Rich Kids Don't Die | Featured

Chapter Thirty Two

The square was mostly empty this early in the morning, except for the occasional tourists that were beginning to trickle in. Streams of sunlight poured over the grey stone floors, dripping down to meet the radiant white cathedral a short distance away.

Kazimir was still unconscious, his wrists bound together and his arms held tightly in Alex and Asher's grip. Whilst Maddie was relieved that he hadn't been awake all this time, it seemed that perhaps, now that they'd arrived, they would need his help.

A small sigh escaped her, and Maddie's wand flicked rapidly in her fingers, almost as if of its own accord. A jolt of glowing blue pierced the air, and Kazimir's jaw snapped upwards, his lucid tawny eyes rolling to the back of his skull before finally meeting hers. A ghost of a smile crafted itself onto Maddie's lips.

Kazimir's darting gaze swept across his surroundings, his eyes hardly comprehending the dizzying rainbow of colours that veiled every blurred, indistinct angle in his vision. Only flashes of the scene he came to recognize: the gold-tipped wings of angels perched atop the cathedral doors, and the steady disapproval carved into their white, plaster eyes.

His next show of panic slipped from his mouth in a barely audible, excruciated hiss, as if his bones were being reduced to ashes. "What have you done?"

An innocent smile blossomed on his sister's lips. "Isn't this your favourite place in Italy?" Katya asked, cocking her head to one side. "I was under the impression that you'd been hiding something precious here."

The effects of the potum vero were starting to wear off by now. Kazimir's eyes glittered with newly-founded anger, and his fingers twitched at the absence of his wand. "Someone will see you, and the chains. They'll help me-"

"You're under an invisibility spell," Leah said coolly. "We all are. Now, where the hell is she?"

The creases resting on his scowling face deepened. "I already told you."

With his patience dwindling rapidly, Alex slowed his pace. Then, he yanked Kazimir's arm behind his back in one sharp, lightning-swift motion. "You're going to have to be a bit more specific."

This time Kazimir kept silent. Leah sighed in defeat, reaching for the brown satchel hanging on Alex's arm.

She pulled out her hand, revealing a glass bottle that glittered threateningly in the sunlight. Its contents swirled with an almost mocking potency. At the sight of it, he grunted and snarled, strained in Asher's hold and struggling to be free. Her finger spun off the lid, and she used her other hand to lock his jaw in place.

His eyes lit up moments later, appearing as though made of yellow glass, the colour of honey or amber beer. Then, they dulled to their usual auburn. His shoulders slacked.

"Tell us where Annika is," Asher said firmly.

Kazimir bit down on his tongue, drawing blood. "At the top of the bell tower," he spat out. "surrounded by guards. I hope they kill you-"

Katya stepped forward, her arm drawing back almost mechanically before her fist collided with his nose. Her tone was distasteful. "That's all we need."

Just as Leah moved to protest, the wand stationed in Katya's fingers flicked backwards, and she uttered a spell too quiet for any of the others to identify. Kazimir's eyes closed, and his head rolled back in unconsciousness.

"Don't take too long," Katya said, straightening her shoulders. "Locus animi!"

A sudden spiral of grey light burst into existence, trailing up to the clouds of pearly white in the sky. There was a loud crack! and Leah's hands flew to her ears, though her eyes were open to witness the sparks of purple that erupted. In a heartbeat, Katya's body had morphed into a churning, warped version of reality, her figure blurring into the sky like an illusion before disappearing altogether.