“ Destruction”

The next couple of weeks were the most scrambled In my life, When I agreed to marry the two men I didn't know I would also be planning the entire wedding. Thankfully market has been the biggest help, she has been by my side since she was given her freedom. Part of me feels guilty, she is free now I shouldn't be keeping her with me. I remember talking to Garrick about the same thing.

“ I feel as though all I have done was give her a new master,”  I said looking down into my cup of whiskey.

“ Sweetie I have been on this earth long enough to see that she wants to be around you.” He said putting a jar of ginger root on the shelf before turning to look at me. “  I have seen so many different faces, some of anger, happiness, sadness, and anger. When Kauket is with you is when she is the happiest Cornelia.”  Garrick said, refilling my drink. I nodded my head thinking about what he had told me when something clicked.

“ Wait, how old are you?” I asked, remembering how he stated he has been around for a while. Maybe it's just my imagination. 

“ Oh my sweet Neya, you are so powerful yet so stupid.” He said with a laugh, When he stopped he looked at me and moved his hair behind his ear revealing long and pointed tips. I feel my eyes widen in awe.

“ Y-Your an elf!” I state in shock. 

“ Shhh idiot, people would kill me if they found out.” he shushed me

“ Wouldn’t they kill you for liking dick too?” I asked, laughing.

I smiled at the memory, it brought ease to my mind as I continued to file some papers Ezekiel asked for me to get done. I was nearly finished when Kauket rushed in with a fearful look on her face.

“ Darling, what's wrong, what is it?” I asked her taking my full attention

“ Ezekiel h-he. Somethings wrong with him!”She rushed, Me and her rushed out of the room to wear Ezekiel. I found him lying on the floor of his messy workshop, everything was a mess and looked as though it had been thrown about. Walking to Ezekiel I can hear him muttering something. I stopped, grabbed a piece of parchment and an ink pen, Then began to listen to what he was repeating. I felt myself slip into a trance, I started to hear a voice as images flooded my mind.

“  ‘There is a spider in the mirror,’ Kauket Floods my mind but she seems so different, ‘Though he sometimes tries to hide, It’s hard to see him for he is on the other side’,She slowly starts to disappear into me as the voice continues, ‘You needn’t fear the spider, He won’t cause you any harm, He sits and spins and guards the mirror like a lucky charm’,I see Kauket It almost seems as though we are in battle; why is she in front of me?, ‘Because you see the mirror is a gateway made of glass, And creatures on the other side wish to pass,’ Golden glowing eyes appear in the darkness the seem so familiar, ‘Like the thing that looks like you when you look into the mirror,’ I see myself as the darkness takes control of my mind, ‘And when you look away it creeps a little nearer,’ I’m standing in the middle of a bloody field; I don’t feel like myself, ‘Deep down you know those aren’t your eyes,’ Pain flashes through me, ‘You know that's not your face,’ Another wave, ‘And everything about it seems just slightly out of place,’ I see the castel; my room; nothing is home, ‘Flies swarm inside it’s empty head,’ I slowly start to feel as though i am being pulled down, ‘And maggots fill it’s eyes,’ I Look to see the siren below me once more; she is different somehow, ‘And thousand squirming centipedes writer under its disguise.’ She evaporated into the sea as I am left gasping at the bottom alone, ‘If it dares to catch you with its countless vermin claws,’ I feel a hand tung on me, ‘And drag you through the mirror to its black and writhing mall,’ I look to find a young man I do not know, but he brings me home; away from the sea, ‘Sometimes people die this way,’ Niklaus’s body is now in front of me, ‘Sometimes the mirror wins,’ Sparrow appears as well; I feel tears fall down my face, ‘Their souls vanish as their bodies are mangled within.’ My mother appears at the boy's side fixing his glasses before advancing towards me with a smile, ‘But you needn’t be afraid cause there's a spider in the glass,’ Kauket pulls me back away from my mother, ‘It spins a web the demons fear and never lets them pass.’ Alren stands between me and my mother and I am in Kaukets arms, ‘Though if the spider disappears as the days go on, I am left alone with nothing but darkness. ‘Be careful, for you may just hear that demon's evil song.’ I can see myself; I can see the Monster. ”

I Gasp awake finding myself staring at a passed-out Ezekiel.

“ Lady Cornelia what happened!!” Kauket said rushing towards me

“ Stay back!” I shout, stopping her in her tracks.

“ Does Bain or Marcellus know about this?” I ask

“ Y-yes they should be heading here now.”

“ Go stop them, have them focus on the wedding, this will not ruin the preparations, I will clean everything up,” I say shakily getting to my feet showing her off. I can’t worry anyone. Not with everything going on. I slowly bend down and pick up Ezekiel but as soon as there is a movement he grounds and bends over spewing out came maggots and flies. He looked up at me with dead eyes.

“ Help me,” he muttered before going limp. Slowly bending down I push him onto his back taking a closer look at him. 

“ Hex,” I whispered as realization hit me. Someone Hexed him by sending a message. A middle man. Collateral Damage. I picked up Ezekiel and carried him to the spare room far enough so I could help him without causing trouble for Bain and Marcellus. I laid him down on the table and began looking through my book for something that may help him. I grabbed the salt and a small bowl. The salt would draw out the negative energy causing this sickness. I set the bowl of salt above Ezekiel's heart and moved my hands above it. I slowly felt his energy for this murky magic and began to pull it to the salt. Soon Ezekiel's veins became a dark black color as the mist started covering parts of his body, flowing to the salt bowl. His breathing began to be ragged as the mist moved faster in his body trying to escape my magic and move in his body. The last bit of dark magic flowed into the once pure white salt leaving it a now blacky and mush-like liquid. I gathered the substance and contained it into bottles hoping to study it later. I turned back to Ezekiel and noticed his breath had steadied. I walked out of the room and called a maid over.

“ You will keep tabs on Ezekiel and report back to me about his condition every hour. No one enters that room other than me and you. Is that understood?” I told the maid, She hastily nodded and walked into the room as I made my way to my quarters. I felt drained and tired. I used up too much of my magic. Finding my way back to my room I disrobe from my dirty garments and put on new ones. I stop and stare at the ink that now covers my right thigh. Sigils and runes cover my skin. It’s for protection, I tell myself. But it is not for the protection of myself rather the people around me. When Ezekiel looked into my magic, we had found that my power stemmed from pure chaos. Making it entirely too dangerous to weld, At first, I was reluctant but knew sealing the chaos inside of me was for the best as of now, intel I could control it.  

“ Lady Cornelia?” I hear the voice of Marcellus say from outside my room. “ Can I please speak with you?” He continued with desperation in his voice.

“ Yes, come in,” I speak loud enough so he can hear me through the thick wooden door. I turned around as he walked in quietly shutting the door behind me. 

“ What is it you wished to speak with me about?” I asked sitting down in my chair and motioning for him to join me. 

“ It’s about Bain.” He muttered sitting down.

“ What about him?” I asked 

“He's a witcher, He isn’t meant to settle down. It was a problem when he refused to leave me for a long time just to see each other. Now he hasn't even picked up a sword since the engagement. What if marrying me is just going to keep him from his life.” He frantically asked, I could tell this had been on his mind for a while. 

“ Do you know what it’s like to live as a witcher, Marcellus?” I asked the young man in front of me.

“ I- well no, Bain doesn’t talk about it.” He said, looking towards me for further explanation.

“ Constant moving, you never have a place to call home. Everyone fears and hates you for what you do. As children, they were human experiments, magically modified to kill monsters. Their entire livelihood is to kill, Touch no one will love them and do what it takes to get the gold.” I paused, “ Have you ever considered that finding you and him deciding to stay isn’t giving up on his work for you, but finally being free so he can be with you?” I finished leaving Marcellus to consider my words.

  “ Yes, you are probably right, I should get back to my chambers.” He said thanks and moved to the door. As he was about to leave I caught glimpse of his hand. 

“ Marcellus whatever happened to your hand,” I asked him. He looked at his hand then at me before answering.

“ I was in the loop washing up when a spider bit me.” He answered me, I stayed quiet only nodding my head as he left.