Beyond the Rift ✔ (Completed)

Chapter 29: Bad blood

Alexis

"What! Wait-wait! How do you know?" Nick stutters.

"I don't really know how to explain it, but I know he is coming." I inhale deeply, as I take a glance at Halitus' body.

"That's impossible, we still have the lockets; we are still warded." He reasons.

"Don't matter, take Halitus and leave. I'll get her and Marty." Ethan orders Nick to leave. Nick doesn't object and scoops up Halitus off the floor. She looks unconscious. The marks on her wrist are going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

There is silence after Nick exits the room, where Ethan looks at me again. He seems angry and disturbed, which, of course, is a primary aspect of his personality, but along with that he looks confused.

"What did you mean, when you said Azazel is coming? Aren't we warded?" He asks me.

"We are. But, it feels like somebody else inform him about our location."

At that moment, a thought crosses our minds. Could it be?

Ethan's eyes travel to someone behind me.

I quickly turn around to find Rowena standing. Her arms are radiating glowing-green aura. In the dark room, she looks like an emerald orb, gleaming as she advances towards us.

I had almost forgotten, Rowena being in the room. She stayed quiet all this while. She was hoping for us to not realize the obvious. She is the only one who could've told the Tridents about our location, no wonder, she wanted us to perform the spell at her place. And now, it seems like she is stalling.

Her eyes are the same color as her aura.

"You can't leave, not yet. Not after those Grendels and I, turn you two to dust." She sneers at Ethan.

Ethan's fist burst into flames. He draws his silver daggers out as he steps in front of me.

"Interesting." She hums.

Ethan starts to approach her. In a swift motion of her hand, she hurls him in the air. Smashing the wooden shelves, he crashes to the floor. The tension exceeds, when I watch Ethan being thrown across the room.

"No!" I shout. His flames flicker as he tries to stand up again.

"Yes!" She snaps at me. I feel my body being lifted and tossed at the opposite end of the room. My back hits the concrete wall and I let out a cry in pain. A sharp ache shoots in my ribs.

I open my eyes hazily to find Rowena squatted next to Ethan's body that is pinned to the ground. I try to rise up, but my body too, feels like its being held to the floor by force.

I look down at my wrist to find them wrapped with a glowing thread; the same color as Rowena's aura. She is restraining us with her magic. Rowena is an ancient witch, who is more powerful than an ordinary Earth essence altruist. If she has us corner, we are basically dead meat.

"How does it feel, to be betrayed?" She speaks to Ethan. "I felt the same way, when you promised me a thousand things and left me feeling stupid and powerless. We had a great time, but then you had to go ruin it all by destroying my spells. That deal was just an excuse, you wanted to gain access to my safe. Once you unlocked it, you burnt all my spells to ashes; years of my life gone within seconds."

"Those were possession enchantments, it is forbidden by the Altruist Law, to perform any possession curses. And, a witch like you, doesn't deserve that much power." She glares at him, while he mocks her profoundly. "Also, those weren't your spells; all you did was steal them from other witches and hoarded it in your safe. I did you a favor." He grunts as the glowing binds tighten around him.