Corruption and Conversion

Chapter 7

The air was thick and sticky with heat as Tye groggily opened her eyes. A bright light assaulted her eyes as she tried to remember what happened.

Her mind had turned into a thick fog that she wandered through, piecing together her dispersed thoughts.

She tried standing up, only to find her legs and hands were bound with thick rope.

Waves of panic crashed over her again as she remembered what had happened.

Where was she, where were the others, what was going on?

"Ah, seems someone has finally decided to join us."

Tye head snaps around, eyes wide, as she sees her captors.

Mad Hatter, Cheshie and the lady in red were seated at a round table, Jasper and Omega bound and gagged by their feet. Teacups had been arranged for six and desserts filled the table.

Tye stopped panicking for a moment when she saw what was on the floor.

Summoning circle was placed in the middle of the room, it's intricate designs intrigued Tye, the objects placed around the triangle in the middle even more so.

A gold box, no larger than Tye's hand, with engraving cramped on every inch.

An ancient looking scroll, it's paper so old all of the paper seen had turned brown.

Finally an object she had seen once before, a thick book, it's cover a chocolate brown with gold edge covers turned a dull bronze. She remembered seeing it in a glass case when she had worked in The Circle.

The three seated at the table paid her no mind, as the lady in red tried to stop Cheshie's complaining.

"Why can't we start? I don't want to be stuck in this magic ridden place for longer than I have to, I've been forced to stay like this for way too long, I want my old form back." He whined.

"Cheshire, cease your complaints. I will not deal with your childish antics, you know very well why we can't begin earlier. Now halt your protesting before I use the extra rope." Her voice was authoritative and stern, demanding a level of respect.

"What will we do with the three of them?" Cheshire's question brought their attention back to Tye and her comrades.

The three of them exchanged terrified looks, knowing they were in no position to fight, only to comply with the demands of their captors, even if it meant losing their lives.

"Why don't we give them a choice? They can stay here and get executed for witchcraft or they agree to help us with our ordeal." Hatter suggested, taking a sip of his tea.

The lady in red sips her tea thoughtfully clearly not against having a few extra hands with whatever they were doing.

"Let the two women decide, the blond is insufferable, I can only deal with one Cheshire at a time." She says finally.

Cheshire, ignoring the jab, unties Omega's gag quickly jumping back as she tries to bite a chunk of his hand off.

Omega bears her teeth at them, turning back to Tye.
"You alright Plague? What did they do to you?" Omega asks.

"I'm fine. Well as much as you can be being tied up and forced to choose between two things you don't want to do." Tye responds with as much reassurance as she can manage.

"I think we should go," Omega says.

"What? Why?"

"Just trust me." She pleads.

Well what choice did they really have?

Tye gives a nod.

"Let's do it, can't be worse than dying right?" Tye says jokingly hoping it was true.

"Right well now that that's settled, we shoul-" Hatter never got to finish his sentence as angry voices were heard from somewhere further away.

Immediately the three seated at the table were on their feet, the lady in red somehow materializing a rifle from the folds of her gown.

"Get started on the preparation, I'll give them a lesson they won't forget." She growls.

"Cheshire, untie them, we might as well let them help." Hatter says, pulling a switchblade out of his hat, handing it to his companion.

Cheshire started with Omega's restraints. The moment she could move, she grabbed the switchblade from him, using it to free the others.

One they were all free, Omega brought Tye and Jasper into a bone crushing hug.

Omega fused over the two of them making sure that nothing bad had happened.

They soon heard gunshots in the distance, Cheshire and Hatter being unfazed as they began their weird ritual.

Tye wasn't quite sure what they did, but a gaping hole soon opened, looking to swallow them whole.

"White, come on" Cheshire bellowed, jumping down into the hole without fear.

Hatter looked over at the three, gesturing for them to jump.

Omega and Jasper approached timidly, peeking over the edge, before being unceremoniously shoved by Hatter down into the pit.

Tye was having second thoughts about going with them, when she was suddenly grabbed from behind by the waist and thrown with her comrades down into the endless void.