Magical Twist: Paranormal Women's Fiction (Midlife Witchery Book 3)

by Brenda Trim

  When I heard the baying of a horse, my eyes flipped open. Two soldiers were attacking Midurri. Blood dripped from an injury to her front flank. The sight broke my heart. She had been hurt because I entered her shop.

  I renewed my escape attempt. I was bucking like a wild bronco and managed to get one foot free. Pulling that boot back, I kicked it toward the Fae on my left. I connected with a chest but didn’t have enough force to stop him. He grabbed my leg before I could wind up again.

  Something black descended over my face, cutting off all light. My head went into a grand mal seizure as it jerked and flopped, trying to dislodge the black bag. It was harder to breathe with the thing on. My heart was pounding painfully in my chest.

  I tried to pry the goo off my river but couldn’t do anything. The black hole in my chest threatened to swallow me whole. I hadn’t felt this cut off when I had a spell keeping my magic inaccessible. I had never been so powerless as I was carried away from my friends. I needed to find a way out of this, or I would die a gruesome death at the King’s hands.

  Chapter 16

  Pain exploded in my chest as I was tossed on something hard. With my arms and legs finally free, I bucked and tried to toss myself off whatever I was on. With my feet kicking in the air, I knew I was off the ground, but I had no idea how far up I was. I could be twenty feet in the air, but I didn’t care.

  It would be better to break a leg than let the king get his hands on me. My palms landed on coarse fur. I had to be on a horse. That was the nudge I needed. Using my arms, I shoved my body backward and into a solid wall of muscle.

  “Non mouent.” The second the soldier behind me muttered those words, my body stiffened and stopped fighting to get free. The animal surged into motion, throwing me backward again.

  Scrawny arms banded around me, caging me in. The energy from the soldier made my skin crawl like bugs were burrowing underneath my skin. The wind whipped my hair back, and I shifted my focus to the cuffs on my wrists. They were rendering me incapable of fighting back.

  There was no catch that I could release to pop them off. The surface had some kind of design engraved on it. My fingers were zapped when I ran them over the markings. I tried to force one of them down and over my hand, but it wouldn’t budge. At first, I thought it was because of my thumb, but it didn’t move a fraction of an inch. They weren’t coming off.

  I needed to escape then deal with the cuffs. Rubbing my cheek on my shoulder, I moved the black bag enough to see grass and leaves fly by beneath us. I was definitely on a horse. I could see its front right flank and leg as it galloped.

  I stopped fighting. The only way I had a shot was to make the guard think I’d given up. Letting my shoulders slump, I dropped my head. The arms weren’t cutting off my air anymore. My body moved side to side with the animal.

  Putting more force into each swaying movement, I waited until the right moment. When the soldier’s arm lifted from one side, I threw my body in that direction. I threw my hands out but didn’t manage to keep from hitting what felt like a tree. The rough bark scraping the side of my neck and the rounded surface clued me in.

  My head slammed into the unforgiving surface. My orbital socket had barely healed from the previous injury when it broke for a second time. Swelling immediately closed the orb. I didn’t have time to delay.

  Nausea churning in my stomach, I crawled away and yanked the bag off as I moved. The light blinded me, but I could see I was in between two trees, and at least half a dozen soldiers were jumping from their horses and yelling to capture me.

  The pain was so bad I wasn’t sure I could move. To make matters worse, I could only see out of one eye. Yet, somehow, I managed to get to my feet. I swayed and lumbered five feet before two sets of hands grabbed my upper arms with bruising force.

  “Nice try. You can’t escape us.” With that, I was lifted to a soldier who yanked me roughly in front of his body. This time my stomach was draped across the animal, and a rope wound around my ankles.

  My head throbbed, and I swear I was going to pass out. I used my energy to stay alert. There was no way to get away at the moment, and I couldn’t risk another head injury. I might already have an intracranial hematoma. I certainly didn’t need to make matters worse.

  Dust choked me when the horses took off, making me cough and suck in some dirt. My aching chest and stomach slammed into the horse's back with each step. It seemed like we rode forever while at the same time didn’t seem that long at all. It was the discomfort that prolonged the trip.

  The horse hadn’t been stopped for even a second before a foot flew toward my face. I lifted my head and was rewarded with a boot to the chin. It dislocated my jaw but saved my eye from being decimated.

  I tried to twist mid-air, so I could catch myself. I made it to my side before it impacted with the ground, knocking the wind out of me for the second or third time that day. My body was never going to forgive me for how it was being treated.

  I braced myself for the rough treatment as they pulled me to an upright position. I tried to look around, but with only one eye, all I saw was a large grey wall on my good side. There was a door a few feet away and grass leading up to it.

  What hit me square in the chest was the dark energy. It was the only way I could think of the suffocating feeling. There was no light in sight. It drained every ounce of hope or joy before I could grasp hold of.

  I was going to die here. There was no escaping the soldiers as they shoved me through the door. When the panel slammed behind us, it cut off the sunlight and left little to see by.

  We stood in a narrow hallway surrounded by dark grey stone that dripped with brackish liquid and a dirt floor. Noxious fumes hit me a second later. Every ounce of fresh air had been replaced with rot and death.

  All sound had cut off, as well. The combination of low lighting, rancid stench, and silence made me feel like I was immersed in a deprivation chamber. It was surprising how rapidly my mind started screaming, and I had to fight the urge to turn and try to run.

  Instead, I bent and removed the rope from my ankles. I didn’t run my fingers over the sore skin. I had little doubt there were cuts and abrasions, and I didn’t want to introduce bacteria into them. I had no way to clean them and keep them from getting infected.

  A hand shoved my shoulder, sending me stumbling down the path. The slick feel of the wall beneath my hand when it landed there made the nausea churn even faster. The smell reminded me of kombucha. Not something I liked even a little bit.

  The pressure on my chest made it even harder to breathe. Malevolence surrounded me, trying to sink into my soul. It took great effort to keep the corruption at bay. Whatever spell Vodor had on his castle was intense. Within a few feet, the temperature dropped below freezing, and my breaths came out in white clouds in front of my face.

  The gear Midurri had sized for me provided some insulation from the cold, but not enough to keep me from shivering. The soldiers prodded me every time I slowed down. I knew they were guiding me to a dungeon.

  There was no way this was the main entrance to the palace. Vodor was far too egocentric for that. This was meant to intimidate and instill fear. I had to admit it was working.

  I lost more and more hope with each step deeper into the bowels of Vodor’s hold. I hadn’t realized I had slowed down again until strong hands threw me into the wall. My battered cheek hit the stone.

  Dizziness had my head spinning. By the time I managed to clear it enough to continue, I felt warm wetness trickling in a steady stream down my cheek. I cringed at the thought of whatever coated the walls getting in my wound while also thanking God the blood was draining. The pressure in my eye had gotten to the point I could no longer feel it.

  That wasn’t the case anymore, and I embraced that discomfort. It meant I wasn’t in danger of losing it for the second time in as many days. I was pushed down the tunnel more than I walked it. We reached a circular cavern with at least a dozen cells dug into the walls every few feet before long.
<
br />   In the center of that space was a set of shelves and on those shelves were random objects. I didn’t have long to look, but I thought I saw a couple jars, some bones, and a hatchet along with chains and more cuffs like I had on my wrists.

  This view confirmed my suspicions. “I see Vodor is into dungeon chic.”

  That earned me a snarl and a boot to the rear. I flew into a set of bars. “Shut up, bitch.”

  I braced myself while I sucked in a breath. The clang of metal echoed loudly throughout the room. If you could call the cold, dark cavern a room. “Inside the cell hybrid.”

  I pushed myself off the bars, but that wasn’t fast enough. Two soldiers grabbed my arms and tossed me inside. I stumbled forward with my hands thrust in front of me. There were about three and a half feet of space, so I hit with enough force to make the back of my hand touch my arm.

  I collapsed to the dirt and braced my aching head on my knees. There was nothing inside the cell except what smelled like fecal matter. Dark energy zapped me, making me yelp in surprise. It was the shadow trying to seep into my body. Whatever it was sent, the guards scurrying away.

  I hurt too much to wonder about the odd behavior. I was up shit creek without a paddle. I was locked inside Vodor’s dungeon with no way to access my magic or get out of there. In short, I was screwed and not in a good way.

  My gaze scanned the area around me. Three of the walls were stone, while the one in front of me was comprised of metal bars. I crawled to them and pulled myself up. I was on one foot when the air froze around me.

  I couldn’t seem to suck in a breath when a tall Fae materialized in the main room right in front of the shelving unit. The black light surrounding him battered at my senses and confirmed he was the elusive Vodor.

  He was handsome. Women would no doubt fall at his feet. His short black hair was perfectly styled, and his green eyes glimmered. The smile oozed across his facial features, making my stomach squirm.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you, Fiona Shakleton. You’ve made quite the stir in Eidothea.”

  “That happens when you fight against pure evil.” I flexed my fingers and clenched them into fists as I tried and failed to access my magic. That goop was even thicker now.

  Vodor tossed his head back and chuckled. “You’re full of fire. I owe you a thank you for ridding me of my mate. She was becoming a liability. I had hoped she would follow Sebastian to Earth and stay there, but she was hell-bent on making him suffer and me right along with him.”

  I rolled my eyes at that. “Based on the tantrum you threw, I know you’re lying. I bet it burned to have a weak hybrid like myself kill your mate then beat you at your own game.”

  Vodor closed the distance to the bars and snarled. His disgusting attempts at charm vanished to reveal the ugly demon beneath. “Watch yourself, Fiona. You are at my mercy, and most days, I have none.”

  “You will regret kidnapping me. When I get out of here, I am going to rob you of every ounce of stolen power.” It was too freaking easy to goad the greasy Fae.

  Vodor shouted and shoved his arm through the bars, extending his finger toward me. He never said a thing, but the next thing I knew, I was on the ground, huddled into a ball.

  It felt like every ounce of energy I had was drained in an instant. There was a tug on my soul, and it made my chest hurt like a bitch. My ears started ringing, and my fingers were frozen blocks of flesh and bone. I swear my skin withered dry while Vodor took everything out of me. I was going to die before I had time to contemplate my current condition further.

  He had hands of death and destruction. The thought popped into my head, trying to steal every ounce of positive energy I retained.

  The suction stopped suddenly with an earsplitting howl. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor in the dark. I was panting, and it took several seconds until my heart settled enough that I could hear anything aside from my breathing.

  Vodor had vanished, taking the light with him. My body unclenched, and the cold receded enough, so I was able to move my fingers and toes again. I sat up and positioned my back against the bars, so I avoided the slimy walls.

  That was a million times worse than when he had connected to me through the portal while I was on Pymm’s Pondside. Based on the way he was howling, I’d say I kept him from getting a damn thing. That made me smile.

  I wanted to pat myself on the back for that little win. The sound of tiny scurrying feet distracted me. My head swiveled left then right. That had to be rats or mice. Did they have rodents on Eidothea? They might not be the same as we had on Earth, but there was no doubt there were flea-infested, disease-carrying critters living in this dungeon.

  “Ugh!” A full-body shiver rattled the bars and made my stomach turn. The revulsion shifted to cold. I needed to get warm. What’s the point? You’re going to die here anyway. Why not die and rob Vodor of the chance to take my power?

  I was grateful Vodor left, but I would freeze to death soon if I didn’t do something. I tried to conjure flames, bypassing the blocked canal of my power river. My fingers went to the cuffs, and I tried for the third time to remove them. It was hard not to claw my skin to pieces.

  When I ran a finger over the inscriptions, there was a spark. It lit the area directly in front of me and confirmed there were nasty things down here with me. I didn’t manage to get a good look, but sharp teeth inside an elongated snout refused to leave my mind.

  “Shoo,” I called out, kicking out my feet. I had to send these things fleeing. Within seconds I was hyperventilating, and all I could hear were my panicked breaths.

  I sat like that for hours, it seemed. Those feet had sharp claws that dug into the skin at my ankles as Fae rats tried to scale me like a mountain. Adrenalin kept my hands and feet moving to brush the fuckers off. My eyes would droop, and the pitter-patter of claws would startle my eyes back open.

  My body hurt, and I was certain I was bruised from head to toe. Lethargy weighed down my limbs. It took great effort to keep the beasts away. Throughout it, all my breathing never once slowed. I was pretty sure the sound of those tiny feet would haunt my dreams for the rest of my life. I was light-headed from all the panting.

  Light illuminated the hall a second before footsteps made me go still. Soldiers were returning. While I didn’t trust what they gave me, I prayed they were bringing water and something to eat. I needed fuel to keep me going. I had been running on adrenalin so long it had tapered off despite my fear spiking once again.

  “Hello, bitch. You ready to give the King what he wants?”

  “Hmmm. Let’s see. Uh, no. Never going to happen.” I tried for a mocking tone but wasn’t sure I pulled it off.

  A flame flew toward me from one of them. It was too dark for me to see who had cast the spell. I hesitated before I ducked. Part of me wanted the flames to warm the chill I was beginning to believe would never leave me.

  One of the soldiers stepped into the meager light closest to my cell. His hands went to the waistband of his pants. “I’m going to enjoy this. Saddle up. The rest of you can have a turn next.”

  Gruff laughter followed. My blood froze in my veins, and my heart dropped to the filthy floor. The clanging of the door echoed the sound my heart made. The panel was opening, and the organ raced faster than a rocket going to the moon.

  “Prohibere!” My hands flew up, and a string of lightning left my palms and hit the soldier in the groin.

  He screamed and fell to his knees while I scrambled to grab hold of my magic. I needed to keep the reins so I could get the heck out of there. Unfortunately, it slipped through my fingers.

  “I’m going to make you pay for that. And then I’ll take what I want from your battered body.” He would have been scarier if he wasn’t bent over and speaking through a clenched jaw.

  “You wouldn’t dare touch the King’s prized possession, would you? I’m fairly sure he doesn’t take kindly to others playing with his toys.”

  One of the other guards nudged his shoulder. “She�
�s right. We shouldn’t be doing this. If we caused her any damage, he would rip our heads off.”

  “Don’t think this is over, bitch. As soon as he’s done with you, I will be waiting in the wings to finish you off.”

  My knuckles were white where I clutched the metal bars. I was barely holding myself together. All I wanted to do was fly apart. I tried to muster the energy to fight and find a way out of here but could hardly move. Sebastian was going to save me, right?

  The fleeting hope I clung to slipped through my fingers like water. I had never been a negative thinker and always told my kids to see the silver lining. I was surrounded by nothing but death and destruction. Losing hope and giving up wasn't an option, but I couldn’t find a shred of anything to cling to at the moment.

  Do not give up! Suck it up, buttercup. I hadn't given up when Tim was battling his cancer, and I wouldn't start now.

  Chapter 17

  Chances were high that Violet and Aislinn were dead. Finarr, as well, for that matter. That thought haunted me more than any other. The last I had seen, they were both injured and unresponsive. I couldn’t see enough before I had been dragged out of the shop to know if they were okay.

  They had to be alright. I would never forgive myself if I was the reason they were killed. Violet and I had been best friends for longer than I could remember, but Aislinn had come to mean just as much to me. This was not how my magical new beginning was supposed to go.

  I sat huddled in the cold with my back against the bars. Thankfully, every sound echoed throughout the dungeon, making it easy for me to detect when someone was headed my way. I had no desire to get more of the slime on my clothing and body than necessary.

  My head felt like it was a watermelon that had been split open. Since moving to Pymm’s Pondside and accepting the Guardianship, I have had one battle after another with countless injuries. It hadn’t hit me until my magic was once again blocked from me that accelerated healing had come along as a perk.