Alec tried to grab her as she slipped into market square, being careful to remain hidden. The poor beast was thrown at the bandit’s feet, struggling to free itself from the tightly woven net.
“Come one, come all to feast their eyes on the monster of the Longfellow's Port!” The tattooed man mockingly screamed as timid town’s folk began to emerge from their homes. A wave of whispers washed over the crowd and Irene could feel dread fill her stomach. “Come closer,” the tattooed man teased them by waving his torch through the air. “What shall we do with it?”
“Kill it!” a voice rang and the crowd went up in an uproar. The tattooed man smiled and Irene went cold from the frightening sight.
“We’re looking for someone,” he began. “Someone who is hiding among you, help us find him and this will be your reward. He’s a stranger, not one of your own and he’s traveling with a young woman.”
The Red Raven released a terrifying screech and Irene stumbled forward when a woman pushed Irene from her hiding spot.
“This is her,” the wide eyed woman frantically rambled. “See! She has the golden necklace!”
The sea of people enclosed Irene as a wave of muddled faces clouded her vision. Callus fingers wrapped themselves into her hair and pulled. She bit back a cry when her eyes met those of the tattooed bandit.
“Where is he?” he asked and Irene pursed her lips together in defiance. He brought a knife to her cheek and firmly pressed it against her flesh. “You’re quite a looker. I’m beginning to see why he keeps you around.” She only pursed her lips together tighter. “Not much of talker, eh? Well, we can change that.”
Screams of shock burst forth as Irene fell to the ground. Thinking that the tattooed bandit was about to release his wrath upon her, Irene wrapped her arms over her in a vain attempt to protect herself. At the sound of a painful grunt, she opened her eyes. A lone, silver arrow had pierced her capture’s shoulder and, at the moment, he was desperately trying to pry it from his moist flesh.
“Help me, you idiots,” he screamed at his stunned comrades, but their eyes were uneasily searching the darkness for the owner of the silver arrow.
Realizing the tattooed bandit had dropped the knife, Irene leapt to her feet and grabbed the blade. In one slash the net flew open and the Red Raven burst free as the crowd also surged into a panic.
She tried to regain her footing, but each time she stood, Irene was just knocked back to the ground by a frantic villager. In the confusion she caught a glimpse of Alec who was running toward her, a frantic expression plastered on his face. Grabbing her, they fled through the town’s gates.
“This is where I have to leave you,” Trenton sadly announced. “I trust you will come back and see me, eh? Don’t worry about Abby and Tucker, I’ll keep my eye on them.”
Irene hugged him as Alec nodded his head in gratitude. It was time to find their last ingredient, Irene just wishing she knew where to begin her search.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Epona had yet to return and time was steadily creeping forward, but Irene had not given up hope yet.
“You’re more trouble than your worth,” Conner playfully teased as he situated himself in Irene’s embrace.
“I guess I’m more like a cat than I thought,” she countered.
He gave her an indignant look and Irene changed the subject.
“That silver arrow…”
“What about it?” Conner asked.
“I wonder whose it was.”
“ Right now you have bigger problems to solve, like where to find this legendary Dragon Turtle.”
Irene could feel Alec’s gazed fixed on her. She had been acting odd the whole night and her change of attitude had not gone unnoticed by her traveling companion.
“Where did you say we were headed?” he asked, a tone of skepticism lacing his words.
“It’s not…much further,” she hesitated and Alec raised his eyebrows. Her façade was beginning to wear down as she aimlessly wandered. The walls she had built around her fear and desperation were slowly beginning to fall apart one by one and she could not keep them hidden much longer.
“Epona, please return soon,” Irene mumbled under her breathe. She could not afford to waste any more time. .
“Tell him!” Conner frantically urged once again and Irene gave the broad shouldered man at her side a weary glance.
“Alec, if something were to happen, I want you take my bag and hurry back to your father. Everything you need will be inside, I promise.”
She fingered the jagged strap that firmly hugged her chest. So much was depending on her success. She could feel the weight of failure every time the rough leather rubbed against her pale skin and it was growing heavier by the day.
“You’re keeping something from me.” He grabbed her arm. “What are you hiding?” It was not a question, but a demand. Irene hid her face from his probing eyes, knowing what little resolve she had mustered would completely shatter if she were to look into his dark orbs.
“Look at me,” he demanded.
Dropping to her knees, she released all her fury as she bent over to yell into the soft grass. “I don’t know what to do. I have no idea where to find the last ingredient and I only have one day left! What if I’ve already failed? What if we’re already too late?” Ashamed of her sudden explosion of emotions, she hid her tears from Alec as she knelt beside her.
“Then we did all we could do,” he softly answered. “My father would be very proud of us. We haven’t failed yet, you know. We still have time and I’m sure he’s still alive.”
Irene could only cry harder. A wave of guilt washed over Irene and she felt even more ashamed. She had been quite unfair to her trusted friend. Alec had risk his life to accompany her on this journey and she would not have gotten this far without him. Here she was crying like a child on the ground while his father lay somewhere dying and Alec still had the kindness to offer her comfort.
“You’re right. I have been keeping a secret. I was scared to tell you, but I want you to know.” She choked down the lump in her throat. “I’m under a spell. If I haven’t return by tomorrow with the needed ingredients, this necklace will detach on its own and I will die.” Irene clutched the chain that sealed her fate as Alec stared at her in disbelief. “That’s why I’ve never left that cabin.”
Irene could see the storm of emotion rage in his eyes, flashing shock and sadness right before finally settling on anger.
“How could you not tell me about this?” His voice was low and raw. Irene had never seen him so enraged, and she could only offer him a feeble apology. He abruptly stood causing Irene to jump.
“We have no choice, but to press forward. The lives of two people very precious to me are at stake and I will not allow us to fail.”
He helped Irene to her feet, the touching moment abruptly cut short as the tattooed man burst forward like an ox and stood before them, eyes ablaze as the blood from his wound still freely flowed down his arm.
“You stupid, wench!” he screamed as his men encircled them. “Did you think your little charade would throw us off your scent?” He smirked at this last remark and Irene felt the blood drain from her face.
Metal clashed in the moonlight as Alec lunged forward with his blade drawn. Irene screamed as a cage of sweaty flesh wrapped itself around her trembling body.
“I got the woman!” The sweaty thug laughed, but his arrogance vanished when Irene bit down on his hand. He howled in pain before bringing his hand up to inspect the damage and Irene gulped. From his grimy, calloused hand only sat three bony fingers.
She stumbled as bright lights filled her vision. Her face was already pulsing from the three fingered man’s violent slap and she fell to her knees, feeling the ground with her hands as she tried to escape.
Unexpectedly, she heard laughter. The monster above her was laughing! Was her predicament amusing to him? Was her fear and desperation a funny scene for him to gawk at? Irene may have been blinded, but she was not paralyzed.
She would show this thug she was nothing to laugh at. He was standing right above her, that she could tell. On pure instinct she lashed out and her foot made contact with what Irene could only guess was his stomach. His laughter ceased and Irene heard him hit the ground with a thud. “Nice hit, Irene!” she heard Conner yell. “You got him right in the--”
“Langley, you pathetic mongrel! Takin’ down by a woman? Get up!”
Her eyesight was returning as she crawled toward Conner’s voice.
“Can you see me? I’m right here,” Conner soothed, his ginger form becoming clearer.
“Irene, get out of here!” Alec frantically yelled.
Back on his feet, the sweaty brute moved to attack her again, but was halted in his tracks as an arrow cut through the air—a silver arrow.
A hooded figure dropped from a nestle of branches above, a bundle of silver arrows hanging from the bag of the mysterious figure’s back.
“Five against two? I knew bandits didn’t have any honor, I was not aware they also didn’t have any pride.” The hooded figure mocked, sending the bandits into another fury.
The one named Borus was the first to attack. The dark stranger easily dodged his blow, but not before landing a strike and bringing the man to his own knees.
“She must be the one who saved you from before,” Conner shouted.
“She?” Irene asked.
“Yeah, her scent is distinctively female. Cats can smell that, you know.”
Irene stared in awe as the agile creature before her elegantly danced and weaved, aiding Alec in battle. It was a mystical performance that Irene could not tear her eyes away from.
A gust of wind caught Irene’s attention and she turned to see none other than The Red Raven descending.
“I can take you to the Dragon Turtle,” he bluntly said, either oblivious or uninterested in the war waging on around them.
“How did you--”
“Do you want my help or not?”
“Alec, hurry! He knows where to find the last ingredient!” Irene tried to yell discretely, if that were possible.
“Go on without me,” he answered as he avoided another strike from his opponent.
“But!”
“We don’t have time! I will meet you at Sora’s cabin tomorrow!”
Irene clamped her mouth shut knowing he was right. “Promise?” she asked, mounting the Red Raven with Conner in her arms.
“Promise! Now, go!”
She obeyed. Rising into the sky, Irene watched her Alec disappear underneath the coverage of the green tree leaves. Irene caught herself at the unexpected slip. Since when had he become her Alec, she mused.
“Can we really trust him?” Conner asked, eyeing the Red Raven.
“I actually think we can,” she grinned.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The blanket of clouds obscuring their view began to dissolve, uncovering the twinkling orbs speckling the hazy night sky.
“How much further?” Irene finally asked. Without looking back, the Red Raven answered her question with one of his own.
“What do you see in the sky?”
“Just the moon and stars,” she answered.
“What about the stars? Try looking at them not as separate entities, but as one whole.”
Taking his advice, Irene narrowed her eyes to refocus her vision. “I see it!” she exclaimed. The silhouette of a giant turtle suddenly appeared, outlined in the stars. “Will that lead us to the Dragon Turtle?”
The Red Raven chuckled, “In a way yes, but before it can take us to the Dragon Turtle, we’ll have to catch it.”
“Catch what?” Irene asked.
“Here it comes!”
As if on cue, a bright star abruptly jumped from its stationary home and raced toward them with a trail of sparkling dust trailing behind. It came to a halt just a few feet away, hovering motionless.
“Be quick,” the Red Raven advised. “This won’t be easy.”
“When has anything ever been easy?” she replied cheekily.
Irene’s hand inched closer to the twinkling sphere as the sensitive skin on the tips of her fingers began to tingle from its light. It ducked out of her grasp, just as she went in for a final attacked and the Red Raven laughed. “You didn’t think it’d be that easy, did you?”
Irene tightened her hold on the silky, red feathers.
“It’s coming back!” Conner shouted and Irene lunged, only to fail again.
Several times she had almost succeeded in grasping the bouncing light, her target barely escaping to silently mock her. Frustration was pulsing though her veins and Irene tightened her grip on the ivory horns perturbing from the Red Raven’s head to await her signal. She had a suspicious feeling of what her opponent’s next move would be and, if her hunch was indeed correct, this would be her one chance.
“Sorry about this!” she yelled before using all her strength the pull on the Red Raven’s horns, the star shooting off like an arrow from a bow. The bird released an undignified squawk as it was forcibly flipped backwards, Irene dangling dangerously upside as the star raced through the fingers. The great beast was furious as it scrambled to regain its composure and turn upright.
“You ungrateful, pompous, arrogant….”
The Red Raven’s rants became a muddled mass of incoherent words as Irene found herself unable to concentrate on anything, but the new found prize twinkling in her hands. It exploded as a warm light engulfed them and Irene closed her eyes to shield them from the explosion of light.
The sound of lapping waves filled her ears as the harsh starlight was replaced by the soft orange glow of a molten sunset. The star had vanished.
They were standing on an island surrounded by nothing, but a vast sea. Irene dismounted, the grass crunching under her feet and Irene turned her questioning gaze to her feathery companion.
“What is this place?” Irene asked.
“A sanctuary for all mythical creatures, it was created centuries ago by the Dragon Turtle has a safe haven. It has never been seen by human eyes, that is, until now.”
“Where’s this giant turtle supposed to be, anyway?” Conner asked. The island was small-- very small-- and only big enough for their little trio to occupy.
“Give it time, turtle’s aren’t the fastest creatures, you know. They will come when they come. Don’t worry, they know we are here. All we can do is wait.” After finishing, the Red Raven ruffled his feathers and settled itself into the crisp grass.
Irene sat with Conner by her side, watching the sunset. Lost in the peaceful moment, she did not notice her companions drift off into a deep slumber. She fell against the ground while entertaining the thought of resting, but only for a moment she decided, only long enough to calm her weary mind.
She was not sure of how long she had been dreaming when she stirred. It was still sunset, but her limbs ached with heaviness, as if she had been asleep for days. The Red Raven had taken to the sky, happily soaring on the ocean’s strong winds. Catching sight of Irene, he rejoined her on the island.
The waters began to part and the ground under Irene’s feet began to tremble as a thundering moan vibrated from the waters. A scaly head emerged, followed by a long smooth neck attached to a seaweed green shell covered with ancient carvings. The massive beast gurgled before focusing black eyes on Irene.
“Welcome,” the Dragon Turtle greeted. Her voice was kind and gentle. “It is very impressive that you have found your way to this world. I would ask that you keep this a secret.” The Dragon Turtle signaled for everyone to climb upon her broad shell. “Come, let me show you my home.”
Although Irene was touched by the Dragon Turtle’s kindness, she was here to attend to more important matters.
“I hate to be impolite, but I have come all this way to retrieve a Dragon Turtle tear for a curing potion. Please, we need to hurry,” Irene beseeched.
Do not worry, child. Time flows differently here. We are not bound by the same rules as your world.”
; They waded through the sea, another isolated patch of land appearing in the empty vastness.
“Where did that island come from?” Conner asked. They had not seen any other islands from their view earlier. As they approached, Irene could more clearly see the brilliantly colored flowers and plants bursting from the banks as majestic, white horses grazed among the foliage.
“That is the Isle of Unicorns. Years ago they inhabited your world, but fled, your kind nearly driving them to extinction for their powerful horns,” the Dragon Turtle enlightened.
They docked on the banks edge, the Dragon Turtle nodding her head in approval and Irene jumped, landing next to pack of unicorns. They did not move or speak. Having long ago abandoned humans and their world, it was quite a surprise to the unicorns to find one entering their domain. In a huff, giant wings unfolded as the unicorns lifted themselves off the ground rode the winds to a far off beach on the other side of the island.
For hours they explored the magical richness of the peaceful world as island after island of magical creatures appeared, created by only a faint whisper from the Dragon Turtle. They were once again riding the waves of the sea, Irene catching sight of many other mysterious creatures moving along the clear currents, their metallic scales and flaming hair brightly shining through the waters.
She heard a roar and looked toward the sun. Smoke filtered from two green nostrils, its snake like body weaving through the clouds. It swooped down, flying just over their heads and Irene had to brace herself to keep from being blown into the sea.
“Dragons are such arrogant creatures. I suppose he was hoping to impress you,” the Dragon Turtle laughed.
“It worked!” Irene bellowed, watching the green slither glide into the sun.
“Now, I have a few questions for you,” the Dragon Turtle began. “Have you ever heard of the Old Kingdom?”
“Alec told to me that’s where the old kings of queens of the royal bloodline use to live.”
Spellbound: Book One (The Spell Series) Page 7
