Chapter 230

Carol’s POV

I used my powers to fight off the guards, using my mind manipulation to make them fight one another and using some of the spells I was taught to ward them off. I’ve practiced with mind manipulation a lot so I was able to do it quickly. I soon had some of them at least turning against the queen and fighting alongside us again.

I wasn’t able to do that for all of them though. There were too many fighting alongside her and being controlled by the darkness. I couldn’t quite reach them.

I couldn’t believe the King was dead at my feet; the crowd was all screaming, but they were too terrified to actually move. Or maybe the Queen had prevented them from actually moving using more of Raelyn’s dark magic.

Aiden was screaming my name and in the corner of my eyes, I could see that Oliver was also fighting with some former guards as well, standing by the current ones. The darkness was swirling around the streets of the empire, destroying everything they had come into contact with.

“Search for that child!!” I heard the Queen roaring into the darkness; it only intensified the tendrils, and they caused even more destruction in their path. I heard some of the packmates crying in pain as the tendrils killed them. I flinched with each sound of bones cracking and another building falling to the ground.

“Don’t touch my baby!” I screamed at them, trying to get them to listen.

The Queen laughed.

“Do you really think you have any say in what my dark tendrils do?” She asked, barking out a laugh. “You aren’t the one in charge here.”

I glanced at Raelyn, who was watching everything going down blankly; her eyes scanning the scene; dark swirls engulfing her with each breath she took. The tendrils danced around her like they were her pets.

“And neither are you,” I said through my teeth to the Queen, my eyes glued to Raelyn.

“Are you going to let her speak to me like that?” The Queen hissed. “Attack her!” She ordered Raelyn.

Raelyn’s face turned grim and soon, she was lunging at me, a dagger in her hands. I hadn’t noticed the dagger until this moment. I saw the handle of the dagger had moonstones in it. I wondered where she could get such a thing. During my training, the King mentioned that the Moonstone Dagger was incredibly rare and that it was the only thing that could kill any creature. It was created and formed after my birth as an extra precautionary just in the darkness returned. It was made with the same poison that Candance had created.

There was only one of those daggers in the world and Raelyn had it.

“We will kill her and then we can kill her child!” The Queen laughed.

Raelyn attacked me, swiping the dagger across my face but I managed to dodge it in time. I used the power of mind manipulation to get some of the guards to get her off me as she grabbed me and pulled me to the ground, the dagger firmly in her hands. I was surprised she wasn’t using the dark tendrils to fight me, but I could still see the dark swirls in her otherwise bright eyes.

She clenched her teeth and pushed me to the ground, positioning the dagger against my throat. I could hear Aiden yelling my name as he struggled against the dark tendrils that kept him away from me and in the air. He was trying to shift and break free, but to no prevail. The Queen was yelling something at Raelyn, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying with all the commotion going on, and the fact that my life was seconds away from being taken from me.

I had to stay alive for my baby. If I died, my powers would go to Caleb and then they would kill him next. My heart hammered in my chest as I thought about my sweet baby boy; would they kill my mother to get to him as well? I knew my mother wouldn’t go down without a fight; neither would my father.

I wanted to believe that there was still good in Raelyn. That the darkness hadn’t taken over completely. I grabbed her arm, and I brought my gaze to meet hers; I wasn’t sure if my powers would work on her, but I had to try. I channeled her mind and when I found a connection, I realized it was weak, but it was there. It was strong enough for me to see into her past at least; I couldn’t control her like I could the others, but I could look into her mind and find that small bit of hope.

Soon, we were both being transported back to a time that was memorable for Raelyn. It was the day she broke out of the dungeon and ran around the manor grounds. She was only a little girl; she looked like me at that age, only much thinner and she had clear bruises along her arms and the sides of her body. The rags she wore were practically falling off her figure and her hair was matted and unkempt. My heart cracked for her; I could see the dark swirls around her, collecting at her feet and swirling around her body. They weren’t as dark as they are now, but they were clearly there and growing stronger by the moment.

I could see the dark swirls in her eyes as well as if they were a part of who she was.

She ran around the corner, her heart racing, Morgan was chasing after her looking furious. That was when she ran straight into Candance.

“Oh, my Goddess…” Candance whispered, her eyes large as she stared at the little girl. “Who are you?”

Raelyn opened her mouth to speak, but she was struck speechless. She wasn’t used to seeing others, and Candance was gorgeous with her peachy pink hair and her matching eyes. A worried crease formed between Candance’s brows and for a moment, Raelyn felt a bit of hope. But it was short-lived because soon, Morgan caught up to her and grabbed her by the arm, scolding her for running off. She came up with a lie to ward off Candance and then gave her a potion to shield her thoughts. Raelyn’s hope died that day; she knew she would never escape this horrid lifestyle and the only thing she could do was just let it happen.

She was dragged back to the dungeon and beaten until she was unconscious. She was in a coma for days after that before her body healed itself. It always healed itself and then Raelyn had to endure the same pain over and over again.

I blinked back tears as I pulled myself out of her mind. She was staring at me, her breathing shallow and her hands limply holding the dagger against my throat.

“W…what was that? What did you just do…?”

“I’m so sorry that happened to you…” I whispered, not answering her question. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there…”

“You saw…” she croaked, sounding defeated.

Tears streaked down my cheeks, and I nodded, feeling the edge of the dagger rubbing against the soft flesh of my throat.

“They never deserved you…” I told her.

She was quiet for a moment as she stared at me; the darkness continued to swirl around her body and in her eyes. But for a moment, I thought I saw that little girl again and she looked so broken and afraid.

“It’s not fair…” she finally replied with a whimper. “I did everything they ever wanted, and I was still not good enough…they still kept me locked up and tortured…”

“You were only a little girl, and you didn’t deserve any of that. If Candance had known what was happening, she would have helped you. But she had no reason to doubt her superiors at the time…”

“She should have asked questions… or the told the King…” Raelyn whispered hoarsely.

“She was young too,” I reminded her. “Please, Raelyn… I’m your sister. Let me be here for you… let us help you.”

She was quiet for a moment while the Queen continued to bark orders in the background. The dark tendrils only seemed to grow more agitated with each passing moment.

“Please, call the tendrils off and—”

“I can’t,” she said quickly. “They don’t listen to me anymore… they listen to her more than they listen to me. I can’t control them any longer…”

My heart sank from her words; so, Raelyn wasn’t the one in control. The queen truly did have all the power in the world right now.

“You have to kill me,” she finally said after a beat of silence.

I stared up at her in shock.

“What?” I asked. “Why would I do that?? I can’t do that!”

“If you want to live, you’re going to have to. Killing me is the only way you’ll be able to defeat the dark tendrils. You’ll inherit my powers, and you’ll be able to rise as the true High Priestess.”

I shook my head.

“I’ll inherit your darkness,” I told her. “I can’t do that…”

“You are filled with so much light,” she told me, her eyes growing misty with unshed tears. “It will keep the darkness balanced. You will be the most powerful being on this planet and you can use our powers to reverse the destruction caused. It’s the only way!”

“I want that baby found!!!” The Queen roared.

“They just reached the manor; they can sense the baby is there, Your Majesty,” one of the guards reassured her. “They will kill him and anyone who stands in their way.”

Panic consumed me.

Raelyn, who still pinned me to the ground, making it look like we were in the middle of a fight.

“The darkness is controlling them,” she told me. “If you kill me, the darkness will leave them, and they will go back to normal. You must kill me, Carol.”

My body shook; my baby and my family were in immediate danger. I needed to do something to stop this. She thrusted the dagger into the palm of my hands.

“Let this be my last sacrifice to redeem myself,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “I’ve done such bad things and I’m so tired… I want to be free…”

Tears slipped down my cheeks.

“I wish I could have gotten to know you better,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry, Raelyn.”

Before uttering another word, I plunged the dagger into her chest. Her eyes grew large for a moment and then she fell off my body. When the Queen noticed what had happened, she screamed in fury.

“Nooooo!!!!!”

One by one, the tendrils started to crack and break. The one holding Aiden loosened and he was dropped from the sky. Before he landed, he shifted into his wolf form so the landing would be easier.

Raelyn stared up at the sky, her breathing rigid. The dark swirls in her eyes began to dim and she caught my eyes, a small smile tipped the corner of her lips. I removed the dagger from her chest, watching as her crimson blood dripped from the silver blade.

“Attack her!!” The Queen demanded her remaining guards. But just as they were about to lunge at me, the darkness that was once in them vanished, making them fall over their feet.

Raelyn took her final breath, and her body fell limp against the ground. The darkness that was one in her, slithered out of her like a snake and made its way to me. I knew there was no running from this; I just hoped I had enough light to keep them under control.