Chapter 182
CAMILLA’S P.O.V
I groaned at the constant rocking motion. It felt like I was riding a horse but that didn’t make sense considering the fact that I was asleep, right? I tried to sit up but realized that I couldn’t. Something was holding me down and the more I tried to fight against it, the worse it got. I finally managed to open my eyes only to realize that I truly was on a horse. I had been thrown over and tied down so I couldn’t escape. It was as if the more I tried to fight, the worse it got.
“Don’t,” I heard a voice behind me and it took me a second to realize that it was Kevin’s voice. “You cannot get out of those knots on your own. You can keep trying but you are only going to hurt yourself. This will not take long, I swear, Rena just wants to meet with you.”
I scoffed at his words trying to ignore the sting of betrayal deep in my chest. I was so concerned with what was happening outside and with Reina that I didn’t even realize that there could be someone on the inside who was plotting against us. The idea of there being a mole was so foreign to me and Kevin would have been the last person I suspected. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be disappointed.
“Why?” I asked but he said nothing. “We gave you everything, we treated you right and you have lacked for nothing. What did she offer you that we could not?”
“Nothing, I did this because I wanted to,” he said finally and my brows furrowed. “Reina is a visionary. She has thoughts and plans for the world that are truly amazing. She believes that the goddess is a cruel dictator and she has proof to back it up. She wants to take back power and control.”
“You sound insane,” I spat. “Can you even her yourself? She wants to go against the very being that holds our life in her hands and you are stupid enough to join her. You will die.”
“Reina is more powerful than you think. It doesn’t matter now, I suppose, we have all played our parts. For what it is worth, I truly wish that it didn’t have to end this way, you could have been a great queen.”
Before I could utter any other words, the horse pulled to a halt. I couldn’t see much in front of me but I could make out some trees and the mouth of a cave. I heard Kevin dismount the horse and walk over to me. I heard him stop abruptly and couldn’t help but wonder why until I saw an unfamiliar pair of boots in my line of vision. It went without saying that the boots belonged to Reina. My thoughts were further
I was hesitant t get up. I couldn’t help but wonder if she had any ulterior motives. People like her didn’t do anything without reason and the fact that she just stood there not saying a word had me worrying even more. I looked around slowly, it was just the both of them, if my powers had returned then I could possibly break free and run away.
“You cannot use your powers,” her voice was a breathy whisper that carried with the wind. “I know all that you are capable of, Camilla. Do you really think I will give you an avenue to use that?”
I finally looked up at her and despite having a description from Briggs, I was still thrown off guard by her appearance. Her hair was left to flow down her back. It was pin straight and was truly the color of spun moonlight. Her eyes were pitch black, there was almost no light in it, it felt like looking into an endless abyss of darkness and death. It was terrifying at best. Her lips were painted a bright red and curled up to the side in a cruel smirk.
“Welcome, Camilla, we have a bit of a distance to cover before it is time,” she explained reaching out to help me but I ignored her hand in favor of getting down on my own. I looked between her and Kevin trying to find a way to escape. She seemed to realize where my mind went because she sighed and turned to Kevin.. “You know what to do.”
She touched his hand gently and blew out a gust of air. I smelled it before it hit him and it smelled like rotten flesh and a grave. The gust of air hit Kevin straight in the face and before my very eyes, his skin paled and his hands withered slightly. I was stunned that what took so much out of me to heal was created so easily.
“I will heal you once you return,” she promised and he bowed before getting on the horse and running off. Once he was gone, I turned to her with a raised brow. We both knew she couldn’t heal him, only I could. “By the time he returns, I will have control of you. I could heal him if I want.”
She snapped her fingers once more and the same bindings she took off me wrapped themselves around my wrists.
‘Come, we have a bit of a distance to cover and not enough time. The blood moon will be in the sky soon.”
On one hand, I could have refused to go with her but I knew she would simply force me. I forced my feet to move beside her at a steady pace. For someone so old, she looked so young, I couldn’t help but wonder how she managed to keep her youth. In fact, there were so many questions about her in my mind. I figured it would be a good idea to ask them. She seemed like someone who had the tendency to be narcissistic, getting her to talk about herself would be a good way for me to keep the attention off me and figure out a way to get away.
“How does someone who used to serve the goddess get to this point?” I asked and she stayed silent. “You used to be her priestess. What made you go into dark magic? You reek of death and destruction.”
“It beats rainbows and gardens, does it not?” she mused aloud with a small smile but I didn’t match her expression. “I found that there was more to life than what she was showing us. She had so many rules, so many things we could and couldn’t do. I found something without rules, something without borders. I found freedom and I don’t regret it.”
“You left the goddess because you didn’t want rules?” I deadpanned and she laughed.
“You wouldn’t understand considering you are still trapped within her claws. Let me tell you a story little girl. I was wandering the woods looking for herbs for a ritual when I came across the spell book. In there were spells I never knew existed, rituals she had never told us about. I found the truth, I found reality. She tried telling me to throw it away but I wouldn’t so she left me. She said she would choose someone else but it was too late, I had already turned everyone else.”
“Shouldn’t it have been their choice?” I asked but she just shrugged. It was clear she felt no remorse for what she had done and nothing I said would change that so I changed the subject. “How are you still alive? You should be dead.”
“It was a little trick that I learned,” she mused aloud and before my eyes, I saw her transform into an old woman.
There was something familiar about her black cloak and the way she was hunched over. It took me a second but I finally recognized her. She was the same old woman that we saw when we were on our way to the vacation house for the first time, the one I had touched who caused my powers to bleed out of me. She took note of the awareness on my face and smiled.
“Yes, I knew there was something special about you that day so I started looking in, I watched you for months until your guard was down and then I attacked. If it is any consolation, I never wanted to hurt you, I never wanted to hurt anyone, I just want what she put inside of you.”
“Why?”
“Because you are the only one who can undo what I have planned, you are the only one with the power to put a wedge in my plans and I cannot have that. She has been looking for a way to end me for years and I have always been one step ahead of her. I never knew about you because you were nothing for the longest time. It was my mistake for not looking thoroughly but I have looked now and I promise you that nothing will stand in my way.”
She looked away briefly and that was all I needed. I let the rope fall to the ground before kicking her shin and kicking up dirt into her eyes. While she was briefly incapacitated, I turned on my heels and ran.
I heard her swear behind me but I didn’t pay her any attention. I still couldn’t use my powers but I could use my legs. I had no idea where I was going but I didn’t care. I just wanted to get away from her.
“You are going to regret that, Camilla,” I heard her callout but I ignored her and pushed my legs to go faster. “This will be so much easier on you if you just surrendered now. I don’t want to hurt you but make no mistake about it, I will if I need to.”
I didn’t respond, I pushed myself to move faster. I didn’t realize how fast I was going until I realized what was directly in front of me. The words died on my tongue and panic built up in my chest as I realize what I was looking at. I swallowed deeply not knowing what to do about the massive cliff in front of me.
“Finally you stopped,” I turned to find Reina standing behind me. “Here I thought you would be more of a challenge.”
