Running Out Of Time

Bambi

~It was over…~

~Everything we’d fought for…~

~Gone. Sold out by the man who’d helped us win.~

I listened to the glug of wine as Ekon drank it down.

He had been making so much progress. The demons that tore at his mind and body were starting to be exorcised…

And the fateful hand of Devina washed it all away with a simple snap of her fingers.

What were we going to do? I pulled my knees to my chest and held them tight, hoping to find some warmth in the otherwise chilly cavern.

Max was silent after learning of Leonardo’s departure. No doubt he was distraught over such a good friend turning us over to the enemies we’d nearly defeated.

Nearly wasn’t good enough. They were still alive. And soon we no longer would be.

My eyes searched the cave as a faint voice began to fill the cavern. But I soon realized it was not in the cavern, but in my head.

~Bambi… Ekon… Max… Are you alright?~

It was Ela! In all the commotion I had nearly forgotten that she and Hunter were still hiding back at the hill.

~We’re in a cave!~ I linked. ~They captured us. I don’t know what they have planned.~

~I’ll try and find a way inside…~

~No! Stay where you are. If the worst happens, at least you’ll still be able to warn others about Matthias and Devina.~

I looked over at Ekon, but he didn’t seem to hear her. Max’s eyes were staring right at me. He heard her too!

~Please! I can help!~

There was nothing we could do. And I began to feel the same depression to which Ekon and Max were succumbing.

~There was no help. We were on our own.~

Tyler

The cult of witches was waking up, finally recovered from their exhausting spell.

Devina was boastful and she had reason to be. Her plan had worked to perfection, which scared me more than a life of solitary confinement in Grandma’s Penitentiary.

Not only was she more powerful than ever, but also now she had Matthias’s Rogues under lock and key.

Devina floated up into the air, her veins surging with the rush of so much unbelievable power. Her new pet Holly followed closely behind. She really did seem to take a shining to the one witch – a teen no less! – who was rumored to have defeated her single-handedly.

She was impressive, much as I was so long ago. If Devina could get her claws deep enough into Holly, she might be able to unlock something the world had never seen. Not that she needed it now with her recently acquired ancestral powers.

Zillana, the woman who coerced Holly to unknowingly join with Devina, ran up to speak with Holly. Devina spun in mid-air and hit her with a spell, sending her tumbling to the ground.

She lay there unmoving, no doubt knocked senseless for being so brash and stupid; thinking that Holly was somehow still hers.

Devina still had control over my mind, but it was weakening. The burn of her tattoo waned the longer she kept her attention on the others. As sad as I felt for Holly, at least Devina wasn’t focused on me. And that might just give me a chance to escape…

As the two powerful witches floated out of sight, I could smell something enticing. I followed my nose and it led me to a satchel set in the crook of a rock. After checking to make sure no one was watching, I felt inside and pulled out a handful of greenish-red, odorous leaves.

~Fairy Slipper!~

Caught up in her triumphs, Devina had forgotten the powerful plant that could give our magic an extra boost. I reached in for another handful as its pungent scent filled my nostrils.

The tides were about to turn. I would make sure of that.

Ela

The witches were much more active, finally waking up from their trance. It was terrifying to think that soon the entirety of Rogues and witches would gather together… and then what?

I was scared to learn the answer.

From my vantage point, their combined army looked enormous, likely outnumbering Hunter, Ekon, and Max’s packs put together.

There was no quick answer to our problems, but I needed to do something, and fast. Or else I was afraid I would never see Bambi, Ekon, or Max alive again.

Hunter groaned and I wiped the sweat off his forehead with a damp rag. He was extremely tired, still fighting off infections that threatened to take him from me for good.

I gave his cheek a kiss and was glad to see him smile, even if it was only semi-consciously.

I returned my attention below, watching Holly follow behind Devina like a little puppy. What had happened to the sweet young woman who had wanted nothing more than to be a pure and powerful witch?

It couldn’t be her fault. Devina was a sorceress of the darkest kind and I knew that she had used mind-control to force Tyler to do her dirty work. But now my friend was taking the unfortunate witch’s place. It was torture to watch.

Speaking of Tyler… where was she?

I looked through the mass of bodies and suddenly I couldn’t breathe.

Tyler was staring up at me as if she had read my mind. I tried to hide behind the wide leaves that had given me stealth, but feared it was too late.

I looked again and couldn’t find Tyler. She was gone!

Where was she? If I had given away my position, then there was nothing that could be done for the others!

“It’s nice to see you,” a female voice said behind me.

I jolted at the sound and tried to scramble away. Tyler held out her hands to calm my fears.

“Don’t worry! I’m not under Devina’s control. At least, not right now.”

“How is that possible?” I asked.

“Devina left a satchel of Fairy Slipper lying around and I was able to take some for myself,” she said with a wink. “It’s very powerful and helped energize a spell to neutralize her control.”

I nodded stupidly, trying my best to pretend I understood what she was talking about.

Her eyes were kind and the smile she wore let me know she was telling the truth. If she really wanted to capture us, she would have brought other witches with her.

“Have you seen Bambi and the others?”

She shook her head. “They’re here?”

At first, this surprised me, but as I thought more about it, the more it made sense. Devina wouldn’t let anyone know she had captured them, not yet. After all, we had been the ones to release Tyler from prison. It’s possible that even Devina knew she would hold a soft spot for us.

Tyler was staring at Hunter with curiosity, if not a hint of disgust. I knew Hunter had interrogated her back at Vladimir’s house, hoping to discern her true allegiances.

Tyler knelt down and placed her hand on Hunter’s chest. I reached out, grabbing her hand in my own.

“I promise I’m not going to hurt him. If I don’t do something, he won’t last much longer.”

I nodded my head and retracted my hand, allowing her to focus on her spells. Within seconds, her hand glowed a dull white and Hunter’s body seemed to jerk in reaction.

“It will take some time. But he should be able to recover.”

I hugged her and could feel her body go rigid, but only for a moment. She then returned my hug fully, pulling me close to her.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had one of those,” she said. “Thank you.”

I pulled away. I didn’t want to break our new connection, but time was running out.

“We need to find a way to the others,” I said.

“Did you see where they took them?”

I pointed to the large cave across the clearing. Tyler nodded her head.

“Stay here and keep out of sight. I’ll be right back.”

Tyler

The cave was dimly lit, but I followed the faint energy given off by the three captives. They were close, in the same place I was held captive only a few days ago.

Devina thought her powers were unending, unbreakable, and all-powerful. But I knew more than one spell to dull her magic and keep her mind-control at bay.

Devina had Holly under complete control. The girl’s goofy expression must have been similar to the one I wore as a child. Devina assured me I was helping a great cause, and she was no doubt feeding the same lies to Holly.

“Someone’s coming,” I heard Bambi whisper.

“Let them come and I’ll fucking… I’ll kill... I’ll fucking do it!”

I recognized Ekon’s voice but did not understand why he sounded so loopy.

The light grew slightly brighter and I could finally see the cages where the werewolves were being held.

“Tyler!” Bambi squealed, excited to see me.

“This is a surprise,” Max said, dourly. “Did you come to taunt us as well?”

“Why would I do that? I’ve come to help you.”

Bambi and Max looked at one another while Ekon bared his wine-stained teeth.

“Fucking liar. Should’ve never trusted one of Devina’s slaves.”

I smelled alcohol on his breath.

“Watch your mouth, drunkard, or you’ll stay in your cage.”

His eyes grew wide and his mouth opened to retaliate, but Bambi shushed him and Ekon reluctantly kept quiet.

My ice spell froze the locks, followed by a bolt of fire that heated them beyond natural means. The locks snapped and fell to the ground with a thud.

“Gather round. We don’t have much time,” I instructed.

Carefully, each one left their cages and huddled around my kneeling body. I took in a deep breath and tried to summon every ounce of Fairy Slipper still in my veins.

Everything went pitch black before a flash of white light blinded our eyes.

“Holy shit,” Ela said. “You actually found them!”