Chapter 9: Chapter 9

It was hazy like she was sleeping in the arms of clouds, eyes fogged by white mist and body felt feeble. Her thoughts were quite muddled while she could not process her mind to remind her what had happened and what was happening.

Why was she feeling so exhausted?

Madonna’s vision cleared slowly as she rubbed her eyes thoroughly and only when her vision was clear was when she felt the stinging pain on her palm. Her one hand was feeling heavy with the palm gashed surrounded by dried liquid of the blood.

“Good day. I see you finally chose to wake up.” Madonna heard a very familiar voice filled with amusement. Her eyes darted to the source of the voice and found him sitting on her desk with a mug of steaming liquid in his hands.

His stance was relaxed as he took a sip of the steaming liquid with a consistent show of a smirk on his lips. She realized she was sleeping on the floor on her rugged carpet.

What was she doing on the floor and why was she in that position?

What happened last night that she could not remember?

Why was the scheming Lord sitting inside her establishment?

The questions troubled her and to add to the concerns she found a dreading tread tied around her wrist. Realization slowly dawned unto her when she recognized the union between the gash on her palm and the tread on her wrist.

No, this shall not be what she was doubting.

It cannot be!

Oh Goodness, she could not possibly be –

“You Plague-sour Rascal! You wedded me?” She yelled at Lucius as she bolted up to stand in front of him.

He cannot marry her!

This was wrong! This was senseless!

Although Orla did not care, Madonna did. Madonna, somehow, to some scope cared about the Lord and she did not want him to loose his life.

“Aye, Milady.” The nonchalant reply angered Madonna which led her to twist her wrist to summon some magic to hurt him but her efforts were of vain.

Nothing happened when she chanted or when she tried to produce energy in her hands. She shook her head to clear her head and tried again which still led to disappointment.

To Lucius, it felt as if a common woman was waving her hands when one go mad, which brought another twitch of smile on his lips.

It was all going like he thought and it shall carry on the same way.

“Why am I not able to wield my magic?” She gritted in annoyance as she tried several more times with a hope that it would work.

Suddenly, she looked about with a stun and raised her eyebrow in question. She knew it, she somehow had a feeling why her magic was not working. She could feel it in her blood and body.

“Do you know what you have done?” Madonna’s eyes widened as the fury took over her. She walked dangerously towards him and fisted her hand in an attempt to control herself from punching him.

He not only wedded her without her will but also sealed her darn powers.

“Yes Sweeting, I had wedded you, sealed your powers so you could do my bidding. Now that I hold the means to all your magic, you shall be a good wife and help your husband in achieving his purpose.” Lucius shrugged and gulped down his warm tea.

She was his wife and he was not obliged to trade any of his sister’s possessions to get what he wanted. With one decision to wed her, he had succeeded in not just forcing her to do his bidding, not only establish a source to unearth the mysteries surrounding his life but also a way to unearth her own mysteries.

How a young witch such as Madonna does know much more about him and his past than he did? Despite of every rocky scene they had, he was still attracted to her, why?

He knew there was something that he did not know and he was certain that it was not any love or seduction spell save for something special.

While he did not understand her extreme apprehension regarding their matrimony, he nonetheless did not be repentant what he had done.

“Lord Lucius, I had known you for your cleverness however I feel compelled to differ.” Madonna’s statement brought red in his eyes.

Was she calling his foolish?

“Why did you think I was adamant to stay a spinster ceaselessly? I was cursed, you foolish Lord.” Madonna yelled on top of her lungs as she rubbed her head with her fingers. “Your sister, Alys Emor was the very one who cursed me to never have a man of love in my life and if I were to ever engage in a love affair with a man, he would die.”

Lucius was taken aback not at the revelation concerning her curse rather regarding the person who cursed in the first place.

His sister who knew naught about magic cursed a very powerful Witch like Madonna?

Was she tricking him? Manipulating him?

He was not concerned regarding his impending death seeing that he was not in love with her nor she was. Unless they were in love with each other, he was safe; although he did feel somewhat special and a little close for her.

It was not love, positively and he wanted to know what it that was pulling him close to her was.

Except, the revelation about his sister’s curse on the young which came out as quite a shock. How can Alys curse someone when she had no power to do so?

Her powers were supposed to awaken only when she met our evil mother and allow her to release them and in the same search for our mother were when she lost her life.

She was a common person!

“The black chest with the dragon emblem was the same case where she left the parchment regarding the curse. I wanted it so I could find a get-out in the curse.”

“But how – Alys could not perform magic as she was not of age. Her magic was sealed by Orla when Alys was born.” Madonna snickered mockingly as the annoyance was getting to her.

The Lord standing before her was nowhere close to the person she always heard of. Not just from other warlocks, witches and other clans, even Orla had to say a lot about her son being extremely clever.

While he was smart to wed her to do his bidding, he was just as much foolish to have not seen the truth of his very own sister.

“I believe you are conveniently mistaken my dear husband since Orla had sealed the powers which Alys inherited from her, the powers she inherited from her father, Alder Emor were in use. She was flourished in perusing them.” Lucius was taken aback.

He was very close to his sister. They always had a special bond between them and at all times shared their thoughts. Lucius never saw her using any kind of magic whatsoever in her nineteen years with him.

“Why would she curse you? What had you ever done to her to put such a vile curse on you?” He was puzzled. He wanted to know how the two women known each other and what led Alys to curse Madonna.

Why would she?

Had Madonna had any meddling in Alys’ misery?

“Allow me forget your inquiry for a while, My Lord and let me ask you how in the damnation did you not know a detail of such importance about your sister? You tell me, why would she choose to meet her evil mother who left her without any care? Why was she so fraught of unsealing the magic she had inherited from Orla? Do you have any clarification to any of these mysteries?” Madonna retorted back as the tread of her control was slowly diminishing.

She knew she had talked out more than she should have. The suspicions she had aroused inside the Lord was what he had to find them by his own by the sketch of fate. Lucius’ face expressed a deep scowl on as her words were reeling in his mind. He was trying to solve the puzzles she had placed for him.

It was not her trade to enlighten him regarding her family affairs yet, there she was, spilling out the hints of the secrets surrounding his sister.

This was all due to Alys Emor. She was dead and still she haunted the sequence of the destiny and fates. Madonna had suffered much all for the reason of Alys but she was grateful that Orla was there with her to balance her when she was in misery.

That can be counted as one of the reasons for her loyalty towards Orla. She not just raised her but also assisted her in her despair.

Yet, everything she had done till date was soon to be in vain if she does not get back her powers. She had much more to perform on her part to take their stratagem to further chapter.

She had to get her magic back before Alder Emor comes to her doorstep for her help. She needed her powers to lead Alder into what she and Orla had primed for him.

But, how shall she grapple with her new husband?

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