Chapter 34: Miscreant

Avabella

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I took a sharp breath, leaving the yellow-orange fire to cover Luis’ entire body and sidestepping when he tried to get closer to me.

“You see? When you use your powers against me, you’re just wasting your time and energy. My friend made sure of it,” he said, grinning.

“Your friend? You mean, Sangye?” I knitted my brows, glancing at another possible exit from this square room that was surrounded by silver glass mirrors. I was sure that if I touched those silver gilds, they would burn my skin. The gilds were intricately designed like… small hearts? Huh! It was surprising, really. Who could’ve made such a trap like this?

“No, I have another friend, not only the shamaness.” He smiled at me creepily. His eyes went darker as they roved up and down my body. It was like he removed my clothes with just his eyes. It was revolting. I so hate him!

I decided to kill the fire that licked his body, tilting my chin up to let him know I wasn’t afraid of him anymore. “Is there any particular reason why you don’t want to broach your friend’s name into this subject? After all, that faceless creature is the reason why you and I are here. Why, Luis? Are you okay being trapped in this place like we are now? And what do we do here? You think we’d fuck? And if we did—I’m not saying we will because it won’t ever happen ever—then what?” I snorted, continuing to step back away from him as he slowly sauntered toward me.

“She promised me that if we’d fuck here, she’ll let us go.”

I derided him with a snort of laughter. “Seriously? And if not? Because it’s not really going to happen, Luis.”

He smirked. “You’ll be trapped here forever, with me, Ava. Sooner or later, you’ll give in just so you can go and save your wolf lover.”

I blinked. “What are you saying?”

“If I were you, you’d fuck me right now, so you can get out of here and save him. You do want to save him, right?”

I gritted my teeth. “Are you saying that your friend, whoever she is, has Elias?”

“Not only him, Ava, but I’m not telling you who else,” he said, laughing like he was having fun with all of this.

My heart beat faster, trying to think of a way how to get away from here and of course without fucking this bodach. He’s dead, so he’s just that. And there was no way I’d fuck anyone else. I couldn’t think or imagine myself doing it with anyone but with Elias. Only him.

But who else did this miscreant hold prisoner?

I suddenly crossed our gap and grabbed Luis by the throat. Of course, I was stronger than him, who was merely a specter with a solid body. He was nothing! But to my surprise, he was stronger than an ordinary person. He easily grabbed my wrist and twisted it on my back, pushing me against the silver gild of the glass mirror. The side of my face was scalded that I could smell my own flesh burning and white smoke emitted from it. I suppressed a whimper although it was difficult to do. However, I wouldn’t give this culo the joy of knowing he could hurt me. I gritted my teeth as he ran his tongue on my free cheek; his body was pressed against mine that I could feel his hard bulge. He rubbed his hardness against my round bottom. It was repulsive!

In retaliation to his disgusting moves, I used my hand that he twisted to release ice and froze him. Tsk! I smirked when he was frozen like a pervert statue.

“So, fire doesn’t scorch you, but you’re frozen like this,” I taunted him. His eyes though followed my movement, as I stepped away from him. “How about water?” I smiled, waving my hand and splashing water on him in the process, which froze all over him, too. The ice around him grew thicker like he was inside a block of it but I knew he could still hear me, judging by his facial reaction.

Luis tried to move his body to break the block of ice that gripped him. I shook my head.

“You can’t get away from there. So, tell me who’s behind this, Luis,” I queried him softly. I played my index finger in front of his face, melting the ice up to his mouth.

He chuckled. “You think you could get away from here if I told you who it is?”

I furrowed my brows, thinking of the cause for all of this. “When did you meet her and how?”

He pulled his mouth into a smile. “Sangye found me, actually. And then, I met her. You know who I mean.”

“Okay.” I made the ice grip him tighter, making him grit his teeth. It was a small victory for me but victory all the same, seeing that he was hurting. “Why did Sangye approach you? Huh? How did she know you?”

“She didn’t tell me exactly, but she told me I can roam around wherever you are. She let me watch you, Ava.”

Darn! “What do you mean?” My brows met, creasing the space between them.

“When you have a shower… when you’re asleep… when you think you’re alone and just do nothing?” There was a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

“You perverted prick!” I gave him a death glare, and with an ice stick that I conjured, I stabbed his mouth with it, going through the back of his neck. He gagged for a moment, blinking in pain. However, there was no blood that dripped from his wound. He was a bodach after all. “Now tell me who it is. I might just let you go out of this freezing block of ice and the ice stick won’t grow bigger.” At first, the diameter was half my pinky finger. Now, it was as big as my ring finger, enlarging his wound and making him gape his mouth bigger. He groaned with a gargling sound.

“How can I tell you if you impaled my mouth?” he said, having difficulty in speaking. He even stammered and mewled.

I gave him a cold smile. “You can still talk. I can understand what you’re saying. Just give me her name, Luis.” I played my finger right in front of his chest, melting the ice in that area.

His eyes were alert. Maybe just like vampires, it was also the bodach’s weakness after all. A thin, sharp ice stick appeared in my hand, making him look at it with apprehension. I pointed it right at the hole straight to his heart. I slowly raised my eyes to meet his. My free hand flicked, making the ice wrap around his body tighter inch by inch, squeezing him. He let out an angry groan as he watched my hand that held the sharp ice stick.

“Well? I’m waiting Luis. If you say her name, confirming what I have in mind, maybe… just maybe… I’ll let you go. And maybe… I’ll let you live like this, with a human body, thanks to my powers, right?” I continued lazily, giving him a slow smile.

“Ava… Don’t do this to me, please!” he begged, as I inched the sharp ice stick closer to his vulnerable chest. The sharp edge of the stick was just half an inch from it, and it glinted like taunting and warning him of the danger.

“Now you know how to beg? Huh!” I snorted. “Remember what I did in the past, Luis? I pleaded with you but you just didn’t listen and you have the nerve to have a grudge against me and haunted me like that?” My voice rose and the tone was hard. “If you hadn’t made a deal with whoever it is right now, you wouldn’t have to endure this. Do you understand what I’m saying?” I said, burying the stick in his chest, slowly.

His mouth gaped wider as he felt the pain. I had no idea of torture, but I knew it was what I was doing right now. And I have no remorse over it for this kind of evil ghost who was making my life hell!

“I-it’s… M-Mairi! Her name’s Mairi!” he revealed at last.

I knew he wasn’t lying. I could just feel it in my gut. Still, I buried the stick right into his heart. Only an inch of the eighteen-inch long ice stick was left unburied. The tip already went through his back. He bawled in pain and burst into flames. I watched him reduce to ashes inside the block of ice.

“Okay, so it’s really you, Mairi,” I said to myself, remembering the name Maria Adriana had mentioned earlier. She was a spaewife with witchy powers. But why was she doing this to Elias and to me?

I took a deep breath, looking at the dark exit with spite. Instinctively, I knew I could get through it now that Luis was gone. Forever. He was neither in the living nor the spirit realm. He was just… gone.

In a few seconds, the block of ice melted and collapsed, water flowing throughout the glass floor. I didn’t waste any effort to evade it since the water did get near me and instead led me a path going out of the place I was hedged in. I followed it but the water slowly faded when I was in the dark hallway with mirrors all around me. There were three different ways in front of me that I had to choose.

I chose the left one, not knowing what was there waiting for me.

I had been going around like I was lost. Until I found a circular room. I called out Elias’ name. Both through my mind and mouth.

“Elias! Are you here?” My voice echoed in the empty space. All I could see was my numerous reflections in the many rectangular glass mirrors.

“Avabella? Is that you?” That was Sangye’s voice.

I went still, thinking if I’d answer or not. Knowing that she was the one who summoned Luis to the living realm, I couldn’t trust her anymore.

“Please! Please help me, Avabella! I want to get out of here and save Alpha Elias! He’s in danger!” she said, crying.

I looked around me, but I couldn’t see her. And yet, her voice was too clear for me to hear. There was something like a reverberating sound of it, which couldn’t make me guess which exact direction it came from.

“Avabella!”

I clenched and unclenched my fists as I clamped my jaw tight. “Where are you, Sangye?”

“I’m here. I’m right here! Can’t you see me?”

I whirled around but I couldn’t see her. I tilted my head on one side, thinking. “Are you a specter now, Sangye?” I asked curiously.

“I don’t know, Avabella! But she’s out of my body right now!”

My eyebrows merged as I frowned deeper. “You were possessed by Mairi all this while and you didn’t tell anyone about it?” I hissed angrily.

“I couldn’t say it because she told me she’ll kill you and Alpha Elias!” she replied, sniffling.

I tried to listen to her side, weighing if she was lying. Maybe she was telling the truth. Or maybe not. But then I had to find Elias.

“Where are you? Why can’t I see you?” I let out a sigh. “Never mind!” I chanted the specter-revealing incantation in my head. ‘Fire, air, earth, water, and everything in between. With your powers, let me commandeer that may this mist be pristine.’

There was like an invisible veil that was lifted, and I saw Sangye in a glass cage. She was like a wraith, hovering over her body that was lying in the middle of the prison she was in.

“I can’t get into my body, Avabella!” she cried, small eyes frantic.

I swallowed as I watched her lay down but was rejected by her own body. Her specter was shot right up to the ceiling of the glass cage she was in. She did it again and again but was unsuccessful. Now that was weird.

“Maybe she put something in your body. An enchantment perhaps?” I suggested.

“I don’t know. I was out. It was all blackness until I saw you enter the room.”

I walked around the glass cage. I touched it but it burned me instead. Darn that spaewife! I shook my scalded fingers for a moment before they got healed.

“Sangye, just when did this spaewife witch take over your body, huh?”