DAWN.

🌹CHAPTER 25

   I felt the earth beneath me tremble as the chant grew louder. Each of the men them began to stagger uncontrollably sending chills down my spine. Now more than ever I wanted to get out of here. I got to my knees and struggled to loosen the rope that was used to tie my hands.

   Even though they were still chanting, I had a feeling that they were all unconscious. This was no doubt a ritual, I had never witness one until that moment and believe me it was less scary when you read them in books. Who would have thought I would be the sacrifice in the first ritual ceremony I ever got to attend.

  
     I struggled to get to the fringe of the rope with my fingers, good thing the rope was tied in a bow. I bent my wrist upwards in a way I never knew I could. 'Finally', my fingers got to the fringe and I pulled it loose .

   I was about about to do the same with my legs when the man with the dagger began to approach me cautiously. At least now my hands were free. I tried to cast a spell at him but it didn't work. For the first time ever my magic was failing me. I tried to send flames at him but it also didn't work.

    I dragged myself backwards away from him but he yanked my sweat shirt by the neck and brought his dagger close to my neck. I struggled to set myself free from his menacing grip and at the same time struggled to breathe properly.
I clawed at his hands but it didn't weaken his grip.

   He traced the dagger down to my abdomen and pulled it backwards ready to stab me. I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst . was this how I was going to die? In the hands of people I probably don't know.

     After a while, I didn't feel the sharp impact I was expecting. I felt his grip on my sweat shirt loosen. I opened my eyes to see what was going on. The dagger he was holding in the air fell to the ground. Though from his mask I could tell his eyes were staring at me, his gaze felt distant. He fell limped beside me.

   I looked up and saw Damian. He held his hand towards me which I held as a support to stand up. He pulled a pocket knife from him pants pocket and cut the rope I had round my ankle.

   "Well, well if it isn't Damian . The bastard himself" one of the men said as he pulled off his mask. All the other men in black seemed to have shifted away from us except this one man. "I see my men didn't kill you . I guess I just have to end you myself. "

     " Uncle Hermes. " Damian spat with a look of disgust. He pulled me behind him in a protective stance. I had a strong feeling that this man was strong enough to kill Damian, even though Damian tried to act tough I could sense his fear.

    " You are just like your brother, so stupid that you feel placing honour before power makes you a hero. "

    "What have you done to my brother? " he seeted through gritted teeth. The other men in black were approaching us slowly. I tried to send flames towards one of them but it still wasn't working.

     As if he noticed, he turned his face sideways so he could see me but also not enough to loose sight of the enemy. " Move away from the circle" he said to me.

    We moved backwards with caution until we were outside the circle.

    "Get them both." the man ordered the others in black and they charged towards us. I sent a spark towards one of the men, it licked the fringe of his shirt and in a desperate attempt to put it off it grew gradually and consumed him while he wailed and ran from one part of the room to the other.

  
   I focused on another man while Damian did the same but his so called uncle lunged at him leaving me to fight the other men myself. I ducked as a fist headed towards me. One of the men pulled my arm backwards in a painful angle . I tried to reach him with my other arm but the other man grabbed my other arm making me feel helpless.

   From the corner of my eye I saw Damian was engaged in a fist fight with him uncle. It was so unfortunate he was at the receiving end. I couldn't count on his help at that moment.

  I struggled to pull my arms free but it only made me feel an agonizing pain around my shoulder.  I grunted in pain. I had come to far to end up like this. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I was about to give up.

       Suddenly, one of the men cried out in agony and I felt their grip loosen as I stepped away from them. The man yelling was covered in a blue luminous flame that turned him lifeless and skeletal in a very short pace. His skeleton dropped to the floor with hollow eyes that made me wanna gag.

  The other man starred ahead of me with a mix of awe and borrow on his face. I followed his line of sight and saw the most deadly, powerful and nicest person I've even known, my father. My father gave me a knowing look with a smirk on his face that sent a clear message.

    I turned to the other man and surprised him with a punch in his gut. My fist hurt but he seemed to have suffered more from the impact. He doubled over in pain , making his vertebral more visible. I thought of breaking it to paralize him but I didn't have enough guts to do that.

     I did something I had never done my entire life. I reached for his face to make sure he was staring directly into my eyes. I forced his mouth opened and absorbed his life force out of him. He became life his companion on the floor only that he still had a thin layer of skin to cover his skeleton.

    I stood up and turned towards my father who had taken over from Damian. With his fingers wrapped around the neck of Damian's uncle , he nailed him to the wall. We all knew what was going to happen next.

   Damian tried to stop him but was too late. Blue flames clothed him and burnt him until there was nothing but bones left. I watched as Damian palmed his face " Now I'm never going to know about my brother".

    My father narrowed his eyes into slits "Were you expecting him to tell you?"  He said sarcastically.

  "You do have a point. My uncle is a very stubborn man and he didn't look like he was going to talk even if it meant beating him to death. But how on earth am I supposed to find my brother? "  he asked feeling weary.

  "That I do not know but if it helps you should know he isn't dead." Dad replied.

   "How do you......." He was asking when he caught the smirk on dad's face " oh, damn it! I almost forgot you are death".

    I turned to dad " So where do we go from here?" I asked.

  "To face destiny my child. Today we war"