Chapter Sixteen – Jade/Marco POV

Jade POV

It had been days without any sort of spell or plan to cause the chaos we all craved. Marco’s headaches seem to have gotten worse, and the right between him and Damien was stronger.

I finally got up to find Marco. After I helped with his last headache, he left in a huff. I had to make sure he wasn’t picking a fight with Damien again.

As I approached him, I saw him gazing at a vision he had conjured. He looked shocked, maybe even scared.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

He started to grin. “Morgyn and Aidoneus are at Damien’s house in Newcrest.” He looked at me. “We’ve got them. Two more people to aid us.”

I shook my head. “They’ll kill us.”

He dismissed the vision and stepped toward me. “No. We can take them and force them to comply.” He put his arms around my waist, gazing into my eyes. “This is great. We could infiltrate the realm, fulfil the legend. We are the most powerful duo. Have you forgotten?”

I grinned. “Oh no, I haven’t forgotten. Then, Marco, do your worst. I’ll be waiting.”

He took my hand. “Oh, my dear, you’re coming with me.”

We approached Damien and explained what we saw. Damien gleefully followed us outside, where Marco conjured another vision. Damien lifted his hand, and we saw Morgyn and Aidoneus glance around them. The house got dark. The lights flickered on.

“They’re trapped,” he said. “Let’s get them.”

Happily, we all set off for Newcrest again.

——————————

Marco POV

The darkness completely took over. I couldn’t stop it anymore. I watched helplessly as my body followed Damien and Jade out of Henford-on-Bagley. Once out, we teleported to Newcrest, right to Damien’s door. He lifted his hand again and opened the door, almost immediately subduing the two of them and bringing them back to the cottage.

“Now what?” Jade asked, grinning and rubbing her hands together. “Brainwash? Kill?”

I shook my head. “Darkness spells. They will join us.”

“No, no,” Damien shook his head. “Let them marinate, so to speak. Let them think they can form a plan, and then brainwash. Toy with their minds.” He looked at Jade. “We need to make you less threatening. Appear normal. Say your spell was broken. You’ll help them.”

She nodded obediently as Damien cast a spell over her. Her eyes returned to their normal red, and she smiled warmly.

“I’ve got this.”

She did look like herself, and her natural charm would make them believe her. I grinned.

“Mi reina, you look lovely. Like your old self.”

“Don’t be fooled, mi rey,” she said, approaching me. “Things aren’t always what they seem.”

I smirked as she kissed me. Damien rolled his eyes.

“Could you maybe keep your hands to yourself for once?”

“Never,” we said in unison, prompting a laugh from both of us.

Damien growled. “Let’s get to work.”

“There’s something I need to do,” I said, stepping away. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

I quickly teleported away, finding Crystal and locking her in the room she shared with Damien. She couldn’t teleport and couldn’t match my magic. I grinned menacingly.

“You didn’t help me, so now I won’t help you. Don’t get in our way. Got it?”

She gazed at me, fearful. “Wh-what are you going to do?”

I weaved some magic between my fingers, a mixture of black and red swirling around my hand. “Oh nothing, if you comply.”

And with that, I teleported out.

“No! No no no!” I heard my thoughts screaming. I silenced them with darkness. I couldn’t help myself anymore either. This was who I was. Nothing would stop me. Nothing could change me.

‘I am dangerous,’ I thought. ‘And nothing will ever change that.’

I rejoined Damien and Jade. They were talking about their plans to infiltrate.

“I think we should wait,” I said. “Morgyn and Aidoneus aren’t considered missing just yet. The spellcasters will know something is strange if darkness floods the realm. We need to put them on edge for awhile. Make them worry. Weaken their minds.”

Damien smiled. “Good idea, my friend. It’s about time you’ve contributed something useful.”

I glared at him, and Jade stepped between us.

“One more thought like that, and I’ll permanently silence you,” she snarled at him.

He nodded and stepped back, fearful. “Sorry.”

I grinned. My badass queen, of course stepping in.

“I’ll go to them,” she said. “I’ll put on my best face.” She gave an innocent smile and walked away. I followed, planning to stand outside the door to listen. She took my hand. “Ready for some grammy winning acting?”

I laughed softly. “Of course. Can’t wait to see this.”

She stepped into the room, and I stood beside the door, out of sight.

“Oh my God!” She cried, hugging them. “I’m so sorry for what they’ve done to you. I’m sorry for just taking off like that. I know I owe you an explanation, but now is not the time. We need to find a way to get you out of here.”

Morgyn spoke softly so he wouldn’t be heard. “Jade, you broke free of the spell?”

“Yes. Their magic is weak. I broke out of it easily.”

Morgyn laughed. “Of course you did.”

I grinned. This was all going according to plan.

“We don’t want to leave,” Aidoneus said. “We set them up for a reason. We’re going to fight them. This needs to end, and we need you on our side.”

“Yes,” Jade agreed. “Of course. Anything you need. “What’s the plan?”

“We first need to find an escape,” Morgyn said. “We are surrounded by fields, no? We could easily take them down and run.”

“Take them down?” Jade gasped. “No, Morgyn. I’m not here to kill anyone.” Her voice broke as she forced herself to cry. “Marco had been taken over by darkness. But I won’t kill him. We have to find another way.”

“Does Damien have him under a spell too?” Aidoneus asked.

“No! It’s our magic. When he cast the spell on me, our magic became intertwined. Dark and light magic mixed between us, and it brought out his darkness easily.” Jade sat back a little where I could see her. “Shhh, he’s coming.” She glanced out the door and nodded slightly. “Stay still. We will figure this out later.”

“Jade,” Morgyn took her hand. “Don’t go. Please. I’m so sorry for the way I acted, but I can’t stand this.”

She stood up. “I’m sorry Morgyn. You made your choice, and I made mine.”

I stepped through the door. “Ah, mi reina.” I put my arm around her waist and kissed her forehead. “Tending to our guests?”

She smiled. “Of course. I wanted to make them feel welcome before we execute our plan.” She gave them a wink, acting like she was only being bad in my presence. Damn, she was good.

“Good. Let’s leave them. We will start soon.” I grinned at Morgyn and Aidoneus. “You shouldn’t have tested us. Enjoy your stay.”

With that, I shut the door and locked it.

Jade immediately kisses my cheek, giggling. “That was fun!”

I laughed. “Indeed it was.”

I heard Morgyn and Aidoneus talking through the door and stopped.

“Mi reina?” Morgyn asked. “What does that mean?”

“Mi reina is ‘my queen’ in spanish,” Aidoneus informed him.

I grinned. Couldn’t wait for this to play out.

“Wait, wait,” Morgyn said, his voice louder with anger. “He called her that when he brainwashed her during his reign. She hated it. Now he’s saying it in spanish and it’s okay?”

“Maybe she doesn’t understand what he’s saying.”

“She damn well does! Jade wouldn’t just let someone call her something she doesn’t understand.”

There was silence.

Finally, Aidoneus spoke up again. “Morgyn, if you’re going to execute this plan, your head needs to be in it. You aren’t here to get Jade back. You’re here to make everything as normal as it can be. You heard her. You made your choice and she made hers, even before this whole dark spell thing. Let her go. She seems happy with him.”

Again, silence.

I walked away. I had heard enough. Morgyn was plagued with jealousy and anger. He wanted to move on from Jade, but was angry that she had moved on from him.

I rejoined Jade and Damien. Damien was praising Jade for her act. I smiled and walked up to her. “You did do a great job. They didn’t suspect a thing.”

“Then, we move on to our next plan.” Damien thought for a moment.

I stopped. “Which is…?”

“We attack or make them like us.”

“Frankly, I don’t want them like us,” I said. “I like a good challenge.”

Damien scoffed. “The last time you wanted a challenge, you were defeated by someone who was borderline powerless because you held her power. You were the strongest spellcaster in the realm and lost to the powerless.”

“Damien, please,” I spoke quietly, but my anger got the best of me. “Would you, for once, just shut the FU-“

“Marco,” Jade stopped me. “Enough.” She glared at Damien. “Did you forget my warning?”

He sighed, but didn’t say anything.

Jade turned to me. “Mi rey, you need to control yourself. Your temper was your downfall then, and it will be now if you don’t tame it.”

I grinned at her playfully. “Asking an untamed spellcaster to tame themselves?”

She giggled. “Hush! Just don’t get yourself-“

She was cut off by a very angry Morgyn charging at us. Before I could blink, he knocked me down with powerful magic, jumping on top of me and screaming in my face.

“You bastard! I should have never trusted you! All these years you were putting on an act! This is who you really are, and now you bended Jade to your will as well? She will never be your queen! She’s leaving with us.”

Aidoneus tried to pull him off of me, as did Damien, but he pushed them both back with magic.

“I will kill you, Marco Lew! And this time, I’ll make sure no one revives you!”

I saw Jade’s eyes shift again. In one swift motion, she grabbed Morgyn and pinned him.

“You’ll have to get through me first,” she growled. “And I promise you, Morgyn Ember, you won’t make it out alive.”

His eyes widened. “Jade, but you…” he trailed off, gazing at her eyes.

“We are the destroyers,” she said calmly. “I’ve accepted my fate. You need to accept it too.”

“This isn’t you, Jade,” he said, stroking her cheek.

She grabbed his arms and pinned them. “Yes it is! Just accept it!”

I stepped closer. “Jade-“

“Marco!” Morgyn growled. “Get away from her! You’ve done enough damage!”

I glanced up and saw Crystal walking toward us, a smirk on her face.

“Bet you didn’t think I’d escape that locked room, huh Marco?” She laughed.

Damien’s eyes widened. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Morgyn push Jade off of him. He and Damien both began to conjure magic to attack me. Light and dark magic sparks flew and burst as they charged.

“No, but she-” I stopped. “She’s not under your spell, Damien. Please, listen! I locked her up there so she wouldn’t get in the way. She’s a good spellcaster!” I kept backing up as they got closer. “Morgyn, no, I didn’t want this for Jade. I was forced by Damien to cast that spell. Jade and I came here to break Crystal free of her spell and get her to our side. It worked! But the spell I cast on Jade, I-” I stopped and closed my eyes. “Just STOP!” I roared. “I didn’t want any of this!”

They both flung their magic at me at the same time, and I created a shield to protect myself. “LISTEN TO ME!” I shouted angrily. I cast a freezing spell on everyone. “Jade and I came to Damien to act like we were going to join him. We wanted to gather information. We didn’t actually want to join him. The plan was to infiltrate and break Crystal free of the spell Damien had on her. But Damien forced me to cast a spell on Jade to actually make her the way she is now. Our dark and light magic mixed and we both became dark spellcasters. I have been trying desperately to fight this! It gets harder and harder by the day!” I clenched my fist. “I am a good spellcaster. I am a light spellcaster. I NEVER want to be who I was then!” My head started to throb; the worst pain I had experienced yet. It filled my magic, breaking them free. I fell to the ground. “I am not a dark spellcaster,” I whispered. My body began to shake, surrounded in darkness. The pain subsided. I watched as the magic blew away with the wind.

And with that, I felt like myself. No darkness. No bad intentions. But I was weakened.

“Do what you want to me,” I said quietly. “Anything. I just don’t care anymore. Kill me, banish me, do whatever. I’m ready.”

I saw Morgyn approach me. I closed my eyes, accepting whatever he planned to do. But nothing happened. I opened my eyes and looked up. He was holding out his hand. Aidoneus had Damien in a freeze spell like I had. Jade watched on in horror, and Crystal looked shocked. I don’t know why. I told her this would happen.

I took Morgyn’s hand and he helped me up. I gazed at him, scared. “T-thanks,” I stuttered.

“Your eyes,” he said. “You’re back.”

I smiled. “I’m back.”

Jade began to look angry. “So you’re a traitor,” she said, stepping toward me. “I really thought the darkness had consumed you. I really thought we fulfilled the legend. Don’t you want power? Don’t you like power?” She stepped closer still. “You crave it, just like I do. And we had the chance. But you screwed it up!” She charged at me, surrounding her body in black magic. “I’ll kill you! Everything we strived for! It’s gone!”

I grabbed her as she crashed into me, stepping backwards to keep my balance. “No. I don’t want power. I don’t like it or crave it. Not anymore.”

Untamed magic seared through her body, red sparks and electricity-like magic flowed through her arms and legs. She charged an attack, surging painful magic through my whole body as she gripped me tighter.

The pain was blinding and unbearable. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“Stop!” Morgyn grabbed her. “Stop it! You’ll kill him!”

She gazed into my eyes with a grin. “Yes, I will.”

——————

Jade POV

It was working. His eyes began to close as I drained the life out of him in the most painful way possible. Morgyn tried to grab me, but I had my mind made up. He was a traitor, destroying everything we were working towards. So there was only one option in my mind. Kill him.

“Jade, you aren’t like this!” Morgyn cried, pulling at me some more. “Get off! You’re killing him!”

That was the plan. I shoved Morgyn out of the way, causing him to stumble backwards just as Marco and I fell to the ground as well.

“Jade,” he whispered.

I smirked. “Yes, Marco?”

He gazed at me with pleading eyes. “I’m sorry.”

This weakened my magic temporarily. “What?”

“I’m sorry. This didn’t go the way we planned at all.” His voice was hoarse as the pain shot through him. “I screwed up. I’ll accept this fate. But…”

He stopped and his eyes closed. Something within me told me I should feel horrible. Once again, I killed Marco. But this time, we were on the opposite sides.

Tears filled my eyes, but I didn’t know why. I stood up, wiping them away. “He said we could do whatever. So I did.” I walked away. I headed upstairs and laid down on the bed.

“I want to go home,” I said quietly, the tears filling my eyes again. “I don’t want this.” I put my face into the pillow. It smelled like him. “What did I do?” I pushed myself up, just staring at the pillow. “Oh God, what did I DO?”

Outside, I heard screaming. I got up and looked out the window to see Crystal charging at Damien. The battle continued. I wasn’t going to step in for either side. I was done. I couldn’t fight.

I teleported home, to the apartment I had shared with Marco. Those words repeated in my mind. “What have I done?” I knew I could revive him, but I was ashamed to.

I went into the bathroom, staring at myself in the mirror. I could feel myself returning to normal. Not that it mattered now…

I watched my eyes fade in and out. The whites of my eyes getting brighter with each fade until they were normal. Well, normal with a shadow, of course. The spell had faded because Marco was dead.

“Something wrong?” I heard. I turned around and saw Marco standing in the doorway of the bathroom, a sly grin on his face.

I smiled happily and ran over to him, hugging him. He hugged me back, laughing.

I cried into his chest. “I’m so sorry! I don’t know why I did that. I was stupid! So stupid!”

He held me close. “Clearly I hold nothing against you.”

“I can’t go back there,” I whispered. “I want to stay here with you. I want to forget all of this.”

He sighed and rubbed my back. “We have to. Damien will just keep going, but now, he’s far more angry.”

“What are we going to do?” I asked.

“Join the others and fight him.”

I tightened my grip on him. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Seventeen (click here)