The team and I are getting ready to head to the Death Forest again. I swear fate loves taking me back there, although Destine swears he doesn’t want anyone there. It wasn’t fun telling the Three that Emmy had gotten taken by the Enchantress. I thought Thanos was going to explode. They also weren’t happy that Lynden most likely betrayed us. I can’t blame them, I’m pretty pissed myself, we were good friends. Whatever feelings I had for Lynden died the moment we realized she betrayed us. That’s not the woman I want as a soulmate.
I visited Carter, I know he is beating himself up, but it’s not his fault. Carter was trying to do something nice for Emmy, and he trusted Lynden like we all did. I assure Carter that no one blames him, and that I will be bringing my sister home to him. Carter wants to come with us, but he is in no shape to do anything but rest. I know my dad and Kenzie are keeping him drugged up on potions so that he won’t try to come with us.
Everyone is in the main living room, and ready to go. We all want to get Emmy back. Everyone is worried about what the Enchantress is doing to her, and although we know the baby is protected, we still can’t help but worry. We don’t know what Lynden could have told the Enchantress. Lynden was close to the Three, she knows their magic, so who the hell knows what could be going on or could happen.
Luckily, I know where the Enchantress will be keeping Emmy. I unfortunately know that place like the back of my hand, and I know secret passages. I have Kyndle on my shoulder. Everyone is ready to go to the Death Forest. Thanos gave us the same potion as before, so that we can go in our human forms, we will be stronger that way. Normally the only way someone can go in their physical body is if the Enchantress brings them.
Once we are in the Death Forest, I take us to a hidden tunnel that will lead us into the Enchantress's crypt. We have to be careful, right now we have the element of surprise. I’m more than sure the Enchantress assumes we will be coming for Emmy, so we have to be careful of any traps that she might have set for us. I don’t think she knows that I know about this tunnel. There’s a lot that I don’t think she knows, she was stupid to ever give me freedom.
We make our way through the tunnel and come out to the main room of the crypt. I look around, but I don’t see the Enchantress around, she must be in the dungeon part with Emmy. I let the team know we have the clear, and then we head into the crypt.
“Seriously she lives in a fucking crypt?” Alice asks with a mix of disgust and disbelief in her voice.
“Yup. Welcome to where I spent most of my life,” I say, dreading that I’m back here.
“That’s fucked up man,” Ryan states.
“When you are a prisoner, you don’t get much of a choice where you stay,” I reply.
I lead everyone towards the dungeon where we can hear voices. As we get closer it’s clear that it’s Emmy and the Enchantress talking, well not so much talking as arguing. We get closer, and half of us go on one side of the door, while the half goes on the other side of the door. I lean into see what is going on.
Emmy is chained. The chains are around her wrist and the other end is bolted to the floor. Emmy is dirty, and there is some blood on her shirt, but overall, it could be worse. Emmy is giving the Enchantress the death stare, shit I know that look, Emmy is about to flip the fuck out, but if I know the Enchantress those chains are suppressing Emmy’s magic. The Enchantress's back is to me, which is good because I don’t want her to see me.
I think Emmy sees me, or maybe she senses me, I’m not sure, but I see her look my way, and a smirk comes across her face. I put my finger to my lips to tell her to be quiet about us. Emmy quickly looks back at the Enchantress who is rambling on about how she is going to hurt Emmy’s baby. The Enchantress stops talking, she seems annoyed that Emmy isn’t looking defeated.
“Why the hell are you smirking?”
“I’m just thinking about how I’ve already gotten my revenge on you. See you talk about getting revenge on me, my parents, my brother, my team, and well the whole damn world, but don’t you see I’ve already gotten my revenge on you.”
“Oh, really now? How did you get revenge on me?”
“There is no greater revenge than doing what you never could,” Emmy states with satisfaction.
“And what’s that,” the Enchantress sneers.
Emmy is distracting her so that we can make a move. I have to give my sister credit; she knows how to make things work to her advantage when she is in a shit situation.
“To find love and be loved.” Emmy smiles.
Ouch, that has got to sting. Way to go Emmy. I’m very proud of my little sister right now.
“Burn!” Alice whispers behind me.
I try not to chuckle at Alice’s comment. I have to focus. We have to get Emmy out of here. The longer we don’t make a move, the longer we risk losing the element of surprise. I let Kyndle fly in front of us. Kyndle distracts the Enchantress for us so we can enter. Brie and Avery run to help Emmy. Ryan and Alice form a barrier between Brie, Avery, and Emmy, separating them from the Enchantress. I go with Kyndle to help fight the Enchantress. She is strong here in the Death Forest, and it’s going to take everything we have to get out of here alive.
Brie and Avery must have gotten Emmy free because she is now at my side. With the three of us fighting the Enchantress we might have a shot. Alice, Ryan, Brie, and Avery focus on making a way for us to get out of here since the Enchantress blocked the only exit with rocks.
Emmy is weak from the chains suppressing her magic. The Enchantress manages to break our form, so we are no longer near each other. The Enchantress turns to face me. I’m trying to get up from being tossed across the room when I suddenly realize the Enchantress has thrown dark fire my way. I have no way of dodging it. This is it; this is how I die. I close my eyes, and I hear Emmy scream my name.
I hear Kyndle making a screeching sound, I open my eyes to watch her get hit with the dark fire. However instead of disintegrating and dying, Kyndle shifts from bird form to human form. My mouth drops open when I see a very beautiful, naked woman on her stomach. She has pale skin, and long dark red hair that covers the top half of her body. I run over to Kyndle just as she is trying to move.
“Kyndle?” I ask putting my black hoodie over her.
Kyndle looks up at me with a smile. She wraps herself in the hoodie, so she isn’t naked and exposed. I help Kyndle sit up. I look at her beautiful heart shaped face, she has dark amber eyes like she does when she is in bird form. I didn’t know she was a shifter. They are so rare that some people even think they are extinct. I wrap an arm around her because she is shaking. I look over at Emmy who is fighting the Enchantress and kicking her ass. The others are staring at me and Kyndle. I don’t blame them. They all looked so shocked.
“Kyndle. Are you okay?” I ask turning my attention back to her.
“Yes.” Her voice is soft and delicate. “I just need a few moments. The dark fire has weakened me.”
“How are you not dead?”
Kyndle gives me a half smile.
“Dark fire doesn’t work the same on shifters as it does on others. Besides, I’m not just any shifter, I’m a phoenix, the most powerful shifter there is, well besides unicorns.”
“Wait, they are real too?”
“Yes, but they are rare, even more rare than a phoenix. There is only one born every thousand years. Phoenixes are born every nine hundred years, and dragon shifters are only born by dark magic, but we have been hunted to the point of extinction. We can talk about this later, but I think Emmy might need your help.”
I look up and find that Emmy is slowly getting weaker, she was already weak to begin with, and now she is even weaker because she has been fighting off the Enchantress. I get up and help Emmy with the Enchantress. At this point the Enchantress has been weakened greatly and flees like a coward. She isn’t as strong as she could be because she is possessing a human and not a powerful witch. I guess she didn’t take that into consideration when she found a way to possess a human, or maybe she hoped it wouldn’t matter.
Once the Enchantress is gone, I go and scoop Kyndle up into my arms. Alice and Brie help Emmy. We take the stones and think of home. We pop up in the medical wing. Emmy runs to Carter and hugs him. My dad makes her get into her own bed so she can get checked out. Apparently, Eva and Thanos are on their way to check on Emmy and the baby.
I take Kyndle to a private room where she can rest since she doesn’t need any medical attention, she just needs to rest so she can get her strength back. When she is done resting, I’m going to get answers from her. I have so many questions that need answers.
I shower, and then crash on the plush couch in Kyndle’s room. Emmy is home and safe, that’s all I care about. Emmy is going to need time with Carter, and I’m sure our parents will be all over her. I need sleep, I’m tired, and I also don’t want to face everyone till I have answers. I take a sleeping potion, and then let sleep overtake my tired and worn-out body.