"Let me go!" I screamed.
Only minutes ago, I had been wallowing in grief in the Nox Haven infirmary as Aleksander and Alix tried to assuage my fears and now, I was pulling on the rusted chains that bonded me to the dungeon. I tried to teleport out of the room, and burn the cuffs, and blow Roberto's head off but my powers were completely useless. Somehow, he had managed to block my magic, and I figured it had something to do with the little black haired demon he called a sister. Standing on the other side of the bars, Roberto held his hands behind his back, a devious smirk on his face. Voices of other captured Dark Ones could be heard, their hisses and pained groans reminded me of the very first time I had stumbled upon this retched place.
"Ah mi Amiga, yelling will get you nowhere. Now if you could be kind enough to divulge some information," his cruel smirk widened, "Then perhaps I could be of service."
My lips twisted into a snarl. I pulled on the restraints, hoping the the iron links would break but they held strong against my minimal muscle power. The mere thought of being completely defenseless, at his disposal, was, was enough to drive me mad- or perhaps, those were the affects of feeling the corrupted emotions of his demented minions. A crazed, panicky feeling swirled through the pit of my stomach, churning the contents of belly before traveling up my throat and into my head. With a great deal of effort, I forced myself to ignore the pounding in my mind and met Roberto's stare.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You don't?" Roberto walked up to my cell door and rested his hands against the bars. "I was under the distinct impression that you were from the future, a child heir of mine, who had come back in time to exterminate a future problem."
His eyes wrinkled in the corners as he let out a humorless laugh. "And I believe that issue may be me and my friends."
The fight drained from my body as I stared at him, wide eyes, like a deer caught in the headlines. I had thought that we were careful, tiptoeing around the truth, hiding our true intentions but somehow the manipulative bastard found out. How he found out wasn't necessarily hard to discover. I knew there was a certain witch- Elizabeth- who wanted us both dealt with. At the time I didn't understand what her place in the grand scheme of things was or why she thought she was good enough to play God- all I knew, was that she wanted Roberto and I dead. She wanted our lineage destroyed. And it seemed, that when Elizabeth Moyer wanted something, she got it. No questions asked.
"You look surprised," Roberto noted.
He was having a field day, tearing right into my soul. With Elizabeth's wide array of magical abilities, I didn't doubt that she had made him aware of our plans way before we even discovered that she existed. And then a thought popped into mind that truly terrified me. What if she had constructed this whole thing, our miserable journey to the past, the uncomfortable transition into foreign customs and even the emotional journey to my impending doom.
"Elizabeth," I said, "She told you everything."
"You really are my descendant," Roberto said with appreciation coloring his tone. "You're smart but not smart enough, it seems. It was fun, lulling you into these moments of brief peace. Only to watch you break apart later."
"Do you normally cry and break down so often?" Roberto asked, to purposely annoy me. He must have concluded that pride would be a sore spot for me since I was related to him. "Because you have been an emotional mess."
"Isn't that what Elizabeth wants?" I bit back. "For me to break down, leave my guard down and die. For all black magic to cease to exist?"
Roberto stiffened, obviously not aware of Elizabeth's ulterior motives. As expected he didn't believe me. Whatever lies the bitch had been force-feeding him, must have been way more appealing than the awful truth I was offering him. Though he couldn't feel betrayal, he didn't understand the concept, and it would still leave him affected.
"Elizabeth only wants to help me. She understands that you must be removed because of the threat you pose to my plans."
"And you're going to kill me without giving me a fair fight, sounds a bit cowardly." I was digging. Unlike my three master manipulator friends, I didn't really understand the game of cat and mouse. There was some sort of methodical thinking that went into the grand scheme but I didn't have time to clearly think through what I was doing. I needed to get out and fast before the wicked witch herself decided to show up.
"That's a very cliche move," He remarked.
"Well, you put me in a rather cliche situation. Sure, you can chain me up and bind my powers but in the end you'll be the pathetic, weakling who was too afraid to fight a little, half-mortal girl."
Not batting an eye, Roberto slid his hands over to the lock. The smirk was still in place even as he nodded in acknowledgement. "Perhaps you're right," the bars illuminated for a brief second before disappearing completely. "How dare I take advantage of poor little you, when I could be taking advantage of your unsuspecting friends."
"What? No!" I pulled on the restraints that still tethered me to the wall. I was so close and yet so far away from freedom. In that moment, while I was struggling to free myself, I had the very voice that would mark my death.
"Caddie!" Aleksander called out. The hopeless dreamer in me cried out desperately for help, wanting to rid herself of the confines but my larger more realistic side wept, knowing how this would end.
"She's in here pretty boy! Come and get her!" Roberto laughed maliciously as he stepped away from my cell. Faintly in the shadows, I could see his body level into a crouch as he awaited the boy I loved.
"Alek no! I'm fine."
I couldn't see Roberto in detail, but I could feel his eyes flicker over to me. "Really? I wouldn't be fine, if someone chained me to a wall."
"You asshole! Let her go!" Aleksander's voice grew in octaves as he neared the dungeon.
Sobs erupted from my chest, as I pushed and pulled on the chains. He couldn't do this to me, I wouldn't let him. I had to be able to do something, I thought, I was the freaking Dark Witch for goodness sake. Or maybe that was where the problem lied. I was the Dark Witch, bringing darkness in my wake. Disaster didn't follow me, I created it. I tried so hard to see the good in things and accept my cruel reality as a badly dealt hand of cards. Everyone gets that from time to time- but it was different with me. The horrible things would keep coming. Karma would continue to rear its ugly butt in my face, that's what Mira tried to tell me and all other people who had suffered loss from my magic. Black magic was evil and though I tried to be good, I still killed people and robbed people of their happy endings. How dare I think, I deserved one when I had taken so many away. I could have tried to help all of those Dark Ones but instead I followed my instincts and now I would pay. My happy ending would be ripped away in front of my eyes and there was nothing I could but cry.
Tears poured from my eyes, spilling over my cheeks and forever staining the ripped gown I wore. There had been so many times in the past where I swore, that I would never cry again. That I was stronger and above such weak actions but I wasn't. Just when I thought things could couldn't get worse the fates would find a way to prove me wrong, and I suppose, that would be the endless cycle.
Something snapped in me at that moment. Faintly, I could hear the steps of Aleksander's footfalls nearing, over the sound of my rushing blood. A spark was ignited in my veins, as I thought about all the people that I had lost and how I couldn't let another one go. Especially not him. There might have been times where he drove me and insane and there were definitely times when I hated his guts but he also showed me, what it was like to feel love on my own, and not through other people. I needed him.
With an enraged roar, I let the spark within me grow, until I felt the cold, dark flame of black fire erupt from my palm. The shackles disintegrated, and fell to the ground. Somehow my rage managed to override Roberto's spell, freeing me from being forced to watch this sick fate unfold. Moving faster than I ever had before, I kicked Roberto's legs out from under him and straddled his chest. His eyes were wide as he stared up at me. Neither of us expected me to get out but I was damned if I was going to let my shock ruin my luck.
"N-no! Caddie wait! Mi Amiga! Mi hija!"
I gripped him by the neck and landed a solid punch square on his nose. Blood spurted out, freckling my face and further staining the once beautiful dress. Sliding my fist down to his throat, I wrapped my hand around adam's apple and squeezed tightly. "I am not your friend, nor would I ever be your daughter!"
Lifting my other hand, black fire stretched across my fingertips and molded to my fist. I didn't think twice about taking his life, I never thought twice about taking anyone's life until they were suddenly nothing more than a heap of ashes on the ground. The monster arose within me, as it did many times before, blocking out all common sense until all I could focus on my raging bloodlust. In my final fit of rage, I sat stoically, as my black grew in size- wiping out every cell and every person in those cells. I felt their agony and heard their screams but there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Only a monster, can create monster. And only a monster can destroy another monster. It was an endless cycle of pain and misery, and I just wanted it to be over.
"Caddie." Two arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me against a strong chest. For once, in my life, I didn't feel those delicious sparks, I didn't feel anything.
"It's okay. You're okay," Alek whispered in my hair.
But I wasn't and I didn't think I ever would be again. He could be completely blinded by my flaws and ignore my obvious corruption but I couldn't anymore. There was quote, I thought of shortly after Dmitri died- when he said that he wanted to die a hero. He got to die a hero, Cam could have as well but he chose to live long enough to become a monster and now, it was my turn.
"Wow," a new voice brought me out of my lost haze.
Blinking the tears away, I looked up to see the silvery eyes of Elizabeth Moyer. I expected to see the coldness and hatred that lingered in her eyes only a few hours ago but now, she was looking down at me through a softer, almost saddened gaze. "You did it. You killed Roberto and the Dark Ones, Caddie. You changed history."
The way she said it lacked all warmth, making it sound like criticism instead of praise. It was like she knew what I was going through in that moment and maybe she did, I wasn't going to start guessing all of her powers.
"Leave us," Aleksander groweld.
"Leave? Do you really want me to go? Even if I'm your only way back home..."
I didn't want to trust a word she said but the simple mention of returning back home, had me peering up at her again. Elizabeth noticed the silence between Aleksander and I and took it as her cue to continue. "It was my magic that brought here, so it can only be my magic that sends you back."
"Why?" Aleksander's arms tightened around me. I could feel his anger leaking into my own, impassive emotions. "Why did you do this to her?"
Being talked about like I wasn't there, wasn't exactly my favorite thing but it was a question I too was curious about. What did I do deserve her rage? Why did she spend weeks, destroying my pride and strength, until I was nothing more than boiling pot of rage.
A sigh escaped Elizabeth's lips. "Believe it or not Caddie, I do not hate you nor do I necessarily believe you deserve this fate but I have to make things right."
"What do you mean?"
"Two thousand years ago my sister and I came to the mortal world for pure amusement. We wanted to mess with our brother's creations and wreak havoc on the pretty world he worked so hard to create- it was petty. And now, I see the horrible things my careless actions have done. I've turned thousands of people into soulless killers and ripped away all of their freedoms. Black magic, is a horrible thing and no human soul, witch or mortal can handle that. I realized when Roberto started to build his army, that I needed to do something so I planned to starve a vampire and set him loose on Roberto's trail. I didn't expect that the fates would play a cruel joke on me, and give the black magic curse to my own child. And when she came to be the Dark I knew I could never hurt her. So I waited, searching through visions of the future to find the perfect candidate to end the age old curse. After the debacle with Nora and Heidi, I knew you- the only Dark Witch to have a soul- would be able to set things right."
Two thousand years ago? That was beyond the birth of Jesus Christ, that was when Mesopotamia was being built. No witch, not even one as powerful as Elizabeth could live that long. At least that's what I believed at the time.
Aleksander caught on before I did, "You're one of the Celestial Sisters."
"Yes- It's a burden my mortal self must possess. As I only came to this world once out of every century."
I think I stopped breathing some point during Elizabeth's confession. Though I never believed the Celestial Sisters were real before, there was a sense sincerity that rang out in Elizabeth's tone as she spoke of her past. Coupled by the fact that her emotions would have given her away if she had been lying and I didn't detect anything suspicious. The crazy bitch really was something, I didn't want to admit that she was a goddess, but she was something.
"Wait a minute," I said as I thought over her confession, "What does my aunt have to do with this?"
**Two chapters in one week... wow... that hasn't happened since I was writing the first book. Anyway, I hoped you liked this chapter and sorry for all of the mistakes, the series will be edited once I am done writing it. Please tell me what you guys thought about Caddie's twentieth breakdown, I know a lot of you really liked the badass Caddie from book 2 but there's only so much a person can take until they just break. If there's one thing I really want readers to take away from this book, is that there is no good or bad,
people are a mixture of both. For every person, they are the hero of their own story and the villain of another. Some people can handle that knowledge, knowing that the good that they've done has greatly outweighed the bad. Others, like Caddie who don't intent to be bad but can't stop it, often have a harder time dealing with the truth about their situation. That doesn't mean though, that they don't deserve their own slice of happiness, no matter how small or brief it be. And, no for those of you who are wondering, I am not evil and I don't like making you guys upset. I have an idea for the ending, and I feel like it'll make up for all of the things I have out you through.
Here's a question for you all: Do you think Caddie is going to do it (you all know what I'm referencing) and why or do you believe something will change and stop her? I'm really curious about how you guys are interpreting the situation because I know in the past you all have come up some amazing and justifiable theories.
Thank you all for the support! You all are the reason the series is doing as well as it is. The Dark Witch has over 500K reads and that is astonishing- I never thought my work could do that well so thank you!!
XOXO,
Ro.**