Descending Darkness (The Prophesized #3) (21 page)

With a sigh, I turn around and face the rest of the men. The five remaining guys are looking at me warily. I call my magic to me and visualize lightning bolts shooting outward and hitting them. I slowly raise my hands as the magic builds up. Thrusting it out, I watch as bolts flow through the air and hit them; four of them fall to the ground, stunned and unmoving.

The one that I didn’t hit looks to be the youngest of all of them—no more than twenty years old. As I walk over to him, he stands his ground, but I can see the fear in his eyes. I
did
just take on eight men on my own. He stares at me as I stop in front of him, eyes widening with each second I don’t do anything.

Giving him a small smile, I call my magic into my finger and lightly touch him on the chest. “Boo.” Feeling my magic, he quickly turns around and flees out of the clearing. Seriously, where does Dravin get these recruits? Are they even mages? Not a single one tried to use magic on me.

Bending over, I brush the dirt off my clothes and start walking out of the clearing, smiling as I walk back into the darkness of the forest, prepared for whatever happens next.

Colton

“They’ve been out for a while…” Emma says. Ryanne and Liam are both lying on the couch. They look like they are sleeping, but we all know better than that. They’re not physically here anymore. Both of them are in the dream world. Ryanne was forced there while Liam went willingly. He let the protector come forth and do what it is meant to do.

“Do you think that he’s found her?” Natalie asks.

“I don’t think so. If he did, he’d be able to bring her back. Considering that it’s been over an hour, and they’re both still there, means that he’s still searching for her.” I don’t want to think about other alternatives to that situation.

“Does time pass differently in the dream world?” Natalie asks. The only one of us that can answer that question is Bragden.

“I think it’s a little slower there. Liam tried to explain it to me once, but I didn’t really listen…sorry,” he says. “Depending on what’s going on, they could be gone for a while.”

“This sucks. I don’t like just waiting. I don’t like just standing here, not knowing what’s happening to them. I mean what if she gets captured again…what if they do something. There are too many what ifs…” Emma is starting to lose it. I’ve never seen her react this way before. Natalie reaches over and grabs onto Emma’s arm, calming her. “Thank you.”

Natalie won’t give me time to freak-out either. Every time my mind starts to wander, she comes over and calms me down. I walk back into the living room and sit down on the coffee table across from Ryanne.

I reach out and grab her hand. Her skin is very cold to the touch. Natalie reaches forward, touches Ryanne’s arm, and closes her eyes.

“She’s fine. She seems a little scared but also really proud of herself. She’s a little…confused, I think,” Natalie whispers and opens her eyes.

“How do you know that? Your power can work on her when she’s not…here…?” I ask her.

“Her emotions and feelings aren’t as strong, but I can still get a sense of them. Something’s going on, but she doesn’t understand it. She seems very confused.”

“Is she in any danger?” If she is in danger….Natalie reaches forward and grabs onto my arm again. A calming feeling instantly flows through me, removing all of my negative emotions. “Can’t you just let me worry a little?” I snap.

“No, because I know how you’ll react, and she wouldn’t want you destroying anything or hurting yourself,” she explains. Sometimes I forget that Natalie was usually there growing up. She knows me and how I’ll react in certain situations. She’s right, but it just feels wrong to feel this calm.

“She’s right, Colton,” Logan says. “Do you remember how you acted when she was kidnapped?”

Of course I remember how I acted.

“Calm down, Colton. We’ll find her,” David told me.

“How are we going to do that if we stay in here? She’s out there most likely being tortured by Dravin as we speak!”

“Claire said that she’ll be fine! I trust Claire and so should you.” I continued pacing the room. Why didn’t anyone else understand?

“Of course I trust Claire, but this was Dravin’s plan all along, and who knows what he’s doing to her. She hasn’t had enough training yet!” She hadn’t been trained like we had.

“We’ve searched those woods for days now and found nothing. If Claire says that she’s going to be okay, you need to trust that. Calm down before you hurt yourself.”

I reached out and punched a hole in the wall, tearing through the plaster and hitting the wooden frame beneath. The small bones in my hand broke from the sudden force. I cursed and turned around, looking for something else to take out my anger on. I didn’t know why I couldn’t calm down. Something inside of me wouldn’t stop until I knew that she was safe.

Logan rushed forward and attempted to heal my broken hand. I pushed him aside and stormed out of the room—angry at myself for not being able to do more and frustrated more than anything at the situation we were in again.

Snapping back into the present, I look toward Logan, “I had a reason to react that way. You saw how she looked when Liam brought her back…she’s already been through too much.”

“And it hasn’t affected her. She’s strong, Colton, and she can use her magic there. That makes her way stronger than everyone else. She’ll be fine.”

That is true. She can use her magic. She found that out in the vision, but will it be enough? We saw her in action at Jane’s house. I know that she’s fully capable of taking care of herself but for how long? She still grows tired from using too much magic. We’ve all seen her pass out from putting a shield up and trying to fight on top of that. None of us know what is going on in the dream world. 

“What if she can’t get out of there? What if Liam can’t find her? Then what?” I ask.

“You can’t think like that. Liam’s her protector. He’ll find a way to get to her,” Natalie says. I glance towards Natalie and see her watching Liam. When she feels my eyes on her, she looks towards me and then turns away. She and Liam have been acting weird around each other. In fact, she’s acting similar to how I did with Ryanne before I knew she was my soulmate.

“He has to find her. Because he’s her protector, he has a heightened awareness of her. That’s how he can feel it when she’s hurting. Being separated from her for too long will cause some serious side effects for him. He needs to find her,” Bragden explains while leaning back against the armrest, looking over at his brother.

“What kind of side effects?” Natalie asks. I can see the worry in her expression. It is clear to Bragden as well.

“He would eventually go crazy…and could cause harm to himself if he can’t find her…or if she’s in pain and there’s nothing he can do...Look, being a protector is a very serious job, and I know that he feels really bad because he’s already had a difficult time doing it. The need to protect her basically overrides everything, especially when she’s in pain. During sparring, I’ve seen him fighting with himself because he wants to come over and defend her.”

“Is that why he’s always grimacing when we spar?” she asks him.

“Yeah, because Ryanne was having a difficult time and the protector inside him wanted to come and help her, but he knows that she needs to do that alone. Now, he’s having,” Bragden trails off as he seems to suddenly become aware of who he is speaking to. “Nevermind.”

“Having what?” Natalie and Emma both ask. Bragden looks over toward me. I know that he is talking about Liam’s feelings toward Natalie.

“Nothing. He’s just not had it easy.”

“Are you a protector too?” Emma asks him.

Bragden reaches up and pulls the necklace from under his shirt. It is similar to Liam’s pendant but on a much smaller chain. “Yeah, I just haven’t found someone to protect yet.”

“How do you know when you find the person you’re supposed to protect?” Natalie asks curiously. She is still holding onto my arm, keeping me calm, but her attention is completely on Bragden.

“The pendant will choose who it thinks is worthy of protection. Liam said that it’s just a feeling you get. That when it finally happens, I’ll know.”

“That sounds kind of romantic,” Emma says.

“It can be, but not always. In their case it’s not. Liam feels a connection with Ryanne, but Ryanne is destined to be with Colton. However, she feels the connection too. They’re very close, and I know you’ve all witnessed it,” he says. They are extremely close. It’s obvious to everyone. Ryanne looks at Liam like a brother. She also has a need to protect him and does actually love him. I used to be jealous of how she acted with Liam, but I’ve gotten to know Liam better, and I know how he sees her.

“Does everyone get a protector?” Emma asks.

“No. Only those that need them, and right now, Ryanne needs one.”

*****

I’ve been at this for way too long. Why am I still here? I’ve already experienced the vision, and it played out like I saw. I just went against nine guys and barely got a scratch on me. I’m in the dark right now, both literally and figuratively. The forest seems almost dead around me. The trees and other foliage are thriving, but it is silent. There are no animals—no birds chirping, no owls hooting, no small rodents scurrying across the dead leaves on the forest floor. I can’t hear anything besides my quiet footsteps. The moonlight above casts eerie shadows through the darkness, and the light breeze ruffles the leaves on the trees creating a quiet whisper through the forest.

There has to be something more. Something that I’m missing, but what is it? I continue my steady pace through the forest, trying my hardest to keep quiet and avoid any low-lying branches or uprooted roots. I’m not doing very well.

Will I ever be able to go back? Will Valdus keep me here forever? If someone dies in the dream world, does that mean that their body will die in the real world? There’s so much that I don’t know. I wish that Liam was here with me. He’d know what to do and how to get me back.

I stumble over a tree root and tumble to the ground. The end of a branch rakes across my cheek. Throwing my hands in front of me, I try to catch myself as I fall. This maneuver only manages to scratch the palms of my hands more. As I push myself up, two arms wrap around my waist pull me up the rest of the way.

“You should have killed me when you had the chance,” Phillip whispers as he presses my back against his chest, crushing me to him. Thrashing my arms and legs out, I start struggling. This is just like Adam in Dravin’s compound. His arms tighten around my waist, and my advances prove to be unsuccessful.

My magic. I call my magic to me and continue fighting against Phillip. He is a lot stronger than he looks. I wonder if strength is his power. James has strength, so maybe Phillip does too. Is magic power genetic? I throw my head back and hit him in the face. Ouch that is going to give me a headache later.

I hear a crunching noise, and Phillip growls, loosening his grip on me. Warm liquid starts dripping down my neck. I kick him in the shin, and his grip loosens further—enough for me to take a step away from him. Holding his broken nose, he jumps for me again. I turn around and try to run, but he grabs my wrist and twists, pulling me back; the tiny bones in my wrist break with his movement. I cry out as I slam into the front of Phillip’s chest, and the pain starts shooting through my arm.

Moving back slightly, I swing my leg up and kick him in the chest. The added magic causes him to let go of my wrist.
Magic, I need you now.
I think as I continue to take small steps backward. When Phillip regains his footing, he starts running toward me again.
I need more magic.
He runs right into me as I push all my magic outward.

My magic ricochets out of my body. As I fly backward from the force, I watch as Phillip does the same. I crash down in the middle of the trail and roll a couple times before coming to a stop. Hearing wood splintering, I look up and find Phillip lying at the base of a tree, unmoving. My arms and legs start to sting as the air hits my cut riddled skin. I take a couple deep breathes and wait for my breathing to return to normal.

“I’d rather deal with James,” I mumble as I try to roll over and stand. When I attempt to push myself up, I cry out as pain shoots up my arm from my injured wrist, and I fall back to the ground. Cradling my arm against my chest, I push myself up with my left arm and start running away from Phillip.

I want to go back.

As I continue running, I start to hear footsteps around me again. I can’t tell which direction they are coming from, so I run faster, hoping that I’ll be able to outrun whoever is chasing me. I am starting to feel drained from using so much magic. I need to rest a little, but I don’t trust my surroundings enough.

A man darts out from between the trees and stops in the middle of the trail in front of me. I don’t have enough time to stop. Colliding into him, we both tumble to the ground. His arms wrap around my waist, and his body cushions my fall, but I don’t give myself time to think about that. I instantly start screaming and fight to get away from him.

His grip around my waist tightens as a hand covers my mouth, silencing my screams. “Ryanne, calm down. I’m not going to hurt you!”

I still as my brain recognizes and processes the deep voice speaking to me. I look up into a pair of grey eyes. “Liam?” I ask in disbelief.

I’m so happy to see him. I can’t control the emotions that take over me. I lean down and cry into his shirt. I really want to go back. I’m tired of fighting everyone, and I’m tired of being chased around this dark forest. I want to get out of here.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” he inquires. I raise my head and look at him. He doesn’t know? Can he not sense my injuries here?

“I’m not hurt too bad. I think Phillip broke my wrist though. I’m scared and really confused about all this, and I want to go back,” I tell him. I sniff as I prop my elbows onto his chest and wipe my tears away with my good hand.

He opens his mouth to respond when a deeper voice speaks. “Liam?” I whip my head up and look in front of us. An older man stands a few feet away from us, staring down in shock. Liam jumps up, pulling me with him, and then pushes me behind him. I peek around his arm. This must be Valdus Hamza. I was expecting something different. He is shorter than Liam but broader. He isn’t as fit as all the other mages I’ve encountered. His long graying hair is braided down his back, and he’s staring at us through darkened eyes. A few feathers are tied into the end of his braid that is moving with the slight breeze. He definitely looks like a leader, so I can understand why Liam is really confused that he’s following the orders of someone else.