The Enchantress (Wicked Book 1)

by Blaire Hammond

  Drew’s eyes didn’t leave his watch.

  ‘Now!’

  She pulled the door open, ducked through the gap, and took off sprinting at full speed. She tugged back the wire and dove through the hole. Drew crawled through after her, and then they were gone.

  Estella paced back and forth in the cell.

  ‘Calm down Stell, we’ll talk to the Grand Courts and explain the situation. I am sure they will understand and help assist in the search,’ Leo insisted, his voice calm.

  Logan sat with his back resting against the cell wall, his knees pulled to his chest. ‘What if we’re stripped of our right to our Identity Mark?’ He whispered to Grace, but she was already shaking her head.

  ‘They wouldn’t do that. Even if they did, we would fight hard before we allowed them to take the option from us. Besides, I have a feeling we won’t be here long enough for the trial.’

  Gemma, who was resting on the cold floor beside them, glanced at her, ‘what do you mean?’

  ‘I know my brother. There is no way would they leave us in here.’

  ‘You… you think they made it out?’ Stella asked, her pacing slowing.

  ‘Of course they did.’ Leo said, although his voice was far from optimistic.

  ‘They did.’ Grace said with all the strength and belief that those around her lacked.

  ‘Do you think they will break us out of here?’ Logan asked.

  ‘I know he will. It’s what he does. Protects those he loves. He will come.’

  ‘God I hope so,’ Gemma said, a shiver creeping up her spine.

  As if to confirm Grace’s words, an explosion rolled across the land, echoing through the cell. For a moment, the ground rumbled and shook beneath them.

  Grace grinned, glancing back at Gemma and Logan, ‘told you.’

  In a quick discussion it was decided that their explosion would best cause effect if done along the wall encircling the city. It would, according to Drew, appear to the guards as an attack, hence more troops hurrying to the site.

  Slipping in and out of the trees, they found a place along the wall that would best fill their service, both being an adequate distance from the city and providing enough cracks to force the detonators into.

  Drew secured the fuse in place and hurried along backwards, uncoiling the roll. Without hesitation, he pulled the lighter from his pocket, flicked the switch, and glanced back up at Laura.

  ‘Ready?’

  She nodded, ‘ready.’

  ‘Start running now.’

  She nodded again, turned on her heel, and took off.

  He lowered the flame to the fuse, holding it over the end for only a second before it caught light with a loud WOOSH.

  It sped along the fuse as fast as lightening, sparks shooting every which way. Laura had already made it halfway back to the city when Drew caught up with her, and the two of them pushed themselves to sprint faster, reaching the outskirts in only a matter of seconds.

  They had just ducked into the first alleyway when the explosion split the air. Despite their distance from the wall, the shock wave still caught up, sending them sprawling across the ground.

  The BOOM was tremendous, momentarily deafening both Laura and Drew as they struggled to orientate themselves.

  Laura rolled to her side raising her head enough to see a bright orange flower blooming across the sky.

  Constant explosions still followed one another as she staggered to her feet.

  They were then hit by another invisible force of air, tossing them backwards as though they were caught in a tidal wave.

  Gripping the wall, she managed to pull herself upright, helping Drew as she went. Debris rained down around them, and they looked up in time to see larger pieces of stone soaring through the air like mentors.

  ‘Come on!’ She yelped, tugging at Drew’s jacket.

  They weaved through the allies, heading straight for the other end of town where the jail was located.

  Wreckage showered the buildings as Enchanted spilled out onto the streets, looking with disbelief at the cloud of smoke blanketing their city.

  Questioning shouts bounced off one another as the Enchanted tried to figure out what was going on.

  Drew and Laura slowed to a walk as they pushed through the people crowding the streets and caught sight of a group of armed troopers disappearing down the road.

  The Stonebridge Jail loomed into view, but it seemed their luck was short-winded, for another cluster of troops rushed past, blocking their path. They bowed their heads and turned the next corner, then ducked down a different street, scaled the building, and arrived at the back of the jail.

  Drew peered through the window, Laura following suit. Inside was an unoccupied office. They hurried along the side of the building, peering into all the windows they passed, and were, to their relief, consistently faced with empty rooms.

  Satisfied, they edged around the corner, looking both ways to ensure they hadn’t missed anyone. The coast was clear. They entered the jail and crossed the room, passing the reception and reaching the first door.

  Cautiously, they glanced down the corridor. A guard sat watch at the end, where, presumably, the cells were.

  They crept along the corridor and ducked into the first door on the left, which happened to be an office.

  ‘All right, I’ll throw the sleeping gas into the cells. Judging from his size, he will be out in a matter of seconds. I’m sure we will find the keys on him.’

  Laura nodded, her eyes searching the office. A hat perched atop the desk caught her eye.

  ‘Hey, this is Mr Stark’s office,’ she said, ‘I thought he was a part of the Forces in Corin?’

  ‘Typical. Shows up here for a day and is already given an office to himself. Jerk.’

  Curiosity got the better of her, ‘why do you hate him so much?’ she asked, despite the fact that, right now, she didn’t particularly fancy him herself.

  He was quiet for a long time before he finally answered, ‘when we came to the manor, Grace and I, we told him of what happened to our family. We were a mess, sickened by what we had been through. He didn’t so much as blink an eye. He barely reported on the matter. He decided to write it off as an accident.’ Drew scoffed, ‘he claimed that the attacker had a different target and we just happened to be in the way. He said it was an ‘unfortunate occurrence’ but we need to ‘move on’. As if it’s just that easy. I hate him. Those killers are on the loose,’ his voice was ice-cold, ‘and they need to be brought to justice.’

  Laura was rendered speechless. After a moment, she opened her mouth, ‘he doesn’t deserve what he has.’ She wanted to comfort Drew, but now wasn’t the time. Instead, she held is gaze. ‘What a jerk.’

  A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. ‘Let’s do this,’ he said, cracking the door open enough to check both ways, then quietly ducking into the next room.

  They continued the process until they reached the end of the hall. Drew checked on the guard. He remained with his back to the door, a gun resting in his lap.

  ‘Hold that rag over your nose,’ he ordered, securing his shirt up over his nose and mouth before pulling the pin of the grenade and tossing it into the cells.

  It rolled to a stop by the guard’s foot, but before he could react, the grenade exploded in a puff of green mist. Within seconds of it going off, the guard had slumped forward.

  Drew found the keys and they rushed along the jail cells, searching each one for their friends. The mist was yet to reach the other end of the room, where they found the rest of their group.

  The second Laura and Drew came into view, they jumped to their feet in both shock and relief.

  Grace moved towards the bars, ‘hey there little brother,’ she grinned at him knowingly.

  ‘Only by a minute.’ he grinned back.

  ‘How the hell did you get in here!’ Stella demanded, trying but failing to conceal her smile.

  ‘We’ll tell you later, put your shirts over your noses, there�
��s sleeping gas out here.’

  They did as he said and Laura pulled Stella’s heavens water from her pocket, soaking Drew’s hands with it. He reached out, unlocking the hell bars.

  One by one their five companions rushed past the guard and into the hall.

  ‘Wait!’ Leo brought them to a halt, and they turned to catch him ducking behind a door. He returned with their weapons in tow and tossed them to their owners.

  Then they were off. Sunlight streamed down over them as they finally released their shirts.

  They were sly, keeping to the shadows, following the backstreets to their hotel.

  Stella took up her position as leader the moment they stumbled through the doors of their room.

  ‘We need to be out of here soon. Where is Caspian?’

  Laura caught Drew’s eye and could see he was genuinely afraid. He turned to Stella, ‘we think Caspian went after James. He escaped halfway through the battle in the temple.’

  Stella fell back onto the bed, and her shoulders slumped as she smothered her face in her hands.

  Laura stepped forward, ‘I think we should search that house Drew and I followed mum to. Maybe we can find some clues.’

  Drew agreed, ‘yes then we’ll go from there. Our main goal is to find Caspian and Cara and put a stop to James’ plans.’

  Stella squared her shoulders and straightened, ‘good. That is what we will do.’

  Within fifteen minutes the group had congregated in the corner of the hotel’s lobby, ready to take James on, and, ready to win.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The Mountains

  Laura was chilled to the bone. The house was ice cold and empty.

  They cautiously and quietly examined each room, giving the house a thorough sweep to ensure their anonymity. They met in the kitchen, shying away from an acidic smell that filled the air.

  ‘What is that?’ Logan hissed.

  Stella glanced at the floor.

  ‘There’s coal remnants here.’

  Logan was drawing closer to the fridge, ‘I think the smells coming from here.’ He reached for the handle.

  Leo was there in a flash, jumping between Logan and the fridge and placing his hand firmly on the door.

  ‘Could be a trap,’ he said quietly.

  Grace drew her dagger, poking at the coal, inspecting the mess. ‘What could this be from?’

  ‘The fire perhaps?’ Gemma suggested, peeking behind the curtain. Drew hid out the front, ready to give the signal to Gemma if some was coming.

  ‘Why would there be coal here?’ Laura asked, ‘it seems illogical.’

  ‘Maybe they were carting it from somewhere?’ Logan offered, his eyes set firmly on the fridge.

  ‘But why? Why do they need coal?’ Grace asked, unconvinced.

  ‘Maybe we should be asking where they got it from first. Perhaps if we can figure that out, then we may be able to understand the why,’ Laura said.

  Gemma released the curtain and turned away from the window, ‘the only place that has ever held coal on this island are the mines in the Lost City. It was closed down when the Enchanted took over the island. I think that could be our best option. No one would think to look there.’

  Stella was nodding, ‘yes! Yes of course! The Lost City it is. Let’s get going.’

  The sun was beginning to set as the group delved deeper into the bush. Stella led the way to the Mountains of Alast. The Lost City was nestled on the other side, and they would have to climb the mountains if they wanted to reach it in the shortest time possible.

  Due to the lack of transport on the island, which Laura had become acutely aware of, there was no safe way to reach the Lost City without alerting someone. With their names surely plastered everywhere by now, they would be found and taken into custody in no time.

  They trailed deeper into the trees, weaving through the bracken and over fallen limbs. They were careful to only cut or break away a select few branches, ensuring to keep their trail as clean as possible.

  Following Logan proved to make the trip relatively easier for Laura. She made a game of hiding or walking off casually whenever he checked behind him.

  For what must have been the tenth time, he spun around. Laura lurched away, pretending to wipe the sweat from her forehead as she slashed at a bush. He eyed her wearily but remained quiet. Laura heard a quiet snort from behind her and caught Drew watching her. She put her finger to her lips, jumping into position.

  Suddenly Logan jumped back yelping and shouting ‘Snake! Snake! Run!’

  Laura screamed. And then she was thrashing wildly through the bush. She hauled herself onto the lowest tree branch she could find.

  Then she heard the undoubtable sound of laughter. Hugging the tree branch, she lifted her head and sought out the owner of the laughter.

  Logan was on his knees, weeping with it, Drew and Grace doubled over, struggling to contain themselves, and Gemma held an amused smile on her face. But Leo and Stella were both beyond what Laura had expected. Leo was trying to hold Stella upright as she fell to the ground with laughter, tears glistening in both of their eyes.

  Slightly embarrassed and somewhat sore from rushing through the bush, she descended the tree, brushed off her clothes and walked back to the group. She then continued on through the bush.

  ‘My turn to follow you now,’ Logan mused, regaining his composure as he hurried to catch her.

  The others fell into a single file line behind Laura. She smiled to herself as she took the lead for the time being.

  After a while, Logan came to walk by Laura.

  ‘I still can’t believe you,’ Laura said with a chuckle.

  Logan flashed her a grin, ‘hey, you were the one slacking off!’

  She pushed him lightly, ‘all right I deserved it.’

  He laugh quietly, ‘it was a nice change to have everyone smiling. It’s not exactly been the brightest few days.’

  Laura nodded in agreement.

  ‘It’s not exactly been the brightest few years really. We all struggle.’

  Laura’s eyes darted to his, and she could see sadness hidden within. She didn’t say anything, allowing him to continue at his own pace.

  ‘Everyone at the Manor is still effected. Even those of us that have had a longer time to come to terms with what we have been through. I still have nightmares. Nightmares of the things I’ve seen. I know the others do too. I’m pretty sure Caspian never sleeps. Or Gemma.’

  Laura could hear the pain in his voice, the memories imprinted in his mind forever. She reached out a hand, resting it gently on his arm, ‘you don’t have to tell me.’

  He gave her a weak smile, ‘you are my friend. I want you to know about my past.’

  Laura was touched by the gesture. She felt tears sting the back of her throat but swallowed them down.

  Logan had been nothing but kind to her. He was a gentle person, and it was hard to believe such terrible things could have befallen him.

  ‘It happened when I was twelve. I was an only child, living in Pral, a few hours from Corin. My father was on the Lastrala Minor Council.

  ‘They are in charge of the law within Lastrala, and punishing those who break it.

  ‘One day there was a trial held for a Wizard. He had killed his wife, claiming that she had been practicing black magic and was talking about joining the Wicked. He didn’t want that. So he killed her.

  ‘The Courts didn’t see it that way. Half voted for him to be banished to hell, while the other half voted jail for life. Murder within the Enchanted is not taken lightly.

  ‘That was why it was such a worry for your mother being taken overseas, especially with the laws she has broken.

  ‘The deciding vote came down to my father. He chose to banish the man to hell. The Wizard, Marcus, had a son. His son did not take his father’s banishment well, and one night, when my mother and I were waiting up for dad, he broke in.’

  Logan’s voice cracked, ‘he put a knife to mums throat. I was crying
hysterically, and I remember him drawing blood as he pressed the knife harder, yelling at me to shut up. I remember being so afraid. I remember trembling as I bit down on my cries and forced myself to stop for my mother’s sake.

  ‘Dad came home then. The moment he walked in, he fired his lightening at Marcus’s son. He dove for my dad and slashed his Identity Mark, draining his power instantly.

  ‘I remember him collapsing to the ground crying out in utter agony, and I cried out for him. The effect was instantaneous. His skin paled, growing leathery with wrinkles. Then, the man slashed at mum’s throat.’

  Logan stopped speaking, choking on the last word, and Laura couldn’t stop the single tear that slid down her cheek.

  She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She reached for him, about to tell him he didn’t have to continue, but he was already speaking again.

  ‘The blood, god, the amount of blood is something I won’t ever forget. The way she fell to the ground, completely gone. Lifeless. That was just… it.

  ‘I managed to pull my eyes away, just in time to see him lunging for me. He was going to stab me, but in a last effort to save me, dad managed to get to his feet. He dove on top of the killer. He shouted at me to run, and then his eyes locked with mine. I knew that his final look was one of goodbye. I turned and ran as fast as I could,’ he stopped again and Laura wiped the tears from her cheeks.

  ‘The forces found him and The Courts banished him to hell alongside his father and I was sent to the Manor. Stella and Leo took me in with open arms. I wouldn’t have been able to make it through without them. I will be forever grateful.’

  Laura cleared the tears from her face. How could someone witness something so awful, feel so much pain yet endeavour to be so kind?

  ‘Logan, there are no words to express just how sorry I am for you. But I am. And I want you to know that if you ever need to talk, I am here for you. Same as what you offered to me. Okay?’

  He gave her a smile, a genuine one, ‘we can help each other.’

  The stars had appeared by the time Stella suggested they stop and set up camp. Their camp, however, consisted of a fire and everyone’s clothes rolled up to form pillows.