Darkest Desires → Caliban [CAOS]

xix. the beginning of the end

THE BEGINNING OF THE END
CHAPTER NINETEEN

Wind gushed past Dahlia, throwing her hair messily behind her as her feet planted firmly on the steps of Harvey's cabin. With her mind in a cluttered mess of questions and thoughts, and her pounding heart and shaky legs begging Dahlia to fall to her knees and break down in sobs because of the mess she found herself in, Dahlia tried to focus on Sabrina. Despite fury and sadness at Caliban who left her heartbroken yet again, finding Nick to help her save Sabrina was Dahlia's top priority. From the very moment she left Caliban in Hell, though, in search of Nicholas, the three words the prince– now King– had said to her replayed in her head like a broken record. As much as she wanted his confession of love to be true, part of her hoped they had been nothing but three empty words. Leaving him and forgetting him would be much easier for Dahlia that way.

She slid the cabin door open, a sob ready to escape her lips the second she saw Nick and she could tell him what happened to Sabrina. As she lunged into the room, however, she found it empty, with no trace of her friends whatsoever. All that was left was a slight stinging that surged through Dahlia's scar, the moment she had pulled open the door. Her eyes widened in realization and she started breathing heavily in panic. "The Pagans," she whispered. She backed away from the door with a heaving chest and parted lips. With her heart racing, Dahlia wondered what the pagans could want with a few mortals and an average warlock and hobgoblin. More importantly, how was she going to save not only Sabrina but also Nick, Theo, Harvey, Roz and Robin on her own?

Before her eyes could begin to pool with tears, Dahlia shut them tightly and balled her shaky hands into fists to try and channel her magic despite her growing terror. She opened her eyes when the scar in her shoulder burned more than previously, signifying that she had successfully teleported to the carnival. The sign CARNIVALE sent instant shivers down her back. The last time she went to the carnival hadn't been a good experience. They were supposed to be fun and bring joy and laughter, but all this carnival brought Dahlia was suffering, and a painful reminder of her past. The heavy mist in the air only served to bring more goosebumps to Dahlia's arms and neck, but she pushed her discomfort aside and tried to navigate through the carnival without making a sound.

As she moved further into the carnival, passing the once colourful booths and rides that were now darkened by the night sky and foggy air, the eerie silence began to break. The air began to fill with a blaring voice and muffled cries that followed it. Through the fog, Dahlia could observe bare, naked bodies sitting in rows, bowing in front of a man who stood tall as he spoke. Behind him, was what Dahlia assumed to be the Green Man, just as she had seen in her vision. Her eyes trailed up from the legs of the Green Man and she took in its colossal appearance, towering over everything else in the carnival and beyond. Shaped like a man, it was wrapped in leaves and vines. Dahlia's eyes widened as they landed on the centre of the Green Man. In its core, there was an empty space filled by Harvey. The boy was unconscious, cradled upright by the vines of the Green Man.