Chapter 12 #4
The sickening crack of bone shattering echoed in the clearing.
Marcellious collapsed beneath me, a wretched scream ripping from his lungs. His hands scrambled for purchase, fingers digging into the dirt as his leg twisted unnaturally beneath him.
“Do something!” Marcellious howled at Balthazar, agony disfiguring his face.
I ignored him.
Lifting my dagger to the sky, I whispered the sacred words, my voice firm despite the quiver in my limbs.
The blade flared to life, glowing with dark magic.
I turned my sights on Dahlia.
She shrank away, her eyes wide with sudden fear.
As long as she was in human form, I could kill her.
I was weak. Sloppy. But I would die with honor.
I seized Dahlia by the hair, feeling the frantic pounding of my heart.
With one final breath, I drove my dagger into her chest.
Her body arched, a strangled cry escaping her lips as the blade sank deep.
Marcellious’ bellow of anguish split the air.
“NO!” His scream was inhuman. “You killed my lover!”
Yet I had done what must be done.
A distant scream pierced the air.
Emily.
I spun around, just as my blood ran cold.
Balthazar held her in his arms, his grip like a vice, squeezing the life from her.
Tiny flames licked at her dress, curling hungrily up the fabric. Smoke coiled around her neck, choking the air and blackening the sky.
My stomach dropped.
“Oh, God!” I choked out. “He’s burning her alive!”
I willed my legs to move—to run—but they felt heavy, like sinking into the earth with every step.
Emily’s shrieks pierced my heart.
“Help me, Olivia! Help!”
I pushed harder, sprinting toward her with everything I had—but it wasn’t enough.
The flames grew, devouring her faster than I could reach her.
I was too slow.
Too late.
Just as despair crushed me, the air rippled—
A shimmering orb of energy descended from nowhere, pulsing with a dark force.
Emily vanished from Balthazar’s grasp.
I skidded to a halt, gasping.
Across the clearing, Malik materialized, standing several yards away. He clasped Rosie’s tiny hand, his other arm wrapped around Emily, drawing them both into a protective embrace.
Balthazar’s face twisted in rage, his skin darkening to a deep, unnatural crimson.
“Well, well, well…” His voice dripped with malice. “Look who finally decided to play the hero.” His lips curled. “You’ve been hiding from me all these years, Malik.”
Malik didn’t hesitate. In a blink, he disappeared—only to reappear directly in front of Balthazar.
“Here I am,” Malik said coolly. “In the flesh. It’s been quite some time, hasn’t it? You haven’t changed much… except you’ve somehow gotten uglier.”
Balthazar’s pupils contracted, his fury barely contained. The whites of his eyes glowed unnaturally.
“I don’t know how you escaped the belladonna I poisoned you with,” he hissed. “You were dead. Your body was nothing but a dried-up corpse.”
Malik looked unbothered as if the years of torment and near-death had been nothing more than an inconvenience.
“Let’s just say…” Malik’s voice dropped, smooth and amused. “I had an excellent savior—someone who didn’t just save me from death.”
Balthazar’s expression darkened.
“Who saved you?” he demanded.
Malik didn’t answer.
Balthazar’s eyes narrowed, but then a sinister grin spread across his face.
“Malik, I don’t care who saved you.” His voice was a venomous whisper. “Because it won’t matter.” He tilted his head, his eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure. “I will recreate Layla’s death—and you will watch as I drain the life out of Olivia.”
A cold dread coiled around my spine.
“I see it in your eyes,” he taunted. “How much you desire her.” He let out a dark chuckle. “Too bad you can’t have her either.”
Then—
Balthazar vanished.
Before I could react, he reappeared right in front of me.
I let out a sharp screech and collapsed to my knees.
This is it.
This is where I die.
Terror seized my chest, my breath coming in frantic gasps.
I’m sorry, Roman.
I’m so sorry.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable.
Then—
A horrifying, strangled cry ripped through the air.
My eyes flew open.
Balthazar staggered, his face scrunched in agony.
Malik stood behind him, his grip tight around the hilt of a blade—one that was buried deep in Balthazar’s chest.
A violent shudder racked Balthazar’s body. His hands clawed at the wound, dark veins splintering across his skin.
“What have you done?” he roared a guttural snarl. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?”
Malik’s gaze was cold, his expression unreadable. He yanked the blade free, blood splattering across the ground.
“What I should have done long ago,” he declared. He let the blade slip from his fingers, tossing it into the underbrush.
Balthazar’s eyes bulged, his breaths coming in ragged, wheezing gasps.
“You… you… you’ve poisoned me!” His body convulsed, his fingers twitching like he could already feel the venom spreading through his veins.
Then, with a furious, deafening roar, he staggered upright. His wild, frenzied gaze snapped toward Marcellious.
He lunged, seizing Marcellious’ arm in a crushing grip.
Marcellious barely had time to react before Balthazar snatched the journal from his hands.
Then—
In the blink of an eye, they were gone.
Blurred out of existence.
The clearing fell eerily silent.
My vision swam, my mind struggling to comprehend what had just happened.
Darkness crept at the edges of my consciousness, and before I could stop it—
I collapsed.
And everything went black.