Hello and welcome back again!
By the way, guys, I know this is super cheeky of me to ask, but is anyone interested in creating a better cover for this book? I was really lazy with my one and I'll be completely honest, I can't be bothered to try and improve it. So yeah, no pressure or anything but if you want to, I'd really appreciate it!!
Anyways, enjoy!
After Rosalind and Andreas' visit yesterday, Mor had been silent.
Even when Riven walked in for his guard shift the next day, she wouldn't - couldn't - speak a word. He had tried to get her to talk about what had happened, but he soon gave up when he realised she wasn't going to say anything.
Eventually, Morrigan had drifted off to a fitful sleep, as she hadn't slept at all the previous night, the images of Andreas' fists flying at Rowan still all too clear and sharp in her mind.
However, she must've only been asleep for a couple of hours, if that, for when she woke with a jolt, Riven was still standing at the wall - the perfect guard dog.
Sitting up, Morrigan raked a hand through her hair, inhaling deeply as she shrugged off the remaining grip that sleep had on her. That was how it worked now: whenever she slept, she would only really manage to claim a few hours or so before her body lurched awake. Usually, she woke because of dreams, or because she grew too uncomfortable on the bed.
But this time... this time she woke up because of something else.
A heavy weight seemed to push down on her chest, and her head felt all too crowded, too fuzzy, too loud. There was an overwhelmingly foreboding sense that flooded her veins, fuelling her adrenaline and sparking her nerves. Exhaling shakily, Mor's legs began to shake as she pushed herself to her feet, needing to walk around.
With a hand pressed to her chest as if it would relieve the pressure, she paced about her cell, trying to figure out what was wrong. It felt like the sense she'd get whenever a Burned One was close by, but that was impossible.... wasn't it?
"Pri- uh, Morrigan?" Riven corrected himself as he walked over to the cell, brow furrowed at her actions, "Are you ok?"
All of a sudden, her magic surged like a tsunami against her walls, and the pressure dragged her to her knees as she groaned, clutching her head.
"Morrigan!" Riven exclaimed, lunging forwards and trying to grab her through the bars, "What's happening?"
She couldn't speak. She couldn't even think of the words to say.
Her head felt like it was about to burst as her powers thrashed against the grip of the barbed cuffs, desperate to be set loose.
Wrong... A voice in her head seemed to hiss, something is wrong. So wrong.
"Hey, darling, please," Riven begged, his voice rising as panic clutched him, "Mor, talk to me! What's going on?"
All she could do was groan in response, the pressure becoming so great that the corners of her vision was blurring and and tears spilled from her eyes.
"Morrigan, I'm going to need you to get up." A new voice demanded.
Rosalind.
She hadn't even registered the sound of the stone door grinding open. Desperately, Mor tried to sit up, but a particularly strong wave of her magic crippled her again.
"Can't you see she's in pain?" Riven snarled, "What the hell is happening?"
"Quiet." The woman barked, before glaring down at Mor's crumpled body, "Morrigan. On your feet. Now."
There was something so urgent in her voice, so.... almost panicked. Something had definitely happened to shake her - but what?
Clenching her jaw so hard she thought her teeth may break, Mor breathed heavily through gritted teeth as she forced her magic back down into his well, blocking it out of her system. Her chest heaved as she battled for control, hands fisted on the ground. Inside her body, her powers hissed and screeched and fought against her, but eventually, after what felt like ages, she managed to shove it back down into the well.
Once she'd gained control, Mor lifted her head to meet Rosalind's stern gaze. She refused to meet Riven's eyes, for she couldn't bare to see him so worried about her.
"Are you done?" The woman chided icily.
Ignoring the comment, Mor staggered to her feet, the pressure still present in her head, "What do you want?"
Instead of answering her, Rosalind looked to the brunette boy, "Leave."
"What? No-" He spluttered, shooting to his feet.
"Leave, boy." Rosalind snarled firmly, "You are no longer required."
But still, Riven stayed, his expression determined.
Huffing as if all this was a waste of her precious time, Rosalind twisted so her body so she was fully facing him, and Mor watched in shock as the woman's eyes flashed silver and Riven's dropped to the ground in an unconscious heap.
Eyes wide, Mor went to catch him, but couldn't reach through the bars, "What did you do?!"
"Relax, he's just asleep." Rosalind muttered, before walking round to the cell door, "Ignorant boy."
Whirling around to face her, Mor seethed, "Why are you doing this? What the fuck do you want?"
A cruel smirk carved across Rosalind's lips, "Oh, now is that any way to speak to me? Need I remind you what's at stake here - or rather, who is at stake? We don't want a repeat of yesterday."
At that, Mor's mouth snapped shut, despair flooding through her as she glanced back down to Riven, and then to where her brother's body had been dangling.
"Hmm. I thought so." Rosalind continued, taking out the cell keys from her pocket, "Your services are required."
It was as if a mask of pure stone had shifted into place over Mor's entire body. A switch seemed to have been turned in her mind, for all her emotions dulled to nothing but complicity. She became a shell of her former self, hollow of all conscience and feeling.
She was now nothing more than a puppet with her strings tied to Rosalind's fingers.
"Who's mess am I cleaning up now?" Mor deadpanned, her voice monotonous.
The woman hummed in cold amusement, opening the cell door, "There is a boy I need you to find. He is a very sick boy, and his mind is corrupted. We were... treating him privately, but he seems to have escaped. Find him. He poses a very serious threat to your fellow students."
More like a threat to you, Mor thought bitterly, seeing straight through her lies. But she couldn't muster the strength to argue her point, and instead just nodded.
As Rosalind went to remove the chains around Mor's wrists, she looked into the girl's emotionless eyes and smiled widely, "Remember what will happen if you fail me."
Morrigan bit her tongue and just continued to stare blankly at Rosalind, refusing to give her any hint as to what she was truly feeling inside. Seemingly satisfied with her lack of answer, Rosalind unlocked the barbed cuffs, and a powerful relief bloomed in her blood as her magic seemed to sigh at the release.
"I have a feeling you will be able to sense him." Rosalind explained, stepping back and allowing Mor to walk out of her cell, "the power inside of you is ancient, and seems to be connected to everything around you. Now that something... unnatural has upset the ordinary balance, you should be able to sense it."
"I can." Mor muttered, rubbing her raw wrists.
Pleased, the woman nodded, "Good. Now go find him. I'll be right behind you."
*****
It felt weird to be back in these corridors.
It was like a distant memory - every turn she took, every stair she went up or down, another memory trickled back into her mind. She could hear the echoes of laughter she'd shared with her suitemates, the secrets she'd spilt, the conversations she'd had. But every time the nostalgia threatened to hit, Morrigan clamped it down again.
She was emotionless now. She was cold. She was unfeeling.
She was a puppet with a job to do, nothing more.
Rosalind had kept true to her word, striding after the girl as she sped through the halls of Alfea College, following the tug of the slithering sensation of wrong. It was like a rope had tethered itself to her heart, and the other end was attached to the missing boy, and every time Mor took a wrong turn, her magic hissed and the rope yanked in the other direction.
The rope guided her through the atrium, passed the dormitories, passed the corridor that led to the greenhouse, until eventually she arrived outside nonother than Rosalind's office.
"Now, when we get inside, I need you to hold him still." The woman explained shortly, her focus trained on the door, "Is that understood?"
All Mor did was nod.
Before opening the door, Morrigan paused, ears picking up the frantic conversation from inside.
"I can stop him!" The voice of Beatrix declared, a hint of panic tinting her words.
"No, don't!" Stella retorted, "Terra can stop him!"
A pained groan accompanied their voices, the sound confused and erratic.
"Devin?" Terra's gentle tone asked, and footsteps thudded on the floor as she approached the boy, "Devin, this is going to fix how you're feeling-"
At the sounds of her suitemates voices, a strong urge to turn and run overcame Morrigan.
She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready to face them. Not yet. Not now.
"What are you waiting for, girl?" Rosalind snarled, "Remember who is at stake here!"
The jarring reminder seemed to snap Mor out of her terror-stricken trance, and the fear for her brother subdued her own subconscious insecurity.
Eyes ablaze with swirling emerald, Morrigan barged into the office without a second thought. At her call, her magic surged to her fingertips, eager and restless to be used. Her blood ignited and even the wind outside the window seemed howl with anticipation as her focus honed in on the deranged boy before her.
A collective shock settled on the room as her old suitemates lay eyes on the girl after months of believing she was in the capital. But perhaps the shock didn't come from the mere sight of her, but the sight of her with Rosalind.
"Step away from him." Speak of the devil, and she will appear.
"Rosalind." Devin growled, lunging out of Terra's grasp.
Morrigan watched as he snatched a letter opener that lay on the desk and grabbed a hold of Rosalind with his other hand, poising the blunted blade at her throat.
"What did you do... to me?!" The boy demanded, panting heavily.
It was now that Mor took her time to really look at him. Blood stained his hands and his clothes, and red marks ribboned along his arms and throat and any other visible skin, creating the impression that they crawled all over his body. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, and sweat dripped from his face as he glared at Rosalind.
"Now stand back!" The woman warned, head tilted back and away from the letter opener, "He's... just confused." Her eyes flashed silver as her magic slithered inside Devin's head, "and under the influence of something."
"Get out of my head!" He moaned, his whole body shaking.
Slowly, Morrigan allowed her magic to slip from her doors in tendrils, penetrating Devin's skin and delving into the very fibres of his magic, his soul - or at least, she tried to. Frowning, Mor pushed deeper, her eyes flaming green as she searched for the pulsating fibres that indicated a fairy's power.
She couldn't find anything. All she could feel were dead strings that were drained of all possible power.
His magic had disappeared.
Swallowing her confusion, Mor surged her magic forwards, until the tendrils became ropes and the ropes became chains that wrapped tightly around Devin's figure, clamping his limbs and holding him still enough so Rosalind could do whatever it was she had planned - an unknown detail that Morrigan chose not to think about. She watched as the struggling boy furrowed his brow at his sudden inability to move, but still she held firm.
"Headmistress," Terra stepped forwards, lifting a syringe, "he needs this now! If you'd just let me-"
"I said stand back." Rosalind barked sharply, still solely focusing on infiltrating the boy's mind and memories, "Just a little further..."
Refusing to look away from the interaction, Mor ignored the questioning stares from both Stella, Beatrix and the curly haired girl she didn't recognise.
Swallowing her conscience, Morrigan tightened her grip on her magic as she felt Devin begin to thrash against her chains. Whatever Rosalind was doing, he was fighting it desperately. With every second, she could feel his panic rising, his thundering pulse racing against her magic as fear choked him harder and firmer. A whimpering groan limped from Devin's mouth as his eyes screwed shut in a cruel concoction of agony and terror, and the wind outside seemed to batter the window as Mor's magic strengthened its chains to hold him in place.
Until suddenly, Devin's body collapsed to the floor.
Dropping to her knees, Terra's hand flew to the boy's neck, desperately feeling for his pulse, despite already suspecting what she'd find.
Voice shaking slightly, the Earth Fairy looked up at Rosalind, the other girls, and finally Mor, before whispering, "He's dead."
Mouth hanging open, nausea gripped Mor's stomach.
Rosalind had just killed him. She must have just killed him - right?
It seemed that Devin had come too close to spilling Rosalind's secrets, and so now, after the woman had gotten what she wanted out of him, she merely disposed of the evidence. But for Mor, it was more the vacant look in Rosalind's eyes that scared her the most - the Headmistress did not seem to care at all about Devin's death, indicating that she had no objection in killing anyone who stood in her way.
All the more proof that her threat about Rowan was very much real.
"What did you give him?" Rosalind stared at Mor's shaking figure, but her question was directed elsewhere.
"I-" The curly haired girl began, but Terra got there first.
"Eldwyn Amalgam." She confessed, gripping the other girl's hand, "It was me. I'm sorry. I went behind everyone's back. I thought I could help him, but... I-I-I was wrong."
Rosalind pursed her lips, silent for a moment before, "Everyone out. Not you, Morrigan."
Mor didn't think she could move, even if she had wanted to. Her eyes were too fixed on Devin's lifeless body.
Ultimately, she had helped Rosalind do it. She had held Devin in place, preventing him from acting out and escaping the woman's lethal grip, and so almost had an equal role to play in his death.
The thought made her stomach twist painfully.
"Good work, Miss Chambers."
"Good work?" Mor breathed out, her voice quiet and weak, "I-I just helped you kill him, and what you say... is good work?!"
"Morrigan..." The woman warned, eyes flicking to where everyone had paused by the door to watch the interaction.
But Mor didn't care.
"I held him in place just so you could go ahead and fucking murder that poor boy, because you told me to!" Morrigan accused, voice rising to a shout as her emotions went haywire, "And all you can say is good work?!"
"That is enough." Rosalind surged forwards, glaring at her, "Do not make me tell you again."
The woman's eyes flashed silver and images of Rowan hanging in the bloodied compartment, bruised and broken and limp, burst across her mind and she winced at the painful memories. Stumbling back, Mor raised a hand to her forehead, and Rosalind's eyes faded.
"Leave." Rosalind glared at the others over Mor's shoulder.
Once they had gone and the door had closed shut behind them, Rosalind glared up at Morrigan before backhanding her across the face.
Gasping, Mor's face swung to the left, a stinging sensation blooming over her cheek.
"Do not ever question me in front of anyone ever again, do you understand?" The woman hissed as Mor clutched her face with a trembling hand
"Y-Yes." She nodded, stepping back and out of the way, shock coursing through her body at the unexpected impact.
Perhaps she shouldn't have been so surprised - Rosalind had, after all, tortured her repeatedly already, performing acts far worse than a simple slap. And yet there was something so... personal, so exposed, so raw about this particular hit. It removed all possible doubt that Rosalind was prepared to loosen her grip on the girl. Even if her physical chains were no longer present and she was not in her cell anymore, Mor was still very much under Rosalind's control.
This just proved it further.
*****
It had not been long before Morrigan had to excuse herself to the bathroom in order to be sick.
She felt disgusted with herself, and at the same time, completely numb to everything. This wasn't the same as when she switched her emotions off, this was shock and horror and guilt all merged into one large feeling that drowned anything else out. She hadn't stopped shaking since she'd watched Devin's body fall to the floor.
Despite there being no blood on her hands anyway, Mor had scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed at the skin until it was red and raw, in a frantic attempt to clean herself.
It didn't help.
Sobbing to herself, Morrigan stared at her reflection for the first time in months.
The girl who stared back was nothing but a ghost, empty and vacant of anything she once used to live for. The shoot of hope that had began to sprout inside of her had withered and died with Devin, and she was back to square one. Her cheeks were hollow and her skin was deathly pale, except for her cheek, which was bright and angry. The clothes hung from her body like curtains, and it was like looking at a child in garments five sizes too big for them. Tears stained her face, dribbling over her jaw and dripping from her chin, and her eyes were faded and so very lost. The once golden hair that had framed her face so wildly, now hung limp in a dull blonde that drooped tamely around her bones.
She almost didn't recognise herself.
After a few more minutes of feeling sorry for herself, Morrigan collected the scattered pieces of her shell and sewed herself back together, before straightening her shoulders and striding out of the bathroom.
Just before she reached the door to Rosalind's office, footsteps rushed up from behind her, and a pair of strong yet somewhat panicked hands latched onto her shoulders, spinning her around.
The hands trailed up to cup her neck as her gaze connected with the wide eyes of Riven staring back at her, examining her body was injuries. Swallowing her words, Mor stayed silent as his eyes washed over her, before settling at the reddening mark on her cheek. Gently, his thumb lifted and brushed lightly over the bruising skin, emotions swirling in his pupils.
"Who did this?" He whispered, his voice dangerously low.
"You won't be able to do anything to them." Morrigan murmured, taking his hand in her own and bringing it away from her cheek, "No offence, but you're no match against Rosalind."
"I can fucking well try." Riven ground out, jaw clenching.
Rolling her eyes, Mor took her step back, lengthening the gap between their bodies, "Calm down, hotshot. I'm ok."
"You don't look it."
"Then stop looking."
"I can't."
"Try harder."
"I don't want to."
"Then stop complaining." Morrigan chided softly, and this time, it was her turn to trail her gaze over his body, noting the darkening lump on the side of his head from where he went down earlier, "Are you ok?"
Riven swallowed, his expression becoming sterner as he remembered what Rosalind had done to him, "I'm fine."
She cocked an eyebrow, "You don't look it."
"Then stop looking." A fleeting grin flashed across his lips as he used her own words against him.
"Touché." She nodded, matching his smile, "Fair enough."
But then his grin melted into a sober look as his eyes flitted over her shoulder and towards Rosalind's office, "What happened?"
"I... it was Devin." Morrigan's heart clenched and the lump in her throat threatened to choke her, "He, uh, he escaped Rosalind's... care and found his way to her office. She used me to find him, and then, umm, she told me t-to-" she despised the way her voice wavered as the traumatising events flooded back to her mind, "-to hold him whilst she did whatever the fuck she was doing a-and then-" her voice cracked, a tear slipping from her eye, "she- she just killed him. I-I didn't know- he just dropped to the floor. I-I helped her kill him, Riven-"
Without another word, the boy's arms enveloped Morrigan's trembling figure, cradling her close to his chest and holding her steady as she shook with tears. He said nothing, just hugged her tightly, his fingers stroking through her hair.
"It's not your fault, Morrigan." Riven whispered, his voice gentle and soothing, "You said you didn't know it was going to happen, yeah? How could you know? If you knew, you never would have held Devin. You're not a killer, Princess. You're not at fault, ok? Listen to me, Princess: this is not your fault."
"But-"
"No." Riven shook his head firmly, pulling back to look into her eyes, his thumbs softly wiping the tears from her cheeks, "I know you, Morrigan Chambers. You are the kindest, most selfless person I have ever met, and I know that you would have gladly given your life for Devin - a guy you didn't even know - had you known what was going to happen. You, Princess, are not at fault here, and you would be stupid to pin the blame on yourself. It is Rosalind who did this, not you. Rosalind is the one to blame, not you."
Sniffing, Mor opened her mouth to argue, but the dull sound of multiple footfalls approaching cut her off, and she hurriedly put a few metres between herself and Riven, wiping at her face furiously, just in time for Andreas to storm into the room. Following behind him, ever the obedient dogs, were Harrison and Dane, each with solemn expressions contorting their features.
Andreas faltered in his stride at the sight of Riven and Mor standing outside Rosalind's office, his eyes flicking between the two of them and she could almost see the cogs turning in his brain as he tried to determine what was going on.
"Morrigan." Andreas dipped his head in cold acknowledgement, "I didn't expect you."
Swallowing any shake from her voice, Mor dragged her emotionless mask over her face, "Likewise, Andreas, though it is always... such a pleasure to see you."
"Careful." The man warned, his tone clipped and humourless. She just flashed a smile, stepping down from the door and allowing him to pass.
As they walked into the office, Mor refused to meet Riven's questioning gaze, despite feeling it burn into the back of her head as she followed after Andreas. Much to her subtle surprise, Rosalind was not actually in the office when they entered, only Beatrix, who straightened at the sight of Andreas.
"Where is Rosalind?" The man demanded, although his tone was softer than any Mor had ever heard him use before.
He really must care for her, then, Mor thought to herself as she watched the interaction carefully.
But before Beatrix could answer, the noise of heels on wood echoed down the corridor, notifying them of Rosalind's approach. Mor tensed out of reflex, and made her way swiftly over to the desk, while Andreas, Riven, Harrison and Dane stood to attention.
Not a moment later, Rosalind strode in, her stress evident in the crease in her brow and the tautness in her mouth.
"Your update on Silva?" The woman turned to Andreas.
The man in question shifted uncertainly, "No concrete advances."
Rosalind paused, sighing heavily in clear disappointment, before her eyes became rings of silver fire, and the four men went rigid, their heads thrown back to the ceiling. The move was so sudden, Morrigan had to stop herself from gasping, and she forced herself to watch as they grunted in pain, their skin reddening and their veins popping as Rosalind held them in place, delving into their minds.
But Mor couldn't suppress her wince as Riven, who had not even been on the mission, spluttered for air, his entire body stiff and strained. The Specialists' breaths clouded like steam in front of their mouths as it escaped in strangled puffs - almost as if they were being heated from the inside.
Steeling herself, Mor allowed her doors to slide open, the tendrils of her magic slithering out and gliding through the air until they met Riven. Teeth gritting, she pushed her magic deeper, connecting it to the boy's lifeforce and biting back a yelp at the sudden burning sensation she felt - the same feeling she knew Riven was currently experiencing. She could feel Rosalind's magic, sharpened into knives that scorched the boy's life. Refusing to let her discomfort show, Mor used her tendrils to channel the knives towards herself, draining the pain from him and absorbing it herself instead.
Immediately feeling the relief, Riven's eyes darted to Mor's and clearly realised what she was doing. But, he smartly showed no difference in his appearance, maintaining his display of agony.
However, Mor knew full well that she'd get an earful from him later about it.
She didn't care, though. Whilst she may not particularly like Riven at the moment, she still disliked the idea of him being in pain.
"Riven knows something." Beatrix stepped forwards suddenly, her voice quiet and her eyes never leaving the floor, "Something about who helped Silva escape, he just won't say what."
Pursing her lips, Rosalind seemed to contemplate the girl's words, before the glow in her eyes faded and the men's bodies sagged at her release.
"Oh, very well." Rosalind sighed as if this was all a waste of her precious time, "Everyone is dismissed. Except Riven. You're going to tell me everything you know about Saul Silva."
At that, Morrigan's entire body tensed once again, this time out of fear for Riven's safety. With wide eyes, she watched as he walked back towards Rosalind, shooting a withering glare in Beatrix's direction as he went.
"Andreas, escort Miss Chambers back to her... room." The woman waved a dismissive hand, her eyes trained solely on the boy before her, "I'll talk to her later."
And with that, Andreas wrapped a hand around Morrigan's upper arm, practically dragging her out of the office due to the fact her feet refused to move. Her frantic gaze never left Riven, and when the office door swung shut behind them, she still continued to stare in the same direction until Andreas yanked her forwards, causing her to stumble and look where she was going.
The whole journey back to her cell was made in silence, and all Mor could think about was what was going to happen to Riven.
Rosalind had already killed one student tonight who'd gotten in her way - who was to say she wouldn't do it again?
Even when Andreas was long gone, Mor still stayed and stared at the chamber door, waiting for the boy to waltz through in his usual swagger, reassuring her that everything was ok.
But he never did.
Oooooh Mor's beginning to open up to Riven - what do you guys think?
Mor's having a bit of a conflicting time, isn't she? I almost feel bad for traumatising her so much💀
But then again, I live for the drama!
Anyways, hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time :)