Prince Xavier

Chapter 22

Caitlin's POV

I ask Jennifer to drop me off in a part of the city where I knew there was an undercover black market for dark magic. It was in an alleyway of shops that had what looked like to be harmless magic trick shops, some therapeutical magic massage businesses and bars and clubs where witches liked to hang out. Well... the witches who particularly liked to harness the power of black magic. The type of magic I believed was used to bring my sister back from the dead.

When I had been homeless, I hadn't been around this area much. However I had visited a couple of times to steal important items that could be sold for lots of money. Witch's hair was a popular product that humans liked to buy, the hair could be burnt and simple spells could be brought forth from the ashes of a witch's hair. Any part of a witch, burnt, held magic power.

I had avoided the place mostly because I had been warned off numerous times by the owner of the bar called Witchcraft Corner. The owner was called Misty and she was a fortune teller. She foretold that I would try to pickpocket one night and before I had even walked in the door she was blocking my entrance, demanding that I leave.

I don't know why, but part of me admired her for so boldly confronting me. She had a genuine, passionate personality. A protective owner of a well-esteemed bar – for some reason I trusted her. I had faith that she might be able to help me.

I'm not too surprised when I walk up to the front door and see her through the clear panes of the door's windows, waiting at the entrance, twirling her pale blue hair around her finger as she ignores one guy who is trying to chat her up from just beside her.

Holding Abbey's hand, I place my hand on the dark wood of the door and push it in, Misty's eyes instantly look up and meet my own.

Without another second wasted, Misty jumps forth and grabs my elbow.

"Follow me, quickly," she snaps, and I'm slightly surprised she remembered me. And intrigued that since she did remember me, why didn't she tell me to piss off like last time?

Most people ignore us, but some stare rudely at Abbey and I see her looking down at the ground, shaking in fear as she walks with me at the fastest pace she can manage.

Misty takes us straight into the back room, which is a messy office with papers all over a huge wooden desk and a couch on one side for guests.

"Sit down," Misty orders, locking the door. She walks over to the other side of her office desk and looks judgingly from me to my little sister.

"You remember me?" I ask.

"I remember everything I see," Misty says, a little dryly. She doesn't trust me but she still dragged me into her office for a reason, "I saw you come here, to talk to me, last night in my dreams. You brought a half reawakened body back with you, asking for help, because the devil fairy bestowed on your sister a spell only half completed. You yourself were begging me for help, not realising that your own soul was in danger."

Abbey makes a distressed noise and I realise I am still holding her hand, her bandaged hand, and I was squeezing too hard.

I let her hand go, apologising before looking up into the witch's blue candy coloured eyes.

"Did you help my sister – I mean us, in the end?" I ask, worried for her next answer.

"I simply offered you information," she says, leaning down, still sounding suspicious as she picks up a quill pen and a blank piece of paper, she writes down a number, "Then I gave you this number," she holds it up for me to see, "And I told you in exchange for the number of the witch who can help you, you would in turn give me information."

"You haven't given me much information yet," I say, "About Abbey, or about myself and my apparently endangered soul."

"Quite simply," Misty says, "You must set up a meeting with this witch," she passes me the piece of paper with the number, "You need to bring a girl along with you, perhaps a girl you don't like and wouldn't mind never seeing again. Also bring your sister. You will save your sister, but you can't save yourself, not after what Eddrick did to you."

"How do you know what Eddrick did? How do you know –"

"You don't need to speak or explain anything, you already told me what happened to you last night when I dreamt our encounter," she snaps, impatient, " You literally sold a part of your soul to Eddrick when you cut your palm and bled while chanting the contract to him by repeating his words. He gave you some of his power, in exchange for your soul. You will have to cut your palm once every day, for the rest of your life, if you don't want Eddrick taking the full light of your life away. Or you can kill him – which I don't advise trying. He is not dead, I see in your eyes the blue irises filling with red," Misty reaches into one of her draws and passes me a deadly looking knife, "Cut your palm, it will stave off his drain on your life's power. It is a part of the contract that you offer blood to him, follow what I say and you'll be fine."

"Thank you?" I'm not sure whether to thank her or not as I take the knife and without thinking too much, I cut the same palm which healed when I had super strength and speed for that short amount of time, "Damn it," I hiss under my breath, doing it quick but closing my fingers in on my palm to stave off the pain. I hand her back the knife, gritting my teeth, "One last thing, this witch I need to organise a meeting with... why do I need a girl to come along with me?"

"Two lives sacrificed bring back someone from the dead – that's the simple explanation," Misty explains, seemingly getting annoyed by my lingering presence in her office with my sister, "One life was killed to bring your sister back – half way. You need one more sacrifice."

"Why did you help me?" I ask, my mind reeling on the fact that I needed to kill someone to save my sister. Could I really do it?

"Like I said, mortal," She explains irritably, "You gave me information in return, in my dream. I could have refused to help you now, because I already have your information. However some of us witches have integrity you know!"

"What now?" I ask, not sure if now was the time to leave.

"Go back to your vampire hideout," she says with a little smug smile, "And get your prince to lick up that wound for you to heal it quicker. I wouldn't use a sharp tongue on him in return, however, I saw what happened to you when you eventually returned to King Xavier."

"You're not going to tell me what Xavier does?... wait, what? King Xavier?" I ask, annoyed now because she looks too damn smug.

"Situations can change in a split second, don't they? Just tread lightly, dear," she says with a raised eyebrow, "Your prince is in one hell of a mood."

"Fantastic..." I mutter under my breath, the prince was now also a freaking king apparently! Xavier did not need an ego boost. I glance at Abbey and see her just staring at the blue haired witch silently.

"Now get the hell out of my bar, and don't ask me for help again," Misty crosses her arms over her chest and eyes me up and down, "I have not forgotten your attempts to use my bar as a thief's playground."

"Alright, alright," I stand up and bring Abbey with me as I grab her hand lightly this time, "Thank you for your help, at least I have some answers now."

"Goodbye, Caitlin Drysdale," Misty farewells, and as I turn around I wonder how much I actually told her. Suddenly I realise she didn't tell me everything my potential-self had revealed to her in her dreams, because this way I would never know exactly how much she knew about me or the vampire palace.

Damn. I wonder if she knew my whole life story? God knows.

It was time to return to the palace and Xavier.

King Xavier.

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