Chapter 11: Chapter. 11 The thing in the pit

He watched as she whined and thrashed against some sort of torment. Anna returned to inform her spirit guardian of her progress, to witness something wholly unnatural.

Diana was levitating a foot off the bed. Her naked body was thrashing and she howled silently against something. “What…sweet stars what is happening to her?!” She moved to go to her sister, but Knox took hold of her shoulder and stopped her.

“Nothing you can do will bring her out. She’s hexed. If you try to interfere, you may end up with a worse fate.” He turned his head tolook at his worried Keeper. “Would your mother hex her like this?”

“No! No she would never hex another witch. Especially not her daughter.” Anna shook her head with total confidence and held onto Knox’ arm for comfort. “How even could you ask me that?”

“Because whatever this is? It’s rooted deep in her.” Diana silently screamed and pawed at her own neck. Eyes open wide, her body arched and her hair floating around her harrowed face. “This isn’t a new spell. She’s had this one for years.”

“For five years?” Anna and Knox shared a worried look. “Can it be broken?”

“Not whilst it’s in effect, so don’t even try.” Knox shook his head and brought Anna to his side. “It feels like it’s activated by a lack of resistance." He hummed and narrowed his many eyes on her.

"Like being asleep?”

“Or unconscious, yes.”

“When mother died, her seal on Diana’s mind would have started to fade.” Anna walked away from Knox and around the bed. She frowned and wished dearly she could ease her sister’s suffering. The agony on Diana’s face was unnaturally tormented. “Through weak points her memories started to bleed through. That’s what Elaina’s vision showed. Diana has been recalling her past, and whatever our mother sealed away in her memories are coming across as nightmares.”

“The curse I sense isn’t the weakening of a seal.” Knox reached around the bed with one of his long spider arms and gripped Anna’sback. He reeled her back from Diana. “What I sense isn’t suppression magic. Memory spells can be powerful, yes, but they don’t manifest like this when they weaken. They fade and like water through a punctured water baloon, the memories flood forth. This Hex? this thing is more like the thing punching the holes. It's attacking her.”

“You can’t mean mother sealed her memories, and someone else hexed her?” Anna gasped and held her chest with both hands. “Or did the hex come before the spell to seal her memories?”

“Possibly. Either the memory seal was part of your mother's attempt to halt or slow the hex on Diana, or the hex was someone's attempt to break through the block on her memories.”

“To what end?” She asked despertely. Diana clawed her hands in front of her like she was fighting off an invisible foe, and from the pain on her face, she was losing.

“I do not know.” Anna tried to go to her sister again, but Knox cleared his throat and dragged her back to his side. “Better to keep your distance. There isn’t anything you can do whilst she’s in the active grips of the hex anyway. Especially as they tend to back fire on the meddler. Better to discretely have me examine her in the morning and then we can form a plan from there.”

“Right, yes, good plan.” Anna stood there at the foot of the bed and frowning at her sister. “…oh Knox…look at her? I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”

“I would imagine it likely that this is the work of our worst enemy.” He held Anna as she struggled to contain her tears. “All the more reason to cut them down. Only once they are dead, will this hex definately stop plaguing her sleeping mind. You should tell Diana this so she understands that our enemies are also hers.”

“Yes. And then we’ll find out who did this to her, and cut their throat.”

Knox snapped his head to look down at his gentle hearted Keeper. Her eyes were glowing like molten gold and her scowl was deadly, even as tears flooded down her cheeks. “I’ll do it myself.”

“And I will reach out and hold them with my arms so they can’t escape your blade, Coven Mother.” Knox leaned over and inhaled by her golden hair deeply with a grin. His hand on her shoulder squeezed for amoment, before he cleared his throat and returned to his vigil over Diana. “Now a well rested witch is always a more successful one. Sleep so you may better help your sister, and our coven, in the morning. I will remain here and watch over her.”

“Thank you Knox.” Anna lifted up onto her tip toes and pecked a kiss to his soft blue cheek. He smiled, but didn’t look away from his charge.

Anna struggled to sleep that night. Especially when Diana’s screams were no longer silent…