SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Thirty-three
Amethyst’s Pov:
“She can’t win, mother,” Abigail vented, refusing to back down. “Why waste Joseph’s heart? It has always been the plan of the coven to kill him. Victoria needed a heart; all I did was place his in her. Just look at her. She is doing far better than before,” she insisted.
“You will fix this mess,” I hissed. “Just because you don’t have faith that I will win doesn’t mean I can’t, or I won’t. You forget I have two Goddesses on my side,” I spat. “If not for me, then do it for Joseph. He is your son. That must count for something.”
Abigail glanced at her daughter for a moment, as if she was lost in some deep conflict. “Fine, I will help you with Joseph, but only because he is my son,” she sighed. “Good, best grab Joseph and be off then,” the innkeeper huffed, pulling Victoria into her arms before rushing out. Abigail folded her arms across her chest and followed closely behind.
Before long, we arrived back at the inn only to find Joseph collapsed on the floor. He was paler than ever. I rushed over to my mate and pulled him into my arms. Abigail scurried over to us. “Is he?” She swallowed hard, as if she now possibly felt something for him.
“No, but he doesn’t have long,” I whispered, trying to fight back my tears. “Best we get him well enough to travel then,” the innkeeper huffed, handing me a glass filled with a strange shimmering liquid in it. Although I now knew this was his grandmother, I couldn’t help but worry that this was a trick.
“Trust the old witch, she means well,” the Girl demanded. “Joseph is her kin. She would not harm her blood even if that miscreant of hers would,” she continued. Unfortunately, this was what must be done, so I raised the glass to Joseph’s lips and forced him to drink. Within moments, he was once again awake. Relieved, I peppered him with kisses.
“Best not to delay, he won’t be well forever,” the Innkeeper reminded us. Abigail and I exchanged glances as we helped Joseph to his feet. “What on earth Joseph?” I stated. “Thought I heard you leave. So, I went to see if you did,” he replied, rubbing his head to clear his fog. His eyes fell on Abigail. For a moment, he didn’t recognize her.
“You found the witch from my memory,” he exclaimed. “I am more than that, Joseph. I doubt you remember, but I am your mother,” she whispered, unsure of the words that just left her mouth.
“My mother?” he hissed; his voice filled with rage. “You stole my heart and yet you are my mother? How could you do such a thing?” He attempted to lunge at her, but I stopped him. “Not now. We need to find the nest and reverse this,” I insisted. His eyes met mine. The hurt which filled them was understandable. He nodded, accepting now was not the time to fight. “Lead the way then, mother,” he growled.
In a flash, the innkeeper gathered supplies for our journey. “The nest is far, at least two days from here,” Abigail sighed. “Best we get started,” Joseph growled, glaring at his mother. My heart raced for the first time since leaving Eclipse. How did Timothy and Madeline fare during all this time? Guilt clawed at my mind for leaving them at such a moment. I could only hope they’d forgive me.
We travelled through the lush forest until the day changed to twilight. Abigail discovered a cave which would provide us with shelter and cover for the night. We quickly settled in and within moments, Joseph was fast asleep, leaving me with Abigail and an uncomfortable silence.
“I am not a pure blood witch; my father was human,” Abigail cleared her throat. “Eclipse was not happy my mate accepted me. Rather than have him leave his pack, I left him. Joseph’s father and I still find each other occasionally, as you can tell by Victoria. But we can never truly be together,” she sighed.
I held her gaze but said nothing. “I thought the Covenness, and her nest, wanted me because I am a displaced witch like they are. Unfortunately, I found out much later it was because they somehow knew the Goddesses’ plan. They wanted me for Joseph and once I told them where he was, they turned me into a servant. Weak blood,” she sighed.
“Why steal Joseph’s heart?” I snapped, letting her know I was not interested in her sob story. “Victoria was born with my rot. She died when I gave birth to her. I begged the Goddesses to give her back to me. They did, but they said she would never be free of the rot and her life would be short because of my magic,” she whispered.
“Her path was not meant to be a long one, more like a punishment for your abandonment of the Goddesses. Your actions have consequences,” I hissed, glancing over at Joseph. “Either way you lose, one of your children dies because of your selfish behavior. You are their mother, they are your greatest gift and yet somehow you choose to abandon them to your selfish need,” I spat. “Cause and effect, this is the price that must be paid in order to keep balance.”
“Rich coming from you. Are you not pure chaos?” she mocked. For the first time, the evidence of her rot showed. “Chaos to some, but I am the balance needed to the Goddesses’ order,” I informed her, matching her own mocking tone.
Surprise flashed in her eyes. She never considered this. “Perhaps we should sleep? We still have far to journey,” I snarled, positioning myself next to Joseph. She kept her eye closely on me for a moment. “Do you love him more than the child of the Goddess?” she asked, looking almost concerned. “Do you think I’d be out here if I didn’t?” I snapped. She nodded before turning herself away from us.
The light of the sun filtered into the cave, waking me from my deep and peaceful sleep. For a moment, I did not recognize where I was. I reached for Joseph, only to realize no one was there. Panic gripped my soul as I darted up and glanced around the still dim cave.
“Joseph?” I whispered, hoping he was nearby. I glanced at where I last saw Abigail. She, too, was missing. I bolted up from the ground and rushed outside, hoping to find any traces of them. That bitch, what was she doing?
“Good morning, beautiful,” Joseph’s chipper voice greeted me, sending a wave of relief crashing over me. “Everything alright? You look panicked,” Abigail chimed in. “Yes, I am fine. When I didn’t find either of you, I became worried you betrayed us,” I answered, wrapping my arms tightly around Joseph. For a long while, nobody spoke as Joseph stroked my hair, calming my frayed nerves. “Best we get going, I doubt that potion of my mother’s will last much longer,” Abigail muttered, glancing up at the sky.
Joseph leaned down, placing a loving kiss on my head. “Amethyst, you can create portals, correct?” Abigail asked. “Yes, I can,” I replied, slightly confused why this would matter, as using my magic could draw unwanted attention. “Port us,” she demanded. I glanced up at Joseph, who flashed me a brilliant smile. Perhaps it was worth the risk. The potion the Innkeeper gave him would not last forever.
Without a word, we all joined hands and closed our eyes. With in a moment, the foul stench of rot assaulted my senses. I glanced around, taking in a dark and dank part of the forest, with its ominous aura enveloping me. “I take it we are here?” Joseph stated dryly before his mother raised her finger to her lips, hushing us.
We followed her lead as Joseph’s worry flooded over me. I grasped his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “We are close to the nest,” Abigail whispered as we crept into a musty structure which led us underground.
The light faded as we descended the stairs. The cold stone walls seemed to close in around us, giving off an almost claustrophobic atmosphere. Joseph’s breathing became more ragged with every step we took. I grabbed his hand, praying the sparks from our bond would calm him before the whole nest realized we were here.
Finally, the light from a dimly lit torch danced in the darkness. The stench of rot was almost overwhelming as I tried not to gag on the odor. “Something isn’t right,” Abigail whispered. We crept down the corridors without so much as a glimpse of a witch or otherwise.
“Who’s there?” an angry voice I recognized spat, causing me to rush forward. “Madeline?” I cried out in surprise.