Shadow Market

Chapter Twelve

The aftermath of bad decisions:

I woke to the familiar scent of herbs and old parchment, my body aching from head to toe. As my eyes adjusted, I realized I was lying on a makeshift bed covered in soft, worn blankets.

Groaning, I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my ribs, forcing me to lie back down. "Easy there," Cassius's voice came from somewhere nearby. He appeared at my side,"You've been through a lot. You need to rest."

I glanced down at myself, noticing the bandages wrapped tightly around my arms, torso, and legs. The darkened skin on my cursed arm was mostly covered, but I could still see the faint black lines creeping up my arm, a grim reminder of the curse's hold on me.

"What happened?" I croaked, my throat dry and voice hoarse.

Cassius handed me a cup of water, and I took a grateful sip. "After Dante rescued you, he brought you back here. You were in pretty bad shape, but we managed to patch you up."

Dante. The memory of the fight with Viktor and his men came flooding back. The chaos, the fear, and the desperation. And then, Dante, coming to my rescue, facing down Viktor like a force of nature. "Where is Dante?" I asked, looking around the room.

Cassius hesitated, his expression darkening. "He's... taking care of some business."

I frowned, sensing there was more to the story. "What aren't you telling me, Cassius?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Dante took the souls. He didn't tell you because he knew you'd try to stop him. "

"That would have been nice to know before I showed up to barter them for Raven." Saying her name caused a pain in my chest. 

Cassius looked at me sympathetically. "He was trying to protect you."

I scoffed, shaking my head. "He's just like everyone else, thinking they know what's best for me." The room felt suddenly too small, too suffocating. I struggled to sit up, ignoring the pain. "I need to find him. If he's planning to use the souls, he could be walking into a trap. Viktor's not going to let him hand them over and walk away."

Cassius placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me. "Lene, you need to rest. You're in no condition to go anywhere."

"I don't care. I have to stop him before he does something reckless." I was already pushing myself off the bed, determined to find Dante before it was too late. But just as I took a shaky step forward, the door burst open, and there he was.

Dante stood in the doorway, disheveled and out of breath. His eyes locked onto mine, and I could see the conflict and worry etched into his face. "Lene, you're awake," he breathed, a mix of relief and tension in his voice.

I didn't waste a second. "What were you thinking, Dante?" I snapped, my voice shaking with anger. "Taking the souls without telling me? Do you have any idea how reckless that was?"

He flinched, but his expression hardened. "I did what I had to do," he shot back. "You were in danger, Lene. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."

"And your solution was to keep me in the dark? To make decisions for me like I'm some helpless child?" My voice rose, frustration and hurt spilling out. "I had a plan, Dante. One that wouldn't have got Raven killed."

He flinched from the cut of my words, but it was true. His choices cost Raven her life.

Raven made her own choices," Dante argued, but there was a note of uncertainty in his voice. "She... she knew the risks."

"She did, but she also trusted us," I shot back, my voice trembling with a mix of grief and anger. "She trusted you, Dante. And you took that trust and used it to make a decision that got her killed. We were supposed to protect each other."

Dante's jaw tightened, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I know," he whispered, the weight of guilt finally breaking through his defensive facade. "I know I messed up. I just... I couldn't bear the thought of losing you."

His admission hit me hard. Despite everything, I knew his actions had come from a place of desperation, of fear for me. But that didn't make the pain any less.

"We can't undo what's happened," I said, my voice softening slightly. "But we can stop making the same mistakes. We need to trust each other, to work together. No more secrets, no more going off on our own."

At that moment, even after his betrayal, I didn't want to lose him either. This feeling was it love? 

Dante nodded, the fight draining out of him. "You're right," he said, his voice barely audible. "I'm sorry, Lene."

Dante's eyes brightened slightly, and he reached into his coat pocket, pulling out an ancient dagger. The blade was oddly beautiful despite the darkness that seemed to cling to it.

"What is that?" 

This," he said, holding it out for me to see. "I found it near where the soul should have been. It's not just any dagger—it's infused with some kind of magic."

"Wait, the soul wasn't there?" I tried but failed to hide the panic in my voice.

Dante shook his head no as Cassius stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he examined the dagger. "This is no ordinary weapon," he murmured, almost to himself. "It's a relic, likely from a time when the supernatural and human worlds were more closely intertwined. The symbols on the hilt... they suggest it has the power to bind or sever mystical connections."

I looked at the dagger, then back at Cassius. "Do you think it could help us with the curse?"

Cassius nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. "It's possible. If we can decipher the symbols and understand the magic embedded in the blade, it might be able to cut through the curse."

Dante's grip tightened around the hilt. "Then we use it," he said firmly.

I agreed, feeling a renewed sense of urgency. "But we need to be careful. If Viktor finds out what we're planning, he'll do everything in his power to stop us. And we can't afford any more mistakes."

Cassius nodded. "I'll start working on deciphering the symbols. "

"We need to stay one step ahead of Viktor," Dante said, his voice low. "I'll see if I can find any information on his movements or plans. We can't let him get his hands on the remaining souls."

As Cassius moved to his work table, already engrossed in studying the dagger, I turned to Dante. "Just... promise me we'll stay together in this," I said, my voice soft but firm. "No more secrets."

Dante looked into my eyes, his expression earnest. "I promise, Lene. No more secrets."