by Laura Marie
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
THE
UNRIVALED’S
WITCH
LAURA MARIE
THE UNRIVALED’S WITCH
Copyright © 2018 Sable Syndicate.
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For information contact:
[email protected]
www.lauramarieauthor.com
Prologue
The dungeon was deep, dark and dangerous, a cavernous chasm right under the lighthouse prison, on the Isle of Lore. Only the most menacing of offenders were brought in here.
The prisoners above ground in the lighthouse were deprived of their freedom. But down here they were deprived of their hope. It was considered that those who were brought here were dark and evil. The Prince of the Isle of Lore, more commonly referred to as the Dark Prince, took a personal interest in their punishment and torture.
Four priests took turns to sit in the small chapel in the dungeon, day and night chanting ancient prayers to cleanse their souls and redeem their transgressions. The fever of that chanting would have melted the insides of a man with a clean soul.
Rebecca didn’t know if the chanting purified her soul, but it undoubtedly gave her a headache. The place was sultry and it stank. It smelled of rotting wood, damp ground and dead rats. But above all it reeked of fear that emanated from its inmates and filled the already thick air around, making breathing difficult.
She paced her cell like a caged tigress. She was petite but amazingly strong and wiry. She had sharp instincts, a strong will and she stopped at nothing. Spending nineteen years of her life in the woods fending for herself, protecting herself and her craft had done that to her. The cage, the captivity, the injustice of it all was making her crazy.
Arturo, the love of her life and her soon to be husband, watched her from his cell, from across hers. He sat on the stone floor, his knees pulled back, his toes touching the bars, his chin resting on his knees, deep in thought. Arturo was the most harmless and kindest of men Rebecca had ever known. In someone with the extraordinary powers he possessed and the precision with which he practiced his craft, that was indeed a laudable quality.
“Arturo, what is it?”
“I saw!”
“Saw what?”
“Our deaths. They are going to kill us today!”
Rebecca laughed out a maniacal laugh, throwing her head back. Arturo looked at her with a pained expression. You could trust Rebecca to give the most inappropriate of expressions in the most inappropriate of places. Another woman would have melted into tears. But not his Bec! She was laughing it away.
“Bec!” he said disapprovingly
“I knew this would happen when they caught us and we couldn’t fight their magic. They have dark magic.”
“They are coming now! I can feel them.” Arturo said suddenly looking upwards.
“How many?
“Four.”
As if on cue, the door above creaked open and two men and two women led by the dark prince came down the stairs.
“Where is the Book of The Unrivaled?” he asked Arturo.
“I won’t tell!” Arturo answered quietly.
“Kill her” the Dark Prince said waving his fingers in the air and the bars on Rebecca’s cell disappeared. She had been holding them and with their sudden disappearance she fell forward. The four other magicians went for her at once but Arturo just flicked his fingers almost carelessly and the four were thrown back.
The Dark Prince looked at Arturo with bloodshot eyes and held out clawed fingers at him while his four minions went for Rebecca once again. This time the Dark Prince was able to create a shield of dark magic that Arturo couldn’t break. A shaft of blue light engulfed Arturo and he was unable to work his craft. He was an accomplished wizard who belonged to an ancient order of magical masters called The Unrivaled. He was also the youngest prodigy to be named so amongst them. But he knew nothing of the dark magic.
Rebecca on the other hand was fighting the four others with skill and fervor, but they were too many for her. The two men had finally pinned her to the ground and one of the women held a sword above her. The other woman turned towards Arturo and cried out.
“Where is the Ledger?”
Arturo stood struggling inside the swirl of blue, looking down at Rebecca. Suddenly he dropped to all fours inside his cell and pressed his face against the bars.
Rebecca looked up at him with all the affection and love she could muster. His beautiful Rebecca! Then she slightly shook her head. Arturo nodded in understanding. Just then the woman brought her sword down hard and pierced it through Rebecca’s heart. Rebecca did not make a single sound, she just gave out a shuddering breath and then the light was gone from her eyes.
A howl, the likes of which the dark prince had never heard before, came from inside the other cell. His four minions shuddered with terror. His magic arrested, Arturo was clawing at the bars of his cell and biting at them like a common animal. Blood flowed from his mouth and his nails. Suddenly with the sheer force of his body he tore the bars and fell out. For a second the Dark Prince was so aghast he lost his balance.
In that nick of time, Arturo turned his entire power on the prince. He threw out his hands and mumbled quietly looking the Dark Prince in his eyes. Then he clenched and unclenched his fingers twice as a smile played at his lips. He then threw out his hands at the four magicians standing behind the Prince and they fell to their knees dead.
The Dark Prince whirled onto him with hatred.
“What did you do to them?”
Arturo just smiled at him slyly.
“What did you do to me?” the prince asked looking confused at his own body. He felt nothing different. But Arturo looked too please for someone in his position.
“I hexed you!” Arturo said smiling up at him. His work done he sat on the floor holding Rebecca in his arms, gently rocking her.
“Tell me what you have done or I will kill you.” The Prince threatened. Arturo looked up at him and smiled in derision.
“Don’t bother. I am going to die in just another moment. I gave you my life. I cast an immortality spell on you. Now you will live for centuries to come, until such time when I am reborn. And then I will kill you.”
The Dark Prince looked down at him in horror as Arturo turned back to Rebecca’s lifeless body and burying his face in the mass of auburn hair over her shoulder, he began to sob. Then just like that he fell to the
ground lifeless, with Rebecca still held in his arms.
Chapter 1
Rebecca entered the details of the new stock into her computer hurriedly. She had to get the work done before noon. Then she could go up to the first floor and start making the scented soaps and candles she made at the end of every Fall. There would be a lot of demand for those around Thanksgiving, and she needed to stock up.
Darcy, her best friend and partner shook her shoulder length thick mass of blond curls away from her face as she sat next to Rebecca behind the counter, filing away the stock receipts. While Rebecca was the herbalist and took care of the stocks Darcy was the accountant and managed the books.
The pharmacy was located at the end of the market street, a little on the outskirts and away from all the busy hustle bustle of the main market of Griffin Falls. It was however located right on the main road that passed through Griffin Falls and went upstate. So, a steady clientele was at all times guaranteed.
It was a square cottage like structure, with complete wooden paneled glass walls on all four sides. All the attractive stuff like the different potpourri jars, the chimes and other hangings, the colorful soaps, perfumes, and scarves all stood in the windows where they could attract the customers.
“He has been staring at you for the last fifteen minutes” Darcy said gleefully.
“Who?” Rebecca asked feigning ignorance. She had not only realized that the man had been staring at her but she was feeling a strange pull, a strange attraction towards him. After her affair with Tony Malibu had ended in a disaster last year, Rebecca had given up dating. So, this could easily be written off as her sexual frustration. But she had a feeling it was more
“The gorgeous hunk at the end of aisle three.”
“He might as well be staring at you. You’re surely making yourself seem interested.”
Darcy sighed. “Hmm, I wish. But it’s definitely you, he is looking at.”
Rebecca saved the file and closed the window in front of her then turned to Darcy with pursed lips.
“It that case I need to go stop him from distracting you from the work we both make our livings from.” She said and turned to the aisle three. As she approached, the man stood rooted to his place, his hands pushed inside the pockets of his sleeveless army style jacket that he wore over a blue button-down shirt, a pair of dark jeans and solid work boots.
As Rebecca approached him he stood his ground. He had soft brown hair, though how she knew they were soft, Rebecca had no idea. She just knew. When she came to a stop just in front of him he smiled.
“Hey.” Once again there was that warm feeling that spread through her insides and she felt a strange pull.
“Who are you?” she asked annoyed.
“You know who I am.” That made her think of warm bread, honey, snow and a fireplace.
Suddenly her surroundings melted around her and she was in a different time, in a different place. It felt oddly like her own cottage, there was snow outside. She was running around a huge kitchen island while a tall, chubby boy with an angelic face ran after her.
“Stop it Bec! Give me back my amulet.”
The little girl Bec, ran carefree and laughing, a small amulet on a leather thong held in her hand.”
“If you want it, come get it Arturo!” she said running ahead.
When he caught up with her they both crashed to the floor on the thick prickly rug of coarse wool. He pried the amulet out of her hand careful not to hurt her. He tied it around his neck sitting cross-legged on the rug right in front of the fire. Then he took a piece of warm bread from a platter that rested right there on the hearth and slathered it with honey and butter.
The girl got up to sit next to him, brushing at her coarsely made,long, cotton dress.
“What does the amulet do?”
“It protects me.” The boy said stuffing more bread into his mouth.
“Why won’t you let me have it? I need protection too.” She said pouting.
“I will protect you.” He said. He had stopped eating and was looking at her with a fierce intensity that scared her. He held a ringlet of her auburn curls and crushed it between his fingers.
“I will protect you. Always.” He said.
The room came back into focus and Rebecca felt faint. She was a witch and she had had visions before. But this was something else. She had never seen anything so clearly. What just happened, she didn’t only see it with her eyes, but had felt a touch, smelled a scent and known the emotions of the people she saw. And she knew it was somehow related to the man standing in front of her.
“Who are you?” she repeated in a whisper.
“You know who I am Bec.” The man said taking a step towards her.
“No, I don’t.” She said, and her voice trembled.
He came closer till they were so close she could feel the scent of his body. He smelled of the woods and another scent she felt she knew, but could not make out. It was making her go mad.
He, on the other hand was watching her with quiet confidence.
“I don’t remember you.” She murmured looking into his blue gaze.
“Then you shall. I will help you.” He said. He took a silky auburn curl of her hair between his fingers and crushed it. He leaned forward and inhaled. “You smell of roses. Like always” He said in a hoarse whisper. Then he turned his back on her quickly and was gone.
Rebecca felt a gush of cold with the loss of his warmth and she rubbed her hands over her arms looking after him mesmerized.
Chapter 2
“He is one of us.” Rebecca said to Darcy as she strode back to the counter still looking at the door from where the man had left. His scent still lingered in the air and it made Rebecca feel a strange magnetism.
“There are no others of our type.”
“He is not only our kind but he also an Unrivaled.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s an ancient guild of spectacular wizards. They are the best amongst our kind. No one has ever defeated their magic. A couple of dozens are named Unrivaled in a thousand years.”
“I Remember. One of your ancestors was appointed as that. Your Nana used to tell us about it when she trained us.”
“Yes, Dorian Doethdyns. These people are unparalleled. They take an oath of honor. But the magic they know, makes them dangerous foes.”
Darcy laughed a short laugh but there was fear in her voice and Rebecca could feel it.
“Are you telling me, an Unrivaled has set his eyes on you? He might be one of the most powerful wizards of all times, but we are your friends, me and Zack and Weylin. We will fight him for you if need be.”
Rebecca looked at her friend and narrowed her eyes.
“You are a loyal friend Darcy Aberdeen. I am proud to have you.”
“How can you tell just by looking at him that he is an Unrivaled?”
“He made me see a vision. Only an Unrivaled can do that.”
“This is all very strange. We haven’t found any of our kind, since we were little.” Darcy puzzled over the thought.
“We haven’t particularly looked.”
“We own a shop that sells rare herbs and magical ingredients. Had there been any more like us at least a couple of them would have shown up.” Darcy said once again laughing at her friend. Then seeing the expression on her face Darcy came around the cash counter and shook her friend by the shoulder.
“Bec, that idea of giving up dating was not a good one. I think you are becoming a recluse.”
Rebecca suddenly looked up. That’s what the boy, Arturo, called the girl in the vision. Bec, that’s me. The girl was me.”
“What vision?” Darcy eyed her friend with a critical eye. But before Rebecca could answer there was a loud crash right at the front of the shop. Then a horn started blaring at a deafening pitch. The two girls looked at each other concerned then rushed out.
A small minivan was parked right in front of their shop. Another bigger truck had dashed against the van from behind cr
ushing its rear entirely. A young woman, in the driver’s seat had hit her head against her steering wheel and was bleeding profusely. Because she had fallen off, unconscious, on her own horn, it was blaring continuously.
The other driver started pulling the truck back, ready to escape. Darcy started running towards him with fury in her eyes, spurting and swearing at him. But Rebecca caught her up quickly by the upper arm.
“No, go call Zack, and an ambulance, and the sheriff, hurry” she cried out. Darcy, her eyes gone round with shock, her blond mass of hair in disarray, nodded and rushed to the adjoining shop that belonged to her wealthy cousin, Zachary Aberdeen.
Rebecca turned to the other driver who was already pulling out of the place and cried out.
“Hey Mister! Come back here and help me. Hey! Shit happens ok? You don’t have to be a jerk about it!”
The man behind the wheel of the truck looked at Rebecca with a piercing gaze and for a second Rebecca imagined that his dark eyes had turned to red slits like that of a snake. As the truck slowly passed by her, he smiled and she nearly imagined fangs. Then he was gone. Once again, Rebecca felt the same tug inside her, that she had felt earlier that morning with the stranger. But this time there was no warmth in the feeling. There was only a vile unease. No, this man couldn’t be of them as well. It would be too much of a coincidence that she came across two of her kind in one day, when she hadn’t come across any, in the twenty-three years of her life.
Rebecca pulled herself out of her reverie and turned to the young woman who at that moment needed her attention more than her supernatural fantasies.
Fortunately, Darcy found Zack, in his shop, overseeing the cleaning that had been underway. He came running out of the place with Darcy and gently pulled the young woman out of the driver’s seat. Darcy ran into her shop and got some towels and a herbal concoction to stop the bleeding. Zachary sat cross-legged on the pavement holding the young girl in his arms.
“Come on honey, wake up for Zack!” he said drawing his fingers in circles just above the girl’s face, looking around to make sure that no one other than the two girls were watching him. The young woman fluttered her eyelids and opened them then looked at Zack and tried to say something. Tears ran down her cheeks as she turned into his lap and closed her eyes again saying “Hurts.”