Spellbinders Secret

Lost Without Her

She was gone.

He stared at the spot where Ella and his despicable brother had disappeared. His sweetheart, his first and last. The love of his life.

Gone.

Tears of sadness and anger trickled down his cheeks. Sad because he'd lost Ella, angry because he'd let Arran take her.

Guards swarmed the room bending down next to him, asking him if he was ok. He said nothing to them. He didn't even move. He just sat there.

Eventually, his parents, the King and Queen came. They didn't say anything to him. They didn't ask him if he was alright, or if he was hurt. They already knew he wasn't, not physically anyway. Gently, they helped him up and lead him to his room.

His room.

He remembered when Ella had saved his life yet again, but at her own cost. She'd been unconscious for three days; and during those three days, he'd laid her in his bed and watched as she slept peacefully. Now, all that remained of that happy memory was an empty bed.

Suddenly, his knees buckled underneath him. He sobbed uncontrollably while his mother rubbed his back, trying to comfort him. This was worse than when Ella had told him she could never be his. At least he would've seen her everyday. And now?

Now he feared he would never see her ever again.

"It's ok Callum. She gave herself up for you. That's her job, it's what she was trained to do-"

"I don't care if it was her job! He had no right to take her from me! Stupid girl... she should've... she should've just let me die," he choked. His Mother backed away from him. Never, not in her life, had she ever seen so much raw emotion within Callum.

Carefully, his parents left him to rest.

***

It was morning. Callum's eyes were bloodshot, staring at the ceiling. He hadn't slept a wink. He didn't feel tired, he didn't feel hungry, and even though his tongue felt like sandpaper, he wasn't thirsty. His tongue. The one that, not so long ago, had been tasting her sweet mouth.

Her kiss lingered on his lips, and he couldn't stop remembering how he'd held her, so close, so tight. He wished he'd held her tighter.

What had she been trying to say when Arran had stopped her?

"Callum, before, I tried to tell you something important. I am madly in lo-"

Had she been trying to say that she loved him too?

He'd never know.

Why hadn't he just swept her off her feet, in spite of her protests, locked her in his room until she couldn't deny her attraction to him any longer, and then lived happily ever after? Why did she believe she'd never be good enough for him? If anything, he would never be good enough for her. She was brave, strong and kind. She'd been put through hell, and she still managed to smile everyday.

But what hurt most was that his Sweetheart thought she was broken.

Callum never saw her that way. To him, she was whole and beautiful, so beautiful. And if she was broken, then so was he.

Slowly, ignoring the aches and pains that jabbed at his stiff arms and legs, he walked out of his room and crossed the hall. Without thinking, he opened the doors.

Her room was as it'd always been. Tidy. Her books on moon Fairies lay on her bed expectantly. He saw her cupboard door slightly ajar, and her sweet scent was everywhere. Not caring about how undignified he looked, Callum laid down on her bed, lying on his stomach. He inhaled deeply, breathing in her fresh lavender scent. When he'd first realised how he felt about her, lavender had been a constant reminder of her presence. He would pass a pot of it in the gardens and see her smiling face in his head.

And now? The flowery scent only served as a reminder of what he'd lost.

Oh, Ella, sweet Ella, I loved you so much. He thought to himself. He realised that he was speaking of her in past tense, and this made him angry at himself.

How did he know she was gone? She was still alive! And if she's alive, she can be rescued. He would need to train, of course. He'd need to be the best warrior in the whole palace. And, of course, this wouldn't hurt his body either. He could just imagine Ella's shocked and happy face when she finds that he not only saved her, but looked incredibly hot too. Surely she'd take that as a sign that he wanted her and only her?

These new thoughts gave Callum strength. He sat up straight and took one of her pillows, not to mourn her loss, but to remind him of what he was fighting for. As he removed the pillow, he caught sight of a black ball of fur. Oh, goodness. Kat.

Kat was curled up in a ball, shaking uncontrollably. Callum took her small form in his arms and petted her, but all she did was whimper. Something was desperately wrong.

"Kat, Kat, what's wrong?" He asked her, thinking she was missing Ella, but there was something else that Callum couldn't quite put his finger on. And then he realised; Kat was scared not sad.

All he received in response was a strangled whimper that sounded like; "It's horrible."

Callum cocked his head to one side. What was horrible?

"What are you talking about Kat?

Kat looked at him, her little head shaking and her green eyes wide with fear.

"E- Ella. What they're doing to her... it's horrible," Kat replied. Callum shuddered., but how could Kat know that?

Abruptly, Callum remembered who Kat was originally to Ella. Kat was her familiar. And... familiars were linked to their masters. They could see what they see, feel what they feel, know what they know.

Suddenly, Callum felt a whole lot better about his plan. With routine check ups on Ella, he could make sure she was ok. But there was one thing he had to know.

"How is she?"

"She's scared Callum. Terrified, actually."