Instantly, as Ella jerked more violently, she opened her eyes and peered at the doll now wriggling on the side table, and the hold on her hand tightened.
“What the hell is that?” Marcus asked.
Ella’s head and neck throbbed in agony. “Aaaah!” She pressed her fingers to the areas that hurt.
Unable to look away, she stared at the doll, unsure whether she was hallucinating. A worm erupted through the fabric in the chest, and she screamed when the burning pain from her head and neck intensified and lowered to her chest.
“Argh…..” Ella screamed and she squeezed the hand that held hers.
“Make it stop. She’s in agony—you’re killing her!” Marcus shouted.
“I’m afraid I can’t. Once she swallowed the tea and the spell was cast, the magic will keep working until the creature is dead. You see, Ella has a parasitus residing inside her—that much we know from the doll. The only way to expel it is to force it out. The tea will poison it.”
Ella shot forward as the pain magnified everywhere. She clawed at her sweater, tugging at the soft, scratchy fabric. The room blurred around her and any minute she was going to throw up. But hearing the witch’s conversation, she pushed at the pain and yelled. There were shouts going on around her between the witch and Marcus, but she did not care.
“Get it out of me…aaaahhh,” she screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks. Marcus let go of her hand and gripped her shoulders, holding her. The weight of his hands instantly gave her strength and she sunk into the chair as the pain withdrew.
“There is no easy way through this, my dear. You must be brave. I’ve poisoned the creature, but it needs to exit your body, and there’s little I can do to make it less painful. If we sedate you, the creature will no doubt feel the effects. And now that we know what we are dealing with, we need it out,” the witch said in an excited but nervous voice.
Ella twisted and glared at the woman who had made her drink the tea.
“Did you know this would happen?” Marcus shouted.
“Not exactly. Not for certain. But something robbed Ella of her memories. It could have been the trauma of being in a trance-like stasis, but when magic is involved, there are other ways. Which is why I called Crystal here to find out. You see, if magic wasn’t involved, the doll wouldn’t react, and the drink would have no effect. But now we know Ella has a parasitus existing inside her. If I continue to give her the tea, it will struggle to survive, which will weaken Ella, but it’s the only way to remove it. What do you want me to do?”
“She isn’t herself. She isn’t as strong as before…” Marcus stated.
Ella slapped his arm and twisted herself forward, hearing the pounding of her heart inside her ears. Their voices faded away as they talked about her as if she wasn’t there.
“Ella is more human right now, but do not underestimate her. She’s a fighter. And you need to fight, Ella, because these creatures don’t like to let go.”
Hearing the witch talk about this creature inside her made her want to vomit. She gripped the chair as another tidal wave of pain shocked her, pulling her under. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the onslaught.
“And if we leave this whatever it is inside?” Zander asked.
“That creature is there for a reason. It will continue to feed off Ella, making even new memories disappear. ”
Listening to the discussion volleying back and forth, Ella growled as beads of perspiration trickled down her spine. She screamed again with blinding pain, making her bend forward in agony.
“Get…it…out…” she pleaded. “I don’t care…what it takes.”
“Okay, Ella. Let’s remove her sweater. Whatever this creature is, its entry point is the top of her chest. The doll clearly demonstrated that much. You’re going to have to hold her down…both of you. I’ll get more tea.”
A clip-clopping of footsteps hurried from the room and hazy figures swam around her as a fire raged deep inside her blood. She clutched her sweater, pushing it up, wanting this over and done with, even if the pain increased. Once her top was removed, the cooler air soothed her heated flesh. A cool hand stroked her brow and she was grateful as it helped calm her.
“Christ…are you sure about this, Ella?” Marcus asked.
His forehead was a mass of lines and for the first time, she noticed several gray hairs threaded through his thick, dark hair. Had she caused them? The worry etched on his face made her determined to finish this, no matter what it meant. She needed to know the truth of their relationship because she felt the connection between them, even though it terrified her.
“Just do…whatever…aahhh!” she screamed, unable to hold the pain inside.
“Where did she get that scar on her shoulder?” Crystal asked as she smoothed her finger over her damp skin.
“My little warrior fought the Morrigan. I will kill her for what she has done to us,” Marcus shouted.
My little warrior. Marcus is referring to me, but I’m not a warrior.
Ella whimpered as pain tore through her. Who is the Morrigan? Pressing back into the chair, she forced her eyes open, wanting to see what was going on. She focused on the conversation, needing answers. Marcus was crouched at her side, his attention fixed on her. His features were hard and unyielding. Worry shone in his eyes.
“Give me the tea now,” she bit out and struggled to push herself up until Marcus slipped his arm around her back and eased her forward. Her hands shook, so Zephra poured the warm liquid down her throat. She spluttered with the vile liquid and retched, but covered her mouth and
