SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Thirty-four
Amethyst’s Pov:
“What in the Goddess’s name are you doing here, Amethyst?” Madeline cried out in disbelief. “I could ask you the same thing,” I retorted. “No, Timothy said you were dead. He felt your connection to the pack break,” she blurted out, still trying to wrap her head around me being here. “This is a trick. You aren’t the witch. You are some mangy beast trying to fool me,” she scoffed, walking to the back of her cell. “Do I look dead to you, Madeline?” I growled.
She turned to study me. “Where are the beasts that live here?” I asked. Perhaps she could shed some light on why all of this had been too easy. “How should I know? You asses locked me in this cell. Believe me, when I get out, I am going to kill every last one of you, starting with that scum,” she growled, pointing at Joseph.
I extended my hand over the lock; silver tendrils raced from my fingers. Madeline studied me closely as I worked my magic. For a moment, the lock glowed a brilliant silver before shattering into dust. I pulled the door open, annoyed by her stubbornness.
“You once told me in a fight you’d be dead before you even got close to me. So here is your warning. If you threaten my mate again, me turning you into a toad will be the least of your concern,” I hissed.
Madeline’s eyes grew wide with excitement as she charged towards me before I could react, wrapping her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug. “Amethyst, am I ever glad to see you,” she gushed. “Awe how sweet, let’s cut the lovey crap and get out of here before the nest or worse, notices we are here,” Abigail spat.
“Erhm. Right, they left hoping to ensnare Timothy to flush out the Goddesses,” Madeline choked out, glancing at the ground. “We haven’t much time,” she continued, pushing past us, searching for something.
Abigail’s eyes darted to mine. “What on earth is she looking for?” she whispered. “How do you expect me to kill those beasts without a sword?” Madeline growled without so much as a glance in our direction. “Madeline, I hate to tell you, but you may have to go feral for this one,” I said. “Fine, as long as I can kill something, I guess it doesn’t matter,” she huffed.
“What about Joseph’s heart?” I glared at Abigail once more. “You really have a death wish, don’t you?” she snarled. We turned to face each other, our hatred for one another seeping all around, as the air grew thick. Madeline glanced at Joseph. “Did I miss something?” she asked.
“She’s the witch who stole Joseph’s heart,” I huffed. Instantly, Madeline’s eyes flickered between me and Abigail. “And she still draws breath?” Madeline scoffed. “For your information, mutt, she needs me,” Abigail spat.
“Since you are hell bent on killing us all, I will lead you to the vault where they kept it,” she objected. Abigail led us deeper into the heart of the nest until we stumbled upon the now empty vault. We just stared at one another. “What does this mean?” Joseph croaked.
“It means they were expecting us to come here first,” I sighed. “To Timothy?” Madeline’s eyes flashed with excitement. “To Timothy,” I grinned as the colour drained from both Abigail’s and Joseph’s face.
Abigail cast a spell which illuminated the path the nest of witches took when they departed. At first, the trail was faint, but with each step it glowed a more brilliant shade of red. “We are getting close,” Abigail informed us. Suddenly, she stopped, with guilt in her eyes. She turned to me, motioning me away from Joseph and Madeline.
“I must confess something to you,” she started. Worry creased her brow suddenly, showing she was far older than she usually appeared. I waited patiently for her to start. It was easy to sense it was something I wouldn’t like, but also difficult to explain. Joseph’s and Madeline’s eyes were on us as Abigail drew in a deep, stress-filled breath. “Although the nest has Victoria’s heart, if they destroy it, it will still be Joseph who dies, as he is the one who is missing a heart,” Abigail blurted out.
The weight of her words hit me hard, like a punch in the gut. Once we showed our faces, he would be as good as dead. I fought back the tears threatening to escape. “Is there anything we can do?” I whimpered as I attempted to regain control of my emotions.
“When they crush the heart and trust me, they will, in order to bring you to your knees and finally win. Whoever has no heart will die. There is no way around this,” Abigail reaffirmed. “Whoever is missing their heart,” she stressed once more. My eyes snapped to hers.
Her tears flowed after a moment of eye contact with me. “Joseph is my son. Like his father, he will not live as long as you and me. When I took his heart to save Victoria, this is what I told myself over and over. I’ve never really been his mother because I fled from the knowledge one day, I would see them all pass. I refused to allow it to bother me. Now, spending this little time with him, watching him suffer, I can’t allow it to be him who dies when they try to bring you to your knees. Please Amethyst, help me with the ritual. Help me give him my heart,” Abigail begged.
My breath became lodged in my lungs. For a moment, my mind was blank. This was the blackest magic that could ever be done. “Worry not, child. While this magic can stain a soul forever, we accept your reasons. As they are pure,” the Girl’s voice drifted on the wind. “Tell me what you need me to do, Abigail.” I conceded.
“You will need to bind me. Normally the person should be out, as few can survive the shock and pain. Please put Joseph under, while it will not hurt him as much. I worry he cannot endure the pain,” she explained, drying her eyes.
“Amethyst, please do what I was not strong enough to do. Love Joseph without fear. We both realize you will outlive him. You are not the only witch with a powerful gift of foresight. Please let your daughter know I love her, and I wish I could have met her,” she smiled.
Her words sent my heart and my mind reeling. “Joseph, can you come here a moment, please?” I called. Without hesitation, he walked over to me. Before he could say a word, I placed my hand on the side of his temple. With a bright burst of light, it rendered him unconscious.
“Witch? What in the Goddesses names are you playing at?” Madeline growled, rushing to catch Joseph. “Trust me, you’d rather not see. But I need you to trust us,” I sighed. Madeline’s eyes flickered between Abigail and me before she reluctantly agreed.
“Lie Joseph here, Madeline. Do not intervene as this will not be pretty, but this is the only way I can save Joseph,” I explained. “Right, let’s get this over with before the nest figures out just how close we are,” Abigail snapped, sensing my hesitation.
My nerves were frayed as I took a deep breath in order to focus. Never would I have believed before today, at this moment, I would perform one of the vilest acts a witch could do. Sure, I crushed the Covenness’s heart, but I understood it would not kill her, just sever her link from Joseph.
I glanced into Abigail’s eyes as I bound her tightly with a thorned vine mixed with deadly nightshade. My hands shook and my knees seemed as if they would give out at any moment as I thrust my hand into her chest cavity as quickly as I could. Her pain filled screams shattered the quiet of the day. Hundreds of birds took flight thanks to the screams, revealing our location.
My eyes darted to Madeline, whose face was twisted in horror at the scene unfolding before her. The expression she wore took me by surprise. Suddenly I froze, unable to accept my reason for doing something so evil only those who belonged in the darkest pits of the afterlife would do.
Abigail’s screams intensified. If the nest didn’t realize we were here, they would soon, and we were not ready for them. Panic set in as I waved my free hand across Abigail’s face. Instantly, her skin quaked and quivered as it sealed itself over her mouth, stifling her screaming. Despite all her pain, I swore Abigail’s eyes flashed hatred at my way of handling her screaming.
I swallowed hard as my hand wrapped around her beating heart. Tears blinded me as I squeezed slightly, making sure I kept a good grip on her heart before giving a hard tug. This was nothing like when I pulled out Covenness’s heart, as Abigail’s stayed firmly in place. The rate of her heart’s beating increased, threatening my grip. Mine increased to match Abigail’s as I adjusted my grip on her heart. Her eyes burned into mine.
Sweat covered Abigail’s brow. Her breathing was becoming more ragged by the moment. I had to succeed this time; I wouldn’t get another shot. Waves of worry poured off Madeline like I never seen before.
This woman was fearless and fought many wars alongside the Elders and Timothy in her brief life. And it was her heart which beat the fastest. I took a deep breath, hoping to steady myself. “Just do it already,” Abigail’s voice tore through my mind with such force, I jumped with fright, cleanly tearing her heart out.
For a moment, I stared down at my hands, which held Abigail’s still beating heart. The black rot from her miss deeds was clear throughout it. While this would save Joseph, I feared it would greatly reduce his life expectancy. The rhythmic beating of the heart was entrancing. Never had I held a heart before; the rigid touch of the dense muscle surprised me.
A sudden moan followed by a loud crash roused me from my trance. I glanced in its direction, only to see the mightiest of the Amazonian warriors passed out on the ground. I stifled a giggle at the state of Madeline. Remembering I still needed to free Abigail, I waved my hand across her face, returning it to normal. “Huh, I thought she’d have a stronger stomach than that,” Abigail remarked.
The heart’s beating slowed, snapping both mine and Abigail’s attention back to the task at hand. “Quickly Amethyst, we have little time,” she cried, pulling me to Joseph. “I... I don’t know what to do,” I sobbed. Abigail’s hand contacted my cheek.
“For Goddess’s sake, Amethyst, pull yourself together or both Joseph and I die for nothing,” she growled, forcing Joseph’s chest open. She muttered some incantation, causing his chest cavity to glow a strange golden hue. “Now,” she screamed. My body reacted on instinct, and I jammed the barely beating heart into his chest.
“We did it,” I breathed out as Abigail sealed Joseph’s chest. Suddenly, Joseph’s hand became cold and clammy as I took his into mine. His skin was rapidly taking on a greyish colour. Something wasn’t right. Abigail, sensing what I was, quickly placed her hand on his chest. Tears flooded her eyes as a terrible pain tore through my chest. “Goddess Amethyst, he’s dead.”