The Understudy of an Alchemist

59. A Collision Of Sun And Moon

Cassandra held out her hand and flexed her fingers, and the rocks that she and I had created during our previous fight retract into the ground. "You made a mistake coming here." Her tone was surprisingly less as cold as it was earlier, there was almost a touch of concern in her voice. My gaze flickered over to Varian, wondering if he had noticed this too, but his gaze was fixated upon the piece of paper in his hands.

Placing her chameleon upon the floor most likely as a means to keep him protected, Rapunzel rose to her feet, her expression stern, but not exactly angry. "Cass, I am not leaving this tower until this is resolved." Cassandra grinned maniacally now, any sign of compassion now gone. She slammed her fists together, and black rocks slid across the open sections of the roof that acted as windows, encasing the room in complete darkness; as well as locking all five of us inside. "Then I guess you're not leaving."

This action ensured that panic takes ahold of me once more, as I frantically reach across to my shackle, holding my hand out towards it, trying to make the rocks that it was constructed of retract. I had to stop this. Brow furrowing in effort, I continued to thrust my hand furiously at it, causing the chain to quiver slightly, yet not break. I didn't have enough strength.

Angry now, I went to flex my fingers once more, but Varian seized my wrist, preventing me from trying again. "Don't! You'll only become sicker!! The more rocks you make, the more energy you'll lose." I turned to him in desperation. "What else can I do? We have to stop them!" Varian still doesn't release my wrist, and instead holds out the piece of parchment to me. I seized it from his hand and read it as hastily as I could. Power of the sun, gift me with your light, gift me with your light, restore our fading sight, rise into the dawn, blazing star so bright, burn away the strife, let my hope ignite, let hope ignite. My eyes widened in astonishment. The fourth incantation. He'd found it!! I turned to him amazement, as he continued. "The only way we can stop this fight is by getting this to Rapunzel."

I calmly pointed to Rapunzel. She was standing roughly five metres away from us, not too drastic enough a distance to be able to get her attention, yet there was a problem. There was one obstacle standing between us, and Rapunzel.

Cassandra.

If we called out to Rapunzel that we had the final incantation, Cassandra would easily hear, and most likely take it from us before Rapunzel had the chance to even read it. We had to get her attention somehow without Cassandra noticing.

I shook myself slightly, before trying to pull my arm free. "I can get us out of here, and then we can get the incantation to her-" But Varian held onto my hand. "No. You need to rest. I'm not letting you risk your life for something foolish like that." His gaze flickered over to Rapunzel once more, and his brow creased in contemplation. "We just have to get her attention somehow."

"You do realise," Cassandra was saying, neon blue eyes flickering dangerously. "That I have full control over the rocks now." She gestures around her. "And you do know what this tower is made of." Black rocks suddenly shoot out of the ground, their sharpened tips pointing toward the golden-haired princess, as she blew some fallen strands of hair out of her eyes. "I'm not going to fight you." Her voice quivered slightly, but it was firm, nonetheless.

Cassandra snorted. "Then this will be easy." She thrust her hand into the air, crying as she did so, "Crescent high above, evolving as you go." My blood freezes to ice. The third incantation. I couldn't let what the butterfly had feared happen. I couldn't.

As she continued to chant the incantation like a madwoman, the courageous demeanour that Rapunzel was upholding finally faltered, as she suddenly looked pale, crying out to her former friend, "Cassandra, don't-"