Jade Reese's Story

Arabelle was expecting protest from Rowan. Even though he doesn’t show it much, he cared for the witch. However, she wasn’t expecting the scared look from Isaiah. From what he said, it sounded like he wanted nothing to do with either of them anymore. Clearly she was wrong. Arabelle, along with everyone in the room, watched as Rowan frantically flipped the pages in the book. Unlike everyone in the room, Arabelle could actually read what was on the page. The spell he chose was a good one. It would hide the humans and let Arabelle come up with a solid ‘I surrender’ speech. She kept that part to herself. However she was more concerned with where he was going to come up with the magic on such short notice. He most of his to shock Belle out of consciousness.

"If you're not too upset with us...I could really use your help" Raelyn’s eyes grew wide. She was surprised at Rowan. One. He needed her help in regards to a magic spell. Two. Despite the lack of a please, that had to be the nicest thing that has come out of his mouth since he has gotten here. And it looked like he really meant it, instead of the neutral look he usually had on his face. Rae already knew her answer. "Hold on, why do you need my sister?" So protective. The warlock was explaining, but this didn’t change her answer. Raelyn nodded. ”Okay. What do you need me to do?” Ben was not having it. He took Raelyn’s hand and pulled her back towards him a bit. ”No way! How do we even know you are telling the truth about needing Raelyn’s energy? You lied to save yourselves before, how do we know this isn’t the case?” He said. Arabelle knew he had a point. Raelyn on the other hand, didn’t care. She pulled her hand away from Ben. ”I’m going to help them. They are still my house guests and they need help.” She said, moving towards Rowan.

Isaiah figured Arabelle would guess it was him tailing her before she even turned around, and judging by the non-surprised look on her face when she did turn, he could only assumed he was right. He stopped walking immediately, keeping a safe distance between them so as to not be in her space bubble, but still being close enough that she wouldn't think he was scared of her or otherwise upset. Although, in the back of his mind, Izzy knew he should still be upset with her not only for having lied from the very beginning, but also for what she tried to do on her own that put her life in danger. That that he somewhat understood how dangerous it was, he was inclined to feel more upset about that than about anything else. But above all, he was just worried. Worried that she was hurt, worried that she was in danger, worried that she might think he and Raelyn hated her and Rowan. "Did you come to see if i was going to do anything dumb?" Izzy opened his mouth to respond but was instantly instructed not to. He closed it again, tilting his head like a confused puppy. "Was it Rowan or Raelyn that sent you?" part of him wanted to just say it had been Raelyn, because aside from it being the truth it wold show that the both of them were worried about her. However, something deep inside him didn't like that fact that she assumed he had been sent, as if she thought he wouldn't have come otherwise. "Neither" he replied simply, letting his folded arms fall at his sides. "No one had to send me...i was just worried." he cleared his throat slightly, looking for the best way to word his worries without sounding ignorant. "Are you...feeling okay?" it was a generic question, yes, but it's all he could come up with for the time being.

---

Rowan was glad Raelyn didn't try to argue, because he was not in an arguing mood, nor was he going to sit back and watch her do all the work again. He quietly listened to her and Jade's conversation as he washed the dishes, wondering the exact same thing Raelyn was. Would the two be spending the night again? A small...well no, a big part of him...or rather all of him wished they wouldn't. Not so much for the brunette, but for the annoying brat that had just stormed out of the kitchen like a five year old when they didn't get the toy they wanted. Rowan had always been a patient man, but even such patience had it's limits and Benjamin sure knew how to push them. "We actually didn't plan on staying the night, Rae" he heard the brunette explain, and couldn't help but feel a small wave of relief, though it was short lived. "But it's gotten dark already and it's dangerous getting out of here at night so we might just take you up on that offer." the warlock rolled his eyes and focused them on the dishes again. He knew she had a point. Not to mention, the moment they stepped out of the protective bubble he had cast over the farm, they were as good as dead. It was way too soon for the coven to have gone astray. Still, did they really have to stay? "I'll go tell Ben." the girl jumped up from her chair and raced up the wooden steps in the same direction the brat had gone. Once she was out of sight, Rowan let out a soft sigh. It was going to be a long night.

Arabelle was happy when she was asleep. She was in Isaiah’s arms and she was enjoying every second of it. He was so warm and inviting. It was one of the first times in her life that she has felt love and she had to leave it. Leave behind the happiness, the love, and the acceptance. It didn’t help that her dreamless sleep was beginning to be plagued with nightmares. Flashes and glimpses of the coven leaders walking towards the farmhouse. She continued to toss and turn as the flashes became more vivid. The witch had the bad feeling in her gut and it was starting to ache in her bones. Eventually the feeling was so bad that she could no longer remain in bed. As soon as she sat up, Rowan came into the room. They locked eyes and it was clear that her bad feeling and nightmares were true. ”They’re here…” They were too late.

She regrettably climbed out of Izzy’s arms and ran her fingers through her hair. ”Where is Rae-” Her question was cut off by a scream. The witch’s face paled and she sprinted out the bedroom door. She was really hoping that the scream was just from Raelyn being clumsy and she hurt herself. They didn’t have her. They couldn’t have her. Arabelle didn’t realize how fast she was moving, but she was already out the kitchen door and her heart stopped.

Raelyn didn’t know what was going on. One moment she was feeding the pigs and next she was being grabbed by some stranger. It happened so quick that she couldn’t help but scream. ”Hush.” was all she heard. Rae tried to pull from the man’s arms, but he only gripped it tighter. ”Ah...Arabelle. Rowan. I’m glad I did not have to force you out.” The coven leader, Evanora, noticed that were three other humans surrounding them. ”Really? You thought you could hide among humans.”

Benjamin was still in his pajamas. Once he heard the scream he went running outside with everyone else. His eyes went wide as he noticed Raelyn was in the arms of one of those magical creatures. ”Raelyn! Let her go!” He said. The second in command, Saruman, rolled his eyes at the human. ”You are in no position to make demands human.” He said. Arabelle and Rowan were supposed to be long gone by now. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. ”Evanora. Let her go. She has nothing to do with anything. None of them know anything.” Evanora held up her hand as if to stop Arabelle from talking. ”If they are with you, these humans are not worth their lives.”

Rowan Abner XXXXXX Jade Reese XXXXXX Isaiah Jin

To say Isaiah was confused would be an understatement. One moment he was peacefully laying in bed with Arabelle. He was mostly asleep, though every now and again he would wake up just enough to readjust himself. The house was quiet and peaceful and the two remained in bed until Izzy felt Belle moving beside him. He opened his eyes, prepared to use whatever means necessary to have her stay in bed while he and Raelyn. mostly Raelyn, whipped up some breakfast. However, his thoughts and plans were interrupted the moment Rowan came barging in. It took him a moment for Rowan's comment to settle in. The second he realized what he meant by "they", a scream was heard. Raelyn's scream. Izzy knew it all too well.

Before his mind could catch up, his body was already dashing out the bedroom and out towards the back of the house where the scream had come from. His heart pounded heavily against his chest, every possible worst-case scenario running through his mind. Rowan and Arabelle were right beside him. The three made it outside, quickly followed by Ben and Jade. Izzy's eyes automatically landed on Raelyn who was being held captive by a group of strangers. A cold sweat took over his body as the memory of losing both his parents came rushing back. He wasn't going to lose Rae too, he couldn't.

Ben's voice was heard from behind them. Izzy didn't bother to respond, but Rowan did, just barely looking over his shoulder at the both of them. "I suggest you both keep your mouths shut if you want to live to see another day." it was by no means a threat, but rather a serious warning. The more attention they attracted to themselves, the more the coven will be likely to want to take them. "I knew the coven was petty..." the warlock continued as he took a couple of steps forward, giving Arabelle a silent warning to stay where she was. "But I didn't know you'd stoop so low as to harm innocent humans."

Saruman's laughter came again as he took a few steps forward himself. "Since when does Rowan Abner have a moral compass? Don't be ridiculous." Rowan's hands shaped into fists, the anger slowly bubbling inside of him, but he continued to stand ground. "I'm no saint, but even I know what lines shouldn't be crossed." as the warlock continued to move forward, so did his counterpart, until they were almost just a couple of feet apart. "What is it that you want? Arabelle? Me? The book? Take it then." He could feel all eyes were on the two of them and was very aware of how terrified Raelyn was in the hands of these people. "Take us both and your stupid book, we won't protest. But if you hurt a single hair on that girl's head...you will regret it."

Arabelle was going to quiet down the humans, but Rowan was on top of it. In fact it seemed like he was going to try and settle this whole thing on his own. The two of them locked eyes and Belle kept her feet planted on the ground with no intention of moving. Her gaze then shifted over to Evanora, Saruman, and the 3 others standing across the way. Ways to get out of this situation were running through her mind. Belle didn’t want to fight. The whole point of leaving the farmhouse early was to avoid this exact situation. To discuss terms of surrender without the threat of the human safety. But that plan backfired. They already had one in hand. Poor Raelyn was at their mercy and Belle didn’t even know how to free her without making everything worse. Roman was trying to bargain. Her, the book, and himself for the safety of the humans. Saruman did not like that idea. In fact, he was clearly annoyed that Rowan made those demands, threatened him, and was now in some kind of showdown.

Evanora took a couple steps forward and that’s when Arabelle took a few as well. ”Your chance for surrender was over when you left the coven. And your chance for mercy was over when you used the book.” Begging for forgiveness clearly wasn’t going to work. For some reason, Belle saw this going much smoother. She was expecting to meet the coven far away from this place and just die. It was easier and did not require fighting. But of course, things have never exactly gone the way she expected. Raelyn was having a hard time even reading the situation, but she knew it was bad. Something terrible was going to happen and she was powerless to do anything about it. She tugged some more, trying to pull away from the warlock, Gaian, that had a hold of her. But she didn’t budge and he gripped tighter. ”..oww..” she whined and more tears coming down her cheeks. ”Please, Evanora. We will go with you quietly and face whatever punishment you decide.” Saruman rolled his eyes.

”You both have broken all of the coven sacred rules. Your punishment is death. And this is judgement day.” Evanora said turning her back on all of them and walking farther out into the field a relatively safe distance away. She doesn’t get her hands dirty. ”Kill them. All of them. And you…” she said pointing to Cullen, another warlock she had with her. ”...find the book.” He immediately teleported into the house, rummaging around looking for the book that had hidden itself.

Raelyn’s eyes grew wide. This was it. She was going to lose everyone and everything in the blink of an eye. Gaian picked her up off the ground and she began kicking. ”N-no! Please no! D-don’t..” Pleading was pointless, but it was all she could think to do. In Gaian’s free hand, he was forming an energy ball that would have been strong enough to take her out. Benjamin wasn’t even thinking. He was reacting. He took off running in her direction. Belle eyes widened. ”Ben don’t!” Belle started after him, but the last witch, Mave, held up an electric force field and Belle crashed into at full force, flying backwards and falling hard onto the ground.

Benjamin crashed into Gaian full force and he ended up dropping Raelyn onto the ground. But without hesitation, he shoved the energy ball into Ben. It sent the human across the field and he crashed into his car. Broken glass fell around him as he collapsed to the ground, unmoving. Rae’s eyes widened. ”Ben!” Raelyn stood up and tried to run over to him, but Saruman trapped her in a force field, suspending her into the air. ”You. Don’t move.” Was all he said, before locking eyes with Roman. ”You want her. You have to get her.” He teased, ready for a fight.

Rowan didn't want forgiveness. He couldn't care less what the coven thought about them. All he cared about at the moment was getting Raelyn out of Galan's reach. He expected things to be difficult, but he hadn't expected them to take such a downfall so quickly. He was fully prepared to give the coven whatever they wanted in exchange for the humans' safety, but he should have known that trying to reason with them would be like reasoning with a brick wall. They never cared about anything other than themselves and the power they held.

It was no secret the coven was threatened by Rowan's presence, which is why Saruman, the second most powerful of the bunch, kept such a close distance between him and the rogue warlock. Rowan's eyes burned with all the hatred he'd ever felt towards the coven, Raelyn's whines of pain only fueling the fire. The moment Evanora gave the signal to slaughter, Saruman's hand gripped onto Rowan's neck, using his magic to paralyze. He couldn't do anything other than watch helplessly as everything around him fell apart. Galan finding the book was the least of his worries. Rowan had made sure to burn every last inch of it, but not before making a decoy copy. His focus now was entirely on Raelyn and the coven's attempt at killing her.

Jade rushed to Ben's side the moment he crashed against the glass, her cries for help ringing in Rowan's ears. Isaiah ran straight to Arabelle. He couldn't do much, but at the very least he could make sure she wasn't badly injured. He eyed her from head to toe, frantically searching for any signs of damage. [color= 00ff00]"Belle, are you okay?"[/color] he felt helpless. His sister was being held captive, Ben was down for the count, Arabelle had been tossed aside like a rag doll and Rowan seemed to be unable to move. Every inch of Izzy's body just wanted to scream, but he knew that wouldn' help anyone. Instead, he stayed at Belle's side in hopes it would keep them both a little safer.

Rowan' blood boiled through his veins, to the point where he could see everything through a red filter. Saruman still had a grip on his magic, and Galan now had a grip on Raelyn once again. ”You want her. You have to get her.” those few words worked like a switch. Something inside of Rowan shifted, and suddenly he was no longer paralyzed, but instead was the one doing the paralyzing. His body had broken free of Saruman's spell, his own waves of energy now blasting from Rowan's body and sending him flying at full force several feet in the air. For a moment, everything was still. Rowan's eyes focused solely on Galan, his usually fiery red aura now displaying streaks of black. [color=1a0019]"I don't want her..."[/color] he took a couple of steps forward. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Saruman attempting to get to his feet again. He trusted Arabelle to take care of it. His target was just a few feet from him. [color=#1s0019]"I want you."[/color] an outstretch of his arm was all it took to send a blow through Galan's chest, causing his force field to collapse. He silently willed Raelyn to move as far away from them as she could while he continued to close the gap. "You don't scare me, Galan." his voice was low, almost like a growl. "But I scare you, don't I?" there was a smirk of satisfaction on his face as he gripped the older warlock by the throat, suspending him in mid-air.

Arabelle groaned, shielding her body while laying on the ground. The force field had caught her off guard and the wind was knocked out of her. She was trying to take deep breaths and make everything around her less blurry. Her brows furrowed at the face that came into her vision. "Belle, are you okay?" Izzy? She blinked and he finally came into focus. There was so much concern written on his face. She couldn’t even tell him that everything was going to be okay. This was just the start. At best, only Belle and Rowan will have to suffer. ”I-I’m fine..” She said as she pushed herself up off the ground. She looked over to see Ben was no longer by Raelyn, but was instead unmoving on the ground now next to Jade. ”Oh no.” She muttered to herself. Belle couldn’t stand around. That can’t happen to anything else. ”Stand back.” She told Isaiah as a purple-y aura began surrounding her.

Raelyn was still in shock by the sight of Ben and she couldn’t even get to him. Jade was by his side, unharmed, but she wanted to be closer to him. She was stuck in a forcefield and no matter how many times she hit it, it did not budge. She felt so useless. Rae was just a farmer girl. How was she supposed to help her friends? Her eyes glanced over to Arabelle, who was now displaying a purple aura. Izzy was next to her, but he was safe. Then she looked over to Rowan. His aura was red, but she could see the slivers of black. Her brain was working overtime to remember the colors, but she was so distracted. Without even realizing it, she was freed from the forcefield. Her feet took her right over to Jade and Ben. She crouched down, more tears brimming and ready to fall.

Suruman was scrambling to get back up to his feet, but Arabelle wasn’t going to let him. They needed to even out the playing field. She reached a hand out towards him and pinned him to the ground. She whispered a few words in latin and smirked to herself before lowering her hand. It should keep him pinned for a while. Her and Mave locked eyes and they ran at one another. Belle landed the first hit, punching Mave with a high energy fist blast across the cheek. Mave quickly came at her with her own and the two girls just went back and forth with hand to hand combat use high focused energy on their hands and feet.

Isaiah was at a loss for what to do. Their backyard was in shambles. People were getting hurt left and right. Ben wasn’t moving even a centimeter, Belle seemed hurt despite her denying it, and he was powerless. He felt the uselessness boil in his chest, brewing anger. He had to do something. Anything! He watched with wide eyes as a purple glow covered Belle’s entire body. He wasn’t sure what it meant but Rowan had something similar, except his was red and black. Izzy was several feet away from the warlock, but he could feel a cool air coming from his direction. Chills went down his spine, but he had no time to be scared. He glanced over towards Raelyn who seemed to be okay, Jade too. But the same couldn’t be said for Ben.

From then on, everything happened so quickly. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see that woman from before. The one that spoke first. Isaiah couldn’t remember her name but he could guess she was the leader of the coven. She made her way towards Raelyn, Ben, and Jade while Belle and Rowan were distracted. The tips of her fingers were glowing, and Izzy could only see things ending terribly. Before his mind could catch up, his feet were already moving. ”Rae, watch out!” in a second’s time, he’d stepped between Raelyn and the woman clearly set on hurting her.

Isaiah’s body became paralyzed from head to toe. There was a stinging sensation that ran from his chest down his left arm. For a moment, his mind went blank. All he could see was the woman’s smirk, and her arm outstretched as her nails bug deeper into his chest. He wanted to scream, yell for help, say anything! But the words caught in his throat and all he could do was watch as the life was literally being drained from his body.

Rowan had no intentions of going easy on Galán. In fact, the more he struggled, the harder Rowan’s grip on his throat became. [color=1a0019]”You always treated me like trash, like an insignificant pest. Well, now it’s my turn.”[/color] the smirk on his face grew as his eyes shifted colors, quickly matching the glow that covered his body. Galán continued to gasp for air, but there was no part of Rowan that wanted to stop. The more he watched the man struggle, the more he wanted to hurt. He kept it going as long as he could, but eventually, Galan’s body stopped moving. It was only then that Rowan’s grip loosened, and the limp body fell to his feet.

---

Mave and Arabelle’s battle seemed to be going on forever. Mave was just a bit faster than Belle, but Belle was a heavier hitter. Hanging out with Rowan, taught her a few things about fighting. But this couldn’t continue. She was going to exhaust all her magical reserve before she had the chance to fight Evanora, Suraman, and the one looking for the book. The battle was barely beginning. Belle delivered a calculated blow this time, shoving her hand right through Mave’s chest with a transparency spell. Hand around Mave’s heart, she delivered a strong energy pulse and stopped it. Arabelle removed her hand and the witch fell to the ground unmoving. Turning behind her, she watched as Gaian’s body fell before Rowan’s. Two down. Immediately, her eyes scanned for the twins and her eyes grew wide. Evanora had a hand on Isaiah.

The witch took off running in that direction. She grabbed hold of Evanora’s hand and pulled it out of Isaiah. Raelyn immediately took hold of her brother, examining him with complete worry and fear that she had lost him just as she had lost her parents and now Ben. ”Izzy, please be okay. Please. Please.” Her eyes still filled with tears. Evanora tossed Arabelle aside and she rolled away from the group on the ground. She quickly sat up enough and outstretched her hands. She covered the humans in an electric force field that shocked Evanora as she tried to touch them. For now they were safe. Just as she scrambled to her feet, she could feel her throat closing. Suraman had a hold of her and she was thrashing about. Suraman must broken hold of the gravity spell and snuck up on her. ”Good effort, but they are still going to die.” He assured her as he squeezed tighter.

As oxygen was cut off from her brain, she managed to muttered out a spell making her skin hot to the touch. He immediately dropped her and Arabelle dropped to the ground coughing and gasping for air. Suraman took the time to literally kick her while she was down. She was still rather hot to the touch, so every kick and hit that he was delivering was still burning him. As he was trying to recover from those minor burns, she took it upon herself to stand up, ready to fight him.

Isaiah could quite literally feel the life being sucked out of his body. It started with his limbs beginning to numb, his vision slowly blurred and the rest of his senses became dull. He could hardly make up a figure running towards him. For a moment, he thought it to be Arabelle, but before he had the chance to look again his body fell to the ground with a thud. He could see a blurry version of Raelyn hovering over him, her cries to desperation felt like they were miles again. He wanted to speak, move, do anything that would let her know he could hear her but his body did not want to respond.

”Izzy...Izzy please- sa-say something-” Jade’s voice joined Raelyn’s. They were both within arm’s reach but felt as if they were miles away. For a moment, all Isaiah could do was lay there motionless and hope that Raelyn would be okay. Hope that she’d survive this, that Belle and Rowan and Jade survived this so they could look after her. But if Izzy was anything it was persistent. He refused to give in, not yet. Not when he had people to care for and people that cared about him. His first attempt at speaking was a fail, but he immediately tried again. ”M’fine…” much to Izzy’s surprise, his words came a lot easier this time. Still, he couldn’t move an inch. ”Just- give me...a minute.” he could hear the commotion going on around them, but he simply couldn’t get his body to respond.

Meanwhile, Rowan turned his attention from the limp Galan to a very lively Evanora who appeared to be targeting the humans while Belle remained occupied. His gaze deviated for a moment, long enough to see Raelyn hovering over Isaiah who now lay motionless on the ground. Every tear that fell down Raelyn’s cheek only fueled Rowan’s flames of hatred towards the coven. ”So you think you’re oh-so-powerful now, huh?” came Evanora’s mock as Rowan approached her. ”I hate to break it to you kid, but you’ll never be good enough to-” Evanora’s words suddenly stopped, her eyes masked with something Rowan never thought he’d seen from her; fear. ”What the hell is that…?”

The warlock came to a stop, partially convinced that the woman’s words were merely a method of distraction. A way of getting his guard down in order to attack, but the fear in her eyes and her voice seemed too real. Glancing towards his feet, Rowan could see a combination of red and black hovering around him. As the black spots grew in size, the red slowly vanished until it had been completely engulfed. There was heat, a surge of adrenaline that ran through the warlock’s body, unlike anything he’d ever felt before. It was so satisfying to see Evanora paralyzed with fear, and the closer he drew to her the more he felt the need to rip her to shreds, bit by bit until there was nothing but dust particles left.

Time seemed to stand still. Arabelle dropped to the ground and it was almost as if they were all frozen in a moment in time. All eyes were on Rowan and Evanora. Everyone else was either injured or physically incapable of helping. There was nothing Raelyn or the others could do to help. It was left up to the warlock that she had grown to care deeply for, but there was something different about him. As he spoke and moved, it was evident why the black aura was so dangerous. His movements were more calculated and his words sinister in nature. It was hard to take her eyes off of him. Evanora clearly stood before him in fear prior to screaming in pain. The scream sent chills down Raelyn’s spine. The woman was in pain, but there wasn’t anything she or anyone could do. ”Rowan?” Her voice was almost a whisper. She wanted to stop him. Snap him out of this state, but it was beyond her now. Raelyn only looked away at the sound of the snap.

Silence took over the farm. Everyone remained frozen in place, making sure that there weren’t any other enemies ready to attack. But it was just them on the field. ”I have to talk to him…” she muttered mostly to herself, but loud enough to Jade and Izzy to hear. She pushed herself up onto the ground and slowly made her way to the overpowered warlock. Raelyn was beyond scared, but their job wasn’t done. Arabelle was still on the ground, completely passed out. Isaiah was paralyzed. Ben had died. Jade in shell shock. Everyone needed to get back inside to recover. Everyone including Rowan. She was close enough to touch him, but she could feel the power off of him. Rae had to stop herself from taking an instinctive step back. Her hand rested gently on his shoulder.

”Rowan.” She stated confidently, despite her nerves being on edge. ”Arabelle and Isaiah need your help. Please snap out of it.” She said, her words only wavering a bit. She was hoping that was enough to get him focused on the people that mattered most. ”I need you. Please.” Raelyn added for emphasis.

Raelyn was trying not to let fear completely take over her as she waited for Rowan to return to his normal state. Even though his eyes moved from black back to their natural shade of brown, it didn’t ease her. Rae did not know how the aura changing worked. She did not know long if he was truly back or only had a temporary grasp of reality. All the matter was that for the moment, he had returned. His first priority went to Arabelle who still laid on the ground, unconscious. Rae kept her distance and watched as he tended to her. Then he offered up a pill. Rae wasn’t sure what it was or what it was going to do. It seemed like it was supposed to help and she had to believe him. Her brother’s well-being was on the line. Rae took hold of the pill and ran back over to her brother, kneeling at his side. ”Ro said this would help, Izzy.” She lifted his head a bit and slid the pill into his mouth so that he could swallow it.

Arabelle’s brain felt fuzzy. She doesn’t exactly remember what happened a few moments before fading into nothing. She remembers lots of fighting and screaming, but mostly pain. Lots of pain. It was as if her very essence was taken from her. The last time she felt like this she tried to use a very powerful spell. She vowed to never do it again. Warmth overcame her body and memories of the last few minutes came flooding back like a bad dream. Belle’s eyes shot open and she quickly sat up before groaning. ”Ow..ow..” Her muscles were burning and the spot on her back where Evanora stole her magic was starting to burn. ”Did we win? Are we actually alive? Is this some sick version of heaven?” She took a quick minute and then smirked. ”Who are we kidding, I would be in hell with Evanora. I get a second chance to fight her.” She looked over him to make sure he was actually okay then her eyes grew wide. ”Where are they!?” She asked referring to the humans that they almost died protecting.

Belle slowly pushed herself off the floor, ignoring any pain that was coursing through her body. She started making her way over to the rest of them, using Ro to steady herself when she felt like she was going to fall. ”You shouldn’t move too much. You could have hurt yourself.” Rae stated to Belle. Arabelle smiled brightly despite how much it hurt to even breathe. ”You worry too much. I’m fine. Ro healed me right up.” Her eyes moved to Izzy. She wanted to make sure that he was okay. And even though she had little magic to help, she would definitely make Ro use his magic to make sure that he was at tip top shape.

Rowan kneeled beside Arabelle silently as he waited for the which to regain consciousness. It took a moment, but eventually, she began to move she then sat up, and, despite his protests for her to take it easy, she was determined to head over to where the humans were. Rowan sighed in defeat and simply walked beside her, steading her whenever needed. The two reached the humans just as Isaiah was beginning to wake up as well. Rowan took a moment to assess the damage around them. Several council members were dead, and as far as he could remember, he had done most of it. He was as sure as his own existence that it wouldn't be long before more of them came to find them. He had no plans on telling Arabelle, but once they arrived he'd take all the blame. For not only the murders, but also for taking the book and attempting to use it. He would be arrested, probably sentenced to death, but it was the only way to avoid more damage and bloodshed.

Even in his half-conscious state, Isaiah could hear Raelyn's voice. Something was put in his mouth. Izzy could only assume was some sort of medicine, but he couldn't bring himself to swallow. Luckily, he didn't have to. Within a few seconds, the pill began to dissolve. It tasted very bitter. Possibly one of the worst things Isaiah had ever tasted in his life, and he certainly wasn't the type to be picky with tastes or food. His vision quickly began to clear, and after a couple of attempts to speak, he managed to squeeze out a few words. "That's...disgusting." his voice was hoarse but clear enough to understand. A drew cough escape him and he quickly became aware that his body was no longer numb. His muscles, every one of them, felt sore. As if he had been trampled by horses. Even so, Isaiah was thankful he wasn't going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life.

The farmer boy slowly pushed himself to a seating position, ignoring Jade's persistent protests, and offered a weak but genuine smile. "You're okay. Thank god." he said mostly in reference to Arabelle, but also turned to Raelyn and Jade to make sure they too were alright. "Worry about yourself first, idiot." Jade muttered, though she couldn't hide the relieved smile.

Somehow most of them came out of this alive. It was truly a miracle. Arabelle didn’t think that was the end of it. There would be more. Killing the coven leader wasn’t something one could just get away with. They would be facing consequences. But they could wait for now. Belle was prepared to die today that wouldn’t change if more people from the coven showed up again. Belle kept that to herself. Right now, everyone needed to heal and relax. Glancing around, the dead bodies were laid out on the field. That problem could also be dealt with at a different time. ”Lets get everyone back inside.” She said.

Raelyn was concerned for everyone, minus Jade. They had all been seriously injured and moving around as if they hadn’t just fought to stay alive. She tried to keep her comments to herself since she knew that they would all shut her down for worrying too much. Though her worries were justifiable. Once it was suggested that they all head inside, Raelyn couldn’t agree more. Being outside was dangerous. As much as Raelyn would like to believe this was all over, it didn’t feel like it was. Arabelle wasn’t celebrating or reassuring them as such. Neither was Rowan. Rowan didn’t say much in general, but he was still quiet about the end results of this battle. This wasn’t a win. It was a break. She shook that thought from her mind and with the help of Jade, helped Izzy up off the ground. The group managed to stumble their way inside the house. They sat Izzy on the couch of the living room and Raelyn ran upstairs to dig around for a first aid kit.

Belle took a spot next to Izzy and accidentally let out a painful groan. The pain shot up her back and slowly subsided. But getting comfortable wasn’t easy. Just leaning against the cushions was the only way to have the most minimal pain. Her muscles were screaming, but that was something she was able to ignore. The pain in her back where that witches hands were, burned. It was like she had left a painful scar. Raelyn came back with a decent sized first aid kit. She sat it on the coffee table and flipped through everything. ”I’m not sure what will help, but I have gauze, band-aids, creams…” Raelyn was just desperate to help, but she didn’t know what would help with magical injuries. ”Raelyn..it’s okay. We all just need rest. The magic just takes a second to kick in.” Belle was trying to make Rae feel better about her being helpful, but it was obvious in her face that she wanted to do something. ”I am kind of hungry though.” Raelyn’s eyes lit up. ”Okay! Jade, come help me make some food.” She said, going into the kitchen.

Though he helped get everyone inside, Rowan kept a distance from the group. His eyes kept subconsciously following Raelyn. The worry practically oozed out of her, and the last thing he wanted to do was add to that. But if he said he felt fine he'd be lying. He wasn't tired, not even in the slightest bit, despite having used to much magic in such a short amount of time. His vision had returned to normal, however, adrenaline still ran lazily through his body. No...adrenaline wasn't the right word. Rowan had felt the adrenaline, and this was not it. Something had made its home in Rowan's bloodstream, like a force that slumbered, until ready to resurface. Despite how hard he tried, Rowan could recall next to nothing that had happened during the latter half of the battle. As if some outside force had temporarily taken possession of his body and mind for that period of time. He watched silently as Raelyn left the living room, followed by Jade. He kept himself at a distance from Izzy and Belle as he stared out the window, both to give them a chance to rest, but also because he wasn't sure how long it would be before this dark force took over his body once again.

Isaiah barely spoke as Raelyn and Jade scurried around him and Arabelle, looking for any possible way to help in true Raelyn fashion. Izzy was glad Belle mentioned food. If there was anything that made Raelyn happy it was making delicious food for others to enjoy. As she and Jade left the livingroom, Izzy let out a small groan. Every muscle in his body ached. Though it was a good sign that his body was not paralyzed like he initially feared, it also hurt like hell. But more than his physical pain, Izzy couldn't take his mind off of Ben. The way he was attacked and killed right in front of him, and there was nothing he'd been able to do to help. Instead he just got himself hurt. Isaiah wasn't used to being useless. He let out a sigh, not to loud so as to not worry Raelyn, and let his head rest of the back of the couch. There was a lump in his throat, threatening to force out tears. Though he managed to keep composure, he couldn't help but worry for his sister and Jade and how they'd react once everything finally sunk in.

---

Raelyn was desperately trying to take her mind off the events that had taken place. She wasn’t nearly as hurt as the other three on the couch, but she was trying to fight the urge to break down. Benjamin had died. She almost lost Izzy. Her new found friends were on the brink of death themselves. And Rowan. Rae let out a sigh. In the midst of trying to make sense of whatever feelings she has for him, she was close to losing him too. Not in the same sense as Izzy. Something about him was off. For the first time since seeing him, she had been scared. The last moments felt like they had happened so slowly. Time didn’t exist until this moment. Rae was hyper aware of the darkness that was looming outside the window as the moon was high in the sky. Her hands were trembling and she released a shaky sigh. Rae wiped the tears that threatened to fall. She immediately started directing Jade around the kitchen. She settled for making chicken noodle soup. Simple. Easy to digest. Required no energy to digest. While also promoting healing.

Belle couldn’t believe that they had won. Survival was not part of the game plan when she set out to protect these humans, yet here they all were. Battered, bruised, and still kicking. Well all but one. If there was any way that Arabelle could have saved him, she would have. That was a declaration of a war. A war that they were underprepared for. Belle settled further into the couch and ignored the throbbing pain in all of her muscles. The center of her pack was radiating energy and she did her best to ignore it. Belle glanced over to Izzy and was just happy to see him sitting next to her. There weren’t any words that could express the relief she had. Slowly she took hold of the farmer boy’s hand. ”See I told you, you wouldn’t lose me.” She said almost playfully, with a smile.

It didn’t take long for Raelyn and Jade to return to the living room with everyone’s food. Rae let Jade make sure that Izzy was able to eat and reach his bowl. Belle took hold of her own bowl, taking in the savory scent of Rae’s cooking. Raelyn wanted to personally bring a bowl to Rowan. He seemed so lost in thought and stuck in his own world. She offered up the bowl to him. ”I hope this helps you feel better.” The farmer gal offered up her best version of her signature smile. She wanted to look as unphased as possible despite the need to collapse into a million tiny pieces.