Chapter 3

• Madonna was prepared.
• She had an inkling of what Lord Lucius Emor was capable of. After all, he was an offspring of two people who held some great miraculous powers.
• She was prepared to receive the Lord anytime soon but never did her visions warn her how she would be meeting him. She had not expected the scorned Lord to appear before her as a part of her sacrificial rite and end up ruining the ritual all over.
• But what she was not prepared for was how he affected her. She was a witch and she had seen a good share of charming good looking men all her life. She had even used and manipulated them as per her wish but the Lord – he was enthralling.
• The moment her eyes landed on the rough face, she knew he had her. She was so beguiled by him that it had scared her. Never did a man influence her in such manner.
• There was no hiding that the Lord who was titled to be invincible has her affection.
• However, that was the very thing she was struggling to keep out of her life. She should not allow any man into her heart for her own good. The moment her heart starts thumping for a man, her consequences of her future would be disastrous.
• "He has Knox." Madonna mumbled casually, giving away no emotion. She examined her long shaped nails which were colored in bright red and smiled at the beauty of them.
• "He will not stop there. He will be here again to ask, threaten and force out answers he needed." The elder woman spoke as she took in the sight of the young witch who seemed to have been lost in her thoughts.
• What might be so amusing for the young woman to smile in such a manner, she did not understand.
• "And I will not let him know where you are, Orla." Madonna whispered again lost in her thoughts. She was certain that the elder witch has concocted yet another web to put all the puzzles in their right place. She had to give it to her, Orla was one strong and a clever woman, witch or not.
• Orla chuckled and looked at Madonna sporting great amusement in her eyes. She was laughing at the struggle the young witch is going through and she was not going to solve it. It would be fun to rile up the struggle a little more to get the right closure the beautiful young woman needed.
• After all, Madonna was a dear child of her friend. Orla has done an astounding job in raising a great woman after her friend died, leaving her daughter in Orla's hands.
• "On contrary, I wish you to take on pain in leading him to me. I shall meet him and I shall meet him when you take him to me." This surprised Madonna. She was astonished by the fact that the woman who knew the man in question was threatening her life, wished to meet him.
• "You wish to meet him? You deliberately staged his sister's death by Knox's hands, Orla. He has no idea what you did was on purpose. He has no inkling of how you are intent on destroying his whole family." Madonna could not help but yelp in concern.
• She was the woman who raised her, who taught her everything and who gave a purpose to her life. Orla had turned every stone to protect her and train her as a strong and a powerful witch.
• Hearing from her how she intent to expose herself to the man who was behind her with ill intentions worried her. Madonna was the sort of woman who worries frequently. Orla has done her job in assuring her how worthy she was, but now, seeing the older woman being suicidal has shook her cool demure.
• "Calm down now, young lady. He does not know I had done everything on purpose. His prime aim was Knox and he got him. Now that we have no use of Knox, the Lord may have his fill in avenging his sister. Although, Knox shall be dead before Lucius could reach me." Orla elucidated as she made her towards her dear Madonna.
• Madonna can detect the evil glint swirling inside the depths of her eyes. Certaily, Orla has done her preparation to bring the Lord and his family to their knees and she would not stop at anything.
• Madonna was a witch of confidence but for the first time she was having doubts on what she was about to do. She knew Orla well enough. Orla would not do anything without a grand purpose but the path she chose to do it was always threatening.
• "What do you have in mind?" Madonna inched closer to the woman who raised her and took her seat in front of her.
• "Now, where is the fun if I tell you everything? You have to have the excitement of ignorance, dear." Orla smirked and leaned back in the chair looking everything of a deadly ruthless witch she was. "Lord Lucius would certainly come back for your assistance in finding me. As he has no suspicion that you are close to me, I want you to take the benefit and lead him to my coven in the Eastern region."
• Madonna nodded curtly but had nothing to reply. She wished to know Orla's thoughts. Orla was always a step ahead of the people she deemed to destroy and Madonna was always impressed at how clever she was.
• Although, this time it was different. Orla wanted her to spend several days and night with the Lord she took a liking to and lead him to her personally.
• She was cursed. She cannot possibly have any affection for a man unless she wanted that man to die. It was her curse and she could not do anything. Madonna would do anything to never fall in love with a man and she almost succeeded until the Lord strode into her life with a defining presence.
• Except, she wanted to know why Orla was trying to kill the Lord by making her fall for him.
• After Orla left to her lair, Madonna knew she would be expecting the Lord anytime soon. She knew the Lord would parade and demand her service but she was also adamant in achieving what she and Orla were striving for.
• Nonetheless this was indeed going to be fun.
• Lucius, on the other side, was deep in thoughts regarding the issue about Orla. He had to find her and get answers regarding his sister, Alys' incident.
• Opening the door to his father's chamber, Lucius found his father weak and vulnerable, standing near the hearth. His father looked pale and lifeless as the days passed by. He knew that his loving daughter's tragedy has gotten worst of him however, his father was going down sick lately.
• This is the reason he had not informed him about Knox's imprisonment. It would do no good to his father. Lucius just have to find every single individual who was behind the destruction of his family's peace and avenge them with a twofold vigor.
• Lucius did not make any noise and just stood there at the door, watching his father look outside the window with hollow filled eyes.
• "I want her dead, son." His father spoke, after several minutes. His voice was weak and unstable. He knew his father would be dead if this went on for anymore while.
• Turning towards his son, Alder Emor could see the bloody determination in his son's fired eyes. He was satisfied with how Lucius was making certain to punish those who wronged Alys.
• "I want Orla dead. She should be withering in pain yet she would not get an easy death." Suddenly Alder's hollow eyes started firing up in rage. "Orla is powerful son. But first, she is clever and you cannot just go to her without a handful resource. If you have trick and lure people then do so."
• Lucius was quite but he knew his father was right. Orla was no ordinary sorcerer. She is well known by all the witches and wizards as the highest one in the council. But what Lucius did not understand was, why she had helped Knox Garrick to fulfill his greed.
• "I feel ever so guilty for bringing that woman into our lives. She is your mother and yet she caused the misery of our kin in many such occasions. I should have known her greed for power and should have sent her out of our lives much earlier." Alder's voice shook with emotion as he looked at his exhausted son.
• His son was tiring himself into this and he can see it. He could not help but feel defeated and apologetic for all the misery their mother has caused.
• "Orla is no mother of mine. The day she left us for her own greed was the day I and Alys lost her. She is nothing but a murderer of Alys." Lucius said in a low voice as rage coursed his body.
• He strode out of his father's chamber with a cold determination to find Orla in any matter and give her a painful death.
• ~*~*~*~*~*~