Chapter 91

(Maya POV)

“Maya it’s time.” I turned to see Freddie standing in the doorway of my uncle’s office.

He had escorted me and the boys to my uncle’s place and left us waiting as the witch prepped for my procedure. I had been nervously fidgeting since the moment we stepped into my uncle’s home again. We had met before coming and the witch went over everything she would be doing, but still I felt the strong urge to stand and run out the door as fast as possible. The feeling of not knowing if I will be the same person as I was now when this was all over made it hard to not be afraid.

As much as I resented and was frustrated by what I have become, I had learned to accept that it is who I am now. So even though this was only supposed to be for a short time, the possibility of being the old me was terrifying. I was weak and scared before, and now I felt like if I needed to, I could protect myself. Nothing could hurt me, not like this. But losing that would mean I could be hurt, and I would have no way of fighting against a council of powerful Fae if they decided I was not worth keeping alive.
Tommy held on to my hand tight as my mind raced with fear, and he had been holding on tight to me since the night I told them our plan. He seemed more afraid than me, and for some reason I found that comforting. As much as I appreciated when the boys would be strong for me, it was nice to see that they worried. It meant more to me than all the times they put on a brave face, and I could tell you why, but it felt real. Like they were showing how they really feel and not just what they wanted me to see. Because even though we had been together for some months now, there was still so much about each other we didn’t know.

“We will be right here when you are finished.” Tommy says giving my hand one last squeeze before letting go.

I followed the witch out of the room and down a long hallway. We reached a set of double doors and they opened to reveal what almost looked like a bed you would find in a hospital, but it was modified. Instead of IV bags and wires for monitoring vital signs, there were herbs tied with twine and jars filled with various liquids. The bed itself was covered in vines and moss. It was if nature had overtaken the bed completely and it was almost unrecognizable as a man-made object.

“I need you to step behind that partition and remove your clothing. Take this and wrap it around your entire abdomen and stop just above your knee.” The witch told me, handing me a strange fabric.

I nodded and walked to where I had been directed. As I stripped my clothing, I heard the sounds of liquid being poured and soft chanting in a language I didn’t recognize. I unwrapped the fabric I was given and began wrapping my body with it. It felt soft almost like silk, but it felt strong and unbreakable. There was sweet floral scent that would wander up to my nose as the fabric slipped through my hands. The smell was making me head feel heavy and I rushed to finish wrapping before I became too lightheaded. I took a deep breath and walked out holding my hands out to keep myself steady. The witch walked over and grabbed my arm, helping me to the table.

She helped me climb on I immediately laid flat and felt a cool chill against my skin.

“Ok Maya, the ritual will begin now.” The witch said aloud before leaning in and whispered in my ear. “Everything will be fine Maya, just stay calm.”

Our eyes locked onto each other as she pulled away and I gave her a soft nod. There was no going back now.

She stepped around the bed and picked up a small ceramic bowl and walked toward me. She held the bowl over me and mumbled a few words before leaning close and lifting my head just slightly. She moved the bowl so that the rim touched my lips and asked me to drink. I did and once the liquid was gone, she slowly rested my head down again. A moment later she returned and began placing pieces of wet moss over the exposed parts of my body. The liquid she had given me had tasted sweet but now my throat and stomach felt as if it was beginning to burn.

I coughed a little to try and get rid of the feeling, but the witch rested a hand to my chest.

“I know you are feeling uncomfortable, but you must try and remain as still as possible. The plant life around you cannot latch on if you move too erratically. They will bind to your skin and for that to happen properly you must be still.” I nodded quickly and tried to ignore the sensation.

I closed my eyes and tried to focus on anything other than the many sensations I was beginning to feel. Once the last bit of moss had been laid on my skin, the witch stepped back and began mumbling words once again. This time louder and more aggressively. I suddenly felt something move beneath me and I opened my eyes to see small vines crawling from the sides of the bed and wrapping around me one by one. I was being incased in the plants that once was attached to the bed, and it was growing in speed. It didn’t stop until I was completely wrapped, head and all.

“Ok Maya, remember to stay calm.” The witch said once more, and I watched a warm light peak through the bits of vine that had not overlapped each other.
Then everything around me began to glow with this warm light and I felt my body grow hot. It didn’t take long for me to realize that she had set the plant cocoon I was in on fire. I felt like screaming and calling for help but she told me before that the fire would not touch me. That there would be forces protecting me from burning, but seeing the plants ignite from the outside and slowly burn around me still striked fear in me.

I could hear her voice match the sound of the flames all around me. My body began to feel hot and beads of sweat were dropping away from every area of my skin, being soaked up by the moss patches that were covering me. My head felt heavy and it was hard to keep my eyes open. That was until I felt a sudden shock of energy run down my back and straight down to my toes. It made me cry out from the suddenness of it and the shock of pain I felt as well. My breaths began to quicken as I started to panic.
Another wave hits and another and another. It felt as if my soul was being pulled out of me. My cries became more intense as I felt the shocks of pain pulse over every part of my body. It was like my insides were on fire and being pulled out of me.

And then it stopped….

The flames were snuffed out in an instant and the pain I felt went with it. I could hear a pair of footsteps approach me and the vines that had surrounded me were being pulled away by two sets of hands. My uncle’s face came into view first followed by the witch, and they looked at me with a mixture of concern and curiosity. They were looking for some proof that this whole thing had worked. My breaths were still quick and were only now beginning to slow, but something felt off. My body felt heavy, like it was weighing me down. My uncle and the witch each took and arm and helped me sit up.

As soon as I was sitting upright, I felt sick, and leaned over releasing whatever contents were in my nearly empty stomach. I gasped for breath and held on tightly to my uncle’s arm. My head was spinning and throbbing, a lot like I assumed a hangover would feel like.

“What’s happening to her?” My uncle asks.

“Her body is weakened by the removal of her Fae abilities. A large amount of energy has just been sucked out of her; it will take time for her body to adjust.” The witch explained.

“How long?” My uncle asked, his voice agitated.

“She will at least need a few hours. You obviously have no idea the extent of how much energy was flowing within her. Her body is weak now.” The witch replies in an equally annoyed tone.

“Will one day of rest eb enough before she can travel to the Fae world?” He asks.

“It will be enough, but like I said she is weakened now. She will need help. It’s a good thing her mates have agreed to accompany her. There is no way she could walk out of here on her own.” The witch says before tuning her back to us and walking away.

“Come on Maya, I’ll help you back to the office. Rest up for tomorrow, and this will all be over soon.” My uncle helped me to the area where my clothes were and left me to dress.

I felt too weak to even stand, so I sat on a chair and tried my best to pull on my clothes.

I felt empty. I was nothing now…an empty shell.