Chapter 40 The Awakening of the Witch
Amara’s POV
Like a last gasp, the wind howled about the Obsidian Pack camp. In the sky, the moon continued to bleed red. It was felt by all. Something awful had changed.
I steadied myself by holding onto the edge of a wooden post as I stood outside the main tent. Like a war drum, my heart beat. The ground shuddered under my feet.
"What's going on? I said.
With a flash of violet lightning, the sky split up, and the air became suddenly dark and thick, as if it were choking us.
A shrill, angry scream ripped through the darkness.
With a pallid expression, Rowan remarked next to me, "That's not human." "That's her."
Kian stepped forward with his fists clenched and snarled, "Lilith." "She has taken action."
At that moment, Mira ran from the east watchtower. "The seal was broken by her! She yelled. "It was Lilith. The Hollow Witch is at liberty! "
"No," I said, my knees giving way. "That isn't possible. That seal should have lasted forever! "
Mira gasped and shook her head. When the crimson moon rose, the seal became weaker. She discovered the tomb by using chaos and black magic. "
A surge of power swept over us like a wave when the wind changed. It knocked me to the ground. My brand burned hot, blazing dimly through my shirt, just above my heart.
I looked down, gasping. I whispered, "It's responding to her." "I'm bound to the Hollow Witch."
With his eyes wide, Rowan knelt next to me. "Your bloodline, Amara—you hold the key."
The ground trembled once more before I could inquire what he meant. Black smoke poured out of the earth's cracks like poison.
Warriors were grabbing weapons, yelling, and barking commands across the camp.
"She's on her way! Someone shouted. "The Hollow Witch is on the rise!" "
However, we were unable to view her yet. Not with our eyes. No, we sensed her. Within our brains. Our hearts.
"She will burn the world," Mira said in a cold whisper. "As she did previously."
Red and gold, the flames in the sky started to spiral, dancing like demons.
Then, a voice…
Not Lilith's.
Older. Colder.
A voice that spoke inside the head rather than with lips.
"You let the door open. And now I can move freely.
Everybody froze.
The wind even ceased.
The silence was painfully deep.
Slowly, I raised my head. "She's conscious."
I was having trouble breathing. My vision became blurry, and my chest constricted. The mark on my skin seemed to be getting hotter and brighter.
"Amara! Kian hurried over to me and grabbed me as I fell into his embrace.
I screamed as I tore at my shirt, "It's burning." "I have it inside me! "
Rowan pressed his fingers to my forehead and joined him. "The Witch is drawing her in." In some way, she is connected.
"No," I cried. "She is coming... to get me."
My entire being twisted. I saw flashes—broken lands, death, flames. I saw eyes like bleeding stars and a face as pale as ash.
"The Hollow Witch"
She was conscious. She also noticed me.
I whined, "She's in my head." "She's whispering."
Kian squeezed me closer. "You're secure. We will not allow her to abduct you.
However, I wasn't certain. My power burst like a storm, uncontrollable. Fire licked through the soil as the ground around me cracked.
"Retrench! Rowan yelled.
"No," Kian snarled. “I won’t leave her.”
If we don't calm her down, she will blow up! Mira sobbed as a shockwave exploded from my body, covering her eyes.
Nearby tents caught fire. In the distance, kids yelled.
I tried to resist it by clenching my teeth, but the mark pulsed three times. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Then, just as fast, it all went dark. I lost consciousness.
I was lying in the healer's tent when I opened my eyes. Kian held my hand as he sat next to me. Rowan paced close to the door.
"You frightened us," Kian said.
I said, "She's not just after me." "She is now inside of me."
Rowan ceased his pacing. "What are you saying? "
"I was marked by her," I said. "I was selected by the Hollow Witch when Lilith broke the seal. She is pursuing me because I am a component of her scheme.
The air in the tent froze before either of them could respond.
Everyone tensed.
Something echoed across the darkness.
A voice.
Not yelled—but heard by all living things. Within each pack. All minds.
"Bow... or be eaten."
The voice of the Hollow Witch.
Chilly. Never-ending.
With death as a constant threat.
Shaking but alive, I sat up.
Without thinking, my lips moved. "She's on her way."
And she wasn't playing this time.
The voice of the Hollow Witch had spoken.
The running had stopped.
It was the start of the last conflict.