I REALISE RIGHT then that Atticus was no longer in the room. Neither was Lysander or Jazlyn. It was only me and the older woman in the room, and I was so wrapped up in my argument with her that I didn't even notice we were the only two left in the room.
How I know Ansen wasn't responsible for them disappearing - I know Ansen Gray, and if he had the opportunity to get my attention by hurting someone I cared about, he'd do exactly that. He did it before. He wasn't afraid of putting others in danger to get what he wanted.
I could hear Alaina step backwards slowly. Now she should know that we had a common enemy. Now she should know who I'm fighting against. Because the white amulet was somewhere between these walls, and if I can't find it, he will.
"Funny, because I never thought to check the mother's family," Ansen stated, walking around the room. His hand grazed against the walls, knocking over statues and photos and whatever was on the walls. He was searching.
And then he remembered that I wasn't the only person in the room.
A knife in his hand, he pressed the blade against Alaina Scott's neck. "Tell me where the white amulet is, and give it to me or else," he growled. He threatened to press the blade in deeper. It seemed to be his go-to threat.
"And if you kill me off, you'll never find it," Alaina sneered in response. It was a clever response fro the situation she was in. Others would probably be on the verge of a breakdown, agreeing to do whatever Ansen said. But Alaina has probably seen a handful of things like this.
Ansen turned to me, his golden eyes staring me down. "Now, do you want to make yourself useful and go find me that amulet and rejoin our side?" he asked me, not forced. His tone was snarky, but genuinely asking wasn't an Ansen type thing.
I crossed my arms. "I thought the whole point was to get rid of me, Ansen. You set me up. You told the cops exactly where I was going to be because you told me to go there. You watched as I fell five stories and cracked more than enough bones because you bailed on the plan. Because you wanted me done for."
Alaina tried to loosen Ansen's grip on her, wriggling out of her position. Ansen growled. He had no respect for anyone older than him. It didn't matter that probably every bone in her body was ready to snap like a twig. He turned to face her.
That's when I decided to run out of the house.
I didn't look back at Ansen as I dashed out. Part of me felt guilty about leaving Alaina in there, helpless and alone to face Ansen, but if there's one thing I learned from Ansen and his crew, it's that you might be in a team, but it's always everyone for themselves in the heat of battle.
It was dark outside: that was the first note I made. It was cold outside: that was the second note. I had no idea where my brother, Atticus and Jazlyn took off to. I had no idea where the car was. There was no one to help me. I didn't know anywhere to hide. I might as well be in a desert.
I panicked. Ansen might as well walk out of that door and find me again and drag me back to his headquarters in Noatra and he'll probably lock me up like he did before and after I thought I was free from him finally I'd just end up right back where I started and-
A hand grabbed my shoulder. I yelped, and then a hand covered my mouth. "Shh," Atticus hushed into my ear. "We saw Ansen enter the house. I'm sorry we left you in there but I figured out where it was. Lysander and Jazlyn followed me."
I moved his hand from my face. "You figured out where it is?" I hissed. "Where?"
"The castle, or the ruins of them, at least. Where else? The amulet still had to do its job, and the amulet stayed in the castle originally. If moving it caused an imbalance, it was moved from where it was. Maybe seventeen years ago, the change was noticeable, but now it isn't." He pulled his other hand from out of his pocket, revealing the while jewel.
I stared at it, shocked. Not because of what it was and what it held and what it meant, but because of something completely unrelated. The amulet was supposed to be indestructible, yet the faintest crack ran through the middle of it.
"Jazlyn also said it was the real thing, but the crack worried me, too," Atticus explained. He handed it to me. It gave off the same energy it did when I held the amulet of Coronam, a sudden rush filling my veins.
"She and Lysander couldn't hold it, right?"
"Please, Lysander couldn't even go near it. It was too strong for him."
And the sound of footsteps told me that we probably should have moved away before we started talking. Anywhere would have been better than where we were right now, right in the open.
Ansen held his hand out. "Vera, love, give me the amulet and we can go home and be a family again."
I noticed the two glowing objects underneath his shirt suddenly, dimming and brightening in sync to the pulse of a heartbeat. That's what it did when you wore it, didn't it? The amulet and the magic in it became a part of you. It allows the energy to flow through anyone's veins, if they can handle it.
The while jewel in my hand glowed to the same beat as the gold and the blue ones. I couldn't let Ansen get his hands on another one. He was going to get too powerful. I couldn't let that happen. Not so close to the date. Not when the stars in the sky were almost in position.
I put up my fists. "Atticus, go. I can take him on." I knew I couldn't, but at least dying wasn't an answer, right? Ansen could break every bone in my body, cut up every part of me, but in the end, I won't be dead, now will I?
"Are you crazy?" he asked, not leaving. I wanted to swear, because I needed him to cooperate with me. I fought him before. He ran away and got shot in the leg. I can't let that happen again. Or anything else. Olivia would kill me.
"Yes, I am."
And that's when the first blast came. A mix of blue and gold light together, headed straight towards me. It's been centuries since the last time magic was used in a battle. For each kingdom, the citizens had their own set of powers - when magic existed, with Noatra having a mixture of all.
My immediate instinct is to raise hands up, and thank god I did. From my fingers flowed out white light, blinding me. I had to squint, only knowing that Ansen was in front of me, Atticus was behind.
A wall of ice appeared in front of me. Of course: Auxillium had the powers of snow and ice, being in the snowy and icy place they inhabited. I held the white amulet, so it was the snow and ice powers that ran through my veins now.
All three colours of light disappeared. The barrier of ice disappear just as fast as it appeared. Ansen stares at me, horror and fear - or something close to it - on his face. Or maybe it was confusion that ran across his face. Because how could one amulet be able to deflect the power of two.
I panted. I was really in the middle of this - a battle of magic. Atticus stood beside me now, a sword made of ice in his grip, leaning against the ground as he rested - waiting for the next attack. I realise that the amulet now hangs around my neck, but I'm not sure how it got there.
Atticus looks to me. He has a plan. I have a plan.
I nod. We go for it.
He runs towards Ansen, swinging the blade at his side, going for the first attack. Ansen dodges it easily, smirking at the fact that he went straight for him, without anything tactical. He raises a hand, ready to strike.
I get to him first, raising my hand and hoping something happens. In truth, I had no idea what I was doing. I had no idea what I had access to. I just had to hope for the best.
The best gave me a gust of cold wind, knocking him off his feet. He was quick to get up. I shot something else at his direction - icicles darted towards him. I was slowly losing my breath. This magic was eating up a lot of my energy.
Atticus goes for the leg - if he couldn't move, we would have a better chance, right? But some invisible force knocked Att down, which made him lose his grip on the sword, which landed right in front of Ansen.
He picked it up, admiring the blade. Fed up with the magic, I ran up to Ansen and kicked his back, hard. It wasn't enough to knock the weapon out of his hand. And I realise, again, that I've made a mistake. Because right now, Ansen Gray was an arm's reach away from a third amulet.
I dodged as he tried to grab the necklace, taking the opportunity to give him a hard kick, followed by a hard punch in the face.
"Aren't you supposed to have an injured wrist?" Ansen asked. Wow, he cared. Or, he knew that the injury he gave me was supposed to last at least a while. Maybe a week. It's barely been a couple days.
I remember that, yes, I was supposed to have an injured wrist. It completely flew over my head, that maybe fighting with my fists wasn't the best idea. But my wrists felt fine. I felt great. I guess I healed, if that was possible that quickly.
And I thought: yeah, that probably was possible. If I'm immortal, then it is definitely possible. And it's probably true for all the heirs.
Atticus got back on his feet but was quickly knocked back down by Ansen. He grabbed Att by the throat, threatening to squeeze.
Like I said, if he had the opportunity to injure someone that I cared about, then he would a hundred percent take that opportunity. And he's doing that right now as I grasp the jewel around my neck tightly.
"Give me the amulet and I'll let him go," Ansen breathed out. Of course that was the deal. There would be no other option, not when there was only one thing he wanted.
My brain said no. Atticus' eyes said no. But my heart said give it to him. We could still find the other three, and then we'll be even. But that was a risk - I know it's a risk. But my hand tries to find the clasp of the necklace.
Ansen smirks, letting go of Att. His first mistake. Atticus grabs his hands and pushes them away before kneeing him. The two go into a hand to hand battle, throwing punches and kicks at each other. It was almost like Ansen forgot he was in possession of two amulets.
Almost.
Because when I try to position myself, ready to send one last blast in Ansen's direction to find enough time to get Lysander and run out of here. But just as I get ready, Ansen suddenly stops what he's doing and has a palm facing right towards me.
All I remember was the blinding lights and then the blinding darkness.