This chapter was written by @lickerfish

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Lezebella's protruding and weary eyes bulged open.

"Don't get too excited that's only if you co-operate with me" Sakura stepped over to her slowly skimming the back of her finger down Lezebella's sunken cheeks absorbing the beads of dry sweat stuck on her skin rubbing it in her fingers. "All you have to do is inform me on how to create a powerful sleeping potion that will be most effective on an elf"

"W-Why go through all the trouble of bringing me here just to acquire a sleeping potion"

"I'm sure you know how powerful potions and elixirs can be, that's why I intended on coming here in the first place and you were my ticket way into doing so" Sakura stood on her tippy toes reaching up to the chains clasped around Lezebella's hands but since she was too short she searched for an alternative method catching the attention of a small wooden stool she dragged it over and stood upon it freeing Lezebella from her chains. "Without you, they wouldn't have let me in"

"I-I thought you planned on killing me?" The appearance of Lezebella's bones were made more prominent by her leathery skin draping from her body, her breaths became more rushed and filled with phlegm as she almost collapsed into Sakura's arms adjusting to the sudden change in her body position.

"You thought wrong I'm not like my father I don't shed the blood of the innocent only those who go against my will" Sakura helped her to sit down on the wooden stool. "And if I killed you now then how would I learn how to make this powerful sleeping potion or any potions in for that matter, you're more useful to me alive"

Lezebella clung to the loose fabrics of her dress inhaling smooth wisps of air as she delved into thought staring into space.

"So have you decided yet? Would you like to see Aya again or die by something that she fears the most" Sakura rubbed her thumb over her long crimson nails waiting for a reply.

"Y-You promise you'll let me see her safe and sound"

"Why would I lie when I've already explained the intentions of my plan to you, there would be no such reason to do so especially to a cute old woman like yourself" a half-hearted smile graced her face as she twirled a loop of her double ponytail.

Lezebella limped towards the table behind her causing Sakura to spin around immediately choking on the black smoke that spat in her face. It left a residue of sour scents to stick to her tongue brewing an acidic taste up her throat.

Fanning the residue of smoke from her sparse lashes she winced at the colourful arrays of green, blue and pink fizzy potions spurting bubbles from the different types of flasks. Whilst Lezebella began to pour some of the currants into each other infusing them together Sakura drew her vision away from it feeling her stomach churn from being so close to something so devilish.

Instead, she let her eyes trace the room watching how curdles of leaves spumed out from the crevices of the dark wooden beams intricately spiralling around them. However, as Sakura finished distracting herself a rat scurried across the cobblestoned ground prompting her to stumble back and crash into a little drawer.

She wrinkled her nose rising from the ground dusting herself off but in the corner of her eye, she noticed a shiny book peeking out from the drawer. She wrinkled a brow about to retrieve the book but Lezebella's scratchy voice tore her attention away from it.

"S-Sakura?"

"Yes"

"I asked if you could hand me that tall flask next to you?" she pointed her finger over to the top of the drawer next to Sakura.

A jolt of fear contorted Sakura's spine until she felt shivers cripple her body. She scrunched her nose pinching her fingers on it as she picked up the flask with an orange jelly-like substance in it handing it to Lezebella.

To conclude her elixir Lezebella poured Sakura's flask into a pink liquid. The mixture buzzed as it fermented into a putrid smell of rotting meat. It thickened into an explosion of blue foam leaking over the flask rinsing away the horrible smell.

Swirling her finger around the thin layer of cloudy fog floating up from the potion Lezebella poured it into a small container handing it to Sakura.

"Thank you" Sakura slipped it underneath her dress wrapping it in her garter. "We may leave now" she held onto Lezebella's callous hand stepping out to the hallways. "First we need to escape I have Fedrico distracting Kofi in the dining room as we speak so that will offer us some time"

Lezebella nodded letting Sakura drag her towards the entrance but she quickly halted her steps.

"I-Is there something wrong?"

"It would be foolish to go through the main doors, guards would be everywhere"

"W-Where else shall we go?

"We need another exit" Sakura clipped her chin massaging it slowly as she thought of somewhere else to go.

"Perhaps the roof, it's the only other place I can think of that is empty" Sakura recalled seeing the ceiling from outside the tall gates of this castle.

"H-How will we escape from such heights?"

"Once Fedrico finishes distracting him and they realise we're all gone their first instinct would be to search your room, then they would think of going outside in hopes that you didn't run off too far, so whilst they decide to search for you through the main entrance it will get rid of those guards allowing us to watch from the roof to see how far they run out allowing us to head back downstairs slipping past them" Sakura guided Lezebella down to the very ends of the hallway.

Although she wasn't entirely sure where the staircase would be she searched silently assuming that it would have to be at the very ends of the castle to avoid it being in the way of any other rooms. Her assumptions were correct and as the two walked up the spiralled wooden stairs she spoke up. "I was going to save this potion for later but if anything goes wrong I can use this sleeping potion to against Kofi so that all his crazy wives will instantly go after him"

"T-Thank you" Lezebella's voice croaked into a tearful tone as she gently gripped tighter onto Sakura's hand. In return, Sakura smiled opening the doors up to the roof. The bright light blinded both of the women for only a moment before a shadow of hands reached out through the light.

"No, thank you" Sakura giggled shutting the doors behind her watching as Kofi's wives instantly grabbed onto Lezebella locking her arms behind her as they lead her up to the stake. "For being so gullible into thinking I actually needed you"

"Darling never too long in the toilets again people might think you have diarrhoea"

"I'll keep that in mind next time"

"Aya and her rebels have arrived" Fedrico pointed to the railings on the roof leading Sakura over to the edge viewing the figures of Aya and some of her people.

Wind blew over Sakura's skin as she curled a ringlet of loose hair behind her ear. Once Aya and her rebels got close enough to the castle walls they wasted no time in trying to talk and instead roared climbing up the walls of the building in attempts to try and save Lezebella.

"Lady Sakura" Kofi smirked giving her a fiery stick.

Walking over to Lezebella Sakura twirled the Long Branch in the air as if it were a mere toy. She winked at Lezebella once she arrived next to her.

"Y-You promised" a tear slide down Lezebella's face as she choked on a soft cry.

"All I promised was to let you see Aya again I never said you'd be alive long enough to actually speak to her" Sakura threw the stick at the elderly witch. Crackling embers licked up her dress igniting it into a thick cloud of smoke. "Now hush hush, its sleeping time little witch"

Sakura purred blowing her one last kiss before spinning on her heel but once she did she caught the sharp glare of none other than Aya Kamishiro.

"I wonder if you have something like this in store for Philip, I know you aren't as creative as me when it comes to strategies but I'm always here if you need a helping hand" Sakura purred softly.

"I will fucking murder that bitch" Aya launched for Sakura but was held down by Micah who prevented her by wrapping his arms around her allowing her to collapse into his chest. But that didn't stop the raven-haired girl from whacking her fists against his chest ripping herself away from him but Micah continued his struggle to hold her down.

"Father is that you?" Kofi's face dropped, his brows shot up whilst his body froze.

"K-Kofi?!" Mazon's deep voice faltered slightly into a rasp as his eyes bulged from the sockets.

"I told you he'd come" Sakura averted her attention Aya resting her hand under her chin.

"W-What?"

"I invited your father to come witness the death of that filthy witch since you were too scared to do it yourself"

Kofi's frozen state morphed into slow trembles with his sight piercing onto his father in a glowering gaze. His hands curled into balled fists and his muscles tensed on the spot.

"It took a witch having to be burnt at the stake for you to come and see me again" anger spat like venom through his clenched teeth.

"If you had been stronger I wouldn't have felt the need to leave you"

"I-Is this the bitch you've replaced me with?" churning into a fiery surge of anger Kofi tightened his jaw hurling his fist towards Aya.

"When it was time to fight you ran away like a coward I didn't have time to come back and search for you when there were injured ones amongst us who fought so bravely that they were at death's door" Mazon halted his son's attack by swiftly placing his large hand over his sons.

"I never stopped waiting for you to come back but you chose to stay hidden in a time where not only I relied on you but all other rebels did too, you were supposed to fight alongside us yet you betrayed us how could we trust you again?!"

"I-It doesn't matter you should have come back for me! I'm your own son doesn't that mean anything to you?! I'm your own flesh and blood"

"If you hadn't had run away you would have realized that you become flesh and blood to the people of this rebellion"

Sakura detached her fan from her garter fluttering its feathery rim along her cheeks. She knew that if she didn't act soon she would have to deal with Aya's army attacking her. Slipping her fingers underneath her dress and coiling her fingers around the sleeping potion she threw it at Mazon's head.

He collapsed to the ground drawing the attention of everyone to see what was going on. Before anyone could speak Sakura closed her fan and whacked it against a small point of Kofi's head. Just like his father, he fell to the ground and once Sakura bent down to feel if any breaths had slipped from his lips she smirked not feeling an inch knowing that he was dead.

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