Chapter 61: Chapter 61

Ora’s POV

I was seated in the study; my gaze fixed on my thumb and index finger which were suspended in the air an inch apart. I had come this close to achieving my objective; this close to killing Valence; this close to avenging my sister’s death. But, everything went south; just because I lost that damn crystal.

“Shit!” I cursed for the umpteenth time tearing my hair. I had planned everything so meticulously. First I garnered the favor of Valence by handing over Sandy. Then, I tracked down the very children I had been protecting and handed them over to Valence like they were some herbs to be used in the ritual.

I followed her instructions to the tee; putting up with her tantrums. You have no damn idea how difficult it was to see her face, fully knowing that she was the one who killed my sister. I swallowed all my anger; all my hatred and followed her around like a dog but for what?

“F***! Why couldn’t I have kept the crystal safely? If I did, she would never get a chance to investigate the identity of the children…..”

I was wallowing in my regret when I was made aware of a change in the energy field. I no longer felt the force of the binding spell that held me in place. I got to my feet and walked up to the door. When I raised my hand to push it open, I caught a glimpse of the golden bracelet around my wrist. It was fading.

My heart skipped a beat and the sense of uneasiness that had gripped me, intensified. I teleported to the cave as soon as possible. The scene that met my eyes made my blood run cold. All the children were lying on the ground, their faces pallid with cold. Sandy was sitting with a petrified expression with those children and there were no signs of Valence.

“What the hell happened here?” I gasped, taking a step toward him. He merely kept gaping at me; as if he were too stunned to reply. I wanted to give him time to respond but the mounting anxiety was driving me crazy. I knelt in front of him and shook him up, “Sandy! It is important that you tell me what happened here.”

Conflicted emotions flitted across his features but then he started narrating whatever had happened. Evaan just appeared out of the blue and made a deal to free his father. Why in the reeking hell would he do that? Wasn’t his father already with him?

My grip loosened and my hand slid down the length of his arms, “What did Evaan do, Sandy?” I gulped. “Do you think he will be alright?”

“Evaan is a very clever boy, Ora… He will be fine, he has to be fine….”

Evaan was a very unique child and I developed deep feelings for him in the short amount of time I spent with him. When Valence ordered me to track down the children, I couldn’t bear to endanger him. So, I switched him with another boy. But, in the end, I failed to keep him safe anyway.

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

“I know.” His simple reply shocked me to the core. I had expected him to accuse me, condemn me but here he was saying that he believed me; despite everything, he said to me. It was at that moment, I was completely shattered by guilt and regret. I had gone too far for a plan that didn’t even work.

I raised my head and looked into his eyes, tears brimming in them, There was so much I wanted to say but all that left my lips were two meagre words. “You knew?”

He patted my head, “Evaan is too clever to be tricked. I am sure he came here of his own violation.” His eyes glazed over as he continued in a distant voice, “The way he talked to Valence…. I think it was all a part of a plan hatched in his little but extraordinary mind.”

His words were like acid in my ears. Evaan had executed some plan and we didn’t even know what it was. I got to my feet, “We need to find him…. Like now!” I spread out my right arm with my palm open. A small ball of blue light formed on the top of it as I focused my attention on locating Evaan. I felt a slight connection but then it dwindled. Deep down I knew very well what this meant but I wasn’t willing to accept it. If I did, my entire existence would shatter.

Her eyes teared in panic and I shook her head, “I… I am unable to detect him, Sandy….” I gasped and dropped to the ground; clutching my chest as all the air left my lungs. “H… His life force is connected to mine. I should be able to sense him at all times, Sandy….” I gasped for air but it didn’t reach my lungs; as if my air passages had been blocked. “I can’t sense him, Sandy… I just can’t.”

The suffocation was soon replaced by intense despair and guilt causing me to break into a fit of hysterical sobs. I would have lost myself in the abyss of sorrow but Sandy held on to me like an anchor; patting my back and saying soothing words.

His kind gesture was like a soothing balm on the deep wounds that had started festering and burning me inside; charring my soul. His words kept me afloat; allowing me to delude myself that there was still someone who cared for me.

Sometimes, the illusion of being loved is all you need to keep going….