Page 10 of The Powerless Witch
I heard them whisper, but the ringing in my head was so loud that the words were too hard to grasp. I tried to yank the dagger free again, even though I knew that too much time had passed already. Even if my magic started healing me now, it would be too late.
Something brushed against my arm, and I looked up to find Medina standing beside me. Her expression was unforgiving when she met my gaze, the message in her eyes clear as day.
‘I won.’
I opened my mouth to tell her she didn’t, that she never would as long as my family lived, but then an arm encircled Medina’s middle, pulling her gently back.
“Don’t get too close to her,” Noah whispered, giving me a weary look. “Can she survive this? Is the monster…”
“It’s dead,” Medina said, her eyes lowering to my stomach. She turned around, cupping his face and pressing her forehead to his, just like I had done so many times when I told him I loved him. “She deserves to know what being alone feels like. She brought this on herself.”
“The witches…” Noah started, but Medina just tugged him away.
“Leave them to me,” my best friend said as she turned her back to me. Noah gave me one last look and for a moment, I thought I saw pity in his eyes, but then he was gone too.
I stared at the dark forest, trying to listen to their whispers, to summon their presence in the darkness. Nothing answered. Not the trees, not the earth, not even the dead. I was alone, just like she wanted. Nobody to say my last rites, nobody to put my soul to rest, nobody to shed a tear when I left this world. The ultimate punishment for a witch who was taught that unity was life.
Closing my eyes, I let the weakness take over, feeling my life drain away drop by drop.
She had won. She had taken everyone from me, and I was afraid she wouldn’t stop until she made good on all of her threats. She’d hurt my mother, my father, Sybil, while I…there was nothing I could do because I was dying.
My eyes burned behind my closed eyelids and in that moment, the heaviness in my chest had nothing to do with the weakness that made it hard to breathe.
It was all my fault. This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t trusted, hadn’t believed, hadn’t fallen in love. My mother had warned me about the fickleness of the heart, about the pain it could bring. About how love and trust were the two things we often needed to sacrifice for the power we wielded.
I should have listened. If I had, maybe I could have saved them, I could have made a difference and if not, I could have punished those who threatened them. Those who betrayed and hurt me when I was ready to shred my soul for them just to see them happy.
My soul. The words echoed hollowly in my head as the dangerous idea took root.
I would have given my soul for them—for the man I loved and the friend I trusted with everything. I would still do it, but not to see them happy. To see them burn.
I focused all of my energy on my hand, raising it to my stomach. The blood had soaked my dress, feeding the ground once more. I didn’t bother with the knife. I just dipped my fingers into the warm, crimson liquid before letting them fall onto the soil. My trembling made the drawing jagged, but my mother had made me practice the summoning runes so many times that it was impossible to mess up. I doubted when she taught them to me she considered Iwould break the one rule she set—never turn my gaze to the infernal plain. Dealing with other monsters was hard enough, those brought to life by the Devil himself were too hard to control.
By the time I finished the circle, I could barely keep my hand up.
“In the darkest hour, beneath the pale moon's gleam, I beckon thee, from the shadows…unseen. With words of power, I call thee near…from realms beyond to my presence…you shall appear,” I whispered the incantation between ragged breaths, praying I had enough life force left to do the summoning. I focused my attention on what I wanted—who I wanted—and hoped it wasn’t too late.
I waited for something to happen, for light or darkness or sound—anything that would indicate a servant of the Devil had arrived. I didn’t care about the risk anymore; I was dying anyway. I only needed a bit more time and if condemning my soul to hell was the only way to get my revenge, so be it.
The wind picked up, carrying along the smell of fire, sulfur, and something musky. A twig snapped nearby, and I forced my head to turn just as the shadows shifted and a figure emerged from the darkness. I watched a thin blond man in dark clothes trip, looking around almost like he was lost. When he finally noticed me, his eyes widened, and he took a step backward.
More hesitation flooded his face as he met my gaze.
“Are you the one who s-s-summoned me?” he asked in a soft voice, not at all like what I had expected. The more I looked at him, the less infernal he looked. Had I made a mistake?
“Are you a demon?” I breathed, sagging with relief, when he nodded. “What is your name?”
He took a deep breath, licking his lips nervously. “B-B-Beleth.”
“Then make a deal with me, Beleth.”
“A deal? Ah, yes. A deal.” He nodded, shuffling closer. His eyes lingered on the gaping wound in my stomach before he focused on my face again. “What does your heart desire?”
“Revenge,” I whispered, fighting to keep my eyes open. Just a few more moments. I needed to stay alive a little longer until the deal was struck. “Give me…more time. Just until I enact my revenge against…those who wronged me in this life. Let me live…until I punish them and balance the… scales, then my soul…is yours...forever.”
The demon considered it, glancing towards my stomach again. He pursed his lips and if I wasn’t so dazed, I would have thought he looked at me with pity. But then that wasgone, and he was reaching for me. He placed his hand over my heart, the touch surprisingly gentle and warm.
“I accept the terms. You shall live until you have enacted your revenge upon those who wronged you, then you shall return to the earth. Your soul belongs to Hell, for now, and for all eternity.” His hand turned molten and the pain that burned through my skin was almost too much to bear. Yet I couldn’t scream, even as he sank his fingers into my chest and ripped my soul out. He stared at the shimmering light for a moment before he grasped it tighter in his fist. The emptiness it left behind was strange and uncomfortable, making me feel cold and even weaker than before, but I still felt like…myself.