The Warriors, page 2
part #3 of Wicked Series
There was only one way to keep a soul tethered to land in order to preserve it for a body, and that was to capture it in a Devils or Gods box, as Erebus had done. Which, palpably, was why Caspian’s soul had survived. James, before he’d escaped the temple in Alast, must have captured Caspian’s soul in Erebus’ Devils box. She was told that in doing so, it made the separation from Caspian’s body all the more traumatic, more torturous, for his soul was made for good, belonging to the Gods, not the Devils.
Learning the truth about her Mum’s soul had come close to breaking Laura. She’d stayed in her room for two days, unable to do anything but think about all she had lost. However, after the second day, she had known that she couldn’t remain locked up forever. Her Dad had told her to remain strong, and so she would do just that.
After Cara’s funeral, though, Laura did break down again for a short time, collapsing onto her bed in a mess of heaving sobs and desperate gasps for air. How could she accept that she’d lost both of her parents? She’d failed her Father, breaking her promise to him; she’d failed her Mother in not rescuing her just as she said she would; and she’d failed herself by not succeeding in her quest.
Then, as the sun began to set and night moved in, the tears started to deplete, and her lungs stopped their aching. In that moment, she found herself more determined than before. She had something to fight for. Not only would she fight in honour of her Mother and Father’s memory, but she would fight for the friends who had become her family that still remained. She would not let any more of her family die. Not at Erebus’ hands.
But it was more than just that. She would fight for her people. She would fight for the Humans. She would fight for her world. She knew that she was an Enchantress. She belonged in the Spirit World, and she would fight for it with all she had.
Chapter Two
A New World
Drew peered through the double glass doors into the Hotel’s training room where Caspian was beating the hell out of a punching bag. He watched for a moment, catching the glint of guilt, hurt and anger on Caspian’s face that he worked so hard to disguise when in other people’s presence.
Drew didn’t blame him. Caspian had been forced to suffer through a torture like nothing Drew could even begin to imagine, and he hadn’t known what was going to happen to him. He hadn’t even known if anyone would come to rescue him; if they’d even survived the battle in the temple. And finally, upon being reunited with his body, he awoke to a blank memory and group of faces staring expectantly at him.
Drew wouldn’t forget the look of honest fear on Caspian’s face when he opened his eyes to see he was surrounded. He’d panicked, skittering away across the floor and shouting for help. He hadn’t known who any of them were. He hadn’t even known who he was. It took Logan, Leo and Drew talking to him softly, coaxing him back to the group so they could convince him to come with them to Alast.
After that, the memories slowly began to return, but those first initial moments were some of the hardest Drew had ever experienced. It had hurt him to the core to see his best friend in such a state, and he prayed he never would have to again.
Caspian paused his training and turned to reach for his drink bottle, catching Drew’s eye as he did so. Drew shook himself out of his trance and stepped inside the training room.
‘Your boxing skills seem to have improved,’ Drew remarked, keeping his tone even.
Caspian gulped down a number of mouthfuls of water before responding. ‘Having something to fight for really helps drive one to do better.’
Drew watched Caspian as he turned away from him and began to re-wrap his hands. The skin was split in places from the sheer force Caspian had been using to pummel the boxing bag, and a feeling of dread began to rise into Drew’s stomach.
Caspian had changed. Not in an obvious way – he was still kind, genuine, and wise. But his time in isolation seemed to have darkened him, making him all the more determined. He was still suffering from his ordeal, and Drew wasn’t sure how he could help him. Moreover, he didn’t know what to say when he was around and he felt worse for it. Caspian was his best friend, and he needed Drew.
In that moment, an idea struck him. Drew removed his sweat shirt, his singlet secure underneath, and plucked one of the daggers from the weapons board. Caspian peered back at him, an eyebrow cocked.
Spinning the dagger in his palm, Drew grinned. ‘We haven’t had a real training session in a while.’
And without warning, Drew sent the dagger flying straight for Caspian’s heart.
~
Leo stepped away from the window looking into the Hotel training room, relieved to see Drew and Caspian settling back into a sense of somewhat normalcy. He’d been worried about Caspian; they all had. He’d tried talking to him, but Caspian had maintained that he could deal with it himself. Stella had of course insisted that he see a therapist, but Caspian had quickly declined.
To see him and Drew as they once were made Leo’s anxiety ease slightly. Needless to say, it wasn’t gone completely. There were still so many other things to be done and to be worrying about.
Leo pushed his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose and continued on his rounds. He’d made it his mission, besides preparing for the forthcoming conflict, to ensure his students were each dealing with their own issues. Next on his list was Laura.
She’d been quiet, slowly coming to terms with her losses on her own. Despite that, he’d seen a sure shift in her attitude. She was hurting, he knew that, but she wasn’t backing down. She was no longer hiding in the corner, but rather, she was stepping up. She was willing to fight. And while Leo knew that it was most likely due to her desire to avenge her parent’s deaths, he was sure that it was also due to her wanting to do some good in the world. He truly believed that she was going to be okay, in time.
Leo caught sight of Laura through the double doors to the Hotel Restaurant. It was not long past lunch, and he knew she’d been training most of the morning. He was pleased to see she’d taken a break. While the strenuous hours of training were certainly paying off, he didn’t want her to wear herself out.
‘Afternoon Laura,’ he said, taking a seat opposite her.
Laura peered up from her book and her fork clattered to her plate.
‘Oh! Leo!’ She said with a sheepish laugh.
Leo laughed too, ‘didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t realise you were so immersed in your reading.’
Laura flipped the book over and sat it on the table. ‘Yes, well I’ve been brushing up on the history of the Spirit World. I need to know all I can if I want to be ready.’
Leo couldn’t help but acknowledge the flush of pride that washed over him. When Laura had arrived at the Corin Manor, she’d been a scared young girl, lost and disbelieving of what was occurring around her. To see her truly embracing the Spirit World brought him immeasurable joy.
‘Actually, Leo, I’d been meaning to come find you. I guess with everything going on, I kept forgetting about it.’
She reached for the chain around her neck, hidden under her training gear, and unclipped the tab. ‘I kept it on me to make sure it was safe.’
Leo stared at her, puzzled, until at last the necklace came into focus. It was a locket. But not just any locket. It was his Mother’s locket.
Leo gaped, reaching out a hand, wondering if perhaps he was still dreaming.
‘How- Why- I don’t-’ he stammered, unable to formulate an acceptable response.
Laura placed the locket in his hand, closing his fingers over it. ‘I talked to Terian. Turns out he knew he was playing us, and must have felt somewhat guilty, so he returned it.’
Leo brought the locket closer, and opened his fingers. He peered down at it in disbelief and shook his head.
‘Laura, I can’t- I don’t know what to say. Thankyou. You have no idea what this means to me. Thankyou,’ he managed to reply, running his fingers over the chain, just to be sure it was indeed real.
Laura was grinning at him, and Leo felt a wave of fatherly affection for the young girl wash over him. She was such a kind person; despite all she’d been through, all she’d witnessed, all the hurt and loss she’d suffered from, she was still looking to do the right thing.
Leo cleared his throat as it began to burn with the threat of tears and blinked back the traitorous ones that had begun to gather in his eyes.
‘Back to training for me. I’ll see you later,’ Laura said, and before he could respond, she was gone.
~
Grace was laying on her brother’s hotel bed, their mother’s journal clutched to her chest. She often found herself doing the same thing at the Manor; sneaking into his room while he was at training just to see the journal. She’d been too afraid to ask to see it before, when their relationship had been so lost. But after all they’d been through in the past weeks, she found she enjoyed the feeling of being there in his room, knowing that while she no longer had her parents, she still had her twin, and he would always be there for her.
There was a light knock on the open door and she peered up to see Logan watching her.
‘I thought I’d find you here,’ he said softly, coming to sit on the bed beside her.
He reached over, wiping away the tears that she didn’t even realise she’d shed and helped her to sit. The journal was still in her grasp, and she leaned into Logan as he put an arm securely around her.
‘I just can’t believe it was Mr Stark who had them killed. And he’s still out there, free,’ Grace murmured, spitting out the last word.
She felt Logan’s hand rubbing her arm soothingly, and appreciated his presence. She hadn’t realised how hard she’d been taking the news. Mr Stark had been behind it all along, and she still couldn’t accept it; that he’d hired Wicked to kill her cousin and parents, all because they were growing suspicious of him. It turned out their suspicions had been correct, for he was Erebus’ right hand man. He’d been working to bring Erebus back all along.
‘We will find him Grace. And when we do, he will get what he deserves,’ Logan told her firmly.
Grace sniffed, reaching up to wipe away the new waterfall of tears that were making their way down her cheeks.
‘I think I saw Drew finishing up with his training before I came up here. You wanna head down for a lesson? I gotta say, your dagger throwing has been lacking lately,’ he said lightly, and she felt rather than saw the smile that was on his face.
Grace laughed through her sniffles and wrapped her arms around Logan’s waist, hugging him tightly. Then she reached over for Drew’s side table, returning their mother’s journal to its place, and left the room with Logan by her side.
~
Caspian rapped his knuckles on the door, conscious of the pounding heart in his chest. He was always conscious of it, for he never thought he would feel such an extraordinary phenomenon again.
‘Come in,’ Laura called, and Caspian opened the door to see Laura sitting on the side of the bed, hands laced in her lap.
He closed the door quietly behind him and took a seat beside Laura. He didn’t say anything to start with. He knew what Laura was feeling, and sometimes people didn’t need words, they just needed to know someone was there.
‘How are you doing?’ Laura asked after a moment, and Caspian started at the question.
‘That was supposed to be my line,’ He said lightly. He watched the corner of Laura’s mouth upturn. ‘Ah, success,’ he added, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and drawing her to him in a sideways hug.
She rested her head on his own shoulder, still quiet, waiting for his response. The truth was, Caspian didn’t know how he was. He could remember snippets of his time locked away, but mostly it all seemed a blur. When he first woke, he didn’t know who he was, where he was, or what was going on. He’d been so afraid, so lost. Slowly, as Logan, Drew and Leo reminded him of himself, he’d began to remember. Not everything was back to as it once was, and Caspian suspected it never would be, but he knew who he was, and he had Laura to thank for that.
‘I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you,’ he told her.
‘You would have done the same for me.’
Caspian chuckled a little, ‘I sure would have tried, but I doubt I would have succeeded. I’m glad to see you’re learning more about your abilities.’
‘There’s still so much more to learn, but I hope Kane’s journals will help shed some light on it all,’ she replied.
They fell quiet, and Caspian felt a moment of relief at finally being there, alive, surrounded by his friends; his family.
‘So, I have some good news,’ he said.
Laura sat up, staring hopefully at him.
‘It’s all gone?’ She asked knowingly.
He gave her a nod. ‘It’s all gone. The healers cleared me only half an hour ago. No more cancer.’
Laura smiled for real, and flung her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her too, hugging her tightly.
‘I’m so glad,’ she told him. ‘I didn’t think I could possibly have healed you of that too.’
‘But you did. And thanks to you, I can not only live a full life, but hopefully a long one,’ he replied as she pulled back, grinning at him.
Her grin faded and Caspian understood why. Erebus was coming, and none of them knew if they were going to survive.
Caspian stared out through the window at the slowly setting sun, his sixth day of renewed life already gone. He turned back to Laura, catching the worry in her eyes. But he could also see the determination too. The will to survive. She was a fighter, and she would not give up. Nor would he.
‘We’ll have to live every day of our lives as if it were our last,’ he told her.
~
Gemma passed Mitch’s room, but pulled up short when she saw that his door was ajar and he sat on the floor, his knees pulled up to his chest, his chin resting on them. In that moment, he looked more like a boy than a man.
Gemma’s heart tugged at the pain in his eyes, so she pushed back the door further and stepped into the room. Mitch’s eyes shot up to meet hers, and he relaxed a little. She didn’t say anything, she simply sat down beside him, spreading her legs out before her and staring off through the window as Mitch had done.
The movement caused her very little pain, which was a relief. She hadn’t completely healed, but at least she was well on the road to recovery. The flash of a memory – the torture she’d endured, entered her mind, and she was quick to push it away. She had survived, that was the main thing.
She rested her hands in her lap and watched the bright oranges, yellows, reds, pinks and even purples of the sunset.
‘I can’t believe he’s really gone and that monster-‘ Mitch’s voice cracked, and he buried his face in his hands.
Gemma reached for him, resting a hand on his arm gently as he wept. Gemma knew then that he was as human as the rest of them. Of course he was. And he’d just lost his best friend, his family, the same as the rest of them. He felt pain, and it affected him the same as it affected her.
She’d always thought Mitch to be tough. He was a force member, he’d been trained to be. And he was. But in her short time getting to know him, she’d begun to peel back the layers, and she realised he had a big heart. More than that, there were a lot of emotions and feelings that he bottled up inside because he wanted to be perceived as the tough guy everyone expected him to be. So it broke Gemma’s heart to see him shattering completely.
It dawned on her then that they were even more alike than she thought. They built walls, they put on fake faces, because they had a reputation to uphold, and suddenly to be hit with such a devastating blow, well it’s hard to come back from that, to build those walls back up. Gemma resolved to simply be there for Mitch, because that was what he needed more than ever. Someone he knew, someone who understood, someone who cared, just as Caspian, Grace, Drew, Logan, Stella and Leo had been there for her when she’d lost her parents.
So, Gemma put an arm around Mitch, holding him as he wept for Robin.
Chapter Three
The Grand Courts
The sun was high in the sky when Laura and the rest of the manors residents took their seats at the front of the Grand Courts Hall. Desperate chatter and confused shouts rung out across the enormous room as other Enchanted piled in behind them. One glance around the room revealed that the hall was nearly full already, and many Enchanted who continued to enter were forced to stand, lining the walls.
Everyone wore battle gear, the group included, and Laura realised that it was something she hadn’t donned in a long while. Days in the desert had kept her limited to thin clothing and it was almost a relief to have it cloaking her body once again – to know she had the protection it brought with it. It did, however, feel different to be wearing the gear for reasons other than training, for that was why she’d always worn it previously. The material of the battle gear was thicker and heavier than her training gear, too, serving as a prominent reminder of what was to come.
Grace settled into the seat beside Laura, linking arms with her. She must have caught the look of worry in Laura’s face, for she turned, forcing Laura to look at her.
‘It’ll be all right. Don’t worry,’ she whispered.
‘I’m not so sure of that,’ Laura replied with a nervous laugh.
‘Trust me, it’ll be fine. Just remember what we talked about. Answer honestly, and-’
‘Don’t talk about my… gift. Got it,’ Laura said with a short, curt nod, taking a deep breath in the hopes it would ease her growing nerves.
She was going to have to speak in front of everyone in the hall, answering questions and relaying what she knew. She was, after all, the one Erebus sought after. Just as she was sucking in another breath, her eyes caught sight of Mitch talking lightly with Gemma. His face was neutral, but Laura knew he was struggling.
The group had grown tighter over the few days that had elapsed since the trauma that had occurred in Tera. It was hard not to, after all they’d been through. It appeared even Mitch was not ready to leave them, despite all he was battling to come to terms with. His and Robin’s family had come to Alast for the funeral, but chose not to stay for the meeting. Mitch could have left with them, but Laura could see the bond he’d created with Gemma was one strong enough to keep him close by.
