Unknown Darkness (Dominions Book 2)

Chapter 32: Selena

The stone room had a star engraved on the floor. With each point of the star sat another of the guardians. The stone table in the center of the room was also shaped like a star. Each point on the table had a wheel and a lever that connected to the bracelets. She looked at her friends who so valiantly came to save her, and her heart sank. She let them down. She didn't have to help Deidre, had she not, she could have been in the battle helping them overcome the enemy.

Or she could have gotten them captured because they were looking for her.

It was a lose-lose, and Selena hated that this was how it ended. She never thought in her seventeen years that her life would end sacrificed on an altar. This was something that you saw in scary movies. Not something that is supposed to happen in real life.

She fiddled with the bracelets that were on her wrist, but they wouldn't budge. They were different from the ones she had to wear with the purple stones. These were smaller, thinner, and had more room to wiggle out of. It dangled on her wrist. How could she not pull her wrist out of it? She also couldn't use her magic anymore.

Gedeon loves to block magic. Selena thought to herself.

"Back in the day, there was an evil sorceress named Corvina. She was one of the most powerful witches in existence. She would take the most powerful of dark creatures and sacrifice them on this very altar to absorb their magic. It's why the bracelets are so big. They had to fit giant monsters with hands and limbs much larger than yours."

"Why don't they just fall off?" Selena asked. She was tired of being the fearful victim in Gedeon's game. If she could keep him talking maybe she could find a way out of this.

"They're spelled," Gedeon said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The bracelets are bound and can only be taken off by someone other than the person wearing them." He placed his hand on the book and silently read. He sat like that for a long while. After Ander gave Elle her robes he walked over to Selena. He gave her a half frown.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"I don't want to talk to you right now, Ander. In my last moments, I'd rather it not be with someone I hated."

"I didn't have a choice, Selena!" Ander hissed at her.

Selena narrowed her eyes and looked at him with a disgusted glare. "You always have a choice. You just took the easy way out. I can't imagine what your people are thinking about looking at you right now. They're probably more disgusted than I am."

Selena saw tears well in Ander's eyes, but he quickly shook his head. He walked back to the center of the room with Gedeon and stood at the point of the table next to his. Gedeon closed the book and smiled. He snapped his fingers and the armor that he and Ander were wearing was replaced with the white robes they had the guardians dressed in. He raised his eyebrows excitedly and looked at each of the guardians.

"I'll explain what's going to happen," Gedeon said. "Each of you will be wheeled to me through this contraption on the table. When you get on the table I'll use this knife," he said unsheathing a medium-sized blade from his waistband, "And stab it into your heart. I'll then say a spell and your magic will be mine."

"Gedeon you don't have to do this," called Asher. "We can figure something out!"

"Quiet!" he screamed. "The choice has been made seventeen years ago. I cannot contain the power of the vein without assistance any longer. Your powers will serve me nicely. I will rule all the realms."

He scanned around the room and looked each guardian in the eye. When he looked at Selena his eyes stopped moving. "I guess you're lucky number one. Only seems right, doesn't it? I've kept you here for weeks. Only fair you don't see your friends die."