Chapter 59: Chapter 59
Sandy’s POV
One moment of weakness and all my plans were turned into dust. I could have escaped. I could have been saving Evaan this very moment but no! I had to show my weakness at the nick of the moment. I had to spare her life. Now, I was stuck in this dark and dingy cave for God knows how long….
After that day, Ora didn’t come to check on me. Every once in a while food and water would appear in my room; mostly while I was asleep. So, one day I pretended to sleep, laying in wait to catch Ora off guard.
After what seemed like an eternity someone did appear in the room. I grabbed my dagger but stopped when I noticed that the woman was too tall to be Ora. There was no point in attacking her. Even if I managed to kill her, the magic of this place would keep me from escaping. A long, drawn sigh escaped my lips. I was never going to get another chance to escape.
After about three days, two women clad in black robes appeared in the cave. They grabbed my hand and teleported me before I had the chance to ask them anything. We emerged in a large ice cave. They bound me to the cold wall with magic and vanished. Did she plan on freezing me to death now?
I shuddered as the cold breeze seeped through my bones. The light in the room dimmed slowly and I was plunged into pitch darkness. Moments later hundreds of candles lit up illuminating the entire cave in a soft glow. If I wasn’t growing numb with cold, I would have appreciated its beauty.
A woman clad in red robes appeared in the midst of candles. Her eyes met mine for a moment and she commented, “I thought it would be nice to have an audience.”
Moments later, Ora appeared with a group of seven children. They were dressed in similar red robes. Their mouths were dry and their faces blanched with fear.
The Grand Magus placed her hand on the head of a boy with curly hair, “You should listen to us, Evaan. Don’t create any rukuss else you will end up like your uncle.”
My eyebrows furrowed. Why she referring to this boy as Evaan? My gaze drifted to Ora and she shook her head in warning. So, she had switched some other child with Evaan.
I was glad that Evaan was safe but the unsettling sensation in the pit of my stomach intensified. My gaze drifted over the children huddled together. They were still going to loose their lives….
“All of you sit down in a tight circle and link your hands,” The Grand Magus instructed in a sharp voice.
“This is so cold….” One of the shorter boys complained as his butt came in contact with the ground. He stood up again, “I…I can’t sit down. It is very cold.”
The Grand Magus’s nostrils flared and I was hit with a sudden burst of energy that made me scream. She lowered herself and looked at the boy with a piercing gaze, “Is the ground still cold?”
He shook his head and sat down stuttering, “It is not cold…. It is not at all cold… I will sit here till I am allowed to get up.”
After this, the children followed the instructions quietly; too afraid to say anything. She made them sit in a tight circle and asked them to link their hands. Then, she lit candles all around them and said in a stern voice, “Nobody is allowed to get up, even if you faint with cold…. The closer your body is to a semi-dead state, the faster the ritual will work.” Turning to Ora she added, “You stay back and make sure nobody gets up from their place…. After about two hours, they will be too numb to move anyway. So, you can cast a spell to keep them erect and return.”
“Understood, Grand Magus,” she replied with a deep bow, her face was completely blank. It was difficult to say what was going on in her mind.
“You can still set them free you know,” I spoke up a few minutes after the grand magus had left. “I know you are not as cruel as you are portraying yourself. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have switched Evaan with someone else.”
“Stop deluding yourself, Sandy. All the children present here are going to die today.” She stepped closer to me and cast a spell on me that sealed my lips. So, when I tried to reply all that left my lips were stifled mumbles.
She proceeded to cast some spells around the children as well. She probably just wanted to get this over and leave. A soft blue orb engulfed the children in its glow and they stopped shuddering. I noticed that I had stopped feeling cold as well. Was that a side effect of the spell or was Ora trying to protect them? I really hoped that the latter was true.
The little wisp of hope that I had been holding onto was crushed to dust when Ora just left. I could see the children grow paler, their eyes droop, right in front of my eyes but I was helpless. I couldn’t even try to talk to them. The children were probably half dead by the time Valence returned with Ora.
This time none of them paid any attention to me; ignoring me like a useless painting on the wall. They continued to make preparations; placing candles in patterns, and arranging herbs and whatnot. I didn’t even recognize most of the stuff.
“Where is the snow crystal?” Valence asked as she arranged some blood-red flowers in the form of an infinity symbol.
Ora stopped arranging the candles and wrung her hands, “I think I left it in the study….”
“You stupid wrench! Didn’t I tell you there is no scope for mistakes today?” The Grand Magus glowered; taking a step menacingly towards Ora.
Ora’s lips pressed in a thin line; she lowered her gaze, “I am sorry, Grand Magus.”
For a moment, I felt like she was going to attack Ora but she didn’t; her fingers merely clenched into fists and gritted out, “Don’t just stand there like an idiot. Get it quickly.”
Something unexpected happened once Ora disappeared. Evaan walked into the cave. My heart plummeted to my throat. What in the actual fuck was he doing here? My insides were screaming, telling him to run but my lips wouldn’t move. Fuck you! Ora! Why did you do this to me!?
Evaan sauntered inside with such carefree nonchalance that one would think he was walking into a playground. He stopped a few feet from the formation and when he spoke his voice rang with confidence, “I didn’t think that the most powerful witch in the world would get fooled so easily.”
Valence stopped arranging the petals and looked at the small boy standing in front of her. Her eyebrows twitched, “Who the hell do you think you are to talk to me like that? Do you have a death wish?”
Evaan crossed his arms around his chest and cocked his head to the side, “I was just telling the truth… You got fooled so easily by that woman, Ora.”
Valence kneeled in front of Evaan; eyeing him with an amused expression, “You know Ora?”
“Of course I do…. She was the one who saved me.” Sensing her confusion, he added, “when you had kidnapped me with the other six children.”
Damn this punk! What in the world was he doing? Why was he hell-bent on getting himself killed? I struggled against the twines of magic binding me but they only got tighter.
“Do you mean to say that…..”
“Yes, I am born under the Lupus constellation.” With those words he raised his hand revealing the golden bracelet, “I am sure you recognize this.”
Valence’s eyes widened in shock, “If you are Evaan, then that boy….”
Evaan shrugged, “Ora lied to you and you fell for it.”
“That BITCH! I am going to make her pay!” Valence roared as she got to her feet. She was about to teleport but then stopped. “Wait, something is not right. If you are really Evaan and had already escaped; there is no reason for you to return and tell me all of this.”
“I am here to make a deal with you.”
Valence’s lips lifted in a smirk, “You are all of three feet yet you are here trying to make a deal with the world’s most dangerous witch. I have to say that I am impressed.” She took a step towards him and placed her hand on his head, “I hate it when people try to make deals with me but for you; for the courage you have shown, I will make an exception.”
“My deal is simple; a life for a life. I am willing to sacrifice myself for this ritual but in turn, you have to free my father.”
Valence’s eyes turned bloodshot, “Do you really think you are in a position to make deals with me? What is stopping me from killing you this very moment?”
Evaan was completely unwavered by her vicious words. He looked dead in her eyes and stated, “You will never be able to complete the ritual without my cooperation. I am the only one who knows where the snow crystal is.”
For the first time, I saw uncertainty in Valence’s eyes. She bound Evaan using magic and disappeared; possibly to look for the snow crystal.
Evaan looked at me and said in an even voice, “You don’t have to worry about anything, Uncle Sandy. I know what I am doing.”
His words did nothing to assuage the intense sense of panic that had gripped me. The very reason for my worry was that Evaan had a plan and his plans always turned out to be dangerous.