Chapter 8: Amelia's Gambit

The air in Crestmoon territory grew heavier with every passing day. Tension rippled via the per cent, a constant reminder that threat loomed on the horizon. Even the same old morning routines felt off. The pack. Skilled harder, eyes flickering nervously closer to the woods. They all knew what change was coming, but no one noted it brazenly.

 Olivia stood via the window of the per cent house, staring out into the woodland. She could experience the pull of the magic within her, but it changed into wild, unpredictable. Every time she attempted to faucet into it, she felt like she turned into on foot a tightrope, geared up to fall at any second. How could she guard Crestmoon when she couldn’t even manipulate the strength inside her?

 Behind her, Ralph paced from side to side, his frustration evident in every step. He has been organizing patrols, coordinating defenses, and getting ready for the worst. But regardless of how many plans they made, the threat of Amelia hung over them like a dark cloud.

 "We can’t simply sit down here and look ahead to her to attack," Ralph muttered, running a hand through his dark hair. "Every day we waste, she gets stronger."

 Olivia tore her gaze from the window, her belly tightening with guilt. Ralph became right. Sitting idle wouldn’t stop Amelia, however neither could speeding right into an entice unprepared.

 "What can we do?" she requested, her voice sounding small, even to her ears. She hated how vulnerable she felt, particularly while Ralph wished her to be sturdy.

 Ralph paused, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "We passed after her. We recognise she’s hiding someplace inside the northern woods. Jessica instructed us an awful lot earlier than she shut down. If we discover her, we take the combat to her."

 Olivia’s heart raced. The concept of confronting Amelia head-on terrified her. The closing time that they had confronted every other, Olivia had slightly survived. But Ralph—robust, fearless Ralph—stood earlier than her, unwavering in his willpower to protect the per cent.

 "You want to go now?" she asked, swallowing difficulty. "What if it’s a trap?"

 "It might be," Ralph admitted, his expression grim. "But we can’t allow that to prevent us. Every day we wait offers her more time to construct her forces. If we act now, we are probably capable of trapping her before she’s geared up."

 Olivia hesitated, fear twisting inner her. The concept of dealing with Amelia again despatched chills down her spine, however she knew Ralph was right. They couldn’t sit through and watch for Amelia to strike first. They had to act. Even if it was supposed to risk the entirety.

 "Okay," she whispered, forcing herself to sound braver than she felt. "We’ll move."

 Ralph’s eyes softened as he stepped nearer, his hand brushing in opposition to hers. "We’ll be careful, Olivia. I gained it to let something appear to you."

 His contact became grounding, and for a second, Olivia felt secure. But deep down, she knew that protection changed into fleeting. The course they were about to walk could be packed with chance, and there had been no guarantees that they would make it out alive.

 ---

 A few hours later, Olivia observed herself standing at the threshold of the northern woods, Ralph and a small group relied on members via her side. The air becomes thick with tension, the wooded area eerily silent as if even nature could experience the impending confrontation.

 Caroline became amongst them, her face set in grim determination. She had demonstrated herself dependable after Jessica’s betrayal, and Olivia was grateful for her support, although the tension among them still lingered.

 "Are you certain she’s right here?" Mark, Ralph’s beta, asked, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

 Ralph nodded, his expression unreadable. "She’s near. I can experience it."

 Olivia’s heart pounded in her chest as they ventured deeper into the wooded area, every crack of a sprig or rustle of leaves making her soar. The magic within her stirred, sensing something dark and powerful ahead. Amelia’s presence becomes unmistakable, like a shadow lurking just out of sight.

 As they moved through the dense underbrush, Olivia’s unease grew. The forest felt wrong, as though the very air changed into poisoned by way of Amelia’s magic. Ralph led the manner, his moves assured and positive, but Olivia couldn’t shake the feeling that they had been taking walks into a lure.

 Suddenly, Caroline stopped, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the timber in advance. "Do you pay attention to that?"

 The group fell silent, straining to listen. At first, Olivia heard nothing but the wind rustling through the branches. But then, faintly, she heard it—a low, rhythmic chant, like a spell being woven into the very cloth of the air.

 "She’s right here," Ralph growled, his body tensing. "Stay close."

 They crept ahead, the chanting growing louder with each step. Olivia’s heart raced as they reached a small clearing, wherein the sight before them made her blood run cold.

 Amelia stood in the middle of the clearing, her arms raised excessively as she chanted in a historic language. Around her, a circle of dark-robed figures knelt, their faces hidden below hoods. At their toes, strange symbols have been carved into the floor, glowing faintly with magic.

 Olivia’s stomach churned. She recognized the symbols—it became the same mark she had seen at the dead wolf at the border. This changed it. The ritual Jessica had warned them approximately. The ritual that could grant Amelia the electricity of immortality.

 "We ought to protect her," Ralph whispered, his eyes blazing with fury. He motioned to the organization. "Stay hidden. We’ll look ahead to the right moment."

 But as they crouched within the shadows, watching Amelia’s ritual unfold, Olivia’s magic flared inside her, wild and uncontrollable. She may want to sense Amelia’s energy pulling at her, calling to the magic within her blood. Sweat beaded on Olivia’s forehead as she fought to preserve her energy in the test, however it turned into no need. The magic became too robust, too overwhelming.

 Before she could stop herself, a surge of electricity burst from her, sending a wave of electricity rippling through the clearing. Amelia’s chant faltered, her head snapping in the direction of the timber.

 Olivia’s breath stuck in her throat. They have been discovered.

 "Get prepared!" Ralph shouted, drawing his sword as Amelia’s dark-robed fans rose to their feet, their fingers crackling with magic.

 Chaos erupted in the clearing as Ralph and his per cent charged ahead, clashing with Amelia’s forces. Olivia’s coronary heart pounded as she stumbled back, her magic swirling wildly around her, threatening to eat her.

 Amelia’s bloodless, piercing eyes locked onto Olivia’s, and a wicked smile curled on her lips. "Ah, my pricey niece. You’ve come to witness my ascension."

 Olivia’s pulse quickened. "I received it, let you do this."

 Amelia chuckled darkly. "Oh, but you will. You’re the important thing, Olivia. And now that you’re here, not anything can forestall me."

 With a flick of her wrist, Amelia sent a blast of magic closer to Olivia, knocking her off her toes. Pain shot via her frame as she hit the floor, her imaginative and prescient blurring. The sounds of the war diminished, replaced by the pounding of her coronary heart in her ears.

 As she lay there, struggling to breathe, Amelia’s voice echoed in her thoughts.

 "You can’t break out of your destiny, Olivia. You have been born for this."

 Olivia’s imagination and prescient darkened, her magic slipping further from her management. As the darkness closed in, she realized with horror that Amelia had become proper.

 She turned into the important thing—and she or he turned into falling right into her aunt’s hands.