The Enchantress (Wicked Book 1) (8 page)
Read The Enchantress (Wicked Book 1) Online
Authors: Blaire Hammond
Drew slammed
the book shut and replaced it on the shelf. Nothing. He had found absolutely
nothing. No loop holes, no glitches within the system.
Sighing, he shook his head and left the room. How had Cara done it? How had
she managed to get her mark back?
He made his way down to the entrance with the hope that maybe a visit with
the horses would clear his mind. Usually it did, but as he opened the door, he
realised that there were two figures standing by the lake.
He watched for a moment as one of the figures took the hand of the other,
knowing that it was Laura and Caspian. Again, a strange jealously filled his
stomach as he looked away. He was being stupid. Absolutely stupid.
Suddenly forgetting the horses, he turned for the training room, pulling a
dagger from under his pant leg and preparing for target practice.
‘What is
this?’ Caspian asked, letting go of Laura’s hand and pulling her sleeve up
slightly, looking at a bracelet that hung around her wrist.
She unclasped the dainty gold bracelet and passed it to him, ‘my mother gave
it to me when I was born. She said that as long as I wear it, she will always
be with me.’
Studying the heart shaped charm, Caspian turned the gold chain over in his
hands. Laura’s name was engraved on one side of the charm and when he flipped
it over he found a small message inscribed on the other.
To love is to be loved,
it read.
‘My mother was always a very passionate person. She believed that the love we
are given and the love we give is what makes us strong. And brave. Because we
fight for the things we love.’
‘Your mother is very wise,’ he said, fastening the bracelet back around her
wrist.
‘Can I ask you something?’
‘Of course,’ he smiled.
‘What does your tattoo mean?’
‘The Falcon?’
She nodded, despite not realising that that was what it was.
‘It is my family name. I had it done on my birthday, for my parents,’ he
answered.
‘That’s very sweet,’ Laura said.
‘So is your bracelet.’
She laughed lightly, ‘thanks.’
They passed back through the gate and Laura’s mood shifted to a serious one. Something
that had been bothering her for a while finally surfaced, and she felt that the
only time to ask about it would be now.
‘Caspian?’
‘Yeah?’
‘Your- our people, I know that we…kill to protect others, I understand that
is what you have to do. But, we don’t have to…I mean, it’s not forced…’
He reached out and rested a hand on her arm, comforting her, ‘no, you don’t
have to. There are other jobs.’
She thought she would have felt better after hearing that, but she didn’t.
The idea of killing was something so horrible - even if it was to protect the
good - that she found it hard to wrap her head around. She didn’t want that
life, a life of murdering others, evil or not. She wondered if maybe that was
why her mum took her away from the Spirit World. If that was the reason, or one
of them, then Laura agreed whole-heartedly. That was not something she wanted
to be involved in. Perhaps that was why she had felt so uneasy after training
with Drew. Maybe that was the moment she realised that the fight for her
mother’s safe return could very well lead to bloodshed. And that terrified her.
‘Do you have to kill for training?’ she asked as they wandered along the path.
The hesitation before his answer was enough to tell her, but he spoke anyway,
‘we don’t do anything like Guardian work, but if we find ourselves in a
situation out in the real world where we or someone else is endangered, then
yes, we act.’
She wanted to ask if he had killed. But she couldn’t bring herself to say the
words. It felt too personal a question. He seemed to notice and as they reached
the top of the hill he glanced sideways at her.
‘We’ve all done what we’ve had to.’
She held his gaze for the briefest moment, before looking down at the stone’s
beneath her feet, ‘I understand.’
Neither of them said anything more.
By then, they had made it back to the front door, and Laura realised she
hadn’t even spared a glance at the exterior of the Manor.
Caspian reached for the handle. ‘I hope that walk gave you the fresh air you
needed,’ he said.
She entered the manor, ‘It did.’
The cold
night air had set in by 6pm as Leo and Stella gathered everyone in the library
beside the warmth of the fire.
Laura knew this was about the trip, but she didn’t know how much Stella and
Leo were planning to tell the rest of the group.
‘When you came to the manor you all promised to not only abide by our rules,
but to protect those among us. You swore an oath of trust and allegiance to the
people of this manor until you were old enough to leave. I need to know now,
can we trust you?’ Stella looked at each and every one of the Enchanted sitting
before her.
‘Of course you can.’ Drew replied quickly.
‘Yeah, Stell, you know we would all stick by you through anything!’ Grace
added with confidence.
‘What if this wasn’t about me?’ Stella inquired.
Everyone spoke up, immediately agreeing that they would stand by the people
of the manor no matter what. Everyone but Gemma. Gemma’s eyes lingered a little
too long on Laura’s worried face.
‘You can trust me,’ she finally said, eyes flickering to Stella’s.
Estella nodded, ‘all right. We need everyone’s help. I beg you to be true to
your word.’
Then, Stella and Leo both explained the situation to the group, Laura chiming
in every now and then. They spoke of the need to find Laura’s mother, before
she is put in danger overseas. The fact that she may still be able to access
her powers without her mark. The necessity of finding the maps to work out
Cara’s location and the hope of putting a stop to those behind the kidnapping
and whatever plan it is that they were developing. They ended with an
exaggerated plea for everyone’s cooperation along with their secrecy.
‘When do we leave?’ Drew asked immediately, eyes settled firmly on Stella’s
face.
‘Tomorrow morning. We have already informed the Lastrala Minor Court, but to
their knowledge, we are embarking on an informative trip to Alast where the Grand
Council is located to show you around the city and to enhance your knowledge of
our world’s great leaders. So be sure to stick to that explanation if you cross
paths with anyone who seem a little curious in out endeavours.’
Everyone replied with a nod, but Laura froze in her seat.
‘Whoa, wait. What is Alast? It’s not the legendary vanishing island?’ She asked
in disbelief.
‘That’s the one,’ Stella grinned.
‘Our race over ruled those that lived on the island, claiming it as our own,’
Caspian told Laura.
She was rendered speechless. Finally she managed to ask, ‘how?’
Leo stepped forward, ‘the Gods desired an island of their own so hid it from
the Human World, harbouring it for themselves and their people to live upon.’ He
paused for a moment, watching Laura take in the information, then continued, ‘not
long before Erebus’ death, we realised that we had an ability to see the island,
and, believing it was the perfect place to keep our race hidden from the Human World,
we challenged the Gods for the land. The challenge was to find the Red Ruby of
Garan. And, Laura, your ancestor, William Westmill, found the ruby for our race
first and brought it to Alast.’
Laura jumped in her seat, shocked. Westmill was indeed her mother’s maiden
name. She had never heard of William or much about the Westmill family, but
that name did belong to her mother, there was no doubt about that.
Leo turned to his wife, encouraging her to continue on for him.
‘The Gods were so impressed, for it had been a treacherous quest, that they
not only passed the land onto the Enchanted, but they also vowed to ally
themselves with us, thus allowing our souls to take the form of an Angel when
we died. Their Charms were offered to us, and we agreed that three of the God’s
charms would become ours, invisibility, truth and memory. They were imbedded
within those of Grand Courts by the Gods. All other Charms became Dark Magic;
illegal to possess.’
Laura shook her head and whispered with confusion, ‘what about the Wicked?’
Stella just smiled as she continued to explain, ‘the Wicked answer to the
Devils. When we made the alliance with the Gods, the Devils received wind of it
and extended a hand to the Wicked. The Gods and the Enchanted created the Identity
Mark, deciding that, due to gold’s effect on the Enchanted and silvers effect
on Wicked, if your mark was gold, you would be immediately given to the Devils,
and if it was silver, you would stay. From then we grew in numbers and the Gods
continue to watch over us.’
Laura stared at Stella with wide eyes, utterly astonishment by what she was
hearing. She managed to muster up the power to speak the only thing she could
think to say, ‘Good God.’
Before
dinner Leo lead Laura to the weapons room, asking to speak with her for a
moment.
‘I wanted to give you something,’ he said, heading over to a chest that stood
against the back wall and carefully opening it. ‘When your mother left the
manor, she was not only forced to give up her mark, but her weapons as well.’
He paused as he lifted something from the chest. ‘This was hers and now, it
belongs to you.’
As he turned, Laura saw what it was.
A sword.
Laura’s eyes widened as she took in the silver blade. She reached out and
took it from Leo. Her hand fit perfectly into the groves of the handle. She
examined the black hilt, the crisscross indentations in it, and the large oval
shaped ruby sitting at the top of the handle, blazing a deep red in the light.
‘This is incredible,’ Laura whispered, ‘but, are you sure it is mine?’
Leo grinned at her, ‘it has been passed down the generations of the Westmill
family since the start of their time, when the first Westmill had it hand made
for him,’ he paused, and Laura could see the distinct W carved into the blade
of the sword.
Leo continued, ‘It was made for your family’s hands and holds the colour of red
within the rhinestone, rubies being your family stone due to the courageous
quest William Westmill set out upon. It was made for you to have by your side
in battle.’
He passed her the swords scabbard, allowing her to cover the blade back up.
‘Thank you, Leo. Really. Not only for this, but for taking me in, helping me
with my mother, being so kind. Both you and Stella. I am so grateful.’
Leo placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes, ‘Laura, your
mother was a part of this family, and so are you. We will do anything to help
you, and her, okay? Never forget that.’
Laura could see he was sincere, and smiled appreciatively at him, ‘I won’t.’
Everything
after that happened quickly.
‘I want everyone to be up at sunrise tomorrow morning with your bags packed
and ready to leave. We will begin our search in the country of Istha. Bran,
Istha’s capital, is said to hold the map. Make sure you have everything you
need because we will not be coming back here until we have found Laura’s
mother. Now everyone off to bed and get a good night’s rest,’ Stella said as
Casey cleared the table of the dinner dishes and everyone rose from their
chairs. ‘And Casey?’
The cook paused, ‘yes Miss?’
‘You are all relieved from duty until we return, so take a well-deserved
holiday.’
Laura found some things had been dropped off in her room to pack for the
trip, including a small silver dagger and another set of gear, however the
padding was thicker and a strange metal was in the vest. It was battle gear,
she concluded.
She packed quickly, finding her father’s old Pocket knife in her bag, before
settling into bed.
That night, she didn’t dream, and she welcomed the blissful darkness as she
drifted into a deep sleep.
Laura woke
to shouts echoing down the hall. It was Stella and she was making it very clear
that it was time to get up. She chuckled quietly to herself. In the short time
she had known Stella, she had grown to like her very much.
As she rose from bed, she understood exactly what the word ‘stiff’ meant. Her
muscles ached in places she didn’t know existed and her arm throbbed slightly under
the bandage. She regretted not following Logan’s advice, Drew’s training had
been brutal.
She dressed as quickly as she could, dropped her bag off in the entrance, and
made her way to the dining room. Stella sat at the head of the table, chirping
happily to Leo. Everyone else sat with their faces almost in their food and
their eyes glued shut.
‘Good morning Laura. Quickly eat, we need to get going very soon. I have
booked the plane tickets for 6 on the dot,’ Stella said happily.
They ate fast – well as fast as they could manage – and then all met in the
entrance. Laura shrugged on Stella’s spare coat and followed everyone down the
cobblestone path to the road. Two taxies were making their way up the road that
wound across the land and around the Lake before them. Laura finally had the
chance to glance back at the Manor, and was surprised by the charm and beauty
of their two story cream coloured brick home.
The taxies took them to the heart of Corin, where the City’s airport was
located. Stella did a quick head count as they piled out of the cabs and then
called for everyone’s attention.
‘Okay everybody, I don’t know where this journey will take us or what is
going to happen, but I want to thank you all for being so willing to help
assist in this quest. Be careful and stay close. So, is everyone ready?’
There were nods and cheers of excitement. Laura felt good as she stood there,
watching Stella speak. She couldn’t believe that she was finally going to search
for her mother. She was actually making herself useful and with the help of the
people around her, she assured herself that she would have her mum back in no
time.
Stella beamed, ‘let's bring those Wicked down!’
