Chapter 26- Wicked Forest

A unique sound echoed around them. It sounded like a mouse squeak, but much louder, mixed with a pitter patter sound like heavy rain. Crystal watched as Levi's face began to fade.
“What is it?” Crystal whispered in fear.
“Arachne,” he muttered pulling out a dagger from his boot.
“You keep a dagger in your boot? What are you? A mad man?”
“Sshh.” Levi pressed his finger to his lips, and she gave him the stink eye.
The noise became louder, this time accompanied by a tutting. Levi kept his eyes straight forward, his legs apart ready for a fight.
When the sight of Arachne came into view, Crystal almost fainted.
It was one thing to be petrified of spiders. Yet this was no spider.
First a head of a woman appeared her black hair blow in the wind and her eyes were nothing but black vortexes.
Then her lower body appeared. Crystal’s spine felt like it had been replaced by ice. From the waist down, Arachne had the body of a spider, complete with eight legs.
She opened her mouth to reveal two sharp fangs like vampire’s and let out a hiss.
“How dare you walk the ancient forest of Athens,” Arachne’s voice wasn’t like Crystal expected. It was low and deep yet held a feminine tint to it.
They didn’t have time to respond as a cotton web shot from her hand and spun around Crystal’s legs making its way up to her upper body.
Levi jumped into action slashing at the web that was suspended in mid-air. Each time he cut her lose form the half spider half woman, she shot the web out at her again.
Crystal was becoming angry. She hated to feel like a victim. She liked to be in control. As her anger increased and the web became tighter, Crystal screamed, blasting both Levi and Arachne across the forest. The tress stopped them from going far, both of them hit a tree trunk causing a deafening crack. Arachne’s tree was the first to topple over taking a few more down with it. Then Levi’s tree followed suit, like a game of dominos it took a few nearby trees along with it. As each tree crashed to the floor, they made the ground shake.
Levi jumped to his feet, rubbing the back of his head. Arachne hissed and growled while creeping forward. Crystal held up her hand and sent a blast of air at the spider which did nothing but make her stumble a little. Her eight legs gave her perfect balance.
Looking up at the sky she saw a storm brewing, raising her hand she made a swirling motion, and the sky grew darker as clouds rolled in. When she was sure that the storm had enough power, she pushed both her hands with force at the spider, scorching her with lightning while rain dropped from the sky in big chaotic drops. Arachne scuttled away. “Incey wincey spider,” her mind sang the nursery rhyme from her toddler days as she grinned with her victory.
Crystal was exhausted and her legs gave way. Levi caught her as she crumpled to the ground.
He picked her up and cradled her like a small child in his arms. The forest became a blur as the trees whizzed by. That was the thing with magic it used up your energy and left you lethargic.
***
What had she done? It was true. All of it was true. Levi rubbed his forehead. They were in trouble.
Crystal lay sleeping, spent from the vast amount of power she had used.
They had to make it to the white oak tree, and quick. Arachne by now will have alerted half the forest. Word would have spread like wildfire.
He punched a wall in a cave that he had taken cover in as guilt overtook every emotion he was feeling. It was his fault. All of it was down to him.
Because of his own stupidity Crystal had been dragged into a battle she should never have been a part of. A battle he had created.
But it was more than that. As soon as his eyes had met hers, he had felt the pull. Destiny was pushing him in the direction he should take. Margon, was wise. She had told him the signs of destiny and he had seen and felt them. That didn’t mean he would willing do what they wanted.
***
She must have faded into unconsciousness as when she awoke, she found herself in yet another cave.
However, this one was different. She heard the sound of gushing water. When she opened her eyes sure enough a curtain of water blocked the exit.
Sitting up, she rubbed her legs. Her feet were killing her, and her head pounded. Crystal saw Levi out of the corner of her eye. He was watching her, with an unknown expression in his eyes.
“What you just did is impossible,” he said, his lips formed a thin line. His eyes were a mixture of fear and awe.
“No witch can control the weather,”
Crystal looked at the ground then back up at Levi. Her mother had always said she was special. That she had the touch of Mother Nature. Earthquakes and thunder were caused by her anger.
“That is not true,” she whispered.
“Oh really. What powers do the rest of your coven hold?” Crystal thought about it for a few minutes.
“Some can heal. Some can manipulate fire. Move objects with their mind and levitate and…”
“Can any control the weather?” he asked.
“No, but all witches can control different elements,”
Levi shook his head. “What you just did, it wasn’t normal. Haven’t you ever heard the legend?”
“What legend?”
“A violent disturbance will disrupt the land, bringing, wind snow and ice. The face of an angel and the strength of a god, thunder and lightning will show her wrath.
Those she encounters will be no match.
Trees will be uprooted, and legendary crenatures will fall. When autumn comes, she will bring the terrifying storm.”
Crystal laughed at his words. She couldn’t stop. Levi gave her an angry glare still the giggles erupted.
“Arachne will let them all know what you can do. We have gotten this far. Now every creature in this forest will haunt us down,” Her laughter stopped immediately.
“I get it now. Why your mother was so adamant that you would be a perfect match for a Carmichael. Why my father pushed the idea,” Levi stood up and ran his hand through his hair.
“It all makes sense. They wanted us to come here. You, me. Why Drake…” he stopped and turned to Crystal and then punched the wall.
“I think you have issues,” she muttered.
“Yeah, you have that right.”
“What do you mean they wanted this?”
Levi sat beside her, leaning his head back against the stone bricks.
“Do you know why we got exiled?” she shook her head; she knew nothing of Athens but what she had been taught at school. Somehow, she knew what she had been taught would be wrong.
“There was a prince, an arrogant young man. He knew that one day he would rule the land of Athens and all the creatures within.”
“He seduced many women, but one day he messed with the wrong girl. She was a beautiful woman, although she had turned the prince’s head, she did not steal his heart. The prince carried on escorting different women. Echidna became angry. Unknown to the prince she was the mother of all monsters with power unlike the witches had ever seen before.
She cursed the family and exiled every one of their kind,” Crystal sat up straighter. She had a rather promising idea where the story was heading and who that family was.
“As she banished the witches, an elderly witch, one with great power knew she wouldn’t make it through the vortex. With the last of her power, she called upon the power of the forest, and so the legend was born.”
“You, the Carmichael’s are the family that were cursed.”
“Yeah.”
“My mother, the elders. They said that you were greedy and became power hungry. Four covens came together and cursed you. Each full moon you turned into a beast hunting and killing the witches from the covens,” Levi was the one to laugh this time.
“They told you that?”
“We are all taught the story.”
“If the story isn’t true, then why every full moon does our people go missing. Not just from my coven but others? They are found dead, ripped to shreds.”
“Wow, they have really filled your head with crap. Your covens will stop at nothing to get back into Athens. Each full moon they sacrifice their people. Hoping that their ancestors will give them the power they need to enter this world.”
Crystal gasped as the images of her mother killing the innocent souls played in her mind, it was just a dream she chanted.