Chapter nineteen

Sara wakes up feeling slightly nauseous. She looks around but doesn't know where she is. She brings her hand up to her forehead and grimaces as she feels pain shoot through her temple.

"Where am I?" She wonders out loud as she looks around.

She had no idea where she was. The room she was in looked strange, almost ancient looking with large wooden beams across the ceiling and rocks for walls. She walks towards the nearest door hoping that she finds a way out. As she begins to reach for the door however it swings open and Sara jumps back slightly startled. She stares at the girl standing in the doorway slightly afraid and angry.

"Sara I called you here," Amber looks at Sara nervously, slowly walking towards her being cautious as she sees the hateful look on Sara's face.

"Why did you bring me here, what do you even want?" Sara yells hatefully as she stares at Amber, her hands balling into fists.

"Sara I need your help," Amber states calmly, slowly making her way across the room towards Sara. "Please listen to what I have to say Sara. I can help you get your sister back if you help me."

"Why should I help you Amber you tried to trick me and my friend Lexi before." Sara begins to back up a little.

She soon finds herself pressed up against the back wall, with Amber moving towards her.

"You have to trust me Sara. Griffin forced me to trick you before but I finally escaped. He has my mom locked away and I need your help to free her."

She looks at Sara with saddened eyes. For some reason Sara begins to feel sorry for Amber as she stares at her.

"First off how did you manage to escape from Griffins manor so easily?" Sara clenches her fists, trying to remain emotionless as she looks at Amber. Amber looks down at the ground as she begins to think of how to tell Sara how she escaped from her father.

~

Amber wakes up as sunlight begins to shine across her face. She groans as she covers her head, trying to go back to sleep. She really didn't want to get up yet especially after disappointing her father. All she had to do was pretend to be Emily so she could lure Sara and Lexi to the manor. She felt like a disappointment to her dad. Tears begin to run down her cheeks as she cries into her pillow.

"Sweetie are you awake?"

She hears her fathers voice coming from the doorway. She tries to muffle her sobbing and pretend to be asleep. Before long she hears her father sigh as he begins walking away from her room.

"I'm sorry daddy," she whispers to herself as she raises up, wiping the tears from her eyes as she gets out of bed.

Why did mom have to trap us in the shadow realm? She thinks as she makes her way to the bedroom door.

She pauses as she opens the door, unsure of how her father was going to react when she seen him.

"Please let me out of here," Amber hears Julie cry out as she steps out into the hallway.

She walks quietly past Julie's room as she heads towards her daddy's study.

"We still have much to prepare before the sacrifice can begin."

Amber hears her daddy's voice and freezes, putting her back against the wall.

We still need to find Sara and Olivia. With their powers as well as Julie and Ambers I will be unstoppable."

"I thought you weren't going to harm your daughters," Amber hears another voice in the room say.

"I am only gaining my daughters trust so I can get to their powers."

Griffin's laughter fills the hall as his footsteps move towards the door. Amber feels heartbroken as she peaks into the room. Her father is standing in front of the window staring out into the darkness. Amber quickly slips past the study and heads towards the stairs. Once in the living room she heads towards the front door only to find that there was a boundary spell keeping her trapped inside the manor.

"How could he lie to me?" She whispers as she makes her way back towards the stairway.

Instead of climbing back up the stairs she opens a small door under the staircase and climbs down another set of stairs into a cellar.

"Hopefully he didn't seal off the tunnel," she says to herself as she runs towards the back of the cellar.

She smiles as she moves an empty wine barrel and finds the tunnel entrance.

~

Sara looks at Amber eagerly as she listens intensely to Ambers story. "So there is a secret tunnel into the manor?"

Amber shakes her head as she looks back up at Sara. "Not anymore the tunnel collapsed after I crawled through it."

Amber remembers hearing Julie crying out and then the house shook violently and the tunnel began to collapse. She barely got out of it before the whole thing caved in.

"Look Sara if you help me free my mom I promise that I will help you get your sister back. But we need my mom to help us."

"I don't know if I can trust you Amber but I'm going to give you one chance. I swear if you are just trying to trick me again you will regret ii," Sara smirks, looking into Ambers eyes as she speaks. "So where is your mom?"

"Griffin has her locked up," Amber reaches her hand out to Sara. "Come on, take my hand and we will go free my mom."

Sara looks at Amber's outstretched hand hesitantly as she holds her hand out to Sara. After a brief moment of hesitation she takes Amber's hand and begins floating through the darkness. It feels like she had been spinning around in circles for what had felt like forever before her feet finally touch solid ground once again. As soon as she feels the ground under her feet she collapses onto the grass.

"Sara are you alright?"

Amber sounds worried as she kneels down beside Sara.

"Yeah I'm fine."

Sara still feels a little dizzy so she closes her eyes and places her hands against her temple. After a few deep breathes she begins to feel slightly better. She feels a hand touch her back and jumps slightly, opening her eyes to find Amber looking at her worried. Sara just kinda shrugs her hand off of her back and pushes herself up off of the ground, ignoring Amber's outstretched hand. She looks around, a little shocked to find that she is standing just outside of the cemetery gates once more.

"Why didn't you just come here to begin with?" Sara's eyes are filled with anger as she stares at Amber curiously. "Why did you take me away from here just to bring me back?"

"Sara I have been forbidden from entering the cemetery," Amber walks over to the gates and sticks her arm out. Instead of passing through the gates however she is repelled backwards onto the grass. "I cannot get through Griffin has a boundary spell in place to keep me out." She explains, picking herself back up.

"So he has your mother locked away in here somewhere?"

"Yes she is in the mausoleum I took you away from. You must go back to the mausoleum and give her the awakening spell Emily gave you."

"How do you know about that?"

Sara feels her anger growing as she looks over at Amber wearily.

"I was the one that told Emily how to find it. Just take the spell to my mom she will know what to do."

Sara takes one more long look at Amber before she starts walking towards the gates.

"Sara wait there is just one more thing." Amber cries out, grabbing Sara's arm and making her stop.

"What is it?" Sara becomes impatient as she stares at Amber slightly agitated. "What did you forget to tell me?"

Her voice coming out slightly harsher then she meant it to. She sees the hurt and sadness in Amber's eyes as she stares into them.

"Sara you have to trust me on this you cannot trust Chris. He is not the guy you think he is. He has changed since he has entered the shadow realm."

She looks into Sara's eyes as she speaks, and can't help but to feel that she is telling her the truth.

"I won't, now I'm gonna save your mom and then everything will get better," Sara tries to sound cheerful. She smiles and hugs Amber. "Don't worry everything is going to be okay but I better get my sister back."

Amber smiles confidently as she looks back at Sara. "I promise you will have your sister back after you free my mom."

Sara turns and steps through the gates and begins making her way back through the maze of tombstones towards the mausoleum once again. Amber waits until Sara is out of sight before she turns around, ready to leave.

"Well look here if it isn't little Amber herself," Thomas smirks suddenly appearing in front of her. Amber feels fear beginning to creep up her body as she stares at him. "Your daddy is looking for you. You don't want to disappoint him now do you?"

Thomas laughs loudly as he looks at her, seeing the fear in her eyes. She begins to panic, not sure what she should do.

"You know you can't harm me Thomas no ghosts can touch me. My dad made sure I had protection spells placed on me!" Amber cries out as Thomas begins walking closer to her.

"I'm afraid he has had them all removed so we can bring you back to him," she hears Riley's voice right next to her. Before she has time to run he grabs her arms, holding her tightly in place. "Griffin has a special cell just for you up in the attic." He whispers into her ear.

"No you can't take me back to him it's his fault we are all trapped here to begin with!" Amber cries out as she struggles against Riley's grip on her arms.

"Will you settle down you're not gonna get loose," Thomas smiles as he walks closer to her. "Come on. Let's just take her back to Griffin."

He looks all around them suddenly like he was expecting someone else to show up. Amber stops struggling as a mist of darkness forms over them. But unlike the darkness that formed around them when they shadow travelled this new kind of darkness was strange, filling all three of them with a paralyzing fear as it falls over them. All they can do is stare up as the mist starts to fall all around them, cloaking them in complete darkness.

"Bring the girl to me she will do!" A voice much older and more terrifying says.

Amber starts to feel the fear begin to rise in her. She closes her eyes and tries hard to ignore what was going on.

"Do not keep me waiting on you!" The voice hisses all around them.

"Please don't take me to him I'd rather face my father," Amber cries out, fear creeping through her body.

Thomas smiles as he reaches his hand out towards her.

"Let go of her now!"

Amber hears Sara's voice and smiles slightly. She opens her eyes and tries to turn her head around but she can't see anyone but Thomas.

"Sara leave you can't help me!"

Amber continues to struggle against Riley's grip. He tightens his grip on Amber's arm as he begins to shove her forward.

"I said to let her go," Sara yells her voice booming out like thunder now.

Riley stops and turns around, turning Amber around with him. She looks at Sara, frightened and shocked as she stares at her. Sara's body begins to glow very dimly at first then brighter and brighter until Amber has to look away. She closes her eyes tightly as the bright light begins to blind her, stinging her eyes.

"Noo..."

She hears Thomas and Riley scream out. Their voices fade away until Amber doesn't hear anything anymore. She can't feel anyone holding her anymore and opens her eyes to find that Riley and Thomas are no longer there. She expects to see Sara still glowing but everything is dark once more. She looks at the spot where Sara was standing only to see Sara laying on the ground unconscious. She rushes over to Sara and kneels down beside her. Even though she is scared she reaches down and picks Sara up.

"What happened?" Sara murmurs as she slowly opens her eyes. "How did I get here?"

The last thing Sara could remember was getting ready to enter the mausoleum and then she had heard Amber scream then everything turned dark.

"How did you get to me so fast. I mean I know you can't shadow travel no actual mortals can."

Sara looks at her strangely when Amber tells her that no actual mortals can shadow travel.

"I don't really know. I felt like I was floating through the air," Sara tries to remember exactly what happened but everything was blank. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine I don't know what happened to Thomas and Riley but I am glad they are gone," she smiles as she looks towards Sara. "Now will you go to my mom we still need to save her."

She turns to look at the gates, or what was left of them. What did you do Sara? She wonders as she looks at the gates.

Somehow the gates have been blown to pieces.

She walks towards the wide opening where the gates were supposed to be. "I wonder if you can get through now?"

"I don't know Sara now that the gates have been destroyed the spell may be gone. But then again it may still be there," Amber feels nervous as she walks over to the gates with Sara. "Something much worse could happen to me if the spell is still there."

She slowly reaches her hand out towards the big hole. She begins to feel a slight tingle in her arm as she passes it through the opening.

"Come on Amber I think the boundary spell is gone."

Amber looks at Sara and closes her eyes. She takes in a long deep breath and steps through the gap. She was expecting there to be a shock or pain of some kind but the only thing she felt was a slight tingle throughout her body.

"I didn't think I was going to be able to enter so easily," Amber sighs relieved as her and Sara begin walking through the maze of tombstones. How did Sara destroy the boundary spell? She thinks as they walk silently towards the mausoleum.

"Well come on let's go save your mom."

Sara places her hand on Amber's shoulder, grinning at Amber. They walk the rest of the way to the mausoleum in silence. A heavy fog begins to set in around them making everything around them seem creepier. For some reason Sara starts to feel like something or someone is watching her. The fog seems to keep getting thicker and thicker around them.

"Sara I don't like this."

Amber looks around feeling uneasy, stopping as the fog gets to thick to see through. She reaches out and takes Sara's hand, walking very cautiously through the cemetery. Before long she begins to see the dark outlines of the mausoleum just ahead of them.

"Let's just get inside."

Sara takes off running, dragging Amber along with her to the mausoleum. They dash inside the open door quickly. Sara turns to push the door shut and freezes. There starting to step out of the fog was her father. He starts running towards the mausoleum. Sara quickly pulls the heavy door shut.

"No..." Jerry screams as the door slams shut.

Sara backs up as she hears her father pounding on the door.

"Come on Sara let's go before he gets in. We need to save my mom."

Amber grabs Sara's arm and leads her deeper into the mausoleum. It seems like they descend for hours before they finally come to a door. Amber pulls on Sara's arm as she starts to walk on past her.

"Amber what's wrong?"

Sara looks at Amber slightly puzzled by the expression on her face.

Amber shudders, looking behind them. "I have a bad feeling Sara. I feel like there is someone watching us."

Sara follows her gaze and stares into the darkness behind them. As Sara stares into the darkness she thinks she sees a shadow moving. She opens the door as she keeps her eyes looking into the darkness.

"Amber get inside now!" Sara cries out as the thing in the shadows begins moving closer.

They can hear something scraping against the wall as whatever it is moves towards them. The girls jump inside the room and shut the door. Sara quickly locks it and steps back as something tries to open the door, banging and clawing on the door.

"Sara!" A voice cries out from behind her. Sara turns around in time to see Lexi running towards her. "Finally you made it what happened to you though?" Lexi grins as she throws her arms around Sara. "Why did you leave me all alone down here?"

"I'm sorry Lexi I was called away," Sara starts, thinking of how to explain everything to Lexi.

Before she can say anything else an elderly woman steps through the back wall, heading towards them.

"Mom!" Amber cries out as she runs across the room, wrapping her arms around her mom.

"Sara what is she doing here?" Lexi becomes startled as Amber runs past her. Lexi stares at Amber hatefully as Amber hugs the elderly woman she claims is her mom. "Did you forget how she tried tricking us at the high school?" She whispers, fear creeping up her body.

"Lexi you can trust Amber. She was under Griffin's spell," Sara smiles, trying to make Lexi feel better. "Lexi you have to trust me about her."

"How am I supposed to do that, she pretended to be my mom to trap us!" Lexi yells at Sara. "How can you be sure she's not going to lead us to Griffin and hand us over to him?"

"Lexi I'm sorry I tricked you. I had no other choice Griffin was going to kill my mom." Amber cries out defensively. Her mom places her hand on her daughters shoulder.

"She is telling the truth Griffin will do anything to get what he wants. Now please girls let's all calm down and relax there is much I have to tell you."

As she looks at the girls, they begin to feel calmer.

"How did you do that?" Sara looks at Amber's mom as she follows them through the wall and over to the table. Lexi trails behind slowly still not so sure about trusting Amber.

"It is just one of my many gifts now please sit down and I will tell you everything." Ambers mom smiles as she sits down at the table. "To understand what is going on you must first understand the past. Let me start from the beginning. It was so peaceful then. Griffin wasn't the man you see today. He used to be a royal noble until he met a young sorceress named Aylana. They got married right away. For a long time Aylana thought she was truly happy. She had a wonderful husband and two beautiful little girls. Griffin had no idea she was a sorceress until he caught her reading from a strange book. Since she loved him so much she trusted him and made him a copy of the spell book. She taught him everything she knew. But he betrayed her one night. He trapped Aylana in the shadow realm and sent his two daughters away. He wiped their memory so they wouldn't remember anything."

The woman pauses to wipe the tears away that were forming in her eyes.

"Mom it's okay we are finally reunited now and we will find Olivia soon."

Sara looks between Amber and her mom, suddenly realizing that the sorceress she was talking about was herself.

"You are Aylana aren't you?" Sara looks up at the woman curiously. "All that stuff that happened, it all happened to you didn't it?"

She sighs, looking down at the table. "Yes that is why I have been locked up in here. Unfortunately without my powers I am completely useless. Even with the spell book I can't do anything without my powers."

"Sara give her the spell."

Amber ushers Sara, smiling encouragingly at Sara. Sara reaches into her back pocket and pulls out the piece of torn paper. She hesitates for a moment before laying the piece of paper down in front of Aylana.

Aylana looks over at Sara curiously. "How did you get this?" Aylana wonders in amazement as she picks up the piece of torn paper and opens it up. "This is the awakening spell it will unlock all of my powers. How did you get this from Griffin?"

"I didn't get it from Griffin. A woman named Emily, Lexi's mom, reach it to me." Sara explains to Aylana as she looks over at the spell in her hands.

I call forth the elements to give my powers back to me. What was once taken, now return to me. Let my powers be restored and my true strength returned. Oh ancient ones hear my plea, return what has been taken back to me.

Aylana reads the piece of paper quietly to herself as the girls stare at her curiously. As she mumbles the words on the page she begins to glow. She can feel her powers as they return, surging through her body. She begins to float in the air, her body glowing brighter and brighter. The girls feel a little frightened as they stare at Aylana.

"I feel so powerful now it has been far to long since I have had my powers."

Aylana smiles as she continues to feel her powers flowing through her. The glowing becomes so bright that the girls have to turn away and close their eyes. When everything finally seems to be dark once more the girls open their eyes and look towards Aylana. Only the person standing in front of them now wasn't the old woman they had just been talking to. It was still Aylana but a much younger Aylana. She couldn't have been any older then thirty now.

"Mom your back to normal again."

Amber feels happy as she hugs her mom tightly, smiling up at her mom.

"Yes I am all thanks to you Sara. Now if there is anything I can do to repay you Sara..." Aylana begins but Sara cuts her off.

"There is one thing you can do for me," Sara leans forward her elbows on the table as she looks up into Aylana's face. "You can help me free my sister from griffin and help us escape." Amber looks over and smiles at Sara.

"I already told Sara that you could help her once you had your powers back mom," Amber explains as she looks from Sara to her mom again.

"Of course I can help you get your sister back but freeing you from the shadow realm is another story. I don't know what spell he used to trap you here so undoing his spell will take some time," Aylana explains to the girls.

Lexi looks over and takes Sara's hand. "Sara can I tell you something?"

Lexi looks up into Sara's eyes nervously. Before Sara can say anything they hear the door burst open. They sit there frightened as they hear someone walking around in the other room. Everyone freezes as whoever was in the other room begins hitting around on the walls almost like they were searching for the hidden room.

"We are safe in this room. Unless I invite you into this room you can't get through the wall," Aylana whispers to the girls.

The figure in the other room stops and walks over to the fake wall. As the girls stare at the wall a hand begins to come through.

"So should we start to panic now?" Lexi cries out as she looks at the hand coming through the wall with fear.

She squeezes Sara's hand as the figure begins to step through the wall.

"No it can't be you!" Aylana gasps as the strange figure steps through the wall. He grins at the girls as he stands in front of them, blocking the exit.