Chapter 74: The Final Betrayal

The chamber shook with a dark energy that sent shivers all through the body of Aveline. The air was thick and filled with the scent of burning things and old blood, the stone floor underneath her feet was filled with something she didn't want to identify. At the center of the ritual space, the council elders stood in a perfect circle, their eyes shining with an unnatural silver light. Between them, suspended in a shining field of magic, was her child.

"No!" Aveline struggled against the invisible force holding her wrists and ankles. The magic chains burned, not with fire, but with the cold bite of raw power. She could feel it burning into her skin, draining her strength as the elders chanted in unison. they kept chanting to further empower the magic to hold firm and not allow the parents get to the child to enable them complete their ritual.