Chapter 44: Chapter 44
Ora’s POV
“Why did you do that?” I snapped in a hushed voice the moment we emerged in the storeroom of my house. “Why did grab my hand?”
Sandy released my hand instantly as if stung by something. He took a step back and massaged the back of his neck, “I…I don’t know… probably a reflex.”
I gave him a long hard look, “Did you pause to think that Evaan would be left alone?”
His face flushed and he lowered his gaze. I sighed. “Lemme just check on my sister. Then, I will take you back.”
I pushed the door open and tip-toed across the corridor like a stealthy thief. To my annoyance, Sandy followed close behind; almost like a second skin. He stuck close to me; sometimes bumping into me, sometimes getting in the way. I shook my head in frustration but didn’t comment. He was probably worried that I would leave him and teleport elsewhere. If I had been in his place, I would be paranoid too.
The house seemed eerily quiet; giving off the vibes of something ominous. I knew it was late but some servants and guards had to be awake. I tried to shake off the sudden wave of anxiety as we padded down the hall.
Walking past the study, a mixture of hushed voices fell on my ears making me stop dead in my tracks.
“Do you think Zaviana really went?”
“Of course.”
“Umm..hmm, she had to. Nobody can ignore the command of the grand magus.”
“This is all because of Ora! If only she had been more responsible.”
“Hey, don’t say like that. Those innocent children didn’t deserve to be sacrificed for some witchy ritual.”
“Amanda is right…. If only I had a fraction of courage as Ora….”
“Courage?” There was a light snort, “She only knows to hide behind her sister’s back. Do you think Zaviana deserves to be punished for her sister's insolence?”
Every single word sliced through my heart as if they were daggers. Zoning out their conversation, I turned to Sandy, “I need to save my sister.” Grabbing his hand, I teleported him to the meadow. Then almost instantly teleported back.
My head spun and a sinking sensation filled me due to teleporting in quick succession but I had no time to dwell on that. I ran towards mother’s room. Pushing the door open, I gasped and spoke in a breathless voice, “Please tell me that you haven’t sent Zaviana away.”
Mother was seated on the bed with her legs crossed a glass of drink in her hand. She cast a disdainful look at me, “Why are you here?”
I got down on my knees, “I know you are very angry with me…. You can punish me as you please. But, please tell me where Zaviana is…”
“She has gone to meet the Grand Magus. She will help her track you down and you will be rightfully punished.” Her expression grew colder and she spat in an icy voice, “Now get lost. I don’t want Grand Magus to think I was protecting you.”
“But, mother….”
“Out!!” A strong wave of energy hit me and I was thrown out of the room. The door slammed shut in my face.
“F***! This couldn't be happening.” I tore my hair and banged at the door in desperation. “Mother, you don’t know Zaviana. We have to stop her before she does something stupid.”
I got no reply. Neither did she open the door. With a deep sigh, I teleported to the place where the children had been trapped. It was empty.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, “Where could she have taken my Zaviana?” I paced up and down the room; my steps sluggish and heavy. “How was I going to find my sister?”
My eyes lit up as an idea struck me. Evan had used my protection spell to track me. What if my sister had placed a protection spell around me too? I closed my eyes, focusing on the energies that surrounded me. As expected there was a faint trail of my sister’s energy.
I took out the crushed particles of the black stone and concentrated on tracking the source of the magical field. My eyebrows furrowed and sweat beaded on my forehead. This was more difficult than I had imagined. It was like looking for a unique beam of light amidst millions of identical ones.
My grip on the stone shards grew tighter and blood trickled down the gaps between my fingers but I didn’t stop. I had to find my sister; no matter how much time, how much energy it took. A sharp pain coursed through my head radiating all the way to my shoulders, then my hands.
I was reaching my limit now. If I didn’t locate her in another few seconds, I would black out. I let out a frustrated grunt and focused every ounce of energy I had left in a strong burst.
The next moment, my eyes snapped open and I staggered. I had seen Zaviana. It was just a glimpse but it was enough for me to know that she was in trouble. Using the scene that had flashed in my mind as a point of reference, I teleported.
The sight that met my eyes chilled me to the core, Zaviana was lying on her stomach; her body still. I tried to reach out to her using my magic. There was nothing; just a sense of void and darkness.
With a horrified gasp, I rushed to her and turned her over. Her hands were still grasping the hit of the dagger sticking out of her chest.
Deep down, I knew that she was gone the moment the black stone broke. Zaviana had linked it to her life force. So, it couldn’t break until she… However, I clung on to the hope that it was not true; that there would be some other reason for the cracking of the stone.
But now, seeing her like this, that hope was doused; shattering me into a million pieces. I should have never left Zaviana. I should have been the one to die.
I drew her closer and pressed her head to my bosom, “Zaviana, why did you do this? You should have just tracked me down and let me die… “ The pain clenching my heart was so intense that I couldn’t hold on anymore. I burst into a bout of hysterical sobs. If only I could go back in time. I would confess and offer my life instead….
“I thought I trained you better than that,” the familiar deep and shrill voice boomed in the room. I raised my head and her name left my lips with a soft tremor, “Grand Magus, Valence.”
She flicked the edge of her black cape and eyed me with scorn, “You never fail to surprise me, Goldilocks.”
A shudder coursed through me at the mention of the nickname. I placed my sister on the floor and stood up; bowing so that I didn’t end up doing something even more stupid. It was more important to put my sister to rest.
She walked over and circled me just like a predator assesses its prey, “What were you thinking, Goldilocks? Why did you free those children? Didn’t you know how important they were for my ritual?”
“They are just innocent children, Grand Magus. I couldn’t bear to see them die for the sake of some stupid ritual.” My voice trembled yet I managed to speak.
“Ora! How dare you!” Her words were followed by a sudden burst of energy, I dropped to the ground, squirming in pain as the wave of shock hit me. The agonizing surge began as a small patch at my core. Then, it slowly rippled through the rest of my body. For the next few minutes, all I knew was blinding pain. It burned me and broke me from the inside. Wave after wave of convulsions making me scream and beg for mercy.
Valence was the most powerful witch in the entire Halterland. One strike from her could easily kill a witch. I was lucky to have escaped with just a little suffering.
“I don’t want to kill you, Ora… I still have some use for you. If you track down those children for me, I will forgive you.”
My eyes darted to my sister’s body. A long-suffering sigh escaped my lips and I pulled myself together, “I…I will bring those children to you but on one condition.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrow, “Condition?”
“Yes, I want to put my sister’s soul to rest first….”
She snorted and shook her head. The next moment, her eyes lit up with a strange red glow. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, a burst of energy hit my sister’s body turning her to ashes.
My heart plummeted to my throat and my jaws hung open. I knew Valence was cruel but I hadn’t expected her to go this far.
“I hate people who try to make deals. What I expect is obedience; complete obedience without conditions or questions,” her words rang in my ears but I was too traumatized to respond.
How in the world, did I manage to screw up the opportunity to put my dead sister’s soul to rest properly?