Chapter 60: Chapter 60

Ora’s POV

I rummaged through the drawers of the study. I had kept the snow crystal in one of these drawers; the second one from the top to be precise. I had no idea how it vanished out of the blue. I wasn’t the sort of a person who misplaced stuff. I rummaged through the drawer yet again but it was useless. I even used my magic to seek it out but that didn’t work either.

“Damn! Where in the world did it vanish!” I cursed as I slammed the drawer shut.

A sharp pang of ache coursed through my wrist and I leaned against the drawer gasping for air. My gaze darted to the golden bracelet around my wrist; it had become red and bruised. With a wave of energy, I healed the bruises. Ever since I switched the bracelet to my wrist, this had become a recurring phenomenon.

The bracelet could probably recognize that it was not where it belonged. Mostly the pain was bearable but at other times, it became excruciating. Letting out a deep sigh, I started looking in the other drawers and shelves.

It was then I felt it, the familiar crackle of power behind me. Valence was behind me and from the aura, she was exuding, she seemed mad. Drawing in a deep breath, I turned to face her.

My heart skipped a beat when my gaze landed on her. She was practically seething; her eyes livid with rage. She glared at me and stated in a dangerously low voice, “I will ask you only one, Ora… Did you re-capture Evaan?”

The blood drained from my face and my mouth went dry. Despite my effort, my voice came out as a trembling whisper, “I did, Grand Magus. I tracked all the children that had escaped.”

Her hand came slamming on the table, “How dare you, Ora! How dare you lie to me! You knew how important it is to sacrifice children born under the Lupus constellation. One small mistake and the entire plan would backfire.”

She raised her hand as if to use her magic on me but then her gaze landed on the clock. “I will deal with you later,” she huffed before teleporting.

I tried to follow her energy trail but I couldn’t for some reason. I rushed towards the door but it was locked. I tried to use magic to open the door but I couldn’t summon my powers.

My hand flew to my head and I slumped on the chair as the realization dawned on me. Valence had sealed my powers. Freak! What was I going to do now?

Sandy’s POV

When Valence returned, she seemed to have calmed down. The anger in her eyes was replaced with determination. She released Evaan from the magical binds as she spoke, “Seems like I have no choice but to agree to your condition. Ora did betray me after all….”

“That is a wise decision, Grand Magus,” Evaan said as he held out the snow crystal.

Valence’s eyes lit up with an evil glint as she grabbed the stone. It was evident that she wouldn’t honor their agreement once Evaan died.

F***! What had happened to Evaan? Where was all his cleverness? Why did he just hand over the crystal to Valence? Shouldn’t he have made a blood pact or something; as he did with Ora?

Never in my life have I felt so helpless before. Everything was happening right in front of my eyes but there was nothing I could do about it. Tears pricked my eyes. If I ever got out of here, I would find a way to learn and use magic. I didn’t want to feel like this ever again.

Valence lifted the boy with the curly hair and dragged him out of the formation like a ragged doll. Evaan stepped forward and sat in his place without Valence even having to say anything.

Valence sat in the center and slit her palm with a sharp knife. The blood trickled along the floor forming a pattern of sorts. She kept squeezing her palm until the small rivulet had linked all the children.

Her eyes closed and she started chanting some spell. The candles flared abruptly before dwindling into a soft blue flame. The change of the glow darkened with each spell she chanted.

The temperature in the cave dropped, winds started blowing and everything took a gloomy edge. Despite the hundreds of candles in the cavern, we were plunged into pitch darkness that seemed to stretch endlessly. All I could feel was despair, cold, and death. It was as if the cave had transformed into a netherworld.

A sharp glow caught my attention in the middle of the darkness. Evaan had taken out a blood-red crystal. He held it out and I could see his lips move. There was a thunderous boom and the ground shook. A fierce wave of lightning struck blinding me.

When I opened my eyes, both Evaan and Valence were gone. I rushed forward voluntarily to find that I could move. Scrambling closer to the children, I checked their pulse. They had just passed out due to a cold.

“What the hell happened here?” Ora gasped as she emerged into the room. I was too stunned to give her a prompt reply. This made her even more restless. She knelt in front of me and shook me up, “Sandy! It is important that you tell me what happened here.”

I found myself narrating everything despite everything she had done. Her face took on a ghastly shade as I completed the narration. Her grip loosened and her hand slid down the length of my arms, “What did Evaan do, Sandy?” She gulped and ran her tongue over her lips, “Do you think he will be alright?”

My gaze darted around restlessly and my voice shook as I tried to reassure myself more than her, “Evaan is a very clever boy, Ora… He will be fine, he has to be fine….”

“I am so sorry, Sandy…” she muttered as she tore her hair. “I tried my best to keep him away. I don’t know how in the freaking world he got here.” She looked at me with pleading eyes, “I have done many bad things, Sandy but I swear, I wasn’t the one who tricked him into coming here.”

My lips pursed and I nodded, “I know.”

“You know?” She raised her head; her eyes burning with astonishment. I couldn’t stop myself and I patted her head, “Evaan is too clever to be tricked. I am sure he came here of his own violation.” I paused for a moment before continuing, “The way he talked to Valence…. I think it was all a part of a plan hatched in his little but extraordinary mind.”

“Shit! That is worse….” She exclaimed and got to her feet. “We need to find him…. Like now!” She spread out her right arm and opened up her palm. A small ball of blue light formed on the top of her palm. It flared for a moment dwindling.

Her eyes teared in panic and she shook her head, “I… I am unable to detect him, Sandy….” She gasped and dropped to the ground; clutching her chest as if unable to breathe. “H… His life force is connected to mine. I should be able to sense him at all times, Sandy….” She gasped and her chest heaved. “I can’t sense him, Sandy… I just can’t.”

She was sobbing and shouting hysterically by now. I had no idea what to do. So, I knelt to the ground and pulled her into a tight her. I held her like that while she cried her heart out: patting her back and saying soothing words to console her.

In retrospect, my life had always been like this; a mish-mash of ironic situations….