Wood Witch and the Bounty Hunter
Eighteen
It took a moment for Flora to process what had happened when Ronan hit the floor, but when Elise pulled the blade out of him and wiped the blood off on a satin handkerchief it hit her. She finally was able to break from the restraints and drop to her knees next to him.
His face was pale and his eyes were closed, though he was still a little conscious when she patted his face.
“No,” she mumbled, desperately trying to put pressure on the window. “No, no, no. You’re okay, you’re fine.”
“I’m fine,” he said weakly.
Elise approached with the blade again and swung at Flora, and without thinking, Flora caught it by the blade before she could hit Ronan again. She winced as her palm was cut, but was able to knock the blade out of Elise’s hand. Flora picked up the dark blade and immediately felt a surge of energy. She felt all of her anger and betrayal, and all of the hurt Elise had put her through.
Elise stumbled back, eyes wide when she saw the effects of the dark magic taking Flora.
“Victor, do something!” she cried out.
Victor was watching the scene with an amused smile, almost like he was excited to see the fight. Flora was dropping in both her and Ronan’s blood with a wild look in her eyes. Elise scowled and lunged at Flora, but Flora plunged the dark blade into her chest. She felt tears streaming down her face as she saw the life leave her sister’s eyes. She slumped to the floor, and Flora let out a choked sob.
A strange, shimmery mist lifted from Elise’s body and floated through the air to Victor. He took a deep breath, and Flora felt the power radiating from him.
“Not the sacrificial lamb I was expecting,” he admitted. “Seems I had the wrong sister. Come, Flora.”
“Stay away from me!” Flora screamed.
“Hush, I want to help you,” Victor insisted. “Give me the blade, Flora. I can fix this. The boy isn’t dead yet. I can make sure you two can be together.”
Flora’s eyes moved down to the blade, and she realized with horror that her own fingertips were blackened from using it. She had sacrificed her own sister with dark magic.
“You feel it, don’t you?” Victor said. “The power? Imagine if we had this power from the start. You would never have been a servant, run out of town by the ungrateful people you served. I can help you. We can save Ronan’s life, and you two can live a long life together. No one will look down on you again.”
Flora’s hands were shaking. She suddenly remembered the small jar of mermaid tears still in the pocket of her skirt. She looked at her blackened fingers, then at Victor who held his own blackened hand out to her with a gentle smile.
“This is what you did to Elise,” Flora said softly. “She didn’t stand a chance against you.”
He frowned as Flora suddenly lifted her hand with a palm out, and the shadowy tendrils suddenly moved away from her and grabbed Victor instead. The dark magic was overwhelming, but Flora had to take advantage of it while she had control. Victor cursed as he was restrained, and Flora rushed to Ronan’s side again.
He was almost transparent now, but still alive. Flora tried to keep her hands steady as she pushed his shirt up to expose the nasty wound. She then took the jar of tears and emptied half the contents onto the wound. Victor suddenly realized what she was doing and his eyes widened.
“No!” he yelled. “You’ll reverse the sacrifice!”
Flora ignored him, waiting impatiently as the effects of the tears took place. She knew it was a painful process, but it was the only thing that could save Ronan now. The color slowly returned to his face, and his eyes suddenly opened with a gasp. The pain was so heavy that he couldn’t speak. Flora just cradled his head in her lap and stroked his hair.
“I know,” she said softly. “I know it hurts. It’s fighting the dark magic. I know it hurts, and I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
He couldn’t speak, but he looked up at her as she comforted him. Her attention whipped back to Victor when he suddenly cried out. As he said, the tears were fighting the effects of the dark magic and his sacrifice. The spirit world didn’t seem to like their sacrifice being taken away, so they made a sacrifice of their own. Victor was swallowed by the shadows and dragged into another realm.
Flora turned her attention back to Ronan again, who was now alive enough to feel the full effects of the painful tears. It must have felt like flames in his chest. She put her hands on his face and felt that his forehead was hot.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I have to use more magic to get us out of here. It’s not going to feel good.”
He couldn’t talk, but nodded in understanding. Flora hated to continue using dark magic, but she had a hold on it now and she was desperate. She squeezed her eyes shut and envisioned their inn room. She felt a lurch, and when she opened her eyes again, they were there. She felt terrible about it, but she could understand how tempting this magic was.
She managed to lift Ronan enough to get him in the bed. The tears were starting to wind down now and he was visibly relaxed, though unconscious again. Relieved that he wasn’t dead, Flora relaxed for a moment. Once the evidence of Victor and Elise’s crimes were exposed, everything would be fixed.
She sat on the edge of the bed and started to clean the blood off Ronan, though she was still covered in blood herself. As she did so, she noticed the darkness retreat from her fingers. Apparently, disrupting the black magic and sacrifices were taking it from her too. Still, it would be impossible to forget how it felt. Ronan’s eyes opened and he weakly looked up at her. She smiled, brushing his hair from his eyes.
“I thought mermaid tears would feel more cute and glittery,” he said hoarsely. “That was hell.”
“Quiet,” she said. “You need to get some rest to recover.”
“Why did you use the tears on me?” he asked. “You could have sold them.”
“Don’t waste your energy on ridiculous questions,” she scolded. “I told you, I’m here. Im going to take care of you.”
“But the money-“
“We’ll find another way to make money,” Flora insisted. “Money could never replace you. I promised you I wouldn’t go anywhere.”
“We?”
“Yes, we,” she told him. “But before we do anything else, you need to recover.”
“Why?” he asked again.
“Because I love you,” Flora said. “And that’s what you do for people you love. Please close your eyes and try to sleep.”
He was staring at her in a disbelieving daze, but eventually he couldn’t fight the exhaustion anymore and fell asleep. Flora finished cleaning him up, then found herself fighting exhaustion too. She curled up in bed next to him, making sure not to put any pressure on the wound. They still had to make sure their names were cleared, but for now Flora was content to just get some sleep.
His face was pale and his eyes were closed, though he was still a little conscious when she patted his face.
“No,” she mumbled, desperately trying to put pressure on the window. “No, no, no. You’re okay, you’re fine.”
“I’m fine,” he said weakly.
Elise approached with the blade again and swung at Flora, and without thinking, Flora caught it by the blade before she could hit Ronan again. She winced as her palm was cut, but was able to knock the blade out of Elise’s hand. Flora picked up the dark blade and immediately felt a surge of energy. She felt all of her anger and betrayal, and all of the hurt Elise had put her through.
Elise stumbled back, eyes wide when she saw the effects of the dark magic taking Flora.
“Victor, do something!” she cried out.
Victor was watching the scene with an amused smile, almost like he was excited to see the fight. Flora was dropping in both her and Ronan’s blood with a wild look in her eyes. Elise scowled and lunged at Flora, but Flora plunged the dark blade into her chest. She felt tears streaming down her face as she saw the life leave her sister’s eyes. She slumped to the floor, and Flora let out a choked sob.
A strange, shimmery mist lifted from Elise’s body and floated through the air to Victor. He took a deep breath, and Flora felt the power radiating from him.
“Not the sacrificial lamb I was expecting,” he admitted. “Seems I had the wrong sister. Come, Flora.”
“Stay away from me!” Flora screamed.
“Hush, I want to help you,” Victor insisted. “Give me the blade, Flora. I can fix this. The boy isn’t dead yet. I can make sure you two can be together.”
Flora’s eyes moved down to the blade, and she realized with horror that her own fingertips were blackened from using it. She had sacrificed her own sister with dark magic.
“You feel it, don’t you?” Victor said. “The power? Imagine if we had this power from the start. You would never have been a servant, run out of town by the ungrateful people you served. I can help you. We can save Ronan’s life, and you two can live a long life together. No one will look down on you again.”
Flora’s hands were shaking. She suddenly remembered the small jar of mermaid tears still in the pocket of her skirt. She looked at her blackened fingers, then at Victor who held his own blackened hand out to her with a gentle smile.
“This is what you did to Elise,” Flora said softly. “She didn’t stand a chance against you.”
He frowned as Flora suddenly lifted her hand with a palm out, and the shadowy tendrils suddenly moved away from her and grabbed Victor instead. The dark magic was overwhelming, but Flora had to take advantage of it while she had control. Victor cursed as he was restrained, and Flora rushed to Ronan’s side again.
He was almost transparent now, but still alive. Flora tried to keep her hands steady as she pushed his shirt up to expose the nasty wound. She then took the jar of tears and emptied half the contents onto the wound. Victor suddenly realized what she was doing and his eyes widened.
“No!” he yelled. “You’ll reverse the sacrifice!”
Flora ignored him, waiting impatiently as the effects of the tears took place. She knew it was a painful process, but it was the only thing that could save Ronan now. The color slowly returned to his face, and his eyes suddenly opened with a gasp. The pain was so heavy that he couldn’t speak. Flora just cradled his head in her lap and stroked his hair.
“I know,” she said softly. “I know it hurts. It’s fighting the dark magic. I know it hurts, and I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
He couldn’t speak, but he looked up at her as she comforted him. Her attention whipped back to Victor when he suddenly cried out. As he said, the tears were fighting the effects of the dark magic and his sacrifice. The spirit world didn’t seem to like their sacrifice being taken away, so they made a sacrifice of their own. Victor was swallowed by the shadows and dragged into another realm.
Flora turned her attention back to Ronan again, who was now alive enough to feel the full effects of the painful tears. It must have felt like flames in his chest. She put her hands on his face and felt that his forehead was hot.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I have to use more magic to get us out of here. It’s not going to feel good.”
He couldn’t talk, but nodded in understanding. Flora hated to continue using dark magic, but she had a hold on it now and she was desperate. She squeezed her eyes shut and envisioned their inn room. She felt a lurch, and when she opened her eyes again, they were there. She felt terrible about it, but she could understand how tempting this magic was.
She managed to lift Ronan enough to get him in the bed. The tears were starting to wind down now and he was visibly relaxed, though unconscious again. Relieved that he wasn’t dead, Flora relaxed for a moment. Once the evidence of Victor and Elise’s crimes were exposed, everything would be fixed.
She sat on the edge of the bed and started to clean the blood off Ronan, though she was still covered in blood herself. As she did so, she noticed the darkness retreat from her fingers. Apparently, disrupting the black magic and sacrifices were taking it from her too. Still, it would be impossible to forget how it felt. Ronan’s eyes opened and he weakly looked up at her. She smiled, brushing his hair from his eyes.
“I thought mermaid tears would feel more cute and glittery,” he said hoarsely. “That was hell.”
“Quiet,” she said. “You need to get some rest to recover.”
“Why did you use the tears on me?” he asked. “You could have sold them.”
“Don’t waste your energy on ridiculous questions,” she scolded. “I told you, I’m here. Im going to take care of you.”
“But the money-“
“We’ll find another way to make money,” Flora insisted. “Money could never replace you. I promised you I wouldn’t go anywhere.”
“We?”
“Yes, we,” she told him. “But before we do anything else, you need to recover.”
“Why?” he asked again.
“Because I love you,” Flora said. “And that’s what you do for people you love. Please close your eyes and try to sleep.”
He was staring at her in a disbelieving daze, but eventually he couldn’t fight the exhaustion anymore and fell asleep. Flora finished cleaning him up, then found herself fighting exhaustion too. She curled up in bed next to him, making sure not to put any pressure on the wound. They still had to make sure their names were cleared, but for now Flora was content to just get some sleep.