Chapter 249: Chapter 249 The Dying Light
The crows shrieked louder, circling tighter above our heads. It felt so ominous, that I felt shivers crawling over my skin.
Theo lifted his head, his voice uneasy. "What the hell is this place?"
Alaric’s gaze swept across the dark floor beneath us, his fists clenched. "It doesn’t feel like we escaped. It feels like..." He trailed off, shaking his head.
That was when we realized where we were. We were standing in front of a huge gate, and far beyond the gate stood a castle, a creepy one with its roof shaped in spikes, reaching to the sky.
The castle wall was covered in dried vines with thorns. Bats and crows circled it.
The moon hid behind the blanket of clouds, refusing to shine its light.
Everything about the place made me want to run away.
I grabbed Rhydian’s hand. "Can you open another portal? This place is ominous."
Rhydian frowned. "I can’t open another portal Aeris, the interference here is much stronger. We need to leave now before they find us."
"Aeris, at least let us fight together, if we make it out alive, we can go our own separate ways." Damon’s voice was cold, and monotone.
Rhydian’s wings twitched, his eyes narrowing. "She doesn’t need you," he said flatly.
Damon’s silver gaze snapped to him. "And you think you can protect her alone? Open your eyes, Rhydian. This isn’t some back alley skirmish... we’re standing in front of a castle, and that belongs to the witches. We are in their domain."
The words made my chest tighten. The witches’ castle. I didn’t want to admit it, but he was right.
The gate behind us loomed like a silent warning, its rusted bars crooked, its hinges shrieking whenever the wind brushed them.
I looked at the dried vines clinging to the stone walls, their thorns jutting out like they could pierce skin with the lightest touch. The crows hadn’t stopped circling, their shrieks blending into the rustle of bat wings darting around the castle. Every sound set me on edge. Every shadow looked like it was breathing.
Theo finally broke the silence, his voice rough. "Argue later. If they haven’t found us yet, they will soon."
Alaric’s jaw flexed. He tilted his head, listening. "No," he muttered. "They already have."
The words barely left his mouth before the air split open in front of us.
Purple sparks tore across the ground like lightning, it was bright and violent, and green smoke curled around our feet and filled the air. Figures stepped through the haze one after another, their eyes faintly glowing like embers in the dark.
The witches.
My stomach sank. The battlefield had been bad, but this was worse. Before I could even take a step back, the air behind them rippled and cracked again. Another group stepped out. Their presence was heavier, darker. The Bone Witch and her followers.
The air turned suffocating. It pressed against my chest and shoulders like iron chains.
My head spun, darting between the two groups.
Theo’s voice broke the silence, rough and strained. "What the hell do we do now?" His claws protruded.
Alaric clenched his jaws. None of us moved for a long breath. Both groups of witches stood opposite each other, their power filling the space, their eyes flicking toward us in unison.
The hairs on my arms rose. The silence broke with the sound of bones breaking and rearranging.
Damon shifted into a massive white lycan. His claws extended, sharp and gleaming. His silver grey eyes burned with fury. His form towered over all of us.
He growled, deep and guttural, shaking the air like thunder.
Alaric’s body shifted to a dark wolf, his black fur blended with the night, his golden eyes glowing with rage. He was smaller than Damon, but his teeth bared sharply, his body coiled with fury.
Theo shifted to a golden-brown wolf, bristling with wild energy, his claws scraping deep lines into the stone as he dropped low to the ground.
They lunged into the air, baring their teeth.
The witches raised their hands in perfect unison. Light burst from their palms, slamming against their barrier. Sparks rained down, blinding and hot, but they did not stop.
Beowulf’s massive jaws snapped down on a cloaked figure, the body lifting from the ground like a rag doll before he flung it aside with brutal strength.
Alaric slammed into another witch, his claws tearing through her fabric down to her flesh, his teeth locked on her neck. Theo’s golden form lunged into the fray, his growls sharp and relentless.
I stumbled back, my breath caught in my throat. My heart slammed so hard it hurt. They were tearing into the witches like beasts possessed, but for every figure that fell, more stepped forward. The circle did not break. Their numbers looked endless.
Beowulf’s head whipped around mid-fight. His grey eyes locked on Rhydian, sharp and commanding even in wolf form. His growl was clear, a sound that carried through the chaos. "Take her."
Rhydian’s hand tightened on mine, his wings spreading, ready to move.
But I could not. My feet were locked in place. Something was wrong.
I pressed my hand against my chest. ’Golden.’ The butterfly had been quiet all this time. My heart stopped as I realized even its wings, which had been buzzing against my skin, were silent too.
"Golden?" My whisper cracked as it left me.
There was no answer. Golden’s light, which had always been warm and against me, was dim now. I could barely feel its presence.
’Was the butterfly slipping away?’
"Rhydian, wait." My voice cracked.
I gently brought Golden out, and my heart clenched as fear gripped me. Its form was flickering, like it was dying.
’Was my decision earlier, a bad one. I thought there would be no repercussions. Why is Golden dying?’
I panicked, I didn’t know what to do. I can’t let it die, it almost felt like anything or anyone close to me ended up dying.
I lifted my head, Beowulf rammed into the witches, tearing their flesh and ripping off their heads, Midnight and Theo, fighting beside their Alpha.
My gaze met those of the bone witch. ’If I can get Golden closer to the orb, maybe it will survive.’