Chapter 2 The Dark Ritual

The cell was a tomb, its walls slick with moisture as its air festered with the scent of decay. Evie huddled in the corner, her gown of fine silk now a tattered shroud. The chill made its way down to her bones, but it was no match for the frigid emptiness of steel that had taken residence in her chest. Days had gone by or maybe weeks; time had lost all meaning in the dark. The only sounds she could hear were drops of water dripping down, and the sound of feet that echoed never came for her.

She had stopped crying. The tears had settled, leaving in them a rapture that was worse than pain. Her brain was replaying the betrayal on loop, like a scratched record she couldn't switch off. The coolness in kael's eyes, the triumphant grin on Seraphine's lips, the quiet of the court: All of it had haunted her, unrelenting in its torment, refusing to let her find peace.

"Why?" she said into the darkness, her voice rough from lack of use. "Why did you do this to me?"

Of course, there was no answer. The cell was devoid of all else but the shadows that pressed ever closer with each hour. But at that moment, just when she was going to succumb to the hopelessness, a voice shattered the stillness.

"Because they fear you."

Evie's heart raced as her head whipped up. The voice was low and melodic, and had an otherworldly quality that made her spine tingle. She looked around the cell, but it was empty.

"Who's there?" She insisted, shakily.

She stepped from the shadows, encased in darkness, power radiating from her. It was a woman, her features sharp and elegant, her eyes glowing like embers in the night. She was almost too graceful in her movements, and the cell hummed with her energy.

"I'm called Liora," the woman said, with a calmness in her voice. "And I'm here to give you a choice."

Evie gazed at her, too shocked to speak. Liora was terrifying, but also mesmerizing, like looking into the eye of a hurricane. "A choice?" she finally managed to say.

Liora nodded. "You can be in this cell, and let them take everything from you. "Or you can rise from the ashes and take the power that is yours."

Evie's breath caught. "What power?"

Liora's mouth tightened into a faint smile. "The power of vengeance. The ability to make them wish they never met you."

Evie hesitated for a moment. The idea of extorting Kael and Seraphine for their sins was intoxicating. But then she thought of the cold, calculating look on Kael's face when he looked at her, how easily he'd turned his back on her. "Why should I trust you?" she asked in a voice scarcely over a whisper.

"You shouldn't," said Liora affectionately. "But what other option do you have? You are not in training as of October 2023. The world has abandoned you. But I can give you the tools to fight back."

Evie's hands balled into fists, her nails embedding in her palms. She wanted to deny it, to hold on to her humanity by the last threads. But the memory of Kael's betrayal churned like a blister in her mind, and the need for revenge was a flame she couldn't douse.

"What do I have to do?" so she said, trying to keep her voice steady even though there was fear coiling in her chest.

Liora's smile spread, and Evie saw something dangerous gleam in her eyes for the first time. "You must die."

The words fell like lead, heavy, final. Evie's heart pounded, but she didn't turn her gaze. "Die?" she repeated, like a voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes," Liora said. "But not truly. There is an ancient forbidden ritual that could give you a second chance. The opportunity to come back stronger, more powerful than they could ever dream of. But it will cost you. The ritual will transform you, and there's no turning back."

Evie's mind raced. To die, however briefly, horrified her. But the idea of spending the rest of her life in this cell, alone and broken, was worse. She thought of Kael, of Seraphine, of all those who had wronged her. They had robbed her of everything her family, her future, her love. What did she have to lose, she said?

"Just do it," she said, her voice steady notwithstanding the fear that crawled up her throat.

Liora's eyes sparkled with approval. "Very well. But wait, Evelyn Ashford, this is not a gift. It is a pact. And there will be a price."

Before Evie could inquire what she meant, Liora raised her hand, and the world shattered into blackness.

Evie's body stiffened as Liora began the ritual. The space surrounding them hummed with electricity, and the shadows appeared to spring to life, sinuous and pulsing like some kind of sentient being. Liora's voice rose into a chant, the words strange and potent. Evie's heart broke into a million pieces, splintering in her chest like glass. She tried to scream, but nothing came out.

The agony worsened, coursing through her blood like flame. She felt her flesh being torn, her being disassembled. And then, right when she figured she couldn't take it for another minute, there was a flash of light, and then everything went still.

When Evie opened her eyes, she was not in the cell. Even better, stand somewhere else exiled, in fact and squeeze your eyes shut to hear the winds of eternity roaring, the earth echoing underfoot, remember the only home you had in your stomach, and know that what you need is telling you only what you want. Beneath her soles, the cracked earth was dry as a bone; above her, the air was heavy with the reek of ash and rot.

"Welcome," Liora said, materializing next to her. "This is the land of the lost, where the spirits of the brokenhearted reside. "Kneel and the power you seek shall be given.

Evie stared down at her own hands, which glimmered distinctly with a dark, supernatural light. She felt changed stronger, crisper, as if the ritual had sheared away her weakness and revealed something one. Something dangerous.

"What now?" she asked, her voice steady, her insides churning.

Liora had a sharp, knowing smile. "Now, you rise."