Chapter 62 CHAPTER 62
Leonard paced the length of the cramped living room like a man being hunted by his own breath, hands twisting nervously behind his back. His wife, Mara, sat hunched on the threadbare couch, elbows braced on her knees, fingers pressed into her temples. She looked as though she’d been carved out of worry.
Sarah watched them from the dining table, chin propped on her palm, an untouched mug of tea slowly losing its warmth before her. She looked painfully bored, as though the rising panic in the room was a childish tantrum she’d already grown tired of.
Leonard’s voice finally cracked through the silence. “Two visits. Two, Sarah. Do you know what that means? The king’s commander doesn’t walk into a pack twice in one week unless something is very wrong. Maybe they know. Maybe they’ve….”
Sarah’s eyes lifted, slow and unimpressed. “Sit down,” she muttered. “You’re making my head spin.”
He froze mid-stride, then reluctantly obeyed, collapsing beside Mara. His knee bounced uncontrollably. Mara’s hands dropped from her face, her eyes wide and shining with dread.
“What if they’ve found out you’re not… for moon goddess sake….” Mara began, but her voice broke. “If they know our son isn’t abroad…. if they know we lied….”
Sarah let out a soft hiss, the kind a snake might give when the mouse refuses to quiet down. “Relax. If the king had found out, you’d both be dead already. Do you see any royal guards dragging you out? Chains? Torches?” She spread her hands in mock inspection. “No? Good. Then stop whining.”
Mara swallowed hard. “But the commander, although he visited every home. When he came here he specifically asked about you. He looked at us as if he knew something. I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Oh shut up Mara! You’re always having a bad feeling about everything.” Sarah hissed. “The reason he looked at you like that is because you lie like a leaky bucket,” Sarah snapped. “And because you sweated through your shirt, Leonard.” Her lips curled. “Anyone would stare at that.”
Leonard let out a trembling breath. “I don’t know Sarah, something really feels off this time round. Maybe you’re draining them too fast it has become noticeable. I heard trainer Allen say, the commander said he came back because the guards were slacking in their training. Suppose you tone down on…”
“Careful,” she said, her voice suddenly quiet.
Too quiet.
Both of them froze. They knew that they had crossed the line this time. And crossing the line meant getting punished for what she termed as ‘disrespect’. Sarah leaned back in her chair, her expression sharpening, losing its human softness until her face held a dangerous, unnatural stillness. The kind of stillness that suggested she was listening to something they couldn’t hear. Or calculating something they couldn’t comprehend.
“Are you trying to give me advice on how to run my mission Leonard?” Sarah hissed, her voice sharp with anger.
“No, of course not. I am in no place to tell you how to do it. My apologies.” Leonard said as he recoiled in fear.
“Good. You should know your place in this house. We are not equals.”
“Now where was I? Oh I remember. As I was saying, there is no world where the king knows I’m awake and simply lets me roam around his kingdom,” she said softly. “If he knew, I’d be locked in a silver cage by now. Or burned. Or beheaded.” Her smile was small, cold. “Fortunately for all of us, he’s still clueless.”
Leonard’s voice barely rose above a whisper. “ This is getting dangerous. We didn’t choose any of it.”
Sarah rose from her chair with eerie grace. “No,” she agreed. “You didn’t. But you’ll keep playing your roles beautifully if you want your son breathing for another sunrise.”
She snapped her fingers. A thin rip in the air shimmered open like a slice of moonlight. Mara gasped and grabbed Leonard’s arm. Inside the tear, the image of a dark cavern flickered into view - raw stone walls, dim purple light, and their son chained against a pillar, eyes closed, chest rising weakly as if he were barely conscious.
Mara let out a broken sob. Leonard covered his mouth, his entire body trembling.
Sarah watched their faces with mild amusement. “See? Always within my sight. Always accessible to my hands. And if you ever get ideas…” She leaned in. The shadows wrapped her like a cloak. “I will know.”
She flicked her wrist again, and the rip in the air sealed itself with a soft sigh, leaving the room darker than before.
The couple clung to each other, breath shaking, unable to look at her.
Sarah stretched lazily, rolling her shoulders, then walked back to her chair with the ease of someone returning from a pleasant stroll, not from threatening two lives. She picked up her cold tea and drank, wincing slightly at the temperature.
“Honestly,” she murmured, “things were getting dull in this pack. I was beginning to think this mission would bore me to death.” Her smile sharpened. “But then the moon goddess decided to make that little slave girl the future Luna of Silverpine. And suddenly Silverpine has become… very interesting. Who knew she would end up being Princess Lisa of the Mooncrest court?”
Leonard dared to look at her. “Lisa?”
“Exactly. That’s her new name.” Sarah tapped her nail against the mug. “Turns out the moon goddess really doesn’t make mistakes. But my dumb boyfriend was too bound under my spell to even give her a second look.” She let out a sly laugh then went on, “Now the princess is stirring things she doesn’t understand. Sebastian is already wrapped around her fate without even knowing it. And now the commander keeps sniffing around.” Her eyes gleamed with wicked delight. “The game has finally begun.”
Mara whispered, “What are you planning?”
Sarah’s smile widened.
“Something fun. Soon you’ll have front row seats to the show I’ll be putting up for your pathetic little pack. You just have to patiently carry out your duties until that time comes to pass.”
She rose, the air shifting around her like shadows bending in reverence, and walked toward her room. The couple watched her go, stiff with terror, knowing that as long as she lived under their roof, daylight would never truly reach them.
And as long as their son remained a hostage in a hidden village wrapped in forbidden spells, they had no choice but to obey her.
Sarah seemed satisfied with herself, she leaned back in her chair, letting the tension in the room soften slightly. She turned to Maya, her eyes glinting with amusement. “What are we having for dinner?” she asked, tilting her head thoughtfully as if what they had just talked about was a normal discussion between family members. “I feel like garlic bread… and pumpkin soup. Yes, that will do nicely.”
Maya blinked, she was never getting used to living with this witch in her house.
Sarah chuckled lightly, dark humor in her tone. “It’s funny… humans think garlic can kill witches and vampires. Yet here I am, I can’t go a week without it. One of my favorites.” She let the words hang in the air, a small smile curving her lips, a quiet declaration of her power masked by a simple craving.
Leonard glanced at his wife then said a silent prayer to the moon goddess.
“Please let my son be free from all his suffering. Even if it is through death. Then we’ll be free of the witch. And maybe…silverpine will too.”