SECRET OF THE AMULET

CHAPTER 15

Bridgette stared at the long, thick, smooth blade of glass that was kept in place by a grip made of soft, navy blue snake leather. Its sharp edge would cause anyone to bleed from hundred holes before realizing what happened. The blade was equipped with a spiked, curled cross-guard, which added just enough weight to ensure that the sword would rest indeed in the owner’s hand while also protecting those same hands.

The cross-guard features an ornate coil on either side, indicating that the weapon was certainly made to order, and specially designed for the Duke of Hartwell. A slight pommel was embellished with a rare stone, and no cost has been spared in creating the magnificent weapon worthy in the hands of a duke like Zacharias Blackwood. The blade itself was utterly naked, and there were no marks, decorations or inscriptions on it, but it was undoubtedly embellished in the combat.

“I’m only doing this to save your life, Your Grace,” she said before cutting his arm, and dark, crimson blood oozed from it. She let more of his blood come out before she decided it was enough to take out of the infected blood before she wrapped it with clean linen.

She was optimistic that the Duke of Hartwell would survive because she did everything to save him. All she had to do was to wait for him to be conscious again, and for the meantime, she should take a short rest beside him.

She was aware that the position she was in was dangerous and scandalous, but she couldn’t leave him even for a short moment. She should stay beside him until he would recover because it’s a must that he should live!

“Mmmmm,” the man groaned, and she immediately sat up to check upon him.

First, she checked his temperature, and when she discovered that it didn’t change even a little, she began to worry about his life. It was not a secret that wild animals contained deadly venom, and it could be passed to humans after being bitten.

“How are you feeling, Your Grace?” Bridgette immediately inquired about his current state, and the man just looked at him. He was in a daze, and his eyes appeared dull as if he was about to die! “You can’t die!” She declared, and before she could stop herself to chant another magic spell, magical words immediately came out of her mouth.

It was her desperation that forced her to abuse the magical powers bestowed upon her. A jagged and burgundy rush of spikes appeared as she continued to chant the spell of

Renoulsis to summon a rain of fiery energy. It was a powerful spell that could also resurrect somebody from the dead, and her mother warned Bridgette about using it.

Bridgette panicked when the Duke’s body floated into the air, and his eyes became all white! She believed he was about to die with the manifestation, but Zacharias Blackwood suddenly sat up in front of her as if nothing had happened.

At first, she thought the man was safe, but a few moments later, the veins on his body started to show, and his eyes became black. It was scary, and out of fear, Bridgette stood frozen in her seat. No matter how much she tried to stand up, she couldn’t move her legs, and her eyes remained staring at the Duke’s changes before her.

“Your Grace!” She cried for his name when his hands started to grow some long nails. Did she use the wrong spell on him? As she kept staring at him, she questioned her ability to help him regain his health because what she saw was different from what she expected.  How could someone in perfect health turn into something more hideous than the devil?

“You!”

The man groaned while pointing his finger towards her, and Bridgette tried to close her eyes to avoid staring at him.  First, his eyes became white, then they turned to black, and lastly, it became a mixture of red and yellow, which made him scarier!

She had no idea how long she had closed her eyes, but when she opened them again, the man was already gone. Bridgette was worried he would try to harm the innocents who were probably drunk and sleeping in their quarters, so she followed him immediately.

The hall was enveloped with total silence because it was already late, and if she was not mistaken, it was past midnight in Greenhill. She looked around for a sign to where he was going, but it was too dark, and going back to her chamber to retrieve a lamp would delay her any further. So, she trusted her instinct and headed towards the courtyard.

            She almost lost her breath while running from the second floor of the Keep towards the courtyard, where the man would probably go. Every demon loved to bask in the moonlight in the books that she had read, and the square was the only place he could enjoy the moonlight without being disturbed.

            “Your Grace!” Bridgette shouted as soon as she him in the middle of the courtyard while his arms were spread widely. “Please go back to your chamber now,” she tried to convince him, but when the man turned around, she felt the horror that was about to happen.

            “Ahhhhhh!” The Duke screamed in pain as he felt the demonic forces within him. He tried to control it, but it was difficult, and the woman before her was so stubborn to leave. “Go!” He screamed again before he totally lost control of the demon inside him, and he could only close his eyes before sinking his fangs into her skin.

            “Oh my God!” Bridgette exclaimed upon seeing up close how large his fangs were, and she tried to push him away. When he didn’t budge at all, she closed her eyes and summoned another magical power from within to assist her in pushing him away.

            “Go away!”

The man warned her again, but Bridgette was so stubborn to leave him alone. After all, it was her magic that probably caused him to transform into a wild animal! She had no idea that the spell’s effects would be so severe to cause the Duke to lose his identity. At the very least, all she could do was take responsibility for her mistake and run towards him.

When Bridgette managed to subdue him for a moment, she immediately cast a spell to calm him down…a spell that would bind the two of them forever. It was supposed to be a spell for someone she loved, but she couldn’t afford to let him roam in the world alone. “I will always find you,” she whispered before letting him go.