Cursed

Chapter 19

Juniper woke up from her slumber feeling stiff. The muscles in her neck ached with every subtle movement, like she had been sleeping in an unnatural position for too long. When she tried to stretch her arms, there was a tight resistance. She tried again, but the dry and scratchy pain she felt on her wrists proved to not be in her dream and discouraged any larger movement. Fluttering her eyes open to protect from the sunlight, she was met with pitch black darkness. She could see the outline of a few shapes, but there was no light from anywhere to aid her in recognizing her surroundings. She leaned forward to sit up on what she thought was a stiff bed, only to discover she was already sitting. No wonder her neck was so sore. She tried to move her legs, but they too were bound. He heartbeat accelerated. Could Minks have finally mustered a bit of courage and kidnapped her? He did take pleasure in capturing students for experiments. After all, he was there when the derraged Indoria captured her the first time. It was unfortunate for him that Juniper saw him creeping in the corner and managed to use that against him.

"Did you grow a pair of balls, Minks?" She shouted to the darkness, her voice echoing off the walls. "Stupid move on your part, you know that?! I can burn these binds without a wand, as I assume you would have taken it."

A sound of movement jerked her attention to her right. He was still distant, but he was there. She began breathing harder, the binds around her chest constricting with every inhale.

"For fucks sakes, Minks. You have overestimated yourself!"

She searched for her power in her core. It was how she could manage to wield it without a wand. It was in her. Only took getting kidnapped twice by the crazy witch to realize it. She drew her power to the surface, feeling its warmth course through her body, under her skin. Her eyes shifted colors as her magic approached the ropes that tied her to the pathetic excuse of a chair. But it never reached her fingertips. Like a fire that had a bucket filled with water purposefully poured onto it, it fizzled from existence.

"It won't work. The ties are spelled locked."

Betrayal pierced through her body like a frozen blade as Ominis lit a nearby candle.

"This is a sick joke, Ominis." She said, trying hard not to let her voice crack.

Her pain was mirrored in his face. "I'm so sorry, June. But we had no other choice."

The metaphorical knife twisted in her already delicate heart

"'We'?"

If she hadn't been seething in anger just moments before, tears would've given away just how hurt she was. Sebastian stolled into the candle light, dark and broody as ever.

"You couldn't just ask me like normal human beings? You just had to sequester and interrogate me like some criminal?"

Sebastian stopped at the edge where the light became darkness. "We knew you wouldn't answer if we tried."

In his hands was a dagger. Its ebony hilt so dark that light couldn't even reflect off it. Protruding the blunt end was a lavender crystal. The fourth and last of the dark relics. Sebastian twirled the blade in his hands in an almost taunting way.

The color drained from Juniper's face. "Where did you get that?"

"We know about the dark magic enhancers, June. Why are you collecting them?" Ominis asked.

Juniper noticed how the tip of the dagger pointed into Sebastian's index finger with every twirl, the little pocket of unpunctured skin giving the blade extra speed and stability.

"Seb, please set the blade down."

He ignored her.

Ominis had a harder time remaining stoic than he did, picking up on the panic in her voice.