I obey.
“No more killing, please. It comes easily to you. I see that. And it does not frighten you. I saw that when Ágota killed the army. You have killed before, have you not?”
“Yes. When a man wanted to hurt Ágota when she was under a dark spell, I stopped him.”
Balázs nods. “I suspected as much.”
“I will not let anyone hurt her. Not even you.”
“You are angry with me for forcing Ágota to protect us.”
“No, not anymore,” I answer.
“Oh?” He regards me with curiosity.
“You could try to use her to elevate yourself above humanity and rule the world, but you will not.”
Balázs nods. “Soffia told you what she wanted.”
“I may be young, but I am not foolish. If Ágota did not bow to her wishes, Soffia would have not relented. Eventually, Ágota would have had to kill most of the coven to silence their conspiracies.”
“I will not make Ágota kill again, Erjy,” Balázs says soberly. “That is your gift.”
“I am not a witch,” I say to him, confessing the truth. “Just a killer.”
Balázs draws a dagger so rapidly I barely see the action before the blade is moving toward me.
I gasp, my hand darting to my waist to find my dagger waiting for me. I pull it free from the sheath and deflect the descending blade. Balázs’s dagger vanishes in a sparkle of magic. An illusion.
With a dark chuckle, he says, “Yes, you are a witch.”
Breathing heavily, I stare at him in confusion. “I do not understand.”
“You summoned your blade to your side. It was across the room.” He gestures toward the hook that is now empty. “You are a Battlewitch, Erzsébet. A rare and deadly being.”
Tears stream down my cheeks as I sheath my dagger and fall into his arms. He holds me close as I cling to him, my fingers digging into the fur of his cloak. I understand myself and my purpose.
“I will train you, Erzsébet. You will lead the witches in battle and Ágota will never have to kill again. I promise.”
Pressing a kiss to his cheek, I say, “Thank you, Father.”
When I open my eyes once more to the dank, gloom of the mausoleum, I cry out in pain. I miss Balázs and Ágota so desperately that I would sacrifice my soul to once more be at their sides.
That terrible but glorious night was the first time in my short life that I understood my purpose in the world and welcomed it fully. Furthermore, I was not rejected by Balázs for my true nature but embraced with love. I was a foolish, naïve young girl and believed that, at last, I would find true contentment. Little did I know that killing Soffia was the beginning of my undoing and I would never properly fulfill my destiny.
It was the death of Soffia that set in motion the events that would eventually force my sister to do what her father had promised me she would never have to do again. Ágota would kill again to save me.
Chapter 15
“Erzsébet,” a familiar and despised voice says, summoning me to wakefulness.
I stir from the depths of my slumber. Pain greets me first, an old familiar companion in my hell. I pant in agony, gripping the stake piercing my body. Trembling, I struggle to subsume the extreme discomfort through strength of will.
A touch on my forehead brings sweet relief as the pain drains away. A small sob of relief escapes my lips before I can quell it. I wish not to show emotion to the beast who has decided to visit me.
“There. Much better now. No need to thank me, Erzsébet.”
I tilt my head to see Lucifer standing over me.