Deadlands (The Healer Series, #2) (5 page)

“He’s evil. I knew it.” a familiar, snide voice barked out. “I always knew there was something wrong with Pretty Boy.”

“SHUT UP
!” Declan screamed and turned on Chase, his hands instantly ignited to a green flame. Chase backed up, holding his hands up in surrender, a quick look of fear crossing his face at Declan’s display of power. Chase had flipped his switch, as he always seemed to do, and Declan was a tight wad of tension, just ready to take it out on someone, Chase being the number one target.

Willow felt the ground beneath her shake, as if the beginning of an ear
thquake was starting. The rocks and rubble danced and jumped at her feet and she looked quickly to the entrance of the Deadlands. The Gatekeeper had disappeared, and in its place was a dark hole. The gate to the Deadlands had been opened to them. Wind whooshed out from the darkness and tossed her hair wildly. The wind was warm and stifling, unlike the coldness of Iceland surrounding her.

Declan didn’t seem to notice
the giant hole in the mountain as he continued to advance on the Werewolf. Hate was relevant in his eyes. “Don’t ever tell me I’m evil again!” Declan yelled at him.

Chase’s voice stuttered when he said, “Okay, okay, Warlock. I was just joking…”

“Bullshit,” Declan said menacingly.

“Hey!” Willow rush
ed up to Declan and stood in front of him, her back to Chase, guarding him. Her own yellow glow protruded from her hands. If she had to disarm Declan, her magic was at the ready. Instantly, Declan’s fire went out from his hands, and he stared at them as if he didn’t realize he was just about to incinerate Chase. Willow let out a breathy exhale and then caught Declan’s eyes. What she saw in them nearly took her breath away. He looked tormented and hurt, as if something other than Declan was in control of him. His pupils were dilated and a strange orange glow surrounded the irises.

Willow always knew Declan was emotional. He could change moods in an instant,
quickly going from carefree and joking to serious and intimidating. She recalled how Declan practically destroyed his father’s office at the mention of him being sent to Darkmeer. Destroyed was taking it lightly, though. He nearly obliterated the place. Declan could draw upon the magic of the Emerald Circle Order, collecting magic from other Warlocks to power his own. Declan was powerful enough by himself, but mix his magic with other Warlocks and he could do some serious damage. It made him a dangerous liability if anyone ticked him off, which Chase seemed to do quite well.

“Dec, are y
ou alright?” Willow asked hesitantly approaching him. She didn’t know how unstable Declan was at the moment, but as he met her gaze, his eyes softened on hers and he relaxed. She stopped inches from him, waiting on his reply. What she didn’t expect, however, was to be wrapped up tight in his arms. Declan pulled her to him and squeezed her hard. She knew she shouldn’t allow him to hold her like this, but Declan was strong, and right now, she couldn’t get out of his hold if she tried.

So savoring this moment, she wrapped her arms around him to return the hug. Declan let out
a breath and placed his head on top of hers like it calmed him. Willow buried her face in Declan’s chest and breathed in his scent. He always smelled so good.

Several moments passed before Willow had the courage to look up at him.
She didn’t know what Declan saw in her eyes, sympathy perhaps, but he let her go quickly and stepped back. His eyes were back to normal. Clearing his throat, Declan said. “I’m fine. Um…thanks.”

“The g
ate is open,” she prompted and motioned with her eyes towards the entrance.

“But not for long,”
Elirana spoke up behind them. Although the gate was open, Willow could see a large rock slowly closing the entrance. “We must hurry,” she said and ran up to the entrance, Chase right on her heels.

Declan looked down at Willow in shock as Willow put her hand in his, a silent gesture of comfort. “Are we really going to let
an Elf and a Werewolf beat us?” she asked jokingly.

Declan winked at her. “Hell no,” he said and took off running, pulling Willow with him.
Unfortunately, they lost the race as Elirana and Chase had gotten a head start, but they all stopped at the entrance looking into the dark hole, the gloomy abyss of the Deadlands. Nobody wanted to be the first to go in.

Speaking up, Willow said
to no one in particular, “This is your last chance to turn back. I’m grateful for everyone’s help, but this is a Witch’s errand. I did not mean to involve you all. You don’t have to go in with me, but I want to thank you for your help so far.”

“Stop the sappy speech, Healer,” Chase spoke up. “I volunteered. You have had my loyalty from the begin
ning. I’m coming with you, no matter what happens.”

Willow looked at Chase
and managed a small smile. His loyalty was something Willow cherished. He was truly an amazing friend. She didn’t know if it was in the nature of all Werewolves to be so genuine and kind, but Chase was definitely those things and more. She looked at Elirana, who wasn’t looking at her, but at Chase. A strange expression was on her face that Willow could only deem as inspiring. “I too will go. I promised to guide you here, and have helped you this far. I feel it is my duty to guide you through the Deadlands as well.”

“Thank you,” Willow said gratefully. It would be an advantage to her with an Elf’s help, (especially her magic). “Dec?”

“What?” he asked, a smile playing on his lips.

“You know what…” Willow sighed.

“I made it through the Everwild with you, Willow Tree. What makes the Deadlands any different? Besides, you practically begged me to come with you—”

“Did not!”

“And you know I always give in to a woman who begs for me,” Declan continued.

“The g
ate is going to close!” Chase interrupted as the rock had reached past the middle point of the opening. “Come on!” Without thinking and without looking back, Chase, Elirana, Declan and Willow plunged into the darkness and the unknown beyond.

The large stone behind them sealed with a loud boom and all light vanished instantly.
It was black. So black that if Willow wasn’t holding Declan’s hand, she would think she was all alone in a deep pit of nothing. She couldn’t see in front of her. Just to make sure, she held her hand as close as she could to her face without touching it and focused her eyes. Nothing. She couldn’t even see her hand that she knew was inches, no, centimeters from her eyes! Looking ahead, there was a faint light. Way, way ahead. They were in a tunnel. Her shoulder brushed up against rock and she nearly screamed in surprise. But it was just a rock. A really, really warm rock.

The temperature in the Deadlands was
already scorching and it was way too stuffy. The feeling of claustrophobia started to overwhelm her, her breath came up short. She wondered if the very air contained a poisonous gas that made a person unable to think clearly. Just seconds of being here and Willow wanted to escape. Her mind was screaming to turn around and get out of there as fast as possible.

“Does everyone see that light
ahead?” Elirana spoke up softly. The sound of her light voice seemed displaced here in the creepy black.

“Yea
h,” Declan said beside her. He gave a gentle squeeze to her hand. Willow relaxed a little. He was here.

“Everyone go towards the light,” Elirana instru
cted, her voice already sounded distant. She was moving away from them.

“You mean that in the literal sense and not the figurative, r
ight, Eli baby?” Chase’s deep voice echoed off the tunnel walls. He too was moving forward.

“Let’s go,” Declan said
beside her and Willow felt him pull her toward the soft glow of light. Willow reached out in front of her to make sure she wouldn’t run into anything. She was clumsy enough as it was in the daylight, but navigating in the pitch black dark was a completely different story.

As they walked, the light grew bigger and bigger and brighter and brighter. It was yellow, like the lights coming from the engine of a train. Finally, they reached the light and stepped out of the tunnel and into the Deadlands. Willow blinked several times, a quick headache forming behind her eyes as they tried to adjust from being in such a dark place.
When they cleared, she took in her surroundings in stunned silence.

The tunnel had opened into another world.
Stretching far ahead of her line of sight were mountainous hills, valleys, and craters. Boiling fire erupted from her left from small pits within the rocky terrain. The eruptions of the fire popped and sizzled, filling the air with loud hissing sounds. Everything around her had either an orange, red, or yellow glow, and as Willow looked up, a big orange sun hovered strangely overhead.

The natural wall stretching miles high was made of solid black onyx and glistened when the rays of light hit it.
It seemed to absorb the heat and made everything hotter. There was no roof, yet they entered a mountain. Surely the top of the mountain was the roof to the Deadlands, yet nothing but that strange sun was looming above.

To Willow’s surprise, the typical foliage expected to be seen in a
desert was here. Cacti, trees with poky branches, and spiny bushes were laid sporadically across the land. Weird fire plants and red flowers bloomed through the sulfuric cracks in the ground. Black, poisonous looking foliage that reminded Willow of burnt grass made a patchy covering on the land. It felt like a desert too, complimented with dry air, no water in sight, and the unbearable heat that was already causing condensation to form on Willow’s neck. 

The Deadlands seemed barren and desolate. No sign of life. Willow didn’t know if that was a good thing, or a bad one. For now, it was good, since the creatures of the Deadlands were sentenced here for a reason. They were
notoriously dangerous and not to be trifled with. Yet, she still expected to see billions of creatures buzzing about and fighting with each other, accompanied with shrill noises and gnashing of teeth. It certainly was not this dry, forsaken land. 

“Doesn’t seem so bad,
really,” Chase announced and put his hands on his hips observing his surroundings like everyone else. “Heat doesn’t really bother me that much, you know, being half wolf and all that jazz. We adjust to temperatures, and can survive in different climates pretty well. But hey, at least it’s not dark and we can actually see where we’re going.”

“Something is wrong,” Elirana said
, almost in a cantankerous tone. “This is not the Deadlands I know.”

“What do you mean?” Willow asked her, walking up
to the she Elf. The worry in the Elf’s voice unsettled her.

“My people created a chasm for the dark creatures to dwell in. We built unbreakable prisons, scourges, cells
with strong chains, and eternal darkness. We condemned them to a life of torment and misery as they deserve, yet here…here there is land, and light, and vegetation. Who would’ve done this? Who would’ve created this world from the darkness to which we made? This is no punishment! This is a whole new domain.”

“So you’re telling me that this isn’t the Deadlands?” Willow asked.
Did they walk through some kind of portal that transported them somewhere else? It seemed like the most likely solution. Yet, Elirana shook her head.

“No. It most certainly is the Deadlands,” Elirana responded cautiously. “It’s just…
changed, different. I sense a great evil here.”

“Not to point out the obvious or anything,” Chase said, “but it’s supposed to have evil in it.”

“Yes, but it is almost like the Deadlands have been…”

“Altered? Eradicated?
Improved?” Chase suggested.

“Civilized,” Elirana finished her sentence and looked at the others
concerned. “Be on your guard. I’m sure the Witch Queen has hidden the key in the deepest part of the Deadlands, toward the heart where the foulest live.”

“
You’re not helping the situation when you say things like that,” Willow told her angrily. “We understand where we are.”

Elirana gave her
an uncouth stare. “Shall we proceed forward then, Healer?”

Willow nodded and watched when Elirana took the lead, sticking to the straightest path. The others followed suit and soon Willow felt the terrain changing. They were walking down a slope. Loose rocks rolled out from under their feet to cascade down into the valley below. A thought popped in Willow’s head that made her suddenly on edge.

“Declan,” Willow turned to him as they continued walking. Declan had been beside Willow the whole time, seeming deep in thought about something. He looked at her with furrowed brows. “You don’t think this will be a repeat of the Everwild, do you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…remember what Duffy had told me? That creatures would be drawn to my power? That I give off a certain scent and they’ll smell me and try to…you know…” she trailed off.

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” he said and stepped a little closer to her.

“Well, thanks. That was…comforting,” she mumbled.