The Tiger Prince's Witch
Chapter 55 - Black Magic

It had been a month since the prisoners were taken from the palace. Everyone had been working hard with their training and were feeling more confident to fight what was coming their way. Anna and Jaz were showing bigger baby bumps causing them to not go outside as often in the event Santi had spies watching them. It wouldn't bode well if he knew they would be fighting with the power of six instead of four.

There had been no more surprise visits from Marcus and Alice that they knew of. Alpha Gary was still keeping Shila in hiding and had no visits either. As the days counted down to the battle, everyone was getting anxious, hoping they were doing enough to make a difference.

Jaz and Micah had decided to name their cub Zack. Both expectant mothers could feel incredible energy already radiating from their wombs from their unborn children. It was powerful, if not a little scary at times. Everyone who knew about the pregnancies was excitedly awaiting the birth of the unique cubs.

Anna was currently sitting in the dungeons where the prisoners had been taken. She was channeling the black energy that Marcus and Alice had put out. Something was eating at her about them, but she didn't know what. After they knew it was them who had been there, she asked for the dungeons to be locked tight. She put a spell on the dungeons to pull the dark energy out, separating it from the other energy there.

It was creepy being there alone, even though Kamryn was right outside the door. This was something she had to do by herself. The dungeon had a cool, damp feeling and smelled of bodily waste. It was pungent, and any other time the smell would make her stomach roll, but Anna was too focused to let any of that get to her.

She was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed and her hands resting flat on her knees. Anna's eyes were closed as she felt the dark energy roll over her like an icy bath of cold water. She had waited a month to give the black magic time to stew with no release; by doing that, it would spread to seep into the walls and cells, looking for a way out. Now it was prime for her to replace the source and hopefully tell her who was behind Santi.

Anna had never done anything like this before, but it was coming to her naturally. Once she could feel the black magic enveloping her, she began chanting. The magic was so desperate to replace a new source it covered her like a thick cloak. Anna allowed it to think it was in control, but she'd prepared her mind, body, and soul for this.

Once the black magic had entered her completely, she was ready to replace the source. Anna pulled the energy from it, tracing it back to its roots. She went through it piece by piece breaking it up. It was draining work that required her to use a lot of energy.

Anna lost track of time as she went through the process, delving deeper and deeper into the depths of the black magic. She felt some resistance when she was getting close, but she didn't let that stop her. Her body started shaking as she pushed through the final barriers. When she got to the end, her eyes opened wide, and she let out a small scream.

Kamryn was standing outside the dungeon's door. He was waiting nervously for Anna to complete the spell. He trusted that she would be successful, but that didn't help him from being scared about the path it would take her. Kamryn wanted to be in there with her experiencing this with her. Letting her know he was by her side. She had been adamant that she had to go in alone, so the black magic didn't use him as a host.

He stopped pacing and listened. Kamryn could hear her soft voice chanting. It was beautiful yet eerie. As she continued, he started pacing again. Would this work? Would she be able to see who is behind Santi coming after them? As time wore on, he felt as though his heart was going to burst from the anxiety running through his body. Legend did his best to keep him calm, but it wasn't doing much good. All Kamryn could think about was the black magic getting into Anna and making her like Alice and Marcus. What if this didn't go as planned, and it killed her? Just as he was about to throw open the dungeon door to make sure she was okay, he heard a soft scream. Before he could get the door open, Anna walked out and fell into his arms.

Kamryn lifted her up and ran from the dungeons to the palace. He didn't stop until he got to their room and laid her on the bed. Anna was shaking, and her body felt so cold he tried to wrap himself around her to warm her up. He was terrified that something was wrong with her but was too scared to ask. Kamryn looked down into her pale face and kissed her forehead.

"Kamryn?" She asked quietly as he pulled her closer.

"Yes, it's me. Are you okay?" He asked while holding his breath in preparation for her answer.

"I'm better now. The spell worked. I know who's behind Santi and why. Can you mindlink your parents and have them get everyone together in thirty minutes? Tell them to include Jarek as well. He's part of this." Anna snuggled into Kamryn's warm embrace while she continued calming down and rebuilding the energy that was sucked from her in the dungeons. She didn't want to tell them who Santi was working for, but she knew they needed to know. The fear she felt from this revelation made her start shivering again. This whole battle was going to be worse than they thought. It made sense now why they were given so many new abilities.

"My dad said they would have everyone ready. Do you want to talk about what happened?" Kamryn asked while rubbing her back. He didn't like her looking so vulnerable.

"Not yet. When we get to the conference room will be soon enough. Right now, I want to enjoy this time with you warming me up and making me feel alive. I have never felt this cold before. I didn't think the black magic would have such a strong effect on me. Thank you for being there when I came out. I don't think I could have made it back to the palace alone." Anna smiled at him, her face looking a little flushed and not as pale.

"I wouldn't have been anywhere else. I was prepared to break the door down when my thoughts got carried away, thinking about how the black magic may affect you. Are you ready to go downstairs?" He kissed her softly, hoping to calm them both. Kamryn would never get tired of the feel of her soft, plump lips against his.

"Let's get this over with." As they got up, Anna straightened her clothes and brushed her hair. Her body felt like it had been hit by a truck. She couldn't wait to get into bed and sleep, but first, she had to tell everyone what was coming for them.

The group was waiting for them when they got to the conference room. As Anna and Kamryn walked in, the talking stopped. Anna could feel the nervous energy, which weighed on her so much that she had to sit down. Kamryn, unwilling to separate from her, pulled her onto his lap.

"Anna, are you alright?" Caprice asked with fear as she saw the state her daughter was in. She'd never see her look so wiped out.

"Physically, I'm okay, just exhausted. Mentally I'm in turmoil from what I learned." Anna took a deep breath as everyone waited for her to continue.

"What did you replace?" Stanley asked, not liking how frightened Anna looked.

"I found out the reason Santi is how he is. This thing has most likely been grooming Santi for many years, getting him ready while building an army. I don't think Santi is even aware of what's going on." Anna took another breath, trying to control the shaking that was coming back. She was glad Kamryn had kept her on his lap to help her from completely falling apart.

"Who is it?" Randal asked nervously.

"Astaroth." The witches and warlocks in the room gasped while the shifters looked around in confusion.

"What's an Astaroth?" Lynn asked, knowing she most likely wouldn't like the answer.

"He's one of Lucifer's demons," Anna said softly, not wanting to go on. She glanced at Jarek.

"The trio worked for him. They were one of his creations. They would have made you one of his soldiers if they had been successful in fulfilling his plan." Jarek felt a chill run down his spine at Anna's statement. Marcella squeezed his hand, bringing him back to her, and he pulled her into his arms.

"What does this mean for the fight?" Kamryn asked, feeling Anna begin to tremble.

"It's going to be ten times harder than we thought. Not only is Astaroth one of Lucifer's demons. He is a rogue demon. Meaning he stopped following Lucifer's commands. Lucifer sent him away to the bowels of hell, never to be seen again. His only way to get out is by taking over the body of another. The power of six is strong enough to beat him, but if he's been going into the body of Santi or others, he's been building his strength to fight us. Depending on how many souls he's consumed, even the power of six may not be strong enough to beat him."