Evanora looked at Da confused, her father was acting strange.

"Da, I think he is going to do something stupid." She said. "Something very stupid." He looked at her and nodded.

"I know Eva, did you hear the warning?" He asked, she nodded. Her father might not have seen her, but she had seen his car and when he got out she had opened the door to tell him off. Not expecting to hear that she had until the end of the week. "Can you tell the rest about the warning as well. I am going after him, making sure that this stupid thing of his does not end him." He turned around and rushed towards his car. Evanora closed the door and ran towards the sitting room, where every one else was waiting on Da. Kayne became so angry when he heard about the warning, Ma became silent and Mister Helliot was contemplating something.

"So that means that they do not know about the Ko za˥shto˥ and the source of your magic. They think that you are channelling young master Kayne." Helliot said with a low voice. "So that does mean we have the upper hand." E#vanora looked at him, somewhat surprised. Her grandmother and sister, were planning to kill Kayne and her before the end of the week. Her father has going off to hex knows where, doing hex knows what. And they got the upper hand? She was not seeing it, and it was clear that Kayne and Ma didn't see it either. But Helliot didn't stop, which was strange. "Madam, you might have forgotten that I am specialized in protection spells. This is why your mother-in-law has hired me, so many moons ago. This also why she has sent me with you, when you moved to this side of the country." Ma shook her head.

"No, mister Helliot, I haven't forgotten that. But I am failing to see how this is going to give Evanora the upper hand and safe my son in the process." Ma said, she sounded a bit deflated. Kayne looked at his mother and then looked at his hands. He was not able to see it either.

"Mister Helliot, correct me if I am wrong. But there are white magic spells from which it is imposible to protect ourselves from. And I do not doubt that my grandmother knows this kind of spells." Evanora said. "And did I ever tell you that my sister is a protégé, my grandmother only has to show her the spells, and she knows how to duplicate them. This was the most frustrated thing about her, when I was forced to do all her homework." Mister Helliot nodded.

"While it is true that those spells do exist, I have a few tricks of my own. Young master Kayne, if you would be so kind to follow me." He said, and he motioned for Kayne. "I only need Kayne for this, young lady Evanora and Madam Lilac. A witch needs to have their own secrets from time to time." Evanora felt uneasy by the idea, but she trusted mister Helliot. So she stayed back with Ma, and nipped at her tea. It was cold and tasteless, but there was nothing to do about it now. There was nothing she wanted to do about it now. She drank it, placed the cup back on its saucer and stood up.

"I am going to my room to meditate." She said, not waiting for an answer. She always hated the idea, of sitting around and then to find out. So she was going to do something she knows best, study. Study, meditate and focus on her own magic, her own spells. Her own strenght, she knew that she needed more time. But this is all the time she got, and the minutes were ticking away. She closed the door, and opened up the laptop, put on some rain sounds and listened to it. Grandmother has given her candles, and she placed them in right formations. She didn't have to light them up with a lighter, she was going to use her magic for that. One other way that was going to grow her magic, using it more. She closed her eyes and hold her breath, the warmth of the fire warmed her face. A little smile formed on her face and she started to listen to the rain sounds, her mind started to drift to places. Places she has never being, in different time periods as well. She was able to see the stars, the moon and the sun in one sky. Her magic started to grow with every breath, she was maybe not able to see the stones of the Ko za˥shto˥ light up, but she was able to feel it. She was able to feel her ancestors as she unlocked their bead, and maybe there was a small shiver of hope that she might survive this.

*******

Da was not home during dinner, and Kayne and Mister Helliot were still busy with hex knows what in the greenhouse. Which was a pain in the behind, because she needed some herbs. But maybe the kitchen has some dried ones. Which didn't have the same effect that she wanted, but it had to do for now. Maybe it would have even a better effect, she wanted to growl at herself. Of course, it those not have the same, or better effect as fresh herbs. Who was she kidding? Not herself that much was clear, still she didn't know how much longer the two were going to spend inside the greenhouse, and it didn't seem right to interrupt the two. The front door opened.

"Where the hex is Helliot?" It was Da, Evanora's fork fell out of her hand when he entered the kitchen. He looked, horrible, defeated, did her father something stupid like she had predicted. Must be, he didn't look her in the eye. Was that blood on his white shirt? Her heart stopped beating for a brief moment, her hand went up to the Ko za˥shto˥. It was warmer than normal, and she was able to feel another bead. "Eva." He started, but she shook her head. She already knew what happened, and there was no need for him to say it out loud to her. Her father was dead, and Da had done everything he could to prevent it. He already made it clear when he left that he didn't want to be around, when his two daughters would fight until the death. He didn't want to see who of the two won and who would end up dead. And this is how he decided to do it, by not be alive when it starts. And how did she feel about it? She didn't know how to feel. The man has being absent from her life, for quite some time now and now... She didn't or want to think about it. "I am so sorry, Eva. I just took my eyes off him for a split second."

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"It is not your fault, Da. I knew he was going to do something stupid when he left. That is why you went after him." She got up and sighed. "I need to prepare myself for the big battle." She went towards the kitchen, the cook gave her the dried herbs and bowl. She took those back to her room, where she burned the herbs by using her magic.

*******

A soft knock landed on her door, she didn't open her eyes. But she was able to sense Kayne coming into, it was not his smell or how he normally walked. She was now able to sense his magic, and that from mister Helliot. Not in the same way as she was able to sense her sister using spells, that was sensing the magic when it is being used. But now she was able to sense when it wasn't being used. She was almost able to look deeper in Helliot's spell, knowing what it was and how it worked. But she agreed with him, that every witch needed their own secret spells.

"I heard the news about your father, I am so sorry, princess." Kayne said.

"There was nothing, any of us, could have done. He was a full-grown, capable of making his own choices. He had made up his mind when he left this estate, and I believe with my whole heart that Da has done everything in his power to prevent him from doing it." She said. She still hadn't opened her eyes. "I am grateful, that Da at least tried to do what he could." She sighed. "But right now, I can not stop with what I am doing. To grief the man that was supposed to be my father, the man that should have given me his world. Should have protected me from every type of harm. Instead, he gave that all to Medea, he has even given her the opportunity to do what she wishes. Because I am almost forced to go to his funeral, and we both know who is going to be there." She opened her eyes. "Please know that I love you, and that I have a lot of fate in Helliot's magic. I can feel it from here, but I do not want to put it to the test." He looked confused.

"Do you me that you don't want me to come?" He asked, she nodded. "But I want to be there for you." She opened her eyes and looked him straight in the eye.

"And I want you to be there, by my side. But I know what I am asking from you if you were besides me on that day. I can't and will not lose you, because of that motion that I want you there. I will not put you in any kind of danger if I can help it. I am so sorry, you're my knight in shining armour. You have proven to my that over and over. But I am not willing to risk your life, I love you too much for that." She took him by the hand. And kissed the palm of it before placing it on her cheek. Which were soaking wet at this point, she had not even noticed that she was crying while saying all of this. But maybe this brings over to him, how much she means it. He and his family were being a light in her dark life, and she will not repay them by taking Kayne away from them.

"I understand that you are trying to protect me." He said, he did the same with her hand and she could feel his wet cheeks. "But there is a possibility that I am going to loss you, princess. And I do not know that I am ready for that. You have been my first love, and my heart refuses to beat when you are not near. I do not know if I would survive your death." She wanted to give him a hug, both of them were ready to put the other above themselves. And there was no way that he would let her go on her own, she knew that much. Even if she put a spell on him, he would move the heaven and earth to break it. And she knows that he would succeed in doing that, in a blink of an eye. She hated this, she hated this so much. And she loved him so much, her heart started to beat faster and faster. She closed her eyes and placed her noise in his hair. She loved his smell, she would hate the fact that she might lose it. Tears were dripping on his jumper, his tears were forming a wet spot on her clothing too.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too." He whispered back. There was a knock on the door and Da entered.

"I hope that I am not interupting, but seeing on your faces that you were talking about the up coming battle and the fact that not only Eva, but also Kayne is targeted." Da said, and he sat down. In his hands he has a selection of herbs, the same once she got from the kitchen, only these were fresh. He pointed at her. "You do not want him to be there." His finger then shot to Kayne. "And you want to be there, so that you are able to protect her." There is no winning side here. "To be honest with you two, Ma and I just had the same conversation. And we also know that there is in winning side in this. We came up with the idea of keeping the both of you in here, but for how long? Until Madam Razor has given up? Which will happen with her dying breath. Until Medea gives up? Which will also happen with her dying breath. Also they can bring the fight to us. And besides that I am somewhat obligated to go to Bevan's funeral. He was at one point in time my best friend. I was there when he took his last breath. Which can mean that they could use me as beat." He sighed. "The only way that I can see, is going as a family. Watch each others backs, the funeral is the day after tomorrow. So the two of you have time to prepare. Your mother has already contacted school, and even threatend the headmistress to prefent another huge pile of homework." Evanora felt a smile form on her face. Her cheeks were still covered with tears, she had not stopped crying. Knowing that what Da said was all true. Her grandmother, and sister will never stop until they get what they wanted. But that would mean that on the day after tomorrow one of the Razor sisters will die. That would mean that one of them would wind up to be a murderer. A fate that those not seem fair, a fate her mother tried to avoid. She swallowed, would she be able to kill her own sister? She didn't know and she hoped that it wouldn't be something she would forward too.