𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃

35. 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺𝘀

     IT WAS AGATHA HARKNESS ALL ALONG. To think, Eszter thought she could trust Agnes--well, Agatha, but she should've known the woman was a snake. Agatha was a pretty damn good manipulator, and she had Eszter and everyone else fooled; it was pretty sad that Eszter hadn't seen this coming, especially with how weird Agatha and Wesley were.

That's another thing.

"Where's Wesley?" Eszter narrowed her eyes menacingly toward Agatha, observing her.

"I'm surprised you haven't picked up that American accent after living here for, what, two years?" Agatha teased with a chuckle, but Eszter failed to laugh. Agatha was amused by it all. She continues to pet Senior Scratchy. "I wouldn't worry about Wesley. He'll be suffering from the consequences of his actions. Instead, we should worry about you."

"Not until I know he's safe."

Agatha groaned. "Why do you even care? He lied to you and played you like a violin," Agatha mentioned like a punch to the face, but Eszter rolled it off her shoulder, and her face hardened. "Face it, sweetheart; he never cared about you and never will." Agatha grinned toothily, seemingly pleased with the outcomes. "My son, well, he has a special connection when it comes to befriending people. He really knows how to get under their skin."

"You little . . ." Eszter gritted her teeth as she let her hands dance gracefully in front of her, ready to blast Agatha with her powers when nothing happened. "What the?"

That was it; literally, nothing happened. It wasn't like the electric shock collar she wore because, unlike that, Eszter quite literally couldn't produce her powers. She couldn't conjure the energy orbs as quickly as she usually would, nor could she feel it in her veins. It was like Eszter was just an ordinary teenage girl with no special powers. For a moment, fear finally sunk in, and Eszter was terrified for her life; she had no way of protecting herself without her powers, and while her hand-to-hand combat wasn't too bad, Eszter relied heavily on her abilities.

Not to mention, how would she be able to compete against a witch with knowledge beyond anything? It was impossible.

Staring at her hands with wide-stricken eyes, Eszter tries not to panic. "What did you do?"

Agatha scoffed so hard her body jerked. "I'm surprised Wesley hadn't taught you," she started at Eszter in utter disbelief, a hint of disappointment wedged between that and amusement. "These are runes, Eszter. I'm sure you know what those are."

Eszter's eyes flicked away from Agatha's teasing gaze and toward the runes etched into the cement walls. Easter hadn't noticed them when she walked into the room, too engrossed with the idea of a room like this being in Agatha's basement. The room was strange and unlike anything Eszter's ever seen; to be fair, Eszter would've never noticed the runes had Agatha not pointed them out.

Embarrassed by her lack of skills as an Avenger--should she even consider herself as such? Nevertheless, Eszter failed to miss the subtle clues ahead of time, unlike what shed been trained back at the facility. But now wasn't the time to sulk and point out the flaws of her actions; Eszter was trapped with a crazy witch, and that's saying a lot.

Clenching her fists tightly at her sides, Eszter merely glared at the runes. "I'm assuming they have something to do with my powers not working?" She guesses bitterly, finding Agatha's gaze once more.

A smirk slithered over Agatha's face. "In a given space, only the witch that cast the runes can use her magic," she studied Eszter. "I'm a little disappointed in you, Eszter. The Dark Witch." Eszter felt her muscles stiffen at the mere mention of the mantle she was proclaimed, and Agatha noticed. "Oh, I know all about you and your sister."