Chapter 127 The Price of Protection
Elara's POV
I lifted my moonsilver staff and let its pale light wash over the two dolls resting on the ritual table before me.
"I'll need two isolation rooms prepared," I announced, turning to face Damian who stood watching from the doorway with careful attention. "The spirits currently occupying their bodies will need to be contained and studied before final disposal."
Matilda's voice cut through the room with that familiar lecturing tone that had grated on my nerves since I'd first arrived at this estate. "Elara, you're being unnecessarily cautious. Just perform the ritual and be done with it. We don't need all this elaborate preparation."
I set the moonsilver staff down with deliberate precision and met her gaze directly, letting the full weight of my irritation show in my expression. "You know your words are difficult to hear, Matilda, yet you choose to speak them anyway. That's not wisdom—that's deliberate provocation disguised as concern."
Her consciousness recoiled slightly, and I pressed my advantage because some truths needed to be spoken aloud regardless of how uncomfortable they made people. "If I hadn't intervened when I did, there would be more than two people trapped in doll prisons right now. Aurora's plan extended far beyond just you and Nolan. She had preparations in place for at least five more targets, and every single one of you ignored my warnings until it was too late to prevent the initial attacks."
Matilda's spirit went very still inside the doll, and I watched shame and shock ripple through her consciousness in waves that made the vessel tremble slightly in my hands. The silence that followed felt heavy with all the accusations she couldn't voice, all the defenses that crumbled under the weight of simple facts.
"I'll prepare the rooms immediately," Damian said quietly, his voice carrying none of his usual commanding authority. He looked at Matilda's doll with something that might have been disappointment before turning to leave.
"One more thing," I called after him, and he paused in the doorway. "My services aren't free. Matilda will pay five hundred thousand dollars, and Nolan's restoration will cost eight hundred thousand."
An hour later, with the isolation rooms prepared and protective barriers established, I began the restoration ritual in earnest. I held Matilda's doll in my left hand and placed my right palm over the chest of her stolen body, feeling the foreign soul that had settled into her flesh like a parasite. The moonsilver staff rested against my shoulder, its power flowing through me in steady pulses that synchronized with my heartbeat.
"By Artemis's name, by the Guardian bloodline's authority, I command the usurper to depart," I intoned, letting the ancient words shape the magic into precise tools. "What was stolen shall be returned, what was displaced shall find its rightful place, and the natural order shall be restored."
The runic circle I'd drawn on the floor blazed with silver light that rose in spiraling columns around us both. I felt the foreign soul resist, clinging desperately to the body it had claimed, but my power was absolute in this matter and I gave it no quarter. The runes I'd inscribed directly onto Matilda's chest glowed hot and bright, and the elderly woman's spirit that had occupied her body was forcibly expelled, pulled screaming from flesh that had never belonged to it.
I caught the displaced soul in a containment sphere before it could flee or cause damage, then turned my attention to the doll in my hand. Matilda's true consciousness pulsed with frantic hope, and I carefully extracted her essence from its prison and guided it back toward her waiting body.
The reunion was instantaneous and profound. Matilda's soul rushed into her flesh with desperate relief, and I felt the natural bonds reassert themselves as spirit and body recognized each other and locked together with the certainty of puzzle pieces finding their correct positions.
Matilda gasped, her first breath in her own lungs after days of imprisonment, and tears streamed down her face as she clutched at her chest and sobbed with overwhelming emotion.
I didn't give her time to recover fully before turning to Nolan's doll and his stolen body. "Eight hundred thousand dollars. Do you agree to the terms?"
His assent came immediately, desperate and sincere, and I began the ritual again with the same methodical precision. The foreign soul in Nolan's body fought harder than Matilda's usurper had, but the result was never in doubt. I expelled the intruder, sealed it away, and returned Nolan's consciousness to its rightful place with efficient grace.
Nolan's eyes flew open and he sucked in air, his hands trembling as he touched his own face and body with wondering disbelief. Tears gathered in his eyes, threatening to spill over.
"Maple," I called out. "Go tell Damian to bring everyone upstairs. The restoration is complete."
Maple bounded from the room with enthusiasm, her tail wagging as she disappeared down the corridor.
Dad and Damian entered first, moving immediately to check Nolan and Matilda's vital signs with professional efficiency.
Edwin reached out to touch Nolan's shoulder, his intention clearly to guide his son toward me for proper thanks, but I stepped back deliberately and shook my head. "This was a business transaction, not a favor between family members. Matilda owes me five hundred thousand dollars, and Nolan's debt is eight hundred thousand. I expect payment within the week."
The bluntness of my statement made both Matilda and Nolan flinch, but I felt no shame about demanding compensation for my work. Kaelen stood beside me, his presence solid and supportive, and I drew strength from his unwavering confidence in my decisions.
That evening, Grandfather called an emergency family meeting in the formal conference room. The entire Sterling family gathered with somber expressions.
Grandfather stood at the head of the table, his aged face set in lines of severe disappointment as he surveyed his descendants. "Edwin and Matilda, your actions have brought this family to the brink of destruction. You will both reflect seriously on how close we came to complete catastrophe."
He turned his gaze to encompass everyone present, and his voice gained additional gravity. "Elara's assistance should never be taken for granted or treated as an obligation. She is family, yes, but that doesn't mean she should be expected to protect us without proper acknowledgment and compensation. Remember this lesson well."