‘No!’ Drew shouted, and all of a sudden his sword was through the Wicked’s chest.
Laura whimpered and fell to her knees, hiccupping painfully as she attempted to suck air into her lungs. The last thing she saw before darkness descended was Drew’s wide eyes and bruised, bloody and battered face as he skidded across the ground to her side.
Chapter Twenty-Two
A Way Out
The boy’s blond hair was longer than it had been and fell down into his eyes, however it did little to conceal the growing fear within his gaze. Cara knew the boy had a kind heart despite his upbringing, and the more he risked his life to visit her, the more she was able to convince herself that he was on her side.
‘I couldn’t get much today, but I hope this will still help.’ He whispered, passing Cara two slices of bread and an apple through the bars.
Cara felt a tear slide down her cheek as she took the food from the boy, grasping his small, ice cold fingers within her own and bestowing upon them a tight squeeze.
‘Thankyou.’ She croaked through cracked lips, her voice long lost.
Erebus hadn’t been to her cell in three days. He was losing interest, it appeared. That, or something else had stolen his attention. She could only pray that her baby girl was safe.
‘Have you heard anything?’ Cara whispered, her throat stinging horrifically with the forced pronunciation of each word.
She bit into her apple, savouring the sweet juice that washed over her lips. She received a meal every few days, and perhaps some water if she was lucky. The boy before her had become her only source of hope.
‘The Sargent believes he’s got the cure. He plans to use it tonight. If all goes well, the process will begin on all Enchanted that remain in his custody. And Erebus has found someone…’ the boy cut his speech short, glancing over his shoulder and down the hall.
Cara tensed at the sound of footsteps, however they soon passed, fading once again into the distance.
‘I have to go.’ The boy told her, standing.
‘Wait, what were you going to tell me?’ Cara begged.
The boy shot her an agonising glance, pausing long enough to relay the last of the information to her. ‘Erebus has found someone with the possession charm who is willing to perform the swap on you both.’
Cara’s eyes widened as she realised what that meant; she could no longer protect Laura, not if Erebus had another source. She pressed herself up against the bars, reaching out to the boy as his figure receded down the tunnel.
‘Please,’ she rasped, and the boy paused. ‘Get me out of here.’
‘I’m sorry,’ the boy whimpered, shaking his head, the regret evident in his face. ‘I have to go.’
Then, Cara’s last hope disappeared into the darkness.
~
Grace stumbled forward, eyes trained on the box, and Logan reached out, brushing his fingers over the lid. It was Caspian, it had to be. It just had to be!
There was a rumble of thunder outside the room followed by a series of shouted commands. The group snapped into action, scurrying back into hiding as quietly as they could.
Logan curled up under the desk just as the door crashed opened, and he twisted around and sought out the peep hole he’d found earlier.
‘Get him inside, quick!’ The same Witch who’d been in the lab before demanded, rushing through the entrance and towards one of the shelves.
While the Witch blocked most of his view, Logan was just able to make out the Wizard who’d assisted the Witch earlier as he staggered into the lab, an arm slung over his shoulders. He disappeared from view, the Witch following moments after, bandages and tubes of cream in hand.
‘What happened?!’ The Witch gasped, ‘I thought you said you had this under control!’
‘Clearly it didn’t go to plan,’ someone snapped.
Logan frowned at the familiarity of the voice, though he couldn’t quite place who it belonged to.
‘Now three of my best men are dead and we still haven’t brought the girl or boy to Erebus.’
‘All three of them?! How did that happen?’ Squeaked the girl.
There was a hiss followed by a series of choice curse words from the injured Wicked.
‘Calm down the both of you.’ The male Wizard snapped.
The injured Wicked growled in response and all three of them shut up. Some time passed before anyone spoke again.
‘So where is the girl?’ The Witch asked calmly.
‘Dead for all I know.’
Logan’s heart hammered in his chest. Despite his attempts not to think about it, there was a part of him that knew they were talking about Drew and Laura, which meant Laura could be… No. No, it wasn’t possible. Not after everything they’d been through, everything they’d done. She was a survivor. She would make it.
‘Let me get up, I have work to do.’
‘Sargent, please-’
‘You’ve done enough.’ The injured Wicked snapped. ‘I’ve got to inform Erebus of the news. Have the winner of the fight brought straight up for the change. He will have to do.’
The Wicked stepped into view and Logan’s eyes widened with shock, for it was Mr Stark who stood before him, a bandage wrapped tightly around his shoulder.
He slammed his cane down into the ground and against the wall a portal appeared, allowing him to step through. How had Mr Stark managed to retrieve a Devils blessed object? The answer came as quickly as the question had; Erebus. The portal began to close, and Mr Stark turned back at the last minute, eyes ablaze.
‘Better yet, have the boy transferred to Tera straight away. Erebus will want to see this.’
~
Blood. There was so much blood, and it was everywhere. It soaked Laura’s clothes, it soaked Drew’s clothes. His hands were stained with it. God, he couldn’t even staunch the bleeding, let alone slow it.
‘Laura, stay with me.’ He begged as he staggered towards the bike.
Drew laid her in the sand, pressing one hand to the wound while he grabbed for his bag with the other, tugging the medical pack free from the side pocket. He pulled bandages and creams from the bag, but they were all intended for external wounds, and Drew knew the knife had damaged Laura internally.
‘Gods. Gods what do I do?!’ He growled through gritted teeth.
It was in moments such as then that he needed his friends; his family. Caspian would have known what to do; he would have been calm, collected. He would have identified the problem and thus understood immediately how to save Laura. He needed Caspian; he needed his best friend.
Drew pressed his hands back over the wound, receiving a gurgled groan from Laura as her breathing slowed.
‘Hey, Laura, stay with me! Come on, you can get through this!’ He was shouting, begging, pleading with her to open her eyes, but they remained closed.
Panic was taking over and he felt useless. He couldn’t save her, he didn’t know how. He reached for his walkie-talkie, tuning in to Stella and Leo.
‘Hello, hello?! Please are you there?’ He cried into the receiver.
There was a crackle of static followed by silence.
Then, ‘What’s wrong?’ Came Stella’s frantic voice.
‘Lau- She’s been stabbed in the side of the stomach, I can’t stop the bleeding. Please, help me, tell me what to do!’
‘Okay, listen to me. I need you to calm yourself down.’ Stella said, her own voice steady and firm.
‘Calm down? She’s dying!’
‘Yes, I understand that, but if you don’t calm down then she will die. Now listen to me, where exactly is the wound?’
Drew paused, rubbing his eyes with the back of his free hand then glanced down at the wound.
‘It’s in the side, lower down, near the hip. Just above it I think.’
‘You think or you know?’
‘I know.’ Drew responded, his voice rising in frustration.
‘Okay, I need you to ball up a shirt and apply pressure to the wound. The material
will help block the bleeding.’
Drew hurriedly pulled a shirt free from his bag and pressed it down firmly on the wound. There was a scream as Laura’s body jolted with the sudden pressure he was applying. Her eyes flickered open and he watched as they searched the sky, trying to make sense of her surroundings.
‘Drew?’ She rasped.
‘Hey, I’m here, I’ve got Stella on the radio, we’re going to help you okay?’ Drew said gently.
He picked up the walkie-talkie. ‘She’s awake.’
‘Good, good, now tell her that she needs to heal herself like she healed you.’ Stella said, her voice wavering slightly.
Drew paused.
‘Drew, I know she doesn’t like using her power, but she must. She won’t survive if she doesn’t.’
Drew glanced down into Laura’s eyes; they were glassy, seeing but not really seeing.
‘Hey, Laura, did you hear that? You’re injured badly, and the only way we can help you is if you heal yourself. Okay?’
Laura’s eyelids fluttered and tears began to slide down her temples to her hairline. Drew forced a calm smile as he grasped a hold of her hand which had been searching the sand for his own.
‘I can’t.’ She whispered, gripping his fingers weakly.
‘You can Laura. You have to. I promise you, you won’t hurt anyone. You can control it.’
‘What if I can’t though?’
Drew squeezed her hand tighter. ‘I believe in you Laura. You can control it. Remember what I told you? Find something that keeps you grounded and focus on that.’
Laura stared up into his face, the tears still slipping down her temples, and nodded. And then her eyes glazed over and her hand fell away from his. Her lips began to move; Heal she mouthed repeatedly.
Drew pressed both of his palms back over the wound, just to be sure, and waited. Suddenly, Laura gasped loudly and sat up, sucking in an enormous lungful of air.
Drew peered at her, waiting. She remained frozen in place, until finally, she turned her head to meet Drew’s gaze. Together, they lowered their eyes to her wound. Drew pulled away his blood stained shirt, and as he did so, relief flooded him.
All that remained was a faded scar.
‘How is she?’ Stella asked, her voice having risen with the shock of the situation.
Drew retrieved the walkie-talkie, ‘she did it.’
There was a pause and Drew imagined Stella hugging Leo, relieved. ‘Thank the heavens. I knew you could do it Laura.’
Drew set about relaying to Stella all that had occurred in the past two hours, including the betrayal of Mr Stark. Stella hadn’t responded immediately, and Drew presumed she was taking a moment to come to terms with the news.
‘What do we do now?’ Drew asked after a while.
‘You two should rest for a while. We need to make contact with the others and let them know about the developments, then decide where to go from there.’ Stella said.
‘Force members are expecting to talk to you lot tomorrow morning,’ Leo added. ‘They’ve learnt about the disappearance of two certain boys and think somethings up. We need to get everyone on the line as soon as possible so we can settle on our next plan of action.’
It was agreed that Drew and Laura would make their way to the closest town and await further instructions. There was much more to come, Drew felt it in his bones; knew it in his heart. He recognised the hard truth; he’d have to face Mr Stark again; and most likely soon.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Line of Sight
How much more can I endure?
Not much. Not in this hell where darkness is all I know. Darkness is no friend.
How much longer? Please how much more?
What am I?
I no longer remember. Who am I?
Caspian.
Caspian.
My name is Caspian and I will not be afraid.
I will not give up.
I will survive.
~
Gemma ducked down low, awaiting Mitch’s signal, still struggling to come to terms with the fact that Mr Stark was a traitor. That he’d been the one helping Erebus all along.
Mitch flicked his fingers and they each emerged from their hiding places, scurrying towards the door.
‘Head straight for the exit, the turn off is just up there, move fast and don’t stop.’ Mitch whispered.
Then they were running, the door swinging shut behind them. Gemma kept her eyes focused on the intersection until the moment they reached it, taking a sharp left and charging towards their escape. The door loomed up before them, the sun still visible from the other side of the glass.
Gemma’s stomach dropped at the sound of footsteps echoing overhead. And then someone was screaming, the agonising cries sending shivers right up Gemma’s spine. She grit her teeth and thrust the door open, rushing through it and out into the cold snow.
It took well over an hour to descend the mountain despite their fast pace. They were running out of time; they had to stop Erebus. Finally, they found themselves crowding around the birds, radios in hand.
‘Hello?’
It was Stella.
‘We’re here.’ Grace quivered into the receiver.
‘Is everyone okay?’
‘We’re safe. We found the lair where…’ Grace choked, unable to continue.
Logan secured an arm around Grace’s shoulders, comforting her. They were all visibly shaken; frightened by what they’d witnessed; terrified for their people. How could Erebus be so cruel?
Gemma snapped out of her trance in time to hear Logan relaying the last of the information through to Stella.
‘The others are okay.’ Stella told them immediately.
It was as if an enormous weight had been lifted from Gemma’s shoulders at hearing that, and she slumped with relief. A glance across at Grace revealed she wasn’t faring so well; her face was buried in her hands as she wept. Gemma crawled across to Grace, wrapping her arm around her waist, and the three of them sat for a moment, clinging to one another.
Then, Gemma began to speak into the walkie-talkie. ‘We know where he is. Where they all are. It’s Tera, the rainforest on the Mortan Island. We’re going straight there, we need you to convince the Force to go there too, and pass the news on to the other two.’
Out of nowhere a deafening high pitched screech sounded over the radio.
‘Turn them off!’ Leo shouted through the muffled static.
Gemma fumbled for the dial, switching it to off. She raised her eyes to her companions.
‘What was that?’
Logan’s face was ashen. ‘Someone was listening in.’
~
Erebus strode casually into the chamber, eyes darting quickly to the trials most recent victor who was currently unconscious and chained to the steal bench. Cuts ran across his arms from the battle and there was evidence of blooming bruises on his face, but besides that, he was unharmed. Erebus spun to face The Sargent, glimpsing the blood stained bandage wrapped around his shoulder. A woman, Agatha, if he recalled correctly, stood beside him, a bottle in one hand and vile containing steaming red liquid in the other.
‘I hope you haven’t brought me here with false hopes again.’
‘Not this time,’ The Sargent responded.
‘What happened?’ Erebus said, eyeing the Wizards injury.
The Sargent waved it off, ‘nothing a little salve and stitches can’t fix. Now, sit back and watch. Trust me when I say this will be good.’
Erebus resigned, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall. Agatha stepped towards him, holding the vile up for him to see.
‘We were able to retrieve the bodies of the Wicked who died in the Lost City, I had the guards searching for days to find as many as they could.’ Mr Stark explained. He held up a hand as Erebus began to protest. ‘Don’t worry, I made sure their memories were wiped afterwards.’
Erebus felt anger rise within him at the risk The Sargent had taken and he straightened,
flexing his fists. After a moment, he set his jaw, allowing the man to continue.
‘This here is an extract from a Wicked’s body. Their lightening mixed with their blood takes on this form, as you see. We believe injecting raw Wicked power into the subject will create enough of a negative charge in the body which will force them to accept the transformation. They will no longer have to believe they’re Wicked for the blood and lighting of a Wicked will run through their veins.’
Erebus eyed the vile curiously. ‘Do it. Now. I want to see this work.’
Agatha jumped, pulling a syringe from her pocket and filling it with the thick liquid. She pressed around on the subjects arm for a moment, searching for the correct vein, then pushed the needle in and began to inject its contents.
The boy, his brown hair matted with blood from a previously missed cut on the side of his face, shot up, straining wildly against the chains. He cried out, begging for help. Tears stained his cheeks and his face screwed up as Erebus stepped into his line of vision. The boy stilled, his hair falling into his eyes, saliva dribbling from his chin.
‘What is your name boy?’ Erebus asked calmly.
The boy stared at him, then mumbled something. His teeth began to chatter as he tried to repeat his words, however despite his desperate attempts, he simply couldn’t attain the sense of calm required to speak.
Erebus shot a stab of lightening into the boy’s stomach and he cried out, slumping back against the table, snapping out of his fit.
‘Sit up.’ Erebus demanded.
The boy sat.
‘Now, what is your name?’
‘Creshan.’
‘Creshan.’ Erebus said, enjoying the way the name rolled off his tongue. ‘Good. Now, The Sargent here is going to give you a piece of paper. I want you to read it back to me, word for word.’
The Sargent glided to the boy’s side, pulling a well-worn sheet from the inside pocket of his jacket and passing it to Creshan.
The Sacrifice (Wicked Book 2) Page 25