Wicked Forest

by E. J. Bennett

  “How dare you walk the ancient forest of Athens,” Archnne’s voice wasn’t like Crystal expected. It was low and deep, yet held a feminine tint to it.

  They didn’t have time to respond as a cotton web shot from her hand and spun around Crystal’s legs making its way up to her upper body.

  Levi jumped into action slashing at the web that was suspended in mid air. Each time he cut her lose form the half spider half woman, she shot the web out at her again.

  Crystal was becoming angry. She hated to feel like a victim. She liked to be in control. As her anger increased and the web became tighter, Crystal screamed, blasting both Levi and Archnne across the forest. The tress stopped them from going far, both hit tree trunks causing a deafening crack. Archnne’s tree was the first to topple over taking a few more down with it. Then Levi’s tree followed suit, like a game of dominos it took a few nearby trees along with it. As each tree crashed to the floor they made the ground shake.

  Levi jumped to his feet, rubbing the back of his head. Archnne hissed and growled while creeping forward. Crystal held up her hand and sent a blast of air at the spider which did nothing but make her stumble a little. Her eight legs gave her perfect balance.

  Looking up at the sky she saw a storm brewing, raising her hand she made a swirling motion and the sky grew darker as clouds rolled in. when she was sure that the storm had enough power she pushed both her hands with force at the spider, scorching her with lightning while rain dropped from the sky in big chaotic drops. Archnne scuttled away. “Incey wincy spider,” her mind sang the nursery rhyme from her toddler days as she grinned with her victory.

  Crystal was exhausted and her legs gave way. Levi caught her as she crumpled to the ground.

  He picked her up and cradled her like a small child in his arms. The forest became a blur as the trees whizzed by.

  WHAT HAD SHE DONE? It was true. All of it was true. Levi rubbed his forehead. They were in trouble.

  Crystal lay sleeping, spent from the vast amount of power she had used.

  They had to make it to the white oak tree, and quick. Archnne by now will have alerted half the forest. Word would have spread like wild fire.

  He punched the wall as guilt overtook every emotion he was feeling. It was his fault. All of it was down to him.

  Because of his own stupidity Crystal had been dragged into a battle she should never have been a part of. A battle he had created.

  SHE MUST HAVE FADED into unconsciousness as when she awoke she found herself in yet another cave.

  However this one was different. She heard the sound of gushing water. When she opened her eyes sure enough a curtain of water blocked the exit.

  Sitting up, she rubbed her legs. Her feet were killing her and her head pounded. Crystal saw Levi out of the corner of her eye. He was watching her, with an unknown expression in his eyes.

  “What you just did is impossible,” he said, his lips formed a thin line.

  “No witch can control the weather,”

  Crystal looked at the ground then back up at Levi. Her mother had always said she was special. That she had the touch of Mother Nature. Earth quakes and thunder were caused by her anger.

  “That is not true,” she whispered.

  “Oh really. What powers do the rest of your coven hold?” Crystal thought about it for a few minutes.

  “Some can heal. Some can manipulate fire. Move objects with their mind and levitate and...”

  “Can any control the weather?” he asked.

  “No, but all witches can control different elements,”

  Levi shook his head. “What you just did, it wasn’t normal. Haven’t you ever heard the legend?”

  “What legend?”

  “A violent disturbance will disrupt the land, bringing, wind snow and ice. The face of an angel and the strength of a god, thunder and lightning will show her wrath.

  Those she encounters will be no match.

  Trees will be uprooted and legendary crenatures will fall. When autumn comes she will bring the terrifying storm,”

  Crystal laughed at his words. She couldn’t stop. Levi gave her an angry glare still the giggles erupted.

  “Archnne will let them all know what you can do. We have gotten this far. Now every creature in this forest will hunt us down,” Her laughter stopped immediately.

  “I get it now. Why your mother was so adamant that you would be a perfect match for a Carmichael. Why my father pushed the idea,” Levi stood up and ran his hand through his hair.

  “It all makes sense. They wanted us to come here. You, me. Why Drake........” he stopped and turned to Crystal and then punched the wall.

  “I think you have issues,” she muttered.

  “Yeah you have that right,”

  “What do you mean they wanted this?”

  Levi sat beside her leaning his head back against the wall.

  “Do you know why we got exiled?” she shook her head, she knew nothing of Athens but what she had been taught at school. Somehow she knew what she had been taught would be wrong.

  “There was a prince, an arrogant young man. He knew one day he would rule the land of Athens and all the creatures within,”

  “He seduced many women, but one day he messed with the wrong girl. She was a beautiful woman, although the she had turned the prince’s head, she did not steal his heart. The prince carried on escorting different women. Echidna became angry. Unknown to the prince she was the mother of all monsters with power unlike the witches had ever seen before.

  She cursed the family and exiled everyone of their kind,” Crystal sat up straighter. She had a pretty good idea where the story was heading and who that family was.

  “As she banished the witches, an elderly witch, one with great power knew she wouldn’t make it through the vortex. With the last of her power she called upon the power of the forest, and so the legend was born,”

  “You, the Carmichael’s are the family that were cursed,”

  “Yeah,”

  “My mother, the elders. They said that you were greedy and became power hungry. Four covens’s came together and cursed you. Each full moon you turned into beast hunting and killing the witches from the covens,” Levi was the one to laugh this time.

  “They told you that?”

  “We are all taught the story,”

  “If the story isn’t true, then why every full moon does our people go missing. Not just from my coven but others? They are found dead, ripped to shreds,”

  “Wow they have really filled your head with crap. Your covens will stop at nothing to get back into Athens. Each full moon they sacrifice their people. Hoping that their ancestors will give them the power they need to enter this world,” Crystal gasped as the images of her mother killing the innocent souls played in her mind, It was just a dream she chanted.

  Tears pooled in her eyes and leaked free. Levi pulled her closer and wrapped his arm around her. It was a rare moment between the two.

  “My guess is that, they wanted us to marry to make you stronger.

  Once we had bound our powers together they would have used you to open the door. You girl messed up their plans big time,” Crystal looked up at Levi, there was so much she didn’t know, she didn’t want to believe him, but deep down she did.

  “Each head of each six covens has a curse. Your family can only bore girls, there forth not producing a an heir,”

  “Crescent moon have nine lives, they can shift into cats, and Dawn can’t go out at night. Nightlife can’t go out in the day. Moonlight, can’t have children at all, which is why none of the covens really associate with them,”

  “What about your coven, Midnight?”

  “Every legend as some truth to them, you have the Crescent Moon coven who gave off the myths of witches and black cats.

  You have the Nightlife coven that can’t go out in day light where the myths of vampires come in,” Crystal waited patiently for him to tell her his curse. After a few seconds of silence she nudge him.


  “Each full moon we turn into wolves,” Crystal gasped and jumped up. The Halloween party. The wolf had abnormal eyes. She knew something wasn’t right.

  “Halloween?” Levi put his head down.

  “Most of us can control our wolves. But some of us still have problems. I told Drake it wasn’t safe, but you know Drake, just as stubborn as you are,”

  “The wolf was Drake?” he nodded, and stood. Levi held both Crystal’s hands in his, she didn’t want to look at him but the sparks that were running up her arms gave her no choice.

  “Don’t blame him. He likes you, more than I have ever seen him interested in anyone before. We all have demons. Some of us can control them better than others,”

  SHE PEAKED UP AT HIM through half closed eyes and Levi had to take a deep breath. Her lips called to him. He wanted to press his lips against hers and feel the texture of her skin.

  He leaned his head slightly.

  “What was the spider lady?” she whispered reaching up and brushing his hair away from his face her hand lingered and he wanted to push is face into his palm and feel the softness of her hand.

  Swallowing the urge he guided her to sit down.

  “Arachne, wasn’t always a spider, she used to be the daughter of a shepherd. She lived in a village just outside of this very forest,” Crystal leaned her head against his chest and he put his arm around her.

  “At an early age she began to weave. It was a talent like no other. Athena the goddess of wisdom, courage, arts and crafts and many more refused to acknowledge that Arachne’s skill was more profound than hers,”

  “When Arachne began to brag that her skill that was far better than Athena’s. She had insulted the gods with her words. Athena approached the bragging girl.

  “You could never compare to any god, Athena is far better than you are,” Athena had said.

  She warned her to plead to the gods for forgiveness. Arachne was young and held too much pride to do such a thing.

  “I only speak the truth. If Athena thinks otherwise than she should come and challenge me,” that’s when Athena removed her disguise and appeared in all her glory,”

  Levi stopped. Maybe she was bored of the story.

  “What happened next?” she asked him.

  “Both began weaving. Athena’s work represented four contests between mortals and gods. It showed gods punishing mortals for classing themselves as equals against the gods.

  Arachne’s work displayed the way that the gods had mislead and treated the mortals, Zeus was her main vocal point tricking and seducing women.

  When Athena saw that she had not only insulted the gods but done so in a work of art more beautiful than her own she was enraged.

  Within seconds Arachne’s work was destroyed. Arachne terrified and afraid hanged herself. To Athena it wasn’t a punishment worthy for her sins. She cursed her dead body,

  Archnne, woke up half spider and half woman, cursed to weave webs for all eternity,”

  “She was cursed because of her pride,” Crystal whispered.

  “How terrible,”

  Chapter 26

  They stayed in the cave, shadows danced in the corners as the sun began to set. She could hear Levi’s soft snores from a few feet away, however Crystal’s mind wouldn’t settle. Everything that Levi had told her swam in her mind. The lies she had been fed. But what bothered her most was that her mother was a murder. She had murderer those girls in cold blood and no amount of excuses would make what she had done any less than murder.

  Sacrifices, Levi had told her. Crystal curled up into a tight ball, the ruff stone beneath her body. She couldn’t get comfortable and knew if she didn’t sleep she would only slow them down come morning.

  She crawled across the cave floor and placed her head on Levi’s chest. He was laid on his back and his legs were set at a slight angle. As she snuggled into the warmth of his body, his arm wrapped around her protectively, she felt safe in his embrace.

  Even after everything she had been taught about the Carmichaels, Crystal knew in her heart that Levi would protect her. She trusted him. Everything she had ever been told about them told her to run, to keep her distance.

  Yet she knew he was telling her the truth.

  The first light of dawn shone through the opening of the cave, the brightness of the sun woke Crystal who rubbed at her eyes groggily.

  She hadn’t slept much. Her eyes burned from the light as she stretched and stood up.

  The quicker they got out of that place the better.

  But what would happen when she leaves? Go home? She didn’t want to face her mother or the coven. She wondered if her father and sisters knew what had been going on. Ruby had always been sweet and sensitive. There was no way she would sit back and allow witches to be sacrificed. No matter what lies her mother spun. It wasn’t in Ruby’s nature.

  She couldn’t go home. Not back to the community. Not after everything she had learned. Then what choice did she have? Her mother would hunt her down. She would use any and every magic source available.

  “When we get out of this place, tell my mother I am dead,”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “I don’t want any part of that coven, or the way that things are done. Lies so many lies,”

  “Crystal, maybe they had their reasons. It is better to face your problems head on than run away and hide,”

  Crystal huffed and folded her arms, she glared at Levi.

  Shaking his head at her he walked to the edge of the cave, “Ready to jump?”

  “What? No, No,” he smirked at her one that sent a shiver down Crystal’s back.

  “It is the only way down,”

  “I can’t swim,” Crystal blurted as panic raised its ugly head causing her whole body to shake.

  “You can’t swim?”

  “No!” she felt embarrassed and ashamed, who didn’t know how to swim? It wasn’t like swimming was a necessary skill you needed within the coven.

  “Keep a hold of my hand okay? Do not let go,” Levi held out his hand. Crystal hid both her hands behind her back as fear took over every muscle and her heart danced in freight.

  “Crystal, trust me,” at that moment she didn’t trust him. He wanted her to jump from a cave into moving water. There wasn’t a chance.

  “Come here, I will show you. Where not high, and the water is not a fast current,” Crystal edged forward. When she was a foot away from Levi, he moved with sped no human should possess. In one fluid move he held her hand in a death grip and pulled her forward dragging her over the edge. Her screams echoed around her mixed with the rush of the wind. Her ears popped and she swore her stomach was left behind in the cave.

  The water rushed forward with force. Her erupted in pain from the impact, it felt like thousands of knife’s had slashed at her skin. The shock caused her sink to the bottom of its hidden depths. She kicked her legs and waved her arms frantically. It took her a few moments to realize that she was no longer holding Levi’s hand. She tried to scream and took in a huge gulp of water. Her lungs ached and her chest burned with the need for oxygen. Her mind started to become foggy. She felt herself floating, slowly she moved as one with the water. As her eyes closed she saw a flash of black hair.

  CRYSTAL AWOKE COUGHING and spluttering. Water poured from her mouth. She took deep rasping breaths. Her body ached in places she didn’t know exist while her head and heart pounded a rhyme in sync.

  Levi wrapped his arms around his legs and looked up at the sky. “I said don’t let go,”

  “Yeah like I knew you were about to throw me of a cliff!” her outburst caused another coughing fit.

  “You’re impossible,” Levi said getting to his feet.

  “We need to go, hopefully make it out of here alive,”

  Crystal gave him one of her mean glares and marched behind him as he led the way through the forest. They came upon a small village.

  “Wow,” Crystal said and began to speed up. A village means a bed and a warm
meal. Her body came alive with the idea when Levi gripped the back of her dress and pulled her back.

  “What?” she demanded in a harsh tone.

  “We have been exiled. Do you really think we are welcome,” He took a path that led away from the village and Crystal looked back at the small houses that were all in a perfect row. She longed to walk on their cobbled paths and have a conversation with some other than Mr. Moody. Yet she followed him with a heavy heart.

  Whenever Levi spoke to her for the next couple of hours she snapped at him. It wasn’t his fault but there was no one else she could be mad at.

  Something whizzed past Crystal’s face and she stood frozen. She heard a small thud and looked in the direction of the noise. An arrow still moved up and down from the impact.

  “Take cover,” Levi said as more arrows came their way.

  Rocks littered the floor and Crystal used her magic to throw them in the direction the arrows were coming from. She heard a few moans and groans but nothing to say she had done any real damage.

  Little men closed in around them. They had pointed ears and shoes. Crystal would have laughed in any other situation as they looked like they were auditioning to be Santa’s elves. They were surrounded. Dozens of the little elf like people blocked their paths. They all held bow and arrows pointed at them.

  Crystal racked her mind. How on earth would she outsmart them? She didn’t need too. When she glanced at Levi for direction he gave her a smirk. Turning back to the little people he flashed them his teeth and eyes, which had turned orange, while his teeth grew into vicious canines. It was all they needed to throw of the elves off.

  The display had shocked them giving Levi time to shift and Crystal time to call on her powers. While they were memorized with the sight of Levi she had made the tree roots grow and wrap around their feet. She managed to trap a good few of them. Arrows began coming at them from all directions. Crystal used her power to divert them. Levi sprung in the air and leapt at the elves, growling and snarling at them. Crystal didn’t want to hurt them.