Chapter 54: Chapter 54
Ora’s POV
I found Valence huffing in anger; pacing up and down like a hungry predator. She was so enraged that I could sense the fury even in her magical aura. Drawing in a deep breath, I stuttered, “Grand Magus, Valence. Are you alright?”
My words didn’t bode with her well. She spun and glared and me. The next moment, I was hit by a strong wave of energy. I flew across the room and hit the wall so hard I heard my backbone cracking. After the numbness came the pain, intense, searing. It radiated all over my body causing me to scream. I tried to move but I couldn’t feel anything below my back.
“Why can’t he just forget that b***h completely!?” Valence let out a primal grunt; energy radiated from her making the ground shake. Stones and rubbles started raining from the ceiling. At this rate, the entire cave would be destroyed.
My eyes darted to the door beyond which Sandy was imprisoned; A wisp of my magic made its way beyond the locked door. He was unconscious. He would probably get buried under the debris if I didn’t stop Valence.
Clenching my teeth to prevent the scream from escaping my lips, I rasped, “Once you have performed the ritual, you will become the most powerful witch in the world. Nothing can stop you from getting whatever you want.”
Her hands slumped to her sides and the shaking stopped. Something flashed in her eyes and she blinked once, “You are right. Once I have performed this ritual, I will be free from all obligations. Then, I can focus solely on Sandy.”
Valence reached out for my hand and healed me using her magic. I had heard that Valence was the most powerful witch in the world. Today, I felt it too as her power infused my veins with such healing ability that I recovered in a matter of seconds.
I got to my feet and bowed, “Thank you, Grand Magus.”
“Don’t waste your time thanking me. Go get that wolfman. I still need to vent!” She snapped, wringing her hands.
My heart went numb at her words. Her eyes were still bloodshot and I could see the protruding veins on her forehead. If she used magic in this enraged state, she would end up killing Sandy. If I refused to bring him here, she would probably kill us both.
My feet grew heavy with every step I took. I knew that sandy would get killed right from the moment I handed him over to Valence. Why was I feeling so miserable and anxious now?
The door opened with a sharp thud, revealing sandy’s unconscious form. He was bound to a cross-like structure with silver chains. His body was extremely still. If it weren’t for his soft, mellow breaths, one would think he was already dead.
I undid his chains using magic as I approached him. He staggered at the sudden loss of support. I was quick to support his body’s weight. I couldn’t keep the tremors out of my voice as I called out to him, “Sandy?”
His eyelids fluttered and he groaned. His eyes opened and then he smiled, “I knew that you would never abandon me. You are here to save me right?”
His words shattered the very core of my heart. Gulping, I managed to stutter, “You need to come out with me.”
“Ora, I am so glad that you came,” he said, throwing his arms around me. “These days have been the darkest ones in my life Ora. Do you know what kept me alive?”
“What?” I asked, fighting the temptation to hug him back.
“You. I had faith that you would come to rescue me.”
A sharp pang of regret clenched my heart. Tears brimmed in my eyes and I raised my hands. I was about to place my hand on his back but then Valence’s face flashed in my mind.
“We need to go now, Sandy,” I spoke in an urgent voice, taking a step back. Holding his hands, I led him out of the room. Valence was standing at the entrance, glaring at us. Her eyes narrowed and her eyes drifted to our linked hands.
My heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t let her doubt my intentions. I dragged Sandy and with a swift move pushed him to the ground. He raised his head to look at me; shock evident on his face.
My lips curved in a smirk, “Did you really think I was there to save you?”
“Ora… You?”
“Yes me… the one whom you betrayed so easily. Do you know what your betrayal cost me?” My eyes turned bloodshot and my words vibrated with genuine anger. “I lost my home: It was practically turned into dust. My mother won’t even see me.”
I was walking around him in circles at this point. Stopping abruptly, I turned to face Valence, “Grand Magus, please give me a chance to take revenge.”
She shrugged, “Go ahead, use whatever spell you want on him. Even if he is dead, we can trade his dead body for what we need.”
I bowed and spoke in a hesitant voice, “I don’t want to use magical spells. They will cause him pain but it won’t give me any satisfaction.”
Valence’s eyes gleamed and the left corner of her lips lifted, “What do you want to do then?”
“I have heard that silver is highly poisonous to werewolves. Ten strikes from a whip are more than enough to kill them.” I paused for a moment before adding, “I want to test that theory.”
“This seems interesting,” she said as she snapped her fingers. A chair emerged in the room. She walked to the chair and sat with her legs crossed. “You can go ahead but make it twenty strikes instead of ten.”
Damn! She was a vicious woman. Sandy would probably faint with ten strikes. If I hit him after that, he could really die. A deep sigh left my lips. I had no choice now.
Sandy got to his feet and grabbed me by my arms, “Ora! What is wrong with you?” He shook me up, his voice choking with desperation, “You sound like a crazed maniac!”
“You are the one who made me into this, Sandy.” I retorted, pushing him away. “So, you have no right to comment!”
His face blanched and his eyes became dull as if my words had sucked the life out of him. He stopped struggling and stood there with his eyes averted.
My lips dug into my lips drawing blood as my insides burned with the urge of consoling him. One night, Sandy had to survive one night, then this will all be over. Valence will go on her quest and I would have a chance to execute my plan. I couldn’t give up after coming so far.
I used a large amount of force to slam him against the wall. Then, I cast a binding spell on Sandy. The wisps of power coiled around him like a serpent, tightening, suffocating. His face grew pale and he started gasping for breath.
“That should be enough, Ora. I don’t want him to die so soon.” She threw a silver whip towards me as she continued, “I want this cave to ring with his screams. I want to see him begging for mercy!”
Crack! I flicked the whip in the air and circled him, “Today, I will make you wish that you had crossed paths with me.”
He looked at me, his eyes shining and a small smile spread on his lips, “I will never regret that you know…. I will never regret….”
Crack! I struck his back hard before he could complete his sentence. His words made me weak and I couldn’t afford that. He gritted his teeth and his body stiffened but he didn’t even let out a whimper.
Crack! Crack! Crack! I landed another three whips in quick succession. His face had taken on a ghastly shade and I could almost hear him gnashing his teeth yet he didn’t cry out in pain.
“Strike him harder, Ora. I want to hear his screams!” Valence called out from behind.
My hands trembled. I couldn’t do this anymore. Every strike on his back was like a strike to my heart.
“You want revenge but you have the heart of a chicken!” Valence’s voice sounded beside me. She whisked the whip from my hand and struck him hard. The resounding slash of the impact was so powerful that it reverberated in the cave.
Sandy’s knees buckled and he dropped to the ground. The lump on his throat bobbed and his gaze turned towards me. Even after all this, there was no accusation in them; just understanding. The corners of his lips curved as if he was going to smile but right at that moment, another strike landed on his back, causing a mouthful of blood to splatter out of his lips.
He bent to the ground, exposing his bloodied back. My hands flew to my mouth and tears rolled down my cheeks. I couldn’t watch this anymore. I teleported to the adjoining cave and sat in the lotus position, closing my eyes.
I whimpered with every strike that landed on his back. With the sound of the tenth strike, I was completely shattered. I couldn’t stop myself anymore. Using a switching spell, I turned the wisps binding him into veruvian vines of earth energy.
Now, I could absorb all the strikes and imbibe them onto my body. When the next strike landed, a wave of intense pain seared through me. It was so intense that I had to thrust my entire fist into my mouth to keep myself from screaming.
However, I didn’t mind the physical pain. It helped me forget the pain in my heart. I don’t know when but at some point, the pain became unbearable and I passed out.