Kael’s fury boiled over, his control snapping as he lunged toward Esmera with all the power he could muster. The sheer force of his movement should have been unstoppable. But Esmera was faster, and with a simple wave of her hand, the air around Kael shimmered with dark energy.
He crashed into the stone wall with an audible thud, the wind knocked from his lungs as his body collided with the cold surface. Pain radiated through him, but it didn’t stop the burning fury that surged through his veins. His eyes blazed with hatred as he pushed himself up, his hands trembling with the need to rip Esmera apart.
Misery and Lira acted quickly, stepping forward in an attempt to stop her. But Esmera’s power surged again, forcing them back. A wall of dark energy flared up around her, the sheer force of it sending them both stumbling backward. Misery’s eyes narrowed with frustration, while Lira’s hand hovered near her blade, but neither could get close enough.
Esmera smirked, her gaze cold and calculating as she held the baby in her arms like a treasured possession. The baby whimpered, its tiny form squirming in her grip, but Esmera didn’t seem to care.
Kael growled, his chest heaving as he pushed himself to his feet. He wouldn’t let her get away with this. He couldn’t. Not again.
“Esmera!” he roared, his voice laced with raw anger. “You can’t take her. She’s mine, and I’ll kill you before I let you have her!”
Esmera’s laughter filled the room, cruel and mocking, as she met his gaze with unflinching confidence. “You think you can stop me?” she taunted. “You’re nothing but a puppet to your own emotions. A fool.”
Kael’s breath quickened, his muscles coiling in preparation to strike again, but something in the room shifted, a flicker of light barely visible in the swirling shadows. His heart twisted in his chest as he turned toward Bella.
She was awake.
Barely, but she was there. Her eyes, dull with exhaustion and pain, were locked on the child in Esmera’s arms, and Kael saw something in her face—a flicker of raw, motherly desperation. She weakly reached out for the baby, her fingers trembling as she fought against the weakness threatening to claim her. Her voice, barely more than a whisper, trembled through the air.
“Please…” Bella’s voice cracked, tears welling in her eyes. “Don’t take her. She’s our child. Please, Esmera, don’t do this…”
The sight of Bella’s vulnerability, of the desperate plea in her eyes, made Kael’s heart ache. He had promised her they would protect their family, their child. Yet, here they were, powerless against the woman who had torn their lives apart. He could see Bella’s energy fading, her strength evaporating, and he knew there was nothing he could do to stop this.
Esmera, still holding the baby, tilted her head slightly, her lips curling into a cruel smile as she watched the scene unfold. “Such a pitiful display,” she sneered. “But it won’t change anything. The child belongs to me now.”
Kael’s mind raced as he tried to think of something—anything—that could stop Esmera. But the dark magic in the air seemed to suffocate him, clouding his thoughts, and he felt himself weakening. Desperation clawed at him, but there was nothing he could do. Nothing.
Then, just as the weight of hopelessness seemed to settle over him, Esmera did something that made Kael’s blood run cold.
With a sudden flick of her wrist, she disappeared, the air around her swirling in a vortex of black smoke. Kael’s breath caught in his throat as he reached out, unable to move in time. The dark mist enveloped her, and before anyone could react, she was gone.
The room fell silent, save for the soft whimpering of the baby in her absence.
Kael staggered to his feet, his body still trembling with rage, his mind in a haze. “No…” he whispered, disbelief heavy in his voice. “No, she didn’t…”
But it was too late. The reality of the situation hit him like a hammer to the chest. Esmera was gone, leaving behind nothing but the sound of her mocking laughter echoing through the empty air.
Misery cursed under her breath, fists clenched in frustration. Lira stood frozen, her expression one of shock and helplessness, unable to move. Kael’s heart clenched as he looked at Bella, her body still weak but now filled with a new pain. A new fear. The child was gone.
Bella’s eyes welled with tears, her face pale with exhaustion as she looked at the empty space where Esmera had been. “She took her… she took our baby…” Bella whispered, her voice broken.
Kael stepped forward, his heart shattering for Bella, for the child they had already lost. He knelt beside her, pulling her into his arms, holding her tightly as if his very being could somehow protect her from the agony she was feeling.
“I’ll find her,” Kael vowed through gritted teeth, his voice low and filled with a promise that burned deep in his chest. “I will find our baby. I swear it.”
But Bella’s weak hand rested on his chest, her gaze distant, broken. “What if we can’t?” she whispered, the pain of the loss already too much to bear. “What if we’ve lost her forever?”
Kael’s breath hitched, but he refused to let that thought consume him. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t.
“We haven’t lost her,” he said, his voice filled with fierce determination. “Not yet. And I swear, Esmera won’t get away with this. I’ll make sure of it.”