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Chapter 73: Puppet
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Darkness Chapter 74: Conflict
I slammed my foot down on the accelerator. The hornet pulled away from the suburban house choking on its own engine. I prayed to whatever god that would listen that it would just keep going. It stalled out. I whispered a few words of the spell to see Karma's magic. The car itself filled with purple smoke.I waved it out of my face. Mr. Kline stopped his waving. He started heading towards me with a big smile on his face. I turned the key, praying to Karma this time to please let it start. I zapped it with a bit of magic, but the damn thing still wouldn't turn over."Sandriel, Natalia, please, have mercy on me," I said to the empty car. Mr. Kline closed the distance."Someone, anyone, anything? Please, get me out of here!"A slew of motorcycle engines rumbled from behind me. I looked into the rearview mirror. Maybe that wasn't the kind of help I wanted. But, right now, I'd take it.Mr. Kline slowed to a stop and watched the motorcycle close in on me. The leader orc pulled his helm
Darkness Chapter 75: Old Friend
His smile was dazzling. I stared at him in complete astonishment. After months of just trying to catch a glimpse of him, here he was standing right in front of me. My fingers spread over the hard muscles on his chest. He was solid. He really was here. He even still smelled like sunshine.His fingers squeezed my shoulders, drawing my attention to his face."Angandriel," I said, but the noise in the club drowned my words.He didn't respond. He just looked down at me amidst the dancing bodies. My eyes darted around, looking at the biker jackets closing in on me. I pointed to them. His eyes followed my directions. We were surrounded, but they weren't closing in. He nodded. He grabbed up my hands and pulled me against him. I reveled in the feeling of his arms around me and his warm body pressing against mine. It felt so safe, so familiar. I missed it.We swayed together on the dancefloor, surrounded by the dancing crowd. I folded into him like I was meant to be there, even though I was
Darkness Chapter 76: Underground
I sped away until I made it to the highway. I drove out of town away from my apartment and work. I knew there was no way I would be able to escape them by driving the city streets, so I got on the state road and headed east.I didn't really have a destination in mind. I just wanted to get away from those men as fast as I could. And well... Mr. Kline, too. Everything in this city was starting to stink. It was almost like it was rotting.After a few miles, I realized there was no one chasing me. I should have an entire gang of bikers on my tale. I mean, I freaking stole their bike. That was against some gang code or something, wasn't it? But still, no one was after me. So, what did I do now?I kept driving. That's what I did. I just stayed on the road going east. I let my mind work over the last few days and even the few previous months, everything that had happened since the merge. I guess maybe I should go to Utah. I could visit Lanie's old house and the nexus node. Maybe by the tim
Darkness Chapter 77: Power
The leader orc sat down next to me. A drink appeared in front of me. It seemed like one of the red fruity cocktails. I didn't really have a preference, so that was fine. A glass of something dark and tall showed up in front of him."What just happened?" I asked.He gave me a sideways look. "What do you think just happened?""I think everyone in this room just got high off of me."He chuckled, well probably. It sounded like a rolling growl. He took a long drink, then set it down purposefully and turned to me. "It's a little bit more than that. You just succeeded Matei.""Succeeded? No, wait, no, no, no. I'm not in charge of anyone. I'm not a leader." I waved my hands in front of him as if warding off the responsibility."Kira...""I'm not Kira."He frowned. "The sister then? The one that propositioned me?"I shook my head. My face turned a little red at the memory of Lanie fighting with the orc. I hadn't realized it was the same guy. I didn't want to say they all looked alike,
Darkness Chapter 78: Garage
I stood in the middle of my new place. It was weird. This was my dead biological father's place only hours ago. Now, it was mine, with my stuff sitting in the middle of the floor in boxes."Are you sure you don't want any help unpacking?" Liam asked.I shook my head. "You've done so much already. This is plenty. Please. I'm good."Liam crossed his arms while I walked around, looking at the place. It was open with windows all around. The morning sun shined through, lighting up the white walls. The apartment was centered on top of a mechanic's garage with the bar underneath that. The main room opened up through two stories with a kitchen on one side and a generous sitting room on the other. A bathroom and a few storage doors connected to the room from one side. The furniture was all black leather with mahogany wood tables. It looked way too sleek and expensive for anything I could ever afford. I couldn't believe it was all mine now.I turned around to look at it. The staircase ran up
Darkness Chapter 79: Mr. Kline
I rolled into Grocer Outlet then shifted the hornet into park. I sat staring at the broken sign for a long time. I really didn't want to go in. Mr. Kline was a mob boss like Matei was. That meant he had a crew or something. And what did Liam mean by contracts? Was it hits for hire? My lack of knowledge about this world was frustrating. I didn't actually know what to expect today.I gathered up my leather purse and opened the squeaky door. The seatbelt stuck. I stabbed it with the butt end of the flashlight on my keys until it popped open. Maybe I should have asked for that ride out here, but then perhaps a full out battle would happen for crossing turf or something. I really didn't know how this stuff worked. I finally escaped my car. I walked across the parking lot with the sun high in the sky. The warmth of it on my skin made me miss the fall back home. I didn't miss the work, though. I took one last whiff of the fall breeze then pushed the door open to the breakroom.Mr. Kline w
Darkness Chapter 80: Tunnel
My first instinct was to grab my phone and call someone. But if I called Liam, he might actually show up, and that could cause some issues if Mr. Kline was still here. He could bring his gang, but that could start a huge battle. I had no idea what I was going to find.Instead, I returned to my locker and grabbed my purse. I scratched out a note and stuck it on the hood of the hornet. If Liam did come looking for me, he would know where to find me. "In the tunnel in the storage room."There, I did my due diligence. I wasn't a complete idiot. Well, maybe I was. I clutched my purse tight to me and headed for the tunnel. Perhaps I was just overreacting. I stood in front of the dark tunnel. It seemed cold. I brought up the flashlight from my keys and stepped forward into it. After a little way, there was a metal spiral staircase. I took the steps one at a time as I tried to see lower.The staircase must have dropped two stories before it finally spilled out onto level ground. The tunnel
Darkness Chapter 81: Shotgun
I heard footfalls behind me. I was yanked around from him with an iron grip. A shotgun exploded to my left. Mr. Kline flew backward into the storage room then smashed into the shelf that swung open. He lay sprawled across the tunnel floor. His magic slipped from me."Beloved? Are you okay?" Liam asked. His arm was wrapped around my waist as he held me against his chest.I sagged against him as Mr. Kline's magic loosened. "Thanks for coming."Mr. Kline groaned. He started climbing to his feet.Liam leveled his shotgun at him. "Stay down, or I'll fill you full of another round.""Try it, Ogre.""He's an orc," I corrected.Mr. Kline waved his hand. My body strained against Liam's grip. He released me, thinking it was me controlling my body. I stepped in front of the shotgun."What are you doing, Beloved?" He asked.I tried to shake my head. I tried to say something, but my body wouldn't respond. It was being jerked around by the puppet master. My mouth clamped shut. Even my eyes
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Darkness Chapter 132: Olympus
I don't know how long I lay there crying and wailing and sniffling. I couldn't believe he was gone. I'd been played. I'd let the darkness use him and use me. I needed to be smarter. I needed to figure out what she was doing before it happened. How did one even learn those sort of skills? I was no hero. I was nothing.The deep pit of depression pulled at me throughout the hours as I lay on the cold hard ground. I couldn't pull myself up. I couldn't go on. I had killed Mila and now I had killed Remi. I let Kezia and Matei die. No matter what I did, I was never good enough to save the people I loved. I'd even killed my own mother. What was wrong with me? I was living ball of bad luck. Bad Karma.I raised my head. Had Karma done this to me? Was that the reason? I slowly pushed into a sitting position."Karma!" I screamed. I had nothing left; otherwise, I would have pushed so much power into her name; it would have knocked the rest of the castle over. "Karma! Did you do this to me!?" M
Darkness Chapter 131: Dragon
Yes, I was looking at a freaking Dragon in front of me. It must have been three stories tall. What is that, thirty feet? It was freaking huge. Its black scales glittered in the moonlight, and if I weren't shaking in my boots and worried about being eaten alive, I would have thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Atlas, it was terrifying. Complete and utter terror gripped my throat, even more than the ominous darkness that used to chase me home from work. This thing had fangs and claws and wings! It was the embodiment of a predator and it was assigned to kill me.The thing reeled back its head after in a great roar as if to bellowed out fire on me, the tiny figure standing in front of it. I instinctively rose the Aurora sword in front of me. Instead of normal flame, it blew out a steady stream of black and purple fire. The sword sliced it in half, protecting me. After the breath, it turned its head and gazed at me with one bright golden hazel eye. The fearsome intel
Darkness Chapter 130: Dungeon
I woke up bound and gagged in a very cold and dark place. I could hear water dripping somewhere far off. The smell of mold and dirt filled my nostrils while the wet, cold air penetrated my clothing made me shiver. I pulled at the power I had stored inside me, but it was gone. It felt as if I had been completely drained. I even felt drained of life.I wiggled in the grime until I was able to free my gag. "Hello?" My voice echoed off what sounded to be stone walls.I could be anywhere. For a moment, I thought I was dead, but I think I was too uncomfortable to be dead just yet. After much struggling, I was able to sit."Remi?" I whispered. "Angie? Sandriel? Natalia? Anyone? Can anyone hear me?""No one can," a familiar voice echoed.It surprised me at how close it was, maybe only a few feet in front of me. The deep smooth female voice was easy to place. The water dripping in the background grew silent. Even the air around me stopped."Karma," I said."Oh, aren't you just so smart
Darkness Chapter 129: Life
The dark forest started to clear as I flew forward on my delicate wings. The first thing to catch my eye in the firelight was Kezia strapped to a pole in the middle of the nexus circle surrounded by what looked to be human bones. The rose bushes that were planted six years ago were the size of people, bushy, and well cared for. Their blooms were just starting to fade as the fall equinox rose. A hundred or so crystals sparkled in the moonlight spread out over the complicated circles drawn in the dirt. Mila stood at the edge of the circle chanting in a language I couldn't make out.Kezia's eyes darted towards me as I appeared out of the trees. Mila immediately stopped her chant as she looked in my direction. A wicked, too big smile gaped open. Pointed teeth spilled across her face. She extended her fingers out and flicked them at me.Dark tendrils of shadows leaped from the trees. They wrapped around my ankles and wrists, pulling me down to the ground. I could feel the familiar fear gr
Darkness Chapter 128: Plea
I stood looking out at the stars in the night sky from the roof of the Ardor bar building. The power from the crystals thrummed beneath my skin as I swirled it inside me, converting it to my pink energy. I needed to do this. I had to go all out like I had done for the brothers in order to save Kezia. It wasn't fair that she was taken hostage because of me.I closed my eyes. I searched deep inside the well of power within me and whispered, "Remi." The word escaped my lips with a deep insistence with power behind it.The night pressed in thick around me like a cloud that descended and hung about in a fog. I realized it was Remi's shadow fighting his summoning."Remi," I bit out. The power behind the word was sharp.The shadows merged into his figure. He stumbled forward on to his hands and knees before me."Kira," he heaved a breath. "Where did you learn that trick?""I need you to take me to Kezia."He lifted his head. "Don't do that. Forget about Kezia. She's lost. Just let it b
Darkness Chapter 127: Spark
The evening died down. I was left sitting alone again, but this time my basket of crystals was full of energy. Their surfaces pulsed with pink light. The elves' energy was different, but it was intense. It wasn't as easy to mix with my own, but when I did, I felt powerful.I collected the basket and went downstairs. I bid good night to Cherry with a nod. I carried my basket through the back then started up the stairs."Beloved," Liam's deep voice drew my eyes up from the stair steps.I nodded. "Liam.""Where are you going with all those crystals?""I was taking them to my room to practice."His eyebrow ridges knit down. "Practice what?"I smiled innocently. "I'm just testing what I can do. Don't worry; I'll be careful."He eyed me suspiciously. I tried not to let my smile waiver. I felt like he could see right through me, but I held firm. I had to do this. I couldn't just let Kezia die, not like Mila."Alright, be careful. Good night, Beloved.""Good night." I inched around h
Darkness Chapter 126: Signature
I sat outside in the parking lot were a bar counter, numerous tables and chairs, and many lights decorated the area. The elves sat politely at the tables, drinking their fancy top-shelf drinks. The Ardor Brothers pretended to be having a good time, but the suspicious glances between the two factions put a damper on the party.Lord Quillion finally strode across the parking lot towards us. He took a seat in front of me with a pained look.I remained silent with a smile on my face. No more plastic smiles for me. This one was genuine."Lord Quillion," I said."Beloved," he responded. He said it as if it tasted bitter on his tongue.That made me smile wider.Cole spread the contract out on the table between us. "This claims The Kingdom will be allies to the Ardor Brothers for the next fifty years. They will aid us with whatever we require, including sharing materials and funds. The territories will remain separate, but the people of either territory will be allowed to move across the
Darkness Chapter 125: Duel
"I accept the terms," Lord Quillion said.I extended my hand to him. We shook, then I backed away. Both armies stepped back to give us space.Liam squeezed my shoulder. "Let me fight for you."I shook my head. "This is my fight."He gave me a worried glance but gave a slight nod. "Good luck, Beloved."Granite gave me a soft punch. "We're counting on you." They both turned and stood to block the entrance to the bar. They watched me with their iron-grey eyes. I couldn't help but smile. For such cold, hardened warriors, they had such warmth in their hearts.I turned my attention back to Lord Quillion. He stood at the center and lifted his long sword to the sky. Dark clouds appeared and swirled overhead. Blue lighting ripped from the sky on to the sword. He held pointed it toward me, then screamed a battle cry.I cringed. It sent a primal surge of fear through me. I stood my ground as he ran forward with the sword. For a moment, I felt frozen, but I calmed my thoughts and felt for
Darkness Chapter 124: Challenge
I didn't sleep. I paced the room. I tossed and turned in bed, but I never managed a wink of sleep. Hours ticked by. Painful minutes ticked by. There was nothing. No word. No text or message. I was just stuck in the dark and I didn't dare bother them because it could mean life and death. At seven o'clock in the morning, I stumbled down the stairs on tired legs. I wanted to sleep, needed it, but I couldn't. I made some cereal and sat looking out at the sun in the sky over the city. The harsh sun reminded me of my garden. I let my mind wander to that peaceful place. I thought about the blooms, the sun, and the pink glow. Before I knew it, I was standing in my garden.The plants were still there, but they looked wilted. The ones next to the stream were okay, but the rest looked a little frazzled. I added more of the glittering water next to them and they slowly perked up. I touched others and they blossomed again. The tiredness slowly drained from me as I walked through my creations.I
