Breathing fast, I still couldn't believe what had happened. I felt dumb for caring so much, but I couldn't control my thoughts or heart efficiently. Sandro's goodbye wouldn't leave my mind. He was one of the few people I could be myself around. I was wrong to think I'd never lose him. Things were too good to be true. I wanted to punch myself in the face for being so naïve. How could I like someone I had met recently so much? Why didn't I just forget about San? After all, we didn't even kiss. A few laughs and good moments shouldn't mean a lot, except that they did.

"I shouldn't care. After all, we barely knew each other!" I rubbed my face. "Why is his face on my head? Isn't there a spell to eliminate it?"

Unfortunately, magic can't fix everything. No matter what I did, the memories kept coming back to my mind like stubborn sea waves. Our first encounter, the night we danced, the fun moments, when we almost kissed... All of it. I sighed, wishing Sandro had tried harder. He gave up on us too quickly. That wasn't fair.

"The Inquisition will arrest me for embarrassing myself," I laughed nervously while holding my tears. "Being stupid is true heresy, not practicing witchcraft."

I must stop talking to myself before someone hears me.

I shook my head in denial, trying to forget about Sandro. He was the first man ever to see me as a woman. Ettore didn't think I was feminine enough, while Dario saw me as a brother. Other men rejected me because they had the same opinion as either Dario or Ettore. San was the only guy who tried to make me like him and almost became more than a friend. An incomplete relationship felt better than a rejection. Perhaps that was why he meant so much.

"Maybe he never really liked me," I shrugged. "Everyone sees me as weird. San would be just another addition to my list."

My eyes bulged once I heard a strange noise. It seemed like multiple footsteps. The streets weren't empty as I'd imagined. The purple glow surrounded my hands while I looked in every direction. The sound came back stronger, and then it stopped again. I panted. Despite having powers, I wasn't in a mood to fight. Besides, I still needed to recover from what had happened between Sandro and me.

I bit my lower lip. "Can this night get any worse?"

I should've never asked that question. At that instant, dozens of men showed up. They all had swords and wore the same black cape and hood with the strange symbol. It was dark, which meant I couldn't see their faces clearly. One of them stepped forward.

"Just a potter, right?" the guy laughed. "I believe you left some information out."

I gulped. "I stand by my claim."

"Mr. Montefiore told us about your magical side, Ms. Trovato," he crossed his arms. "Or should I say Shadow?"

I didn't hear this!

My jaw dropped to the floor. I tried to avoid the tears from falling, but I was unsuccessful. Sandro had betrayed me. If there was someone who could've told my secret to those maniacs, it was him. No other Montefiore had seen my magic. I'd eventually accept San didn't want to see me anymore, but treason? Never! He didn't deserve forgiveness. At least I had found out why San wanted to get rid of me that night: he hated me and decided to prepare a trap.

"This is insane," my chin trembled. "How could I ever trust him?"

"So you really are Shadow," the man analyzed me. "I thought that man had lied just to save his money."

"Money? What..." I scowled and wanted to punch a wall. "Who are you?"

"The Knights of the Holy Word. A braver part of the Inquisition," he walked closer. "We came to stop the Unity from changing the natural order of things as Jesus Christ desires."

I laughed. "I'll pretend to believe an idiot like you knows what Jesus wants."

"She'll never admit being the Unity without some torture first," a hooded old man approached me. "Let's take this witch!"

"I agree. Shadow is a threat to our power!" a third guy pointed his sword to my chest. "Dominus Aeternus."

I think this is starting to make sense...

My eyes widened as I remembered my times at the mass. Dominus Aeternus meant "Eternal Lord" in Latin. The chalice was a Catholic symbol that represented the one Jesus drank wine from during the Last Supper, the night before he died. At least I had found out one thing about the KHW: they were associated with the Church. Sandro probably knew more about them, but I wouldn't speak to that traitor again. He was the last person I wanted to see.

The older man analyzed my body. "Surrender now. Otherwise, I'll be forced to make you suffer."

"Really? Do you think I didn't hear your friend mentioning torture?" I chuckled nervously while my forehead was sweaty. "You'll hurt me regardless."

The same guy raised his brows. "Don't be stubborn, little witch."

"There's something you should know," I smiled mischievously. "Stubborn is my middle name."

I levitated five guys at once, throwing them against a house. Three more ran towards me with their swords. Feeling their neck bones, I smashed their throat with my mind. They fell unconscious. My heart almost jumped off my chest as a man tried to stab me in the back. I kicked his wrist strongly, and the sword fell. I struck my clenched fist against his jaw, causing him to crash against the wall. At least being chased by aggressors so frequently taught me good fight moves.

"Last chance, Ms. Shadow," he remained still. "Surrender."

I ran towards him. "Never!"

He revealed a dark grey triangular stone. It was somewhat larger than his fist. The rock started to shine intensively the moment I laid eyes on it. My body hurt so desperately that I screamed. It seemed a thousand blades stabbed me from the inside. A headache smashed my skull, so I had no idea how I was still alive. My magic wouldn't work despite my numerous attempts. San was probably laughing if he could see me.

What is this evil object made of?

"I present you Tenebris. It's the stone our ancestors used for centuries to suppress magic," the old guy brought the object closer to my face. "I warned you about the suffering."

"It makes... sense..." I gasped. "Given it means... it means darkness in Latin..."

"You're smart for a witch," he nodded as if I had impressed him. "Will you stop fighting Tenebris and come with us?"

I dragged myself to walk. "Go... Go to hell!"

The guy nodded. I frowned, confused about what that meant. When I opened my mouth to talk again, someone knocked me down from behind. Everything became dark. Losing my senses, I saw more Knights approaching. Although I couldn't move, a tear ran down my face. I was unconscious, but my sadness wasn't. I couldn't believe Sandro had pretended to be friendly, hurt my feelings, and led me into a trap. I thought he truly liked me.

Where are these idiots taking me?

My head hurt insanely as I woke up. It wasn't as bad as what the Tenebris had caused, but bothersome enough. Although I wanted to rub my eyes, the kidnappers tied me to a wooden chair. The rope was so tight I could barely breathe. Four KHW members surrounded me. The Tenebris was on a table nearby, continuously taking my strength away and blocking my powers.

I glared at the older man. "Say what you want before I turn your bones to dust!"

"You're not in a position to make demands," the guy walked around my chair. "It's hard to believe the Master Source would pick a Moor like you."

"Shove your offensive words somewhere I can't see!" I scowled. "What is the Master Source?"

"Don't try to fool us, witch!" the man ripped my crucifix off my neck. "You're not worthy of wearing this."

"You're wasting your time," I sighed while observing my shattered crucifix on the floor. "Whoever you're looking for, it's not me."

The guy injured my leg three times with a knife, making me cringe and scream. He then pushed my head inside a water-filled bucket. Even though I held my breath for a long time, I thought I'd die. I gasped as he pulled me out. The older man chuckled, seemingly entertained, so I spat on his face and shot him a defiant gaze. Call me crazy, but I wouldn't let him have fun.

Why did I ever think Sandro is a good man? I was so dumb!

"Our mission is to make the Dark Ages eternal. Keep things how they should be," the old guy pushed my chin up. "Yours is to stop us, Ms. Unity, and we can't let you succeed."

"I'm not who you're talking about!" my eyes bulged. "What is Unity? I don't understand!"

The same guy who had tortured me before walked closer. He tried to drown me again, making me gasp after he pulled me out of the water. That time, he used the knife on my left arm, tearing my skin and the fabrics covering them. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to forget the pain. San had to hate me a lot to help those bastards.

"He's a legendary wizard we've been after for centuries," the guy sighed. "The Master Source chooses a person to receive special magic, making them destined to be the Unity."

I tilted my head to the side. "Why the name Unity?"

"Because the wizard's main powers are to heal the human unity: Surface and Core. The Surface represents the body while the Core is the soul," he narrowed his eyes intensively. "Your spells threaten the natural order, which is people dying through disease or injury."

"I don't see anything bad about helping others. You're all mad," I raised my brows while looking around. "Besides, I don't heal souls."

The group whispered, then gazed at me. I swallowed hard, praying they wouldn't do anything horrible. The older man wouldn't stop rubbing his forehead, apparently worried. Tenebris kept making me sweat. I wish my magic had exploded that terrifying stone. I couldn't take that endless fear anymore.

"You can't be serious!" the fourth Knight bared his teeth. "Did Mr. Montefiore lie to us?"

"Why should we care?" the torturer wrinkled his nose. "The woman is a witch and has that face. Let's kill her and find the Unity later."

A third man pointed a knife at my neck. "Any last words, girl?"

"First, I'll tell Satan to save a special place for you in hell," I narrowed my eyes and ground my teeth. "Second, send Mr. Montefiore my worst regards."

"Stop! We must focus on destroying Unity and preserving Our Lord's traditions," the old man took the knife from the other guy's hand. "Let's eliminate undesirable people like her later."

"You're postponing my assassination?" I forced a smile. "How sweet!"

I panted as the old guy stared me down. Honestly, I didn't care if he tore me apart with that knife. He could cut my entire skin if he wanted. After all, I'd heal everything once I got rid of that stone. What made my legs tremble was the threat to my female body. Being raped was among my biggest fears. I glared at those idiots, hoping my false fearlessness would scare them.

There must be a way to escape these men.

"Our leader wants her alive. We shall let him determine if she's that dirty wizard," the old guy sighed. "He'll probably be angry we already tortured her."

"That makes sense," a man closed his eyes. "Let's wait for his arrival."

The older adult glanced at two guys. "Guard her."

The four men said Dominus Aeternus in unison. After that, two of them left. I kept staring at Tenebris, praying it stopped working. Maybe San had that stone when we met. However, something wasn't right. How could the spell that eliminated my face be the only one that failed? Nothing seemed to make sense. Some tears ran down my cheeks as I recalled our goodbye and his betrayal.

Why did you do this, Sandro?

That organization probably didn't exclude Jewish people from their list of undesirable groups. Perhaps San had paid them to be spared. My headache got stronger, and I couldn't tell if Tenebris or Sandro were the cause. When I was about to scream, my father's ghost showed up. He made a signal for me to stay quiet. Dad was only visible to those he wanted, so the guards didn't notice his presence. His spirit approached my injured body. I tilted my head to the side, wondering how he had found me.

"Whatever I say, just nod," my father glanced at the guards. "We don't want to call their attention."

I nodded.

"My father told me many magic-related legends. He explained a few things about the Unity, so I might be able to help you," my dad smiled playfully. "Are you interested?"

I agreed, controlling myself not to grin.

"Your grandpa said the Tenebris only affects a wizard if he or she sees it," he turned to the evil stone. "Try conjuring your magic with both eyes closed."

This is impossible!

My eyes bulged as I shook my head in denial. Luckily, the guards didn't see my startled expression. Also, I needed to ask more questions about that legend. Dad was the only one who could help me. However, I wouldn't do the absurd thing he suggested. It was beyond my capacity. I had never done magic without seeing my surroundings. Many things could go wrong.

"Just breathe," my father touched my shoulders. "You can do this, Val."

Tina is better than Val. I'll miss that nickname...

Taking several deep breaths, I shut my eyes. I attempted to recover my magic, but nothing happened. The more I tried, the less powerful I felt. Perhaps my father had underestimated the Tenebris. My hands were so sweaty that I thought I was holding the ocean. Not seeing anything made me want to cry. Regardless, I wouldn't give up. Dad's crazy idea was my only hope. That strategy had to work.

****

Author's note: Will Valentina ever realize Sandro did nothing to harm her? What are the Knights going to do next? Keep reading and you'll find out... ;-)

I dedicate this chapter to my dear friend PennyZee