Deadlands (The Healer Series, #2) (12 page)

Ev
eryone screamed when the Wakwaks doubled their attack, slashing and cutting them every chance they got. The birds’ feathers were like machete swords. Their talons were like bear claws, and their beaks were sharper than Vampire fangs. They slowly wounded and tired the fighters, and Willow feared the worse. Declan’s face was scratched and dripping blood, his shirt was torn and bloodied. Chase and Elirana looked even worse.

“Screw this!” Chase said and phased into his wolf form in midair,
jumping up on his hind legs using his large mouth to bite the flesh of the birds. The birds widened their circle around the group, somewhat shocked to see the large predator appear, as Chase chomped and used his strength as a fearsome Werewolf to kill any bird in his path. He could take down five birds at once with his large claws and razor sharp teeth. His growls and anger seemed to startle the birds and soon, they began ganging up on him. Landing on his back, attempting to gouge his eyes out, the Wakwak birds were relentless in their fight to kill him.

Suddenly he was lifted into the air and flown sev
eral feel away before the birds dropped him back on the ground. Chase landed expertly on all fours and began fighting back even more aggressively. “NO!” Elirana screamed and threw out her hand causing wind to form around them. The birds fought against the powerful wind, but they were pushed back, so an opening formed in the vortex and they could escape. Willow grabbed Chase’s sword from the ground. Elirana was running full speed up to the wolf form of Chase and, using her sword, whacked and sliced the birds attacking him in one move.
Whoa,
Willow thought watching the beautiful Elf attack with sudden vengeance.

“Everyone! Run to the la
va! I have a plan!” Elirana shouted. The lava river was only thirty yards away. They could make it! Everyone made a mad dash for the lava river. Declan brought up the rear. He was right on Willow’s heels.

“WILLOW!” he screamed
her name and she whipped around, watching in horror when the Wakwaks gripped their sharp talons into his shoulders and picked him up off the ground. Willow screamed for him and jumped, almost catching his feet, but the birds took him higher and higher until they enveloped him and he disappeared into the black cloud. 

“DECLAN!” she screamed in panic when she couldn’t see him anymore
through the swarm. The black circle they formed started moving away but Willow was right under them casting spells at the birds as if her life depended on it. Any spell that came to her mind she aimed at the birds. There! She saw his leg poke out in one section. “IGNIS!” she cried in one last attempt to ward off the birds. The spell of fire hit the birds in the section she aimed at and suddenly, Declan dropped out of the sky falling towards her.

“
Help!” she cried to her friends as she readied herself to catch him. But she didn’t have to. Elirana was instantly at her side using her magic to blow wind upwards so Declan’s downward spiral collided with the force against him, making his descent slower. “Thanks,” she said to her, never taking her eyes off Declan. She caught him and put her arms around his middle supporting him. Declan’s shoulders were a gory mess spurting blood everywhere. The Wakwak’s talons had bitten into him so deeply that his flesh was left in strips, exposing fleshy muscle below.

Blood pumped out
of Declan like a geyser, and his head lulled back dangerously. He was pale and passed out from the pain and Willow’s stomach heaved in panic and unexpected nausea at the sight. Even as a Healer, the wounds Declan received were raw and gruesome, and her stomach twisted at the sight. It took a lot for Willow to get sick at seeing opened wounds, but this was too much to handle. The birds were simply ripping him to shreds the second he was up in the air with them. Their intent to kill was obvious.

“Get to
the river, now!” Elirana yelled and got on the other side of Declan, putting his arm over her shoulder to help Willow walk with him. Chase yelped behind them and then gently tucked his head under Declan’s legs so he could ride him. Walking quickly, they all took off as a group supporting Declan, making for the lava. Willow looked behind her to see the birds regrouping from her fire bombs she blasted at them.

“Hurry,” she said watching the birds flying once again towards them. Willow put her left hand under Declan’s shirt and touched his stomach, concentrating on healing the wounds. It was hard, though, as her mind kept wandering back to the birds
from fear. She looked back, they were right there! “GO!” she screamed in fright.

The heat of the lava hissed and rose to meet her in the face as they reached the banks of the river. She looked back. The birds wer
e hesitating, straying back, not attacking. Fire was their weakness. Elirana unhooked herself from Declan and crouched on the ground chanting a phrase over and over again. “
Uduith endin van a stone et lamin. Uduith endin van a stone et lamin
.”

The ground shook under Willow’s feet until a large fissure cracked in a large circle around them. Suddenly, the rock broke off from the shore and pushed off into the lava river. Elirana made a raft! The rock tilted dangerously as the
weight distribution was uneven. Chase lay down on his stomach and Willow helped Declan off him. Elirana sat down at the top of the raft and Chase moved down to the right. Willow placed Declan on his back setting his head in her lap over to the left side of the raft and it thankfully evened out.

The rushing lava was fast and Willow watched as the Wakwak birds pursued them
on the shoreline. After realizing their prey had outsmarted them, the birds took off flying ahead of them until the sound of their wings boomed in the distance again. The evil, flesh devouring Wakwak birds were finally gone and Willow had learned a valuable lesson: always think twice about helping an animal in need, no matter how harmless they may look.

Willow sigh
ed deeply before looking down at Declan’s wounds. She was drenched in his blood, but her hands were cradling his head softly. She ran her fingers through his hair and closed her eyes imaging his tendons reforming and new skin forming on his shoulders. The process wasn’t as fast as normal since she had to concentrate on mending his veins and making sure everything was in its rightful place. Once his skin had closed over the wounds, she began creating new red blood cells in his body to rejuvenate him and replace the blood he had lost. She willed his pain to go away. Her hands glowed yellow as she focused all her energy upon her love.

Declan’s eyelids flitted
open and she gazed down into beautiful hazel eyes. She memorized them watching her. The orange glow of the Deadlands shone in his eyes and there were tints of green and brown mixed in with the hazel. Beautiful and big, they stared back into her own brown eyes with such emotion, a lump formed in Willow’s throat. She loved him, and for once, she could save him, instead of the other way around.

“Did we win?” Declan asked her, the pull of a smile tugging on his very kissable mouth. Instead of answering though, Willow dipped he
r head and proceeded to kiss that mouth. Declan opened to her instantly. Willow’s hair fell around them creating a veil of privacy. She felt Declan’s hand reach up to cup her face as the kiss deepened. A low, guttural growl interrupted their moment and Willow looked up to see a very angry wolf staring daggers into her.

“Sorry Chase-couldn’t help it,” Willow said
smiling, not feeling one bit apologetic for her display of affection. The large black wolf shook his head and then turned away from them. He said no PDA, but Declan almost died…again! Willow could use any and all PDA whenever possible. She didn’t care anymore. She would love Declan regardless of who did or didn’t watch.

“Care to fill me in on the details?” Declan asked and sat up. He looked over the edge and saw the lava,
and then looked to Willow with raised eyebrows, scooting closer to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“The birds don’t like fire,” Willow said. “So I blasted them with fire and you fell from the sky. Elirana made the fall slower so I could catch you and then we came to the lava raft.”

“Elirana’s doing, I take it?” Declan asked and nodded at her. Elirana looked at them, cuts covered her flawless face. She nodded back. “Thanks,” Declan said.

“Elirana, do you want me to heal your wounds?”

“Oh…um, yes, I would appreciate that,” she said awkwardly, apparently taken off guard. Willow approached Elirana and quickly mended her cuts. They were much easier to heal than Declan’s by far. “You’re very beautiful, Elirana,” she complimented her as her face was once again the flawless beauty she is.

“Thank you Healer,” Elirana said. “And as far as beauty goes, you are also very lovely.” Willow’s cheeks heated at the compliment. She never really thought her beauty compared to that of an Elf, but Elirana was sincere in her words, and that meant something. She hoped they could become friends one day. Elves never really associated with other races unless they were trying to gain something from them. Yet, Elirana never faltered in aiding them when necessary and had displayed kindness and help when needed
, something she wasn’t expecting from an Elf. Perhaps Elves weren’t as selfish as her lessons had taught her.

“Chase?” Willow turned to the wolf, but his head was still turned from the group. He appeared to be brooding. “Do you need healing?” The wolf didn’t respond. Willow started crawling towards him
, but then he suddenly whipped his head around and snarled at her. Piercing blue eyes stared at her and his white teeth dripped saliva menacingly. Willow was shocked and hurt. “Chase,” she scolded him, but the large wolf just turned his head away from them again and rested them on his forepaws.

“Watch it, Wolf!” Declan yelled at Chase. He didn’t even move from his position.

“What’s his problem?” Willow asked and went back to Declan. Declan opened his legs so she could sit between them and lean against his chest. Declan wrapped his arms around her.

“Besides the fact that he’s a flea infested fur ball?” Declan asked. Chase didn’t even growl at that remark. Willow started worrying. Whispering in her ear so that only she could hear, he said, “He’s hurt, Willow.”

“What do you mean?” she whispered back.
“I tried to heal him…”

“
Not that kind of hurt,” he said. “Chase loves Elirana, but she doesn’t love him back. At least…not anymore.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I know that look. When you left me, even for the brief time we were apart, my world changed, and I was so hurt, even my friends noticed. I couldn’t hide it from anyone. Finley described my face as a blank longing. I didn’t know what that meant, until I saw it in Chase’s eyes. Then I knew.”

“What can we do?”

“We can’t fix them, Willow. Even though I know your nature is calling you to heal them, not everyone wants that. We have to let them deal with it. Elirana has a very strong personality, probably why Chase fell for her. She is the complete and total opposite of him.”

“Yea, he’s rambunctious and playful and she’s all serious and not fun.”

Declan laughed in her ear, tickling her. “Totally. Until Elirana breaks, Chase will continue hurting. I’m sorry, I know he’s your friend, but try to let it go.”

“Why are you so knowledgeable about relationships all of a sudden? You didn’t
know we would get back together…”

“I always hoped we would,” Dec
lan said and she turned around so she could look at him. “And hope is what allowed me not to give into the darkness completely. Besides,” he chuckled, “you give in way too easily. All I had to do was bid my time and attach myself to you so you couldn’t get rid of me. I knew you’d come around eventually.”

“Hey!”

Declan stopped her protests with a chaste kiss on her lips, effectively silencing her. When he pulled back, Willow licked her lips. He tasted good. She wondered if she would ever get enough of him. “And you’re still totally in love with me. I just had to make you admit it,” Declan said, focusing on her lips that she was drawing his attention to.

Willow looked at Elirana sitting silently watching her surrounding
s in front of her. What was going on in that inquisitive mind of hers? Then, she looked at Chase. Poor Chase. He looked forlorn and wounded. There were past hurts Willow couldn’t heal, and it hurt her inside knowing she couldn’t do anything about it. Healing the physical body was easy for Willow to do, but dealing with the emotional and relational hurt was nearly impossible.

They glided along easily on the
lava flow. It was as smooth as thick sap. Heat seeped out and created a hot smoke blazing from the reddish orange super-hot liquid. Yet despite the extreme temperatures the lava put off, Willow stayed quite cool. Elirana was using the moisture around them to her advantage, turning it cold. She was like a walking weather machine, keeping them from being incinerated. 

The journey down the lava was quick. The drop off Elirana talked about was fast approaching and the lava was falling down the cliff beyond. Elirana steered the rock with the wind to the shore and everyone hopped off onto the rocky terrain. Chase stayed in his wolf form. She didn’t know if it was because he didn’t want to talk to any of them, or simply because he didn’t have any clothes to change into. His behavior bothered Willow nonetheless. She wondered if Elirana cared about the way he was acting. It didn’t seem like it, but if she
used
to love Chase, like Declan said, it doesn’t just go away that fast. She may act cold hearted towards him, but what if it was just a cover up to protect herself?

“Look! Another road sign,” Declan pulled her out of her thoughts. There
was a path of dark rocks along the shores of the lava river that turned off between two large boulders going northwest. In front of the boulder, the sign read: Boiling Boulevard. They stood between the rocks, looking beyond. The path disappeared behind black hills.

“I don’t want to go there,” Willow stated.

“It’s a sign for the road, not an actual town like Grungetown,
I think. Right Elirana?” Declan asked.

“I do not know.”

“Do you feel the key is close?” Willow asked.

“I sense
greater evil here. It is my intuition that if we follow the lava, it will lead straight to the heart. The gold beckons me downward.”

“Downward?”

“Yes, we’ve been traveling downward this whole time, can’t you feel it?”

“Well…I guess I wasn’t paying that much attention.”

“The mountain tunnels took us down,” Declan agreed. “But I didn’t know how far.”

“We’re very close to the heart of the Deadlands,” Elirana said. “I can feel it. Everything is getting darker.”

Now that Elirana mentioned it, Willow was well aware of her surroundings now. Blackened tar and dried molten lava was the dominant terrain here. The temperatures were getting worse, her back was drenched in sweat, but that was nothing new. Elirana was right,
though. The sun wasn’t as bright down here. The land was darkening dramatically. Light from the fires of the river glowed bright to light up the night.

Swirling dark clouds formed in the sky and stretched like fingers reaching out, a deep rumbling
sound created in their wake. It sounded close. Wait, that wasn’t rumbling! That was…growling? Willow immediately looked to Chase who was low to the ground growling deeply at something towards the black hills. His haunches were up. Chase looked scary in the dim lighting, his black form blended in well with the environment so it was hard to tell how big he really was. In this moment, he was a super predator.

“Get behind the boulder!” Elirana hissed and followed the wolf to a hiding spot.

No sooner had she said that then a small group passed
between the boulders heading straight for the lava river. Yellow colored goblins were riding the backs of dark green Cù-Sìths. The Cù-Sìths were massive, as big as a bull, but resembled wolves. They had thick, shaggy fur that covered their bodies, dragging on the ground when they walked. The beasts looked like extremely hairy dogs. Chase watched the Cù-Sìths with an unwavering gaze, his blue eyes zoning in on the creatures. There were four in all. A hunting party. The leader pulled the reins on his Cù-Sìth and searched the land with his bright red irises.

“The Master said near the lava falls,” he said gruffly, his voice was scratchy
. He was the biggest of the goblins with large pig shaped ears and a round face. “You see ‘em?”

“No,” the goblin next to him said. “
But Master never lies. I can smell ‘em though. There’s a sweet in the air, yes?”

“Yes,” a goblin in the back said.
“They were here, not long ago.”

“
Or maybe…they still are,” the leader contemplated. “Spread out and search! Be wary! If the Wakwak birds were unable to catch ‘em, it means they’re a powerful lot!”

“Right,” the goblin
s said and they all took off in different directions, hunting for them in the dark. Willow trembled by Declan’s side.

Elirana tapped their shoulders and pointed in the direction of the black hills, nodding. They couldn
’t go back and follow the river since the hunters were out looking for them there. Going the opposite direction of scary creatures was always a plus, even though Willow didn’t like the looks of those mounds and the eerie sky above.

Chase growled low and crouched, still watching the Cù-Sìths
like he was readying himself to pounce. In a quick movement, Elirana grabbed the ruff of his neck and said, “Do not go after them. I know that look Chase Hawthorne, and if you expose us we’re dead. Don’t be stupid.” Chase’s head turned to stare her straight in the eyes. “Please don’t do it,” she gritted out through her teeth. Chase stared at her a while longer and then relaxed.

“
Okay, follow me,” Elirana whispered and ran stealthily away towards the hills. She reached the first hill and started running downwards on the path. There was no shelter in sight. The baying sound of the Cù-Sìth monsters sounded close. Willow’s breathing came out heavy and labored. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest.

“THERE THEY ARE!” a goblin screamed. The Cù-Sìth
he rode barked loudly and Willow turned to see the goblin leader and his Cù-Sìth at the top of the hill they just ran down. The Cù-Sìth took off bounding toward them. Deep rumbling and fierce snarling bellowed from the Cù-Sìths. Just once Willow would like to travel in peace without something chasing her! Willow pushed her legs, going as fast as she could. She could tell Declan pulled back to run with Willow so she wouldn’t be last.

Lightning from the dark clouds suddenly lit the sky. A deep orange color swirled on the bottom of the clouds above them. The Cù-Sìths were right on their heels. In a spinning move, Declan turned and sent a green lightning bolt out of his palm towards the beasts. It hit one in the head! The Cù-Sìth went down with a sickeningly loud howl and its rider tumbled down the hill with it.

A loud boom resounded in the night
sky and suddenly, fire was raining down on them! Small balls of flame, the fire rain sizzled down to the ground landing on the black tar beneath them. Everyone screamed and sped up, but the rain was beginning to pour orange fire everywhere! Each flame bit harshly into Willow’s flesh singeing her skin, and every time a drop hit, it stung and set her nerves ablaze with pain. She screamed in fear when Declan’s shirt caught on fire, but then he ripped it off his head and left it behind him. He was now running shirtless letting the fire land on his bare chest!

Elirana turned and shouted a w
ord in Elvish, aiming her hands at the clouds. Soon, rain was falling and mixing in with the fire, until only the rain came down on them, completely replacing the fire. The goblins and Cù-Sìths slowed their pursuit as fire still poured from the clouds on them. They were gaining distance away from the goblin hunters, running up and down the hills.

“There!” Elirana pointed to a small rock cleft. There was a small opening to a cave
and she made a mad dash for it. They burst into the cave and Elirana slumped to the ground, exhaustion written all over her face. Willow stood panting and watching transfixed as the fire rain came down harder and faster to the ground, pelting the black land forcefully with sparks of light. The rain was gone now that Elirana released her magic, and nothing but streaks of fire surged out of the clouds.

“Do you see them?” she asked
anxiously to Declan as he crept closer to the edge of the opening to look out. Fire was raining down so hard now, that the visibility beyond was extremely low.

“No,” he said breathlessly.
He was breathing heavily and put his hands on his hips. Black ashes and burns covered his body. Willow was already healing. She looked at Chase. His fur was singed, matted, and bleeding. His skin beneath was charred and the great wolf was whining and limping in pain.

Willow
immediately went up to him and placed her hands on Chase’s back and started to heal him. He collapsed on the cave ground, still panting from the run, but otherwise his wounds had mended.

Willow looked
towards the back of the cave in relief. It only went back about twenty feet and stopped. It was like this shelter had been carved into the rock face for just this purpose-providing protection from the fire rain. Boiling Boulevard! Willow understood why it was named that. It must rain down fire all the time!

Willow
healed Declan and Elirana quickly. Their wounds weren’t as severe as it could have been, thank goodness, with Elirana making it rain, rather than fire. She really had a unique magic capability, and even though Willow could manipulate
some
things in nature, it was nothing compared to what the Elves and Fey could do.

In her teachings, Willow had learned that both Fey and Elves had the same magic-to influence the elements of the world
, bending them to their will. They were once the same race, yet long ago, there was the Great Divide, separating the races to what they are today. The Fey turned into themselves, always acting and feeling with their emotions. They became wilder, sticking to the darker, stranger places of the world. They became ruled by their emotions, no reasoning whatsoever. They liked to manipulate others and play snide games with them, always making a way for them to be the victor. If a deal was made with the Fey, it always was to benefit them and there was no loophole to get out of the bargain. Willow unfortunately encountered the “hospitability” of the Fairies in the Everwild. They were the also the same Fey who sided with Hekate and her quest to rule the world.

The Elves however, also turned into themselves, becoming selfish and not helping other races in need. They stuck to their own realm, however. Reasoning and devotion to nature influenced them. They had more control over their emotions, and Elirana was a clear example of this. She could mask her emotions so well it was hard to tell what she was thinking. The only time Willow saw her act out of character was if she was arguing with Chase. Elves are fierce fighters and loyal beings. They could be kind if they wanted to and never acted mischievously or intended ill will towards others as the Fey. Nevertheless, both Elves and Fey considered themselves a superior race, and that did not bode well with everyone else.

Willow saw E
lirana sitting quietly. Her back was against the cave wall and she stared straight blankly ahead of her. She was staring at nothing, but Willow knew the Elf was in deep thought. She barely blinked and her expression gave nothing away of what was going through her mind, (of course), but it was obvious she was thinking hard about something. Elirana was also breathing evenly. Willow rolled her eyes. She really needed to exercise more to keep up with everyone around her, because right now, she was really exhausted. Healing people and running for her life took all of her extra energy. Willow sat down on the ground next to Elirana.

Somehow, she was thankful for the fire rain.
It stopped the pursuers from catching them, (she hoped they were either gone or incinerated to death), and a little rest was just what the doctor ordered.