Chapter 31- Wicked Forest

He was going to kill him. Rip him to shreds with his own claws. Drake was a dead man. Levi would never forgive him.
He had betrayed him in the worst feasible way. They had taken her. What laid in store for her he didn’t know? Whatever it was wouldn’t be pretty. She was a threat to them, a big one at that. They would want her dead. How could Drake be so stupid?
He punched the tree and watched as his hand healed from the battering it had just taken. He had let her down. Failed to keep her safe when he had promised to do so, why didn’t he listen to his gut instinct? Instead, he had given him the benefit of the doubt, granted he didn’t trust him.
Because she was happy that’s why, is inner voice answered him. She had looked at Drake in a way she would never look at him.
“Did you find her?” He asked Dregon as he landed beside him.
“They’re on the way to the castle,” Levi cursed.
The castle would be heavily guarded and impossible to get in. He paced the forest as his mind went into overdrive.
“May I make a suggestion?” Dregon asked. Levi sighed and waited for the dragon to share his theory.
“We follow them. Stay a safe distance and wait for an opportunity to snatch the girl.
“Wow, Dregon that is not a bad idea. Good thinking.” the dragon snorted his appreciation for the comment causing a gust of smoke to rise in the air.
Levi climbed onto the back of Dregon, and they took flight, following Crystal at a safe distance. The army looked like ants from the sky. If Crystal wasn’t amongst them, he would have ordered Dregon to burn them all.
“Can you remember how we met?” Dregon asked and Levi smiled. It was something he could never forget.
“You were this mighty little boy, a child sporting a sphere and convinced you were a dragon slayer,” Levi laughed.
“Yeah, you played games with me. Led me on,”
“That is so my friend. But what I saw in you, was a leader. A good and honest one at that. That girl, she will be the one to set your heart free,”
“Dregon…”
“Trust me, I am as old as time and have seen many things. I know what I have seen.”
***
Crystal opened her eyes, to be greeted with a monster headache. It was pitch black. She couldn’t see a thing. She tried to let her eyes adjust to the darkness, but it was no use. She could smell damp soil and it reminded her of one of the elderly women of her coven who planted and cared for the herbs in which they used in potions. It made her miss home. The one place she had always wanted to escape. She guessed it was true what people said, sometimes you don’t know how good you have it. Until it is gone.
She ran her hand over the walls, it was a strange feeling, yet one that felt familiar the more she moved around the confinement the more the walls reminded her of when she had done pottery at school for extra credit. Clay, the walls were made of clay.
She sat on the floor and pulled her knees up. She couldn’t find a way out. The walls felt the same everywhere she touched, and her energy was spent. Crystal wanted to give up. She had a slither of hope left that she would make it home. But even as she thought about home, she didn’t get the same excitement she did before. She wanted to go home; it was her mother she was afraid of.
Now all she wanted was out of the dreadful place. She vowed that if she ever did get out of that world, she would never step foot into another forest or woods as long as she lived. Who knew what was hidden within their depths?
She heard footsteps, they echoed from outside her prison. Crystal shot to her feet ready for a fight. The wall opened up and she had to cover her face with her arm from the light. When the wall closed with a soft thud, she moved her arm.
Drake stood holding fire on a stick giving her a friendly smile. How dare he? She glared at him. Rage filled her body. She could feel the earth moving under her. After everything he had done, lied to her, betrayed her, but most of all made her think he actually liked her. He had the nerve to smile at her.
“Calm down,” Drake said in a natural tone.
“You…” Crystal stopped she had no words for the monster in front of her. He was nothing.
“I thought we were friends,” she whispered. Drake laughed, one that was flat.
“Friends? Crystal, you are a means to an end.”
His words made her blood boil and the shaking increased.
“If you don’t calm down then you will bring this whole place down, is that what you want?” his words were calm and getting on Crystal’s last nerve.
She laughed, as she looked at the young man she had been crushing on for years. It was a laugh that was directed at herself. He was nothing, but a coward, two faced at that. He was weak and used his charm as a weapon. However, she was the idiot for falling for his trap. The joke was on her.
“What are you laughing at?” he demanded which made her laugh more.
“You won’t be laughing once Echidna is done with you. Levi is most probably dead by now.”
That was the last straw.
Crystal felt the buzz of her power burning through her veins, it was welling up and Crystal couldn’t stop the rush. It was a feeling that made her body come alive.
She shoved both hands out before her and released the build-up of power. It blasted Drake through the mud wall like a bomb had exploded.
She walked through the hole, with excitement. She was free. However, she was surrounded by the elves. She kicked herself for getting her hopes up just to have them crushed.
Two men approached her. Crystal didn’t fight she knew she had no chance. There was six to one. She would never beat them.
The two men with pointed hats and ears grabbed one of her arms each and escorted her over a wooden bridge.
On the other side of the bridge, stood a huge castle, one that would put any storybook palace to shame. It stood as the centre piece surrounded by beautiful scenery. A large river isolated the castle on its own little island. Its stone walls looked well cared for and almost new with vines growing over the walls. She was impressed as she was led to the large double doors.
The men that walked beside them pushed the doors open to reveal natural wooden floors. As they pulled her along her eyes took in every nook and cranny of the place. They tugged her into what looked like a living room but had grass covering the floor.
Crystal was pushed onto a couch that was made out of tree trunks and decorated with gold pillows. Two men were behind her while two stood to each side of her standing to attention. Drake stood in front of the roaring fire. She hadn’t hit him hard enough. The next time he wouldn’t be so lucky. She would make sure of that. Crystal heard Echidna before she saw her. It was a weird sound, a slight hiss mixed with a gentle rattle.
“She is a pretty little thing. Not what I was expecting,” the snake lady said to Drake.
“How does someone so small hold so much power?” Echidna asked.
“It’s called good jeans,” Crystal mocked. “Unfortunately, you didn’t get any.”
Echidna spat out her tongue, Crystal ducked and watched as one of the guards fell to the floor withering from the insult. She really needed to learn to bite her tongue.
“I’d watch your mouth,” Drake tutted.
“Are you sure, that she is the one?” Echidna asked Drake not convinced.
“I have been watching her for weeks in the forest. I knew as soon as I saw her use the elements to make it rain that she was the one. I came up with a plan straight away my Queen to bring her here for you.” Echidna clapped like a small child with excitement. It was him. All along it was him. Crystal felt her pride take another hit.
“Now what do I do with such power?” the snake lady pouted.
“Call on the great witch, have her extract it and use it to your advantage,” Drake said proudly.
Echidna whipped him with her tongue as her eyes flashed a bright yellow and her tail shook violently.
“The great witch? Where is she? My sources say she never made it through the vortex,” Drake gulped as she demanded an explanation.
“My Queen, please forgive me. I had no idea. I thought you knew that she lived and resided in the forest.” His words only angered Echidna more, causing her to lash out at him once more.
“The one that cursed me. Made sure that a girl was born stronger and more powerful than me, has been living in my forest?” her eyes scanned her men that occupied the room. They all looked away with guilt written on their faces.
“Ready my men. It is time I put Margon in her place. How dare she deify me?” Crystal gulped. The old kind lady would be no match for the evil queen, and it would all be her fault.