The Witch’s Destiny

by Emma Glass

  Valentine crossed her arms. “You have provoked us for the last time, witch. I don’t care what protection you claim to provide—anyone so willing to sacrifice lives cannot be allowed power over this world… or any other.”

  The remaining lords assembled around us.

  “You know. I will admit that a lot of this goes over me,” Chandra added. “And I’m sure there is a lot our realm gets wrong. That every realm does. But I think, if we find a way to interact, and work together…”

  “We can save them. Without the carnage you envision,” Eyes-Like-Fire disobediently continued. “I think the world is not quite as fragile as you believe, witch. It has survived without you—and it will continue to do so.”

  Looks like we’re all doing this, huh?

  “I’ll be honest. You really don’t want to know what I’m thinking,” I folded my arms. “You have given me plenty of reason to hate you, Tzavos—and I would rather burn with any one of these worlds than ever submit to you.”

  Most faces turned to Ooktum.

  “I think you are a bad witch,” he replied simply.

  Elliott smirked. “Don’t you see, Tzavos? You belittle us, you play your little games with us, but we will still find a compromise. If the worlds are truly in danger of collapse, we will find a way—together—to save them. One that does not rely on allowing several worldwide genocides…”

  The witch looked between us all, severely saddened.

  “I see… there is no convincing you otherwise?”

  Simultaneously, each vampire lord drew or summoned their weapons. Amused and encouraged, I pulled out both my daggers with a certain, hungry glee. Even without you along for the ride anymore… I think I’m still going to enjoy this.

  “My children. How you have all disappointed me.”

  “You might have convinced the traitor to support you,” Elliott snarled. “But we’re a little harder to crack. You have shown us your true colours. Your willingness to kill us off so indiscriminately makes you unworthy of our service.”

  He turned to Sabine with obvious disdain.

  “And you are a fool to follow her, even for a second.”

  The sorceress, for her part, suddenly looked conflicted. I was nearly ready to consider her a harmful idiot at worst, as opposed to outright malicious—but then her expression solidified into anger. But before Sabine could say anything she was going to regret…

  “Clearly,” Tzavos commented sadly, “you cling to your own delusional selfishness. I see now that it was a mistake to believe any of you capable of making such a difficult and important decision. If this is what you truly want… if you would rather submit to your own pride and madness than save what little we can of these worlds…”

  Tzavos Tzovac lifted her pained, hooded face—and her expression turned sadistic. In the same instant, the witch’s bat wings unfurled to their full span; the resulting burst of wind knocked each of us back on our feet.

  “…Then I am left no choice.”

  The witch took a few harrowing steps towards us.

  “For the good of the realms, my defiant progeny… you are far too dangerous to be left alive. I see now that I must bring down the full wrath of seven worlds upon you…”

  Chapter 24

  Elliott

  No number of tatzelwurms could compare to the sheer fear I felt as we faced the Sanguine One—a precursor to our very civilization.

  Tzavos Tzovac…

  You are a mystical, blood-soaked entity of legend from before our civilized era of vampire lords. Even the Arch-Magister knew so little about you—halves of stories and fragmented tales at best. A past, abandoned by history… perhaps even hidden by it. Whether by design or by happenstance, there are only two things I know for certain. You wrote our entire magical system, and you could end a battle with little more than a wave of your hand.

  As if to prove that story beyond the shadow of a doubt, the monstrous witch lifted her wrist, staring us down with a furious glare…

  Gritting my teeth, I steadied my weapon. The others similarly prepared to attack the monstrous witch, but none seemed eager to land the first blow. It seemed we were all equally aware of her fearsome, shrouded reputation.

  A demented smile crossed her lips.

  “Get ready for anything,” I called to the others as I kept my eyes on our enemy. “She’s a mastery of trick—“

  Tzavos waved a finger with a whisper.

  Beneath our feet, the concentric circles flared to life in a powerful burst of light purple magic. I could barely see as I shielded my eyes with a forearm, nearly overcome by the incredible spell that sprang into existence around us.

  “What is happening?” Chandra shouted in a panic.

  Svetlana sounded worse. “Everyone stay close!”

  I realized that her voice came from far away. Struggling to see despite the near-overwhelming light, I haphazardly made out the shapes of the other vampire lords; each one pulled further away from me, separated from one another as they fought to keep their eyes open. Each of them stood in their own large, glowing circle, just like mine…

  “Svetlana! Eyes-Like-Fire! Nikki?!”

  Their voices were much too far away to hear now—and it was unlikely that they heard mine. As the light started to consume me, I felt myself drop to a knee. No! I can’t let her separate us like this. We have to stick together! But… I can’t… keep my eyes… open much… longer…

  I shielded my vision as the light brightened…

  * * *

  As the light receded, I tried to shake my head clear.

  I was on all fours. My fists clenched at grass; I dug the fingertips into the soft soil and ripped up the green roots. The soil pressing against my fingers relaxed me, somehow. It refreshed me to feel close to nature again—and to see no falling snow or half-thawed ice in sight.

  My eyes still burned. If I narrowed them, tolerating the pain, I could recognize a bleary silhouette standing nearby. It watched me with disdain; I thought that my chest would explode in panic. No. Don’t tell me it’s… Tzavos…?

  A fresh, searing pain overtook my vision. I covered my head against the grass, grasping at the blades for support. I have to find my way back to the others. I have to figure out how to get out of here… how to… stop the witch…

  A familiar voice struck my ear.

  “Playing in the grass like a child…? Pfft. How boring. I really thought you might have found better hobbies…”

  Another, older voice admonished her: “There’s no need to be cruel, now. It was a long journey to come here. You can see he is understandably confused… weren’t you?”

  “Tch. I guess.”

  No amount of pain could stop me then.

  I lifted my face, widening my stinging, streaming eyes. The blurriness swallowed the edges of my vision; I pushed through the pain to confront the pair of voices. Despite my suffering, I had to know for certain who they were…

  What? I finally recognized them. It can’t be…

  But there was no denying the formidable pair standing over me now. The older among them looked pleased to see me; she even smiled, dropping to her knee to examine me. The younger held her arms powerfully crossed—the way I always did, wanting to channel her natural might. Though I had long since made the posture my own… it had always really belonged to her.

  “I… how is this…?” My vision was still far too blurry to make out the younger form. But there was no mistaking her. I had seen this face in all my most painful memories…

  “Oh, my son…” Lorelei ran a knuckle across my cheek, tears staining her eyes. “You have done so well. Each night I suffered without you, I hoped that you might find your way back to us. I am so proud of you.”

  “…Mother?” I stared back at her in shock.

  Lorelei Craven nodded. “Yes, Elliott… welcome home. But I am not the only one who has missed you.” Her smile radiating with warmth, my mother shifted aside; her face turned upwards, and I followed her gaze—only to realize
I could finally see her companion clearly now. But the sight of her opened a crushing pain deep within my heart.

  “I… how can this… how did you…?”

  I couldn’t understand it. I couldn’t fathom it.

  But she was here. Right here. After all these years…

  Wiping the back of thumb against her lip, Fiona Craven tilted her head in a smirk. “Little brother… what took ya?”

  * * *

  “This is a trick,” I shook my head. “You’re both dead.”

  Fiona snorted, turning to our mother. Her arms folded over her chest again; just as I remembered, her limbs were wrapped upwards to the elbow in thick boxing tape. Even her hair was as it should be: shortly but sensibly cropped in an ashy blond tone cut just under her ears. Her fighting garb wrapped tightly around her athletic yet limber body. This was not really my older sister—I knew it wasn’t—but I had to admit that the details were remarkably… accurate. “What did I tell you, Mum? I knew he wouldn’t get it.”

  I felt irrationally angry. Ten seconds in, and you’re already patronizing me. Yeah, that’s you alright…

  “Why? What’s there to get?” I narrowed my eyes. “You might not remember this, but I was there as you perished. I heard you flatline. Hell, I helped bury you! How could this be anything less than a trick against my mind?”

  Fiona relaxed, saddening. “I see. He’s got it hard.”

  “You know your brother,” Lorelei smiled supportively. “Always the rational one. Forever the objective thinker…”

  I pulled myself up to my feet. “You’ve… changed.”

  Lorelei looked defeated. “I know. And I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry?” I raised a suspicious brow. “For what?”

  “For everything, those last few decades. I wish I could have been a better mother to you—“

  “Okay.” I defiantly turned away. “That’s enough.”

  “What’s enough, Elliott?”

  “My mother apologizes for nothing. Just as she ordered me to. Whatever dream fantasy this is, it’s very overboard. If you want to deceive me, lay it on a little thinner than the “My dead older sister is alive again, and my mother is actually very sorry” act. Really—what were you thinking? You so blatantly insult my intelligence if you believe that I could be susceptible to such wanton manipulation…”

  Lorelei and Fiona glanced at each other.

  “You were a terrible mother to him,” Fiona glowered.

  “One of my daughters killed the other—you! The pride and joy of my life. The successor to my throne! What did you expect, Fiona? That I would simply drop you into the ground and move on with my life? No! Never!”

  Fiona cast me a sympathetic look. “But do you not see what you’ve done to him? This is not the innocent brother I left behind. You have hardened him.”

  Whatever this is, this has gone on long enough…

  “I… I know.” Lorelei lowered her head. “And I wish… I just wish I had been kinder. I could barely hold on after I went to the Pierced Veil. I didn’t come back the same—and I wasn’t there for either of my surviving children…”

  Fiona hesitated, then put a hand on her shoulder.

  “What is happening?” I stared at them both.

  “You can wait,” Fiona glared purposefully. “We waited. Learn to be patient, Elliott. For once in your bloody life.”

  Indignantly, I turned away from both of these ridiculous projections of the mind. We appeared to be at the edge of a wooded forest—a lush paradise, chirping with lively birds and greener than anything I had seen in a long time.

  An embankment stood nearby, and atop it a short cliff.

  Well. Better get a look at where we are…

  It took no time at all to ascend the slope. Jutting up into the sky, it stood as a finger curled over the edge of a green but precipitous drop over a sea of rolling hills. I chose not to bother with glancing back at the shadows of my heart; I instead climbed up to the peak and chose a mossy boulder to rest against.

  I folded my arms and stared to the horizon.

  Flocks of magical creatures migrated across the hills far below; they coexisted peacefully, barely interacting. Along the far edge, the glistening of a distant, blue ocean against the sunlight caught my attention.

  Lorelei slipped into place beside me, leaning her back to the boulder. “Beautiful… is it not?”

  I snorted, unwilling to look at her. “Yes. It is.”

  A presence came from above. I lifted my gaze; Fiona sat atop the boulder, bare feet kicked out lazily. Such posture was very much her style. I immediately hated the likeness.

  “Figured out where you are yet, eh?”

  “Of course I have. Even in a dream, I would be a fool to not recognize Stonehold. However, this one lies.”

  “This is no deception,” Lorelei turned her head. “What you see here is the promise of a Stonehold that could be—a land bereft of strife, where no vampire ever goes hungry. Resources are aplenty. Do you not see the wildlife? It lives in peace. It does not attack settlements. It is just as it is in the human world: docile, obedient, and tamed. No longer must our people live in terror of what lurks outside the walls of civilization. This is Stonehold is perfect harmony, the way it was always meant to be.”

  “Let me guess: Tzavos can make this happen, right?”

  “We made mistakes,” Fiona sighed. “I got it all wrong. Because I did, Mum was doomed to follow my footsteps. You, Elliott, knew that I was always looking for a fight… So I found one. The wrong one.”

  Fiona glanced over the beautiful countryside sprawled before us. I let my gaze trail up to her; I watched how her legs dangled carelessly over the side of the stone above. Her back was arched, palms flat against the boulder. Just the kind of lazy, carefree posture she would assume…

  “Here it is, little brother… this is the Stonehold I could have ruled. But I doomed us all. I wish I’d only listened.”

  “You cannot trick me into complacency,” I snarled.

  Fiona dropped down to my other side. “Whatever. You can believe what you want.” Annoyed, she glanced to our mother. “Pfft. I think we should send him right back. Little brother’s clearly not listening to any of this.”

  “Send me back? Back to where?” I glowered.

  The two of them sighed knowingly.

  “I do not enjoy being made a fool of. You don’t have to be a projection of my mind to understand that detail about me. Perhaps you should drop the act.”

  Lorelei shook her head. “It breaks my heart, but I think you might be right. I am certain he will do the right thing. We prepared him as best we could—before we even knew the challenges he might face… there may be nothing more we can do now.”

  I grew impatient with this idiocy.

  “You clearly work to undermine my conviction. I shall not stoop to letting mere projections interfere with me at the final juncture. And to think—you honestly thought I would fall for such an obvious ploy?”

  Fiona swiftly leaned forwards on the balls of her feet—head tilted, hands folded behind her lower back, a clever grin across her lips. Such a posture was one of her defining habits, when my older sister felt particularly coy or smug. “Elliott, you silly fool… Tzavos Tzovac is not the only one who knows how to pull someone else between worlds.”

  The blatantness of it all astounded me. “…What?”

  “If we were really ‘projections’… would it not stand to reason that we could only behave in ways you remember? And know things only you knew?” Fiona winked, a gleeful look on her face. “Or only things you knew that we knew?”

  That made sense, though I hated it. “I… suppose.”

  “Fiona,” Lorelei warned her. “What are you doing?”

  Fiona grinned mischievously. “And what if Mum and I knew something that you didn’t—something you couldn’t possibly know that we did? Would that make things a little easier for you to swallow here?”

  “No,” our mother sternly shoved off from the
boulder, her arms clenching at fists. “Certain things cannot be told. I order you to abandon this line of thought, my daughter. Now. We will release him back to wherever he came from.”

  Bewildered by this, I begrudgingly stared at my sister. “Fine. For the moment… you have my attention.”

  Fiona smiled over my shoulder at our seething mother; when she looked at me again, a devious grin spread wide. “Tell me, Elliott, clever as you always were—did you ever figure out who our father is?”

  Chapter 25

  Nikki

  “Mattias?” I took a step backwards in shock.

  The noble lord sighed. “It is true.”

  He and I stood atop an ancient manor, overlooking a frozen lake. Though I had never been here, I recognized it from the description—Blackburn Manor, the private castle of the vampire lord of Bleakwood.

  His castle.

  “Why do you lie like this to me?” I narrowed my eyes. “I spent many months traveling alone with him. Imposter! You besmirch the memory of the real Mattias Blackburn…” I raised my daggers defensively. “And I shall never forgive you for daring to darken his memory.”

  “Put those away, Nicole,” he shook his head gravely.

  I growled. Oh, now you’re going to get it…

  “I fell in love with your mother centuries ago—but our union was strictly forbidden by ancient taboos. You see, the offspring of two vampire lords are too pure in blood, and their unusual power tips the natural balance. To bring nearly full-blooded vampire lords into the world is a great blasphemy to the world order.

  “And your mother and I… even Svetlana… we were an inseparable trio. Painstakingly, we worked together to find and maintain a precarious peace in our world. Although the two of us could never be seen visibly cooperating, I still found myself unable to hide my fondness for your mother. I very nearly exposed that we were lovers more than once.