Chapter 28- Wicked Forest

As the sun began to set, they remained in the cave, and shadows danced in the corners. Crystal could hear Levi's soft snores from a few feet away, but her mind couldn't stop racing. Everything Levi had told her swam around in her head. The lies she'd been told. But it was her mother's murder that bothered her the most. She had murdered those girls in cold blood, and no amount of rationalisation could make what she had done any less murderous.
Sacrifices, Levi had told her. Crystal curled up into a tight ball, the ruff stone beneath her body. She couldn’t get comfortable and knew if she didn’t sleep, she would only slow them down come morning.
She crawled across the cave floor and placed her head on Levi’s chest. He was lying on his back and his legs were set at a slight angle. As she snuggled into the warmth of his body, his arm wrapped around her protectively, she felt safe in his embrace. She gained comfort from being close to him, like the loneliness inside her was being driven away.
Even after everything she had been taught about the Carmichaels, Crystal knew in her heart that Levi would protect her. She trusted him. Even though everything she had ever been told about them, told her to run, to keep her distance.
Yet she knew he was telling her the truth. It was in his eyes, the way he held eye contact, and held himself.
The first light of dawn shone through the opening of the cave, the brightness of the sun woke Crystal, who rubbed at her eyes groggily.
She hadn’t slept much. Her eyes burned from the light as she stretched and stood up. The quicker they got out of that place the better.
But what would happen when she left? Go home? She didn’t want to face her mother or the coven. She wondered if her father and sisters knew what had been going on. Ruby had always been sweet and sensitive. There was no way she would sit back and allow witches to be sacrificed. No matter what lies her mother spun. It wasn’t in Ruby’s nature.
She couldn’t go home. Not back to the community. Not after everything she had learned. Then what choice did she have? Her mother would hunt her down. She would use any and every magic source available.
“When we get out of this place, tell my mother I’m dead.”
“Why would I do that?”
“I don’t want any part of that coven, or the way that things are done. Lies, so many lies.”
“Crystal, maybe they had their reasons. It is better to face your problems head on than run away and hide,”
Crystal huffed and folded her arms, she glared at Levi.
Shaking his head at her he walked to the edge of the cave, “Ready to jump?”
“What? No, No!”
He smirked at her, one that sent a shiver down Crystal’s spine. “It is the only way down.”
“I can’t swim,” Crystal blurted as panic raised its ugly head causing her whole body to shake.
“You can’t swim?”
“No.” she felt embarrassed and ashamed, who didn’t know how to swim? It wasn’t like swimming was a necessary skill you needed within the coven.
“Keep a hold of my hand, okay? Do not let go,” Levi held out his hand. Crystal hid both her hands behind her back as fear took over every muscle and her heart danced in freight.
“Crystal, trust me,” at that moment she didn’t trust him. He wanted her to jump from a cave into moving water. There wasn’t a chance.
“Come here, I will show you. Where not high, and the water is not a fast current.”
Crystal edged forward. When she was a foot away from Levi, he moved with sped no human should possess. In one fluid move he held her hand in a death grip and pulled her forward dragging her over the edge. Her screams echoed around her mixed with the rush of the wind. Her ears popped and she swore her stomach was left behind in the cave.
The water rushed forward with force. Her body erupted in pain from the impact, it felt like thousands of knives had slashed at her skin. The shock caused her to sink to the bottom of its hidden depths. She kicked her legs and waved her arms frantically. It took her a few moments to realize that she was no longer holding Levi’s hand. She tried to scream and took in a huge gulp of water. Her lungs ached and her chest burned with the need for oxygen. Her mind started to become foggy. She felt herself floating, slowly she moved as one with the water. As her eyes closed, she saw a flash of black hair.
***
Crystal awoke coughing and spluttering. Water poured from her mouth. She took deep rasping breaths. Her body ached in places she didn’t know existed while her head and heart pounded a rhyme in sync.
Levi wrapped his arms around his legs and looked up at the sky. “I said don’t let go.”
“Yeah, like I knew you were about to throw me of a cliff!” her outburst caused another coughing fit.
“You’re impossible,” Levi said, getting to his feet. “We need to go, hopefully make it out of here alive.”
Crystal gave him one of her mean glares and marched behind him as he led the way through the forest. Soon, they came upon a small village.
“Wow,” Crystal said and began to speed up. A village means a bed and a warm meal. Her body came alive with the idea when Levi gripped the back of her dress and pulled her back.
“What?” she demanded in a harsh tone.
“We have been exiled. Do you really think we are welcome,” He took a path that led away from the village and Crystal looked back at the small houses that were all in a perfect row? She longed to walk on their cobbled paths and have a conversation with some other than Mr. Moody. Yet she followed him with a heavy heart.
Whenever Levi spoke to her for the next couple of hours, she snapped at him. It wasn’t his fault but there was no one else she could be mad at.
Something whizzed past Crystal’s face and she stood frozen. She heard a small thud and looked in the direction of the noise. An arrow still moved up and down from the impact, it wobbled as it had stuck in a tree.
“Take cover,” Levi said, as more arrows came their way.
Rocks littered the floor and Crystal used her magic to throw them in the direction the arrows were coming from. She heard a few moans and groans but nothing to say she had done any real damage.
Little men closed in around them. They had pointed ears and shoes. Crystal would have laughed in any other situation as they looked like they were auditioning to be Santa’s elves. They were surrounded. Dozens of the little elf like people blocked their paths. They all held bow and arrows pointed at them.
Crystal racked her mind. How on earth would she outsmart them? She didn’t need too. When she glanced at Levi for direction, he gave her a smirk. Turning back to the little people he flashed them his teeth and eyes, which had turned orange, while his teeth grew into vicious canines. It was all they needed to throw off the elves.
The display shocked them, giving Levi time to shift and Crystal time to call on her powers. While they were memorized with the sight of Levi, she made the tree roots grow and wrap around their feet. She managed to trap a good few of them. Arrows began coming at them from all directions. Crystal used her power to divert them. Levi sprung in the air and leapt at the elves, growling, and snarling at them. Crystal didn’t want to hurt them.
Levi on the other hand attacked them furiously leaving behind him a bloody trail while Crystal simply trapped them.
The fight didn’t last long before the elves were either stuck in the roots of the trees or ripped to shreds.
They moved quickly through the thick brambles and overgrown bushes. Levi stayed in his wolf form the entire time. Dried blood marked his face. Crystal couldn’t look at him. He had shed so much blood; the worst part was she had seen him for the beast he was. The monster she had always believed him to be.
Still her heart convinced her he was good. She was scared of the feelings that were stirring within her.
Was she falling for the monster?