The first thing Cassie felt was the cold. Icy, dry, almost unreal. Her eyelids fluttered weakly, still numb from what she assumed was a spell. When she tried to move, she realized she was tied up — a tight rope bound her wrists and ankles, and a metallic taste lingered in her mouth.
She was in a dark room, with a floor as hard as stone, and a smell of mold and old ashes. Every attempt to move caused a rough scraping sound, but she kept trying. She groaned and tried to rip the ropes with her teeth. In vain.
Then, without a sound, a light flickered on in the room. A golden glow, almost warm, coming from an old chandelier hanging above. A figure slowly stepped out of the shadows.
— Finally awake, Trouble-maker?
A woman stepped forward, her walk more of a glide than footsteps. She wore a long black dress with green reflections, and her eyes gleamed like two angry shards of jade.
— Who… who are you? Cassie spat, her voice trembling but firm.
— A remnant of a world your kind chose to forget. I am Nyra. One of the last witches of Outra.
Cassie frowned, trying to search her memory. The name meant nothing to her.
— The witches of Outra were cursed by the Councils and banished to the dead lands. Our powers were crushed. Our magic condemned to dust. Nyra's voice trembled with restrained fury. But I'm still here. And thanks to you, I will rise again.
— Me? Cassie repeated, eyes hard.
Nyra stopped just a few steps away, a cold smile curling on her lips.
— You, and your Solis Triad. Three sisters bound by the Eclipse. Three flames under one fate. You think I didn't feel you? When the triangle formed, I knew. I felt everything. And now, I'm waiting for the other two. They'll come for you. And then, I'll take what's mine.
Cassie understood instantly. This wasn't a direct attack. It was a trap.
— You plan to steal our powers…
— I'm going to drain you. Body, soul, and magic. You are powerful, yes. But you're young, disorganized. And most of all — predictable.
Cassie swallowed her fear, a shiver running down her spine. She straightened up as best as she could.
— You're making a mistake. You don't know who you're messing with.
Nyra tilted her head, mocking.
— Oh, but I do. Especially you. Your power... it's different. It's not just light. It's ancient. Dark. You feel it, don't you? That there's something in you the other two don't have...
Cassie stayed silent, troubled.
She still struggled against her bonds, her heart pounding in her chest. Before her, Nyra approached slowly, her dragging voice filling the room.
— You're more precious than you think, Cassie. But you're only a fragment. I need all three.
Cassit clenched her teeth. Each of Nyra's words sounded like a disguised threat. She no longer answered, focused on something else. On the pulse of metal around her wrists. On the flow of blood in Nyra's veins, which she now felt... distinct, powerful... but accessible.
Nyra finally turned her back, satisfied.
— Stay still. Soon, your sisters will join you.
Cassie didn't wait any longer.
Her eyes lit up with a silver gleam. In an instant, the ropes binding her shattered, flying against the wall. With a swift motion, she raised her hand and gripped the air — as if holding something invisible. Nyra stopped abruptly, one hand on her throat.
— You want my power? Then taste what it can do, spat Cassie.
Nyra slowly turned around, her face suddenly serious. She raised her hand to strike back, but her arm trembled. Her blood no longer flowed normally — she could feel it, every heartbeat becoming pain.
— What is... she muttered.
— You don't know? said Cassie, stepping forward, defiant. I can do much more than move objects.
Nyra gritted her teeth, knelt down. She tried to cast a spell, but Cassie tightened her mental grip. A trickle of blood ran from Nyra's nose.
Suddenly, a dark force emerged from the shadow behind her. A vibration in the air, from a talisman Nyra wore around her neck. It pulsed, releasing a magical wave that hit Cassie full force, throwing her violently against the wall.
— You're strong, growled Nyra as she slowly rose, her voice hoarser. Too strong for a novice. That's why I'll start with you.
Dazed, Cassie caught her breath. Her power had almost freed her. But now... she was alone, in the lair of a banished witch. And the trap was closing slowly.
Nyra stepped back into the shadows, and the light faded slowly.
— See you very soon, Trouble-maker. Very, very soon.
(Deckers Manor & Co.)
The doorbell rang.
Mel barely looked up from the folder on her lap, while Alaric continued scrolling through lines of text from an old grimoire. Sky, sitting by the window, sighed and got up to approach the door.
When she opened it, she froze. Ricky.
He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes, his hair messy, as if he hadn't slept for days.
— Sky... I'm sorry, he murmured. Can I talk to you, please? Just two minutes.
She was about to close the door without a word, but he sharply put his foot in the doorway.
— I know you're a witch, he said loud enough for it to echo in the living room.
Mel and Alaric finally looked up.
Sky felt her heart skip a beat. She glanced behind her.
— Come outside, she ordered coldly, stepping out before he could reply.
They went down the steps of the entrance, stopping in the courtyard still damp from yesterday.
— How do you know? she asked quietly.
— I saw what you did that day when you ran away... I didn't understand it at first, but since then, I've been searching.
Sky crossed her arms.
— And now? You plan to turn me in?
— No, I'm here to talk about Cassie. I came that night. The night she was kidnapped. I wanted to apologize, talk, I don't know... And I saw... I saw some kind of black dust floating in the air, and a woman. I barely caught a glimpse. She was holding Cassie. She fainted, and then they left in a car.
Sky frowned.
— Did you at least see the license plate?
— Yeah, he nodded. I wrote it down. I thought it might help. I asked a friend who works at the station. The car is registered to a guy named James. He lives in a house near the hill.
— And why are you telling me all this? Out of kindness?
He shrugged, troubled.
— Because I thought it might help... and also... because I still love you.
He reached out, trying to touch her, but Sky slowly stepped back.
— Ricky... thanks. Really. But I can't.
She lowered her eyes, then raised her head.
— Can you give me the address?
He nodded, noted it on his phone, then took a few steps back.
— Call me... when all this is over, he said softly, then turned away.
Sky stood still for a moment in the courtyard, paper clenched in her hand.
Sky burst into the living room, breathless.
— "I know where she is!" she declared without hesitation.
Mel and Alaric immediately looked up from their documents.
Before Mel could ask anything, the phone on the table vibrated violently. The screen showed an unexpected name: Grace.
— "What does she want now?" Mel muttered.
Sky shrugged and answered without thinking.
— "Hello?"
A tense silence preceded a calm, almost too composed voice.
— "Who's speaking?" Grace asked.
Don sat nearby, elbows on his knees, eyes worriedly fixed on the phone. He feared Cassie was angry with him since he hadn't called her since she left. When he heard Sky and Mel's voices in the background, his eyes widened. Don stood, eyes shining with contained emotion, but the sharp look Grace gave him made him straighten and swallow his feelings.
Grace, as sharp as ever, frowned.
— "Put Cassie on. I'm her mother. I want to speak with her."
Sky hesitated.
— "She's... in the shower."
A chilling silence fell. Then Grace spoke, now with more force:
— "She's not there, is she?"
Mel, despite herself, stepped back slightly.
— No, Mrs. Grace... we have to go now, there's an emergency. We'll try to call Cassie to call you as soon as she's out of the shower, she answered, voice filled with panic.
— Oh... spare me that, girls. Don't you know who I am and what I can do when it comes to the wellbeing of my daughters? So for the last time, where is she?" Grace insisted, voice hard.
— "Nyra..." Sky finally said.
— "It's Nyra. She took her," Mel continued.
Silence fell again. Then Grace hung up without a word, her face suddenly frozen with cold determination. Don stood there, eyes lost on the black phone screen, unable to speak.