Chapter 20 - Elize
My head was spinning, and my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I was back in the room with the cauldron, but it was bubbling even louder.
And there was a voice. It was soft like an injured woman, and she was crying out for help.
I knew that we needed to get over to the Cauldron right away.
“Elize?”
“I need to see the cauldron, Troy. Something’s going on.”
Laura shook her head. “The cauldron is fine.”
“It’s not. I just had a vision, and it’s not okay.”
“What did you see?” Martin asked, his eyes narrowing on me.
Troy pulled me closer and looked between all of them. “If she says we need to see it, we need to see it.”
Martin looked between Troy and me. I was expecting him to say fine just to get it over with. But he shook his head. “No.”
“What do you mean, no?” I asked.
“You do not have the authority to just go and see the cauldron when you feel like it. The only reason you even know about it is that we allowed it.”
“The only reason we know about it is that Riley and Janella refused to keep your secret,” Troy snapped back.
“Either way, you don’t have our permission to visit the cauldron.”
I couldn’t stop the shock on my face. I looked at Troy, who was grinding his teeth.
“No?” he repeated. “You’re telling us no.”
They all nodded. “You don’t have our permission.”
I wanted to yell, but with the party still going, I knew it wasn’t a good idea. I swallowed and forced a smile. “Fine.”
Troy looked at me, and I grabbed his hand, giving it a tight squeeze. “Fine, be that way. If you don’t mind, we’re hosting a party. So, either join it and be respectful or leave.”
I straightened my shoulders, making sure to look at each of them before I tugged on Troy’s arm and pulled him with me. We walked a few feet away before Troy pulled us to a stop.
“Elize…”
“Call Riley,” I whispered. “And tell him to bring Janella. We need to get into that room no matter what. I know something is going on.”
He nodded before squeezing my hand and slipping away. I looked around the party and brought my eyes back to the council. They were talking together, but Martin was looking right at me.
Something inside twisted. I suddenly saw what Troy was talking about. If they didn’t have anything to hide, Martin wouldn’t have cared if we were in that room, but he did. So, there was something they weren’t telling us.
Martin looked disappointed as he stared at me, and I crossed my arms.
Troy and I made sure the party continued and had Ivan take over hosting. We didn’t want the council to know what we were planning. Half an hour later, we slipped out and headed to Riley’s pack.
Riley and Janella were going to meet us there. I tapped my hands on the car seat as we drove nervously. I couldn’t get that voice out of my head. It was like someone was dying, and they were asking for help. It sent chills down my spine.
“You okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, just nervous to see what we get to.”
“What was the vision?”
“The cauldron, but I heard a voice that was coming from it. It was… weird. It was like an injured woman. It just shook me. I know something is going on.”
“We will be there soon.” Troy took my hand and squeezed it.
We arrived in Riley’s pack and headed straight for the city hall. Janella and Riley were waiting by the door, looking irritated.
“Why are you guys waiting out here? I thought you guys said you were going to go inside?” Troy said as we hurried toward them.
“That’s the problem. We were, but guess who has security here suddenly?”
I came to a stop. “What? What do you mean by security?”
Janella pointed her thumb toward the door. “We were going to head inside, but we were told we weren’t permitted.”
“Are you kidding me right now?” Troy ground his teeth together, and I was pretty sure I could see smoke coming from him. “This is ridiculous.”
“I have never seen them have security here, so why now?” Janella said, looking concerned.
“They are hiding something,” I snapped. “We have to get inside.”
“And how do you think we are going to do that?” Janella asked.
“Did you two try getting in?” Troy asked.
Riley and Janella nodded. “Yeah, they won’t let us in. I called Titus and Dustin, thinking maybe extra manpower would help. It’s clear that the council knew that you would be coming here.”
“They knew that Elize had a vision, which means we need to get into the basement.”
“Did you try using force?”
Riley cringed. “I’d rather not. There were five of them.”
I scanned the space and remembered that my uncle always left his office window unlocked. He opened and closed it all day long.
“Janella and I will go another route. You two try getting through the door.”
I hooked Janella’s arm and pulled her to the side. She looked at me with wide eyes. “Is there another way in?”
“Sort of.” I counted the windows as we walked, not stopping until I got to the seventh window. I looked inside and saw it was still unlocked.
“Help me move this rock.” I pointed toward a large stone that I’d known I used once or twice to sneak into Martin’s office. I used to decorate for holidays or when I wanted to slip away from family, knowing I would feel safe. Weird how life has changed so much.
We moved the stone, and I stepped up and pushed on the window. It slowly opened and shoved harder.
“Hey!” A new voice broke out, and Janella and I both turned just as a guard spotted us.
“Get in,” she snapped, offering me a hand up. I jumped into the window just as the guard was shouting for us to stop. I turned to help Janella, but she shook her head.
“Go! Get to the basement. I’ll get there with the other two.”
I nodded and slammed the window shut. I turned and ran. I threw the office door open and took a left. I went sprinting down the hallway, and I could hear shouting. I looked over my shoulder just to see the front doors being thrown open, and the five guards Riley had mentioned spotted me.
“Stop her!” they yelled.
I ran like my life depended on it. I slipped into the large meeting room, locking the door behind me.
I turned and stared at the tapestry hanging.
I hurried over and yanked on it. I didn’t want to move it.
I wanted to rip the damn thing off the wall.
I was sick of the secret that the door was hidden. I was sick of all the lies.
I yanked like my life depended on it. I could hear slamming on the door, and I knew they would get it open in just a few moments. I heard the tapestry start to rip. It gave way and came crashing down. I grabbed the door and pulled it open.
I could hear yelling, Troy, Riley, and Janella’s voices mixing with the guards. I knew a fight was likely to break out, but I didn’t stop.
I stumbled down the stairs, and I could feel the magic filling the air. It smelled like rotten corpses, and even I couldn’t stop my stomach from churning over. The smell had grown stronger, and it worried me.
I kept moving, heading straight down the hallway to the door. I could see a glow beneath the door now, and hear a woman’s voice.
“Help.” Her voice was soft, as if she were clinging to life but starting to lose her hold.
I grabbed the door.
“Stop!”
I paused just as Martin and the council came down the stairs, just a few feet behind me. “You do not have permission to go in there, Elize.”
I swallowed, staring at my uncle for just a moment. The man I looked up to. The person I thought was on my side and wanted what was best for me. I’d been so wrong.
I threw the door open and stepped inside.
The room was beaming with magic, and the walls were vibrating. The cauldron was bubbling, but this time it was bubbling over. It was spilling onto the ground, seeping into the concrete. That voice was bouncing around, echoing off the walls.
Help. Help. Help.
Over and over it rang, and my head felt like it was going to explode. It felt like someone was grabbing my head, trying to shove nails into it.
I could feel the magic reaching out, trying to hold onto me.
I knew from a young age not to let it. I was warned that when you allowed evil magic in, it took hold of your body, and you were no longer yourself.
No one knew if you could ever free yourself.
I shove at it, not wanting it to get attached.
But then something snapped into my head.
I was standing in the middle of the woods. It was a crisp, beautiful day. Ahead of me was a woman wearing white. She was holding a black leather book to her chest. She had long black hair and had a veil over her face. Even from here, I could see her smile as she turned slowly. She was excited.
I quickly realized it was a wedding. I turned my attention and stiffened when I spotted a small group just a few feet from her. I knew all of their faces even though they were much younger. I had grown up around them, spent endless hours talking with them all.
I felt like I was going to be sick as my uncle stepped forward. “He won’t be coming, and you are not welcome here anymore,” he told her in a sharp, cold tone. “Leave or suffer the consequences.”
I watched her face fall, and her hands dropped. “Where’s Paul?” she asked in a soft voice. I could see the heartbreak in her eyes.
“Paul’s not coming,” they said. “He didn’t want to marry you. He never wanted to marry you.”
I came slamming back to myself and fell over, but I was holding something in my arms now. I looked down, and in my arms was the black leather book she’d been clutching. I couldn’t breathe as I went over the scene again. I knew whatever I had witnessed was connected to the cauldron.
“Elize.” Troy was at my side, his hands holding me tightly against him. “Are you okay?”
I turned my attention up. Questions swirled in my head. Who was this woman? And how was she connected to the cauldron? And if she was, was she the one who was doing all of this? I looked right at the council members, feeling rage. “What did you do?”
Their faces gave nothing away, and I pulled myself up. “What did you do!” I screamed now.
I spotted Janella standing next to Riley. Dustin and Titus stood right next to them. All eyes were on the council now.
Laura frowned. “What had to be done.”
“Where did this cauldron come from!” I snapped.
“We don’t know.”
“That’s bullshit! Tell me the truth!” I was screaming now, and Troy reached for me.
“Elize.”
“NO!” I turned to him. “You thought what Martin did to us was bad! They did it before! We were not the first couple that they ripped apart!”
Troy looked at Martin, confused now.
“You need to calm down,” Martin whispered.
“You are all sick!” I snarled. “It was her wedding day!” I looked at Troy. “Whoever’s cauldron this is, it was her wedding when they came in and forced her out! He never went.”
Troy’s eyes were wide with shock. He didn’t seem to know what to say to that.
“I saw it.” I looked over at the others. “She was wearing a white dress and stood waiting.”
Janella looked horrified as she looked at the council members. “Why?”
It was a question I wanted an answer to as well. Why? I knew the answer. I knew it the second I looked at her. I could feel the magic in the air. But it wasn’t dark magic. It was soft like a young child. I could see the softness in her, that glow from happiness.
“She was a witch,” Dean said. “And she was in possession of magic.”
“We didn’t end the relationship. He confided in us that he didn’t want to go through with it. He asked us to help him.”
Janella looked ready to pounce, and Riley hooked his arm around her.
“And you knew this entire time where this cauldron came from?” Titus asked through clenched teeth. “You knew and refused to tell us that you were connected.”
“It didn’t matter,” Martin snapped. “We knew the cauldron was dangerous. Where it came from didn’t matter.”
“It matters! You’re the reason the dark magic happened! You’re the reason we are in this situation to begin with!”
“She was dangerous!” Laura yelled back. “And we couldn’t risk her hurting anyone. We did what was best for the pack.”
“Like you did with me?” I asked, looking directly at my uncle. “You told me to go to the convent because it was the best option. You told Troy that I was dangerous and that you would make me disappear.”
“I did what I needed,” Martin said, not even showing a little regret.
I shook my head, feeling tears burning. I was so angry. I wanted so badly to hurt my uncle.
“What happened?” Dustin asked.
Kelly shrugged. “She was waiting for him. He came to us and told us he couldn’t do it. He asked that we step in and help him.”
“Why would he ask you?” Titus asked.
“You’re all disgusting,” I snapped.
“We did what was best. We knew that she possessed magic.”
“Dark magic is made!” I screamed. “Everyone knows that! You aren’t born with it! It comes from emotions! If she had dark magic in her, it was because of what you did! I could feel it! She was the happiest and had the most clean magic I’d ever seen!”
I felt my heart breaking, and it wasn’t even my life. But in a way it was. The only difference was that I found Troy again. I got my chance to fix what they had ruined.