Page 47 of Sorcia's Heart
Her knees buckled, and Marcus caught her before she hit the ground, scooping her into his arms.“Fix the soil,” he commanded softly to the nearest witches, his voice a mix of gratitude and authority.
The witches moved into action, their hands glowing as they began the delicate process of purifying the earth.Marcus carried Sorcia to the edge of the circle, his arms cradling her protectively as she rested against him, her head on his shoulder.
“It’s done,” he whispered, brushing a damp strand of hair from her face.“You did it, Sorcia.”
Her lips curved into a faint smile, her exhaustion too great for words, but the gratitude and determination in her eyes spoke volumes.
A noise to the left caught everyone’s attention.Suddenly, Hortense appeared, her neon-green eyes widened, and she clasped her hands to her chest, trembling with excitement and awe.The faint glow of her green aura pulsed as she stared at Sorcia, her gaze shifting between the witch and the suddenly detoxified forest.The ground beneath her feet seemed to hum, the energy of the purified soil radiating through her connection with the land.
“You…you saved my forest,” Hortense whispered, her voice breaking with emotion.She bowed her head, the glow around her intensifying as if the trees themselves were acknowledging Sorcia’s efforts.“Thank you.I cannot express what this means to me.”
Sorcia tried to respond, but her exhaustion was overwhelming.She managed a faint smile before her head lolled against the tree bark.Marcus knelt beside her, his hand resting on her shoulder protectively.
Marcus lifted her into his arms, then gently transferred Sorcia to the bed of pine needles and leaves that Hortense had summoned.“She’ll be okay,” he reassured the elf.“She just needs rest.”
“I’ve seen your pack,” Hortense said to Jace, her voice filled with a strange mixture of reverence and guilt.“You’ve always respected the forest.I should have… I should have trusted more.”Her gaze lingered on Jace, then Marcus, and finally returned to Sorcia, her voice quaking.“Why would you help me when I was trying to hurt you?I didn’t stop Birchsmire when I should have.”
Sorcia, weak but resolute, pushed herself up slightly, her breath shallow but her eyes steady.“Because the forest…your forest…is innocent,” she murmured.“It shouldn’t suffer for anyone’s mistakes—not yours, not Birchsmire’s.”
Tears welled up in Hortense’s glowing eyes.She reached out as if to touch Sorcia but stopped herself, her hands hovering uncertainly.“You saved what I love most,” she whispered.“But… Birchsmire.He lied.He said there were no other demons.”
The shock in her voice caught Marcus’s attention.“You didn’t know?”he asked, his tone sharp.“We suspect that Hazelton Birchsmire is trying to release the imprisoned demons.That’s why he took Bethany.”
Hortense staggered back, her green aura flickering wildly.“Release them?”she gasped.“No.That cannot happen!I didn’t—” She choked on her words, guilt and horror etched into her face.“I didn’t mean for this.I just wanted to save my forest!”
Sorcia nodded weakly, her voice soft but firm.“Then help us.Tell us where he’s taken Bethany.It’s not too late.”
The elf’s trembling hands dropped to her sides, and she squared her shoulders, her expression hardening with determination.“He has a place deep in the woods, hidden by an ancient barrier.I’ll take you there.But you must stop him before he completes whatever he’s planning.”
Marcus helped Sorcia sit up, his arm steadying her.“Lead the way,” he said, his voice filled with grim resolve.
Hortense turned, her aura flaring brighter as she faced the forest.“Follow me,” she said, her voice steadier now, charged with purpose.The trees around them rustled, as if preparing themselves for what was to come.
Chapter 27
Hortensehurriedlyledthemthrough the forest, Marcus carrying Sorcia despite her protests that her energy was returning.When he ignored her protests, Sorcia gave in and rested her head against his shoulder, and answered the elf’s question.“My ancestors captured hundreds of demons.They use our powers to wreak havoc in the human world.When that happens, the humans turn on witches, hunting us down.We can’t afford more bad publicity.”
Hortense nodded, her gaze dropping to the ground as her fingers sifted through the soil.“It feels really nice now,” she murmured, her tone soft with reverence.She glanced over her shoulder at the idling dump trucks, their engines grumbling softly in the distance.“I didn’t realize all of that…stuff was in my forest.”
Sorcia smiled faintly.“We smelled it, and Marcus’s lab confirmed what it was.”
Hortense paused, her expression pained as she looked around at the towering trees, their silhouettes stark against the night sky.“The trees were dying,” she whispered.“I thought…I thought if the older trees had babies to take care of, they’d fight harder to survive.”Her neon eyes shifted back to where they’d left the trucks behind.“I had no idea they were dying because of…whatever that toxic stuff is.”
Before Sorcia could respond, a group of wolves loped out of the shadows, their forms massive and menacing in the moonlight.Hortense, able to handle one wolf, but not a full pack of enormous, growing beasts,S screeched, her glow intensifying briefly before she vanished, disappearing into the treetops.
Jace, leading the pack, wrinkled his nose as if to say,I hate it when that happens.He sat back on his haunches, the moonlight catching his dark fur, and moments later, a smaller, lighter wolf appeared beside him.Anikka.She rubbed her muzzle against his fur before sitting next to him, her movements fluid and familiar.
More wolves emerged from the shadows, forming a silent perimeter around the witches.The witches remained calm, no longer unnerved by the giant predators.The wolves sat, their watchful gazes scanning the surroundings as they waited.
Jace shifted into his human form, standing tall and unabashedly naked.“We still can’t catch your friend’s scent,” he said, his tone laced with frustration.His eyes flicked toward the idling trucks.“The exhaust fumes are masking everything now.”
Sorcia sighed and pushed herself out of Marcus’s arms.“I’ll tell them to leave,” she said, her determination overriding her exhaustion.
Before she could move further, Anikka, still in her wolf form, loped over and plopped her furry bulk in Sorcia’s path.
“Um…well, okay,” Sorcia said with a half-laugh, leaning against Marcus with a sigh of relief.
Jace chuckled softly, then tilted his head upward.“You can come down now,” he called into the trees.
