Chapter 52: what the hell?
~Hazel’s POV~
My stomach clenched as everything unfolded right in front of me.
Cyrius... lying in a coffin, on the verge of waking up in the next thirty seconds.
Caspian lost for the first time, his usual calm demeanor is gone.
And Cayden spiraling out of control.
I took a deep breath. Something clung to me... like a whisper from inside.
"You are an abomination... bringing another abomination."
If I truly carried power inside me something witches feared then maybe... just maybe, I could do something. Maybe I could fix the dagger. Maybe I could be useful.
"Let me do it," I blurted out.
Their heads turned to me briefly, but their eyes flicked away like the words had slipped past them. Like I was invisible.
I turned to Caspian. He was the only one who might actually listen.
"Caspian," I pleaded. "Let me try. The witches are after me because they think I have powers. Whether it’s me or the child, there’s something. I might be a witch."
I clutched my gown, heart hammering in my chest. Caspian met my gaze with those bright, sea-blue eyes.
"Darling," he said gently, placing a hand on my shoulder, "I know you’re trying to help. But you touched the lantern that day—it didn’t glow. You’re not a witch."
"But..." I whispered, my voice breaking. "It vibrated. Remember? I felt something."
I squeezed his hand tightly, hoping he’d believe me.
"Just stay out of this, Hazel," Cayden cut in, chuckling as he ran a hand through his long hair. "You’re not what you’re claiming to be."
I scowled at him. "I’m only trying to help."
I turned back to Caspian. "Please. Let’s just try. We don’t have time to waste."
"Don’t involve yourself in this," he said, more carefully now. "We’ll wait until Aurora heals tomorrow "
"We don’t have till tomorrow!" Cayden roared. "He’s waking up! In less than five minutes he’ll stand up. Then we’ll be dealing with him."
"I guess we don’t have a choice," Caspian said quietly.
Cayden suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Cyrius’s unconscious body by the throat.
Caspian shouted, running to stop
shoved
body slammed into the wall,
shouted. "But he’s waking up. We have
me try to create another dagger. If the witches are after my power, it means I have something. Witch blood. Witch power. Please, let
at me, conflicted.
We all froze.
dark veins had
Like consciousness was clawing its
turned to us, panic painted across his
he muttered. "I’ll have to take
screamed. "If we kill him now, what do we gain? What if
again. Louder this time.
with the dagger and the
not hurt yourself," he said, handing
I replied, snatching them from his
as I studied the grimoire. There was no text just symbols. Hand movements. A
mimicked the illustration, placing my hand
I began chanting the lines beneath
whispered the final word with hope and anticipation
Nothing happened.
Not even a flicker.
Cayden stepped forward, took the dagger from my
Nothing.... My heart drooped.
eyes fluttered. He coughed
dagger across
time!" he growled,
did I feel so sure
clawed
right," I whispered. "We’ll
tightened. I had never met Cyrius. Never even spoken
dark or twisted his story was, he
I said, barely above a
to me—just
all turned immediately as our eyes fell
floor
over, grabbed it without hesitation, and drove it
BOOM.
body. His limbs twitched—and then
released a
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