LUNAFEY

CHAPTER 22

Marie and I ran to Cedric's study, and I couldn't help but wonder how things had turned out this way. The Harbingers' castle was supposed to be a safe haven, wasn't it? I shut the door and questioned why Angus had instructed us to hide here, but I didn't feel safe with Marie. In fact, I started to feel suffocated.

"It's alright," Marie said, placing her hands on my shoulders as I crumbled to the floor.
"I'm scared too," she said, but I still didn't trust her because she had come with Rosa. I shook my head, correcting myself - I meant Amelia-Maya. This was all too much to take in. My breathing was rapid, my chest heaving, so I placed my hand on my chest to steady myself.

"Who is Amelia-Maya to you and Maël?" I asked, looking up at Marie with suspicion. "What?" she responded, her voice laced with panic. "I thought that was Aunt Rosa... and Maël and I kept forgetting things." I narrowed my eyes, my distrust evident. I slowly backed away, getting to my feet.

"Luna, you have to believe me, I don't know that woman," Marie said, her voice laced with desperation as she moved closer to me. "It's the first time I've seen her." Her eyes welled up with tears. "I don't know what's going on, Luna. Cedric said I could only trust Angus, and I don't even know you." She took a shaky breath. "Luna, please, you have to believe me."

I hesitated, unsure of what to think. "Let's secure this room first and wait for Angus," I said finally, trying to sound calm despite my own doubts.
But as I glanced at Marie, I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. I had seen her twin brother Maël help us escape, but that didn't necessarily mean I could trust her. I pushed the thoughts aside and focused on barricading the door, trying to push the heavy sofa into place. Marie came to help me, her hands and body trembling visibly. I felt a pang of guilt for being so cruel to her; the only emotion emanating from her was fear.

We barricaded the large doors, and then I saw a shadow emerging from the right side of the study, near the desk and chair. I walked over slowly, my heart racing, as I recalled seeing a similar shadow there yesterday. "Marie!" I whispered urgently, turning to her. "I see it too," she responded, her voice trembling.

I motioned for her to stay back as I cautiously approached the desk. That's when I saw it, a hidden passageway on the left side, and Rosa standing almost at the door, her eyes fixed on me. I stuttered, my feet almost giving way beneath me. "How...how?" I stammered, my mind reeling.

"Run, Marie!" I yelled, but instead of fleeing, Marie rushed to my side, grasping my hand as she almost fell to the floor herself. My breathing became ragged, but I managed to compose myself. "Go!" I commanded, my voice stern and firm. "She's after me, not you." I shook off Marie's hand, a realization dawning on me. "Go! You'll get hurt if you stay with me," I pleaded, my eyes locked on Marie's.
Marie stumbled towards the door, while I backed away from Amelia-Maya, trying to muster what little courage I had left. "What do you want?" I demanded, my voice shaking.

Amelia-Maya's grin grew wider. "The mistress wants you, but don't worry, we won't kill you... just yet." Her laughter echoed through the room, sending chills down my spine.

As I retreated, I saw Marie struggling to move the sofa, but she managed to budge it slightly. She sobbed as she said, "Angus, Maël, help Luna!" just as Angus stumbled into the room, clutching his stomach in agony. I panicked, wondering how he'd been injured.

"Let the girl go, witch," Angus growled, his eyes fixed on Amelia-Maya. But she just cackled, her laughter filling the study until she abruptly stopped. Her eyes gleamed with malevolence as she began chanting in a low, raspy voice. A thick wave of dark webs surged forward, and I ducked for fear, but they weren't for me. The webs ensnared Angus, gluing him to the ceiling.

Maël, who was approaching me, fell to the floor instantly, and Marie rushed to his side, crying uncontrollably. The sight was unbearable. "Let them go!" I screamed, desperately. "They haven't done anything wrong; it's me you want!"

I believed Cedric would come to rescue me, no matter where they took me. Maybe this time, he'd bring the Harbingers with him. "Then come with me," Amelia-Maya sneered, her eyes glinting with malice. My feet gave way, and I crumpled to the ground, as if resigning myself to my fate. "Now!" she commanded.

But Angus's weak voice called out from the ceiling, where he was still webbed. "Luna...!" He whispered urgently, "Don't leave the castle, no matter what. It's all a trick to get you to leave." I stood there, frozen in a daze, my mind racing with a single thought: I had to save them. I couldn't bear the thought of anyone getting hurt because of me.

"You still need convincing, don't you, Luna?" Amelia-Maya sneered, her eyes flinching. She mumbled something under her breath, and the room erupted into flames, engulfing everything around us. She twirled around me, her movements eerie and unsettling. "Your father is with us, even as we speak," she taunted, her voice dripping with venom.

I saw her gesture towards Angus, and his mouth closed, but his voice still reached me, whispering urgently, "Don't go with her, it's a trick." I was amazed - how was he still speaking? Amelia-Maya's anger was building, her face twisted in a snarl. "If only you had not come looking for him, none of this would have happened," she spat. "You should have left him to carry his cross." She paused, bending close to whisper in my ear, her breath cold and menacing. "And now, you'll carry it with him."

"Don't hurt them, I'll go with you! Put out the fire!" I screamed, sobbing uncontrollably. "I'll be alright," I tried to reassure Angus, but my words were cut short as Amelia-Maya's icy hand closed around my wrist, pulling me away from the study. She dragged me down the grand staircase and out of the castle, into the freezing midday air. I shivered, my only protection the long green dress I had worn that morning.

As we emerged from the castle, I saw that the flames had miraculously vanished, leaving no sign of the inferno that had ravaged the study. It was as if I had dreamed the whole thing. But Amelia-Maya's grip on my arm was all too real. She pushed me to the snow covered ground, and her laughter echoed through the forest, sending shivers down my spine.

Realization hit me like a ton of bricks  was I under a spell? "How dare you mess with my mind!" I yelled, my voice filled with rage and anger. Amelia-Maya came closer, her grip on my arm tightening. "Do you get it now, little one?" she sneered, her eyes glinting with triumph. "You were all under my spell as soon as I set eyes on you," she revealed, her voice dripping with malice.

She jerked me to my feet from the snow, and I stumbled, my legs trembling with fear. "Take her," she commanded, pushing me forward. I was caught by two deformed creatures, their twisted faces once human, now grotesquely distorted. They grasped me with bony fingers, their touch like ice.