at least tell me why. What’s going on, Ethano?”
“ I had to disconnect your life force from Victor,” he said casually. “It has to be done twelve hours prior to the stars aligning with the giant symbol on top of the temple.”
“ So why didn’t you just take me when you had the chance?” I asked.
“ The spell doesn’t work that way. It requires that you enter the temple of your own free will, even if your visit is based on trickery.”
“ You needed me to come in voluntarily?” I said.
He smiled. “I’ve always known you are a smart girl. I could’ve disconnected you without you ever seeing my face, but I wanted Victor to know I’m on the loose so he’d immediately leave the castle to look for me. That way, I could capture him.”
“ What!? You have Victor?” I shouted, my voice filling with emotion.
He nodded, and a proud, smug look came over his face. “Yes…and Elizabeth too.”
“ Where? What have you done with them?” I demanded to know.
He shook his head. “My, my, it was difficult to coordinate all of this, but Elizabeth came to the temple of her own free will too. I had to accomplish it all before the star of Bartara and Semtina meet on the horizon before midnight. Some of my priests said it couldn’t be done, but I proved them wrong!”
“ I suppose you’re quite proud of yourself,” I retorted, shaking my head at him in disgust.
“ Yes, and rightfully so. Truth be told, it was almost too easy. I was hoping for a challenge, but Mia’s naïve mind is so easily manipulated. It was simple to make her think she saw a bleeding Frank, but you shouldn’t worry about the lover you betrayed. He’s safe in his own world. Why would he dare risk his neck to come back for you after the way you treated him? Perhaps you should have thought of that before you fell for my scheme.”
My heart sank as I recalled mine and Frank’s parting. He’d left without even saying goodbye or turning around to make sure I was with him. “I will not discuss my love life with you. It’s none of your business!” I glanced around for a weapon. I was sure nothing there would do any good against such a powerful man, but I couldn’t go down without a fight.
Ethano motioned around the room. “Sure, go ahead, my dear. Have a good look around this empty, dusty temple. Look close enough, and you’ll see that we’re not alone. What you are seeing now is nothing more than an illusion.”
I swallowed hard. “What?”
“ Would you like to see the real picture? The one I’m hiding from your eyes? The truth is, there’s quite an audience here to watch this drama unfold.”
“ What are you talking about?” I glanced around but didn’t see anyone in the room.
“ This!”
My feet suddenly left the floor, and I started to float upward just a few inches. I used every ounce of my Immortal strength to pound the force field, to no avail. I blinked in disbelief as I hovered in midair, enclosed in some kind of bubble.
Chapter 5
Ethano lifted his hands, and the wind blew as the room morphed. It was the same temple room, but it was suddenly occupied by dozens of chanting priests in black, hooded robes. Thousands of candles shone brightly all around the room. As I focused, I could see ancient symbols intricately woven and carved deep into the wax.
Ethano was dressed in the same ominous black robe as the others. He grinned wickedly at me, and I feared whatever he had in store for me. “I shall mourn your loss, my dear Queen. It seems like such a waste,” he said, caressing my cheek without my permission. I then floated to the top of the room in my makeshift prison.
“ Sarah!” Liz flailed as she tried to break free from her invisible prison. She was about twenty-five feet away, hovering next to me in a bubble of her own.
I held out my hand and gazed into her terrified eyes. “Liz?”
“ Wh-what’s going on?” she asked. “Is this some kind of ceremony? Why are we here?”
“ He says
“ I had to disconnect your life force from Victor,” he said casually. “It has to be done twelve hours prior to the stars aligning with the giant symbol on top of the temple.”
“ So why didn’t you just take me when you had the chance?” I asked.
“ The spell doesn’t work that way. It requires that you enter the temple of your own free will, even if your visit is based on trickery.”
“ You needed me to come in voluntarily?” I said.
He smiled. “I’ve always known you are a smart girl. I could’ve disconnected you without you ever seeing my face, but I wanted Victor to know I’m on the loose so he’d immediately leave the castle to look for me. That way, I could capture him.”
“ What!? You have Victor?” I shouted, my voice filling with emotion.
He nodded, and a proud, smug look came over his face. “Yes…and Elizabeth too.”
“ Where? What have you done with them?” I demanded to know.
He shook his head. “My, my, it was difficult to coordinate all of this, but Elizabeth came to the temple of her own free will too. I had to accomplish it all before the star of Bartara and Semtina meet on the horizon before midnight. Some of my priests said it couldn’t be done, but I proved them wrong!”
“ I suppose you’re quite proud of yourself,” I retorted, shaking my head at him in disgust.
“ Yes, and rightfully so. Truth be told, it was almost too easy. I was hoping for a challenge, but Mia’s naïve mind is so easily manipulated. It was simple to make her think she saw a bleeding Frank, but you shouldn’t worry about the lover you betrayed. He’s safe in his own world. Why would he dare risk his neck to come back for you after the way you treated him? Perhaps you should have thought of that before you fell for my scheme.”
My heart sank as I recalled mine and Frank’s parting. He’d left without even saying goodbye or turning around to make sure I was with him. “I will not discuss my love life with you. It’s none of your business!” I glanced around for a weapon. I was sure nothing there would do any good against such a powerful man, but I couldn’t go down without a fight.
Ethano motioned around the room. “Sure, go ahead, my dear. Have a good look around this empty, dusty temple. Look close enough, and you’ll see that we’re not alone. What you are seeing now is nothing more than an illusion.”
I swallowed hard. “What?”
“ Would you like to see the real picture? The one I’m hiding from your eyes? The truth is, there’s quite an audience here to watch this drama unfold.”
“ What are you talking about?” I glanced around but didn’t see anyone in the room.
“ This!”
My feet suddenly left the floor, and I started to float upward just a few inches. I used every ounce of my Immortal strength to pound the force field, to no avail. I blinked in disbelief as I hovered in midair, enclosed in some kind of bubble.
Chapter 5
Ethano lifted his hands, and the wind blew as the room morphed. It was the same temple room, but it was suddenly occupied by dozens of chanting priests in black, hooded robes. Thousands of candles shone brightly all around the room. As I focused, I could see ancient symbols intricately woven and carved deep into the wax.
Ethano was dressed in the same ominous black robe as the others. He grinned wickedly at me, and I feared whatever he had in store for me. “I shall mourn your loss, my dear Queen. It seems like such a waste,” he said, caressing my cheek without my permission. I then floated to the top of the room in my makeshift prison.
“ Sarah!” Liz flailed as she tried to break free from her invisible prison. She was about twenty-five feet away, hovering next to me in a bubble of her own.
I held out my hand and gazed into her terrified eyes. “Liz?”
“ Wh-what’s going on?” she asked. “Is this some kind of ceremony? Why are we here?”
“ He says
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