Descending Darkness (The Prophesized #3)

by Kaitlyn Hoyt

  I walk along the shield and stop at another man. “You’d think after all this time Dravin would have trained his men a little better, or how about this idea, come after me himself. Come on, is he really that scared of me?” I stare at the man. “Do I look scary to you?” He doesn’t say anything.

  I wasn’t expecting him to.

  I take a couple steps backward, drop the shield, and throw my hands out again. “I’m really getting tired of these pointless confrontations. Come on, boys. Do your best.”

  Two men charge at me. I wait until they get closer to me before I react. The first man swings his arm back to try and punch me. Easy. I duck, and he ends up punching the man behind me. He grabs his nose as blood starts to gush from it. That looks like it hurt. I lean back and kick my leg out, connecting with his chest. Since I am calling magic to me, the man stumbles backward. I flip around and punch the other man in the gut. When he doubles over I hit him in the jaw, knocking him out.

  Turning around, I give my attention back to the other man. He punches me in the shoulder, causing me to stagger backward. Ouch. This only spurs on my anger, so I stop toying with him. Jumping a couple feet in the air, with the help of my magic, I bring my elbow down on his neck. Before he can even retaliate, his eyes roll into the back of his head, and he also falls to the ground unconscious.

  I face the other men. They are still standing in a line. I quickly count them. There are six left. Not too bad. I point my finger at the one on the end and motion him forward. He looks to the man on his left, who just shrugs his shoulders and looks back toward me. He takes a hesitant step toward me. I walk the rest of the way to him and push my magic back. “Ok, I’ll fight fair now.”

  He runs forward, and I stand my ground until he is right in front of me. I take a step to the right, and he runs past me. Do they honestly think I’m just going to let them barrel into me? Idiots. Stopping, he turns around and moves toward me again. I hear the man behind me, but I decide to play dumb. When he swings out to punch me, I duck and take a step backward, letting the other man grab me. Oh, these guys really are dumb. “Gotcha,” he whispers in my ear.

  “Ooh, the big bad guy caught the wittle girl. I’m shaking in my boots,” I retort. He starts pulling me backward. Does he really think that I’ll just let him cart me off like this? Where does Dravin get these guys? I lift my right foot and back-kick him in the shins. When he hisses in pain and loosens his grip on me, I swing my head back and whack him in the face. He throws me to the ground, so I jump around and throw my magic at him. His back slams into a large tree, and he falls to the ground and doesn’t get back up.

  The five remaining guys are now looking at me wearily. I call my magic to me and visualize lightning bolts shooting outwards and hitting them. I slowly raise my hands as the magic builds up. Thrusting it outwards, I watch as bolts shoot out and hit the men. Four of them fall to the ground. They aren’t dead...just stunned. I don’t want to kill anyone, just send a warning.

  The one that I didn’t hit looks to be the youngest of all of them. He looks close to my age. I slowly walk over to him. He stands his ground, but I can tell that he is scared. I did just take out eight guys on my own. He stares at me as I stop in front of him. I call magic into my finger and lightly touch him on the chest. “Boo.” His eyes widen when he feels my magic, and he quickly turns around and flees.

  I brush the dirt off my clothes and start walking out of the clearing, smiling as I make my way into the darkness of the forest.

  Opening my eyes, I find myself lying on my back on the couch in the living room with everyone sitting around me waiting for me to wake up. I brush my hair out of my face as I push myself into a seated position. “Wow, I’m kind of scary,” I say. My statement is met by a bunch of confused stares. Moving the collar of my shirt, I check for the bruise. Yep, it’s there. Despite the pain, I smile and start laughing.

  “What the heck did you see?” Emma asks me as Logan reaches out and starts healing me. I don’t know if he will see the whole vision or just the part where the guy hit me on the shoulder. I shake my head. Did I really do that?

  Logan holds onto my shoulder even after the bruise is healed which tells me that he is seeing the whole vision. When he opens his eyes, he looks at me and laughs. “Holy crap, girl.”

  “I know. I don’t know what got into me, but I was freaking scary in a totally awesome way, right?”

  “Will someone please explain what happened in that vision?” Emma asks again. I start explaining the vision to everyone. When I leave out details, Logan adds them in.

  “So you took on nine guys by yourself?” Liam asks me. I can tell that he doesn’t like that he wasn’t able to help. He is my protector after all, and he hasn’t been given many opportunities to…protect.

  “Well, technically I only took on eight guys. I scared the last one away.”

  “Where were we?” I turn toward Colton. He seems upset that I fought all the guys alone too.

  “I don’t know. I don’t even know how I got there. The vision started as I was running away from them. Maybe you guys were fighting off others. Maybe I was the only one there. I don’t know.” I turn toward Liam. “It was the same field where we were attacked by the gorgoths. I think that might mean that Valdus will become involved again.” Livid expressions cross both Bragden’s and Liam’s expressions. “Look, despite being attacked, this is a good sign. I’m able to successfully defend myself. I only got hit once!”

  “Ryanne, you were just—” I stop listening to what Liam is saying. Something isn’t adding up. Besides the gorgoths, I’ve seen that field recently. I’ve seen something very similar to that before…but where?

  I turn toward Logan. “Did that look like the same field from the other vision I had where I was attacked by Adam and Dravin? I was wearing the same outfit.”

  “Hmm, Well…yeah, I actually think it was the same location. What does that mean?”

  “It means that either I did something or Dravin did something to change that vision.” I look down at the carpet. The vision changed. “It means I could stand a chance.”

  Colton

  I can understand why she’d be happy that she is able to successfully fight nine of Dravin’s men, but why did she have to? Why was she alone? Where was I? Liam? I have so many questions after hearing about this vision. Something changed, but what? I can tell that Liam is just as confused as I am.

  Ryanne stares at the floor with a small smile on her face. I can tell that she is thinking. I just hope that this vision doesn’t make her think that she’s invincible. I can’t stand the thought of losing her again. She starts shaking her head. Laughing dryly, she says to Logan, “Who am I kidding? I’ll never be that girl. I’m not that fearless. Dravin’s proven it countless times…” She bites her lip, and her eyes water a little.

  “Ryanne, that’s not—”

  “Can we just go train now?” she quietly asks me. I nod and put my hand out. She grabs onto my hand and lets me guide her upstairs. I pull her into our room, and she closes the door. Leaning back against it, she crosses her arms and looks down at the floor. Her lip quivers a little.

  I walk over to her and tilt her chin up, so I can look into her eyes. She keeps her eyes down. “Ryanne, what’s wrong?”

  She doesn’t respond. I walk backward and sit down on the edge of the bed, so I am closer to her eyelevel. I pull her so that she is standing between my knees and tilt her chin, so she is looking at me. With a sigh, she tells me, “I can’t do this. I can’t be that girl. I can’t do what everyone expects me to do. I’m not the prophecy girl, Colton. It’s not me.”

  “Ry, you’re—”

  “Colton, I’m scared all the time. I’m scared that I’m going to wake up one morning and find out that I imagined everything. I’m scared that something or someone is going to come and take you away from me. I’m scared that Dravin’s going to capture me again. I’m scared that this is all one freaking dream, and I’m scared that I’m going to screw up and let e
veryone down. I’ve been given way too many chances,” she pauses.

  Silent tears start to fall down her cheeks. I cup her face and wipe the tears away. “The girl in that vision was completely fearless. She wasn’t scared that they were going to capture her. For crying out loud, she was calling them dumb and complaining that it was too easy. I wouldn’t do that. I get the crap beat out of me every time I see Dravin. There’s no way I can be that girl in the vision even if I wanted to be,” her voice cracks at the end. “I’m afraid that something is going to happen to me, and I won’t get to have the life I saw in the other vision.”

  I pull her to me and hug her. She sighs and bunches her hands into the fabric of my t-shirt. “Ryanne, you’re the most fearless person I know. You go into these situations thinking about others and that makes you stronger than Dravin. You can accomplish anything you put your mind to, as cliché as that sounds. I’m scared too. I’m scared that something is going to happen to you. I’m scared that you’re going to be taken away from me, and there will be nothing I can do. I won’t be able to control what I do if that happens. I need you here beside me. We can work on this together.”

  She leans back and looks at me. She has stopped crying, but her face is red from it. I stop rubbing her back and reach up to wipe the last of the tears away. “Really?”

  “Yes, and I’ve seen you appear fearless. When you were at Dravin’s, you were acting just like the girl in the vision. Though, I didn’t like it, it showed how strong you are. You weren’t afraid of him. You can do this. I, along with everyone downstairs, will be right beside you to help in any way that we can.” She slowly nods and reaches up to rub her eyes. When she looks back at me, the skin under her eyes is red, but she looks adorable. Her eyes are brighter than usual; the green flecks in them shining brightly.

  “Thank you, Colton,” she whispers as she steps away from me and goes over to grab her training clothes. My eyes follow her as she gathers everything and walks into the bathroom to change. I don’t look away until she closes the door. I push myself over to the dresser and grab my training clothes. I quickly get dressed and wait for her to finish.

  Ryanne opens the bathroom door, but she doesn’t walk out immediately. I can hear her moving around in the bathroom. She walks out of the bathroom as she is tying her hair up in a ponytail. Even pulled back, her hair falls down to her mid-back. My eyes slowly move from her eyes to the rest of her. I really do need to get her other work-out clothes. These reveal way too much. They cling to her like a second skin, and she has no idea the effect she has on everyone.

  She doesn’t look like all the other mage girls. She’s doesn’t have the height that they have, and she has curves which attracts the attention of all mage guys. David and I don’t think anything of it because we both went to a public school and were surrounded by humans, but not everyone did. Most mages grow up surrounded by other mages. However, we’re still guys, and Ryanne is very attractive.

  “What?” she asks me. I flick my eyes away from her body and back to her eyes. Her cheeks are stained red. Ahh, that is even more attractive.

  “Ryanne, what did you mean when you said you were scared that you won’t get to have the life you saw in the other vision? What did you see?” I know that she is referring to the vision she had in the backyard when I touched her.

  Her blush darkens a little as she takes a step toward me. She doesn’t look at me as she says, “I saw us.”

  “Us?”

  “Yeah, us. Together. The vision took place about eight years in the future.” There is more. I reach out and tilt her head, so she is looking at me.

  “And what happened in this vision?” I ask her when she finally looks at me.

  Slowly, she starts, “Well, we were walking along the beach, and I used my magic on you and then I ran away laughing. You started chasing after me,” she licks her lips and looks away, “and I ran into the house and leaned against the kitchen counter. You came in a couple seconds later, soaking wet. I grinned at you while you stood in the kitchen, dripping water everywhere. You told me that…” she trails off, biting her bottom lip. The corner of her mouth is slightly upturned; she is trying to hide a smile. I move my hand up to frame the side of her face.

  “What did I tell you?”

  “You told me that since I was…pregnant, you’d let me get away with that and then you kissed me.”

  Pregnant? Ryanne and I will have a child together. In the future. We’ll get to have a life together and be happy. We’ll have a family…we’ll be a family.

  I hear a knock at our door, but I don’t pay attention to it. “Are you sure?” I ask. When she nods, I can’t hold in my smile anymore. I bend down and pick her up, spinning in a circle. I hear the door open, but I don’t care. Ryanne laughs in my arms. I put her back on the ground and lean down to kiss her. She moans against my lips and leans into me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

  When Ryanne hears a sigh behind us, she pulls back and looks over her shoulder. Seeing Emma and Natalie standing in the doorway brings back that beautiful blush. She turns around and buries her head into my shirt, laughing.

  I look over Ryanne and see Emma smiling at us, while Natalie has an envious look on her face. “You guys ready?” Emma asks. Natalie blinks and regains her composure. I laugh and start walking toward the door. Ryanne walks backward—her face still buried in my chest from embarrassment. She doesn’t like attention, and PDA definitely brings it. I bend down to pick her up and carry her out of the room. She squeals and lightly hits me on the chest. “Put me down!” I smile at Emma and Natalie as I walk past them. They both laugh and follow me downstairs. “Colton!” she whines and starts struggling in my arms. I tighten my grip on her and continue walking.

  I make it downstairs and walk to the backyard. Everyone is already standing outside, waiting. “Ready?” I ask. David and Liam both give me perplexed looks since I’m still smiling. Ryanne hits my chest again, but I can tell that she is giving up.

  “Pleeeease, put me down.” I shake my head and continue walking. As we pass Bragden, he laughs at her. Oh, he shouldn’t have done that. I set Ryanne down and watch as she turns and waves at him sweetly. She slowly walks over to him, and he watches suspiciously as she approaches. When she stops in front of him, she throws her hands up in surrender but motions for him to come to her. He crouches down slightly, and she stands on her tiptoes to whisper something to him. She steps back and nods at him. He starts shaking his head while she begins to take small steps backward. I don’t know what she said, but she thought it was hilarious. She runs past us laughing and stops beside Liam.

  Emma bumps into my side and casually asks, “So, why are you so smiley?”

  “I’m not smiley.”

  “Colton, you’re still smiling,” she says as we enter the training center. I look over toward the far corner and see Liam and Natalie already over there.

  “Oh, sorry. I have to go over there and help train Natalie!”

  “Don’t worry, I’m patient.”

  “Get rid of the space between I’m and patient and you’ll have what you are: impatient,” I yell over my shoulder as I start walking away.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I’m taking training seriously today. There aren’t any jokes played. I actually train. I really want to be able to do what I did in the vision, and to do that I need to be confident in my abilities. Bragden will come at me slowly, and I have to block his advances. We aren’t working on weakening our opponent. Bragden wants to make sure I can block and defend myself effectively.

  “Blocking an attack is very important. If you’re able to block any advances, your opponent will start to get desperate. They’ll make careless mistakes, which will give you the upper hand. If you let yourself get hit, you’ll tire out much faster. You need to be able to defend your body.” He comes at me again, and I am able to block most of his attacks, but I still land on my butt more times than I can count.

  Bragden swings another punch at me. I bend over, dodg
ing his throw and jump back. When he comes for me again, I use my forearms to block his advance. I turn to the right and try to block his kick, but my arms don’t want to listen to me, and I make it halfway there before I get hit in the shoulder again. I stumble backward, and Conner catches me. “Ugh, I can’t do it.”

  “Yes, you can. I’ve seen you do this many times,” Bragden says.

  “When I was able to use magic. I can’t do it without it.”

  “You took out those two guys in Dravin’s compound before we got there without magic. You can do this. You just have to concentrate.”

  “That was adrenaline and anger. I can’t do it when it’s only me. I’m not strong enough,” I tell him. I must have spoken louder than I thought I did because the gym gets really quiet.

  “Use that anger! Get angry, Ryanne! Dravin and Adam aren’t going to stand by. They’re going to attack, and you won’t always be able to use your magic. So get angry at me! Defend yourself.” I hear a small rumble of thunder outside.

  Bragden holds his arm out. “Don’t. She needs this.” Glancing over my shoulder, I see Colton stop walking toward us. I know that he doesn’t like to see me angry. “Let’s go again.”

  I can tell that others are watching us, but I focus solely on Bragden. Conner takes a couple steps back. He’ll join in if I start to get the upper hand on Bragden. I know that they are only trying to help me, but it still angers me that I am so easily defeated.

  Bragden takes a step toward me. He swings his arm out again, and I bend backward, narrowly avoiding it. Righting myself, I prepare for his next attack. He reaches out and attempts to punch me, but I bring up my forearm and knock his hand down. Using his other hand, he aims for my stomach. I move back and use my unoccupied arm to deflect that blow. A couple seconds later, he starts to increase his intensity. I deflect the first couple blows. He swings out with his right hand to punch my side. I dodge this hit but don’t see his left hand until it connects with my shoulder. I spin around and fall into Conner, who steadies me. I can feel my arm throbbing, but I push the pain to the back of my mind. I step away from Conner and face Bragden again, nodding to tell him that I’m okay.