Dirk laughed, the sound a sharp bark. “Cassandra, take Kyra to the lower level and make sure she stays there until I’m ready. I’m sure she would appreciate meeting the others.”
Anger brightened the black witch’s gaze, her attention flicking towards Bane.
“Now, Cassandra.” This time it was a command.
A little pout of her lips, her hand brushing against her braids that tingled as the beads beat against one another, but the irritation was still there. She produced a wand, the implement meant to enhance the force of arcane.
“After you,” Cassandra said, pointing it in her direction. Out of all the coven it was Cassandra she liked the least, not that she really spent time with any of the others. She couldn’t blame their abhorrence towards her, not when they were forced to stay at the cottage while she was allowed her own place in the city. Privacy and her own life, or at least, that was how it seemed. Now she understood it was all a way to manipulate her, to make her believe she had a choice. Easier to control because they gave her a life.
Cassandra was the one witch who really enjoyed the death, who enjoyed the kill when animals were required for sacrifice. She savoured the high, craved it. The others would keep their expressions blank, while she never tried to hide her hungry expression. Other than Adeline, she was one of the longest serving witches, there longer than Kyra and had seen many witches come, and then disappear once they were no longer useful.
“Come on,” she snapped, the end of her wand digging into her back. “It’s just through here.” She gestured down the same hallway Kyra had walked earlier, but instead of turning into the house she forced her through another doorway, one with stairs that lead down.
The basement at the bottom was relatively small compared to the floorplan of the house above, made smaller by the crudely constructed sections at the back. Metal bars had been added horizontally, thicker than her wrist and so close together Kyra had to squint to see inside. Two men cowered in the corner, naked other than a pair of tattered shorts.
Kyra stopped, pressing herself closer to the bars. “What is this?” she asked, her voice making the men flinch, their heads turning to look. “Cassandra, how long have they been here?”
Cassandra’s laugh brushed over the back of her neck, the wand stabbing forward until it pierced skin. “Don’t get all superior on us now, Kyra. The only reason they’re here is because of you.”
Kyra whipped around, not caring as the wand sliced her skin further. “How long have they been here?” she asked again, as one of the men moved. His lips were thinned, face swollen as he crept forward. His eyes flicked to her choker, then up to meet hers briefly.
Cassandra cocked her head, tongue darting out to lick her lips. “Dirk brought them here a few days ago. Before that? Who knows.”
“Why are you even here?” Kyra squared her shoulders, stepping to the side, forcing Cassandra to echo the movement. It put Kyra towards the door, and Cassandra against the bars. “Like you said, they’re here because of me, and what I can do. So why are you here?”
Cassandra’s smile tipped into a snarl, the end of the wand sparking. “Shut up and get in there.” She gestured to the other cell, the door slightly ajar. The lights above flickered off, leaving them momentarily in pitch black.
“You never answered my question,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t shake as the lights turned back on with a pained whine. “Why are you not dead like the others?” In the darkness the other man had moved forward, his long fingers squeezing though to wrap around the bar, tattoos decorating the digits.
“Because I’m not a fucking fool like the others were, blindly following orders from that Supreme arsehole and the Triumvirs.” Her features hardened. “Bane promised me the freedom to practice spells I see fit. I won’t be restricted by rules created by some old men who believe black magic is inferior because they can’t control it. It should be people like us who control The Magicka, witches with actual power.”
“Is that what you want? To take over The Magicka?” Kyra sneered, needing her riled up.
“Death is the way of life, we shouldn’t be treated like shit because we embrace that,” Cassandra snarled, eyes bright with a mixture of excitement and fury.
Kyra couldn’t hide her disgust. “You’ve just swapped one monster for another.”
“You say that like you’re not a monster too,” Cassandra spat. “Your fake tears make you worse, at least I own my actions.”
Kyra smiled, needing her angrier. She couldn’t use her magic, not without Dirk knowing. “I’m so much better than you, it’s why I’m actually needed.” She laughed, the sound strained. “Tell me Cass, do you really think you could better me?”
Cassandra’s snarl echoed against the concrete. “Shut up or I’ll kill you!”
Kyra’s stomach tightened, and she hoped like hell her idea worked. “I very much doubt that.”
The wand tip brightened, and Kyra barely managed to keep the cry of pain to herself as the first hit of magic scalded across her skin. The spell was dark, Cassandra’s words muffled as blood rushed in her ears.
Kyra pushed herself forward, ignoring the burn as her chi reacted to the attack and shoved.
Cassandra’s eyes widened as she fell back, and before she could recover the men caught her, their fingers gripping anything they could get hold of. Kyra moved, grabbing the wand and feeling Cassandra’s power thrum through the wood. It heated against her fingertips, and before another spell could be cast Kyra lifted a fist and hit Cassandra square in the face. Her head snapped back, connecting to the metal bars with a heavy thump.
Kyra fell to her knees at the same time Cassandra collapsed. Her hand was limp, the wand forgotten as it fell from her palm. Kyra couldn’t control the trembling as she concentrated on the black magic working its way across her aura, searching for a weakness. But that was one secret she had always been able to keep to herself, and even Frederick wasn’t aware of her natural immunity to black hexes.
“Hey?”
Kyra ignored the whispers, keeping her gaze downcast. She fisted her hands, waiting for the trembles to stop completely as her nausea rose.
“Hey, are you okay?”
