Page 6 of Bewitched By the Wicked Witch
"Sage will be safe?" I demanded again. I needed confirmation.
"Yes, for now." She nodded. That was it. No words, no plea, just a silent agreement.
I had no choice.
if I refused, they'd put her through a trial by fire meaning they'd bind her, drain her magic, drag her to trial, and if they ruled against her… I shuddered.
With Sage's power, the same rare, wild kind her ancestor Maud Blackstone wielded before going dark, they'd see her as evil. They wouldn't care about the light inside her, the soul that kept fighting despite a lifetime of cruelty.
All they'd see was a threat.
My heart broke as it beat physically painful in my chest, nausea bubbling inside of me of thought of breaking her heart as well. Moments ago, before walking into this room, I'd been excited about our future together now. I was about to destroy us both. Yet, for a moment, hope flared. I could just delay this. I could find a way to do this but not ruin us. I could still save her with a promise of the future.
I walked away, destroying our world and tearing it apart at the same time. Desperation and regret consumed me, hoping that one day she wouldn't succumb to the darkness and anger building inside her, that she might still forgive me. Because there is only one woman for me. I'd wait five years, then spend the rest of my life making it up to her. But first, she would hate me.
I moved closer to the door, trying to figure out a way to explain, to get her to wait to understand to not be as broken. However, as I almost made it through the door, Eleanor's voice halted me with a chilling warning, "Callum."
I faced her, meeting her gaze with unbridled fury, no longer caring who else was in the room or what they thought. "What?"
Her words cut through me like a knife. "If you tell her, if you give her false hope, I will personally light the pyre, niece or not." Her tone was devoid of emotion, but her threat was crystal clear. "Sage has enough issues that she will face and if you tell her the truth, she will fight and it will end unfavorably for her. It might even push her right over to that side of evil they already believe she is. Whichwill look very bad for our family. Do we understand one another?"
I nodded, my lips pressing into a hard line, holding back the words I truly wanted to say, that this relative didn't know the real Sage or the goodness inside her. Despite her broken and damaged heart, Sage was inherently good, her soul pure. I only wished others could see what I saw in her.
As I stared into Eleanor Ravenstone's cold eyes, the bitter truth settled over me. They would never look beyond the transgressions of Sage's ancestor, the true wicked witch. They had already decided who Sage was before giving her a chance to prove otherwise.
In an instant, any hope I had left shattered along with my already broken heart. With a heavy weight in my pocket, I nodded and walked away to do the hardest thing I had ever done, breaking the heart of the woman I loved. The small box felt like a leaden burden, a symbol of my betrayal and the pain I was about to inflict upon her.
I made a vow that day, as I slipped my hand into my pocket to hold that small box holding the ring, my mother’s ring. I would fight anyone who stood in our way, for there was only one woman I desired, my witch, my Sage. No matter how dark she may be.
Because I’d fight the devil himself to be by her side. I just had to be patient.
As I walked away from that damned council chamber, Eleanor's final words echoed in my mind: "And Callum? Do remember grand niece or not, should you fail in doing as we request, I will be the one forced to light the pyre and we will both be forced to watch."
The message was clear. Keep Sage safe by staying away from her, or watch the very thing I was trying to protect her from find its way to her door.
Two
Sage
Five more years later…
The missing girl posters hadn't been there yesterday.
I paused on Old Hollows Road, studying the fresh paper taped to the old Victorian lamp post.
"MISSING: Beverly Chen, 17, last seen October 15th."
The girl's bright smile stared back at me from the slightly rain smeared photo, hope radiating from her dark eyes.
A second poster caught my eye on the next post:
"MISSING:Ashlynn Parker, 16."
Then another:
"Chrysanthemum Walsh, 18."
Four girls. All young. All having gone missing within the past six months.
