Haunting Shadows (Book 2)

Chapter 24

"What do you mean she's gone?" Raphael yelled, his rage taking a physical form.

Eric backed away slowly, his arms raised defensively. "My family, the one you keep urging me to check on, need me. I left her alone for like two hours and when I got back she was gone and this not was here."

Raphael snatched the note from Eric's hand and read it quickly. "Dammit," he cursed.

"You know, she has a point. You had been keeping her here for some ulterior motive that you wouldn't even tell me about. Perhaps if you had, I could've calmed her and convinced her to stay."

"You're the one that made her suspicious in the first place! You think I don't know that you told her you didn't trust me on this? Eric, you have no idea what you've done!" Raphael cried, his frustration getting the best of him. It wasn't Eric's fault, Raphael knew that; he had no one to blame but himself.

"Why did you need her if she's not the girl from the prophecy?" Eric asked, his own rage flaring up.

Raphael started pacing, pulling his fingers through his thick, white-blond hair. "Everything's a mess right now.... The prophecy... it came at a price, do you remember? On the night of Lana's 'execution', Almahalc came to me, telling me what that price would be: I have to get Lana to hate Andreas because only when she feels nothing, can she heal him. I wanted to keep her here until I could figure something out... if I didn't pay that price, Almahalc would put the blood curse on me... which appears to be my future now..." Raphael rambled.

"So you were going to destroy her happiness so you could be fine?" Eric demanded, his words short and crisp, exactly what Raphael expected him to do.

"I know you'd try to talk me out of it. And it was never any intention to destroy her happiness. I just... I don't know... I was trying to find another way."

"But you wanted her here in case you didn't."

Raphael took in a deep breath. "You are too good and too young to understand sometimes even the good guys make mistakes... choose the wrong things. There is a tinge of darkness in all of us, it's just very small in you. You haven't lived long enough to understand the choices I've had to make."

"I'm eighteen! Don't condescend me, Raphael. I understand perfectly, I know there are other choices you could've made. There are other things you could've done. You just chose the easy way, not the hard way. Because why do the right thing if it's difficult? You are the leader of the followers of light, you are supposed to be the example! I used to look up to you, trust you... but now? How can I?"

Raphael narrowed his eyes. "If you were faced with the responsibility, I have, you would not judge me. I'm one person! I have to protect all the witches and sorcerers in both kingdoms! But I've failed so many. I try... I really do... but it starts to eat at you when the only ones you can save are the ones that have agreed to join the followers of light! I had to leave everything and everyone I care about behind in order to keep them safe. And now my life's in danger, who is going to protect them now? Now that we are faced with our greatest threat yet?"

Eric stilled. "What do you mean?"

Raphael sunk into one of the chairs. "The queen is not as dimwitted as we believed her to be. And she has decided to stop persecuting sorcerers. She's going to hunt them down and kill them on sight."

"How is she planning on doing that?"

"Dragons. She has dragon lords and they have agreed to help her rid the two kingdoms of anyone with even a trace of magic. She offered protection for the followers of light if we join them. Hunting down our own kind and I don't know what to do."

Eric joined Raphael. "Shit."

The two friends, and sorcerers sat there in silence, neither with a clear idea what to do. The situation seemed hopeless. How did they fight dragons when dragons were known for being extremely difficult to kill and could take out ten sorcerers with a single breath of fire?

"Do you remember when we returned from Almahalc's cave and we were attacked by the children of the moon?" Eric asked suddenly,

Raphael nodded, but was unclear on why Eric would bring it up.

"They killed all our men and cornered us. We would've been done for. That situation seemed hopeless as well, but we managed to get through it. Do you remember why?" Eric continued.

Raphael stared off into space, but knew where Eric was going with this. "Because we worked together, as a team," Eric answered before Raphael could. "It was after that day that you started to trust me, and the times you have since, things have gone down without a hitch. If only you could've told me about Lana from the beginning. I could've - would've helped. You are more than just my leader, Raphael. I like to think of us as friends. We will figure out how to prevent or break the blood curse and we'll figure out how to save the sorcerers in Eerea and Gynae. We can take back the kingdoms and rally our troops. Nothing is impossible, but you have to trust me."

Raphael placed a hand on the young sorcerer's shoulder, amazed at how much wiser Eric had become. He was ten years the boy's senior, and still couldn't call himself wiser. "Thank you, Eric."

"We'll take it one step at a time."

"Step one: it's time to call another meeting. Get into contact with every single follower of light. We're going to need everyone. This is not my decision to make."