The watch's bary Bonus The Witch's Den [ELARA] I dismount from the horse and land firmly on my feet. Magnus looks at me and nods, signaling for me to follow him. We're away from the palace, about half a mile away, I presume, as I look back at it from a distance. We walk a few steps, surrounded by trees so high that I crane my neck trying to find their crowns. Night is starting to fall, the sky taking on a sinister shade of gray streaked with red. We stop at a lone hut standing upright in a clearing. It's too small to contain anything significant inside. But when Magnus actually throws the door open, I see a trapdoor in the floor. It opens with a creak, revealing a series of stairs. I follow Magnus quietly, too intrigued to speak. It's not long before we're faced with a weird-looking door. Morgana is the first person I spot when the intricate locks on the gilded door click and twist, before it swings backward to reveal what I presume is a witch's den. I wonder how long she has been staying here to set up all of this. The ceiling is high and seems to disappear into a dark mist - it's an enchantment, one of many that I have yet to notice as I follow behind Magnus' footsteps. The room itself stinks of something that's both vile and pleasant at the same time. The walls, dilapidated and ivory, are lined with black shelves sporting strange concoctions in jars of varied shapes. Some of them are bubbling. I tear my gaze away when I spot a dead snake in one of them. When a pair of women wearing red-hooded robes part, that's when a bench comes into my view. And lying on top of it is Kayla, still wearing my emerald wedding gown. I gasp, instinctively moving closer to Magnus. He briefly turns to take in my fearful form before he marches towards Morgana. She greets him with a smile, but it vanishes the moment he speaks. "Don't try your charms on me, witch. Remember who you are," he snaps at her, tugging harshly at her arm. She recovers quickly, bowing deeply before she apologizes, "Forgive me, Prince Magnus. I was just trying to place a charm on you that would burn anyone who touched you with malicious intent." I might only be imagining it, but her eyes flicker to me for a brief second. "It didn't work," Magnus emphasizes, his voice still cold. "Maybe you're not as good as you say you are." Morgana frowns. "I didn't want to disappoint you. I'll fix it right now." "You better do that. Why doesn't anyone tell me before they do something that affects me directly?" Magnus voices, moving away from her. He dismisses her with a wave of his hand. Morgana retreats to one of the shelves, her eyes searching for something on them. I force myself to look away, although I'm too curious about her actions. "Take a look, Elara. The maid's fine. Her body will be returned to her family by midnight," Magnus regards me, his voice now calm. He drags a wooden chair across the mud floor and sets it just beside the bench before he sits on it. A sigh leaves his lips before he buries his fingers through his dark hair. This is the first time I've seen him look exhausted. I almost feel sorry for him for how he looks right now, but then Beatrice and Alec come to my mind and I throw that thought into some dark corner. If he's worried about something, he clearly deserves to be. 1/3 of Alec's rogue form attacking me. "We were trying to draw out the poison from her. Reverse-engineer a cure from it," he answers, removing his fingers from his hair and closing them on the armrest of the chair. "I don't understand," I say, gripping the edge of the bench until my knuckles turn as white as Kayla's skin. Her eyes are closed, but I can almost hear her voice at this moment, asking me where I'm going. Morgana interrupts, stepping between us, "It's a difficult concept to understand. It's advanced alchemy, but I've practiced it. We could've extracted the poison from her body during the transition when it actually multiplied, but unfortunately, she died before that could happen. Her throat was ripped open. So was her stomach. And by the time the body arrived here, most of her blood had leached out." Magnus nods, his eyes darting to Kayla's body. "I've never seen this before. I thought I'd learned all about hydraliths. Crazy what the goddess has created in this world." "Hydraliths are the most vicious creatures. Very unstable, too. They reproduce and mutate too quickly. A physician would call this the work of nightly beasts. Vampires," Morgana emphasizes. Then a smile touches her lips before she moves closer to Magnus. "Have you ever met one, prince? A vampire?" I ignore her silliness, putting forward what I feel is a valid question, "Can you try and draw the poison out of Alec?" Magnus shakes his head. "It's not possible," he tells me. Then he answers her question, "Vampires are abundant in Norhall. New migrants. Thanks to the new decision of the conclave. But they're human hybrids. There are no pure vampires in Caelondor. Find some in the court tomorrow, Morgana. Let's see how much your witch powers help you in that." She giggles stupidly. "Will you introduce me to some?" I let out a frustrated groan and push her aside. "Will you shut up?" She raises an eyebrow, her eyes boring into mine before she laughs and walks away. Magnus rolls his eyes. But I still press him further. "Why isn't it possible, Magnus? Tell me that." "He's been rogue for over two days. He has completed the transition," he says dismissively, getting to his feet. "Did you try?" I inquire, feeling restless. "No. Morgana says it would be a waste of time." "You could try. Well," I mumble, huffing. "What other way is there then? To cure him? Every moment that passes pushes him further into that darkness." Magnus places his hands on my shoulders. I flinch, expecting the same burning sensation, but nothing happens. He notices that but says nothing about it. Instead, he tells me clearly, "Don't have hopes. Don't for a moment think that this is going to work. That he's going to be fixed. Always expect the worst. Prepare to lose him. You've already lost him." I know Magnus is not saying those words to hurt me; he's only trying to be honest. I still feel fury rise in my veins. "The body is of no use to us now. The family can have it and dump it into the Cursed Gulf after they've carried out their rites, Magnus conveys. Then his hands drop from my shoulders and he starts to walk back to the door. "I have to present myself to the council now, Elara. Fix what you messed up. Don't frown now. I'll have the body brought up to the palace. Come with me." No words are exchanged as Magnus and I ride back to the palace on horseback, but my mind is whizzing with thoughts. I pity that the omegas don't even get to give a proper funeral to their dead here in Caelondor. I fear that Alec is lost forever. I wonder what Alina is up to back in Mistral Hollow. And I think of who Magnus lost to rogueness. The body is brought soon enough, and I'm alerted by a messenger who comes to my chamber as I pace back and forth restlessly. Before he leaves, I give him the jewels I wore on my wedding day and ask him to make arrangements. He hesitates and declines, 2/3 but then when I firm up my voice a little, he bows and obeys. I call Beatrice and ask her to gather her family and meet me by the shore. Guards surround me as I make my way to where Kayla will be put to rest. They walk when I do, they slow down when I do. They stop when I do. It frustrates me a little, but I understand Magnus is doing all this to ensure I don't slip away and do something that puts him in trouble. When the cool sand slips in between my toes as I make my way to the wooden pyre, Beatrice rushes towards me. Her face is slick with tears and snot running down her cheek, but there's more than just grief in her eyes. There's fear and worry. "A wooden pyre?" she questions me in disbelief, as I place my arm on her shoulder and walk her back to where she came from." Omegas don't burn their dead." "They can't afford to," I reply, putting one step in front of the other. She continues staring at me with confusion and disbelief, but I assure her, "She deserves a proper funeral." Beatrice musters up a smile and we join her family that is mourning, eyes glistening in their tears. I take in the face of what I assume are the younger siblings, looking up at me with fear in their eyes. I give them a smile, but they look away. The elders thank me, but I know in my heart this is what has to be done. Beatrice cries louder as her father torches the pyre holding Kayla's body. They all mutter their prayers to the goddess. Kayla burns, and I feel my hopes burning too. The hopes of ever having my Alec back. But then, to my utter shock, my wolf, Lila, calls out to me. "He'll be alright," she assures me. 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