Chapter 71- Whispers In The Wind

The next day more had been infected and more deaths piled up. Every attempt to cure the plague failed. She listened to the names of those that had died. People she had grown up with and shared memories, good and bad. Why the plague was upon them she still didn’t know. Josephine had stopped whispering her name and she felt hallow inside. There was nothing she could do. No way could she help. All she could do is wait to hear who else had been unlucky to contact the deadly disease and wait for her own turn.
The day passed slowly in a blur; she had given up hope. She had given up on life and herself.
When the sun rose on Friday morning, Crystal laid in bed staring at the ceiling. One day soon, she wouldn’t get the pleasure of opening her eyes. She wouldn’t feel the wind in her hair, and she wouldn’t free Josephine from the Suicide Forest. She would be gone. The entire race of witches was looking at distinction in the face.
An inner strength pushed her depression to one side. What was she doing? Feeling sorry for herself? She would fight, to the end. Isn’t that what she had always done? As long as she had breath in her body she would fight.
Getting out of bed she showered and dressed quickly. Marching through the manor she thrust open Seth’s study door where the leaders were meeting.
“What the hell is going on?” she demanded as they looked at her with wide eyes.
“Crystal!” Crystal raised her hand and stole her mother’s voice. There was no way Jeanette was going to stop her.
“Tell me!” she yelled causing the floor to shake and the walls to tremor.
“Sit please dear,” Mary pulled out a chair and Crystal sat down and leaned back, her arms folded while she waited for an explanation.
“Your mother made a deal with a demon to give him a male heir. As you know that is not possible because of the curse upon your family,” Crystal glanced at her mother out of the corner of her eye. She was staring at the floor with shame written across her face.
“She made a deal with a demon,” Crystal tutted as she remembered Levi had also made deals with a seer.
“Now that demon wants payment. Your mother failed to obtain her end of the bargain therefore he is punishing us all,” Mary finished her explanation.
“How do we stop it? There must be a way. A loophole?” her eyes scanned the room, all of them turning away from her stare.
“Dear, the only way to stop what is happening to the witches is by you going with him. He now wants you,” Crystal jumped from her chair and got into her mother’s face.
“That’s why you want Levi and I to marry tomorrow. Once you have what you want your just going to toss me to a demon!” Crystal turned away and paused.
“You make me sick,” she muttered at the woman who had given her life and was the one taking it away.
Crystal left the study and found Levi in his room. He had become the one person she could rely on. She almost laughed at the feeling she had at the start. When she first heard the news that Levi Carmichael would be her husband she was mortified and hated him before even knowing him. Now Levi had become her friend and saviour. He was her go too person.
Crystal relayed what she had been told to Levi who tensed with rage.
“I won’t allow.” Crystal placed her finger to his lip.
“It’s okay. I will do what needs to be done to save our kind. But I will not open that portal for my mother,”
“Crystal, it is suicide,”
“What’s one life when many could be saved,” she shrugged and laid her head in his lap. She closed her eyes as he ran his fingers through her hair.
“I won’t let you,” he whispered. She ignored his comment. He didn’t have a choice. She had no choice.
The room began to dim as the moon rose and the sun set.
Shouts and screams woke her from her sleep. Both of them jumped up and shot to the window. Hundreds of witches with fire burning on the ends of large sticks marched towards the manor.
“Crystal Hudson needs to die,” she gulped as she heard the words that were being chanted. Her people wanted her dead.
“The Lady of the Forest shall never be freed,” turning to Levi she saw the colour drain from his skin.
The door burst open, and Seth stood blocking the doorway.
“Get her out of here!” he yelled, and they both ran for the door.
Levi locked his hand with hers and dragged her down the winding staircase and into the kitchen. He pushed a large table to one side knocking the chairs onto the floor.
“What are you doing?” Crystal asked looking around.
“Going through the tunnels,” he lifted up a brown and red rug and revealed a trap door.
“Go and hurry,” Mary said who was now standing in the doorway.
“Crystal followed him down a creaky pair of ladders into complete darkness. She felt his hand find hers and followed his lead as he tugged her down a damp narrow tunnel.
“Where does it lead?” she asked in a small voice. Her brain was finding it hard to come to terms with her very own people wanting her dead.
“Sshhh,” Levi made the sound and Crystal clamped her teeth together.
It felt like hours before they began to climb more rusty old ladders that groaned and shook from their weight. Levi pushed the door. She heard the sound of metal grating, but no light shone down to light up the darkness that had surrounded her.
She cautiously continued to climb the steps and let Levi hoist her up and out of the tunnels. To her shock she found herself in the car park of her high school. Jealousy raged through her as she watched the humans dressed in beautiful dresses their arms linked through young men’s wearing suites. The smiles and happiness in their eyes were something she had longed for. She had been close. Yet again it had been snatched from her.
“Come on,” Levi gently pushed her towards the main road and away from school. She could hear the music and longed to go inside and dance. Forget about her problems for one night.
“Crystal Hudson shall die. The Lady of the Forest will not rise!” she heard the chants and followed the direction. There were too many headings straight towards them. They changed direction only to skid to a halt. They were surrounded. Fire balls, small and large objects flew their way. Dropping and rolling Crystal was ready to fight. Lifting her hand to the sky she made a circular motion. The sky flashed with lighting and the ground shook knocking the witches to the floor. She looked up at the storm she had created with confusion. It wasn’t strong enough to cause so much damage. The tarmac on the roads crumbled away leaving huge holes and cracks.
Loud crashing came from behind them as the witches gained their footing. She couldn’t help but look as she spun out of the way of a letterbox.
“My friend!” Peter roared as he rushed out of the darkness at a dizzying speed. She had forgotten all about her Giant friend whom she had left within the forest. He charged at the witches with his hands and feet flying. He knocked them down like skittles. Crystal ran through the witches lying on the ground. Some tried to grab her legs as she made her way past them. Once they were clear they ran faster to the cover of the forest.
Once they were deep within the wilderness, she stopped to catch her breath.
“What is going on? They want to kill me. Something about the Lady of the Forest?” she shook her head. How much more could she take?
“Hay it’s okay. We will fix this,” Levi went to place his hand on her shoulder. She pushed him away as fire burned through her body.
“Fix it? You fix something that is broken!” she yelled in frustration.
“The demon your mother made the deal with wanted a male heir with the blood of the King of Death and Destruction so that the child could free the Lady of the forest from her prison. She failed to do that. But there is still a chance that an heir can be born, you or any of your sisters can bore the heir. The only way to stop her from entering this world is if the key is dead,”
“What your saying is. As soon as a boy is born from our blood, he will release this Lady of the forest and they don’t want her crossing into this world so I must die?” she dropped to the floor and wrapped her hands around her knees.
“Yeah. Once the door is closed, there is no way for the child to make it to the Lady of the forest ensuring she is trapped for eternity,”
“I wanted that doorway closed more than anything and I was willing to die for it. But now, knowing my aunt is trapped inside that forest of death. I will fight to free her before closing the door,”
“Crystal, you amaze me,” he pulled her up and she smiled.
“But there is one small thing, how do you plan on doing just that?” he asked her.
“We go, right now. We pass over into Athens and save Josephine, whatever happens to me after that, I don’t care,”
“I care,” he placed his hand on her cheek and sighed.
“Fist I promised you one dance,” she smiled as he manoeuvred her hands till they were wrapped around his neck. She felt the heat of his hands on her hips and smiled as he led the way in a slow dance.
“I look a mess,” she mumbled into his shoulders.
“You look perfect,” he whispered. Crystal smiled, as the world and her problems drifted away. In Levi’s arms, dancing under the stars she felt like she was where she was meant to be. She felt safe and at peace. She didn’t want to let go of that moment.