Chapter 280 - An Unlikely Alliance - I
Amula (the witch) could feel the blinding pain even before she felt complete consciousness creep inside her. It was a difficult time especially when she was bound to a chair that could not move and was painted with antimagic herbs making her skin burn.
After some time, her skin had stopped sizzling at the touch because it was too burned and she felt numb in those areas.
She was not even sure at this point that she would survive with those burns. They would definitely be infected by now and they would be scarred.
The door opened and she opened her eyes as much as she could. It was difficult with how tired her body felt and especially when it was constantly trying to heal the damaged parts. Amula was being hurt again and again and there was only so much that her body could be there before it gave up.
The man that entered was someone who had proven to be more dangerous than anyone she had ever made and she had actually mat Alexandier, one of the strongest coven leaders.
Nathaniel entered the cottage but did not bother to look at the imprisoned witch sitting in the corner of the room with her hands tied to the back of the chair and her legs to the legs of the chair individually..
"Were the roses delivered?" Nathaniel, or whoever it was as sheep doubted in her mind to be, asked Adrian while looking at her ingredients shelf.
Half of them had been emptied with whatever this man was playing with. This was certainly not good because ingredients were supposed to last at least six moon cycles and it had not even been one.
They were being drained rapidly and only dark magic required that much.
"Yes, sir," Adrian said with a nod, "the roses were delivered and we made sure that they were kept inside the cabin."
"And the girl?" Nathaniel questioned.
Adrian nodded for her too. "She is in the jungle."
"Good," Nathaniel picked out the ingredients and placed them in a bowl. One of them were the fingers of little children which Amula knew were used for nothing good. "And the Powder I gave to you to be thrown around in the jungle?"
Adrian answered, "It is being carried out."
His answer made the movement of Nathaniel falter. His hand stopped in the air as he was reaching for another ingredient. Disregarding what he was doing Nathaniel turned around to face Adrian and kept the bowl on the side table.
"What do you mean it is being carried out? You told me that the roses were in the house and Adeline was in the Jungle. The Powder was meant to be thrown Before any of that happened!" He yelled at the end as he chest moved up and down betraying how much anger he said as if the veins popping out of his forehead were not enough. They became more prominent as he neared Adrian.
"Adrian, do you realise what it would mean if the Powder was distributed in the forest after both of those tasks were carried out?" Nathaniel whispered with an expression as innocent that a child would carry on his face. Yet, the tone he used was ominous. The tone conveyed that the master was not happy and he was ready to show it to everyone.
Adrian shook his head and Amula watched the later gulp. She knew what it meant.
Nathaniel chuckled. "That means that I'm not going to get what I want. That means that all that I have been carrying out for the past moon cycle will not happen. That means every effort of mine has gone to waste." Nathaniel said very calmly as if none of it affected him as much as it should.
Adrian stepped back. "I convey what wa—" he gasped at the sudden pressure that he felt making him suffocate.
He gasped loudly as he placed his hands below his neck. He found it awfully difficult to breathe.
Amula watched everything from the side. She understood what was happening because it was as clear as day. Her assumptions had been right and her sister was wrong.
He was not Nathaniel.
He was not Nathaniel because he was not even holding the neck of Adrian to suffocate him. The strangling was done without any pressure directly applied from Nathaniel and all the man was doing was staring at the neck of Adrian.
Nathaniel was just a Vampire. He had been a powerful one but not enough for him to strangle anyone with his eyes. That was witch blood and this man did not have any inside him.
But since he was able to do this now it only made a grave danger coming onto them. A danger that maybe she could avoid if someone did untie her hands. She still had the right resources for teleportation.
Adrian fell on the floor and heaved loudly. His pale face was red because of the strangling. Even for a Vampire the pressure applied on his neck was too much for him to bear.
"Learn your lesson better, Slave," Nathaniel stepped back and Adrian heaved in relief, "I might have countless chances but you don't. One more mistake and you will end up dying." He spat the words out before stepping over a tree and walking out of the cottage closing the door shut on his way out.
Amula, whose head was practically uncontrollable just as a baby's was, tried to look up and straight at the fallen man on the floor. "Ad. . Adrian. . ." She breathed out, "you should. ."
"No," the man said firmly, "You have heard what he said. If I make another mistake I will be punished and it won't be me that he will be punishing. He will punish my mate." Adrian said without looking at her.
Amula felt the frustration build inside her that she did not want to let go of the only hope she had. "The L-luna is tru. .e . She ca-can heal death. . Mates. ." She huffed, talking was tough now.