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GARDEN OF POISON
Place no one thought (Chapter 147)
Anastasia wondered whether, if she died, she would end up in hell, given her prevailing thoughts of wanting this person in front of her dead. No matter how painful the woman's history was or the hardships she endured, she found it impossible to come to terms with her sister being mercilessly murdered.
She contemplated whether Magnus had used Noor's emotions to gain her cooperation, but that could only be a portion of the truth. She said,
"I didn't do anything to you; let me go."
"There's also something else, Anna," Noor said, running her finger across the sharp edge of the dagger, and a droplet of blood welled up from the cut she received. "I am upset at the unfairness of my life. The unfairness of the other Blackthorns living their lives as if they are blind to the damage that is inflicted for their benefit, all at the cost of the less fortunate—"
"You can change it by siding with those who strive for goodness," Anastasia voiced, wanting to change Noor's mind because she didn't believe this woman. Over time, she began to suspect that beneath the facade, Noor's craziness ran deep due to the traumatic experience she endured. She said, "There's no King William, but King Dante, who reigns now. Someone who has experienced the same unfairness at the hands of the very man whom you have loathed so much. Give him a chance, and you will see him change the world around you. The path you're currently treading is one where things will take a turn for the w—"
Noor let go of the dagger in her hand, which flew past Anastasia's face. A moment later, the younger woman felt a sharp sting course through her cheek, leaving behind a faint line.
"You aren't empathetic to the life I have endured." Noor's gaze bore an expression that immediately put Anastasia on alert, almost as if the person before her wasn't Noor, but someone else entirely.
"You killed my sister!" Anastasia turned angry, and at that moment, realisation finally dawned on Noor.
It wasn't that Anastasia didn't feel sympathy for the woman's troubled history, because she truly did, and she wished for no one to have to go through such suffering. But Noor, in her pursuit of vengeance, had taken the wrong path, inflicting harm on others.
While Noor stared at Anastasia with a sense of curiosity, the forest fae used her abilities by sending out a call to the nearby plants, if any were present. A creeping vine slowly entered the room where Anastasia was confined, crawling through the narrow openings of each of the ventilation and light fixtures in the room, all without arousing the attention of the older woman.
"Then… you of all people should understand better than anyone how important it was for me to kill William and her, who could have told everyone what she saw to expose me. Will you choose to take a nobler path if I were to change sides?" Although she had no plans to act on Anastasia's suggestion, Noor humoured her by entertaining the idea. She continued, "Will you forgive me, Anna, for killing your sister? I watched as she whimpered in pain, collapsing to the ground and gasping for air. I left her with just enough awareness for her to realise her remaining time was fleeting."
The description ignited Anastasia's anger, as if Noor were deliberately stoking it, wanting to see her lose her sanity as she had. Anastasia clenched her jaw before she relaxed it, and she responded,
"Your parents will be disappointed in you. Disappointed in what you have done and in what you have become. And you only disappoint them more, not by avenging their deaths, but by betraying their hopes."
Aware of the danger, Anastasia knew not to toy with fire, particularly since she wasn't sure if her soul was corrupted. And if it wasn't and they were to kill her, her soul would end up in Heaven, which would wreck Dante. But she had spent time in Hell. Then again, Noor did mention that she was to be kept alive for the demon named Magnus, because she was a pawn they were using to get to Dante.
Anastasia's words triggered a surge of anger in Noor, as if she had hit a sensitive spot, and her face contorted with fury.
When Noor angrily stomped towards Anastasia with another dagger in hand with a clear intention to hurt her, suddenly, thorns spiked in front of the older woman, forming a barrier that stopped her from taking another step forward. The once-innocent creepers that had entered the room had now sprouted menacing spikes.
"What the hell is this?" Noor questioned in confusion as she frowned and looked around, taking in the thorns protecting Anastasia.
Anastasia warned the woman, "These thorns are poisonous, and they come from the Blackthorn rose. One prick and you will drop dead."
Noor didn't like this unexpected trick, having been left unaware of Anastasia's abilities. Anastasia allowed the thorns to flourish, and in response, the woman said, "You are safe only for a little while. I will be back!" And with those words, she left the room, while the thorns continued to multiply, gradually encasing the entire room.
Anastasia felt like she could finally relax, and she contemplated the possibility of using these thorns to aid her in breaking free from the binds that held her down. She murmured, "Thank God for these thorns."
She wondered if Dante was aware she was missing from the palace. If he sensed her gone, she wondered how he would locate her when she herself had no idea where she was.
A groan escaped from her lips when she moved her head. It seemed that Noor had a penchant for hitting people's heads, much like she had done to both Marianne and herself. Looking at the light that filtered into the room, she could only guess that not much time had passed since she was brought here.
She closed her eyes, wanting to find an escape route from her current predicament, but every time she attempted to think, her mind turned dizzy. Memories of the evening she had tried to escape from the palace with Aiden resurfaced.
'Anna,' Marianne's voice reverberated within her mind.
She was taken back in time when she ran through the dark alley, taking her sister with her towards where the camel waited for them.
'Anna, you should return to the palace,' Anastasia heard Marianne's words, which had previously been obscured.
Anastasia's eyes fluttered open, realising that she was always meant to be within the palace and was never supposed to leave it. Because she was supposed to be with Dante, not solely to break the curse but also to uncover the identity of the killer.
Back in the Blackthorn Palace, an eerie silence prevailed, and darkness began to spread, with Anastasia not found anywhere. In the drawing room, the family kept a watchful eye on Victor, with the members of the Blackthorn family gathered nearby so that no one else could vanish without a trace.
When the Mother Queen arrived at her workroom adjacent to the dungeon, she found Dante opening her bottles and pouring them into a bowl one after another. She inquired, "Is there a spell that can locate Anastasia's whereabouts?"
"An obstruction spell has been cast, blocking the communication between demons, like a widespread fog that needs to be dispelled," Dante explained. He walked to one end of the room, picking up a glass containing the scorpion he had captured long ago. The Mother Queen raised an eyebrow and remarked,
"I was under the impression that a demon couldn't use these ingredients as they might harm them."
"They cannot be used. I am going to need your help with this," Dante finished, cutting open the scorpion before he turned to meet her eyes. He handed her a piece of parchment and said, "I have drawn and written down what you need to do and say."
The Mother Queen drew a circle before muttering the incantation, prompting a breeze to gently sway the flames in the candles. Soon, the fog that had shrouded the palace dispersed. Dante felt a sudden pang in his chest, as if his heart were on the verge of bursting. He had intended to use the spell to locate Anastasia, but his focus was abruptly diverted by something that caught his attention, and his eyes narrowed.
Exiting the potion room, Dante's footsteps quickened, and the Mother Queen hastened to keep up, her pace matching his as she followed him to the dungeon. She asked, "Are we going to make use of someone here as a sacrifice?"
"We have had our eyes everywhere, yet we neglected to focus here, in the very dungeon, not knowing that the person we have been looking for tricked us into overlooking him," Dante ground out as he gritted his teeth. They halted and came to stand in front of an empty cell, where the iron chain swayed from the ceiling. He declared, "Zion was Magnus."
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GARDEN OF POISON
Cluing in the location (Chapter 148)
Music Recommendation: Technically, Missing - Trent Reznor
—
Several weeks ago…
As they made their way towards the palace entrance, Emily said to Anastasia, "I feel a little drained of energy. I would like to get some rest and put my feet up."
Anastasia's gaze landed on Marianne's ghost, as did Maxwell's, while the apparition smiled at him sweetly. The ghost observed their hurried progress through the corridors, and the sweet smile twisted into a menacing expression as Marianne's ghost transformed into the Vizier, who then uttered,
"Out of everyone, you seem to have your eyes on this person, Dante. What would you do… if I drove her away from you?" With those words, the Vizier turned and walked away.
Later that day, he met Lady Noor. As she moved to hug him, the demon expressed his disapproval with a click of his tongue and said, "I am not your past lover for you to embrace me. He's been dead for quite some time now; haven't you realised?"
Lady Noor unwillingly retreated a step.
"However, if you are willing to do whatever it takes for me, I would consider welcoming you into my fold. Turn you into a high-grade demon and work things out between us?" The demon's lips curled into a smile.
Lady Noor gave a nod and said, "You said you would give me more work, but you haven't assigned me any after Lucretia's death."
"Because there has been no use for it. Soon, there will come a time when I will be imprisoned, and I will block my abilities using the same potion that the fucking fae left lying around this kingdom. That way, I will remain undetectable while shifting forms only a couple more times, as any more might start to leave cracks in the transformation. During this period, I will need you to relay to me what is happening within the palace. Once the magic wears off, it will be easier for me to move," the demon of mischief explained.
On the day of Maxwell's death, Lady Noor proceeded to the dungeon, where the Vizier remained confined. Every few seconds, she cast quick glances over her shoulder before conveying to him,
"Dante's demon has awakened!"
The Vizier looked pleased with this and said, "Finally, it broke through before the arrival of the Golden Moon, just as I had planned. It seems that taking the form of the dead woman's ghost proved advantageous." He softly laughed. "At last, the demon I have always relished is here. His purpose should be to bring destruction instead of playing a useless knight. Hell shall be unleashed, and a deluge of blood will rain upon the world. He is the key to fulfilling my ambitions."
When they heard voices at the entrance of the dungeon, Lady Noor rushed over to where Queen Maya was held captive and stated,
"You reaped what you sowed, pushing aside the concubines who held credibility to secure your position as the king's favoured woman. Being unable to lay eyes on your dead son is a fitting consequence. You deserve it." She smiled at the end before walking away from there, making it seem as if she was at the cell talking to the woman the entire time.
"How dare you and the others look down upon me?! I will make sure to let everyone know your place!" Maya shouted.
Not a moment later, Lady Noor caught sight of the exclusive concubine, and she smiled. She inquired,
"Are you here to see Queen Maya, Anastasia?"
In the present, the Mother Queen questioned, "How is it possible? Zion underwent torture; there's no way it can be him. I mean, dammit! How did he disappear so quickly?"
"Because he was using a projection technique. It is called mirroring—an illusion to deceive others by creating another body for use while the primary one remains elsewhere." Dante tried to think of a way to get to wherever Magnus was hiding. There was no point wasting time attempting to locate Magnus or Anastasia, as Magnus would have skillfully concealed their presence. "It is similar to how he made Emily perceive his presence inside the coffin, even though Anastasia had never placed him there."
The Mother Queen's eyes widened, caught off guard by Dante's knowledge of the truth, and she responded with a surprised, "Huh?"
But Dante was getting impatient; there was no room for delays. He quickly sketched something else on the parchment and urged, "Get on with this, Grandmother. We don't have time to waste."
The older woman cast a sceptical glance before she began drawing the circle, which seemed much more complicated than the last one, while Dante combined some of the liquids, adding claws and tails belonging to reptiles. Pulling out his dagger, he ran its blade across his palm, allowing blood drops to fall into the bowl of ingredients.
Observing intently, the Mother Queen watched as Dante positioned the bowl precisely over the marking she had created on the table using ash. Sitting in front of the bowl, she softly recited the words her grandson had provided her. The liquid in the bowl stirred, and she saw the reflection of a man who looked like he had been unearthed from a grave, and questioned,
"Who is this famished man?"
The figure in the bowl narrowed his eyes at her words, but before he could utter a response, Dante leaned forward, fixing his gaze on the bowl, and stated, "I need your help, Viktor."
"What happens in the living realm is none of my concern, Dante. What I need is my work to be done, and only then help will follow," the Devil responded with an air of indifference.
"He's the Devil? What I initially intended to convey was how remarkably handsome you are, perfectly fit for your age," the Mother Queen muttered as the Devil materialised from the liquid's reflection. His head emerged from the bowl, and he cast a piercing glare at the old woman. Finally, she captured the Devil's attention and said, "Your shitty demon named Magnus abducted my beautiful granddaughter Anastasia from here."
Viktor shifted his gaze to Dante, and he remarked, "Isn't that lovely? Now you can get back to my work." The Devil paused, and his eyes shifted to the side as though a whisper had interrupted him for a brief moment. A grimmer expression formed on his face, and he said, "Well, it seems that I will provide you with the coordinates of where Magnus was last sighted after all. I prefer a nice duel among archdemons before deciding which one to destroy. As for the remaining details, that's a matter for you—"
"Find where Noor is too!" the Mother Queen added, wanting to ensure absolute certainty. "I will personally give her a good slap."
The Devil lazily stared at the demanding earthling, who showed no concern for his identity, despite the fact that her own rotten soul was destined for Hell. Ignoring the earthling, he said to Dante,
"They are in the north, where the towers stand as tall as the ones in Hell. Their blood corrupted with the demon's essence, and my precious stones embedded within them. I assume you are already covered for transportation?"
"Wouldn't it be quicker if you lent a hand?" the Mother Queen asked the Devil, who retorted,
"You have the audacity to make me do menial tasks, despite your impending damnation in the fiery pits of Hell. Your blackened heart intrigues me."
The Mother Queen raised her hand towards the Devil as if offering her hand and introduced herself. "I am Ginger Blackthorn," she said. "I deemed it wise to establish an acquaintance with you for potential future endeavours," she added with a smile.
Impressed and bored at the same time, the Devil accepted her hand and brushed his dried lips against her skin, murmuring, "Viktor." The next second, he disappeared from the bowl.
In the meantime, Dante transformed into his demon form, with the bony protrusions emerging from his back and the horns appearing on his head. The Mother Queen had hoped to manipulate and sway the Devil into aiding them, but her efforts had proven fruitless. She asked,
"Where did he say the location is?"
"Nightworth." A growl escaped Dante's lips as the demon took over. "Where the Elder ministers have joined with Magnus."
The Mother Queen's eyes widened in astonishment as she beheld the skeletal frame behind Dante, where the dark, inky-blue skin began to materialise and start to flesh out, adhering seamlessly from one bone to another until it formed into wings. He remarked,
"Time to send people to Hell."
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