Chapter 74
Kael’s POV
I didn’t speak for a while.
The old woman stood in front of me. She was still and waiting, like a statue carved from ancient shadows. My lips felt dry. My body was stiff. But then, it was like something else… someone else took over. The voice that came from my throat didn’t even sound like mine.
“Yes.”
Morana smiled. Not kindly. It was the kind of smile that knew secrets. The kind that made your bones feel
cold.
“Good,” she said softly. “Then we begin.”
She turned her pale gaze toward Alex. “You cannot be here for this, child. The magic must not be witnessed by anyone not bound to the spell.”
Alex immediately frowned. “I’m not leaving him alone with you.”
She raised a long, bony hand. “If you stay, the ritual will fail. That is the law. If you want this to work, you
will wait outside.”
Alex looked at me. His eyes were sharp and uncertain.
“It’s fine,” I told him. “Wait just outside. I’ll be okay.”
“You sure?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Just stay close.”
He stepped back slowly, then walked out the door and shut it behind him.
Morana turned back to me. “Sit there.”
She pointed to a wooden couch in the corner. Its cushions were covered in dark velvet. I sat down. My
heart thudded. The cabin was too quiet. Every sound felt louder than it should be.
“You want something taken from life,” she said slowly. “You want to destroy a growing bond between
blood and soul.”
“Yes.”
“Then you must pay a price in kind.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What price?”
She stepped forward and knelt in front of me. “Your blood.”
I stared. “That’s it?”
She chuckled It was a dry and creaky sound. ‘Blood is the key But more than that, this ritual demands
balance. You take from fate, fate takes from you. The exact price… will not be known now. When the time
comes, you will understand.”
A chill ran down my spine. “So I won’t know until later?”
“Correct. That is the nature of such pacts. Are you still willing?”
1 hesitated.
Then I nodded. “Yes.”
She grinned. “Then wait. I will prepare.”
She walked over to the cauldron sitting at the center of the room. It was already warm. There was smoke
curling from its surface. She poured in strange liquids. One was thick and green. Another was dark and
shimmering like ink. Then she dropped in herbs I didn’t recognize.
The liquid began to boil.
She called me over. “Come.”
I stood by her side.
“Close your eyes.”
obeyed. I felt her take my left hand. Then, I felt the sharp prick of a blade against my palm.
Blood slid down my wrist.
She chanted in a low voice:
“By fang, by fire, by bone and breath, I call the old one, I summon death. A tie of blood, a soul to bind, Let
fate be twisted, time unwind.”
The room seemed to grow colder. My skin prickled. I felt… watched.
“By heart that breaks, by life undone, Let what is growing come undone. No scent, no sound, no trace to find, Let sorrow take what she has lined.”
She released my hand.
“Open your eyes.”
I did.
The liquid in the cauldron had turned red like blood. Then, slowly, it changed. Red to pink. Pink to gray. And finally, it was clear.
Like water.
She picked up a glass bottle. It was tall, thick, with a secure seal. She poured the liquid carefully inside.
“This is your tool.”
She handed it to me. The bottle was cool in my hand. The liquid swirled like nothing. No smell. No color. It
looked like water.
“Make her drink this,” she said. “A little each day. In tea, in wine, in soup, however you wish. Use it all. Be patient. The womb will empty itself.”
I swallowed hard. “And… she won’t know?”
“Not unless you tell her. It will feel like nature did the work.”
I gripped the bottle tighter.
“And your fee?” I asked. “How much?”
She laughed again. “You already paid, boy. You gave me blood. That is all I need.”
I stared at her. Something wasn’t right.
But before I could ask, she turned away. “Now go. Your fate is waiting.”
I didn’t argue.
I walked to the door and opened it.
Alex stood up straight. “Everything okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go. I’ll explain in the car.”
We drove off in silence for a while.
I stared at the bottle in my lap.
Alex finally asked, “So? What happened?”
I exhaled. “She gave me this. Said to make Roxanne drink it. Little by little. It’ll work.”
“And you believe her?”
“I don’t know.”
1 looked out the window.
“Maybe she’s a scammer. Maybe she made it all up. Maybe she panicked when she saw who I was and
gave me this to shut me up. She got scared that I would go and denounce her to my father.”
Alex frowned. “But you’re still going to try it.”
“Yeah,” I whispered, “I have nothing to lose.”
But deep down, something stirred.
A warning.
A whisper in the back of my mind that said: You made a deal with something old… something dangerous.
I tightened my grip on the bottle.
Whatever I had just done…
There was no turning back now.
