Chapter 68: Chapter 68

Ora’s POV

Feeling a bit stuffy and suffocated, I sauntered outside to get some air. The moon was

I had just taken a stroll around the garden when one of the guards came trotting up to me. He gave me a curt bow and stated, “The Lycan king has summoned you.”

My gaze drifted to the moon that was high in the sky, “It is already so late. I will swing by early in the morning.”

The guard shifted slightly, “I am afraid that is not an option, Miss Ora.” He waved towards the vintage car parked on the road, “The King has even sent a car to pick you.”

I glanced at the car condescendingly. It was too troublesome to spend hours driving to just reach somewhere. “I think I will just teleport there, Thank the king for his thoughtfulness though.” I teleported b efore the guard could respond.

The Lycan king was seated on the couch with a glass of drink in his hand; his eyes were glazed over and he looked deep in thought.

“King Augustine? Miss me a lot? It’s not even an entire day since we met and here you are summoning me, drowning your sorrow in this red wine,” I gave into my urge to taunt him and teased in a voice dripping with Sarcasm.

His head snapped up, his eyes widening in surprise. He regained his composure quickly, “Ora, I didn’t expect you to be here so soon….”

I crossed my hands over my chest and sighed, “Did you really expect me to drive for over an hour when I can just teleport within minutes.”

“No, no… this is fine too… I just forgot….” He shrugged and beckoned me to sit. His expression grew somber and he set the glass on the table, “We did manage to capture those witches but they escaped. What is more, it was our people who helped them to escape.” Hi gaze shifted from his glass to me, “When you told me about the hallucination spell, I didn ‘t really believe you….” He massaged the back of his neck, “Now that I have seen it myself, I don’t know what to do, Ora. You were right about everything Ora. If the witches do attack, we don’t stand a chance.”

I was stunned to see him shed all his arrogance and accept his mistake. Whatever happened must have been too shocking. “If you want me to help, I would need the details, King Augustine. What exactly happened?”

He shifted in his seat, “Why do you need the details? Can’t you just create a shield and be done with it?”

I drew in a deep breath and crossed my legs. King Augustine didn’t trust me despite everything. I needed his trust if this was going to work. Leaning slightly forward, I shrugged, “I can quite easily create a shield and be done with it. So what if it doesn’t work, so what if all the werewolves are slaughtered despite the shield?”

I paused for a moment before continuing, “I don’t really care about werewolves you know. I can just teleport Sandy and his family to a safe location. Saving the others isn’t really my responsibility.”

His expression deflated and he started narrating everything in detail, “We had set up the seven stone formation to trap the witches. They got trapped too but I didn’t even get to ask them a single question. They did some kind of spell and the guards removed the stones from the formation. The witches were gone before I could even blink.”

“What did you do with the guards? I hope you imprisoned them.

His lips pressed in a thin line, “The guards fought with each other and soon all four of them were lying in a pool of blood.”

“Why didn’t you use your power of command to stop them?”

King Augustine didn’t reply for a long time. When he did, his words were barely a whisper, “I did but it didn’t work….”

Now I understood why he had been reluctant to tell me the details. If the news about his lack of power spread; it would lead to unrest among the alphas. They would start fighting against each other; they might even attack the Lycan King. This was the last thing we needed.

“Don’t worry, King Augustine. I will never breate a single world to anyone.”

He gave me a curt nod, “Now you have all the details. How long do you need to set up a shield?”

I shifted uncomfortably and bit my lower lip. It was my turn to be honest now, “I can erasily create a shield to block werewolves or humans but we are talking about witches here. An ordinary shield won’t do. We would need to set up a twelve point barrier if we want to keep the witches out. I… I am not powerful enough to do something like that alone. King Augustine. I…ummm….”

His eyes flashed with anger, “You lied just so I would agree to let you stay?”

Letting out a long, deep sigh, I nodded, “I didn’t lie completely. It is possible for a single witch to create a powerful shield. It is just very difficult to hold it up for longer periods. Our energy is bound to drain out at some point.”

The king’s eyes twinkled, “What if you have something that produces energy continuously?”

“You mean something like Zodonite crystals.”

“Something similar to it.”

“Then, it is totally possible. But, it is so difficult to to find such rare crystals. Even in the Halterland, we have only two such crystals.”

King Augustine got to his feet and beckoned me to follow, “Let me take you somewhere.”

He led me along the corridors; taking one turn after another. We came to a halt in front of a large golden door. The guards bowed and opened it promptly.

“You are forbidden from opening the door no matter who comes by,” he commanded as he grabbed me inside.

I gasped seeing the ornate bed in front of me. He drew closer and leaned over my shoulder causing goosebumps to erupt all over my body. Hearing a soft click behind me, I pushed him away, “What exactly do you think you are doing? You know I can just teleport out of here, right?”

His lips lifted in a smirk as he leaned closer again, “I would like you to try….” My skin crawled as he brushed the back of his knuckles along my cheeks. I had had enough, I wasn’t going to help him if he was going to act like a jerk.

I tried to use my magic to teleport but it didn’t work. My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to move the glass but that didn’t work either. I glared at him, “What exactly did you do to me? Why can’t I use magic?”

He stepped back and twisted the small figure kept on the headrest of the bed. His expression had turned serious again, “I didn’t do anything to you. It is just this place. It is so dense with power that your energy isn’t enough to cause even a ripple.”

I was going to ask him to explain when a section of wall slid to the side. My eyes widened and my jaws hung open seeing the sight. There in front of me were crystals of various shapes and sizes. There was zodonite, Qudeks and even snow pearls. I wondered if all the crystals in Halterland put together would be enough to match the power of crystals the Lycan king had amassed; probably not.

He picked up a large pink stone and held it up, “My life long ambition has been to defeat the witches. So, I have been collecting these crystals meticulously.” Handing the crystal over to me, he added, “Do you think this Blood Pearl crystal would be enough to power your spell?”

I caressed its surface and bobbed my head; my gaze still fixed on the crystal, “I never thought I would be able to hold one of these in my hands.”

“I know…” He stated simply before closing the doors. “You can give me the list of other ingredients you need for the ritual. I will procure them for you.”

I had been wrong about King Augustine. He did seem to have an idea of the extent of power we possessed. In fact, he seemed to be well prepared for it. With all these crystals, he could easily defend his territory.

“You are wondering why I am asking for your help despite being well prepared,” he said, as if picking the thought straight out of my mind. “It is true that I can protect my people even without your help but I don’t want to take a chance Ora… That scene is still vivid in my mind.”

Even though King Augustine didn’t say explicitly, I understood what he wanted to say. He was completely shaken up by the hallucination spell. He couldn’t stop himself from visualizing the consequences the spell could have. He wanted my help just to provide him some sense of reassurance.

“I will do my best to create a perfect shiled, King Augustine,” I said, clasping the crystal securely.

He leaned closer and his arms snaked around my neck for a moment. Sensing a cold object press against my neck, my gaze drifted down to find a green crystal lying around my neck. It lit up with a soft glow the moment I touched it. I raised my eyebrows and looked at him questioningly; waiting for him to explain.

Something flashed in his eyes before he looked away, “I just wanted to thank you for helping us.”

I didn’t get an opportunity to ask anything further as he puished open the door and walked away. I was still looking at the crystal when I stepped out, so I didn’t notice Sandy who was standing right outside.

It was only when he grabbed my arm and shook me up that I realised his presence. His eyes were glowering and his eyebrows set in a deep frown, “What in the world do you think you were doing in the King’s bedroom?”

My lips parted and I was about to explain everything but then my gaze landed on the guards. I shrugged and pushed him away, “I was making out with him. What does it have to do with you?”

The color drained from his face and he staggered. The moment I saw his pained expression; a pang of deep regret clutched me. I wanted to explain the truth but I stopped myself.

Wasn’t it better this way? Even if I died during the ritual, Sandy wouldn’t feel guilty or sad. My lips pressed in a thin line, I looked at him one last time before walking away.