Chapter 73
*Ariella*
My jaw drops open as I hear the words Evelyn says. And even as I try to fight it, the truth of it all strikes me. The pieces slowly fall into place, pieces I hadn’t thought to question while Maya was helping me.
But she was able to trace the other curse that Evelyn had put on me. She was able to identify who had done it and what the curse was doing. She was able to work out the ingredients used in the bloodline curse spell just be bing in the swamp with Evelyn.
Evelyn snaps her fingers and the gag around Maya’s mouth disappears.
“You should be truthful to your friends, Maya!” Evelyn says sweetly, like she’s chastising a child.
“I’m so sorry,” Maya pleads, turning to me and ignoring her mother. “I tried. I tried so hard to fix what she had broken. What Marcus had done. I tried so hard and I failed. I am so sorry.”
I feel tears well up in my eyes.
Maya had always done so much more than what I had asked of her. She had been there for me every day of my pregnancy, healing and helping. She had done so much more than I had ever promised to repay her.
Trying to undo something that wasn’t even her doing.
“It’s not your fault,” I tell her softly, tears falling freely. “Thank you,” I tell her. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”
“Sickening,” Evelyn spat. “She failed. You know,” she says pensively. “If I had known you were just going to fail anyway, I would never have put all that effort into the magical tomb I made for you.”
I gasp. Was she really going to entomb her own daughter?
“You sound surprised,” Evelyn says again, turning to me. “Little Maya here is indeed my daughter that ran away. You see, not long after I placed the curse on you and removed your parents, little Maya, who was just a girl at the time, figured out what I had done. And then she tried using every little spark of magic that she had to try and undo the spell. She was always trying to get in the way, so much so that I just had to imprison her in a magical tomb just to keep her at bay.”
Evelyn sighed, like Maya was truly a burdensome child that needed constant reprimand.
“Thankfully, I managed to get away in time,” Maya spat. “Or I’d be a corpse right now.”
Evelyn shrugged.
“The swamp,” I said, my eyes welling with tears again. “She could have gotten you in the swamp. You knew there was a chance of that and you came with us anyway.”
Maya looked away from me then.
“I had to be there to sense what she used in the spell,” Maya says again. “I couldn’t remember everything, but I knew if I went in then I would feel the traces of the spell again. I had to take the chance, or there was no way I could help you.”
Just then, there was a loud crash that sounded like it came from above.
“Some triggered the alarm,” Evelyn hisses. “Go and check it out. There shouldn’t be anyone else here. Someone is trespassing.”
“But why me?” Lilith moans. “Send Marcus.”
“Go!” Evelyn snaps at her and then she turns to me, a light glowing off her hands.
The last thing I see is Lilith glowering before turning away and heading out of the room. And then everything goes black.
I open my eyes slowly, feeling the light press against my eyelids. I don’t know how long I was out for, but I know that it wasn’t too long. I feel my stomach convulse as pain courses through me.
‘No!‘ I think, this is it. This is the labor pains, and they’re closer together.
The baby will come today.
No, this can’t be right.
Look around L…
Chapter 73
“Maya!” I call to her. “Maya! Wake up!”
But she doesn’t answer, her eyes roll in her head but I can see she’s fighting something off herself.
Just then, I hear a familiar set of footsteps coming towards me, and my heart almost restarts from joy. I see the golden light first, and then Ethan
comes into the room.
“Thank the Goddess, I think. “Thank Sol.‘ He hasn’t burnt Ethan to a crisp, He let him find me.
“Eth…an” I manage to croak, my chest heaving as I find it more and more difficult to breathe. “Is that…you?”
“It’s me. I’m going to get you out of here.”
Wracked with pain, a sliver of hope fills me. And then my hope vanishes as the air behind Ethan begins to shimmer, and then all of a sudden Marcus and Evelyn are visible again.
“Ethan….Behind you!”
Ethan spins to see a laughing Marcus and Evelyn.
He does not hesitate and attacks them immediately, going straight for Evelyn who is the biggest threat. But before he can land a blow, Marcus intercepts him, his fist making contact with Ethan’s jaw.
Ethan stumbles back, but he does not seem deterred.
Fear fills me. He’s weaker somehow. And then I remember the power of Sol around the land. Ethan isn’t burning to a crisp but he is definitely slower. His chest is heaving almost as much as mine.
“He’s weakened himself to stave off Sol’s affect,” Maya says, “But he’s barely stronger than an average human. He’s no match for Marcus.
“Can’t you do something?”
She shakes her head. She’s run almost dry, barley keeing my own ward on me. If I ask her to switch the ward to him, then my baby will die.
“I’m going to enjoy this, oh great Alpha King,” Marcus bows mockingly, “I hated you since before you took the throne. You are not worthy of it.”
“Your colors finally show, Keenan…only now that I’m weakened,” Ethan sneers at him, “What a coward you are.”
Marcus shifts into wolf form and roars, lunging at Ethan. Ethan rolls, barely missing the razor sharp claws. My heart is beating in combination of fear and labor. My body tenses and I shout as the contractions begin to become more powerful.
Maya manages to clasp my hand and I squeeze.
Ethan dodges again, but he can’t keep this up. Marcus is faster and much more powerful right now.
I spy a sword hanging on the wall.
“Ethan!” I shout.
He follows my eyes and dashes to the wall, grabs the sword and bradishes it before wolf–Marcus. Marcus lunges but Ethan swings the sword and slices his paw. Blood splatters on the floor, sizzingly as it hits the stone.
As Ethan fights MAr
with the sword, my eyes shift to Evelyn who has not done anything to help her son. Surely she is able to restrain Ethan with a snap of her fingers and end this fight. But she stands there, focusing intently on Marcus.
Something is off; She looks too long.
the same way Maya does when she’s running out of mana after having cast too many spells, or maintaining spells for
Evelyn is definitely straining…struggling eye.
I do a count: she’s protecting both Marcus and Lilith form the power of a celestial being, she is forcing my labor, restraining both me and Maya, while also reducing Maya’s spellcasting.
She’s not as powerful as everyone thinks!
I think back. Her swamp. She was so powerful in there, basically she had full control and everything was like a puppet to her.
When she appeared the first time, she most likely came from her swamp as well. Her domain.
A witch’s domain is important to her. In Evelyn’s case, her domain is her battery.
2/3
3/3
10:48 AM
Chapter 73
We can beat her. I just need to push her even further.
I ignore my labor pains as best as I can and focus inward…finding my wolf. The more powerful my wolf is, the more danger we’ll be inside the Sun Temple. Earlier, to protect myself from the Sun Temple, with Maya’s help, my wolf remaining asleep was a good option, but now, I need her. I don’t care if I get hurt any more.
My wolf growls and snarls. She sniffs the air and catches Evelyn’s scent. Her eyes begin to flutter.
“Open yourself to me,” I urge her
My wolf howls and I am flooded with an immense torrent of strength and power, a damn breaking.
I allow it in, relishing in the reunion of my mind and my wolf.
I start to shift. My body aches, both from my wolf trying to break free from the curse and from the burning of the Sun Temple.
I’m not sure if my body will be able to handle all this in my current state…but this is my only option.
SEND GIFT