Anastasia (The Bolton Series Book 1) by Heaven Lyanne Flores Page A

was looking.
    It was easy to tell that the thick brush had been recently disturbed. Branches were broken and fallen leaves stepped on. We followed it until we heard what sounded like someone grunting. We walked up to a small clearing. The minimal light entering the area was just enough for us to see what it contained.
    Arabella lay on the floor face down a few feet away from us. Her blue hair was stained with blood. I panicked when I saw that she was not moving. There was no rise and fall of her chest from her breathing. I moved forward only to be stopped by Yelson’s strong hand. He motioned for me to look across the clearing.
    Two huge men were holding Weldon while a third was punching him everywhere. Both his eyes were swollen shut, a long cut was on his cheek and his right leg seemed to be contorted in an odd fashion, it must have been broken.
    The man who kept hitting him had a sinister smile on its animal like face. He was enjoying himself. That thought made me want to punch his throat in.
    “We have to do something,” I whispered to Yelson. I wanted to go out there and beat up the men hurting Weldon but I knew I could not do it alone. We needed a plan that could take all three of them out. There could also be more hidden in the trees.
    “We need to distract them from Weldon and find a way to kill them before the kill us.” The way he said it you would think he killed people on a regular basis. Heck, for all I knew he probably did.
    One spell went through my mind. I wasn’t sure if it would hold more than one person or even if I could do it. I had never used magic before. But I had to try. Those things were hurting my friend.

 
    I’ll be damned if they were going to leave here without a scratch.
    “I have an idea.” I moved again to walk out into the clearing but Yelson stopped me and pulled me back to him. “Just trust me.”
    He trusted me, I could see it in his eyes, but it was his job to protect me. He didn’t want me to walk into what could be my death. But Yelson knew we had to help Weldon and Arabella. After a moment’s hesitation, he let go of my arm.
    “Be careful.”
    I nodded to him before I walked into the clearing. I instantly ran to Arabella. I turned her over and tried desperately to feel a pulse. It was faint but it was there. Her forehead was split opened just below her hairline. Blood covered the left side of her face. It scared the crap out of me. I gently laid her down and focused my attention on the men.
    They did not seem to notice me until I started to chant the binding spell I had learned a month ago. Before I was finish, all three of them were frozen in place. The man who was hitting Weldon had started to make his way to me but was stopped in midstride. The other too still held him in there grasp.
    Yelson came running out of the forest to Weldon. He was passed out in their hold. Yelson pried the men’s claw like fingers off Weldon’s arms and carried him to where I was now knelt next to Arabella. Weldon looked tiny in his arms.
    “Can you carry her?” He asked me. I nodded keeping my focus on holding the spell. Gently, I scoped Arabella into my arms and followed Yelson back to the palace.
    My head was starting to hurt and I was feeling faint when Cabel suddenly appeared by my side. We weren’t far from the palace so it wouldn’t have taken much to find us.
    He took Arabella from me before I could fall to the floor. One of the guards who had followed Cabel wrapped his hands on my arms to keep me up. He smiled gently when I thanked him causing his gold colored eyes to sparkle.
    Cabel asked what happened after a few seconds when he was sure I wouldn’t pass out. After Yelson’s explanation Cabel ordered the five men next to him to apprehend the men from the clearing. We began to walk back to the palace and after a few minutes had passed Cabel told me to let go of the spell.
    My body relaxed instantly after. I felt drained all over. It was the first time I had used my magic. I