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AURORA’S POV
I closed my eyes and focused on the place I had seen in my memories and tried to teleport there. A few minutes later I had fallen on the ground, drenched in sweat and panting with exertion.
My magical powers weren’t enough to penetrate the dark shield. There was only one way now…
Teleporting to the sanctuary, I took out ‘The Heart of Magic’. I shivered at the currents of power coursed through me by just holding it.
I was about to use it when my mind veered to the Old Lady’s words. ‘Every time you use this stone, you will lose a part of your soul. It will suck you of all happiness, love, kindness and all that will be left in a dark, cold corpse devoid of any feelings.’
My hands trembled and my heart raced faster than horses. Aslan, Tyson, and Zarina had already taken their positions as per the plan.
If I didn’t save Tiara on time, I would risk all of their lives. Still, the stone had to be used only as a last resort.
Sliding it into the pocket of my leather pants, I closed my eyes and tried yet again to teleport.
TYSON’S POV
The troops that arrived with The Dark Lord were meager. He would definitely try to use Tiara as leverage and I planned to let him do exactly that.
I commanded all my troops to remain hidden while Aslan and I sauntered into the open. All we needed to do now was to wait for him to reach us.
Moments before The Dark Lord appeared before me, Zarina warned me. I stood close enough to Aslan so that I could grab him and teleport if needed.
A sudden surge in the energy field sent shivers down my spine. He did seem powerful. I had no idea if we could hold up against him even with Zarina’s help but we had to try.
“Who do we have here, The Great King of Typhoon? How come he is not walking within a protective circle?”
I widened my eyes in surprise, then glared at him saying, “What the hell are you doing in my land!”
He placed his hands on my shoulder and said, “Now… Now… isn’t that rude… Aren’t you worried, I will kill your daughter if you insult me…”
MY blood boiled and I was about to lose control when Aslan projected his thoughts, *Think about Tiara…*
Letting out a deep sigh, I said, “You wouldn’t want to mess with me. One command and all your army would be turned to dust.”
“Let’s see!” He said clapping his hands. Witches and werewolves surrounded us in hundreds. What the opponents didn’t know was that they were surrounded by thousands.
Silver bullets rained on them and before they knew their numbers were reduced to half.
“Create a shield, idiots!” The Dark Lord commanded.
Soon, the witches cast a spell rendering our silver bullets useless. Our witches fought back and the shield was weakening but then the Dark Lord joined the game.
With a single wave of the hand, he killed ten witches on our side. I had to stop him else he would kill all of them within minutes.
I shifted to my dragon form and instructed Zarina to cloak me. I breathed fire in his direction but he turned at the right moment and used a spell to douse the fire.
He sent a wave of energy towards me but Zarina’s cloaking spell protected me. He attacked several more times in quick succession.
*I don’t think I can handle this any longer* Zarina’s voice sounded.
F***! What would we do now?
He raised his hand to attack me but Aslan lifted him in the air and dropped him. The shock factor kept him distracted but only for a few moments.
I had to think of something before he killed Aslan. “Where is your magical stone, Dark Lord?” I asked in a teasing tone.
His eyes widened and he stared at me for a while before saying, “You were the one who switched the stone, isn’t it?”
“I had almost started questioning your intelligence, Adam…”
He was shocked when I addressed him with his real name but he regained his composure quickly. “Give the stone to me right now!”
“Why would I do that?”
“Fine then… I didn’t want an innocent girl to be killed but if you insist on being insolent… How can I help it?”
“No! Wait! I am coming down…” I said and took my human form again.
“Don’t harm Tiara… I will go and get the stone…”
“Do you think I am a fool, Tyson? Take me along…”
Damn! What should I do now? I couldn’t give him the stone. It would make him invincible.
*Tyson, I have an idea. Use the locket that was hexed. He will get lost in the way!” Aslan’s voice sounded.
It seemed like a brilliant plan and I was about to execute it when Zarina’s voice sounded.
*Hell No! Are you crazy! It will lead him to the place Tiara is kept.*
Damn! She had a point too. Now, I had no option but to take him to the sanctuary.
“Thinking about another sinister plot, are we?” Adam said, placing his hand on my shoulder…
“It is kept at the sanctuary. I will take you there.” I said in a defeated voice.
He must have sensed the sincerity in my voice. He didn’t protest. How I wished it took minutes or hours to teleport…
AURORA’S POV
My heart pounded against my ribs as I walked along the dark passage. I was grateful that the teleportation worked the second time but I wished that the location could have been more specific.
I had been wandering for quite some time. On top of that, I was being hit by messages from Tyson, Aslan, and Zarina to hurry up.
I had to risk using magic to locate Tiara. Once I found her, it was as if I was drawn in that direction. Within a few minutes, I reached the room where she was kept.
My heart sank when I saw my angel’s pale face. She looked like she was in a deep sleep but I couldn’t say for sure.
I was going to use my magic to break the shield when a voice sounded, “Wait! Don’t do that.”
My blood boiled and I gritted out, “And who will stop me, YOU?”
She raised her hand in the air and said, “I am not your enemy, Aurora. Pause for a moment and study the spell before you act rashly.
I kept my eyes fixed on her as I used my energy to sense the spell. There was ice, ashes, bones, sins, decay… My heartbeat accelerated with each element of death I sensed. This spell was cast to drain Tiara of her life.
“It doesn’t matter if you give Dark Lord what he wants or not. Tiara will die and so will all of you…”
My eyes widened in horror…
“Yes, he knows about your bond.”
“But, how?”
“Caleb told him…”
Not again… He couldn’t betray me a second time…
I grasped her shoulders and said, “Please tell me this is a lie… please…”
“He did this only to protect me and our baby…”
My eyes snapped towards her stomach and then the doorway. “You should leave immediately… This place is no safe…”
She shook her head and said, “We both have our roles to play, Aurora. Here take this dagger. Use it to kill the Dark Lord. I will stay back and protect Tiara…”
“But…”
“We have to follow Caleb’s plan, Aurora. This is the only way we can save the world from The Dark Lord.”
Nodding my head, I prepared to teleport back to the battleground. I didn’t inform anyone because I didn’t want to lose the element of surprise.
.