Chapter 42 Illusions Of Mercy II
“It's Damon, he's back!” Fernanda exclaimed agitatedly, frantically looking back and forth between the door and Maya. “Come on, you need to hide. Now! He mustn't see you here.” She began to pull her up.
“You have to come with me your highness, we must leave here at once. I know a way out of this building, I just need to find my pendant.” Maya replied in a rush too but Fernanda shook her head.
The knock came again, making Fernanda's heartbeat race faster, ”No.“ She blurted out to Maya, ”Listen to me. You have to hide, Damon won't do anything to me right now, he needs me. But you, he might hurt you if he sees you in here with me, so you have to put yourself first for once right now. You have to escape now!“
Maya's expression was conflicted, but she later nodded in agreement with Fernanda's words.
Damon, as soon as he heard no response, kicked the door opened immediately after. He stealthy walked into the room, his gaze dark as he roamed his eyes around the room to see what was wrong. He saw Fernanda fast asleep with her head leaning on top of the books he had given her to read and away from him.
Fernanda tried her best to play prefect pretense, she struggled to keep her heartbeat calm. It was really from all kinds of emotions, fear, anger and happiness that she finally saw Maya. And also from the understanding that everything was finally making sense to her.
Damon's presence felt heavy behind her. He walked over to her side to check if she was truly sleeping. Fernanda's breath hitched slightly when he caressed the side of her face to tuck the loose strands of her auburn hair behind her ear.
Fernanda pretended to rouse from her sleep and squinted her eyes to see him clearly, ”Damon?“ She muttered sleepily, Fernanda was surprised at how good she was at this.
“I didn't hear you come in, ” She told him. Damon's expression softened, ”I initially knocked but had to come in when I didn't hear anything from the inside. I was worried something had happened to you but it turned out you were deep asleep.“ He told her, the corner of his lips lifting up into a smile.
“I just couldn't read anymore, I got so tired.” Fernanda explained, her eyes glancing around the bedroom to see any signs of Maya. But she did see anything, how did Maya escape? Where was she hiding? Has she been caught? Those were thoughts running through Fernanda's mind when her eyes darted around the room.
“Seems like the books are exhausting after all.” He stated, Fernanda nodded with a smile even though she wanted to punch him hard in his face. He had lied and used her mother to win her compliance.
Damon had been who Lilith tried to protect Fernanda from all along. He had brainwashed her to believe he had her best interest at heart. He only wanted her for her powers. Damon was a fraud all along. “Indeed they are.” Fernanda said Instead, pushing every angry thought aside.
She had to make sure Maya was safe, even if it meant faking an act till it was done. “Well... There is another approach we can try to get your powers to activate.” Damon suggested making Fernanda raise her brows.
This was it. The other other approach was what Maya was telling her about few minutes earlier. The one which might kill her if not done properly.
Maya watched carefully and silently from behind the invisibility cloak she had casted as an illusion. She was still present in the room, listening and seeing everything. She was the only unseen, although her presence can still be felt.
There was no time to escape and certainly not place to hide in the room. The only option was to cast an illusion that will conceal her and she was glad it was working although her powers her dwindling because she was straining against the manacle around her neck that was meant to restrain her powers.
She would soon be drained of the little energy she was using and the longer Damon stays, the riskier it was. She also couldn't risk movement because Damon will definitely noticed a shift in energy in the room.
But all that was the least of Maya's concern, she hoped Fernanda wouldn't agree to the approach Damon just suggested.
Fernanda on the other hand had a plan, asides from her being tired her of powerlessness, she also wanted to protect Maya with the catalyst powers when it came down to it. These people wanted to execute her friend and she wasn't going to let that happen.
“Let's so it.” She said to Damon, her lips pressing into a thing line. Maya let out an inaudible gasp from where she stood. Damon gave her a look of satisfaction and nodded. “I'm glad we are both finally on the same page, Fernanda.”
Alright, I’ve got you. I’ll stay close to your tone, your rhythm, your emotional pacing, and I won’t over-polish it into something that sounds foreign. I’ll expand, deepen, and connect without drifting away from what you’ve already built.
Here we go.
The silence that followed Fernanda’s agreement felt heavier than the knock that had summoned Damon to the room in the first place.
Damon studied her for a long moment, his dark eyes searching her face as though trying to determine whether her compliance was genuine or merely another fragile act. Fernanda met his gaze steadily, even though her heart was pounding violently in her chest. She forced her shoulders to relax, her fingers to loosen their grip on the blanket beneath her palms.
“Tomorrow morning then,” Damon finally said. “At dawn.”
Fernanda nodded. “Tomorrow morning.”
“There is no need to rush it tonight,” he continued, his tone measured. “The activator works best when the body is rested. Fear weakens the process.”
Fernanda swallowed. “I understand.”
Damon straightened, smoothing the front of his dark coat. “Get some sleep,” he added. “You will need your strength.”
He turned toward the door, but only made it halfway before he stopped.
The air shifted.
It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but Damon felt it immediately. The faint distortion of magic, unstable and fraying at the edges. His steps slowed. His posture stiffened.
Fernanda noticed at once.
“What’s wrong?” she asked quickly, lifting herself slightly from the chair. “Did something happen?”
Damon did not answer her immediately. His gaze swept the room again, sharper this time, his senses reaching beyond sight. He moved a step closer to the far corner, where the shadows seemed thicker than they should have been.
Maya stood there, invisible, trembling.
Her knees were locked to keep from buckling. Her vision swam, black spots dancing at the edges. Every second she held the illusion felt like dragging a blade through her skull. The collar at her neck burned, its magic screaming in protest as it drained what little strength she had left.
Hold on, she told herself desperately. Just a little longer.
Damon took another step.
Fernanda’s breath caught.
“Damon,” she said, louder this time. “You’re scaring me.”
He paused, his hand lifting slightly, as if he intended to reach out and touch something only he could sense. His brow furrowed, suspicion darkening his expression.
“There was a disturbance,” he murmured. “Just now.”
Fernanda forced a small laugh, though it sounded brittle even to her own ears. “You’re imagining things,” she said. “This place already feels strange enough as it is.”
Damon glanced at her, clearly torn. For a moment, Fernanda thought he would ignore her entirely and continue forward.
Then he exhaled slowly.
“It is nothing,” he said at last, lowering his hand. “Residual magic from the wards, perhaps.”
He turned away from the corner, adjusting his coat once more. Fernanda released a breath she had not realized she was holding.
“I will see you in the morning,” Damon said. “Good night, Fernanda.”
“Good night,” she replied softly.
The door closed behind him with a solid click.
The moment the latch slid into place, the illusion shattered.
Maya collapsed.
Her body hit the stone floor with a dull thud, her invisibility flickering out like a dying flame. She gasped sharply, her chest heaving as pain flooded every limb. The room spun violently, and she curled in on herself, pressing her forehead to the cold ground.
Fernanda was at her side in an instant.
“So you were here the whole time?!” she exclaimed, dropping to her knees beside her. “Maya!”
Maya let out a weak, breathless laugh. “I told you,” she whispered. “I wasn’t leaving without you.”
Fernanda slid her arms beneath Maya’s shoulders and helped her sit up. Maya’s head lolled forward, her hair clinging damply to her face.
“I’ve reached my limit,” Maya said quietly. “If he had stayed a moment longer, I wouldn’t have been able to hold it.”
Fernanda pulled her into a tight embrace, her arms wrapping around her as though she could shield her from the entire world if she held on hard enough. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice breaking. “I’m so sorry you’re going through all this because of me.”
Maya stiffened slightly, then relaxed into the hug. “Don’t,” she said. “This isn’t your fault.”
“But it is,” Fernanda insisted. “They took you, they hurt you, they’re going to kill you because of me.”
Maya pulled back just enough to look at her. Despite the exhaustion etched into her face, her eyes were steady. “They were always going to come for you,” she said. “You are the catalyst. You’re standing at the edge of something bigger than all of us. This was never about blame.”
Fernanda’s throat tightened. “Then why did you stay,” she asked softly. “Why didn’t you just hand me over like they ordered.”
Maya’s lips curved faintly. “Because you’re not a weapon,” she said. “You’re a person.”
Fernanda hugged her again, tighter this time.
After a moment, Maya drew back. “Why did you agree to it?” she asked. “The activator.”
Fernanda hesitated, her gaze dropping to the floor. “Because I’m tired,” she said. “I’m tired of running. Tired of hiding behind other people while they bleed for me.”
“That isn’t the only way,” Maya said urgently. “We can find another method. There is always another way.”
Fernanda shook her head. “You don’t understand,” she said. “I feel it now. The pull. The pressure. My destiny isn’t waiting for permission anymore.”
Maya’s chest tightened. “Destiny doesn’t mean surrender,” she said.
Fernanda looked up at her, eyes fierce despite the fear lurking beneath. “I have to fulfill it,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how my powers awaken. I just need them to awaken.”
Maya wanted to argue, to plead, to scream if she had to. But she saw the resolve settling into Fernanda’s expression, unyielding as stone.
She nodded slowly. “Then I’ll find another solution,” she said instead.
Fernanda frowned. “What are you planning.”
Maya stood unsteadily, forcing strength back into her limbs. “I need to get back my pendant,” she said. “Before dawn. We leave together. Whether you like it or not.”
Fernanda opened her mouth to protest, but Maya had already turned away, determination burning through her exhaustion.
She would not let this end in blood.
Not again.
The royal tent was alive with movement.
Maps were spread across heavy wooden tables, weighted down at the corners with daggers and seals. Lantern light flickered over inked borders and marked routes. Sebastian stood at the center of it all, his hands braced against the table, his expression carved from ice.
“They call themselves the Black Seal,” one of his commanders reported. “An underground order that thrives in secrecy. No banners. No borders. But they operate from Vosnos.”
Sebastian’s eyes darkened.
Vosnos. The air wielding kingdom. High cliffs, perpetual winds, and cities carved into stone spires that touched the clouds. A place that prided itself on neutrality and invisibility.
“They hide behind the wind,” Sebastian said quietly.
“Yes, my king,” the commander replied. “Our scouts confirm increased activity near the eastern ranges. That is where they are holding her.”
Sebastian straightened slowly.
“Prepare the army,” he said. “We march at first light.”
The tent seemed to hold its breath.
Another officer hesitated. “Vosnos has never welcomed foreign forces,” he said carefully. “An invasion could spark—”
Sebastian’s gaze snapped to him, sharp enough to cut. “My wife has been taken,” he said. “There will be no negotiations.”
He turned back to the map, his fingers curling over the marked location. His voice dropped, low and lethal.
“I will get Fernanda back,” he said. “No matter what it costs.”