Emerald Wars (The Dream Traveler Book 3)

by Nicole Knight

  “Ah, my senses weren’t playing tricks on me. There really is prey of great power out in these woods. Look at you, a small slender girl, holding so much delectable magic. Will you spare some for me, girl?” it asked. His voice had to be enchanted, because I wasn’t able to physically break from this hold he had over me.

  My head was screaming “NO!” but I had no control over my body, and I found my head slowly nodding yes.

  “Walk towards me, girl. Come bring me that graceful neck of yours, let me taste that power,” it demanded.

  He was disgusting and his words were just as gross, but yet my body was trapped by his magic, even though I wanted to resist. I tried to stop my feet from moving any further, but I couldn’t. One foot moved in front of the next.

  This situation brought me back to the sense of powerlessness that I experienced when Eduard’s magic-worker had entered my mind. A sense of panic filled my senses, while the vampire tried to lure me into a sense of false security. The two emotions were battling for control of my head.

  Axel had pulled out his sword and had charged the vampire, ready to attack. He was ready to break this hold the vampire had over me.

  Another vampire appeared from the trees and stared at me.

  “Come here,” he commanded. “I want to take your power willingly; your resistance sours the taste.”

  I fought for control of my own voice to call out to Axel. These vampires, they were like sirens. They lured in their prey, to steal their blood, or magic. In my case, both. To steal my magic, it had to be consensual. Their bite releases endorphins that make the prey wish to consent to more. The Belua Queen had warned me about the vampires that stalked the forest while I healed her baby.

  I pushed against his control, and my magic. It was simmering beneath the surface of my skin. It had been fighting this whole time, for control over my body, to resist the foreign threat.

  In a great burst of power I called out, “Axel, knock me out! They need me to give them permission to take from me! He’s doing some mind control bullshit!” I called before the vampire snarled.

  “Shut your mouth you idiotic girl. You’ll ruin my fun,” it said.

  My mouth followed it’s command. I tried to reopen it, but I couldn’t. The creature was done playing games. The next thing I knew I felt a force slam against the side of my head and then everything was black.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Trin

  It had been hours since we started to move again. My body was sore and I was grouchy. I wasn’t sure how Violet kept going under all the pressure she was under. I was only leading our three person group and it felt like too much. I would have given up by now if there wasn’t so much at stake.

  Violet and Axel have to live forever, or at least out live me. I don’t want to be Queen if it meant feeling like this.

  Ari was nice, but she would make statements that either questioned my judgment, my authority or my relationship with Thomas, and I had enough. I just wanted to get to the Children of the Willows, lie in a nice comfy bed, and hibernate. I knew that comfort wasn’t in my cards, not until after the war, if we survived it. If we didn’t then I really would be hibernating, for good.

  I was trying to figure out what I would do, and what I would say to the Children of the Willows when I realized I had run out of time. Ahead in the distance, I saw the grove of willow trees. They hung heavy with greenery, and at spots they brushed the ground in the breeze. Hundreds of willow trees spanned out to cover the landscape. Peeking behind the willows I could see the top of a small mountain.

  “We are here,” I told our group.

  Their shoulders relaxed. We were here, we could rest. Correction, they could rest. I couldn’t. I needed every spare second I could get to learn as much about necromancy as possible, and convince them to aid us in the war. I wasn’t sure exactly what they could do, but they would know better than I would.

  A few minutes later we were walking through the hanging limbs of the trees. They tickled my skin as we passed. I felt a little lighter walking through the screen of greenery, like the leaves were full of magic, and a little was brushing off on me as my skin touched them. I could walk through this all day, and feel relieved.

  But all too soon, we broke through the barrier the greenery provided and we stopped dead in our tracks. All around us were magic-workers of various ages, mainly older women. They had their hands up in fists as if to release a magical attack.

  “Turn around and leave,” one of the older women commanded.

  “We come in peace,” Thomas said.

  “You may come in peace, but it does not mean we will be peaceful, human, siren and… necromancer,” the woman paused.

  “Yes, I am a necromancer,” I said quickly, hoping they wouldn’t immediately kick us out.

  “But you are not one of us,” another older woman called out.

  “No, my magic was kept secret, even from me. I am new to necromancy. I came here with my friends to learn your ways.”

  “Your friends are not welcome,” the first older woman announced. “You may stay.”

  I almost understood that. It would be inconvenient though.

  “Where are they to go?” I asked.

  “Not our concern,” the second older woman had said, with a shrug.

  “They can camp a short distance outside of the grove, but they may not enter any further. The magic here is pure, and it cannot be tainted by others that could harm it.”

  I looked at Thomas and Ari.

  My stomach dropped. I was already having jealousy issues with Ari, and she had been under my supervision the whole time. To learn from the Children of the Willows I would have to leave them together, without me, that kind of stung.

  “What do you think?” I asked them.

  “We can camp outside of the grove like they suggested,” Ari said.

  “Are you sure you will be ok?” I asked. “We can leave, head back to the dock and wait for Violet.”

  “No, we will wait for you,” Thomas said sternly, leaving no room for arguing.

  “Violet is very strong, but she’s still learning. Your power brought her back, but you hardly knew what you were doing. What if we need to bring someone else back? What if you have some other magic that could help sway our side if you were to learn it? This is important, Trin. Don’t let us take this from you,” he said, as he grabbed my hands. He squeezed them tightly.

  I glanced down at our joined hands. My stomach dropped knowing there was something between us that he wouldn’t bring up. It made me feel far away from him, even though he was right here, touching me.

  “Ok,” I said, pulling my hands from his grasp.

  I turned back to the Children of the Willows’.

  “I will walk my friends out and help them set up camp, and then I will be back.”

  The first woman nodded while the other rolled her eyes. She and I would get along swimmingly.

  I escorted Thomas and Ari out.

  I gave them the supplies I had in my bag, aside from my book on necromancy. I held it tightly to my chest, like a shield, as I told them to be safe. They told me to do the same. I turned my back on my friends, feeling uneasy with each step I took away from them. I looked back right before I walked through the outer layer of the willows. Ari had turned her back and was setting up camp. Thomas was standing there, watching me walk away. He looked like he wanted to say something, but kept it to himself.

  This was the first time we were separated since he saved my ass from one of the assassins from Tate, and I didn’t like it. But maybe I needed this distance to clear my head. Maybe he needed this distance to figure out if I was what he wanted.

  I turned my back to him and walked through the greenery and back into the clearing that hid behind the willows. The leaves again tickled my skin, leaving traces of energy, alleviating my sour mood.

  I entered the clearing and the Children were more relaxed. I wasn’t greeted with fighting stances. Instead, the first older woman greeted me
with a smile. She had a wreath made from long branches from the willow trees. It was interlaced with sprigs of lavender and baby's breath. The woman placed it on my head.

  “Welcome, child,” she said with a smile.

  “Thank you.”

  “I am Linora, I am the Crone of the Children.”

  “I am Trinity, I am the adviser and the next heir to the Kingdoms of the Morthlands and Ubrem Glacies.”

  “I sensed you were in a position of power, in the way you carry yourself, but even that was beyond my guess,” she shared.

  “Yes, I am on an important mission for my Queen, but she wanted me to stop here, to learn about my abilities. She and my grandmother, her great aunt, said that it would be important that I know what I am.”

  “They are wise, Trinity. It is important that you learn about your magic, as it is unlike that of any other. We will teach you what we can. How long will you be staying with us?” she asked. We walked slowly to the center of the clearing, toward the other woman who I had been speaking to earlier.

  “I have a day and a half,” I told her.

  “You joke, you are a funny girl,” she said, with a smile.

  “No, I am serious. We go to war in less than three days to defend our kingdoms and the realm from the Tate’s armies. Prince Kennan has tried to kill my Queen several times. They wish to conquer all of the Kingdoms, and enslave those who possess magic.”

  She gasped.

  “I know, it is horrible. My Queen has promised peace and to embrace those who have magic, but Tate wishes to challenge that. She has no choice but to go to war to defend us all. I will fight by her side, but I need to know myself, my gifts,” I told her.

  “Your Queen fights to defend us, our way of life?” the Crone asked.

  “Yes, she truly does; and I, alongside her.”

  “Trinity, we will teach you what we can for as long as we have you. Come meet my sister Hazel. We will teach you our history and we will find your gifts. We will help you with what we can before you depart.”

  “Thank you,” I said, bending my head to her in gratitude.

  “Hazel, this is Trinity. She and her Queen are at war to defend our kind. The realm will be plunged into chaos, I can feel it. We will help her discover her gifts, help her learn them, so that she may defend us and represent our people with honor.”

  Hazel seemed to lose her earlier attitude as she nodded to me in greeting.

  “Trinity, we shall sit in the willows. We will spend a few minutes connecting with their energy while I tell you about our history, the history of your kind.”

  I followed her to the shade of the willows and we sat beneath a rather large one. She crossed her legs in the grass, and her sister followed. I mimicked the position.

  “Our kind has been feared for a long time, as we are a powerful people. We were people of this continent long before magic workers. We retreated to these willows, when it became apparent that we would be hunted, if we did not separate ourselves from the others.”

  “We were here before magic-workers? That insinuates we are not magic-workers?” I hesitated.

  “You are correct, we are not. We are witches. Others fear the word, but we embrace it. Magic-workers are a diluted population, a cross between humans and witches. They are limited to one, possibly even two abilities if they are extremely gifted. Our kind, we harness many gifts. While our power remains, our influence has been forgotten due to those who feared us.”

  “We are witches? My Queen, she is my cousin and she is gifted with many abilities. She can harness all four elements, she can heal, she can fly, and I brought her back from the dead. Is she a witch too?” I asked.

  “It certainly sounds like it. Long ago there was a prophecy mumbled by one of our kind, she was a seer and she saw several powerful witches. They came to the lands for certain purposes. Maybe she is one of them?”

  “Oh, we have no question that she is. She has spoken with Venia herself. It was made clear that she is a part of the prophecy, just as our great grandmother before us.”

  “You are offspring of the Great Queen Victoria?”

  I nodded my head.

  “It is true,” Linora looked at Hazel. Hazel returned her pleased expression.

  “What is true?” I asked.

  “The tides shift. Magic and fate are never permanent, they are always shifting, like the water in the creek or the seas. Long ago, we receded into the edge of the Kingdom to be forgotten to time. We were instructed to wait, that one day our kind would be embraced again. What you describe to us, leads me to believe that this time is quickly approaching. Trinity, you and your cousin will represent us to the world. You and your Queen will prove to the world that we are nothing to fear, and we will be embraced again, to bring the world to balance. Our magic helps push the darkness away. We once again can bring light to the world with our ways.”

  This was a lot to process. I was actually descended from witches.

  I must have echoed that thought out loud because Hazel said, “No Trinity, you are a witch. Your Queen is too.”

  I am a witch.

  I am a witch.

  Holy Goddess, I am a witch.

  Growing up I had heard tales about witches. They were powerful, too powerful for their own good. They meddled in the affairs of others, and those who weren’t witches suffered greatly at their hands. Looking all around me, I could tell that was a lie. Little children were running around chasing each other. They made beautiful flowers grow during their play. The beautiful young women, most likely the mothers of the children, were beautiful and youthful. They radiated the peace I wish I had.

  “I am a witch,” I tested the sound of it out loud.

  Hazel and Linora nodded in approval.

  “While others refer to us as necromancers, we are much more than that. We are powerful; our gifts are of life and death. While we can take life, we can also give it. For this is the reason that we can control plants, and some animals, we radiate life.”

  “So why are the others so fearful of us?” I asked.

  Us. I had already identified myself as one of them, and it came naturally. Like I didn’t even have to think about it.

  “Because they fear those they do not understand. They fear those who are stronger than they are. It doesn’t matter that we were willing to protect them, to help them. They still fear us, out of ignorance. When they became a threat to our way of life, we left. We poured our energy into this spot. Our distant ancestors planted this very grove, and this became our new home.”

  “It’s beautiful,” I said looking around me.

  “It is,” Hazel echoed, peace washing over her face.

  A moment passed and Hazel and Linora whispered to each other. I pretended that I hadn’t noticed and wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.

  But I did, and I was.

  “We are going to show you the basics, as you will need to build upon these in order to master your gifts.”

  I nodded.

  “Close your eyes and meditate. Place your hands on the ground and feel the earth beneath them. It, and the trees around you are full of positive energy. Make yourself aware and allow it to flow into you, change you.”

  I did what she said, and placed my hands on the grass. It was soft and tickled my hands like the willow leaves did. I closed my eyes and made myself aware. I tried to shut out my negative thoughts, the ones that had plagued me since we met Ari.

  I allowed the magic in, swelling inside like rising water on the rocks. I became aware of the energy just swirling around me, waiting to be used.

  “Good, breathe in deep and then release it. Keep doing this until you feel light as a feather.”

  I followed the instructions, doing my deep breathing. I felt peace, I felt calm. The pressure I was carrying melted off my shoulders.

  “Now grab onto that positive energy, and redirect it to something else. Redirect it into the grass beneath your hands. Nurture that energy, until the grass accepts it, and it grows.”

&
nbsp; I did exactly that. I gently took from the peaceful energy below me, and guided it to the grass under my hands. I coaxed it into accepting the energy, and the grass flourished.

  “Excellent!” Hazel said.

  I smiled wide. All of this finally started to feel real.

  “Now we are going to do the opposite of what we just did. You will take away from the grass what you just gave it. You will take the energy and use yourself as a place to store it.”

  I took the energy back from the grass, and then some. The grass withered and turned brown beneath my hands. I looked up to the Crones for reassurance.

  “That my child, is why the others fear us.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Axel

  “Axel, knock me out! They need me to give them permission to take from me! He’s doing some mind control bullshit!” Violet called out to me.

  She had been held captive by some type of magic these people had. I quickly realized that we were dealing with some of the vampires that the beast had mentioned.

  I wasted no time. I saw a rock and picked it up with my magic, aiming for her head. My sword was in my hand and I was engaging with one of the vampires. I was slightly distracted while trying to find Violet with the rock, and parry my opponent’s attacks. He kicked out with his foot hitting my ankle. I heard it crunch underneath his heavy boots.

  The pain shot up my leg, and I did my best to tune it out, at least until I had done what Violet asked. I heard the rock hit her head and heard her hit the ground.

  Oh Goddess, please let me not have killed her. We were just married. I couldn’t lose her, we had so much to do together still.

  I heard her fall to the ground silently. I could still feel her in my chest. Her emotions were just quiet. She was still alive, thank the Goddess.

  My sword still clashed violently against the vampire I was fighting. While he wasn’t very skilled in sword play he did have brute strength. While I was well trained, I didn’t have superstrength. I was also much slower at dodges due to my now broken ankle, the pain proved to be a distraction.