Chapter 56; Witchcraft

The last time he saw his grandmother, he was disrespectful to her. Now that he was in her presence, he knew that he would have to be patient. But since the situation didn't allow it, Amoux summoned his courage and simply knelt beside her.

"Grandma, Ainar might be in danger." He said without preamble.

So what if she is in danger? Haven't you grown up and are capable of conquering the world? Do you not have a mother who is all-powerful and knows what's best for you? Why come bother me? I am too busy for this! Kulan grumbled in her heart but her face remained passive and expressionless.

"Speak." She ordered without sparing him a glance.

"She went to have a meal at the house of Lord Ræm. His last daughter; Lykie is Ainar's best friend." Amoux started explaining. "A few minutes ago, she sent me a text that she was poisoned by Lykie. She wants to find out what they intended to do to her but wants us to stand by." He concluded.

There was silence for a bit then Kulan twitched her lips and nodded.

Just like she predicted, these kids didn't listen and one of them has now walked into a trap.

Even if I don't use them as bait, aren't they doing it to themselves? She mused.

"Okay."

She then continued watching the torture that was going on in the chamber in front of her. She had been watching this from a mirror all this time.

Puzzled by her casual actions, Amoux frowned in displeasure.

"I know you are angry with us but are you really going to let them harm Ainar just to soothe your anger?" He grunted angrily.

Amoux had heard so many stories about how callous and vicious Kulan could be but he has never truly experienced it. It occurred to him that Kulan might want to be as vicious as people say. That very thought and how it could harm his sister infuriated him.

Without turning around or standing up, Kulan blinked and magic suddenly surged out of her and slammed into Amoux.

It was like an invisible tsunami crashed into him. He was instantly sent flying like a paper kite on a windy day.

By the time his flying body was stopped by a wall, he had crashed through several rooms.

The people in the torture chamber stood still in shock as they watched his body drop to the ground some feet away. Even the ones being tortured were shocked.

His body made a tunnel-like passageway, linking several chambers and even cells.

In the process of flying, his body had also crashed against several slaves and crew members, killing most and severely injuring others…

In her room, Megan was reading when her heart constricted and pain surged through her. She grabbed her phone and tried to call both Amoux and Ainar.

She was calling Ainar when her door opened and Ryan rushed in looking bewildered. He was also on the phone calling Amoux.

"Ryan!" Megan yelled anxiously.

"You can feel it too?"

"I am calling Ainar but she is not picking!"

"Amoux too."

The two parents became very anxious.

"Let's go find mother. She will feel it too."

Ryan grabbed Megan's hand and hurried out of the room at lightning speed.

Within seconds, they were in the dungeon and they spotted the unconscious Amoux immediately.

"Amoux!" Megan yelled and they rushed to him.

After checking and seeing that he was just unconscious but unharmed, Ryan and Megan relaxed and looked toward Kulan who was ignoring them.

"Mother, what's going on? What happened to my son? Why did he faint?" Megan hurried to KuLaa's side with lots of questions.

Kulan ignored Megan, making her so confused. All she could do was stand beside Kulan and hope that Kulan would respond soon.

Ryan was the first person to notice the ruins around them. He instantly knew that Kulan was the one who knocked Amoux out.

"What is going on mum? Where is Ainar?" he asked as he followed his wife to his mother's side. But to his dismay, Kulan ignored him too. So, he quickly transmitted to his wife that Kulan could be the culprit.

Megan looked around in shock and shuddered.

What could Amoux have done to incur KuLaa's wrath? She had never seen the woman get too angry with the kids before.

This looks bad. Megan mumbled inwardly.

She looked around again but couldn't spot Ainar. This made her very anxious.

With Ainar's demeanor, If Kulan could kick Amoux this hard, what would she do to Ainar?

"Mother, I know you are angry but they are just kids. Please don't be too angry." Megan started begging.

Kulan stood up and pressed a red button in front of her. The door to the torture chamber opened and Alice stepped out, covered in blood.

"Let him be for now. Continue after tonight's raid." Kulan said to Alice.

"Yes, my liege." Alice went on her knees.

Unexpectedly, Kulan turned to Megan and Ryan.

"As you wish, you will be solely responsible for yourselves and your family from now on. When you are addressing me, you must bow in greeting. I am not your mother. I am your liege."

"What?" Megan and Ryan exclaimed in shock.

"After today, you will be assigned your own courtyard on the island and your duties. If you are not willing to work for me then you are free to leave as soon as possible. This crew doesn't tolerate freeloaders."

Kulan finished speaking and walked off with even steps.

Ryan and Megan stood in place for a long time, not saying a word. Things had suddenly gone south and they had no idea why.

"What is going on?" Megan finally found her voice and asked her husband who was now carrying Amoux in his arms.

She looked pale in the face and her eyes were clouded with confusion.

"Didn't you promise to be part of her crew without complaint?"

"Yes. But I have not broken any of the rules."

"You stood up against her order two weeks ago. Since then, this is the first time we will be appearing before her. Not to apologize but to make demands. We have further offended mother." Ryan explained.

"By the Moon Mother! I tried to go see her but Alice said I must make an appointment. It was so ridiculous and annoying. When have I ever needed to do that just to see her?"

As Megan complained to her husband, it dawned on her that the reason Alice didn't let her see Kulan wasn't because she was being malicious, but because Kulan didn't regard her as a close family member again. To KuLaa, she and her kids are now as ordinary as the other relatives.

Megan's eyes teared up. Everything was fine not long ago. Was she wrong to stand up for her kids' best interests?

"Hubby, what should we do now?" Megan turned to Ryan.

"Let's look for Ainar first. I will go speak to my mother later." Ryan said gently.

Megan nodded as she remembered that her heart was still feeling heavy. Which could only mean that Ainar was still in trouble.

The couple walked out of the dungeon amidst whispers. This was something they had never experienced before.

When they were recognized as KuLaa's family, when they came outside, everyone would stop talking and could only gossip behind them.

But now, with KuLaa's new declaration, it was clear that they were no longer considered as the master's family members but as relatives. This was because KuLaa's relatives didn't kneel to her. They only bow.

But even though they were related by blood, these relatives didn't receive any other privileges apart from what the hired crew got.

With Megan and Ryan losing their status, the respect given to them was also removed. If they want respect from now on, they must earn it, just like everyone else.

When they stepped out of the dungeon, they met Bella waiting for them.

"Megan, let one of the boys send Amoux to his room for now. You need to come with me." Bella said to Megan.

"What's going on?" Ryan asked. "Is it Ainar? Where is she?"

"I also don't know the basics but according to Amoux, Ainar got poisoned at her best friend's house. Kurt is on ground to rescue her but I thought you would also want to go there and see."

"Take!" Megan handed Amoux to Ryan. "Take him inside. I will follow her."

"Okay."

Ryan took his son and hurried off to the villa while Bella and Megan hurried off the island using magic.

At the Ræm's family castle, after waiting a bit for Lykie to return with another bottle of wine, Ainar used her spiritual eyes to search Lykie's room but couldn't find anything other than some protective magic circles that were similar to the ones she has in her rooms.

These were common and almost everyone had such spells in their inner chamber.

What Ainar was looking for was anything that shouldn't be in Lykie's room but she found nothing.

Since Ainar Intentionally didn't get rid of the poison in her system, she started feeling sleepy.

"So it's a sleeping potion." Ainar sneered inwardly.

She got rid of the sleeping potion in her system and then allowed herself to fall into a semi-trance. This way, she would appear to be deeply asleep but her consciousness would be active. She would be aware of everything going on around her.

When Lykie entered with another bottle of wine and saw that Ainar had fallen asleep, she snorted disdainfully. She placed the bottle on the ground and went out of the room again.

In her semi-conscious state, Ainar clearly felt the hatred Lykie felt for her, and her heart trembled.

Lykie was a timid, easy-going girl whom Ainar personally chose as her sidekick and servant.

She did this because the girl was easy to control and ready to serve the most beautiful girl in school and granddaughter of Lord KuLaa.

Who would have thought that this same girl could bore so much hate?

Ainar was tempted to get up and go confront Lykie but she knew doing that would ruin her plans, so she clenched her fists and stayed semi-conscious.

Not long after, Lykie came in with a young, short, and plum woman in her thirties.

"See, Madam Becca, she didn't even take long before passing out. If she is as powerful as you said, shouldn't she have discovered that the wine was laced?" Lykie's worried voice carried into Ainar's ears.

"Not necessarily. This potion is from the old recipes. It's powerful and mixed with our Lord's blood. No low-level vampire can detect it."

"Aah!," Lykie exclaimed in shock. "How can you waste something so precious? Will mum not be angry?"

"Of course not. She was the one who gave it to me."

"Anyway, as long as I don't have to continue to lower myself to be this arrogant idiot's sidekick, I will be happy."

"If her brother had come with her, things would have been perfect."

Becca said as she bent down and started casting spells over Ainar's body.

"You want her brother too?" Lykie asked in bewilderment.

When she was asked to keep an eye on Ainar two years ago, she wasn't told the reasons. But now that Becca, her mother's witch made mention of needing Amoux, Ainar's handsome brother whom she used to crush on, her curiosity peaked.

She waited till Becca finished her incantation before asking. "Madam Becca, what do my mother need them for?"

"I am not allowed to say and you are not allowed to ask. What I do know is that if we can capture them and bring them to the Supreme Lords, our family's statues would rise in the circle." The woman replied then rolled out a black leather purse she brought in with her.

As the purse rolled out, a set of golden needles were revealed. There were three hundred in total and they were of different sizes and lengths.