Thanks so much for reading “Red”. If you’re just starting this story, start with:

Chapter One
Chapter Two (Part 1)
Chapter Two (Part 2)
Chapter Three
Chapter Four

Chapter Two (Part 2)

“They come here to do horrible things to creatures like me,” he said. “But you’re not here to do evil work, are you? You’re looking for something, though I can’t quite sense what. You’re afraid, though, as if you’re scared you’ll be caught.”

“I’m not scared,” I said, fumbling over the words, proving that they were nothing more than lies I was telling myself.

I was terrified.

The Order had expressly forbid me to go looking for any kind of cure for my sister. They said her powers were too important to the war effort, and that if she died in the process, it was her duty to sacrifice her life for the greater good.

If they caught me here, seeking out a cure in one of their very own secret hideaways, I had no doubt they’d put me to death in one of their dark magic rituals. And then what would become of Rayla? She would belong wholly to them.

“Whatever it is you’re looking for, I don’t think you’re going to find it here,” he said.

“And how would you know that?” I asked.

My mouth was dry, as if it had been stuffed with cotton.

“Because they got here before you did,” he said, glancing toward the messy table against the far wall. “The witch who was here earlier cleared out all of her spell books and potions. I assumed the next group of witches to arrive would be here to put an end to me.”

He smiled and stepped within a fraction of the silver bars.

“I’m pleasantly surprised to find out that’s not the case,” he said.

“What are you?” I whispered.

He shrugged and stepped away, finally breaking eye contact. I let go of the breath I’d been holding, and my shoulders relaxed.

“That doesn’t really matter,” he said. “What matters is that we might be able to help each other. Tell me what you’re looking for, and I’ll tell you if I can get it for you.”

“And if you can?”

“Then you let me go,” he said. “An even exchange.”

I shook my head and backed toward the door.

“How would I even know if I could trust you?” I asked. “They wouldn’t have placed you in that strong of a cage if you weren’t a danger to witches. How do I know that you wouldn’t kill me the moment I set you free?”

“Trust is a very tricky thing. I agree,” he said, turning back toward me. “But if you walk away now, you leave completely empty-handed. And I have a feeling that for you to take such a terrible risk to get here, you must have something extremely important you need to find. It can’t hurt to at least tell me what it is. If I can’t help you, I’ll tell you the truth and you can be on your way.”

My heart pounded, and the light of my orb wavered, nearly going out completely. I closed my eyes and recentered my focus on the light. Even though he was locked away, I did not want to be alone in the dark with this—what had he called himself—creature.

“I hate to rush you when you’re trying to make such a difficult decision, but we are no longer alone in these woods.” He stepped to the left side of his cage and tilted his head, as if stretching his ear toward some faint noise. “You have less than five minutes to get out of here before it’s too late.”

I backed into the door and wrapped my hand around the knob. I should run. Get out while I still could. There was nothing here that could help me. Rayla had been wrong. Or I’d been too late. Either way, I couldn’t let the witches of the Order find me here.

But what if he was telling the truth? What if he really could help me find a potion or cure for Rayla’s sickness? Could I just walk away from him and let him be sacrificed?

I took a deep breath to calm the pounding of my heart.

“I have someone very close to me who is in danger,” I said, not wanting to give too many details. “She’s what the Order calls a seeress.”

He moved forward so fast, he became a blur inside the cage. He grabbed the silver bars and then pulled back sharply.

“A seeress?” he asked, his eyes flashing yellow. It was the same greed and fascination I’d seen in the eyes of my Prima when she first found out about Rayla’s abilities.

“Maybe I’ve said too much,” I said. I turned the knob on the door, and a blast of cold air hit me, bringing tears to my eyes.

“Don’t go,” he said, his voice softer than before. “You aren’t in any danger from me, I assure you. I was only surprised to hear it. There hasn’t been a true seeress in ages.”

How did he know that? I turned to face him, confused about whether I could trust him. Whether I should.

“That’s because they often die, which if you know about the existence of them, you must also know why,” I said, testing him.

“A true seeress is often pulled into her visions as if she’s experiencing them first-hand,” he said. The compassion in his voice brought me back into the room. “It can be extremely dangerous unless she learns how to control them. This seeress of yours, is she very young?”

I nodded, wide-eyed as I looked at him. “She’s only eight.”

My voice choked slightly on the word. Too young to be given such a great burden.

“Eight years old and already manifesting powerful visions? And your ruby priestess refuses to help her,” he said. It wasn’t a question. Maybe he knew the Order better than I did.

I nodded.

“So, you were looking for a cure?” he asked. But then he shook his head and backed away. “I’m afraid I can’t do anything about a complete cure.”

My shoulders drooped, and my heart hurt.

“Her ability is too rare and powerful, and it’s a part of her now,” he said. “If she were only four or five, there might be a chance to cure her completely, but if she’s only eight and already taking on injuries from her visions, I’m afraid it’s too late. And you can believe the Order knows that just as well as I do. It’s rare for those powers to manifest at that level so young. Did something happen around her fifth birthday? Something that solidified her powers? Something tragic that pushed her over the edge? Her visions would have started becoming more frequent at that point. More dangerous.”

I moved forward, coming closer to him than I ever had.

“Our parents died in a bombing two days before her fifth birthday,” I said. I wrapped my hands around the bars of his cage, feeling as if I could tear them apart with my rage. “How do you know this stuff?”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Because I’ve seen them do it before,” he said. In a faraway voice, he added softly, “A long time ago.”

“The Order killed my parents, didn’t they?” I asked. I’d held the suspicion for a long time.

Rayla’s abilities began to manifest when she was only three years old. My mother, afraid for her safely, went to our Prima to beg for help and training. I wasn’t allowed to attend their private meetings, but I overheard a lot of arguments between my mother and her older sister behind closed doors about the Order’s refusal to help.

“If they wanted her powers to manifest more quickly, it’s possible they arranged the death of your parents as a catalyst,” he said. “Something to push her deeper into her own emotions. There’s nothing like tragedy and great sorrow to push a seeress past her limits at such a young age. If they believed they could use her abilities for their own good or to obtain some victory or power over someone else, they wouldn’t hesitate. Not even to spare the life of a child. Your Order of Shadows plays a very dangerous game, Red.”

“Stop calling me that,” I said, self-consciously tugging at my red hood.

“What would you prefer I called you?” he asked.

I shook my head. I didn’t want to tell him my name. If he did go free, I didn’t want him to be able to track us down now that he knew the truth about Rayla’s powers. I had a feeling there were more people out there than just the Order who would be glad to get ahold of her.

“So, there’s nothing you can do? Nothing anyone can do?” I asked. “She’s just a little girl.”

“I said there was no cure. But there are other things that could help your sister.”

“Like what?” I asked. “We’re running out of time, here.”

At least two minutes had passed.

“If you set me free, I can take you to an alchemist by the name of Rend,” he said. “He’s an ancient demon from the Shadow World with remarkable knowledge and talent when it comes to such things.”

I froze, my blood going cold. “A demon?”

I shook my head.

“You’re insane,” I said. “Demons aren’t to be trusted.”

He smirked and raised an eyebrow at me. “Oh? But your precious Order is? And who is it that told you demons were not to be trusted, huh? Are you so willing to believe everything you’ve been told when you know what evils they are capable of?”

My lips fell open, and I sucked in a ragged breath. It suddenly felt as if my whole world had gone off-kilter. Tilted in some strange way.

He was right. If the Order refused to help my mother and then killed her to push my sister deeper into her visions, putting her life at risk, how could I believe anything they’ve told me? It wouldn’t be the first time they’d betrayed me.

“What could this Rend—this demon—do for her?” I asked.

“He could create a special potion that would protect her body from harm during her dreams,” he said. “She might still sustain some bruises or cuts, but it would keep her alive. It’s a special shielding potion. She would need to consume just one tiny drop before sleeping each night. A small vial could last years, if taken sparingly.”

For the first time in the three long years I’d been watching over my sister, hope flooded my heart. This was exactly the kind of potion or spell I’d been searching for in the Prima’s library, but had been unable to find.

“Two minutes, Red,” he said, glancing again at the boarded window to his left.

“What type of payment would this demon require to make this potion for me?” I asked. “I don’t have much money.”

“We can work out those details later,” the man said. “If you want to find out more, we need to go. Now.”

I had a million other questions I wanted to ask him. Why had he been locked away in here? What had he done for them to put him in such a strong cage? Where would we need to go to find this alchemist?

But he was right, we were out of time. Through the open doorway, I could see the light of a witch’s orb moving through the trees.

I had to decide, and no matter how risky it was, I simply couldn’t walk away from the possibility of a potion that would keep my sister alive.

“Is there a key to this cage?” I asked.

He let out of breath of relief, and then shook his head. “No, but you are a witch, aren’t you?” he asked. “You have to move quickly. And you might want to extinguish that light before they get any closer.”

I stepped toward his cage, praying that I had the power to release whatever powerful lock they had placed on this cage. And that once he was free, he wouldn’t betray me.

I placed my hand on the large silver padlock and exhaled. My orb of light went out, leaving us in total darkness inside the small cabin.

I swallowed and closed my eyes, letting my power sink deep into the ground beneath the floorboards and tapping into the power of the earth. A buzzing surged through my veins, as if I’d been plugged into something electric. I imagined the lock opening, and after a few seconds, it clicked.

“Hurry,” he whispered.

I pulled the lock downward and twisted, pulling it from the cage. The man inside pushed the door open, and I could swear I heard the faint sizzling of his skin as he touched the silver bars.

I waited for him to attack me, but instead, he grabbed my hand, his eyes nearly glowing in the darkness.

“I told you I was no threat to you, Red. Come on, follow me, and I’ll take you to see Rend,” he said.

He led me through the front door, carefully closing it behind us. We ran down the steps, around to the back side of the cabin, and into the darkness of the trees.

As we disappeared into the night, I looked back just in time to see the first orb of light reach the porch of the cabin.

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I hope you’re enjoying the story so far! Keep reading with Chapter Three!