Unattainable

Chapter Forty Six- The Call

She did not answer.

        Colin then came near her. "Belle, sweetheart, who did you call?"

        "Lech...Lechery." She said holding her head low. "Lechery, the final piece to your puzzle. Artifice himself....." She said as tears formed in her eyes. "He promised me he wouldn't hurt you."

        "Do you know what you've done?" Maddox asked as he made his way toward her. "You just ended the entire world for your sick teenage fantasy." He said, hitting his hand hard on the wall.

        "I do want to help, just Colin..."

        They made their way to Ivette's house. "If you want to make it right...do this..." He said with a firm grip on her arm. Maddox shot her an angry look. "You can bet everything you have ever owned that I will kill you if you try to run again. You would not be my first-or last." He said harshly.

        She knocked on the house but found no answer. Looking in the windows, they found the old woman unconscious. Maddox and Ellie's tea had knocked her out cold. They forced down the door and carried her to the most clean room in the hut.

        Ellie woke her as she chanted the hypnotic words.

        "You will no longer have anything to do with Artifice. It will be just a word to you. You will live out your days in this hut cleaning. You will help those who need it and be diligent-not lazy." She clapped her hands.

        "Two left..." Maddox said as they left.

        Before they boarded, Colin turned. "I have every right to keep you in this town to rot with the others. But I believe there is good in people-even those with darkest of hearts. I know all you know is Artifice. But if you steer us wrong, that will be the end of you..." He said as she gulped. Boarding the plane, they headed to their final destination before facing Artifice himself.