Ariana stood. “The Horrid Witch is weak,” she said. “And a coward. She couldn’t convince me to return, so she’s done everything in her power to kill me. She’s afraid of me.” She held out her hand to help me to my feet.
I felt light-headed as I stood. “Why would she be afraid of you?”
“Because I know something about her that no one else knows,” Ariana said. “I know her name.”
20
“Take the dagger,” Ariana instructed, “but keep it sheathed. I shouldn’t touch it.”
While Ariana dressed, I carefully collected the fallen dagger and found the sheath I had dropped earlier. I eased the dagger inside and held it at arm’s length. I was much more frightened of it now that I knew it could stab people on its own. What if it decided to turn on me?
“It won’t hurt you as long as it’s sheathed,” Ariana said as if reading my mind. “I am its target. It can only know one name at a time.”
Ariana dressed quickly in a more modest version of the Horrid attire Layni used to wear. She wore a similar style of baggy pants, but the top wasn’t cropped and had tight, elbow-length sleeves. She braided her long hair as we made our way, quickly and quietly, down the hall. I followed her outside, but hesitated when I realized she was headed for the stables.
“I can’t,” I said. “Animals hate me.”
“You said the witch’s lair is at the edge of the Forsaken Woods. It would take too long to walk by foot. The Mejor horses are well bred and well trained. They could make the ride. It’s the only chance we have to reach her before your time is up.”
“What are you doing?” I jumped guiltily at the sound of Micah’s voice. He was still wearing the same clothes he had worn the day before. I wasn’t the only one who had had a sleepless night. Micah stood too far from the nearest lit lamp for me to see his expression clearly.
“We need to borrow a horse,” Ariana said.
“Right now?” Micah looked up at the dark sky. “This can’t wait until morning?”
And here it was. We would have to tell him what we were doing. He would never trust me again.
“The Horrid Witch placed a curse on Delta,” Ariana said. “We only have one day to break it, or she dies.”
Since I couldn’t really see Micah’s face, I watched his body language. He took a step back as if someone had just punched him in the chest. “Delta, is this true?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
I looked away, wallowing in shame. What was I supposed to say? I was using you to get to Ariana?
Ariana rescued me. “We don’t have time, Micah. Please.”
“What exactly are you going to do?” he asked.
Good question — probably one I should have thought of asking myself.
“You’re just going to have to trust me,” Ariana said. “Please. A horse?”
Micah considered. Time ticked by. I shifted my weight, anxiety coursing through me.
“We’re going to need two,” he said finally, “because I’m coming with you.”
Micah left to rouse a stable hand. When he returned, he was wearing a sword on his hip. I could only hope that he was a better swordsman than Elias.
I took several steps backward as the sleepy stable hand guided two horses toward us. One horse for Ariana, and one for Micah. What about me? Maybe I didn’t have to go. Maybe I could just hide here while they took care of the witch. But that felt all wrong. Like it or not, I was part of this story. I had to see it out to the bitter end.
Micah mounted his horse and eased it toward me. The horse snorted and sidestepped anxiously as it approached.
“This isn’t going to work,” I said. “Animals hate me.”
“Because of the witch’s curse?
Well, sort of.
“We’re just going to have to hope this horse likes me more than it hates you.”
I eyed the horse as it eyed me right back. Micah leaned over its neck and cooed gentle words into its ear. I hadn’t spent much time riding horses. Everything in Silverleaf was in walking distance. Since Alistair forbid us to travel beyond the walls of the city, everything I had ever known was within a few hours of walking.
This particular horse was quite large. And while Ariana’s horse had a saddle, this one was bareback. Maybe the horse would kill me before we ever reached the witch. At least then I could avoid facing the witch again and seeing my eyes in her face.
Micah grabbed my arm, and the stable hand grabbed my waist. Together, the two men lifted me up onto the horse’s broad back, behind Micah. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hung on for dear life.
The ride was uncomfortable at best and treacherous at worst. But Micah was a good rider and gave me a constant stream of instructions. We started out nice and slow and picked up the pace as the Mejor Estate shrank from sight.
I leaned my cheek against Micah’s back and murmured one last desperate prayer as the light of the final day crested over the horizon.
21
Both my mind and my bottom were numb from the long, hard ride. Though it was kind of exciting in a foolish, girly sense to cling to Micah for hours, the pleasure had quickly worn out as my back and legs cramped.
As we approached the edge of the forsaken woods, mist rose from the ground, curling like fingers around our horses, who were suddenly quite skittish. In moments, it was dark as night, though the sky had been bright moments before. Stories said it was never daytime in the Forsaken Woods.
“We’re definitely getting close,” I said.
Ariana and Micah eased the anxious horses forward. I sat up straight and craned my head around, looking for the landmarks I had seen the first time I found the witch’s lair. I recognized a large, hollow tree. It look like it had a toothy mouth, open in a scream of horror. This was about where Hallie had vanished. I shuddered and hugged Micah tighter.
Squinting through the mist, I could just make out the bulky shape of the witch’s cottage. As we approached, the torches beside the door lit on their own. My body buzzed unpleasantly in response to the cottage’s appearance, and that awful ticking sound increased in volume. It made me feel awful in every way.
“This is it,” I said. Micah and Ariana pulled the horses to a stop.
Micah peeled my stiff fingers apart and wriggled out of my arms. He slid off the horse and then held his hands out for me. I was nowhere near as graceful as Ariana or Micah. I basically body-slammed Micah as I fell from the horse’s back. Micah even made a most indelicate “oomph!” sound as I collided with him.
“This is definitely the place,” I said as soon as my feet were planted firmly on the ground.
“So what’s the plan?” Micah asked. We both turned to where Ariana had been standing, but she was no longer there. She marched like a one-woman army toward the door of the cottage. “Ariana!” Micah grabbed my hand and pulled me after him.
Ariana stepped on the doormat. It lit up with an eerie green light, illuminating her from below. A voice that I wished I didn’t recognize spoke from within the cottage, echoing around us. “Well, well, well. Ariana. What an unexpected surprise.”
Ariana said nothing.
“Welcome home,” the voice said, and the door creaked open.
Elias and I exchanged an anxious glance. Then, all at once, we were standing inside the dark, cavernous lair, though we hadn’t taken a step. We both looked around in surprise at the sudden change in setting. The lair was just as I remembered it: dimly lit and hugely depressing. The few burning torches weren’t enough to fill the ample space with light. I heard the dripping of water in the distance. There were tables on either side of us, crowded with strange artifacts. Pushed against a stone pillar was a bookshelf crammed with rolled up scrolls.
Contracts, I realized. Mine would be among them.
The Horrid Witch sat at a spinning wheel, looking as young as she had when I saw her last. She looked up and smiled at us. It was a surprisingly warm smile. I couldn’t help but be e
ntranced by her eyes.
MY eyes.
I shuddered and clutched Micah’s arm.
“Three guests,” the witch purred. “My, am I popular today.” Her gaze fell on Micah. “You must be Elias, the rat who stole my Ariana away.”
“Excuse me?” Micah was about to correct the witch, but I kicked him swiftly in the shin. “Ouch! Yes. That’s me. Elias.” Micah gave me a questioning look. I widened my eyes and shook my head, trying to communicate that the less talking he did, the better. He only looked more confused.
The witch stood from her stool and stepped forward into the light of the nearest torch. In her youth, she was tall and beautiful. Curly dark hair fell to her waist. Her eerie blue eyes sparkled from a pale face. She wore a plain dress that laced up the front over a ragged, well-worn shirt. Despite the homeliness of her attire, it looked stunning on her.
“Delta. I didn’t expect to see you so soon.” She laughed a cruel, pealing laugh. “To be honest, I never expected to see you at all. Except, perhaps, as a decoration on my wall.” The witch gestured to her left and a torch lit in response, illuminating a wall of paintings. There were seven frames, though only three of them were filled. My mouth hung open in horror as I recognized the painted images of my older sisters. The four empty frames, no doubt, were meant for the rest of us.
The witch stalked forward. Like a coward, I hid behind Micah.
“Yes, Elias, protect her,” the witch teased as Micah’s hand grasped the hilt of his sword. “You’ve done such a great job of protecting the women in your life already.”
“Leave them alone,” Ariana said. “I’ve been returned to you. Elias has fulfilled his duty. Now release his family from your curse. Return Delta’s soul and let them leave.”
The witch laughed. “Such bold demands! Dare I say it: you sound like me.”
Ariana scowled. “I will never be like you,” she said.
“Oh, stop pretending to be noble. You haven’t got it in you. You are what you were born to be, my love. You can never escape that. Or have you learned nothing from our little game?”
“This isn’t a game!” Ariana’s voice rang out in the cavernous lair. “People have died because of you: Layni, Nathaniel, and countless others. All to soothe your wounded ego. You just couldn’t accept that I don’t want to follow the path you have chosen. And I never will. You can torture me. You can kill the ones I love-”
“Please don’t,” Micah interjected.
“You can hunt me to the ends of the earth. But I will never be like you.” Ariana’s voice was a soft hiss, filled with anger and pain as she bit out the last word. “Mother.”
Whoa. I thought Layni had the worst parent-child relationship I’d ever scene. Ariana took the cake on that one.
The witch’s breathing rasped as she struggled to maintain her composure. Mother and daughter stared each other down. At last, the witch broke the silence with a softly spoken question: “Then why are you here?”
“This has to end. I can’t watch you hurt anyone else because you’re angry with me. I can’t take it anymore. My heart is broken.”
“So now you understand. Don’t you feel that ache?” The witch touched her chest. Her eyes closed. “Embrace it, Ariana. That is where true power lies, in the breaking of the heart.”
“No!” The witch opened her eyes. “Why can’t you understand? I don’t want power. I don’t want anything you can possibly give me.”
“You don’t want power. But look how much of it you already have. Look how many lives you have already influenced. How many have willingly laid down their lives for you. Even now, these fools are here because of you. Is that not power? In the end, you are just like me.”
“I refuse to be like you.”
The witch touched her cheek in feigned dismay. “Oh, poor Ariana hates her mother. Ha! If you really hate me, then act on it. Get rid of me. Any number of curses would do it.”
“I won’t use your powers. I won’t set a curse. Using your dark magic requires hatred and cruelty. I won’t do it.”
“Lies. You act so innocent, but we both know the truth. Does your lover boy here know the things you’ve done?”
“Stop.”
“Ah. Perhaps I should show him?” The witch snapped her fingers. Suddenly, every torch in the large room lit up, revealing an enormous mirror on the wall. The only one properly reflected was a very startled Micah. My image was missing. The witch was a writhing mass of darkness. And Ariana…
Ariana’s reflection was covered in dark splotches, like she had a strange disease.
“See that, sweetheart?” The witch crooked her finger, and Micah stumbled closer to her as if yanked by a rope around his neck. “Each one of those spots was left when your little angel practiced dark magic. Every single one represents a life stolen or a life ruined.”
“Stop!” Ariana shouted. “He knows! Elias knows everything that I’ve done. He knows every mistake I’ve made. He loves me anyway.”
The witch’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Really?” She stroked her chin with long, painted fingernails. “Then that’s it. I know the problem. I know what prevents you from joining me. Your heart just hasn’t been broken enough.” She smiled cruelly at Micah as, with a twirl of her hand, she summoned another dagger. This one didn’t have glowing runes carved into the handle, but it looked just as deadly. Micah tried to pull away, but he couldn’t. He struggled as if he was held by invisible hands. His mouth opened, but no words came out. Only a muffled sound, as if he had been gagged. I watched the horror register on Ariana’s face.
“No!” She ran forward, but the witch waved her arm and threw her off her feet.
“You.” The witch pointed accusingly at Micah. “Elias Delaroe. You are the one who tried to steal Ariana from me. Now you will be the reason she accepts the darkness.”
I had to do something, but my mind was running too fast. The ticking in my head was so loud. My feet were frozen to the floor. Was this who I really was? A coward? The dagger burned so hot I could feel the heat through the sheath.
“Alexis!” Ariana shouted.
The witch froze, dagger raised. “What … did … you … just … say?”
“Alexis,” Ariana said. “Alexis. Alexis. Alexis. Your name is Alexis. Now everyone in this room knows.”
The witch visibly fought for control of her anger. “Well, no matter. Everyone in the room will soon be dead.” She turned back to Micah with a snarl.
Alexis.
I drew the dagger from its sheath.
“Let me show you the real power of ‘true love.’” The witch raised her own dagger again.
“Alexis,” I said. The runes on the dagger changed color. Now they glowed an insistent, pulsing red.
Alexis. I heard the whisper of a voice in my head as the dagger identified a new target.
“Mother! No!”
“You wicked men with your fickle hearts! See what love really gets you!” The witch slashed her knife toward Micah. I dove forward, forcing myself between them. With one hand, I caught her arm. With the other, I stabbed the enchanted dagger into her stomach.
Our eyes locked. The witch stared at me in disbelief. The dagger burned hot in my hand. Energy exploded from the witch, shoving us all away. My back hit a stone pillar, knocking the air out of my lungs.
The witch screamed. It was an awful, inhuman sound, so loud it hurt. Blackness spread from the impact of the knife in her stomach. She writhed and screamed and gnashed her teeth as her own dark magic consumed her. Gold light shot out of her in all directions. One beam of light shot from her directly into me, filling my lungs with air. The mirror on the wall cracked, but even in the cracked pieces, I could see that my reflection had returned.
As the witch curled in on herself and turned to dust, the awful scream finally petered out. Ariana stared for a moment at the ashes that had once been her mother. Then she spun around and leapt over the table to reach the paintings on the wall.
“Are you alright?” Micah asked m
e.
I nodded, still watching Ariana. She had found a vial of glowing gold paint. She dipped her finger into the paint and finger painted a message on the wall:
SEVEN SISTERS, AS YOU WERE BEFORE, HELD BY THE WITCH’S CURSE NO MORE.
The paintings of my sisters vanished. The golden frames cracked. The gold-painted writing on the wall glowed brilliantly and then vanished. Blue lights danced around the room, swirling into shapes that became clearer and clearer until the lights erupted, revealing the forms of Alacia, Hallie, and Hannah. They each wore matching light blue dresses, just as they had in their portraits. Dresses made of moonlight.
Hannah touched her face, then stared in disbelief at her hands. Alacia lifted the skirt of her shimmering gown. Hallie spun in a circle. All three of them saw me at once.
“Delta!” they cried.
I wrapped my arms around them and sobbed with relief. The curse was broken. My sisters were alive!
22
“Are you alright?” I asked Ariana. She stood worrying a handkerchief between her hands. She was dressed in Horrid fashion, including a tiara that declared for all to see that she was the princess of Horr. She had decided that the best way to honor Layni’s sacrifice was to take on the responsibility that Layni had never been allowed to. Layni’s father thought she was still alive. Ariana intended to impress him from afar, hoping that she could avoid a face-to-face meeting with the king as long as possible.
A rather large party stood just outside the border of Sydna. A few hours ago, Micah and his father had crossed over the border to meet privately with the king of Sydna. We had been standing anxiously on our side of the border, waiting, for what felt like forever.
“There it is!” someone shouted.
We watched with breathless excitement as the red flags of wartime were pulled down from their poles. New flags were affixed to the ropes and hoisted high. Silver flags: the sign of peace. A cheer erupted from the gathered crowd. Messengers, already mounted on their horses, spurred off in every direction to spread the good news. The war was over.
Magic and Shadows: A Collection of YA Fantasy and Paranormal Romances Page 35