Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Dara
Declan comes over to me holding out a cool-looking belt. He hands it to me and says, “This is for your knives. Here, let me put it on. May I?” he asks sweetly, making my heart flutter as I nod. He takes the belt and pulls it around my waist, then he secures it at the front. His fingers cause goosebumps all over my body and I struggle to breathe. He grabs some cool-as-shit knives and places them in the holes in the belt.
He stands back and a huge smile appears on his face. “It looks even better on you,” he admits, looking me up and down.
I blush hard, rubbing the back of my neck. I can’t help the smile that breaks through at his kind words. This must be Declan’s love language through thoughtful gifts. To say I feel special is an understatement. I am lost for words as I look down at the knives that are now securely attached to my belt. I pull one out and admire the handle. It’s made out of the most beautiful carved wood. Engraved in the centre is Dara then below that is All my love, Dec.
Tears fall down my face and I don’t bother trying to hide them. I glance up at Declan, who is trying to look anywhere but at me. He is completely embarrassed. I walk over and wrap him in a hug, allowing my actions to do the talking for me. I appreciate this more than anything I have ever received. I pull back and kiss him on his cheek. He surprises me by kissing me back on my other cheek, and we pull away.
“Now my present will seem shit compared to that,” Blair complains as he comes forward, hiding something behind his back. I place the knife back in its holder and wait for Blair. He is all embarrassed as he hands me my gift. It’s a beautiful bow and arrows. The carry bag is made out of the same material as my outfit in an army pattern. The bow and arrows are the identical design and even the feathers at the end of the arrow are matching. My stomach flips as I run my fingers over the design.
With all of this army-patterned clothing and accessories I’m going to be the invisible girl running through the forest. Engraved on the bow is a note saying, Dara, love, your Blair. Aww, your Blair. That’s right. He is my Blair. I sling the bag over my shoulder and run up to Blair and basically jump him in front of everyone—wrapping my legs around his waist, slobbering kisses all over his face. He turns beetroot red. I laugh into his shoulder as he rubs my back.
“I am going to look like a superhuman in my sweet get up. Thanks, guys,” I exclaim, jumping back down then spinning around.
Together, we head out of the house. Anna grabs my hand, stopping me from going any farther. I turn around and she’s bawling her eyes out. She draws me in for a tight motherly hug. “I am so proud of you, Dara. I know your mother and father would be proud too. You can do this as I have faith in you. You’re much stronger than you think. Do us proud, do Silvia proud. I love you, my dear.” She wipes away her tears.
I hold her tight. “Thank you for everything. I will do you proud. It’s time that James pays for what he has done. No one hurts my family. No one. I love you—you’re the closest thing I have to a mother. We will be back before you know it.” Pulling away, I take one more look toward her.
She whispers again, “Do us proud, my girl.”
I walk out the door of my new home with my head held high, ready for what’s to come. Well, as ready as I’ll ever be.
I catch up with the guys and stay between them. There’re scouts out ahead, behind, and flanking the sides just as Albert planned. This makes me feel at ease. Jolie comes up next to me, taking my hands between hers and giving them a tight squeeze as if to reassure me that she will be right beside me throughout the whole journey. I take in her outfit and we are dressed exactly the same. I smile at her, grateful that she is going to be there with me. I can’t do this without her. She knows how to calm me and bring out my inner Zen, my inner magic.
My new bow and arrows are slung across my back, and my killer knives are attached to my belt. I feel ready—ready to kick some arse.
We continue on the same track for the next few hours, stopping for a break here and there. We haven’t run into any trouble, but it will be coming soon. No way it’s going to be this easy to get to the stone. I’m sure James has something planned and has been watching our every move. It’s me and my warriors in a tight formation, keeping me safe and having my back. No matter what lies ahead.
There’s a commotion up ahead causing us to stop. The guys immediately act. Blair pulls me behind a tree, holding me close for protection. I dare a look around the tree to find out what is happening. When I peek around, a dozen of our men are down with two dozen still standing. They are fighting creatures dressed all in white from head to toe. Even their faces are covered in material masks. These must be the king’s slayers. Not at all how I envisioned them.
I need to do something; I can’t let our fighters down. As I start to run toward the action, Blair grabs my waist, stopping me from moving any farther. I glare at him, looking to his hand around my waist. “Blair, you’d better let go of me right now or else. I need to stop these slayers before they do any more damage,” I say, gritting my teeth.
“Princess, I am sorry, but you have more important things to do. We have to retrieve the emerald before they do. That is your focus. Let our guys help with the slayers. Please, trust me.”
I sigh but nod as I trust Blair more than I trust myself. He has our best interests at heart. He’s correct. We need to find the stone and that is our priority right now.
He pulls me in the opposite direction, going toward where the others were last seen. We run as fast and as quietly as we possibly can, trying not to draw attention to ourselves. Sweat drips down my face. The last thing we need is one or more slayers coming for us. Three pop out from our left. I jinxed myself—good one. The slayers lift their bows and arrows, getting ready to fire at us. In record time I have mine in my hands and I fire the bow, bringing two of the slayers down. I let out the breath I was holding. Holy shit. That was awesome. Instinct took over and fuck, it feels good. I feel like I can take on the world.
Blair finishes off the third one. We don’t waste any time as we continue down the track. It surprises me that I feel no guilt. I should feel awful, but I don’t. It is us or them, and I will protect us first. Always. I’m sure the feelings will come later once we are out of this, but the fight-or-flight is in full charge.
Harlan steps out from behind a tree and grabs my shoulders. I squeal.
“Okay, Dara, now it’s your time to shine. You need to go with Jolie and Oliver. Jolie will help you find the emerald with your inner magic. Oliver will be there as backup in case anything goes wrong. The rest of us will be behind you, making sure no one gets in your way. You can do this, Dara. We all believe in you,” he says while motioning to all of my warriors.
I look at each of them and when my gaze finds Oliver, I do a double take. He has transformed into the black panther from my dreams. I spend a moment getting lost in his crystal blue eyes. He winks back at me. I smirk—that’s so my Oliver. He is still as cheeky as ever, even in his panther form.
“All right, let’s do this,” I say with every ounce of confidence I can muster. They nod in return. We don’t need to say our goodbyes as I will see them again shortly. I can’t get all emotional right now. I need to be confident and strong.
Jolie, Oliver, and I go out in front. We walk a short distance before we stop.
Jolie grabs my arm and takes my hands in hers. “Dara, you will need to be on the ball. Do exactly what we practised. Embrace your inner Zen and call to your magic. Have it ready on your fingertips. It will lead the way to the emerald. Can you do that?”
I nod, confirming that I can do this. I must do this. It’s the first step to defeating my evil uncle.
As we move along the track, I focus on my happy place, calling it forth. Once I am in my zone, I dig deeper within, heading into my magic sphere. I pull out the blue smoke that still takes my breath away. Once I have it, I keep it within touch. We continue through the forest. Oliver on full panther watch, his gaze going left and right every second. I feel safe knowing he is there with me. Jolie is in her own world, bringing forth her magic. Her eyes roll into the back of her head—just the white remains. I stumble backwards slightly. I must look like that when I bring forth my magic.
My body takes control and pulls me to the right with a jolt. It’s seriously happening just like my dream. I continue leading us. I know where the stone is, and I’m not stopping for anyone or anything.
Jolie and Oliver figure out what’s going on quickly. They follow my lead, scanning every corner as if waiting for something to pop out. Almost on cue, two slayers come charging out from our left. I don’t waste any time drawing my knife and throwing it straight at one of the slayers. It hits true to the mark, and he drops dead. As I run past his crumpled body, I yank out my knife and continue on. I turn as Oliver rips the other slayer’s head right off. Sick.
I stop. I’m at a ledge with a drop-off. As I anticipated, my body hangs over the drop-off. Grabbing onto the wall with all the life I have, I make sure this vision doesn’t change from the original and I drop to my death. My body makes its way down the rocky cliff. My eyes automatically shut and when they open the skin on my arms has been replaced by fur. Above me, Jolie finishes off her magic chant and starts to make her own way. She’s the culprit. She turned me into a fucking gorilla—a detail that escaped me in the dream.
Halfway down, as expected, I stop and drop into the cave entrance. I walk farther into the spooky cave. The walls and floor are of a deep orange weathered rock. As I make my way in, my body transforms back to its normal self. Thank, fucking, God.
The farther I walk into the cave, the lighter my body gets, and a sense of calm takes over. It is like nothing I have ever experienced before. I feel the presence of Jolie and Oliver beside me. I abruptly take a sharp right and stop in my tracks. Right ahead of me the cave ends opening up and in the distance is a huge maze that leads to a shining green light in the distance, rising to meet the sky. As my eyes make contact with the green light, my body shivers and my tattoo burns searing hot on my back. I have no doubt that the green light at the far side of the maze is the emerald stone. My body recognises the emerald as if it knows it is meant for me. This is a long-lost part that needs to be reconnected, like a piece of my soul is calling to the stone. It is made exactly for me and no one else. The emerald is mine and when something is mine, I won’t let anyone else have it.
Continuing forward, I am once again in charge of my own body. It feels good to be in control again, but the frightening thing is not knowing what lies ahead. We near the end of the cave, gripping the edge of the rock I jump down to the forest floor. Jolie and Oliver follow me down. Oliver has shed the panther fur and he transforms into a godforsaken tiger. I grip onto his fur to make sure he is actually real. The deep growl that comes from him tells me he is definitely real. That sound turns me on. Focus.
We start moving into the maze, following its sharp corners with lots of twists and turns. The closer we get to the emerald, the more my tattoo continues to burn hotter and hotter until I swear, I’m about to catch alight in flames. The green light gets brighter with each step, lighting up the sky in green hues. I use my hand to shield my eyes all while trying to watch where I’m going. My chest pounds faster the closer we get, and I start sprinting the last bit until we turn another corner, I stop abruptly.
The face of an evil man whose frown and deep black eyes would send anyone running confronts me. I try to, but the unconscious form he is holding has me stopping in my tracks. My heart beats a million miles an hour.
No! No! No! Not my sweet Blair.