The Last Witch (Incenaga Trilogy) (25 page)

“I thought someone else was coming for me.”

“Are you okay?” He brushed the hair from her face and gasped. “You’re bleeding.”

"
I’m fine.”

"
No you aren’t.” He tore fabric from her underskirts and pressed it to her head. “That was quite the fall you took.”

“Adelia can’t see me like this
. She’ll ask too many questions.”

“
Don’t worry, we’ll clean you up at the stables.” Ignoring her protests, he swooped her into his arms and carried her to his horse. He mounted behind her and set an easy pace, his arms still cradling her.

“Thank you for not leaving me with them,” Emmeline said after awhile.

“Never
.” He squeezed her closer.

They rode to the shade tree
and Emmeline mounted Filia. Ignoring the pounding in her head, she urged Filia into a gallop toward the stables. The rhythmic rise and fall eased her mind and released the tension from her body, but the moment she dismounted, the tension returned. Erick tended to the horses while she fidgeted with her dress. She hated that he knew she was an Incenaga, or rather, that he knew she had lied to him all along. He was quiet while he worked and Emmeline feared the revelation had been too much for him.

Erick rubbed his shoulder
exposing a massive bruise on his neck. A fresh wave of concern sent her fingers into a flurry of panic as she abused the fabric of her gown. It didn’t matter who Erick thought she was or wasn’t, she was putting him in danger every moment they were together. Guilt consumed her, reaching up from inside to twist her features into a mask of shame. Her need to be outside had been satisfied at Erick’s unknowing risk. Because of her, he had narrowly escaped the very danger she had been trying so hard to avoid.

Emmeline
looked up from her twisting fingers just as Erick finished settling the horses into their stalls. He glanced her way and frowned.

“
I’m not going to see you again, am I?

Emmeline
searched his face, unsure why he wasn’t questioning her about being an Incenaga, or asking her why she hadn’t told him.

“Tell me.
” he said when she didn’t answer. “I see it in your face, your eyes, and in the way you’ve crossed your arms. You aren’t coming to the stables again, are you?”

“
Adelia and Mahlon were right. I should have listened to them before. I didn’t fully understand the risk, I suppose. It isn’t safe for me to wander the countryside. I have been putting you in danger and I won’t do that anymore. ”

“Don't worry about me.
Haven’t I proven today that I can protect myself? And you?”

“It was the man from the forest. He was there. Did you see him?”

Erick frowned.

“Who knows
how many other people he’s told? This very moment there could be an army on their way to enslave me.”

“I can protect you.”

“Not from an entire army. It isn’t fair for me to put you at risk anymore.”

Erick looked toward the field for several long moments before looking back at her. “T
here is someplace I haven’t shown you yet, and you have to see it. It’s far from where anyone could find us. You’ll be safe there.”

Emmeline shook her head.
“It’s too dangerous.”

“
Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I do.
Do you trust me?”

Erick furled his brow. “You know I do.”

“But I didn’t tell you who I really am.
What
I really am.”

“
I figure you had a good reason. Besides, it doesn’t matter to me who you are. To me, you’re just Emmeline.”

Emmeline
smiled sadly.

“We should at least have one more ride together.”

“Are you sure we won’t come across anyone else?”

“Positive.”

“Then I’ll meet you in the morning, but it will have to be our last ride.”

“
Come early then, so we can have a long day together.”

Together.
It was a word that pierced Emmeline’s heart, a status that would never define them. She nodded and disappeared into the trees. Tomorrow she would say goodbye. Her entire body ached and trembled in protest, but she would not put Erick in harm’s way ever again. He was a good man; he deserved more than she could give.

And after she said
her goodbyes, she would face her demons head on. All of them.

Emmeline had just fallen asleep when Mahlon barged into her room. He dragged her out of bed and into the frigid night before she had time to regain full consciousness. Dark trees stood motionless against the dark sky, unable to stop the cruelty playing out in front of them. Emmeline squinted and let out a small moan. She wasn’t ready for another night of pain.

Mahlon
seemed angrier than usual, his jaw clenching with fury. He bound her wrists so tightly that the rope dug into her skin and chased away the last of her fatigue. They reached the clearing and the fire was already burning, bigger than ever before.

“
Tonight is the night I become your master,” Mahlon said as he dismounted.

Emmeline glowered at him.
“When are you going to realize that you are a fool and you will never control me?”

Mahlon
grabbed her long braid and pulled her off the horse, dragging her toward the fire.

“Make
it bigger!” he shouted to the soldiers.

Emmeline struggled to her feet,
her back to the flames. With her eyes shut, she spit in Mahlon’s direction. The next thing she knew, she was sailing backwards, a fresh wave of pain on her cheek. The soldiers gasped and Mahlon cried. But it was too late. A rush of heat consumed her body.

Emmeline’s
eyes fluttered open. Strange light surrounded her and there were glowing embers at her feet. She was in the fire! The flames devoured her nightdress to her knees and began working up her body. Emmeline opened her mouth to scream and then snapped it shut.

She felt no pain.

She was standing in a flame and yet its destructive force had no effect on her, other than a surge of power jolting through her body and healing every bruise. The fire flickered up her nightgown and clung to the rope binding her hands, weakening its tight threads. She strained against it until it snapped apart and her hands broke free.

Emmeline
stepped out of the fire and with a slight curl to her lips, she lifted her hands. The soldiers scattered. She took aim at those nearest her. Pushing heat from her body, she sent them into the air and dropped them several yards away. Their faces slammed into the dirt. With a little effort, she used enough heat to twist their chainmail until their arms were pulled behind them. They squirmed on the ground, shrieking in pure terror.

“Emmeline!” Mahlon screamed. “Stop this at once!”

Mahlon made no motion toward her, so she continued her attack on the soldiers. Careful not to kill them, she directed the heat underneath their bodies until they lifted from the ground once again. She sent them soaring into the forest and didn’t let them drop until their shrieks were faint echoes.

Emmeline
pushed a wall of heat into the remaining soldiers, shoving them against trunks or into the highest boughs. Their breastplates bent to her will, pinning them to the trees. Finally, she pulled in more heat, letting it strengthen her for her greatest onslaught. She had saved Mahlon for last. She turned in his direction and smirked. Mahlon was already halfway to the horses, his head whipping back and forth to catch glimpses of her as he scurried away.

“Mahlon,” Emmeline said in a calm voice.

Mahlon’s eyes widened. He came to a halt and turned to face, his sword stretched out and his shield braced for impact.

With a glint in her eye Emmeline
curled her fingers and the sword snapped free from his hand. Mahlon lifted his trembling shield and backed away from her.

“You won’t reach the horses
before I’m through with you,” Emmeline said. She took a step forward, gathering more strength from the fire. She let it swell in her chest before lifting the palms of her hands and squeezing them into fists. The thick shield twisted into a mangled lump, knocking Mahlon to the ground.

Mahlon scrambled
to his feet. “I’ll kill your father! One word from me and he’s dead.”

Emmeline paused
. “Not if you’re dead first.”

Mahlon’s laugh was high pitched
. “You won’t kill me.”

Emmeline scowled.
He was right. She wouldn’t kill him. As much as she hated him, she refused to use her power to murder. However, she wanted to make him suffer, make him feel every ounce of pain he had forced her to endure. She wanted to torture this pathetic excuse for a man, and make him beg for mercy.

But she couldn’t do
it. If she tortured him, he would run off to the palace and order her father’s execution. She held the fire’s power, but he held a power more evil and far reaching – the power to murder and put to death anyone he pleased. She would have to find another way to make him suffer, a way that wouldn’t put her father’s life in jeopardy. A life in prison would suffice. But until then, she had to let him go. With bitter disappointment, Emmeline lowered her hands.

“That’s a good girl,” Mahlon
said. He took a step forward, his arm stretched to take hold of her.

“Don’t touch me!” Emmeline
raised her hands again, pleased to see Mahlon recoil. “You will never attempt to control me again or I will crush your skull and grind it into dust, do you hear?”

Mahlon nodded, his eyes wide.

“I can find my own way back to the palace.”

Emmeline marched to the
horses and mounted without looking back. He wouldn’t dare come at her now. As long as the fire burned within her, she was sure he’d keep his distance.

She reached her room just as the sun peaked over the horizon.
Emmeline changed into a warm dress and left a note for Adelia, letting her know she would be in the library all day. She raced to the stables to find Erick already there with the horses prepared and the meals packed in saddlebags.

Erick
frowned.

“What is it?” Emmeline asked, alarmed.

“You were supposed to wait for me at the door. Especially after what happened yesterday.”

Emmeline slapped a hand to her forehead. “I completely forgot! I guess I was just excited to see you.”

Erick flashed a brilliant smile. “Well, in that case, are you ready, My Lady?”

Taking a
calming breath, Emmeline pushed Mahlon from her mind. She wouldn’t let thoughts of fire and death ruin her last day with Erick. She looked at Erick and smiled. It wasn’t hard to forget Mahlon with Erick grinning at her the way he was.

“Just where are you taking me?”
she said.

“You'll see.
It is a long ride, but well worth it.”

They rode over grassy hills and wide pastures
, swampy wetlands and thriving orchards. The sun warmed her back as it rose into the sky. It was an innocent warmth that felt foreign after the night’s flames, as if her body was unsure how to handle heat that didn’t come with the power of destruction.

Emmeline
closed her eyes and relished in the wind pressing against her face, her hair whipping like a flag behind her. It was refreshing, and the speeds Filia reached were exhilarating.

Erick slowed as they neared a
lush jungle. With broad-leaved trees and thick shrubs, it was denser than any of the forests surrounding the palace. They rode through a break in the trees and stopped in a small clearing.

“We'll need to walk from here. It is just up that path.”

Emmeline looked around. She was surrounded by trees on top of trees. Limbs interlaced with one another, creating canopies of green that blocked the harsh sun. Lush ivy spread over every surface so thick it smothered the ground. Bushes crowded against each other, competing for any available light.

“What path?” she asked. “All I see is green.”

Erick chuckled. “There isn’t a path, actually. I didn’t want to alarm you. I’ll show you the way from here.”

Emmeline
scrutinized the trees. How could he tell one from the other? One step in any direction and they’d be swallowed up in a sea of green.

“
Don’t you trust me to not get us lost?” He held out his hand and flashed a crooked smile.

“Do I have a choice?” she
said, teasing.

His smile turn
ed serious. “Always. You will always have a choice with me.”

She took his hand and
followed him into the jungle, pushing aside foliage that seemed to materialize and multiply out of thin air. Strange flowers and giant ferns brushed against her dress and swept across her hair. Vines snapped and crinkled under her boots.