Three Deadly Trials (Battle for The Dark King Book 1)

by VS Winters

  "Don't touch those just yet," Scott called to me.

  "I wasn't!" I yanked back my pointer finger just before it could rap against the glass of a container filled with a mysterious silvery liquid.

  "Get over here, I have something to show you."

  "Yes, sir." I quipped and stepped to the tall book stand where Scott stood. On top of it rested a heavy, worn book with discolored pages. The binding had been stained a dark lavender, and a symbol was branded into the center of the cover. I traced my finger along the swirling design and felt a tug inside of me, as though my soul was beckoning the book, inviting it in.

  "It's beautiful," I said in a voice just above a whisper.

  "Not just beautiful," Scott planted his fist on the symbol. With eyes shut, he murmured foreign words through his teeth, ones that I didn't understand. A prism of color burst across the symbol like a swirling rainbow. With now-open eyes and a flash of a grin in my direction, Scott swept through the pages.

  "This is our Book of Shadows; our Coven's book of spells, alchemy, and notes from long before our time." His blue eyes were alight as he peered up at me. "Before your mother's time, Eden."

  "Did she write in it?" I asked. The excitement in my voice made me want to kick myself. She had abandoned us, I shouldn't care if she scribbled in a dusty old book. Yet, I did. Every fiber of my being desired to tear the book from Scott's fingertips, just to get a better look. This was my history, the parts I didn't know about. I hungered for it.

  "We have all contributed to the book, well, all of us except--"

  "Me," I concluded.

  He briefly planted a hand on my shoulder before stepping away and allowing me the chance to view it in my own time. The pages felt warm beneath my fingertips like they were alive. Odd as it was, it felt good to hold. It felt like energy. Like power.

  "What are these spells for?"

  "Everything you could possibly think of. Page twenty-nine is a sleeping spell, page one-hundred and twelve is a spell to aid in refreshing day-old fish, page three hundred and nine is," He paused to swallow and glance at my lips. "A love spell."

  I made sure to hurry past that one immediately, so as not to see a single word of it.

  "Have you ever used them?" I asked without looking at him.

  "Of course. There are simple spells that can be used every day. Just as there are spells that can only be used every few years. But I think that's enough of the book for now, let's try and work out the physical material first."

  He slammed the book shut and moved to an empty area of the massive room, planting his feet at hip-distance apart. I stepped away from the stand and moved to his side.

  "To begin manifesting the power inside, you need to think of something that uproots you on an emotional level. Fill that void thirsting within you and drive it into a solid form. Center that focal point within your chest first, then let it flow through you as naturally as the blood within your veins."

  He said it so casually, but I knew it was much simpler said than done. Closing my eyes, I attempted to do as he had asked of me. The first thing I thought of was Harper attacking me in the alleyway. Then, the fear I felt when he broke into my house and threatened to take Ava away. A hint of a spark ignited inside me. Advancing further, I took a deep breath and reflected on Ava, shouting at me before storming out of the house. Our father was dying and I had been ready to leave her to tend to him all on her own. I remembered the grimace on my father's ashen face as he sat on his hospital bed while nurses poked at him like a pin cushion.

  "That's it, Eden," Scott said in a low tone. "I can sense your power stirring within, but you need to push yourself harder. Think of something that hurt you more than anything."

  With my eyebrows strained tightly together, I picked through my memories, landing in a spot further back than I had gone in years.

  Crimson hair, short and flawlessly styled, hung around her shoulders. The woman was tall and slender. She was kissing my father on the forehead as she handed him a plate full of spaghetti. Turning to me, she beamed as I played with dolls. My stubby fingers reached for her but she held up a finger.

  "Just one second sweetheart, Avangeline is crying."

  My mother picked up a baby with fat cheeks and wide, hazel eyes that were overflowing with tears. She tousled the baby's bright red curls and cooed to her. Ava smiled, happy once more, as she pinched my mother's cheeks with a delighted squall. Mother laughed and put Ava back in her crib before returning to sit across from me, cross-legged.

  I smiled at her, looking deeply into her matching cerulean eyes.

  "What did you need, my love?"

  "Play with me, Mommy!"

  "Alright," She chuckled in a melodic voice. We played together until bedtime. After she had tucked me in, singing something I had long forgotten, the vision leaped forward. An eleven-year-old me was in our living room. Mom and Dad had been arguing all evening. I remembered covering Ava's ears until she had fallen asleep.

  "I have to go, Tom, I can't explain why, I just do."

  "And what about the kids, Tammy? You're gonna leave them? What the hell is wrong with you, those girls adore you and I--" My father's voice broke.

  "I love you too, my darling, and I want to stay more than anything. But another responsibility calls to me, one that I can't ignore." My mother was crying then as well.

  "And your responsibility to your children?"

  "It will have to wait, I'm afraid. It won't be forever though, Tom. Maybe a year, but it could be much less than that."

  "I am begging you, hon, don't do this. Don't leave us. What will I tell them, our girls?"

  I watched my mother move across the kitchen to embrace my father as he wept into his palms. It was the first time I'd ever seen him cry.

  I felt a tear rolling down my face. Then another, until they began to pool along my neckline. The spark inside was catching fire as I recalled what was happening. This scene had played in my mind too many times throughout my life.

  "I love you. Take care of them, won't you, Tom?"

  My father looked up at her, denial covering his face. She kissed him between his sobs. Tearing away, she hurried into the living room and met my eyes. My mother rushed to place a kiss on my forehead and pull my head tightly against her bosom. I threw my arms around her waist and held onto her skirt. Breathing her in, I didn't know that this would be that last time I smelled her lavender-scented body wash.

  "Take care of Ava. She will need you to be strong, okay baby?"

  I nodded and clung onto her skirt until it was extracted from my fingertips as she pulled away and marched through the door, disappearing from our lives forever.

  "Eden?" Scott called, pulling me from the memory. My shaking hands darted to my slick face that was wet with tears. The spark burst into full-blown flames inside of me, searing the underside of my skin, trying to dig its way to the surface. I didn't hear the cry as it left my throat. All I could perceive were the flames as they scattered beneath my skin.

  With everything I could muster, I forced the shards of power together. They traveled their way through my knuckles and down to my fingertips. Opening my eyes, I watched as the fire burst from my fingers, saturating my hands in emerald flames.

  "Wow," Scott breathed. Pulling himself together, he tried to concentrate on guiding me through the rest of it.

  "Now, focus on something and let all of that pain go. You can do this, Eden."

  Glancing at a stack of books beside a dusty old chair leg, I twisted my body to face it and pulled back before pushing farther forward, shoving my power out of me with all of my strength. I felt the sobbing in my throat turn to something that sounded more like a war cry. Tears gushed across my cheeks and plopped onto my chest. The flames curved into orbs that hovered in front of my palms before shooting outward, and straight into the books. The stack all but disintegrated before us as I collapsed onto my knees.

  "Are you alright?" Scott raced to me, stooping to meet me at eye level.

  "I'
ll be fine."

  With a sniffle, I wiped my nose with the back of my hand. Scott put his fingers around my elbows and brought me back to my feet.

  "Was it about your mother?"

  "Yes," I replied through trembling lips. Glancing into his eyes, I knew he felt for me, which just made me feel even more ridiculous. I decided that I didn't care how he viewed me and let my head fall against his firm chest. Once the tears had subsided, and I felt like I could speak in a steady voice again, I pulled away. A thought occurred to me, one that I hadn't thought to ask before. It was a concept that carried a chill deep into my bones.

  "Scott?"

  "Hmm?"

  "Harper, the Demon that collected me, he said that if I hadn't come, they would have brought Ava in my place. Does that mean she is a Witch too?"

  "We don't know yet, Eden. We knew that you were because you've been here before, unlike your half-sister."

  "Wait, what?" The room started to go all funny. It wavered and wobbled while I stretched my hands out in every direction, searching for something to sit on. Scott caught my arm to stabilize me. With an intense twisting my stomach, I looked up at Scott.

  "I assumed you knew, sorry."

  "My half-sister? I've been here before?" Saying it felt foreign, wrong. But something about Scott's tone told me it was true. That meant…

  "So my father?"

  "He is still your father, with or without sharing your blood, he raised you."

  "All these years... Why didn't he tell me? And the Coven, where the hell have you been?"

  "Eden, it was Tamora's wish that we didn't inform you. The Coven wanted to reach out to you, but we knew that we had to consider your mother and what she felt was best for you."

  "I need to get out of here," I said suddenly, throwing a hand over my mouth to stop the vomit building in my throat. I shoved away from him and ran. As fast and as far as I could. Through halls and rooms, I didn't let my feet falter until I had arrived in the blinding sunlight outside of the castle. The guard shouted something as I flew down the steps but I didn't care, I wanted to get the hell out.

  I could see from a distance that the passage leading into the city beyond had been shut tight. With a swivel of my head, I searched desperately for somewhere, anywhere, to go. My fingernails dug into my palms as I squeezed them in anticipation when I spotted a hedged that had been trimmed into the shape of an archway. That will do. Keeping my feet at a steady pace, I raced through it and into a clearing. Perfectly clipped bushes lined it in a half-moon shape. I also noticed an enormous water fountain that was spitting water into the air right at the center.

  I didn't have time to rest as I detected the guard's heavy armor clanking behind me, they were probably thinking that I was trying to escape. They wouldn't be far off, I just wanted to be far away from there, as quickly as possible. Fuck the Trials. And fuck the asshole hosting them. I wanted to get back to my world, to pretend like I hadn't seen or heard anything here. I'd be good, playing pretend as I allowed my father to take his last breaths without the added stress of knowing what I had learned in my short time here.

  I slammed into a gleaming, silver gate that seemed to be there more for decorative purposes than anything. Wrapping my finger around it, I gave the thing a shove, it quickly became apparent that the way was locked tight. A glance over my shoulder told me I had about five seconds to make a choice. Good thing I hadn't been required to wear a dress that day, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to hoist myself over it as easily as I managed to. The adrenaline pumping through my body probably didn't hurt either.

  Over the gate was another clearing, this one seemed a tad larger and held the same type of fountain as the other. Well, aren't we just fancy? Regardless of how charming it was, I despised every stupid square foot of it. My feet slowed to a halt as I cast a look over both of my shoulders, trying to locate my next route. To the far eastern side lay what looked like a gardening shed. Beyond that, I could see nothing more than another one of the half-moon gardens. How many times could I jump over fences today?

  "Halt!" Yelled a guard from twenty feet behind me. His fierce tone ignited a fire in my bum, causing me to spring back into action. I didn't turn to look as I took off in another mad dash. I was headed for the gate and, once reaching it, leaped over it without hesitation. I knew I could keep going for a while amidst the danger that was close at my heels but wondered with uncertainty if I'd be thrown into the dungeons for this. Let them do it, maybe my being a handful will convince Rowan that I need to go home, instead of messing with his pretty picture here.

  With another look behind me, I believed that I was finally losing them. No sparkle of gold armor caught the sun's beams as I advanced. With a sigh of relief, I directed my gaze forward once more so that I could see where I was going. Before I could get my head fully back in place, I smashed against something. Hard. Sprawling back like a dead spider, with my limbs flinging up in front of me, I smashed into the ground. The air was forced from my lungs as I crumbled against the grass.

  "Shit," I squeaked between teeth that were tightly clenched together. Looking up, I expected to see another fountain, maybe even a nice, stone birdbath. But no, it had to be the one thing that I wanted to discover the least in the world. Him.

  "Out for a stroll in my gardens?" Rowan asked, flashing me an amused smirk. My lungs nearly seized with the first deep breath I was able to draw in. The feeling of air inflating them sent me into a coughing spell, one that took me a solid three minutes to get under control. Looking up at Rowan through watering eyes, I saw that he held an expression of absolute revulsion across his face. I wasn't sure whether to try and stand and make a bigger fool of myself or to use what Scott had just taught me, to erase this jerk from the face of the planet.

  "Something like that," I managed to say while pushing a palm against the soft, perfectly lush grass to restore myself into a standing position. Rowan didn't move to help as I did so. He just stood there, gawking, while I fought to right myself. I knew the pain radiating through me at the moment was plain as day on my face. I hated that he could see it, even though it was out of my control.

  Once I had finally found my way back to my feet, Rowan's seafoam stare moved to somewhere over my shoulder. With a prompt movement of his hand, he sent the guards, who had nearly caught up to me, away. Oh, so now I wasn't a threat. Kind of a change in tune after he had twisted me like a pretzel two nights ago.

  "Don't you need them? You know, to take me to the dungeon?" I panted, wiping away the sweat that was threatening to drip into my eyes. Rowan took several calculated steps around me. He was circling me. As though he were a lion and I was his prey.

  "You won't be going to the dungeons today, Witch."

  "Ah, but the day is young. How do you know that for sure?"

  "You've used your powers recently. I can smell them on you. Lessons going well?" He asked, changing the subject.

  "Too well," I grumbled and began clearing the dirt and grass from my backside. Meeting Rowan's eyes, I could see that they had followed my hands and lingered there.

  "Hey! Eyes up here, buddy."

  Rowan gave me another smirk and held my glare. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was checking me out.

  "What are you doing out here, if the lessons are going as well as you say?"

  "Taking a break."

  "A break?" He snickered. I liked the sound of it. Too much. Shifting away from him, I took a step in the direction that I had just come from. A hand slammed into my waist, propelling me another two steps backward.

  "Yes. A break. Now can I get back to it, please?"

  Attempting to push my way past him, I crouched beneath his arm and took another step. With a blink, he was right back in front of me, preventing me from going any further.

  "What the hell?" I stopped mid-step. The guy had just freaking teleported or something.

  "Show me."

  "Show you what? Why don't you show me how the fuck you just moved like that?" I hissed, holding a ha
nd up to block out that annoying ball of light in the sky.

  "I'll not be showing you anything. I would prefer to observe what you've learned from the other Witch."

  "I thought you said that if I so much as twitched wrong, I'd be dead. Now you are asking me to cast fireballs at you?"

  "Fireballs, huh?"

  I hated the rude, condescending tone that he used with me. It was like he was talking to a child. A child that he hated. If I thought that I could go through the hell of watching my mother leave, for a second time that day, I'd have given him precisely what he had requested. And I would have directed it at his too-perfect face. There was nothing that I wanted more at that moment than for him to disappear, just as the stack of books had.

  "I--I--" Damn. "I can't do it again. Not right now."

  "And why is that?"

  "I just fucking can't, okay? Drop it."

  "Touchy, Witch. You would do well to remember who you are talking to and do so quickly. I saw your little display with Lavinia, and the one with Nija too. You're mouthy in a way that should have gotten you killed by now. I'm astonished that it hasn't."

  "Yeah, well, back home we don't just kill people for speaking their mind. So why don't you send me back there and let my own people deal with my mouth?"

  Closing the distance between us with a single stride, Rowan was pressed against me before I could say another word. I avoided his eyes, which were burning into my skin. Despite not being able to look at him, I held firm in my resistant stance.

  "Why have others do what I can easily do myself? Like it or not, for the entirety of the Trials, that sharp little Witch tongue belongs to me and me alone. Now shut your mouth, or I will do it for you."

  His heat was permeating through my clothes and onto my flesh. The freshly clean smell of him excited me in ways I couldn't explain, making parts of my body awaken that had been slumbering for far too long. Retreating another step, all I could think about was the need to distance myself from him. He's the enemy. Not your boyfriend. Pull it together. He took notice of the spark of desire embedded deep within me and pulled his lips into a grin.