Deadlands (The Healer Series, #2) (16 page)

“You bastard!” She said and squirmed and fought them up
a set of steep stairs.

“
Keep your tongue, Witch,” Oden said. “You’re about to meet the King of the Deadlands. And he does not do kindly to insolence.”  

She
shut her mouth at that as they came into a room filled with light. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as fear overwhelmed her. Willow was about to find out who the Deadland King was.

The V
ampires ushered Willow to a Great Hall. Black marble floors and large onyx pillars surrounded the area. Black drapes hung in rivulets across the ceiling, and dozens of black Wakwak birds sat atop the metal railing that connected the curtains together. It seemed black and darkness was a theme in this palace. Gargoyles and scary stone statues were placed randomly around the room, also made of black.

Large trolls stood around wea
ring helmets and several other Vampire knights were also milling about the room. Smaller worker goblins were bustling around carrying trays and drinks, tending to any need the soldiers had. Everyone was standing, and everyone was staring at her with piercing, inquisitive eyes. The Hall had no windows and the walls were painted black (go figure), making everything dark, except for the light from the flaming throne that caught Willow’s eyes like a blazing beacon in the night.    

The V
ampires pushed her in front of a throne built of wood and thorns. Even though it was ignited in flames, the throne did not burn in the midst of the fire. A large blue demon sat on the throne watching her avidly with big round eyes that were the blackest of night. The eyes held no white and they glistened like glass. Two sets of horns sat atop the demon’s head, longer than rams’ horns, thicker than a rhino’s. They curled at the ends like a branching tree. The demon slumped in the chair casually and held a long staff in his right hand, a ball of fire at the tip of it giving off a pulsating glow. His left arm was propped on the arm of the throne and the demon rested his large head in the palm of his hand, studying her thoroughly.

“
The infamous Witch Healer,” he said in a deep, gruff voice. It was rough, as if the smoke from the fire infected his lungs for too long. His voice was filled with malice and hate and Willow instinctively cringed, afraid and unable to move as the demon judged her with his piercing eyes. She, in turn, evaluated him. His ashy blue skin had well defined muscles all over his body in places where she didn’t know muscles existed. He was buff and huge, and it plainly showed since the demon was naked except for a small cloth covering his lower half.

“Somehow I expected…more,” the demon said
facetiously. Soft laughter came from the demon’s guards around the room. He messed with something around his neck, which brought Willow’s attention to what he was fiddling with. A small golden key hung loosely on the gold chained necklace the demon was wearing. Willow’s heart jumped. The KEY!

The blue demon
smiled wide, revealing many rows of razor sharp teeth. His voice seemed to deepen as he said, “Do you speak, Witch, or does my presence intimidate you? I assume you did not expect the Deadlands to be so…acclimated, yes?”

Willow still didn’t respond. She was scared
beyond reason. If she tried speaking right now, no words would come out. She shook and trembled in the Vampire’s embrace. The demon was huge and there was no way she would be getting the key now. The Vampires squeezed her arms harder and she inhaled sharply from the pain. Her situation was so hopeless, there was no point trying to reason with the monster standing before her. She was all alone in a room full of evil.

The demo
n addressed the Vampires. “This is the Healer, correct?”

“Yes, Master,” M
ilosh and Oden bowed. 

“Did you test her power?”

The Vampires stuttered and shook their heads, too afraid to tell him how Willow’s shields disarmed them. The demon waved his hand. “Bring the Warlock.”

Large metal doors opened with a bang as two trolls came out dragging Declan. He was covered in bruises and blood and his head slumped into his chest. He couldn’t hold his body weigh
t and so the trolls had to carry him, his legs swiping along the floor. A Vampire came over and placed a chair near Willow and the trolls hurriedly sat him down. Declan had been tortured. Deep puncture wounds made wide holes in his body. He was bare-chested, but you couldn’t tell with all the dirt covering his body. His hands and feet were in chains.

Declan was her love, and he was broken before her.
The Vampires turned her to face Declan and tears poured out of her eyes of their own accord. She wasn’t strong. She
couldn’t
be strong in this situation. She needed to heal him so badly. He was hurting! A Vampire came around the back and fisted Declan’s hair, forcing his head up and putting his neck in a choke hold.

“Declan,” Willow said his name softly
, her heart stuttered as her chest heaved with sobs. It was a miracle she could even say his name she was so disheartened. A huge lump was in her throat and she swallowed thickly to try to get his attention. Her mouth was so dry! “Dec…”

Declan’s
eyes opened at hearing her say his nickname, and Willow gasped. Declan’s eyes were blazing orange pupils searching for her avidly. His eyes never landed on her, even though she was feet from him. It was like the orange fire replaced his vision and he was blind.

“
This fool tried to overpower us,” the demon bellowed from his throne. “Look at his Warlock powers! He’s a Destroyer! How dare he think he can best us! We put him in his place, though, didn’t we boys?” The room uttered in approval and nodded, watching Declan with sneers and disgust.

“Declan,” she said his
name again, but it was like he couldn’t hear her. He didn’t respond, just stared blankly with his orange colored eyes.

“Let me go to him!” Willow yelled finally. “He needs me!”

“Oh, we will,” the demon hissed, then nodded to a Vampire close by. The Vampire approached Declan slowly, carrying a sharp looking knife with a jagged edge on one side of the blade. Taking the knife, he thrust it into Declan’s leg and cut a deep gash across it! Blood gushed out everywhere and Declan screamed in pain. His eyes blazed and then suddenly his hands ignited into fire by his sides and he threw a flaming ball in the air. One of the curtains caught fire and devoured the cloth in minutes.

The demon laughed maliciously, his deep voice echoing off the castle walls. “Look at him! Look how we bring the darkness out of him! He would be an excellent warrior in our ranks!” Declan cried out until he was gagged with cloth, but even then, his screams could be heard.

“STOP IT!” Willow screamed, tears streaming down her face. “STOP!”

The demon stood off his throne and came down the steps. Willow’s heart pounded as the demon reached the marbled floor and taking heavy steps as he walked over to them. He was extremely tall and looked like an ox. Two large gold rings hung from his ears and the necklace jingled when he walked.   

“Witch,” the demon said after abruptly ending his evil laugh. “Go heal him. I want to see this!”

The V
ampires threw Willow out of their grasp where she fell hard on the marble floor, but that didn’t deter her from reaching Declan in seconds. Yellow light burst into her hands and she focused all her healing energy on healing his leg wound. But she didn’t stop there. She gripped his skin and sent tingling energy shooting through her to him. She was desperate in her attempt to heal every single wound inflicted upon him and it seemed like her power tripled as Declan’s wounds closed supernaturally fast. The last thing she did was cupped his face and saw the fire in Declan’s eyes flicker between orange and hazel. Declan was trying to come back to her.

“I’m here, I’m here,” Willow
said to him and pressed her warm lips upon his momentarily. She was ripped away from him seconds later by the two Vampire guards.

“Leave us,” the demon said and turned his back walking up to his throne again. Declan was pulled away from Willow and back through the metal doors. The trolls and several other guards emptied the Great Hall until it was only Willow an
d the two Vampires. “I said, leave,” he scolded the Vampires. “Do you think your King cannot handle her alone?” he shouted and the Vampires instantly let go and rushed out of the room in a blur of movement.

Willow looked at the blue demon, hatred relevant in her eyes.
She straightened her back and wiped the tears off her face. “Do not touch him again, beast!” she yelled up at him.

The Deadland King laughed
. “They told me you were strong-willed, when we force it out of you. That Warlock and you are connected somehow, aren’t you? It’s obvious! You heal, he destroys. It’s ironic, really. An act of one of the Fates perhaps?”

“What are you talking about? Where did you take him?” Willow
demanded.

The blue demon stood off his throne. He stormed down the throne and Willow backed up qui
ckly in fear, but something was happening. Willow gasped and watched in awe as the demon’s features were changing right before her eyes! With each step he took, the demon changed. His horns protruded inside his head, he grew shorter and narrower, to an hourglass figure. The blue of his skin changed to a long blue dress, and the demon grew long blue hair passed its shoulders to the small of its back. Where a blue demon was before, a beautiful woman now stood before her. She stopped several feet in front of Willow and gave her a moment to take in her new appearance. 

The woman had icy blue eyes on her
pale face. She had a heart shaped face, with pink cheeks and blue lips that added to the cold look. Her hair was ocean colored blue, not the teal as Elirana’s eyes, but darker, like the blue of the open ocean.

“Who are you?” Willow asked shakily
, dread filling her and making her body tremble.

The woman smiled brightly. She had straight white teeth and it actually made her look less evil. She had a deeper voice, almost husky and full of seduction. “I would think you would be ab
le to recognize one of your own!” She declared. “Hekate made me believe you were much stronger than what I see before me. But you are a naïve, stupid little First Degree Witch. I guess it is to be expected.”

“You’re a W
itch?” Willow squeaked. “You know Hekate?”

The woman laughed
. The laughing echoed off the empty walls in the hall and sounded low and wicked. “Hekate is my sister. My name is Selene.”

“
If you’re a Witch, then how can you switch forms like a Werewolf?” Willow asked and took a step back. Selene pursed her lips, noticing her move.

“You can heal. Your Warlock destroys. I’m a form changer,”
Selene said darkly. “We cannot choose our powers we are born with, nor can we change our fate.”

“You can always change your fate,” Willow snarled.

“Not if the Fates make it so,” Selene responded back just as nastily.

“I’m not sure what you mean…”

Selene circled Willow assessing her. “You know nothing. Hekate is so straight minded. She does not see passed what is before her. There must be a way to extract not only your power, but of the Warlock as well. Witches can only take power from Witches, yes? But with the combined knowledge of the Three it could be possible.”

“The
Three?” Willow asked.

Selene
laughed again. “There I go thinking out loud again.” She turned to Willow and assessed her darkly. “Hekate wanted me to inform her if you ever tried to come for the key here. Yet I am the oldest sister, I should be the one to decide your fate, Willow Rose,” She played with the key on her necklace only inches away from Willow’s grasp. She smiled. “You think we didn’t know you’d come here? You think you are a step ahead of us? You…know NOTHING!” She screamed. “I created a world down here. I came here long ago to set up my domain. Creatures bow down to me! I am the Queen of the Deadlands! My army is finally ready. We will overcome every race, my sisters and I. We will dominate and no one, not even the sacred Healer, can stop us!”

Willow stood there shaking listening to
Selene’s plan. She had no idea Hekate had a sister, or that they had been crafting and planning their rise to power. “What will you do with me?” Willow cried.

Selene
began walking back up to the throne of flames, and every step she took she grew bigger and broader. The rippling muscles of the beast formed, his horns grew large and sat atop his head. The blue demon was back. Selene had shifted forms at will and rapidly to boot. The blue demon climbed the steps and turned around, settling himself in his seat. His large black eyes looked upon Willow and his mouth sneered to show his sharp teeth again. The Deadland King was back.

The demon
’s voice was gruff and low when he spoke. “I will not be so quick to call upon Hekate for her to come extract your powers. You will remain here and I will test your limits…be my little…” he paused, thinking for the right word, “…pet. Besides, I still have another issue to deal with before I unleash my army upon the world. GUARDS!” He bellowed and immediately the Vampires rushed in. “Take her back to her cell. And this time, do not allow her to use her shield against you!”

“Yes, Y
our Majesty,” the Vampires said baffled and scared that the demon knew what had happened to them when they first retrieved Willow. They took hold of her arms and whisked her away, out of the Great Hall, through a corridor, and down the dark stairs, throwing her into the empty cell, where she fell to the ground and burst into tears.