by Logan Jacobs
“I’m getting a little tired of you entering my mind, Cole,” Samara’s voice suddenly echoed from behind me, and when I whipped around, I saw her.
The beautiful but holy woman was garbed in a rose-pink dress, with golden jewels embedded along her hem. Her long, golden-brown hair was adorned with red roses, her cheeks were flushed, and her lashes were as long and dark as strands of silk.
“I didn’t choose to seep into your mind,” I said as I stared into her wild, ocean eyes. “I thought you’d be powerful enough to keep me out if you truly wanted to.”
At once, her gorgeous face scrunched up in fury and confusion.
“How dare you insinuate such a laughable concept,” she snarled before she crossed her arms over her full breasts. “Are you trying to tell me I secretly want you inside my head?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” I bit back. “Or perhaps, I’m just more powerful than you.”
“How dare you,” the elder goddess growled as her eyes darkened, and she took a step closer to me. “I hope you and your bitches are ready for the havoc I’m prepared to wreak upon you. I shall destroy my palace and burn you all before you can reach the second artifact.”
“So you say,” I said before I took a step even closer to her and looked deeply into her multi-colored eyes. “Yet, I can feel and see your exhaustion. You wear your weariness like a perfume, and I know if you try to summon a storm from wherever you are… it will cost you dearly.”
“H-How did you--?” she began, but then the furious glint in her eyes grew more apparent. “You know nothing about me or my power--”
“That’s not true,” I interjected. “Remember, you’ve told me about your past, and I’ve seen into your mind. You and I are more alike than you’d care to admit… isn’t that so?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” she growled before she paced back and forth across the black sand. “You think you’re so damn clever… but God is more powerful than you.”
“I don’t think you truly believe that,” I said, and I knew I was tugging at every single one of her nerves. “I think you know, deep inside your heart, that you belong to the darkness and that it calls to you like the wolf calls to the moon. You were born for greatness, but not the kind you’ve chosen. You were made for walking upon the red, burning soil of hell’s domain… not to grace the heavens and carry out holy deeds.”
“Stop talking as if you know what truly lies in my heart,” Samara snapped, and her eyes darkened with stark rage. “Cole, no matter what it takes, we will come face to face and see who is more powerful. And once I rip your heart out of your chest, you will beg for mercy, and I vow not to show you one ounce of it.”
“So be it,” I said, and I refused to look away from her steady but furious gaze, “but just so you know, I will be ready for you… and I’m not afraid of you, either. Not one bit.”
“Lies!” she spat, and suddenly, her eyes glowed a vibrant blue.
For a moment, I thought she was going to cast a spell upon me, but instead, she shook there with anger as the waves beat against the rocks. Her fists were balled up at her side, and her bottom lip trembled with fury, but she didn’t say or do a damn thing to me.
“See?” I chuckled before I took a step closer toward her and smiled from ear to ear. “I know you’re beginning to see things my way.”
“Nooooooooooo!” she cried out, and suddenly, the red clouds, the black sand, and the silver ocean disappeared from view, and I found myself back at the lake of fire.
When I gazed at the women around me, each one looked confused and concerned. I had not fallen down, but I remained upright, and as the warmth left my body, a shiver ran down my spine and prickled my bones.
“Master?” Faye asked in a soft tone. “Where did you go?”
“I saw her again,” I breathed as I looked at each beautiful witch. “I saw Samara… she’s afraid we’re going to enter her palace of ice and retrieve the artifact.”
“No shit,” Vanessa snapped as she stared long and hard at me. “Did you find out anything else?”
“I could feel her powers weakening…” I said slowly as I gazed toward the lake of fire. “She threatened to burn her palace down, but I don’t think she can actually do it. She’s doubting herself now, and I think it’s affecting her ability to cast holy magic. I think she’s finally starting to see reason.”
“Good,” Akira said with a firm nod. “She may be a cunt, but as you said, master… it would be best to have her by our side.”
“But just how long would that take?” Penelope asked with a raised orange eyebrow. “She sounds like a stubborn bitch.”
“I think once we have the three artifacts in our hands, she will have no choice but to succumb to our will,” I explained. “Or perhaps she will join us willingly.”
“Either way,” Morgana said before she narrowed her blue eyes at the castle just beyond the red and fiery lake. “We need to find a way to cross over.”
“And once we do that,” I firmly reminded her, “we’ll need to take out Samara’s guards. There will be countless numbers of them.”
“Wait a moment,” Vanessa said with her hand raised. “Are you saying Samara was threatening to destroy her palace, even with an army of guards to protect her sacred dwelling?”
“Yes,” I answered. “Which just goes to show how afraid she is of our power.”
“Or rather,” Akira said with a small smile. “Your power, master.”
Vanessa rolled her blue eyes and crossed her arms over her chest before she turned her attention back to the white ice castle.
“Since you’re so fucking powerful, Cole,” Vanessa huffed like a jealous and impatient schoolgirl. “How do you plan to take out an entire army? What we just faced was nothing… there were fifty at most. I’m assuming a palace that grand has at least a thousand guards and soldiers to protect her precious artifact.”
“Oh, trust me,” I said with a broad grin. “I know exactly how to destroy them. I’ve had help from someone in a dream, and believe me, she is even more powerful than Samara.”
“Do you mean the woman from the painting?” Akira asked with her head cocked to the side.
“Yes,” I said, and I could feel Vanessa’s eyes on me like they were penetrating my soul, so I turned to face her fully. “Professor… Do you trust me?”
All eyes were suddenly on the dark-haired professor as she crossed her arms and looked down at Isobel, who was nudging her knees and begging for affection.
“I suppose so,” the stubborn professor responded after a long moment, “but you better not fuck this up, Cole.”
“I won’t,” I said in a sure voice, and then I turned to look at the pit of holy fire. “Now, let’s find a way to cross that damn lake of fire, shall we?”
Chapter 17
Once the ice soldiers were held forever captive in their icy hell, we headed down toward their empty village of stone and wood and then gazed upon the vast, burning red lake of fire.
“Any plans?” Faye asked as we stared upon our next obstacle, and her forehead wound had nearly healed completely. “Something tells me this will be even more difficult than taking on the ice soldiers.”
“What if we shadow port across?” Marina asked with wide purple eyes. “Couldn’t that work?”
“Samara probably has a barrier to prevent us from doing something so simple,” Penelope suggested with a long, drawn-out sigh. “There’s a reason the holy fire is here… it’s to protect the palace from dark magic.”
“Perhaps Cole can come up with a solution?” Vanessa said, and to my surprise, there wasn’t an ounce of sarcasm or anger in her eyes when I turned to study her.
As the others stared at me for a solution, I thought back to the woman from my dreams. She told me I could create and bring any bonded creature to life if I willed it into existence, but it would take an immense amount of power to do so, and at this point, I wasn’t ready to summon anything that would take too much energy a
way from me.
Not until we reached the borders of the ice castle where the second artifact was hidden.
Then, as I stared upon each witch and thought back to our lessons in Scholomance, an idea immediately sprung to mind. I thought back to Professor Olivia’s class, where we were able to form great wings like those of the elders, and that’s when I knew exactly what we had to do.
“We need to cast the spell we learned in soul class,” I said, and as the words escaped from my mouth, the women’s eyes all lit up with realization. “It’s a form of elder disguise, and I’m sure it can’t be detected as dark magic since it’s masked as holy power.”
“So, we’ll fly over the lake with elder wings?” Morgana gasped with bright eyes. “Brilliant thinking, master!
“Of course,” Penelope said before she slapped her forehead and shook her head. “Why didn’t I think of that… as a matter of fact, I think I’m carrying a vial of the potion with me! I thought it might come in handy.”
“Are you serious, Penelope?” Akira asked with wide, amazed eyes. “Satan, you’re fucking amazing!”
“What are you all talking about?” Revna asked with her head tilted to the side in confusion. “What potion? Elder wings? Flying?”
“There’s a special potion we learned in soul class back at Scholomance with a professor named Olivia who was once a part of the High Court, and she taught us how to brew a special kind of--” Morgana started to ramble, but then Vanessa raised her hand in the air to cut her off.
“We’ll have enough time to get into that later,” Vanessa said in a sharp tone. “For now, let’s all take a few drops of the brew and fly over this fucking lake before Samara sends her violent winds and burns the castle to the ground.”
Penelope nodded firmly in agreement before she dug around for a moment inside her furs, whipped out a small vial, and then presented it to all of us. It gleamed bright orange under the pale winter sun and twinkled as she twirled it around for all of us to see.
“Now, fair warning,” the orange-haired witch said before she uncorked the vial. “This stuff tastes like absolute shit, so make sure not to throw it back up because we only have a little of it to spare.”
“It looks like just about enough for each of us,” Vanessa remarked as she studied the vial with narrowed eyes. “Perfect, Miss Penelope.”
“Thank you,” Penelope answered before she tossed back her head and drank a careful sip of the potion.
The beautiful witch scrunched up her nose in distaste and wiped the corners of her lips as she struggled to swallow the bitter brew. She then passed the vial to Vanessa, and each witch took their turn to tilt their head back and drink their share. By the time it was my turn, there were only a few drops left, and as I drained the vial dry, the other women began to slowly morph into elder replicas.
As my own body began to morph, each woman’s hair started to shimmer like sunshine, and their eyes glowed an even brighter shade than their usual color. Everyone’s face scrunched up in pain as our bodies shifted, and I could feel my mouth going dry and tears forming in the corners of my eyes as the brew worked its magic. My bones felt like they were breaking and reforming again, and I struggled not to groan or hunch over from the terrible agony. I watched through hazy vision as the others grappled with overcoming the pain and accepting their rapid transformation, and each woman gasped as giant wings began to sprout from their backs and puncture through the furs they wore over their shoulders.
My own hands trembled as two giant limbs escaped from my shoulder blades, and it felt like my back was being cut open as my wings grew. The familiars all crowded around us and stared at us with wide, curious eyes as we changed into elder imitations, but none of them made a noise.
By the time the spell was complete, I had taken a moment to stare at each woman. Vanessa and Akira now possessed pairs of gleaming ebony wings like those of a raven. Vesta’s new additions were as silver as her eyes, and Morgana’s were a dark shade of purple. Marina had a similar pair, but hers were lavender like her eyes and hair. Circe had a couple of bright yellow wings as beautiful and radiant as her golden hair, and Faye’s appendages were a deep shade of emerald green, like that of a lush forest and her eyes. Penelope’s new wings were rose-pink and the same color as her flushed cheeks. Revna’s wings were as white as snow, with gold edges, and then finally, the sapphire-skinned witch had a pair of deep-blue wings as cobalt as her hair and skin.
Unholy shit, Cole, Alexander gasped in my head. Your wings are as red as hell’s soil.
“Master,” Akira gasped with parted purple lips. “You look incredible.”
“You look like I imagine Satan himself looks,” Circe cooed as her shimmering serpentine eyes studied me from head to toe. “You’re absolutely mesmerizing, master.”
“Indeed, master,” Vesta purred in a sexy voice. “If only we didn’t have to cross the lake--”
“Well, we do,” Vanessa snapped as her eyes glowed like pale-blue diamonds, and her giant wings flapped like two massive ebony fans. “Now, carry your familiars if they can’t fly. We’ve got to get across that lake as soon as possible.
“This potion should also give you extra-strength,” Morgana said before anyone could argue with the professor. “Don’t worry, you won’t drop them into the fire.”
“Now, let’s get a move on,” I ordered. “We can’t afford to waste any time. Samara’s power may not be strong enough right now, but give it fucking time, and she will summon the strength to destroy us all.”
“So, let’s go,” Vanessa agreed as she stared deeply into my eyes. “We have no time to fucking waste.”
We all nodded at each other before the women grabbed their land critters, stared up at the silver sky, and jumped upward while simultaneously flexing their wings. My body left the ground as Alexander passed by my side, and I felt a surge of magnificent power flooding through my body as I soared across the burning lake of holy fire. I could feel its heat wafting upward and radiating over my glowing skin, and I grinned as the ice castle grew closer and closer.
“This is amazing!” Revna gasped as we ventured further across the giant body of fiery holy water. “I feel like a bird!”
“Keep concentrating, though,” Vanessa warned. “The spell could fade at any moment if you don’t keep your mind and heart open to Satan and the darkness. It’s a tricky spell since it’s disguised as holy magic, but you still need to remember to worship your unholy master.”
“Understood,” the wild Wicca responded as she soared over the red body of water with a more serious expression plastered across her beautiful face.
As we flew over the lake, I could feel something shifting deep inside me. It was a sudden sensation and one that was not welcoming at all. It felt like my head was growing lighter, and my vision was becoming weaker. I could barely breathe, and instead of flying across the lake in a straight line, I could feel my body swerving over the fire and descending slowly toward the lava-like water.
“Master!” Circe screamed, but I could barely hear or see her.
Do you think you’re so clever? Samara’s voice suddenly echoed inside my head. No, Cole… I see you. You may have found a way to cross my water of doom, but be prepared for the army awaiting you. You will be outnumbered and slaughtered like weak, newborn lambs. I can’t wait to see your unholy blood spilled over my entire palace.
“I doubt that,” I said through gritted teeth. “I know you’re afraid we’ll win… I can sense it in my bones and feel the fear in your voice. Whether you like it or not, we’re connected now, and you’d better start accepting that.”
Goddamn you! she howled in my head, and for a moment, I thought I was going to fall into the fiery pit down below. You know nothing, Cole! Soon, you will perish, and I will have peace again.
“Sorry, Samara,” I replied as I pushed her out of my head like a bad dream, “but you’re going to lose this one.”
I didn’t hear another word from the elder goddess, and quickly, I regained my st
rength and soared back upward toward the others who had been watching me with fearful eyes.
“Cole… what happened?” Morgana asked with furrowed eyebrows. “For a split second, we thought you were going to tumble into the fire--”
“Don’t worry about it,” I assured her. “I’m fine… let’s just cross this fucking lake.”
The women and familiars didn’t argue as we flew over the rest of the burning holy water. Then we came to the edge of the lake and landed smoothly on our feet, and as soon as we were on the icy ground, I could feel my wings seeping deep back into my bones and disappearing as if they never existed.
“Everyone should take a moment to breathe,” Vanessa said as she eyed the castle. “I don’t see anyone standing guard, but I’m sure once we draw closer, we’ll be attacked at once, and Satan only knows by what.”
As we took the professor’s advice, I examined the castle made of pure ice and snowy marble. The texture was sleek and smooth, and strangely, the ice wasn’t transparent, so it was impossible to see inside. There were four towers, and each one possessed one small arched window. There were two massive doors made of white and silver marble at the entrance, and two pillars by their sides. It was an elegant structure, but I knew soon, it would see chaos.
For some reason, I had a feeling that once those marble doors opened, a flood of different elder creatures and soldiers would come pouring through. We’d be attacked as soon as Samara found the strength to warn them, but how much time did we have? I knew by our strange and inexplicable connection that she was weak from trying to drown me in her holy lake, but her strength would soon return, and we needed to be prepared for anything.
“Alright,” I breathed as I stared upon the ice castle. “I’m going to summon our own army.”
“And just how the hell are you going to do that?” Vanessa asked in an impatient voice.
“I told you to trust me,” I said in a stern tone as I eyed her from head to toe. “Remember?”