Free Web NovelChapter 157: Waking up (1)
"I will send someone to check that you have returned to your home safely," Victor told Cecilia. There were a few people heading out of his home while others seemed to believe the vampires wouldn’t be able to make it inside if Vincent was going after them. It was probably best they stayed in Victor’s home than wandering about elsewhere.
"Why don’t we just stay here and hide in one of your rooms? Wouldn’t it be more dangerous for us to be outside when there are vampires outside the gates?" Cherry asked as she preferred to hide in Victor’s home. They were already here and there were many people not moving.
"If there wasn’t a party, yes. There are too many people staying behind for me to keep track of who is here and you know why Vincent doesn’t want Aurora to be here. His home is the safest place since he has people guarding there. Aurora, hold on to my right hand, and Cherry, hold on to my left hand."
As they reached outside of his home they saw Mari who was confused by why some of the guests were leaving early when the party had just started.
"Mari!" Aurora called out to the young girl.
"Aurora! What is happening? Why are you all leaving? Happy birthday-" Mari was interrupted by the bells in the community indicating there is danger outside. "The bells are ringing!" She said with wide eyes. Now she understood why people were in a hurry to leave. "Is it the vampires?"
"Yes. You should hurry back home to be with your family, Mari. Go inside and lock your doors until the bells ring again," Victor instructed Mari who nodded and hurried off without saying goodbye. Her home was close to the walls and if the vampires were to make it over her family would be in danger. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"I don’t hear any bells," Aurora said as they looked around for Vincent’s carriage. The only thing she heard was the people around her.
"The bell will only be heard by werewolves. It’s actually pretty loud to reach the entire community and wake anyone out of their sleep. Like most things here, it was done by the work of a witch. Witches are quite useful when they aren’t practicing black magic and using people as sacrifices," Cherry explained to Aurora.
As Aurora was about to respond, the pain in her chest came back tenfold causing her to hunch over. She gasped for air the more unbearable it became. It was thanks to Victor and Cherry both holding onto her that she didn’t fall over.
"Aurora?" Cherry asked in a worried tone. She became scared when she wasn’t getting a reply from Aurora and saw that tears were leaving her friend’s eyes as she struggled to breathe. "What is happening Victor? She was fine a moment ago?"
Victor, who was also shocked by Aurora’s sudden state, didn’t know what had happened. Aurora was fine just a moment ago. "She looks like she’s about to pass out. We have to get her to a doctor first."
Victor then decided it was best that he carry Aurora in his arms to not waste any time considering he had no idea what was wrong with her. Cherry had not once left his side and held unto Aurora’s hand hoping the young woman was safe.
Aurora could hear them promising she would be okay for a moment before she blacked out and the pain went away. Like before, Aurora woke up on the floor of a forest. Aurora slowly sat up realizing she had been taken to the mountain with the cave again.
"Are you going to run away again or are we going to be free?" She heard her voice.
Looking behind her, Aurora found herself standing there with her arms crossed looking down at her. "I’m not going to run," Aurora replied, getting to her feet. She made a promise she wouldn’t run away if this were to happen again. "Are my memories going to disappear after this?" freewebnovёl.ƈom
The other Aurora only smiled and held her hand out for Aurora to take. "We’ll see when this is all over with. I have no idea what will happen because as you can guess, we have never fully woken up."
The two of them started to walk up to the cave.
"How were we put to sleep?" Aurora asked the question she had been dying to know. How were the Hamiltons able to keep her with them and how did she turn into a child?
The other Aurora squeezed her hand and said, "You have to be strong and find out for yourself today. This is as far as I can go with you for now."
Aurora took a deep breath and entered the cave once again. She was still scared but kept walking rather than running away. The only way she could start learning the truth would be to stay here and go through with everything. The moment she reached the area with the stone table, the vines that had tried to hold her down last time, immediately came out to grab hold of her hand.
Aurora allowed herself to be pulled to the stone where the moonlight was shining down. She sat on the table before laying down and stayed still as the vines started to wrap around her to keep her in place.
"Are you certain she is strong enough to make this last mother?" She heard someone’s voice in the room. It sounded like a young man. She looked around finding no one to be there and figured she was only hearing her memories in her head.
"She is the only one we could find in a short amount of time. Had you proven yourself worthy, I wouldn’t have to go looking for one Nathaniel."
Aurora’s eyes widened as she realized the person she heard at first was Nathaniel Hamilton but she didn’t recognize his voice because he sounded much younger. Even Minnie sounded much younger than Aurora remembered. "This is a memory from long ago," she said.
"I’m sorry mother. Do you think it would be better to keep her locked up until we can find one that is stronger?" Nathaniel questioned with a hint of doubt.
"It would be better but we already have the children here and everything she has prepared. If the spell starts to wear off, she will put her back to sleep until we can find a stronger witch. I will have our people continue to look for someone stronger. Do not question anything else or I will have you thrown out to be with your coward of a wife."
Aurora was surprised to hear Minnie had employed a witch to do something to her. Minnie, like most other people, knew the price of being affiliated with a witch would result in being burnt alive. However, it made sense that a witch was used to put Aurora to sleep. Aurora only did not understand the reason for the children Minnie mentioned to be here.
Suddenly, chanting was heard throughout the room, and the moonlight became brighter forcing Aurora to close her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, instead of being on the stone table, Aurora found herself off to the side. This time she saw Minnie and Nathaniel in the room with a woman who was no doubt a witch and children tied up in a corner. An unconscious Aurora lay on the stone table.
"I need their blood," the woman told Minnie and Nathaniel then moved towards the children. She grabbed a young girl first and shushed the child as she started to cry. "It is alright, child. I will send you to a place far better than this world. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten," the witch said as she placed the young girl on the stone table. "Don’t cry, child. I hate it," she then took a hidden dagger to stab the young child in the back.
Aurora covered her mouth with her hand to hide her scream even though this was a memory and no one would hear her. She cried watching the young child fight in the witch’s arms as the woman repeatedly stabbed her until her body went limp. Nathaniel nor Minnie showed no remorse for what had been done to the child. Now that the child was dead, the witch waited for the girl’s blood to run out on the stone before dropping the body and going for another child.
Aurora couldn’t bear the sight of the children being killed but knew if she had seen too much to turn away now.
"I want her to be young. Not near the age to remember anything," Minnie stepped forward speaking to the witch. "And I want you to attempt making me you again. I have brought you enough children for you to do it for me and Aurora. I never want to grow old."
"That’s a pretty pricey spell you are asking me to do. Unfortunately, it would take one of my sisters who are better at the black magic and you have not brought enough children for it to happen for the both of you. You’ll need double the children for yourself and by then, I can find one of my sisters to do it," said the witch.
