The Shattereds

Chapter 7

Emily had six books: the Immortality Spell of Souls, Soul Shattering, Magical Object Destruction, Dark Magic Defense, Reversing Curses, and the Immortal Souls. Servant Vine carried three and Emily carried three. They went back to the Staircase Room. They knew where the exit was, so they just waited until the walkway and staircases appeared.

They walked back to Emily's room. They put them on the desks. Emily pulled out a notebook and opened Immorality Spell of Souls. She started taking notes on it. Servant Vine watched, but she could not read anything. Emily saw her watching. She started reading it out loud. "Enchanting an object with your soul will allow you to have immortality. You will die, but the next day you will wake up again, immortal. You will go through a period of immense pain due to your body adjusting back to living after death. This spell also will allow you to wake others from the dead," read Emily. "However, if the object is destroyed, the souls you reawakened will be free from your spells and you can die again." She looked at Servant Vine. "What would the object be?" asked Emily.

"Her locket," Servant Vine said immediately. She looked at Emily.

"We have to destroy it," said Emily.

"There's a lot of protection enchantments on it," said Servant Vine. "Maybe even an after curse if someone were to destroy it. Just worry about destroying the other enchanted items." Emily opened up the book for destroying magical objects. She started reading through it. Suddenly, Servant Vine clutched her chest. Emily turned.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Servant Vine stopped. She looked at Emily.

"I'm ok," she said. Emily looked her up and down.

"Are you sure?" asked Emily.

"Yes. Don't worry," said Servant Vine. "It's time for dinner. Let's get going." Emily followed Servant Vine. The portraits seemed to eye them. They made it to the dining room. Witch Broom was there, eating quietly. The three head servants sat with her. They just sat still. Emily sat down at a chair. She started eating too. Servant Vine watched silently. Emily did not eat much. She ate quickly, then left.

Emily read the books for hours. She started dozing off. "You can go to bed," said Servant Vine. Emily looked at her.

"No. I have to be ready. These books will help me," said Emily. She continued, but her head dropped. She then fell asleep at her desk. Servant Vine just sighed. She gently put a hand on Emily's shoulder.

"Sweetheart, you should move to your bed," said Servant Vine. Emily sat up slightly and nodded. She let Servant Vine help her get to the bed. She fell asleep in seconds. Servant Vine pulled a blanket over her. Emily smiled. Servant Vine smiled too. She started to leave. Something then caught her eye. She saw something sticking out of Emily's suitcase. She pulled it out. It was a stuffed gray cat with black marking on it and a heart necklace around its neck. Servant Vine smiled. She wondered who had given it to Emily. As she was about to put it back, the world around her melted.

She looked around. She was standing next to a burned down house. A firefighter had a three-year-old girl in his arms. Fire trucks were all around the house. A police officer walked up to the girl and the firefighter. "They didn't make it. They passed in the ambulances. It was too late," said the officer. The firefighter just shook his head. Another firefighter came over. He had the stuffed cat in his hand.

"This was the only thing that made it," said the firefighter. Servant Vine clutched her chest. Emily was the girl. Her parents had died in a house fire. The real world reappeared. Servant Vine looked back at Emily, then at the stuffed cat. She put it back. She walked outside the door. She stood guard, like she did every night.

In the morning, she went inside when she heard Emily waking up. Emily was sitting up. "The duel is in two days," she said. Servant Vine could only nod. Emily went over to her notes.

"I'll go get some breakfast," said Servant Vine. She left. Emily sat at the desk, reading and taking notes again. Her heart pounded. She had to defeat Witch Broom. Emily thought about asking for the servants' freedom. If she could win, they would all be free. If she lost, she would agree to be Witch Broom's servant forever. She put her pencil down. She needed to practice the spells. Servant Vine came back in. She had a tray of breakfast. She set it in front of Emily.

Emily ate slowly. Servant Vine immediately noticed something was wrong. "Emily, what's wrong?" asked Servant Vine.

"Can we work on the spells?" asked Emily. She looked up at Servant Vine.

"Of course," said Servant Vine. Emily gobbled up the rest of her breakfast. She got changed. Servant Vine then led her to the training room. "I can enchant objects for you to destroy," said Servant Vine. Emily nodded. Servant Vine made candlesticks appeared. She made them float around her. She put one foot back, then put both hands forward. The candlesticks all went flying at Emily.

She started sending spells flying. They would hit the candlesticks, and they would explode. A candlestick hit Emily's arm. She destroyed it, and another one attacked her. She kept destroying them until they were all gone. Servant Vine smiled at her, the nodded. Emily smiled back. Suddenly, the training swords floated up. They went flying at her. She ducked down and started sending spells out. She jumped backwards, giving her space away from the swords.

She destroyed them all. Enchanted armor came marching towards her. She sent spells off. The explosions were powerful. Emily barely stayed on her feet. She finished them off. Servant Vine was watching her, a smile on her face. "You are stronger than you think," said Servant Vine. "A little more work, and I think you might be able to beat her."