The Dark Warlock: The Nox Haven Series

Chapter 25: Game On

"One more thing," he murmured and pulled a sparkling item out of his pocket. It was a gold crown with sapphire jewels, I realized as he swiftly gathered my hair into a bun and clipped it into place.

"Now," he took my face in between in his hands, "You look like the princess you are."

He held out his arm and I slipped my hand through crook. Offering me one last charming grin, Aleksander pulled open the door and let me out into the hall. Jaxon was waiting for us in a similar black tuxedo as Aleksander expect he didn't wear a hat. He quickly took in my dress, and gave me a forced smile. I waved him off and pulled him into a hug. I knew he was reminiscing the last time both he and I went to a ball- Alix had been there and at the time her sight was perfectly intact.

"We'll be fine," I told Jaxon, "As long as everyone sticks to the plan."

Last night, when I managed to escape Roberto's clutches, I ran to the boys dorm and told them about the amulet. From there we decided it was time to take action. Aleksander would get the necklace from Adeline since they were close and Jaxon would steal Roberto away and sift through his thoughts. Hopefully, he'd be able to discover if the Dark Ones really are in the dungeons. My role was simple, all I had to do was go the party and make sure Roberto didn't become anymore suspicious. If that meant I had to endure his false sincerities and trade pleasantries with the sister he spoke so highly of, then fine. Whatever it took to make things right.

Aleksander led me out of the dorm with Jaxon following closely on our heels. In the entryway, there was a huge mass of students waiting for their carriages to take them to the venue. The girls wore similar dresses to mine. Some were a bit more over the top with excessive beading or oversized bows, their corsets were pulled so tightly I was worried their ribs would break and their skirts were so large their partners had to stand at least three away from them. I noticed that witches and warlocks weren't the only ones coming to the celebration, but werewolves, vampires and the fae were also waiting to leave. Watching the separate species interact, it was clear that they had obvious strifes with one another. The vampires turned their noses and sneered when a werewolf would pass by, and the latter would let out a growl when they got a whiff of the bloodsuckers. The fae were casting the witches weary glances and the witches were ignoring everyone. It was so weird. In the future, the different species were so comfortable around each other- it wouldn't be weird to see a vampire playing ball with a werewolf or a witch and faerie showing off their magical capabilities in the courtyard.

"Are you Aleksander Volkov," A man with a deep, baritone voice asked, stealing my attention away from my classmates. He had a scruffy black beard, and beady eyes. He wore a simple tweed jacket and a black bowler hat.

"Yes I am," Alek responded, "You must be Oliver, our carriage driver."

Oliver gave him an affirmative nod and lead us out of the crowded room. Carriages were lined up outside ready to take their respective clients to the celebration. Underneath the full moon, I could faintly see the gold detailing on the black carriage that Oliver was leading us too. I smiled when I saw the Nox Haven emblem on the door, a griffon with six stars above it's head. It was nice to know that something's never changed.

The carriage ride was a new experience for me, I was used to getting around in sturdy SUVs or sleek limousines. The carriage was compact, leaving the three of us with almost no leg room but it was very comfortable with the padded velvet seats convenient curtains. The three of us didn't speak much, the sound of the jostling cart and our own thoughts kept us from engaging into any real conversations. Settling into my seat, I watched as trees fleas by. My eyes glazed over every rock and bush that passed. I didn't expect to see anything interesting, maybe a deer or bunny if I got lucky but as we were turning down a narrow path I saw a shadowy figure crouching by a large bush. Narrowing my eyes I tried to get a closer look, that was when I saw something bright and shining in the figure's hand. It was a flame. Due to the dark of the night, I wasn't able to see the figure move but I knew what would be coming next. Just as we were about to pass by their bush an explosion sounded and carriage crashed.

My body collided with Jaxon who was sitting across from me. The carriages continued to tumble as we shouted and pleaded for help. My stomach twisted as my heart pounded. This was not going to be good.

"Caddie!" Aleksander yelled, "Teleport us out of here."

I couldn't even breath, let alone teleport. I was about to tell him that when he and Jaxon reached out for my hands. They really weren't giving me a choice in the matter. Forcing myself to concentrate, I closed my eyes and thought of the forest around us. The wind whipped around our bodies, dragging us out of the tumbling carriage. When we finally touched the forest floor again the carriage was long gone and Oliver was nowhere in sight.

"Somebody tried to kill us!" Aleksander jumped to his feet.

"Who would want to do that?" Jaxon groaned, rubbing his head.

I was already standing, perfectly fine and untouched by the teleportation. Holding out my hand, I hoisted Jaxon to his feet and shook my head. Sometimes, it was so easy to forget that he wasn't used to the whole 'everyone is out to get me' ordeal.

"Perhaps, the only person who would have something against us. Meaning the person we're also out to kill," I told Jaxon.

"If that's how he wants to play then fine, let's play," Aleksander sneered.

I put my hand on his arm and matched his glare, "No! We're going to stick to the plan. Remember there's a timeline here that we can't afford to mess up anymore than it is. You get the necklace, Jaxon will get the Dark Ones and leave the rest to me."

**Boss Mode: Activated. Caddie's about whip someone's butt. So yes someone tried to kill our dynamic trio, perhaps it was Roberto or maybe it was one of his cronies or maybe it was none of the three- we'll have to wait and see. I don't know if any of you guys saw the updates I did on The Dark Witch but I published the prologue of Celestial Sisters and the first Chapter- please check it out and tell me what you think. I think for the next chapter it would actually be a really good idea for you guys to read the first bit of Celestial Sisters and pay attention the physical descriptions but you know that wasn't a hint or anything....

Thank you for everyone who is still faithfully reading and invested in the story!
XOXO,
Ro.**