Page 35 of Sorcia's Heart
“You won’t get away with this!”Bethany snapped, her voice taut with fury and desperation.Her caramel-colored eyes burned with defiance, locking onto Hazelton with an intensity that made his pulse skip.
Hazelton laughed, a low, guttural sound.
“All evidence to the contrary?”he mocked, stepping closer.The rich, smoky scent of charred wood from a tree he’d struck earlier lingered in the air, a reminder of his recent triumph.
Leaning in until he was mere inches from Bethany’s face, his voice dropped to a venomous whisper.“I have you under my control.You’re mine, and all of your power is mine.”
Bethany froze, her eyes narrowing.For a moment, her expression shifted, and Hazelton felt something—a strange sensation, like a gentle tug deep within him, as if she were trying to reclaim what he’d stolen.Panic flared in his chest, and he stumbled back, his heart pounding.He wasn’t sure what she was doing, but it scared him.
“Don’t do that again!”he barked, his voice cracking slightly.Straightening his suit jacket with a sharp jerk, he glared at her, his earlier confidence shaken.
Bethany huffed, her lips twitching into what looked suspiciously like a smirk.“What’s the matter, demon?Afraid of a little witch?”
Her words dripped with sarcasm, but her calm façade only infuriated him further.He retreated a few more steps, unwilling to risk whatever strange magic she’d been attempting.
“Sorcia will find you,” Bethany warned, her voice low and steady, her confidence slicing through his like a blade.“And when she does, you won’t even be a whiff of dust in this world.”
Hazelton’s fury reignited, but beneath it, he couldn’t ignore the thrill coursing through him.Was it her power?Was this what witches felt like all the time?He didn’t know, but he craved more.
“Your priestess isn’t going to help you, witch!”he snarled, pointing to another cell made of twisted tree limbs and gnarled roots.“She’ll be right there, imprisoned just like you.”
With that, he turned on his heel and stalked away, his shoes crunching against the bits of broken bark and leaf litter scattered across the ground.For good measure, he pointed at a nearby tree and sent a crackling bolt of electricity into its trunk.The tree shuddered violently, a gaping black wound spreading outward from the impact.
Hortense gasped and hurried to the tree, her neon-green eyes blazing with fury.She placed her hand over the charred bark, her fingers trembling as she stroked it gently.“So sorry,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.She tried to ease the tree’s pain, murmuring soothing words under her breath, but the hole remained.The bark’s life-giving channels were severed, dooming the tree to a slow death.
Her eyes followed Hazelton’s retreating figure, her glare searing into his back.“You bastard,” she muttered under her breath.Her hands curled into fists, the roughness of the tree’s damaged surface biting into her palms.If he didn’t deliver on his promise of funding to restore her forest, Hortense would release the witch.Then she’d let her precious trees exact their vengeance.
Not many understood how fiercely trees could fight when they were hurt, but Hazelton Birchsmire would learn.One way or another.
Chapter 19
Sorciastoodinthecenter of the meeting room, her entire body nearly trembling with fury.Her fists clenched at her sides, her nails digging into her palms hard enough to leave marks.A demon had kidnapped her friend—a member of her coven.It wasn’t just an attack on her; it was a violation of everything she held sacred.It felt as if someone had torn off a piece of her soul.
“I know,” Marcus said softly, stepping closer.He didn’t reach out to touch her, though every fiber of his being wanted to.Instead, he positioned himself directly in front of her, his presence a steadying force.He waited, his sharp blue eyes focused entirely on her, ready to follow her lead.
Sorcia’s chest rose and fell as she struggled to rein in the tidal wave of emotions crashing over her.Anger burned white-hot inside her, but she needed it.Her rage fueled her determination, her need to act.There was no time for tears, no time to curse the fates that had allowed this to happen.There was only action.
“Marcus,” she said sharply, meeting his gaze.“Don’t give me sympathy.Not right now.I need to be strong, so… don’t be nice!”
His lips twitched into a faint, humorless smile, but in the next moment, his expression hardened.“No niceness,” he promised, his voice steely.“Not until you say the word.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, but he heard her.She looked away from him as Zelda and Jane burst through their respective doors, their faces taut with worry.
“What happened?”Zelda demanded, her copper curls bouncing as she rushed forward.“We felt something and—”
Jane, her eyes blazing, cut in, “What’s going on?Is it—?”
Sorcia lifted her hand, silencing them both.“Here’s what happened,” she began, planting her fists on the polished table.Her gaze flicked briefly to the crystal ball in the center of the table, now spinning in angry circles.Its matte black surface absorbed the light instead of reflecting it, radiating an ominous energy.Even the twinkling lights that usually hovered overhead had dimmed, as if the room itself was mourning or steeling itself for battle.
“The demon, Hazelton Birchsmire, has captured Bethany,” Sorcia explained, her voice hard and unwavering.“He and an elf used the trees to trap Althea, preventing her from helping.Birchsmire has been orchestrating this from the start.Jace’s pack and Viktor’s clan are already searching for her.They’re mobilizing as we speak.”
She paused, her hands gripping the table tighter as she drew in a deep breath.When she continued, her tone was sharp, each word cutting through the tense silence.“I don’t know Birchsmire’s exact plan yet.Maybe he just wants to use Bethany’s powers to torment humans and other creatures.But I fear there’s something far worse at play.”
Jane stepped forward, her jaw tight, her hands fisting at her sides as her rage simmered just below the surface.“The imprisoned demons,” she spat, her voice a venomous whisper.
Zelda’s brow furrowed as she glanced between Sorcia and Jane, confusion and unease clouding her expression.“What imprisoned demons?”she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid of the answer.
Sorcia straightened, her green eyes gleaming with determination.“The demons we locked away centuries ago.The ones who were banished to a prison realm by our ancestors to stop them from wreaking havoc.Birchsmire wasn’t caught in those sweeps.He’s been free this whole time, and now he might be looking to free the others or…do something else.”
