Nothing Dark Can Stay, Either

Chapter 65

"Itza."

Her eyes opened at the sound of Elijah in pain. She was on the ground, her hands shackled together. They were in the familiar carpenter's workshop that'd been Beatrix's home. The Heretic suspected that The Hollow's magic was stronger here, because of her relation to Ixazaluoh.

Beatrix sat up and managed to see that Elijah lay a few feet away from her, trapped inside of a boundary spell made of salt, runes, herbs, and candles. She could feel the power radiating off of it.

"Elijah!" she gasped, struggling to move toward him. "Hold on— just— I'll move over and I'll siphon—"

"Not going to happen."

They looked up to see The Hollow, still in Sofya's body. "Tsk, you silly girl, you can't even realize that you're missing something." She held up a very dusty piano key. "This is what you put it in before, hmm? I found the exact key... it had been in a dark cabinet belonging to a music instructor who kept forgetting to take the key over to a repair shop. You'll get this back once I go into your body, while I wait for mine to be ready."

"How did you take my magic?" demanded Beatrix. She tried to stand up, but gave a cry of pain, a snapping sound being heard as her leg broke beneath her.

"It was very easy," said The Hollow, smiling through Sofya's features. "As for the pain... don't try and move too much. I performed a very lovely little spell that'll break your bones if you try and resist me. You should probably limit any struggling... your arms are already doing quite poorly with my influence. Black veins, again... tsk. Won't be a problem for much longer."

"Let her go," Elijah panted hoarsely, his face beaded with sweat. He still had the thorned stake in his back, and he was clearly in a great deal of pain. "I-I'll die— not her."

The Hollow smirked. "I don't need her to die. In fact, it's imperative that she lives."

He tried to stand, but gave out a groan as he was unable to get a proper hold.

"Such a will to live," sighed The Hollow. "Wouldn't it be easier to give in? To simply let go? Part of you must crave that peace. The silence of the nothing that lasts forever."

Elijah glared up the best he could. "Why don't you come a little closer... and we'll find it together."

The Hollow hummed. "You'll have enough company. When you die, so, too, does your entire sire line. The great sacrifice that will return me to flesh and blood. All I need now is the last of my remains for the ritual. Your family has done the job of finding them, and they should be coming to me soon enough."

"Just kill me instead, damnit," said Beatrix, whimpering as she felt her bones repairing themselves slower than usual. "Let him go."

She moved forward and gripped Beatrix by the throat, standing her up. Immediately, her legs started to break again, and the Heretic screamed, crumpling back to the floor. "So fragile," murmured The Hollow. "Nothing compared to an Original..."

"You can't expect to torment my family and survive," said Elijah, twitching from the pain.

"I survived far worse fates than your family," said The Hollow coldly. "I say let them come. They will try to save you from the poison coursing through your veins, and in doing so, they will give me what I want. And as a reward for their efforts, I will let your family watch as you finally die."

She walked out, and Beatrix bit her lip hard, drawing blood as she turned onto her side to look at Elijah. "Damn it," she said weakly. "I need— I need to siphon the barrier spell from you..."

"No," he panted. "Save yourself. My death— is inevitable. The key—"

They could both see the piano key left on a table near the door, but neither could reach it. Beatrix wouldn't be able to make it that far without her bones breaking all over.