than lost. There was no one around her familiar, no one to care for her. Axel, the one she’d felt most accustomed to and longed to be around, had been taken from her. Even such a beautiful place as this, as was that spot where the lavender willow trees dance with the wind, was tainted with her capture. She wanted nothing more than to escape this reality of hers, even for a little while.

  Jane threw her head back and drank it. When she brought her head back down and sat the cup on the table her eyes went dark.

  “I can’t see!” she shouted, paralyzed with fear.

  “Shhh,” she heard Lili soothe her. Then she couldn’t hear her anymore. She was shrouded in dark and silence...and panic. Then a small pinpoint of light appeared and grew. She followed the light, her feet walking on nothing. She reached the light and realized she was in the sky. Jane didn’t feel scared anymore but wondered why she was so high up in the clouds.

  She looked down and made out what must have been the village she had just been sitting in. There was the large tree, then the forest. She looked forward and tried to move. Jane flew, and when this realization sunk in she marveled in the feeling of soaring onward, learning how to fall and rise, speed up and slow down. She saw the hills, and then an idea stuck her. What if…

  She sped up, catching the wind at just the right angles, going faster and faster until she passed the hills. The thrill of flying was overshadowed by the excitement she felt at seeing what looked like a fort or a castle in the distance. After a few minutes, she lowered herself to study the large tower. Her instincts told her that this must be where Axel was. The men had brought him here. She flew to each window, looking inside. She saw many people, none she recognized. None Axel. More importantly, none saw her.

  Jane flew around and around from window to window, not once being noticed. There was an open window, a thick slab of glass pushed to the side. She descended into the room, walking past two men arguing. They didn’t notice her, and she floated around inside the tower, gliding through long dark hallways. When she reached a dead end, she tried to put her hand against the stone wall. Her hand disappeared. She withdrew it, saw it was whole, and tried it again, this time following with her body.

  She was in a dark room now, and when she saw there was no one in there, she went through another wall. An old man sat in another dark cell, his bones protruding from his thinning skin. Jane winced and ran on through to the next cell. There were three women, all middle-aged and looked like they’d lost all hope. Jane gasped when she saw a pool of blood in the corner, and she disappeared into the next cell. Looking around, she saw a heap huddled in a corner.

  The heap was a man, she noticed, approaching the figure in the shadows. She wanted to see if the dark hair matched Axel’s. It was hard to tell with how dirty he was and with no light except for what streamed through the tiniest opening close to the ceiling. She stood beside him, waiting for him to lift his head from his arms. He didn’t budge. She tried touching his arm, but her hand passed straight through.

  She sighed after several minutes, exhaling loudly, feeling his whole thing was worthless and that she might as well just fly back to the village. Then he looked up, the white in his eyes a stark contrast to the rest of the room.

  “Jane?” the man’s voice echoed with hope.

  22

  Axel

  He was convinced he’d heard Jane. He didn’t understand it and knew it was impossible, but Axel could swear to it. When he lifted his head and said her name, he felt stupid and pathetic. How could she be here? It would not only be impossible, but it would horrible. He was strong enough to endure being imprisoned and tortured daily for information. Axel couldn’t imagine Jane surviving what he’d been through.

  Though he knew it couldn’t be true, he looked around the tiny cell, seeing the same stone walls. He dropped his head onto his arms again and repeated her name.

  “Axel,” he heard her voice. His head shot up, this time jumping up to his feet too.

  “Jane,” he whispered, his eyes wide. It couldn’t be.

  “You can hear me?” her voice said. Then he realized he really couldn’t hear her. Not physically. It was like he was receiving a message from her. It had been weeks since he’d had any form of communication through his mind and the idea of Jane using that medium would never have occurred to him. He sat down on the bench.

  “How is this possible?” he asked out loud. “Are you in my head?”

  “No, I’m in the room. I think. I drank something from the witch, and then I flew here. But it’s not really me because I can go through the walls.”

  “What? So you’re here? You can see me?”

  “I think it’s my spirit, or soul, or whatever. I can see you,” she said. He wanted desperately to see her too.

  “How many fingers am I holding up?” he asked, his hands in fists.

  “None,” she said. He laughed. He hadn’t laughed since he’d last been with her.

  “Unbelievable. I can’t believe you took something else from that woman.” Axel shook his head. “How is everyone?” he asked.

  “Worried about you. With good reason. What have they done to you?” There was concern in the voice in his head.

  “A lot,” he said, trying not show how awful he really felt.

  “Axel, I’m sorry but no one is coming for you. Your father has stopped Darick from forming an army to come get you.”

  “Yes, that’s wise. We’d be no match. There’s no reason to get everyone killed if they wouldn’t even crack through their walls. Jane, listen, tell my father I haven’t told them anything.”

  “What is it you can’t tell?”<
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  “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you either. Especially you. As a human, your mind is much more vulnerable.”

  She said nothing and Axel shouted, “Jane?”

  “I’m still here. I’m sitting right next you.” He looked directly to his left, the space empty as always.

  “How long can you stay?” he asked, wishing he could go back with her. Wishing she was flesh in front of him. Thoughts of her smooth skin made him feel wretchedly alone.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never done this before. It’s kind of cool— flying.”

  “Be careful with that witch,” he warned her.

  “What does it matter? I might be stuck here forever,” she said, the disappointment in her voice evident.

  “My father will get you back to Andrew,” he said, determined.

  “If I can go home, I won’t be going back to him,” she said. He sat still, waiting for her to say more, but she didn’t.

  “I’ve missed you,” he said, feeling like his heart would explode if he didn’t let the words out. In the weeks they’d kept him there, denied him food, and submitted him to torture until he bled, his thoughts had circled around his village, his family, his people, and always began and ended with her. He had replayed their last day together so many times he wasn’t sure if he’d made some of it up.

  “I wish you weren’t here,” she said. He did too. If only he could go back to that day and never leave her side. He’d been afraid of her thoughts about Andrew, but now she said she wouldn’t return to her fiancée. The days that had passed in that cell held so many moments of reflection of what he wanted in his life and for his future. He wanted her. He had to tell her. If he died in this place, he wanted her to know how he felt.