Everwild (The Healer Series, #1) (23 page)

Declan stepped in front of Willow. “You’re
the one who brought us here in the first place,” he said defiantly.
“So why don’t you return what rightfully belongs to Willow, and
we’ll be on our way.”

The King laughed. It was a breathless,
heartless chuckle. “That’s funny. I don’t take orders from warlock
scum. And you know full well that the only way you can get the
talisman back is to win a challenge, regardless of who the original
owner is.”

“What’s the challenge?” Declan asked, his
hands balled into fists at his side.

“My Queen desires a challenge of strength.
Willow must battle a creature of our choosing in the arena. A
simple fight to the death.”

“What creature?”

The King crossed his arms. “An Angont.”
Declan’s face turned pale and Willow’s heart thudded in her chest
in fear. The Fey owned an Angont? The King sighed. “Don’t look so
surprised, young magic caster. As this is one of our North American
territories we dwell in, it is only fitting we acquired one of
the…” he paused thinking for the right word, “native creatures of
the region.”

“You’re sick,” Declan spit out.

“On the contrary,” the King said, “I find
that owning an Angont is very convenient. But I don’t need a silly
warlock to tell me about our ways. So here’s what’s going to
happen. You’re going to say goodbye to the Healer. Tomorrow, she
will fight against the Angont for her talisman. Perhaps after the
Angont rips off her limbs, they’ll grow back. After all, she is a
Healer!” The King and his men laughed.

“As son of Emerson Aldridge, Head Warlock of
the Emerald Circle, I offer to take her place in the arena,” Declan
said loudly and grabbed Willow’s hand. Willow’s mouth dropped open.
The King instantly stopped laughing and narrowed his black eyes on
Declan.

“Why would you take this honor from the
beloved Healer?” the King asked.

“I love her,” Declan said with such
confidence it made Willow’s heart burst open once again.

The King was silent for a moment, looking at
the magic casters’ clasped hands and then smirked showing his stark
white teeth. “Love, is it?” he hissed. “Well, this will indeed be
interesting. Your offer is accepted, however, the Healer
will
be a part of this challenge tomorrow, regardless.
Guards, lock this insolent warlock in the cells. Send for Kalista
to take Willow to one of the guest rooms. ”

With that, the King disappeared with several
other Fey leaving as well. Two Fairy knights quickly rushed at
Declan and cuffed his hands with silver twine and led him away.
“Wait!” Willow called after them and nearly tripped on the train of
her gown, “Please! Declan, don’t leave me again! Take me to the
cells with him! Stop!”

Declan tried turning around but the Fey
wouldn’t let him. They evaporated into thin air and left Willow
with a gaping hole in her heart. Not again! Unrelenting tears
streamed down her face. Kalista approached Willow with her head
bowed and her hands folded together. “Come with me, my Lady,” she
said softly and turned around expecting Willow to follow.

As soon as Willow made it to the bedroom she
was supposed to “sleep” in, she tried to take her gown off by
herself, but she couldn’t get to the zipper in the back, so she
ended up ripping it. Damn Fairies! Tears pooled in her eyes and she
threw herself on the fluffy white bed and cried her heart out. Her
makeup washed off on the satin pillowcases and she screamed into
the pillow muffling her cries. There was no way she would get sleep
tonight.

Some time later there was a soft scratching
on the door. It was so quiet that Willow thought she was imagining
it. But when she opened the door after the fifth scratch, the
largest black wolf stood there panting. “Chase!” she exclaimed.
Chase could nearly look her straight in the eyes, but his deep blue
spheres were watching her intently, like he was trying to tell her
something. Willow couldn’t help the tears that fell down her face
at seeing him.

“Where have you been, boy?” Willow asked and
reached out to scratch his ears. Chase moaned and licked her cheek.
“Hey! No kisses,” she said and wiped off the spit. “Can you shift,
Chase?”

The big wolf shook his head, but then
motioned down the hallway. “Is someone coming?” Willow asked
shakily and poked her head out to check. There was no movement or
any sign of Fey around. Again, the wolf shook his head and whined,
then started walking down the hallway. Willow followed him. “Where
are we going?” she whispered, afraid someone was going to pop out
of the shadows and either scare her or take her away. Chase snapped
his jaws together. Willow got the hint that Chase wanted her to be
quiet.

So quietly, Chase led her down narrow stairs,
down a long hallway, took a few different turns, and then finally
made it to another set of stairs. It was dark, with a few lit
torches lighting the way. It smelled musty and stank and the stairs
seemed like they went on forever, dropping down into a dark abyss.
The sparkles on Willow’s dress cast an eerie glow on the walls from
the reflection of the flames.

Finally, at the bottom of the stairs, in the
deepest black yet, just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse,
a small light illuminated a cell, and in it, was her love. Declan
was sitting holding his knees with his head hidden between them. He
was still wearing his tux, now dirty, torn, and disheveled from the
dust and soot from the cold floor. Willow couldn’t breathe. She
sucked in a breath, and just as she did, Declan heard her. His head
popped up and searched in the darkness for her.

Willow rushed up to the cells with tears
falling down her cheeks. Declan met her at the bars and held her
fiercely. All she wanted now was to be in his arms. His strong
presence filled her, overwhelmed her and saturated her. She pulled
back only to be drowned with kisses from Declan. He kissed away her
salty tears; he kissed her lips, her forehead, and cheeks. Between
kisses, Willow reprimanded him.

“You’re so stupid, Dec.” Kiss on her lips.
“Why did you do tha—” Deeper kiss on the lips. “I can’t believe
you—”

“Willow, shut up,” Declan said nipping her
lower lip. He kissed her with such passion it left her breathless.
As his tongue entered her mouth, Chase growled behind them. Willow
jumped back and untangled herself from Declan’s hold, always so
lost in Declan she had no regard of who was there watching.

In the dark, Chase looked invisible besides
his glowing eyes. “Keep a look out, Chase,” Willow said and turned
back to Declan. She heard another low growl, but decided to ignore
that one. “Dec,” she exhaled and sat with him on the ground. “Let’s
just leave this place.” Declan looked appalled. “I don’t need my
talisman. I still have magic. I can’t let you face the Angont! We
have to get out of here, Dec, I just—”

“Willow, stop,” Declan said and cupped her
face. “I would do anything for you. You’re talisman is a part of
you. We’re not leaving here without it. I will win. Trust me.”

“I do. It’s them I don’t trust. I can feel
something bad is gonna happen, and I know you feel it too. We just
need to go. Please.”

“Hey! What are you doing down here!” Two
fairy guards saw her from the end of the hallway. They came at her
so quickly she didn’t have time to react. They grabbed her, and
even though she had a death grip on the cold metal cell bars, she
was too weak to resist. They pulled her away from Declan kicking
and screaming. Declan called out reassurances to her but they were
only drowned out by Willow’s calls for him in the blackness of the
prison.

In less than five minutes, Willow was thrown
back in her room, two guards stationed at her door. She was
threatened that if she tried to leave again, they would torture
Declan. That, of course, shut her up. They had found her weakness.
They knew how to get her to obey. Unfortunately for her, her
weakness came in the form of the most attractive, frustrating,
stubborn warlock ever. Declan Aldridge was her weakness.

Willow woke up to a hard, cold floor. She
snapped awake and sat up. She didn’t remember falling asleep. Where
was she? Quick observation: a small black platform. Her hands and
ankles were bound in chains that were attached to the floor. And
she was half naked. She wore a very short skirt and a tube top that
was more of a bra than an actual top. It was scratchy and
uncomfortable. Her long hair was tied up in a weird, intricately
shaped bun on the top of her head. What is this?

She was jerked forward suddenly when the
platform started moving upwards. She didn’t go far when bright
light was thrust into her vision, and her heart plummeted. The
platform rose up to a massive, circular arena. Benches where the
entire Fey kingdom sat looking down at her encompassed the stadium.
Directly in front was a large sky view box where the King and Queen
sat comfortably on their thrones, overseeing the events. Willow was
trapped in a large translucent box to the side of the arena. Just
above her head was a pipe that let in air for her to breathe.

The entire floor of the arena was covered in
dirt and coarse, dead grass. Obstacles, boulders, and various stone
statues, pillars, and archways were splayed all over the ground,
methodically placed as hiding places or traps for the victim. A
twisted game of cat and mouse was about to be played.

Below the King and Queen was a dark tunnel
with a large portcullis. Was that where they kept the Angont?
Willow swallowed. Her throat was dry. The noise around her was
muffled due to the strange cage she was in, but the Fairies around
her were talking excitedly. They were all decked out in beautiful
colors that reflected the sun high in the sky. The King, underneath
the shaded pergola looked dark and menacing. Even from this
distance, the smirk on his face was enough to send a bolt of fear
through her.

The King snapped his fingers and suddenly a
hidden door opened and out stepped Declan with his hands tied
behind his back accompanied by two Fey guards. He was wearing a
simple T-shirt and shorts. No armor and nothing to block the
attacks of the vicious beast. It wasn’t fair! Declan spotted her
instantly, and as their eyes connected, Willow’s heart skyrocketed
in her chest. He gave her a small smile, trying to look confident,
but Willow could tell he was scared. Declan put up a front, trying
to appear brave and strong, but he was only a warlock in training.
He didn’t know half the things an advanced warlock knew, and should
know in order to face a challenge this horrific. And that was what
scared Willow the most. Could he succeed? What if he failed? What
if he died?

“Good Fey people of the Everwild!” King
Diazinon stood from his throne to address his people. The crowd
silenced and turned to their dark leader. “Today we will witness a
challenge!” The crowd roared in pleasure. “One that we have not
indulged in for many years!” he continued. “Declan Aldridge, son of
Emerson Aldridge, Head Warlock of the Emerald Circle had chosen to
fight the Angont in place of the Healer, Willow Rose. It will be a
fight to the death! Whose death, you ask? Well, that is up to our
brave warlock! I address you now, Declan,” the King looked down at
him as the Fairy guards cut the ropes that bound him and stepped up
to the portcullis. “Unfortunately, this challenge is timed. As you
can see, your Healer is chained in the timekeeping box, which will
fill up with water in one hour. Fail to kill the Angont and save
the precious Healer in time, and she will die. However, if you
succeed in killing the Angont, the water will stop and the talisman
will be hers. Are we clear?”

Declan was furious. His rage was palpable on
his features as he glared at the Fairy King. By the end of the
King’s speech, and knowing the exact details of the challenge,
tears were streaming down Willow’s face. The King had said she
would play a part in the challenge, but she didn’t know how
involved she would be. This was dangerous and incredibly
terrifying. “I can’t hear you, warlock!” The King waited, mocking
him.

With one last glance back at Willow, Declan
declared. “I understand!”

“Then let the games begin!” The King
announced. “Open the gate!”

The two Fey cranked open the gate very, very
slowly. Declan retreated behind a small rock and crouched down low
to the ground rubbing his hands together charging his magic. A deep
throated growl was released from the tunnel, and with it, a gust of
air sending dust flying into the arena. Silence followed. Willow
waited on edge and nervous. Her hands were plastered to the box
looking towards the tunnel when suddenly a trickle of water landed
on her shoulder and cascaded down her back. She looked up. The pipe
was slowly opening and water was raining down on her. Her fear
increased as the water pooled down by her bare feet. But she
couldn’t focus on what was happening to her because just then, the
Angont stepped out of the cave.

By far the most fearsome creature she’s ever
seen, the Angont towered in the entrance of the cave, its whole
body filling the opening. It was every bit of a dragon, but looked
like a snake. It had thick green scales covering its body and
walked on four sturdy legs. Its head was covered in horns and had a
large mouth with a forked tongue. Behind him was a slithering tail
with spikes that could eject from it at the dragon’s will. It was
venomous. It was deadly. It was out to kill.

Because it was so large, it instantly spotted
Declan hiding behind the rock. Letting out a loud roar, the Angont
charged at him. Declan jumped up and blasted a lightening bold that
hit the Angont directly in his chest. It only angered the beast.
Declan ran to another boulder, but tripped over a root that jumped
out at him. The Angont whipped his long tail around and sent a
spike straight for him! Declan rolled just as it hit the place he
was mere seconds ago. He scurried to his feet and ran to hide
again.