Precious Anathema (20 page)

“
Lukin, we have to stay
away from all the plants if we are going to survive this part, they
will try to kill us.” Both of us moved to the center of the path,
and as if the plants themselves were hunting us, they seemed to
perk up as they caught our scent. Flowers of the brightest colors
began to bloom, trees were growing fruit before our very eyes, and
vines started making their way into the very path we had to cross.
The light that cast shadows caught my eye as we watched everything
come to life. I knew that we were in a spell, and up till now
assumed it to be something like being a genie trapped inside a
bottle, but as my eyes glanced above I could see the full light of
the moon casting it’s glow on us, stars everywhere and a cloud
cover that seemed to move gracefully through the pastel light of
the moons beam. With all the beauty around me I almost forgot that
it was all an illusion, designed to suck us in and make us feel
nostalgic just to kill us. Shaking off the moment I started to
examine our surroundings better. The air smelled like an early
evening campfire, the light was dimmed and the shade of the tree’s
reminded me of the start to autumn, my favorite time of year.
Everything here was designed from inside my own head to relax me,
make me feel safe and then take my life.

“
Delilah, what kind of
witch fuckery is this anyway?” I wished I had an answer for him; I
took out my knife and started walking along the beautiful path
ahead. We were not going to survive standing still, and the quicker
we got out the better.

“
I can’t use my magic in
here, so were on our own. The obvious dangers will be easier to
avoid, we will have to watch for surprises.” Lukin rolled his eyes
at my statement, pointing around us. I ignored it and we both began
to move, the path was wide enough to give us a sense of safety but
that all changed as we approached the first turn in the un-garden.
I could see the path narrow in front of us and quickly flashed to a
dream I had, if it were going to get me it would be here. I held my
knife tight and told Lukin to walk ahead of me, the clumsy girl
from Nebraska was about to kick some Maine Cursed Ass! The tree’s
above began to move and made a canopy above us, everything suddenly
seemed to close in and my palms dripped with anxious sweat, then I
heard the music playing, clear as any song it seemed to be coming
from the bark on the trees.

“
Lukin, listen to that.” He
turned and gave me a quizzical expression. “Do you hear, it’s that
Script song, wait you don’t know who they are but do you hear the
music?” I started to hum with the song, I love it. Closed my eyes
and thought about simpler times when all I had to worry about
was
which
hat to
hide my hair up in, now I have to be the
witch
and say screw the hat. I felt
myself relax more than I dared, and as I tried to snap myself out
of the daze I couldn’t move my legs. Looking at Lukin I tried to
reach out for him and saw his mouth moving but couldn’t hear
anything but the music playing. I felt the vine slither up my legs
like snakes constricting tighter and tighter. I couldn’t feel my
feet, and as if they had injected my body to numb it my hand
dropped the knife before I could even wield it. I took a breath as
I looked into Lukin’s eyes, the plants weren’t trying to eat him,
they were leaving him alone, and no matter how many times he swung
the knife to cut the vines they grew tighter, around my waist,
climbing to my chest, making their way to my neck. My head felt
heavy and the last thing I was about to see was panic on Lukin’s
face as his mouth opened to scream at me to hang on and then
everything went black.

*

“
Delilah, wake up for
Goddess sake! This isn’t nap time you know!” I recognized the
comforting, yet stern tone as my Aunt Kali, Opening my eyes I flew
at her, holding a tight embrace as I began to sob.

“
Kali I can’t tell you how
happy I am that you are here!” She pulled me off her and held my
chin.

“
I am not here really Ella,
I found a loophole and I am here to help. You are unconscious right
now but you’re not dead.” I took a deep breath and smiled at that.
“Don’t smile yet honey, you will be dead in a moment if we don’t
work quickly. You need to listen carefully, there is a way to kill
the plants, but you have to get into Lukin’s head from here and
tell him what I am about to tell you now, do you understand Ella?”
I nodded and began to concentrate, unexpectedly I could see myself
through his eyes, I opened my own and before I could tell Kali I
was scared she took my hand and rubbed it with hers. I closed my
eyes again and as I held Kali’s hand I saw myself again, I was
almost completely taken by the plants, my closed eyes could still
be seen. I could feel Lukin’s fear, pain and love growing to a rage
to save me. Kali began to speak as I watched my lifeless body fall
to the ground.

“
The power is in the roots;
they live and bleed by the roots. It’s not the limbs that need to
be cut; the roots themselves must come out of the ground and be
exposed!” I thought I would need to say the words again, but as I
opened my mouth I could feel Lukin’s rage turn to look at the side
of the path. He screamed as he began ripping up root after root,
and they were actually bleeding as he pulled them out. He looked
back at my lifeless body and my whole head could now be seen, their
grip had loosened but he kept ripping, swearing and killing them
one by one.

“
Kali please don’t leave
me.” I was holding her, begging for her to stay with me, she kissed
my forehead and whispered.

“
You are so much stronger
than you think, I need to tell Freya what is going on so we can
help you get out, Lukin is with you and will keep protecting you. I
love you Ella.” I felt tears streak down my cheeks as her embrace
vanished, I opened my eyes to see that I was back in the un-garden,
Lukin was taking the tentacles off my body one by one. He had blood
all over him, and as he saw my eyes open his chin began to
quiver.

“
I thought I had lost you.”
I smiled and wiggled my arms free.

“
You will never be that
lucky boy.”

NINETEEN

*

Kali opened her eyes and we all flew
to her, voices talking over each other.

“
Did you find
her?”

“
Is she ok?”

“
Is she alive?”

“
Who is with
her?”

“
Tell us Kali.” We were
pushing our way closer to her until she snapped with tears in her
eyes.

“
Back
off
!” I stepped away, tripping over
Eris and sat as far from Selene as I could as I felt her eyes
burning through me.

“
Tell us Kali, we are
wasting time waiting.” Freya looked concerned for her daughter but
she was here with us, and Ella wasn’t back yet.

“
It’s not like we thought
at all.” Carna helped her to the couch and gave her some water, but
as her shaking hands took the cup it crashed to the floor and Kali
jumped out of her skin with fear.

“
Tell us Kali, its ok we
can figure this out.” Rubbing her back with one hand, Carna took
her other and grasped her sisters.

“
It’s not just a dungeon at
all. I found her nearly dead in a garden of carnivorous plants,
called the un-garden and Lukin was doing everything he could to
save her but without magic and perfect timing on my part she would
be dead already.” Kali took a deep breath and tears fell down her
face. Selfishly all I could think of was Lukin, holding her hand
when she was scared, being her hero, comforting her and ultimately
saving her. Nothing good could come of that place, and his kind of
evil was the worst, disguised as innocence.

“
That’s not even the worst
of it, I could see ahead of them. They are headed into a field
called, Erring Green and then they have to survive the Bemused
Wood. Basically the names speak for themselves, they are going to
have to face all those who have wronged them and feel guilty in the
field and then fight not to forget everything in the forest.” How
could she know all of this, she was only gone for a few minutes.
Freya stood up and walked to her daughter; she looked stern but
took her face and held it in a loving fashion.

“
Kali, who told you all of
this because Ella couldn’t have known and if we have a way to get
in we need to know who told you. It might be our only chance to
save them.” Kali shook her head and more tears fell.

“
She made it very clear
that I couldn’t tell anyone or she would stop helping Ella, she is
scared of Emma and said that she would know.” The whole room went
silent, even Selene looked away from me for the first time in a
half hour. No one knew what to say, if Emma was down in hell with
Ella she could make sure she failed. I watched Freya stumble back
at the mention of that name; no one ever saw this coming. She
quickly regained her composure and looked at us all.

“
It would make sense that
the spell would need magic to grow. I had no idea that there could
be more to the curse than what is written, these fields and forests
are something new, it is growing as if it lives and breathes.” I
watched her face grow a wicked smile as she looked back at Kali.
“You know what this means girls, it means that we can find magic in
the curse, and if we can find it we can use it.” Both of the aunts
smiled and Kali took a deep breath before speaking.

“
She is very weak, I am not
sure how much more she can take before she cracks and lets the
curse take her, whatever we do we have to do it quickly, they were
making their way to the field when I left her.” I looked at Selene
with a scowl, if she was entering a field of the guilty she would
know what happened before she even made it out, I just had to hold
hope that Selene felt a tiny bit of guilt for tricking me, and that
Ella can see that or I was about to lose any chance I would have at
redemption. Freya took Kali by the hand and Carna stood up taking
each of their hands.

“
We have some work to do
then, we don’t sleep till she is home. We need to find a way to get
to where she is.” Freya looked at Eris and Selene with a smile.
“Girl’s we need you to find every spell book hiding in this house
and bring them to me.” Eris jumped up and as Selene slowly slid out
of her chair Freya glared at her.

“
Young lady, if it were you
Ella would not stop until she got you out, and all you and lover
boy here can do is keep secrets and betrayal at your sides. Redeem
yourself before it’s too late.” With a wave of her hand Selene was
running through the room and my ass was on fire making me jump to
my feet. Once Selene was out of the room Freya looked at me.
“Xander, I know what happened I just don’t know why she did it yet.
When you feel like ending the secret why don’t you and I have a
talk before it’s too late for you.” I walked out of the room
ashamed for so many reasons, my role in the prophecy, the secrets,
the lies, tricked into sex because of the things I had done to put
myself in that situation, it all hurt my heart as I left the room I
could hear Kali speak one last time.

“
Lukin is good Freya, he is
helping her and he loves her. She is in the best hands right now.”
I shut the front door and punched a pillar on the porch, busting
open my knuckles and watching blood drip down to the floor before
walking away from the house and up the driveway. I couldn’t go
home, I couldn’t stay in the house, and I couldn’t save her. I was
alone and lost, so I just kept walking farther and farther
away.

*

I had no energy, as if my life itself
had been sucked from me. Lukin kept staring ahead as we ran out of
the garden. He was running, I kept up as long as I could, until I
collapsed and he nearly had to pick me up, dragging my feet behind
us as he ran. I remembered once in Nebraska I had donated blood
after a friend had been in a car accident and that left me feeling
a little woozy but this was an entirely more powerful drain on my
system. Every few steps he would look behind us, afraid we were
being followed. I knew the forest was coming, that’s what Tempest
had said and I just kept my thoughts as focused as I could knowing
what was coming once we were inside. Lukin began to slow as the
path became wider and even wider still until it opened up to the
most beautiful field of sunflowers I had ever seen, it was not only
beautiful it felt safe and welcoming. Tempest hadn’t told me about
a field, but she only told me of the dangers. Lukin set me in the
tall grass and collapsed beside me. With the garden behind us and
the forest ahead still it seemed our only chance to rest and catch
our breath.

“
Ella please don’t ever do
that to me again.” I pulled my knees up and held them tight to my
chin as he looked at me.

“
Don’t do what, Lukin?” I
watched him become fidgety and pick at the grass, shaking his
head.

“
Don’t make me think I am
going to lose you again, I have lost so much in my life, you are
the closest thing to family I have. I can’t lose that, ok?” I
smiled and nodded in agreement as we looked at the forest before
us. I knew that the forest was going to test my will, but I
couldn’t help question what the final test could be. The tall
blades of grass began to move over the hill beside us, and Lukin
reached out with his arm to guard me. The image got clearer and I
could see that it was Justin; it was my father walking toward us. I
lowered Lukin’s hand and stood up. He walked with his head held
high like a majestic Stallion through the grass; I had to remind
myself of what he had done and the evil that lived in him before I
got caught up in the moment. Lukin stood at my side as Justin
approached us, I felt confused. He made it this far without help,
and he got here before me?