“I really hate waking up full of pain”, Sasha said. “What use do I really have of you Elias?”

“A lot”, Elias said, holding her hand in his. “Have you any idea how you would have felt, hadn’t I been sitting at your bed for the last twenty four hours?”

“You are a lousy healer. I feel awful.”

“Yeah, sure rebel. And you are an awfully strong witch, try fix some healing by yourself.”

He dropped her hand and Sasha recoiled backwards. Her inner was on fire.

“Elias!”

He looked down at her, his eyes pure emerald green, the white hair standing as a gloria around him. Elias smiled at her, his head turning closer.

“Say please.”

“Please, bastard.”

He got her hand again, the vicious smile plastered on his face.

“Good enough.”

“Do that trick again and I wont help you and you cant force me”, Sasha said.

There was so much darkness riding through her body that it frightened her. The amount of energy was insane. How would she control the monster that now lived within? Her thoughts were swirling. What had really happened. This felt different from previous.

“What have you really done to me? What is this thing inside me?”

“I will help you ride out the beast and train her”, Elias said.

“I didn’t want this.” He had betrayed her. She should never had trusted him. “This is not what I agreed upon. What the fuck happened?”

This was bad, even for a taker it was too much.

“I guess you are the second strongest witch in the kingdom at the moment”, Elias said. “You’re welcome.”

“You are welcomed? It’s cheating!” Sasha said. “You were supposed to smoothen the impact of that crazy bitch, not encourage her.”

“Well, that wouldn’t help me though, would it?” Elias said.

His voice was laced with ice. Sasha became still. He really had been playing her. She had said to the moon witch she would come back with magic, but this, this was just laughable. And it hurt.

“This is just too much.”

“She would have given it to you sooner or later anyway”, Elias argued. “You lost the moment she understood you was her daughter and a witch.”

He nonchalantly waved off her disagreements. As if she was just a tool. Something he could choose to form as he wished. A black snake was creeping into her chest. It ate its way to her heart.

“I lost the moment I trusted you”, Sasha said with hatred.

She hadn’t seen it coming. Foolishly she had thought he kept her around because of the orb, and that maybe, there was something more to it. Something she fuelled her daydreams with. She had forgot about the harshness of reality.

“You mean as you have put your thrust in me”, Elias said locking eyes with her. “As you told me the truth about Isaak. As you played me?”

She rose from her bed, ignoring the pain that surged through her body. Strength is carved through pain, Greg had said. Well, she was about to test that theory.

“What are you doing?” Elias asked.

“I need to get out of this room”, she said. “You’re bad.”

Sasha stripped out of her nightgown and briskly took her clothes on. She didn’t care that Elias was sitting as dumbstruck, his eyes glued to her. She was sick of it all, and she needed to be gone. Hurriedly she rushed down the stairs and out to the bailey. Ignoring the acid running through her veins.

The servants were rushing back and forth outside. At the castles entrance the guards were standing as usual. Sasha went directly towards them.

“Misses”, the guard took his sword halfway up. “I cant let you pass through.”

Sasha hadn’t brought any weapons with her, but she didn’t need it. The boiling magic inside of her longed for an outlet. He was a welcomed distraction.

“I don’t think I asked”, Sasha said, releasing a glowing light source directly hitting the sword. The anger inside of her fuming. “But I do remember braveness Nils. You will be rewarded.”

She instinctually knew it would work. Not that she ever had seen anyone do what she just did. She just twisted the magic in her hands, dumping it in the sword. The sword burned to ashes as a fuse, the man dropping it on pure reflexes. Chock was written on his face when he looked down at his hands. It smelled of burned flesh. So that was what levelling felt like.

“Ask the one that will come after me to heal you. Tell him that I will fuck you if I see any burn marks on your hands next time we meet.”

She laughed, the pain and nervousness getting her to sound like a madwoman. She swiftly walked by him, her words had made Nils face even paler. She didn’t care. Elias would be slowed down, of that she was sure.

“Sister. I am coming for you”, Sasha whispered. She knew exactly what she wanted to do. She would deliver chaos, but she needed someone to smoothen the edges.

Sasha was pretty sure her sister stayed at Isaak’s place in town. She always had a feeling of where her sister was, and today she felt it more than ever. Her feet went by themselves. The pain in her body helped, all the mind focusing on the goal. Finding Ivy, getting help, cope with the insane pain.

“Misses”, the two men sitting outside the door playing chess looked up.

One could easily mistake them for harmless, but Sasha knew better. They were Isaak’s guys.

“Is my sister in?”

“She has been waiting for you”, Edward chuckled, rising and opening the door for her. “You have looked better miss.”

“I feel like I have run through the butches store”, she grimaced. “Nice to see you two.”

Edward patted her on her back, closing the door behind her. Isaak’s place was a modern townhouse. He owned both this and the neighbouring houses.

“Sasha.”

“Ivy.”

She rushed forward, throwing herself around her sisters neck.

“Oh Sasha”, Ivy hugged her close. “You feel broken. I wake up in a sweat. What happened?”

Her hug was soothing, like a moist of water at the fire that burned inside. Sasha cried out with relief.

“He fooled me Ivy. He let the queen poor magic inside me until I broke.”

“Yes. I can feel that”, Ivy said and started to entangle the mass inside. “This will take time to heal.”

“I know of a shortcut”, Sasha said. “Where do you keep Isaak?”

“Welcome back”, Isaak said, entering the room as if he had been summoned.

“I need work Isaak, a lot of it.” Sasha was hanging at her sisters shoulders. The pain was still furious inside, but at least it no longer held her thoughts prison.

“What have happened?” Isaak put his hand on her forehead, exchanging glances with her sister.

“Elias and the queen dumped an awful lot of magic inside me. My body is about to break. I need to find some beasts to beat the shit out of. And I need you and Ivy to assist me.”

“And you hoped I volunteer some shady work?”

“Precisely. You are such a sweetheart”, Sasha smirked. Her eyes was glowing red. “So, where are they?”

It came sparks from her fingers. Small arcs got loose and hit the walls. Ivy grabbed her closer, her hand clasping the electric hair.

“Water of the sea, calmness of heaven, heal what are not to be broken”, she whispered, pouring magic inside Sasha, calming the storm. Sashas black hair was a tousle.

“You are princesses”, Isaak said. “I don’t think this is wise. I can’t...”

“Oh yes, he can”.

A small pink dragon entered the room, interrupting Isaak.

“You have the list. I have seen it Isaak. It is time to make the changes needed.”

“I would have preferred getting rid of the King and Queen first.”

“Clean up the city. I like your plan Isaak”, Denise said sternly.

“But”, Isaak interrupted.

“Just stop it and man up”, Denise hissed. “My baby girl needs to roaster.”

Isaak rubbed his neck, looking skeptic. Sasha and Ivy looked from him to each other.

“What list?” Ivy and Sasha asked simultaneously.

Isaak let out a heavy sight.

“You better come with me”, he said. “I have been doing some thinking.”

“The time has come. The walk through fire”, Denise said, flying after them, a keen eye on Sasha.

They were sitting in the kitchen. Isaak had a map in front of him, and a list of people together with a dozen papers describing different war strategies. He looked like a general.

“I would like to strike here first”, he said, pointing at the map at a red dot.

“Who is that?” Sasha asked. She needed to know her target.

“She worked with Aiden. The teamed up together. Never had liked her, she is shunned even by most hardened criminals”, Isaak said. “There are problems written all over her.”

“And why would we start with her?” Ivy asked.

“You are about to inherit this kingdom. The day you get rid of the king you will not only have set the kingdom free, you will have to clear up their mess.”

“And?” Sasha was impatient. “She worked with Aiden. I can see at your scripts that she has supported the queen with young witches. Why are we still talking? Just lets find her and finish her off.”

“Patience”, Denise said and she flew over to sit at Sasha’s shoulder. Her claws let imprints in her flesh. The magic immediately flew towards the assault. She tried to push the dragon off her shoulder, but Denise claws only dug deeper. When her magic was occupied the pain subdued. She inhaled sharply, the world suddenly seemed perfectly clear.

“Thanks”, she said, stroking the dragons scale.

Sasha looked at the list in front of her. The names was eerily familiar.

“You are cleaning up in the underworld”, she said, realisation hitting home. “These are real bad guys”.

“These ones have been working in the zone between the queen and the underworld for years. On the first impressions they are sheltered and representable, but on closer inspection.”

“They are real scumbags.”

“Yes”, Isaak said. “There are criminals, and then there are criminals. These ones have no codex. They would go behind my back.”

“What Isaak is saying is he will clear your path. With Ivy at the royal chair, and him at her side you will have total control of the kingdom.” The dragon hissed, a royal approval in her appreciation.

“Quite the bodyguard”, Sasha laughed although the pain running inside. “Didn’t thought we would get a real criminal as king.”

“I think you are taking one or two steps ahead of yourself”, Isaak said. “I will clean up the mess before you become royal regents. When you are, I cant do it unpunished.”

“You will make a real decent king”, Sasha said. “Under that hardened surface are fairness and heart.”

“I think so too”, Denise said.

Ivy hugged her sister close.

“I will not jeopardise your safety by being kindred with you”, Isaak said flatly, pain in his eyes as he looked at Ivy.

“Brother”, Sasha said. “Lets go and kill some scumbags. Then you can go and find a husband to my sister, that could protect her better than you can.”

“If you don’t”, Denise said, “I will accept no less king.”

The pink devil lifted from Sashas shoulder, landing in front of Isaak. She walked forward, swaying from side to side, and made herself a bed in Isaak’s lap.