Florina slowly opened her eyes to find herself in the darkness once more.
They were still in the realm of the wandering souls enveloped by its pitch blackness and the howls of its tortured souls only the screams were growing louder and louder every minute.
She woke up to the arguing of the three beings and no one noticed the witch who regained her consciousness. When she shifted in Rose's arms, the fairy stopped at once.
She tried to hold her closer to her chest but felt her hands getting weaker around her. Davies turned and saw her tired silhouette feeling helpless. He couldn't help either of them.
As a ghost, he could only touch Rose and Augustus but not Florina. If the witch indeed fell to the abyss, they won't have any other choice but watch in anger.
Rose whispered softly, "Florina, are you alright?"
"Yes." Florina replied simply. She was shuddering in her fairy's arms, cold and exhausted from the continuous energy drain.
She got closer to Rose's ears and whispered "I had a vision of Augustus and Stella. The same vision I had three days ago but more detailed."
The fairy didn't seem that interested in that piece of information.
She held Florina tighter, "We need to find an opportunity to escape. I feel we are getting weaker by the minute and—"
Agrippa's head shot up at once when he heard the fairy's whispers. He wasn't going to let them leave, not while he had them both in his grasp. He was filled with anger and hatred towards the fairy and her kind. He felt the need to take revenge.
He immediately jumped in, "After I finished my years of punishment, by a happy coincidence I found out that our Overlord Lucifer was looking all over for Stella and surprisingly the book too. And when Stella told me of her plan to use the book to gain her freedom, I immediately went to Our Lord."
"You see, after I was thrown in Hell, I needed to get on our Overlord's good side. He was extremely disappointed in me. Now imagine how he would reward me if I went back to him and gave him Evilingston's book along with Stella."
Florina started panting heavily feeling her eyes getting drowsier by the minute. Agrippa didn't notice that however and sighed continuing his story.
"Before I went to our Lord however, I made up a story to get Stella to stay in the cabin. I told her I couldn't see anything in the book and had to get my glasses. I convinced her to wait for me until I find them. Once I was sure she is staying, I immediately went to our Overlord and told him of her location. I also told him she has the book that he was searching for."
Florina turned to look at Rose worried that her yellowish glow diminished even further. Every second they were wasting, she wanted to escape with Rose.
But the more Agrippa revealed his secrets, the more intrigued she got.
He was true about one thing, she was indeed very curious to know more no matter what situation she was in.
"Once our Overlord found out about this, he was thrilled and thanked me for informing him."
"He of course asked how Stella found the book. That's when my brother's turn came to be punished. He betrayed our Overlord after all," Agrippa turned to his brother and smirked "I told him he helped Stella in finding the book. My dear brother you should know that Agrippas shouldn't let any Evilingston read the book let alone have it."
"You are a traitor Augustus!" Davies exclaimed "You care for no one but yourself. You don't even care about your Overlord Lucifer. You only betrayed us because you feared his fury. And why does it matter that an Evilingston reads the book anyways. You know they won't be able to find the treasure. No one was able to for centuries, what difference would it have made if Stella read it?"
Agrippa shook his head but remained silent.
Davies lowered his head disappointed in his brother "I have to admit, it was my fault that I told her where you were. When I knew you were released from Hell, I wanted to give you a chance to do something noble for once."
"I thought after five hundred years of punishment, you would have repented. But I was wrong. The moment you were given a chance to erase your sins, you misused it!"
The witch was shocked by the ghost's betrayal.
Even in his death he is a menace, she thought.
She couldn't help but feel sympathy for Davies. His only crime was that he wanted to help someone find the book that would lead them to freedom.
Florina suddenly remembered the time when they were back at the cave with Davies. The time were they were asking him for the book and he said he couldn't help them because of a certain incident that happened in the past.
Florina turned to Davies. "Was this the incident you were speaking of earlier when we were in the cave? The one that you couldn't mention and glossed over."
Florina recalled how sad and silent Davies got when they asked him of the book's whereabouts. The memory of what happened still fresh in her head.
"To ease your minds my good people, I don't know of the book's whereabouts . After the last time..." Davies cleared his throat taking one hard gaze at the fairy, asking for permission to continue with his eyes. The fairy subtly shook her head. At that, the ghost turned back to Florina, who was hanging at his every word and grinned, "It has been lost my good lady. For decades now." He simply concluded.
The wandering ghost nodded and spoke softly, "Yes Florina. After my traitor brother betrayed me and the fairy land and told Lucifer I helped Stella, he took the book from her and punished her with eternal misery."
"But that wasn't enough for their Overlord. He erased all my memories that was associated with the book. Not only that but he trapped me here along with all the damned souls, with no escape."
"How did Severus and I find you in the cave then?" Florina asked.
"The cave is my only escape from here. I am still a soul that God created after all so I cannot be kept in here forever by Lucifer. Just like I cannot stay on Earth forever either. I am trapped in between the two. It hurts me as much as you being here will hurt you."
The witch nodded slowly. She couldn't see his face but she was sure if you did, the grin on his face would be wiped out.
He would be sardonic and blaming himself for all that happened. She remembered how sad he got at the mention of the book and now she knows the reason why.
Agrippa on the other hand was sensing their change of mood. With every ounce of sadness and misery he felt in the air, he grew happier and stronger. He was thriving on their pain.
Silence dawned upon them once more, the howls and terrifying screams pierced the air.
Augustus sighed. "The fairies however were quicker than me. As soon as I got back to my cabin, I found their queen Nixie and this fairy right there," he pointed to Rose "waiting for me. Before I knew it, I was trapped in the mirror by their fairy charms unable to escape."
"But like I told you Rose deary, I always find a way. And I did. I have been waiting for twenty five years for the perfect opportunity. And I found it in your pathetic carrier."
He got closer to Florina and smirked, "Now, Miss Woods, I want to thank you personally for setting me free after my years of imprisonment. It's truly ironic how I get to be free while you get to be trapped...and cursed."
Florina could feel silent tears drip down her cheek.
What will happen to me if I fall? she found herself wondering with panic.
Augustus turned to Davies, "Now all that is left is to inform Lucifer that the girl is finally cursed. Imagine how he will reward me when he hears of the news."
He smirked, "The girl is cursed now. She is branded with the Hellish mark. The deed is done."
He got closer to Florina's face assaulting her with his horrid breath, "You my dear lady get to live in misery. For real this time. You will live in despair. Forever. Anyone you will love will die, just like your little boyfriend."
"You won't get away with this," Rose whispered feeling herself slowly falling deep within the darkness.
Agrippa laughed a mighty laugh shaking his head. "I already have!" he exclaimed.
And with a single clap, Augustus disappeared but not before giving them one final victorious grin. Rose was trying her best to hold herself together. She couldn't keep her body from shaking with rage and fear at the same time.
She whispered to Florina, "We have to go, now."
Florina's tears were free falling and she couldn't stop them. Her body began to go numb in her fairy's arms and she could feel herself and the fairy slowly falling.
She held her best friend's hands as tightly as she could hoping it will shield her from the cold but it didn't. the iciness was petrifying her to the bones and shook her every being.
Rose on the other hand was terrified. She cannot let Lucifer know of what happened. Her queen would be extremely enraged. After all those years of keeping her carrier safe, she fails miserably. She shuddered from the cold as well and held Florina by the waist as firmly as she could.
What is Nixie going to do to me and her when she finds out about this? the fairy kept thinking.
She turned to Davies and he gave her a weak smile, "I hoped I would see you on a better time my dear friend."
She nodded tears blocking her vision, "And I you."
He patted the fairy on her shoulder "Don't worry Rose. It wasn't your fault," he looked down at Florina who couldn't see him "and it wasn't yours either. My brother is a first class manipulator. He found a window of opportunity and seized it. Like he did before. Like he always does."
Davies shoved the fairy lightly, "But now you need to go and inform Nixie at once before he finds Lucifer. It will take him probably a day to reach him which should give you more than enough time. Go to the fairy land and tell her of all that happened. Don't leave out any details. Nixie will know what to do...I hope."
"But I cannot leave Florina alone," Rose shot at once holding the witch tighter "And I don't know what will Nixie's reaction be. She is definitely going to banish me from the fairy land. And Florina, I don't know what action she is going to take towards her. The curse terrifies Nixie, Davies. I tried very hard to convince her that Florina is not..." the fairy stopped abruptly looking down at her carrier.
She whispered, "You know what I mean."
The witch was confused by her fairy's last statement but she found herself extremely dizzy to the point where she couldn't form any words.
She got heavier in Rose's arms and her limbs went numb. She finally gave in to her drowsiness and closed her eyes sleeping in the arms of her best friend.
Davies could see the silhouette of the witch sleeping and took the opportunity to speak freely.
He patted Rose on the shoulder once more, "I understand you tried so hard to convince her that Florina's curse is not dangerous to the Fairy land. You told her you were going to prove it. You promised her you wont tell Florina about the curse."
"But my dear friend what is done, is done. Florina was going to be aware of the curse regardless and now she did. All she needs now is her best friend by her side. The time for her to learn the ugly past came and we can do nothing to prevent it."
Rose looked down at Florina cradled in her arms. She couldn't control the tears dripping down her face.
She couldn't deny it anymore, not even to herself. Florina needs to be informed sooner than later. She sighed and nodded to herself.
The wandering ghost saw her nodding and gave her a sad smile. "I unfortunately can't accompany you to Nixie at the moment as much as I wish I could. But don't worry, I will try to visit you as soon as my ghostly body recovers."
He got closer to her and whispered, "You won't be solving this alone anymore. I promise."
The fairy nodded one final time and hugged her carrier tighter. With one single beat of her wings, she sped down to the human realm.
Author's note:
Hey guys! I hope you are liking this so far! We finally got to know why was Rose hiding everything from Florina. In the next chapter, we will know what happened to the others and a glimpse of Severus's and David's past.
So question of the day is, what do you think of Rose's reasoning? Do you think she was right to hide everything from Florina after what we knew? Tell me your opinions on it, I love reading every single one of them!
If you liked this chapter and my story, please click the lil VOTE STAR. Make sure to tune in for the next chapter ;)
See ya all in the next one. Love ya!