Saving Mitchell
Chapter 37 – "In the Dark"
The sensation of ice cold daggers piercing my skin wakes me as I open my eyes to Patrick and an empty bucket. His gleeful grin makes me recoil inside and in that moment I knew I had to free myself from my bonds or die.
"It's about time you woke up. Welcome home sister. I would give you a more gracious greeting but we both know you'll leave the first chance you get and I can't have that. You're going to change me and they will discuss your release." He puts the bucket down, my wrists starting to burn from the rope tied to tight around them.
Looking around the room I recognize the house even though I had only been inside it once. "So, tell me brother. Did Herrick inherit this house from Henry or are you just merely squatting."
"Good, you know where you are. Henry more or less gave the house to Herrick and Herrick gave it to me. Now, how do we do this sister? Are you going to change me or am I going to have to get rough?" I look into his cold grey eyes, his pupils nearly covering the grey.
"I'm not changing you Patrick." With my jaw clenched tight I stare at him, my blue eyes burning back at him.
"Not even if I have Herrick kill your friends one by one?" He checks my bindings, tightening the ones around my ankles. He was smart, removing my shoes and leaving me barefoot.
"Herrick will never do that, beside Herrick wants Mitchell and that would risk Mitchell turning his back on him forever. I've seen the way they are together, Mitchell still tolerates him but just." The cocky smile melts from his face, his fingernails digging into my thigh.
"Correct again sister. You are an observant one. Well, I can't have Herrick kill your friends but I know he'll turn the human ones you have." The smile beams back brighter this time making the bile rise in my mouth.
"You could do that but I have very few human friends left. Patrick, I'm not turning you and that's that." Pursing my lips together I turn my head from him as he stomps out of the room.
For the remainder of the night I try to free myself from the rope, making a bloody mess of my wrists and ankles. In my heart I know Mitchell is looking for me and that gives me the energy to go on.
At dawn Patrick comes back to check on me, my bindings a little loose. "You've been busy. I've given you the night to think about it. Are you willing to turn me now?"
"Honestly Patrick you could keep me here till the end of time and I will never change you." I try not to smile as he slams the door, leaving me alone in the empty bedroom again.
I take inventory of the room hoping to find a loose nail to cut the ropes with but to no avail, nothing. The room however has two small windows and that gives me hope I could use them to escape.
With the sun starting to fade Patrick comes back in but this time he's not alone. "Let me introduce you to of friend of mine. Sasha, this is my sister Cara, Cara this is my witch Sasha." The tall blonde girl smiles at me, the brand of the witch on the back of her hand.
"I see you wear that brand with pride; may I ask where you got it from?" Sasha holds her hand out to me, showing me the brand.
"I got it from a witch hunter that was about to kill me actually. Patrick saved me and we've been friends since. Well, not really friends, more like lovers." The air goes sailing out of my lungs when I see Patrick kiss her, the two of them in a heated embrace.
"If you had a witch then why did you use poor Fred like that?" Patrick turns his gaze towards me, his lips curving sideways.
"Intimidation goes a long way and why not. I didn't want to play the Sasha card before I had to. She's my ace in the hole you see and she's going to use the Romanoff books for me. If you won't willing turn me then maybe this spell of obedience will make you." He turns his back to me, retrieving the chronicle from the bag over his shoulder.
I had read that book front to back a hundred times and apparently my little brother had not. Daniel clearly states on the last page that the Romanoff magic cannot be used against a Romanoff. Some ordinary spells have an effect on us but not the full effect. The Romanoff magic that was used to write those spells, incantations and potions will not work on the magic they came from.
Sasha starts the obedience spell by placing crystals around my chair, her voice going higher as she recites the Latin written on the page. I begin to laugh, my head tilting back as I let my amusement flow from me.
Patrick grabs me by my hair, holding my head in place. "What's so funny Cara?"
I stare back at him, reciting an incantation of my own. Sasha's tall frame crumbles to the floor, the book lying spine up on the floor. "Romanoff magic is useless against a Romanoff brother. Too bad you're not one."
The spell before me was one that I had been dying to try. I kick the crystal in front of me at him, it slides to a stop at his foot. "The power of darkness binds you the power of darkness keeps you the power of darkness makes you and in it you are blind."
Patrick begins to scream, his fingers rubbing at his eyes. "Cara stop this … now!"
"What's wrong Patrick, can't see?" The gloating tone in my voice is soon gone as he brings the dagger Emily had given me from his belt and swings it wildly at me.
I lean back from the blade, the chair crashing to the floor. The pain of my left wrist snapping makes me wince as I wiggle it free from the rope. Slowly I crawl on my hands and knees towards the door, freedom only a few inches from me.
Patrick continues to swing the blade, Sasha still out cold on the floor. Reaching up for the doorknob I feel it turn in my hand. I swallow hard as Herrick opens the door.
"Going somewhere Cara?" The vampire jerks me up to my feet, taking my injured left wrist in his hand. He walks me back to the chair, pressing on my wrist till I agree to release Patrick from the spell.
Once my bindings have been secured again the trio leaves the room, whisper right outside the door.
The pain in my wrists was becoming unbearable as I wiggle it around trying to free myself. With the night starting to fade my captures reenter the room, Herrick smiling more than anyone.
"I will get free and when I do I'm going to put a stake through your black heart." I spit at him as I try to lunge forward.
"Funny you should say that Cara, looks like there's a spell in this book that will be of some use after all. We can't use Romanoff magic on you but we can use it." Herrick reaches his hand out, Sasha passing him the chronicle. "Yes … I remember this one. Is this how you got dear Henry out of his predicament, a doppelganger? Genius, pure genius Cara."
My heart sinks so low I can feel it stop beating. He was right that spell could be used to make a doppelganger of me but why would he want to? My mind goes through a thousand scenarios at once, hoping to find the one he was after.
They leave me alone again, the morning coming sooner than I expected. By noon I can hear movement downstairs, the sound of furniture being moved about and voices. Patrick swings open the door, pulling me from the chair. Holding me tight he walks me down the stairs into the kitchen. On the table is the corpse of a young girl with auburn red hair. Her frame was built like mine as well as the shape of her face. They meant to make sure whoever saw my ganger would believe it was me. Sasha pours a bottle of clear liquid into the corpse's mouth and over its body, from the smell I could tell it is witches bane.
It takes her a few hours to get the incantation right as they gather the ingredients for the spell. Sasha mixes together what I assume is concentrated dirt, blood and my hair. Herrick cuts some of the flesh from my arm, doing it with a large grin. With all the ingredients in the bowl Sasha says the words. "Surgite factus est medium."
Twenty minutes later and my dead double lay on the kitchen table before me, Sasha clapping her hands like a small child.
Patrick unties me, my eyes going wide as I watch him. He begins to strip my clothes from my body as Herrick holds the dagger to my throat.
After they have dressed my ganger in my clothes and pour more witches bane over it I begin to see their plan. "You mean to pass this corpse off as me to my friends and Mitchell so they'll stop looking for me and Mitchell will be so heartbroken he'll come to you. You bastard!"
"Oh yes Cara, this is the perfect plan but wait." Herrick pulls a wooden stake from Patrick's bag of tricks and plunges it deep into the corpse's chest. "One more thing." With the dagger he cuts my wrist, careful not to get any on him. "Sasha be a dear and spread her blood over the stake and wound."
I really had underestimated Patrick's desire to be a vampire and Herrick's desire to have Mitchell back again. This devious plan of theirs was going to work and they had thought of everything. My only hope is that Mitchell sees through their ruse and knows this dead body isn't me.
"You think Mitchell will buy this ... you're wrong." I try to make Herrick doubt his plan.
"This will work. You're not an ordinary vampire my dear. I know the witches bane would kill the witch in you and the stake would kill the vampire once you no longer have witch to protect you but unlike me you were born so you wouldn't turn to dust. Liam knows this and he'll make sure Mitchell accepts this body as you. After we get the rope burns on her wrists and ankles we'll be ready to drop the package off. So sweet Cara, this will work and Mitchell will be at my right hand again. Patrick will still have you to do what he wishes with ... you will turn him and then you'll beg for death." Herrick's blue eyes glow with excitement as he beings to laugh.