Chapter 43
It had been two weeks since Seth had left, and we still hadn’t heard anything from him. After much begging and pleading, I finally got Kesi to leave me while she went to the village. As I awaited her return, I soaked my body in the spring. She had been gone a total of five days, and I was beginning to worry, thinking I may have lost her too.
I walked out of the water and she appeared in front of me. I never even saw her coming.
“Nobody has seen him,” she said, her face flushed and her eyes craving sleep. “He never even made it—” Her words stopped as she took in my naked body.
“Shit!” I reached for the blanket, but I was too late.
“My god, Layna!” She rushed to me. “When were you planning to tell me?” Kesi reached out, her hand sweeping over the slight curve on my stomach.
I pushed her away and covered myself with the blanket, concealing the bump that hid me and Seth’s unborn child. “What were you saying, Kesi. He never what?”
“Does he know?” She wouldn’t leave the subject alone.
“No,” I snapped. “Now, he never what? Tell me this instant!”
“He never made it to the village.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I asked everyone. Even searched around the village, but there is no sign he was ever there.”
I dropped to my knees, hyperventilating as my stomach clenched into a knot and my heart shattered into a million pieces. They hadn’t seen him. Where did he go? “I need…to go…to the village,” I said in between gasps.
“No, Layna. You’re not going anywhere. Your unborn baby should be your concern. You need to worry about yourself right now. That’s what Seth would want.”
“Seth’s not fucking here!” I growled, jumping to my feet. “And I’m not asking you, I’m telling you.” My emotions took control over my body. The heat rising and falling so fast my head felt as if it would explode. “If you don’t help me, I will walk to the village.”
“Layna, that’s not fair,” she shot back, holding her arms stiffly at her sides.
The fire soared through me, and all I saw was red. There were no clouds. No sunshine and no water. Just red. I leaped at Kesi, and before she could move, I touched her arm, and was off, heading toward Re’s village.
Kesi caught up to me as I raced over the terrain, the world blurring around me. It only took half the time to reach the village, and when I came to the shield, I was surprised that I had been able to stop myself.
I stepped into the village, Kesi trotting after me.
“Please, Layna, no,” she begged me. “Just go back where it’s safe. Please.”
I ignored her, walking through the trees, the tents closing in on me. Zinna stepped out from behind one of the trees. She stood there, emotionless, as her dark eyes watched me.
“You saw me coming, didn’t you?” The anger still controlled my voice, causing her to take a step back.
“It’s already started, Layna,” she spoke in a tiny voice. “By night, the entire sector will be left unprotected. The border is already halfway through the Capital.”
No! Oh my god, no! This couldn’t be happening. Not now!
“Where is he, Zinna?” My voice cracked under all the stress. “Tell me!”
“I can’t see him!” Her voice rose in pitch as tears tugged at her eyes. “I swear, Layna. I searched. Really I did. And I only see him…”
“Fuck, Zinna!” I grabbed her shoulders. “Tell me!”
The vision smacked into me with the force of a sandstorm. Seth. Me. We were inside the temple somewhere. I’m not sure where, but we were fighting. His eyes were cold and empty, his body no longer belonging to him. My body was beaten and bloody. Then Seth was on top of me, his hands around my neck as my lips turned a pale blue.
The vision was gone and I narrowed my eyes in Kesi’s direction.
She dropped my hand. “I’m sorry, Layna. But don’t do this to yourself. Layna, please. I beg of you.” She wouldn’t shut the hell up.
While I was busy with Kesi, Zinna stepped forward, placing her hand over the bump concealing my unborn child. A rush of energy surged through me, wrapping around the womb, warming the center of my stomach.
I gasped, started to jump back, but Zinna’s eyes shot me a warning.
“The babe will survive,” she said, the voice coming from her lips didn’t seem to be her own. “She will be protected, it is our only chance at survival if we lose you.” Zinna suddenly let go and stumbled back, her eyes wide and her bottom lip trembling in fear. “A protection spell has been placed on your baby,” she said, her voice now her own.
So many emotions were coursing through me, even so, I didn’t miss the word ‘she’. My baby was a girl. Our baby. Mine and Seth’s.
“Gather everyone up, Zinna.” I pushed the warm feelings away buzzing inside of me. “We must get to the Capital before everyone in the sector dies. We cannot lose this fight.”
“No,” Kesi yelled again. She grabbed my shoulder, but I shrugged her hand off. “Layna, please. I vowed to protect you. This isn’t how things are supposed to go. We can’t fight yet. You aren’t ready!”
“How are they supposed to go, Kesi? Tell me?” I lashed out at her, the heat taking control of every part of my body. “People are going to die tonight. Everyone except the Regent, the council, and whoever else they decide to save. Are you willing to live with that for the rest of your life? Are you willing to stay under a damn shield, hoping and praying they never find you? If so, you’re no smarted than Re. And he’s dead. They broke through their damn shield, Kesi, and they’ll do it again. But next time they might not give any remaining Naturals the chance to put the shield back up. Where would that leave you? Dead. That’s right. You will be dead.”
She sank back in defeat, unable to come back at me. She knew I was right. We had to fight no matter the cost. If we continued to hide, pretend our sector wasn’t falling apart, everyone in it except a chosen few would be eliminated.
“Zinna,” I turned to her again, “gather the Naturals.”
She took off fast, small feet pounding over the ground as she raced toward the tents.
“What are we going to do?” Kesi swallowed hard, like she was even afraid to speak to me now.
“We’re going to kick some ass, Kesi.” I gazed into the far off distance. “Tiahna and the council will pay dearly for this.” And I meant every word.
Chapter 44
“This is all of them,” Zinna’s tiny voice spoke as I walked up to her. “She gazed around. I know it isn’t many, but it’s all we have left.”
My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. Half the population had been wiped out. I knew the Regent’s army greatly outnumbered us, but there wasn’t much I could do. The only thing we had going for us, is that everyone here had magical powers, where the army didn’t. “It’ll have to do.”
“I’m not going in there,” a woman shouted from inside the crowd. “We’ll be slaughtered!”
“Zinna, bring her forth,” I demanded. Kesi stepped up, standing beside me as Zinna pushed her way through the crowd.
The woman was taller than her, but Zinna was stronger than she appeared. She pushed the woman in front of me, and then she took a step back.
The woman looked at me with terror filled eyes, but she didn’t say a word.
“What’s your power?” I asked her as her short dark hair blew in the slight breeze.
“I can…control the wind.” Her body shook as she spoke to me.
Everyone behind her watched, waiting, to see what my next step was. If I were to change their mind about going up against the Regent, I’d have to show them what I could do. But I’d never had any experience with anyone else’s powers beside Kesi’s and Seth’s. I had no idea what would happen, but we’d soon find out.
I touched the woman on the shoulder, drawing the energy from her. Even though I had no idea what to do, my body did. I looked to the sky as it darkened, black clouds spinning over top of us. A sandstorm was form
ing.
The roar of the wind shook the ground at our feet as I placed my hands in the air, reaching for the clouds. The gust of wind spiraled over top, following the motion of my hands as I swept them in the air. I brought my hands down, the element following the signal. A great wind blew through the crowd, causing everyone to duck and shield their eyes. I stood strong as the intense pressure of air ripped across my face, my hair dancing wildly behind me. As soon as I lowered my arms. The wind stopped, and the area around us became quiet and still.
The Naturals uncovered their eyes, staring at me as if they’d seen a ghost. Their skin pale, eyes wide, and mouths hanging open.
“I can control energy,” I shouted to each and every one of them. “All of your powers can become my own, without taking them away from you. The army is powerless. If we put our strongest Naturals in the front line, we will take the Regent’s army without fail.” I had no idea where these sudden leadership abilities came from. Maybe, because I knew I was the only one who could get these people to fight, to live to breathe another day. “I’m the only one who can push through the Regent’s border. Now,” I said louder this time, “who is ready to fight with me?”
The crowd finally responded with a cheer. I thought it would take more to persuade them, but I was wrong. All they needed was someone who was strong and willing to lead them. They would be able to do the rest.
“How are we going to get them all there before sun down?” Kesi stared at the crowd.
I turned to her, the adrenaline flowing through my veins winding down. “I’m not sure.” I shrugged. “I wonder if I can use multiple powers at once.”
“That’d really be pushing the limit, Layna.” She planted her hand on her hip, her left eyebrow twitching. “You can barely control Seth’s energy, or mine, when you use it. And that’s not together.”
“I guess there’s no harm in trying. Do you think your speed could get us to the Capital before sun down?”
“I say two hours tops.”
“Let’s go for it,” I said, suddenly coming up with a plan.
She turned to me, her eyes searching mine. “What are you thinking?”
“My only thought is to see if we have someone who can move energy.” It was the only option I had. “I could try to move the entire shield, which is made of energy.”
“With everyone in it.” Her eyes grew wide as she looked at me.
“I have to try, Kesi.” I shifted my weight to my other leg and curved my arm underneath the small bulge of my stomach. “It would be the only way to get everyone there before the sun sets. If we wait, the ravagers will just end up picking us all off.”
She sighed deeply and her gaze drifted to the people in front of us. None of them ever fighting a battle in their life. They were used to the laid back atmosphere of the village. “I guess we can give it hell. If we fail, at least we can say we tried.” She stepped in front of me. “Anyone here know how to move energy? Any kind of energy.”
“I…can.” A small boy stepped in front of the crowd.
Kesi looked at me warily, raising an eyebrow.
I walked past her and approached the boy. Kneeling in front of him, I searched the depths of his brown eyes. “How can you move energy? Show me.”
An older gentleman came forward and placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. The boy noticed him and gave him a warm smile. Without a word, as if they were communicating silently, the man backed up and held out his hand, palm up. A ball of fire appeared, taking my breath away.
These people were more talented than they let on.
The man threw the sizzling ball of flames at the boy, and he watched it. I drew in a deep breath as it sailed toward him.
At only an arm’s length away from the boy, he waved his hand in the air in front of him. The ball of flames flew off to the left, falling onto the ground, black smoke rising from the top of it.
“He’ll do,” Kesi said quickly. Her voice just as amazed as I felt.
Zinna, Kesi, and I moved quickly, gathering the Naturals in a tight ball. After we finished, Kesi ushered Zinna inside the circle, then she turned to me. “How are we going to do this? If you hold his hand, you might rip his arm off.
She was right. I couldn’t risk killing the poor child, or leaving him without a limb. “Would you be able to carry him while you ran?”
“Possibly.” She gave him a quick glance as he looked up at her. “Will you be able to concentrate on moving the shield with you without touching it?” she asked him.
He nodded.
“Then it’s settled,” her eyes came back to me. “I’ll carry the boy with one arm, and hold onto you with the other hand. God, Layna,” she smiled, “if this shit works, I’m going to hug you to death.”
“We’ll wait until after I take down Tiahna and the council.” I was unable to smile back. The anxiety of the prophecy snaking its way into my mind.
She scooped the child up in her arms, shifting him to her left side. “Here’s your cue, little man,” she said to him. Then she grabbed onto me with her free hand.
We were off, blurring through the forest so fast my heart wanted to leap from my chest. We were moving so fast we ran across the river, reaching the other side with no problem at all.
We passed villages, the line where the border used to be, and continued up hills and slopes of rocks and sand. I was surprised, moving this fast seemed to have no impact on my body. It was as if I was moving naturally, at a slow and normal pace. If the area around us hadn’t been blurred, I would have sworn we were walking. While I was overheated and in need of rest and water my first time through here, my body didn’t even break into a sweat this time. No wonder Kesi made it to the village faster than Seth and I had.
We finally reached the barren land, and there it was a short distance away. The Capital. I let go of Kesi and my pace began to slow until I managed to stop all together. I glanced behind us, overwhelming satisfaction that the entire village survived the journey, even though the faces behind the shield were pale and some even tinting green.
“It worked!” Kesi walked up to me, placing the boy on the ground. “My god, it actually worked!”
“Yes, it did,” I said, but there was no happiness in my voice, only dread, as I turned around to face the Capital. “But we aren’t done yet.”
Chapter 45
They were expecting us. The entire Regent’s army stood on the other side of the boundary, inside the middle of the Capital, swords in their hands.
There were no Residents around, which told me Tiahna may had already killed them off or they were hiding deep inside their Residencies, hoping the ravagers wouldn’t be able to sense them after the sun lowered in the sky.
The Regent’s troops stood with confidence as we moved forward, me and Kesi leading our own army of Naturals. They thought we couldn’t get inside the border, but they were wrong. I could. I’d done it multiple times, and I’d do it again.
I walked up to the boundary line and placed my hand on it, the energy rushing away from my hand, creating a gap. I concentrated harder, expanded my power out, and in no time at all, the hole was as wide as the front line.
Then the weirdest thing happened. Tiahna’s men parted in half, creating a huge gap in their formation. And then I saw why.
There were hundreds of them standing in the distance, flooding the main path and spreading out into the streets. Naturals. I could feel their energy buzzing in the air, so much of it, and it was intense. All the feeling drained from my body at once, except for the knot in my stomach. It tightened harder and harder. The pain pulsing and rising into my chest.
“She didn’t…she didn’t kill them.” Kesi’s voice was lifeless, as her eyes zoned in on the same thing I did. “She created—”
“Her own army,” I finished her sentence, still unable to believe it even though they were all staring back at me.
“But how? And why would they follow her?”
It all came to me at once. Something Amun had said. I had qu
estioned Tiahna about it, but she denied my accusation. “She did it. She created an erase spell.” It was the only explanation I had. Naturals wouldn’t follow her. They wouldn’t. Unless, she somehow forced them to. The only way to do that, would be to get rid of their memories. She knew this day would come, and she prepared for it. The only way to take down witches with magical abilities would be to use their own kind against them.
“A what?” She turned to me, horror consuming her colorless face.
“She erased their memories somehow. Amun said something about it the night I was guarding the border, when he captured Seth. Tiahna wanted him unharmed.” The words came back to me fast, flooding my memory with images of that night.
“The Regent believes she could use him to help her gain control over the other side and finally reunite the entire sector. He trained the rebellion army, so he would know how to take them down. She plans to create an erase spell, which she has been working on the past few days. If she can manage to rid his mind of his current memories, and replace them with new ones which benefit us, it could put us a step ahead of Zane.”
My breath halted in my throat, my hand drifted down to follow the curve of my growing belly. “Seth.” His name came through my lips as a soft whisper. No! Please no! “He has to be in there. She wanted him.” I rushed forward with only one thought on my mind. Find Seth. But Kesi was faster.
She grabbed my arm, jerking my body back. “Oh, no! You can’t possibly make it through her army and her brainwashed Naturals. Layna, they’d take you out before you could blink your eyes. We need to find a way for you to get through. Some kind of distraction.”
“I can help,” a deep voice sounded behind us.
Kesi and I spun around. A handsome guy about our age stood there, looking at us with confident brown eyes. He was slightly shorter than Seth, and definitely showed no signs of physical strength.
“Geb, no,” Kesi said, something about her voice reminded her of myself when I spoke to Seth.
I glanced between the both of them, and I saw it. I’d never seen this guy or heard his name mentioned before, but she clearly knew him. And it was far more than in a friendly kind of way. Now I saw why she wanted to go to the village all the time.
Forbidden: an Adult Paranormal Witch Romance: Othala Witch Collection (Sector 12) Page 20
