Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
Ashton shivered at the sound of Torin's warning growl.
Torin put our guide down, and Ashton stood on his wobbly legs. Swaying, he reached into the pockets of his long-sleeved top and pulled out a scrunched-up handkerchief.
Torin let out a low growl. “You’re wasting our time.”
I sent Ashton a hard look and then glanced at Robert, who was struggling against the three earthy fairy women. A gray-ish shadow crept up his throat, and in a moment, the women would seduce him into mating with him, forever making him an earth spirit like them.
I focused my gaze back on Ashton. His hands shook as he unwrapped the fading fabric to reveal a large, pale seed. I did a double take and snapped my gaze back to our guide’s twisted face.
"I kept this seed of an oak tree for a long time since I couldn’t do anything with it,” he said. “The seed must be planted to calm the wrath of the fairy women.”
"Oak seed?" I asked, my brow furrowed. "Why didn't you start with that?"
"Because we’re not fairies, we can’t make the seed grow. That’s why I held on to it," he said, his voice shaking. He handed me the seed. “The earth fairies will be pacified only if an oak tree sprouts.”
Ashton lowered his gaze to the ground and sighed. “I’m sorry your friend was taken. At this point, there’s nothing we can do about it, since we can’t use the seed.”
Torin’s growl reverberated over the fairy melody.
I clenched my hand around the seed. “I’m a witch. I can make it grow.”
Ashton blinked repeatedly. I sighed and nodded to Torin, stepping back to gain some space around me.
The golden bracelet lit up with light magic, snaking down my hand and extending into a rope. With a firm grip on my whip, I swung it high above my head, creating a resounding crack that echoed through the stillness.
As the sound echoed through the air, the ground beneath my feet began to quake. The ground cracked open, exposing a narrow but very deep chasm.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins as the fingers of my other hand brushed against the rough surface of the oak seed. I hesitated for a moment, mentally praying that my magic would be strong enough.
Dropping the seed into the abyss, I sensed the energy inside me awakening, and I knew I had to follow my intuition.
Closing my eyes, I channeled my magic through the whip and into the seed.
I whispered another silent prayer to the earth, hoping that my actions would be enough to appease the angry fairies.
Opening my eyes, I focused on the seed. I knelt and placed my hand and my witch whip over the bumpy soil. Warmth spread through my body, as if I was connected to the very soul of the earth. The ground beneath me responded to my touch, shifting and closing the hole with a gentle tremble.
I had the power to control air, fire, water, and earth as an elemental witch, while the fairies, including the three women, had natural abilities with the elements. They were upset that dark magic was ruining nature, and I was the only one who could help them now.
“Please grow. Please grow right now,” I chanted softly, pouring my energy into the soil.
The harsh fairy melody faded in my ears. A hushed silence settled over the clearing, and a small, delicate sprout emerged from the freshly sealed earth.
The tiny plant trembled as it reached towards the gray sky, its translucent leaves unfurling with each passing second. Its growth was like watching a documentary movie on plants where the camera sped up their movement.
My heart burned brighter, filling me with heat.
"I've never seen anything like this before." Ashton’s voice shook from somewhere behind me.
"Neither have I," I said, standing and wiping my hands on my skirt.
The fairy women had stopped their singing, their hands releasing Robert. His gray-ish skin was returning to its usual color, the poison fading away, but the three women inside the mushroom circle still surrounded him.
Torin and I stared at the fairies’ every minuscule movement, hoping I’d done enough for them.
Their intense gazes set intently on the tiny plant.
The once-barren soil began to teem with life, causing me to smile.
It was as if the earth itself was breathing a sigh of relief, welcoming the return of its plant.
Taking deep breaths, my lungs expanded to the fullest. Although it was a tiny sprout in an entire corrupted realm, I’d made a difference.
Time seemed to slow as we watched, the seconds stretching into minutes, each marking another growth stage for the young oak tree. Its stem grew thicker and stronger, reaching towards the sky.
"Is this normal?" I asked, my voice low as I gazed at the rapidly growing plant.
"Your magic is the catalyst," Ashton said. "The tree is absorbing your energy, using it to fuel its growth. The earth fairies must be appeased. If they were to attempt to grow an oak tree, it would grow already corrupted with dark magic."
The sprout, no longer fragile, continued its upward climb, buds forming along its length. The sight filled me with a strange mixture of pride and awe—I had breathed life into this new oak tree.
But then I remembered how my whip, corrupted with dark magic, had turned a crow into a crimson-eyed predator that attacked Hayden during our training session. I could create darkness, too.
But it all depends on what I choose to do.
“Young witch,” Ashton said, and my eyebrows rose to my hairline. “With your power, you can change the balance of this realm.”
Torin frowned, his gaze still set on his brother.
I took a deep breath. Saving the fairy realm sounded great, but I’d come here on a mission—lure Hayden away from the kingdom and find my mother.
“We must find Willa first.”
Saving my mother was our priority. Plus, I couldn’t go around planting oak trees in this vast land for eternity. The darkness of the fairy realm would disappear with Cordelia’s death. No matter what she’d done, I couldn’t kill family, though.
And worse, restoring freedom in the fairy realm would mean going to war against the fairy King—something I and the hybrid brothers couldn’t do on our own, even if we wanted to.
The earth fairies bowed and shrank to their original size, then they disappeared into the ground where they had come from. The mushrooms also vanished into the earth, and Robert stood still, normalizing his breathing.
The silence returned, and I welcomed it.
Robert shook his head slightly and walked toward us. “I don’t mind mating with three women, but their touch felt like they sucked the life out of me.”
I let out a sigh while Torin pinched the bridge of his nose.
I looked down at the healthy oak sapling and its tender leaves.
"Why exactly an oak tree?” I glanced at Ashton.
His body had stopped trembling. "Oak trees are sacred to fairies. Their strength and endurance they give to those who live under their branches make them highly valued."
"Why are they so special?" Robert came to stand next to me.
"The fairies believe holding their wedding ceremonies beneath an oak tree’s canopy will bless their union with luck and love,” Ashton said. “The bark can also be brewed into a tea with medicinal properties, capable of healing even the most terrible of injuries."
The guide stepped closer and looked at me, something flashing behind his dark eyes, possessing a depth that seemed to hold secrets. Although his eyes were large and expressive, something in those depths triggered my instincts.
“You planted the first hope that light can be restored in the fairy realm,” he said with excitement that surprised me.
Torin immediately stood by my side, probably having sensed my discomfort. He had always been like that—protecting me without suffocating me, trusting I could take care of myself when I had to.
We needed to take cover. The sky darkened, and shadows descended over the ground. We needed our guide, although I wasn’t thrilled to follow him.
Sending one last glance at the growing tree, we started on our path again, walking slower to match Ashton’s pace. The landscape shifted as we ventured deeper into the corrupted forest, a sense of unease creeping over me like tendrils of ivy.
The smell of rot filled the air, and the bent limbs overhead scraped the sky. Torin’s alert gaze scanned the twisted foliage. We finally stumbled upon a dense thicket of thorn bushes, which concealed a small moss-covered stone circle just large enough for us to huddle within.
He parted the brambles so I could slip inside. "We'll be hidden from whatever might lurk out there tonight."
Ashton and Robert found a corner each. Robert sat down, leaning his back against the cold stones while Ashton snuggled into a fetal position on the ground. I found a spot on the moist, chilly ground and tried to tune out the constant noise of foliage moving in the dark outside our shelter.
"Anna," Torin said in a low, deep voice. "Sleep here tonight. It’s cold."
He pointed to his thick thighs.
My cheeks heated. “I have my wolf spirit now, so I should be fine.”
Torin sighed, shaking his head. “I want you in my arms, little witch wolf,” he said in a firm tone, but his amber eyes softened, and the tips of his full lips curved up.
He wanted to hold me even though I bore the mating marks of another man. A man I’d once adored but now despised. I’d been isolated in Hayden’s prison for a week, and while looking at Torin’s strong, large arms, I wanted to cave in.
I needed this, just for tonight. I would allow myself this temporary reprieve.
The howls of faraway beasts and the whispers of strange voices became more intense, nearer. My heart raced, and crawling on all fours, I reached Torin, who had taken a similar position as his brother. He pointed to his lap and stretched his arms wide, almost taking up the entire space.
“Is this a good idea?” I whispered.
It had been a long day, and the lack of food and water was taking a toll on my dwindling energy.
“Just get here. Stop thinking about it,” he said, giving me a tired smile.