Mythical (The Mystical Series Book 2) (6 page)

“What the hell? You want us to play tag? How is that training us?” Donovan demands.

I agree with him, not to mention I think I’ve had enough time exploring the forest. It’s pretty creepy around here in the home of elves.

“How long do you think they’ll last before surrendering?” Emily asks.

Carissa laughs. “I’d give them about a minute or two.”

Emily glances at us, an evil smirk spreading across her face.

“Hey! Are you going to tell us what’s going on?” Donovan asks impatiently, gripping his broomstick.

I can tell he is afraid and wonder why he lets Emily get to him so easily. I figure this game of tag won’t be what I think it’ll be.

“You feel his emotions?” Emily giggles to Carissa. “He’s afraid.”

A group of elves comes to stand near us. “Oh come on, witch, you kill corrupt mystics all the time. I’m sure a fun little game like tag won’t hurt you a bit,” Emily mocks.

“We heard you guys were gonna play tag!” a male elf yells out to us.

“Yeah, but it’s only for these two pathetics.” The group of elves chuckles among themselves, and I glare furiously at Emily.

Donovan clenches his fists tightly, his jaws tight with anger. The huddled elves make way for someone to walk through, and I see Christian emerging through the group, standing still on the hill looking at me, his eyes worried. He and I stare at one another for a minute. He knows I want to get back at him for hallucinating me into thinking his treehouse was built by him.

Although I do wonder why he would stay out there in the forbidden forest. Are the elf bullies really too much to for him to handle? I don’t want to find out.

Emily’s laughter fades away, seeing him gaze down at us. She crosses her arms over her chest, a burst of red blush flashes on her face, and she goes to stand in front of Donovan. Their height difference is pretty clear, and Donovan completely leans over Emily as she glares up at him.

“The rules are simple,” she says, glancing at me and at the group behind us. “You chase me, you tag me, you win. You can do whatever you need to do to catch me.”

“Anything?” I say.

“Anything. And I will do the same for you to
not
catch me.” She eyes Donovan, gripping his broomstick. “No weapons allowed.”

“Bullshit!” he yells. “This is a plot to kill us!”

“Hun, if I wanted you dead, I’d kill you myself and definitely wouldn’t use a game to do so.” She narrows her slanted eyes. “Drop ‘em.”

I place my hand on Donovan’s arm to calm him down, and his eyes dart toward me angrily.

“Donovan, I think she’s trying to help.”

I don’t want to believe Emily. Her emotions and actions are definitely suspicious. But she, in fact, is trying to help us learn, with a twisted method of doing so. Donovan’s breathing becomes normal.

“Where are we playing this stupid game? Here on the field?” Donovan asks.

“No, idiot, in the forest.”

I hold onto Donovan’s hand in case he might lash out at Emily and cause a battle right here. He glances down at me and clenches his fingers around mine.

“It’s okay,” I mutter.

There’s a reason why he’d get furious again; elves are hard to kill in the forest. My first thought is the portal, and that is the reason why they’d run into the forest. It makes me rethink my assumption when Emily suggested we play tag in the woods. Donovan tightens his grip. Tag shouldn’t be that hard anyway; it’s a child’s game.

“What does this game have to do with us training?”

“It builds your endurance and strategic improvisation,” she explains. “I’m sure you two will be fine. It’s only little ole me.” Carissa giggles in the background, and before we know it, Emily’s hazel green eyes are glowing in front of us. She slaps the side of my arm.

“Tag. You’re it.”

Chapter 6

Emily sprang into the air, kicking me onto the ground and dashing into the woods. Christian pushes his way through the crowded bunch, helping me up. I jerk my arm away from him, glaring up at him.

“Don’t touch me.” I don’t know why he’d think touching me is all right after abandoning me in a forbidden forest with corrupt mystics. If trust is what he wants from me, it is far gone by now.

“I can explain why I brought you there.”

To kill me, to do something others fear.
Strange enough, that little part comes back to my memory. He is in my mind, twisting and pulling different kinds of illusions, making me believe anything he is saying to me. I don’t know his game, but I’m sure of the reason why he’s a favorite here and why others are jealous of him. He can do things others can’t.

“You guys better get her before it becomes hide and go seek,” Carissa says.

Donovan jogs toward the forest, stopping to look back at me. Christian’s sweet scent wafts into my nostrils.

No, I will not be pulled into his manipulation again.

“She’s fast. Don’t chase behind her, and you should surrender if she climbs a tree,” Christian says to me. Walking away back into the crowd of elves, he is shoved around by the group of guys.

“Go back to your rotten forest,” one of the elves spits at him.

“Rose!” Donovan yells for me.

I walk to Don and take one last glance behind me. Christian is gone. Carissa skips toward the group of elves with her bow in her hands, nudges her friends whispering in their huddle. She looks up at me, feigns shooting my face, and laughs, flicking her blonde hair from in front of her eyes.

Christian says he doesn’t fit in here that much. Why did he have a gang in the forest we were forced to kill? If he is the leader of this group, you'd think he'd be less of a pushover. If we didn’t kill them off we’d be left for dead. Were they going to keep me alive and then kill off Donovan?

“Do not underestimate an elf,”
I remember. “
Exceptionally agile, quick reflexes, and excellent hand-eye coordination make them deadly fighters. Never follow one into a forest; you might regret your decision.”

Yeah, and my ancestors are forgetting how persuasive and what extreme illusionists they are. I shrug off the memory.

We enter the woods, and I fling the little branches away from my face so that I can see clearly what is in front of me. To my surprise, Emily is waiting for us. Holding out her index finger, she motions for us to chase her, then takes off running through the thick bushes and trees.

Donovan sprints by me. He’s fast, though not swift enough to handle an elf like her.

Everything around me is slowing down. I’m seeing leaves move lightly with the wind; I’m a tiny blur in the woods. My green markings are starting to feel alive again but aren’t fully awake; they’re not freezing my skin.

I run after him, stumbling over a large tree root. Donovan and Emily are a speckled image in front of me. Branches crack from above us, and I notice the green and pink leaves glittering. I place the palm of my hand on the bark. This time it lights up within its cracks.

I hear rustling leaves and dirt crunching. The woods are whispering to me. I gasp. I know where Emily is.

I run forward, diving into the bushes and leafy plants in front of me, racing after Donovan.

My body vibrates with each step I take, and my wet boots sink into the mud. My thigh muscles and calves contract from the vigorous movement. Breathing is too easy. I enjoy the cold, crisp air in my lungs. I lift my arm, seeing green light bouncing off my face from my new tattoos. I stop and hug a tree, resisting the urge to fall onto the ground. The pain doesn’t feel as fiery as the night I got them. This time it is freezing. I can practically feel the frost generating on my skin, tickling up to the edge of my wrist—and then stopping. I can’t freak out like I want to. Emily is in this forest taunting us and I’ve lost sight of Donovan. We’re supposed to be working together, hunting down this mystic. I breathe in deeply, focused solely on finding Emily. Donovan and I are
it
, and we have to get her to win the game. I pick up my pace again, feeling a sharp jolt punch through my body, forcing me against a tree.

Twigs and dark green vines slither around my ankles and thighs, snaking up to my neck, choking me. The wind becomes stronger and the scent of mint travels into my nostrils. One sharp twig hovers in between my eyes, ready to puncture me at any deadly second.

Emily is standing not too far away from me, her fingers splayed out to where I’m held captive by her vines, and her eyes are beaming vibrantly. She loses interest in hurting me, her face filling with worry. I can sense her emotions flooding out of her body, shifting rapidly, as she twirls around to find Donovan rushing through the bushes for her.

He kicks Emily against a tree and then rushes over to grapple her neck roughly, holding the elf up against the rough bark. She chuckles to herself, snarling and flashing her teeth at the witch before her, her eyes glowing their forest green.

“You’ll never win,” she sneers.

The dirt circles around Donovan, and a root flicks him away. Emily is released from his grip, dropping to the ground on her feet, her blonde hair floating behind her.

She takes off running, glancing back at me over her shoulder and blowing a cocky kiss. I rip the weeds and vines from my arms and run after my opponent. She’s unaware that I am by her side, and I’m shocked at how fast I’ve reached her. We’re both blurred images in the woods; she’s next to me running. Luckily the plants keep me hidden.

Surprising my enemy from a bunched up group of ferns, I leap out, grappling her slim waist. We hit the dirt, and she forces my head down into the ground.

I roll to my side and lash out, punching her across the forest floor. The adrenaline rush is exhilarating. She gets up, circling around me.

“You think you’re going to win this game?”

“Whatever I have to do to stop you,” I say with a glare.

“You’re trying to impress Christian, yeah?” She bends down to pick up a broken branch. “He doesn’t like you. It’s all a game, witch.”

“I can care less if he likes me or not.”

Her boots crack a branch on the ground. “Is that so? How was the treehouse? You aren’t the first he’s taken there.” Maybe that’s an elf thing; playing mind games is what they do best.

Donovan warned me about this; I didn’t listen.

“If you’re going to let an elf trick and play with your heart like this, you’ll never survive in Rav.” She flips around, swiftly climbing up the tree behind her.

I remember what Christian said about her getting on a tree, and I dart after her. I grab on to one of her legs, pulling her back down. She twirls her legs in the air while she’s on her back, causing me to fall, but I land on the dirt in push-up position. She kicks me across the scattered leaves and twigs.

“Still pathetic.” She swipes her thighs, allowing the foliage to come alive, holding me in place.

Donovan finally reaches us, panting and struggling for air.

“Coming to get me, lover boy?” She blows another kiss, flipping away and vanishing.

Donovan’s rushes toward me, completely angered.

“Get it together, Rose,” he snaps, leaning down to help me up.

“I’m trying, okay!” I’m so on the urge of punching him next; this isn’t a normal child game.

“You’re not trying hard enough.”

We hear giggles through the bushes Emily ran through. Two birds fly through the leaves on the trees and a squirrel scurries across the ground. These sounds are driving me crazy. A branch breaks behind us, but I don’t think Donovan is aware of the snap. I turn my head to my side. I know Emily’s still in this forest and it’s like I can track her steps.

A pink leaf flutters down, and Donovan steps forward but I tug on his arm, pulling him back to face me.

“What if we cut her off?” I suggest. “Trap her.”

Really what else can we do? She has powers, and she’s fast, not to mention her flexibility’s pretty incredible.

He leans in closer toward me with his icy blue eyes staring down my neck. Time is of the essence, and soon it will be dark. I can already start to see my breath in front of me; it’s becoming awfully cold in Ellevil. I walk next to a tree, placing my hand on its bark. It glows up light pink, tracing up to the ends of the tree’s leaves. I glance up and see Donovan is completely puzzled.

“What the hell? How is that glowing?”

“I have no clue. I brush my hands against the bark and it glows.”

“That isn’t normal, Rose.”

I remove my palm, staring up at him as he walks in closer.

“Look, do you want to end this game and get out of this place? Do you want to go back home or not?” He lifts up my hand and holds it, his eyes searching my face. “Will you come with me if we end this?”

“Donovan, you know what I’m here for.” I try to jerk my hand away, but he won’t let go. He pulls me in against his chest and I resist. “I don’t think this is the time to hug.”

“I’m not trying to hug you.” His silver markings are glowing and so are mine, only they’re sizzling; it’s like we’re being glued together. The feeling fades away as we part. I press my cheek on his hardened chest and the end of his chin is on my head.

There’s silence in the forest, and I’ve lost track of Emily. This strange interaction and incomplete connection we keep trying to build is inevitable. He’s always saving me; he’s always here. What if Donovan is gone, how will I cope, and will I ever be complete without him here? I know I can handle things on my own. There’s no hesitation in killing a mystic that intends harm toward me. Donovan happens to always come running right when I’m about to kill one on my own. I’m glad we’re stuck together like this, so he can’t read my face as these thoughts race in my head.

A vibration buzzes within our grasp, like the sound of a firecracker exploding.

“Fine,” he sighs as we part. “I don’t know what happened, and I don’t care. Let’s go.”

“Don’t freak out,” I say, placing my palm on the bark again. He steps back a bit, seeing the color rise. “Don’t say anything. Let the forest speak to you.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Shut up and listen.” I wave my free hand at him. Emily isn’t running, but within the slightest sound hidden in the many natural noises I hear her exhale. I drop my hand, breaking the connection with the tree.

“I’ll go this way.” I gesture to my left. “You go that way.” I nod my head to the direction in front of us. Donovan’s looking at me, puzzled again. “I know it’s weird. I can’t explain. Just do it.

“I’ll meet you around and see what happens,” I say, walking to my left.

“Hey.” He grabs my arm, pulling back in front of him. “You might need this. I forgot to give it back when we were in that forbidden forest.” He hands me my broomstick.

“Thanks.”

“How will I know where you are if we get lost?”

“You shouldn’t have a problem with that. You always end up finding me anyway.”

Donovan lifts up his thumb, wishing me good luck. He clicks on his broomstick and cuts the plants out of his way.

The freezing sensation brushes under my right arm again, and the light vibration is soothing.
I splay out my fingers, then clench them back into a fist. The birds around me become silent, and the squirrels are still. I hear a slight crackle of twigs on the ground crunch behind me.

I know where Emily is.

***

I jab my left elbow behind me and miss. Emily easily dodges my attack and throws a punch, aiming toward my face.

Instinct, Liza,
my mother snaps in my head.

I tilt my neck to the side, glaring at my opponent. Emily spins around, swinging her right leg to kick me. I grab her ankle, but before I can throw her away from me her left leg plows into my neck, smashing me against a tree. She executed a perfect aerial.

Emily darts toward me, twirls around, and prepares to smash the side of her elbow into my neck. I block her arm, slithering underneath her and twisting her wrist. A loud crack erupts, and she curses.

I smirk, but that’s a bad thing to do, because Emily slams my chest into the tree in front of us.

“You’ll lose,” she says. “Always acting cocky.”

“How’s that wrist?” I taunt, spitting dirt from my mouth.

Donovan appears behind her, and as soon as I dart my eyes away from her face, she knows he’s here. He sprints toward Emily, grabbing her neck, but she’s too quick. She wraps her slim hands around his thick arms, slamming him down against me with a grunt.

“Get her before she runs,” I say dryly.

***

Donovan whirls around, and I dash to the side, both of us blocking Emily from running away. Emily stands still, panting from the little fight we had, holding onto her wrist.