The Magicians Series: Chapter 16: If He Is Watching

Chapter 16
IF HE IS WATCHING

"Sometimes I wonder if He is watching..."

During the moments of silence, darkness, and loss we must accept what comes to us. We must question what is left, if we have a purpose, and who will ever care. This is simply what Celestria must do. She fears --like you might--that she will lost someone who has become a friend to her. A friend she never had before, and now someone she realizes she does not want to lose.

Welcome to Grefin's manor. Alaire told Celestria this was where she would find his friend, but what he did not mention was who Grefin was and why he was significant to what they hope to accomplish. She knows that the journey into Finton City keeps her from finding out Leal's wellbeing, but with Alaire's life on the line Celestria must set her priorities straight.

And so a strange silence enters the manor. It fills the rooms, leaves Celestria motionless, and lastly brings out the worst of Celestria's fears.
Betrayal.
One small word with a heavy meaning...

“Your supplies? Perhaps you misunderstood. This. Cannot. Wait.” I spoke as slowly as possible. It seemed I needed to repeat myself for Grefin to grasp how urgent this visit was. His manner of acting nonchalant was pushing me to the edge, and if I lost my temper I could only imagine what would begin. Another fight was not what I wanted to get involved in, but this was Alaire I was seeking help for. If he and Grefin had allowed each other to live and had become “friends”, why was Grefin acting as he was?

“No, I understand perfectly, but I will be of no help if I leave without any materials. Alaire is strong; I know he is, but he cannot be saved if you fight with me,” Grefin said. Then, he walked past me and toward the staircase. I glared, but nonetheless I followed him because he already knew…

I am begging him. I thought. When I blinked and my eyes shut for a second, a memory flashed into my head. The night when I had been crying, and when I had held Alaire’s cross until at last I fell asleep… Walking up the staircase, I felt restless. How long had I been walking? For how much longer could I go on like this?

This chapter came together much sooner than I expected, and hopefully for those of you who are avid readers you will enjoy it. I can say there is a lot of tension and suspense building up, but you can only find out what happens to Alaire by reading the book.
A song that influenced the ending of this chapter was "Hurricane" by 30 Seconds to Mars. I am posting the song within this update because this song has been inspirational and I like the story within the song.

For the official video, look it up on youtube. This is just the song itself, but the official music video is 13 minutes long because the band made a short film out of the song and did an excellent job.

If you have not caught up with where you left off, please realize that I am working on chapter 17 now. I plan to get more done over the winter break that will be starting after the 23rd of this month. Until the next chapter, read what's new.
Remember, when you leave a comment on Cursed with Power you not only show your support, but you encourage me to keep writing. Thank you for the continuous feedback.