Page 130 of Dreams of Magic

“For now, yes. Come on, we need to get down there. Just watch your backs, and we’ll watch each other’s.”

Without another word, they headed down into the dungeon.

She held her breath as they descended, only releasing it when they reached the bottom. She hadn’t wanted to ever come back to this room. All she could see was the blood of Dimitri splattered across the walls, even though they were now clean.

For a moment, she started to turn back and leave again, but then Aiden was there. He pressed his chest tightly against her back and placed his hands on her hips to steady her.

He gave her enough comfort to breathe the panic away, without making her look weak in front of the others. Not that any of the others were paying them any attention.

Corine was now sitting in a chair in the cell next to the one Dimitri had been in, that weird frozen grimace still on her face. Each of the council members was standing around her, glaring at her as if they were trying to instill fear.

Though, Kenzie figured she was already terrified at this point.

Chris, Raven, and Marshall were all standing back from the cell, allowing the council to take the lead. They would be able to hear everything that was said without being in the cell for the interrogation.

Aiden nudged her forward to join them but kept her close. She was grateful for his support, as she was still thinking about running back up the stairs. If they started torturing Corine, that was exactly what she planned to do.

Sabine passed a hand in front of Corine’s face, and suddenly Corine took a deep breath, “You stupid bitch. Release me! You have no right!”

Sabine smiled that sadistic smile as she leaned close to Corine, their noses almost touching, “I have every right, you traitorous dog.”

Corine growled and lurched forward like she was going to bite the witch, but Sabine was faster and jerked away from her.

Then Sabine slapped her hard across the cheek, so hard that Corine’s head jerked to the side, a red mark instantly appearing on her skin.

“That wasn’t very nice Corine.” Sabine looked like she was enjoying herself. It made Kenzie sick watching.

William apparently agreed with Kenzie, pulling Sabine back a step, “We need answers. So, ask your questions and stop taunting her.”

Kenzie realized that this couldn’t be easy on him. They had been partners for decades now, and she assumed they were friends. You can’t spend that much time with someone and not form some kind of emotional attachment to them. She couldn’t imagine the pain he must be feeling, but he was covering it well.

She leaned harder into Aiden, and he laced his fingers through hers, then wrapped their entwined arms around in a tight hug. She didn’t care if anyone saw them. In his arms, she knew everything would be okay.

She looked down at the floor and focused her gaze on the toes of her converse. She didn’t want to watch. Whatever they planned to do, it wouldn’t be pleasant.

Suddenly, Corine started to scream. The sound was filled with such pain and torment, pure agony.

She closed her eyes. Not that it would block the sound, but she didn’t want to accidentally look up. She couldn’t bear it.

Aiden squeezed her gently,“They are not physically hurting her. It’s a witch trick. They are making her mind believe her body is in pain. It is a lie, but it’s very effective.”

“It’s horrible.”

“I know love. I’m sorry.”

After another minute, the screaming stopped. Then William spoke, “Corine, tell us what you were doing with Andre. What does he want?”

Corine laughed, “Screw you.”

“Corine, please…” Before William could finish his sentence, Corine started screaming again. It lasted longer this time.

Kenzie wasn’t sure how long the back and forth went, but every few minutes, the screaming would stop. Then William would try to question her. When she refused to answer him, the screaming started again.

It seemed like it had been hours when the screaming stopped and Corine finally gave in, “Stop. Stop. I’ll talk.”

This time Colin questioned her, “What does Andre want and what was your role?”

Corine sniffled, then answered, “I don’t know everything. He was secretive about his plans. My role was to collect information. Where people would be and when, that kind of thing.”