Chapter 3- The Darkness
I woke up in the middle of the night by the sound of explosions…….I gasped and looked around wondering what the hell was going on? The sound of the explosions were not coming from anywhere nearby. The noise of the explosions seemed to be coming from the east direction farther away. I frowned trying to make sense of what was happening when I saw Stella’s white face peering out from the bed sheets…… She looked as bewildered as me.
I took her hand gently and quietly we both sneaked out of the room and headed downstairs. I motioned for her to follow me and whispered, “ Stick to the shadows” .
She nodded. We hadn’t quite reached the hallway when a voice, which I found to be Dominic’s, bellowing with rage. Stella stiffened next to me. I pressed a finger to my mouth, gesturing to her to remain quiet, then peered inside, careful not to step outside the shadows.
“ What are we going to do? We are royally screwed…. We are a strong force, but we are not invincible enough to take on Stephano….” Yelled a voice , which I think was Tristin’s.
“ The gates of the sacred temple has been breached. They are all gathered around the temple now and initiating the ritual.” Informed Tao looking up from his computer. He looked straight past Dominic and straight into my eyes. I stiffened instantly knowing full well I just got caught. Taking a deep breath I took a step forward, Stella behind me.
Dominic looked startled to see us both there.
“What are you doing here? Go back to your rooms now!” He bellowed.
“We are not school children who has to stay in their rooms after curfew. Would someone care to explain what the hell is going on?” I bellowed back. Stella shrank further at my side.
“ This is the Sect’s business. You are not to interfere” he ordered, his eyes taking on a strange glint.
“ Well, if it’s Sect’s business it is my right to interfere as the Mistress of the Sect.” I shouted back at him proudly.
His eyes widened at the declaration. “ You found out about the Sect just yesterday. You are not even a trained guardian for Christ’s sake. It would take forever to explain this crisis to you. And we are kinda busy now, in case you haven’t noticed it yet”
With that said, he turned to Christopher and asked, “ Chris, what are our options?”
They started taking about alarms and intruders…..nothing I could make head or tail out of. They were ignoring us completely and discussing the various options. I grabbed Stella aside and went into the kitchen, locked the door, then asked her, “ Do you understand what is going on?”
She shook her head. I sighed and asked her another question hopefully, “ Are you a trained guardian?” She again shook her head. I was losing patience and getting agitated more and more by the second. I was not a person who was used to sitting out of a fight.
“ Do you know who this Stephano is?” I tried again
I breathed a sigh of relief when she opened her mouth to reply, “ He is the Head of the council. The most powerful man in our world. Dominic , as Head of our Sect reports to him. My father, remember I told you before that he was a councilmen. He is petrified of Stephano and my father is quite the dominant man.”
Hhhmmm …….So Stephano was a man who could even rile up the pompous Dominic.
“ Wait, hang on…. Our Sect isn’t the only one ? There are more of us?” I asked her.
“ Yes, There is the Blood Sect, they are really evil, trust me I know. Then there is the Sky Sect, they are known to be valiant and honorable. Then there is the Fire Sect, That’s us by the way, we are known for our bravery and courage.Then there is the Earth Sect, who are known for their humbleness and the water Sect, who are known for their wits and wisdom ” she explained.
“ So which Sect is Stephano in?”
“Water Sect”
“So how does this Sect thing work? Are you born into a particular Sect or are you sorted?” I asked her curiously.
“You have the option to stay in the sect you are born into or you can shift to the Sect which suits your bending skills and allow them to grow further.” She replied.
“ Bending skills?”
“ Yeah , but the guardians who have bending skills are very rare. So most people usually stay in the Sect that they are born into. Some guardians in addition to being strong and fast, have a special ability to bend the elements to their will. For example Dominic is a fire bender. In fact he and Christopher are the only fire benders in our Sect, which has over hundreds of people. See how rare it is?”
“ Bending the elements to your will, that’s fascinating. So how do they bend the elements?” I pondered out loud, my mind almost exploding with all the brand new information.
I had vowed to myself that I wouldn’t get caught up in the affairs of this world, assured myself repeatedly that I wanted no part in it, and still here I was pestering my husband’s lover with questions.
“ Wait so my parents are from the Fire Sect, that’s why I am here?” I asked her quizzically.
“ Well, your father is from the Fire Sect…..Your mother however was from the Water Sect” She replied calmly.
“ That’s a weird combination….. Fire and water….how did they even co-exist together?So I belong to the water Sect just as much as I belong to the Fire Sect?” I asked her.
She nodded and replied, “ Your parents were an unusual case apparently. My mom always talks about it. There is no one in our world who didn’t know your parents. Your mom was the high priestess and your Father, the Head of the Fire Sect.”
“High priestess?” I asked her confusedly.
“ That is classified information. I know very little about it and the little things I know, I am not supposed to know. I only learned very basic facts because I sometimes eavesdropped on my father’s conversations with our councilmen.”
“ So Dominic really isn’t Head of the Fire Sect? My father is?” I asked her confusedly.
“ When your Father disappeared, the Council ordered Dominic to take over. However I have no idea who will have the control, if your father were to reappear. I figured that’s why he married you. You know in case your father reappears, he would have insurance. Your father can’t take over immediately because now almost the entire Sect hates him for abandoning them at their most perilous time. Only very few still remain loyal to your Father. So if your father wanted to regain control of the sect, he would have to challenge Dominic to a duel . Which father would challenge the husband of his only daughter to a fight?” she said sympathetically. I could see the conflict of emotions in her face.
Suddenly the impact of what she said hit me full force. He wasn’t my insurance as I had thought… I was his? I thought I was the one using him.....but in reality he was the one using me.....
I don’t like playing mind games and manipulating others not because I wasn’t good at them,[ trust me I am really good at riling up people] but because I preferred not to….. Dominic Valdemeire just messed with the wrong person. I am the goddamn devil for Christ’s sake. In the orphanage no one could bully not only because I was stronger than them physically, but also because I played mind games with them and ensured they stayed in my control without them realizing that they were in my control. I heard the noises of cars starting and poked my head outside the window. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Stella watching me nervously. I saw Dominic , Tristin , Christopher and Tao get in the car and take off, most probably to the temple, wherever the hell that was…..
As I looked at them speeding away in the moonlight, I swore to myself to get to the bottom of this stuff .
Dominic Valdemeire made a terrible mistake trying to manipulate me into marrying him. I thought back to the scene where the crowd was throwing rocks at us and Dominic got out of the car and confronted them. The crowd had changed their stances way too quickly at that time….. I didn’t find that suspicious at all at the time, but now looking back , it makes more sense if the crowd was asked to do that performance by Dominic himself…….
For god’s sake, I am the one who usually messes with people’s minds. I was so arrogant that I never saw that being done to me. But now enough is enough…… Dominic Valdemiere is going to learn the hard way, that you never ever mess with the Devil. The hunted is soon going to become the Hunter. I turned my head and smiled sweetly at Stella, who was clearly oblivious to what she had just done. The tall blonde who was now looking at me nervously had just signed the fate of the man she loved with all her heart to the devil.