Wolf Spell 1 (17 page)

Guilt consumed me. I hadn’t protected her. I pulled my hand away staring at the sticky red liquid that covered my fingers from the blood that still seeped from the wound.

I leaned back against the wall of Es’s room. I hated that I couldn’t control my emotions for her better. With her gone, I hated myself even more. I didn’t protect her, and it killed me.

“She will be fine.”

My head snapped up to find Maztic, my wolf, standing beside me on the floor. “I hope so. I’m not sure why I care so much about her, but when things happen to her, they feel as if they happen to me too. I’m dying without her, and I don’t understand. I should be worried as her Guardian, but it’s so much more…”

“
You know the answer to that. Deep inside, listen to your heart.”

Maztic’s voice growled inside my head. I reached over, running my hands through his fur. “Maztic, I’m afraid. I’ve already lost someone…”

His gold eyes stared back at me. “You are part of me, and I am not afraid.”

I looked back over at her empty bed.
“Help.”
Her voice echoed in my thoughts.

It was as if I could hear her inside my head. Knowing it could be real, gave me hope she was still alive, but it tore at my heart to know she cried for help. Her request filled my chest with an intense ache. I failed her. How could I help her when I didn’t know where she was?

Maztic’s muzzle lifted up my unoccupied hand. I petted his soft fur, running my fingers down his back, feeling the thickness rake between my fingers. It comforted me and helped clear my mind enough to think once again. Maztic’s strength radiated into my soul. “Thanks,” I whispered.

I stood
.
There would be no sleeping tonight.
I will find her.

Ailaina watched from the doorway, her arms folded across her chest. “I’m going too.”

I scanned her face. Dried blood smeared on her cheek from her own injuries. I was glad when I found her alive. Es would never forgive me if anything ever happened to her friend. I felt guilty enough that she had been unconscious.

I shook my head. “No. It’s too dangerous, and Es would kill me.”

“Es would do the same for me, and you know it,” she interjected. I knew she was right, but I couldn’t chance it.

She stepped to the right as I tried to pass, blocking me. She was such a small thing. It would be easy to move her, but I stopped instead, looking down into her hazel eyes.

“Please. I don’t understand, but something is telling me to go. I have to find her. She would never sit back if something were to happen to me. I would never do that to her.”

Crap.
I grumbled through my teeth, “Ailaina, it’s not a good idea.”

“If you don’t take me, I’ll just go by myself.” She moved her arms from her chest to her hips, planting her footing. She was determined.

I threw my arms up. “Fine, but you listen to me, no matter what. Got it?”

She reached up around my neck and hugged me. “I will, I promise.”

Sinister Darkness

– Esmerelda –

A blindfold covered my eyes and someone stuffed a nasty tasting cloth in my mouth, gagging me. It was hard to get my bearings. I knew I was in the arms of someone, and carried somewhere. Each jolt as he carried me down sets of stairs made my head feel like it would explode.

A smooth low-toned voice spoke, “Throw her down there.”

I tried to reach out with my powers, but it was as if they stayed with me. The one holding me spoke out, “Your magic is void here. You’re just wasting your energy.” I could hear the evil sneer laced in his words.

He moved one of his arms and ripped the blindfold off. I squinted at the unexpected light. It was dim with more dark than light, but it was brighter than the blackness I was in. I didn’t even have time to register where I was before he threw me.

I screamed, expecting to hit the ground, hard, but instead I kept falling. That frightened me even more. My heart raced as I fell into a black oblivion. I desperately reached out for help. My hands searched for anything that could stop my fall into the abyss. I couldn’t see anything. It was as if light didn’t exist. Wherever my kidnapper had thrown me was deep.

The rush of the wind flashed my skin with an immense cold and made me gasp for air. I screamed, but no sound came from my lips.

Fear filled my mind and body. I closed my eyes, picturing what my last minutes alive were, scared that I might die.
A flash of golden eyes that belonged to a wolf. Jarak’s arms around me. Him kissing my head. It rained.
I attempted to call out to Jarak for help in my head, hoping he could hear me somehow.

My descent into the dark unknown slowed, leaving me apprehensive. What was to come? What would happen to me? I began to fall much slower. It was strange. I pushed out with my energy, trying to stop myself from falling any further. Then, without warning, my body hit the ground, knocking the wind from my chest. At least I didn’t hit the ground at full speed. I wasn’t sure what slowed me down, but I was sure magic had something to do with it.

I lay on the cold unforgiving floor, wheezing and gasping for air. I rapidly blinked my eyes, trying to see anything. Blackness was all around. Moving my hands around me, I rubbed the compacted earth I still laid upon with my palms. Dirt crumbled under my fingertips, but I also touched something familiar. It was a hard slab of stone, buried under what felt like an inch of dirt. It was rough and made me think of concrete.
No wonder my landing was tough
.

I took a deep breath. It was still ragged, but I finally got a full intake of air. If I could survive someone kidnapping me—twice—find out that I came from a family of wolves and witches, then I could survive this. I would figure this out.

Sitting up, I decided to see what damage the fall did to my body. Running my hands down my legs and torso, I grimaced as I hit sore spots, but nothing seemed more critical than bruises. My head was another story. It pounded fiercely.

I placed my hands at my temples and focused energy on my headache. It was harder to do use my magic than how I’d become accustomed to, but the throbbing ceased. I decided to try another spell. I had to help myself. After many minutes, I conjured a small orb of light centered in the palm of my hand. I flinched as it faltered and went out. I shook my hands out and tried again. Small glimmers of light flashed, but nothing wanted to stay. I pushed all the energy I could feel into the light, watching it try to glow. I didn’t understand why it was so hard for me to get such a straightforward spell out.

The tiny sparks of light tried to brighten the darkness. I assessed my surroundings the best I could. I was unmistakably underground, but I couldn’t see too much. A small hole was in the side of the rocky earth several feet away. I ran toward it, and then stiffened. A bright light floated toward me, lighting the blackened room, much brighter than my small orb.

It was easy to see clearly now as if I stood in daylight once again. I looked around me; the dark abyss I fell into was nothing more than a large pit in the ground, like an old prison cell dug hundreds of feet into the earth. Tiny rocks fell from above me and dirt sloughed off in piles by the crude walls.

A figure walked with the light. I wished with all my might that this was a dream, and I would wake up and see Jarak’s face at any moment.

“There is no reason to be afraid my dear Esmerelda.” A soft singsong voice floated through the air.

I gasped and took a step back. A beautiful woman with long blonde hair stepped out from behind the light.

A smile lit up her face, and she wrapped her arms around me. “Esmerelda, you’ve grown into a beautiful woman. I’ve waited so long to see you.” Tears streamed down her face as she released her embrace.

I wasn’t sure who this woman was, or when we’d ever met before, but I sensed so much love from her that I didn’t want to move away.

“I wish I could be with you always, but I can’t.” She frowned. Her face looked stained with tears.

“Who are you? I don’t understand.” I backed up a little, unsure of who this woman was.

“My darling Esmerelda, I’m Moriah, the witch who gave you the gift of spirit. I don’t have a lot of time in my spirit form, so listen carefully. Don’t let Nicholas ensnare your mind. Fight him at all costs… I also came to give you another gift.”

“Another gift?” I couldn’t imagine her having something for me.

She came in close, laying her hands on my cheeks. “It’s a gift of knowledge.”

“Okay.” My shoulders drooped; it was hard to hide my disappointment. What I truly needed was a ladder to get out of here.

“Those around you are not who they appear. Take no chances. Only a few are true and will help you. The one who finds you first is good. Many heartaches are about to come into your life, but what you will have to do is for the best.”

“That’s like asking me to finish the lyrics to a song I’ve never heard. I don’t understand.”

“Esmerelda, you need to escape. You are in the earth under Nicholas’s house. It’s a deep void and magic is hard to use, but yours is strong. Stronger than any I’ve seen, but it’s why it was so hard for you to create light. I’m also having a hard time with the lighting spell. It will fade quickly.” She swallowed hard. “There is nothing to draw energy from, so be careful.”

She smiled. “I’m losing strength as I speak and I don’t have much time left down here. I will see you again but in true form. A Seer already foretold what will come.”

I couldn’t process anything she said. “I don’t understand. A Seer?” My head began to hurt again, so I rubbed my temples, trying to alleviate the throbbing pain.

“They are distinctive immortals, only the purest of hearts, and they are usually connected to a witch in some way. They help see the future, so we know what to do. That is how all five of us witches knew to give you our gifts.”

I stood there, soaking it all in. I watched the light flicker and stared into her azure eyes. “What about Nicholas?”

“Nicholas will take you from here sometime, to torture you. When he does, you need to draw energy from everything around you, then and only then, to protect yourself. Use it against him, hold nothing back.”

The glowing orb faded, and I could see only her face. The light flickered like a candle. “I’m— too weak—Esmerelda.” Her figure faded as her light went out.

“Moriah!” I cried in panic.

I fell to the ground. I crawled on my hands and knees around the darkness. I couldn’t feel her anywhere. “Moriah!”

No response.

Tears ran in torrents down my face, landing on the clay dirt beneath my fingers. Losing all hope, I laid down, exhausted.

Tiny stabs of pain fluttered up my legs as if a million fire ants made a home under my skin. Screaming, I frantically smacked my thighs to kill whatever attacked me.

“Get off! Leave me alone!” My shriek bounced off the dirt walls of my dungeon, heard by no one.

I wasn’t sure how long I lay there on the cold unforgiving ground, but the tiny pin pricks from earlier had ceased, leaving me to feel agonizing, pulsating throbs all over my body. Has a day gone by? My stomach growled in response. It had been forever since I last ate anything.