by Emma Glass
The twisted abomination was nearly reformed.
“All these years… it was you. Tzavos Tzovac, you have taken… so much from me. You took away my older sister, and you used my own two hands to do it! You shattered my mind and drove me straight into the depths of depravity! You forced my mother to her early grave! And my father… you saw fit to kill him, too. Only one of us is left unscathed from your manipulations… and I will not see him burdened with the pain you have given me.”
Tzavos lifted a threatening hand. “Tread carefully, child.”
My eyes crackled with unimaginable anger. There she stood… the destructor of everything good I had ever had. Every loss I have suffered, each failure I have endured… every last shivering, screaming nightmare…
It all comes back to you.
Tzavos’s eyes widened in rage as a dark flame rose in her hand. She straightened her arm and lifted her chin.
I pushed myself forwards, one boot before the other. As the purple flame brightened, her smile grew wider and her retinas burned.
“My child, forgive me,” Tzavos shook Sabine’s head. “I see the power inside you. I will erase all of your pains and your sorrows… take your place in the fall of the Calamity, and I will spare you your strife…”
“You know… I can’t help but think about that phrase,” I smirked stubbornly. “The Calamity falls. We’ve heard that a few too many times now…”
Tzavos held up her burning hand. “And?”
“I think we got it wrong.”
“What do you mean?” She smiled curiously.
“The Calamity is going to fall. It’s falling right now. But I don’t think ‘fall’ means what you think it means. The Calamity will fall. The Calamity will fail.”
Her eyes narrowed as I stepped closer to the ancient witch. It was now or never. The power inside me was uncontrollable. I let down every defense in my body as the light burst painfully free from my body, engulfing us both completely…
“STOP!” Tzavos shrieked, contorting Sabine’s mouth.
The rotating circles around us went insane in shattered, rebounding magic. Bright, white light burst out from Tzavos’s eyes and mouth. Her scream reverberated across the black abyss surrounding us; in the midst of all this chaos, I felt something innate and true. Even Tzavos couldn’t withstand this kind of power.
The dust was exploding away; her body faded into the white oblivion. Somebody had to die here. I saw that now. They were all marked… but I was the wildcard all along. I wasn’t supposed to be here, but I could play my part.
One of us has to go. But I can shoulder this burden. For my sister. For my mother. For my father. For Elliot and his silly little witch…
As Tzavos’s body was torn apart, I reached out and grasped her falling staff. Shielding my eyes from the piercing, overwhelming absence of darkness, I turned painfully.
“Clara…” I called out. “It hurts…”
“Nikki!” She shouted. “What are you doing?!”
I held onto the rod—Tzavos’s rod, clutching it tightly. Something told me it was the only thing that could stop the light, but I didn’t know how to use it…
“Take care of each other—and… Elliot…“
His eyes gave away his heartbreak. In all of my years I’ve seen plenty of close calls, but I’d never seen my older brother so utterly broken. He kept his unwavering stare on me, tears pecking at his eyes.
I felt my throat seize.
“When you see our sister again… tell her…”
I could barely utter the words. But I had to.
“Tell her that… I’m sorry.”
Clara and Elliott screamed my name again so hard that I thought their throats might go raw. There was nothing they could do. It was over—at least, it was over for me.
I’ve done all I can.
I couldn’t hold the magic back any longer.
The rest was up to them. My grave waited for me. I could rest, knowing I’d done this one thing right. My chin lifted. In the light, I almost thought I saw his face…
A smiling, handsome human, watching me. If I hadn’t met him, I would have died alone and afraid on Clara’s world. I would have never lived to be standing here, right where I needed to be. The irony wasn’t lost. After all the blood I’d spilt, my last act would be to die preserving life.
Without that human to save me, all of my irredeemable sins would have rested unavenged. I lived thanks to you. I lived enough to save the ones I loved. Just this once, after all those heartbreaking failures…
This time, I can save them.
All thanks to him. The one Elliott called… Peter.
I was just happy to see him again, in this final moment. There was no better guide to lead me to my grave. A kind smirk slid across his face as his face moved closer, and my eyes filled with tears.
Promises unfulfilled.
I relaxed every tensed muscle in my body.
And everything else faded away.
Part IV
Between Worlds
Chapter 32
Elliott
My sister stood before us, physically restraining the beam of light that meant our destruction. It made quite a provoking, heartbreaking image; it was one that would be forever burned into my mind.
I’d never been so proud of her. Yet, so scared.
Nikki stood tall and defiant atop the low stairs, holding the long staff parallel to the ground at her side. The energy she held back was so powerful that the very air around her began to crackle—and then it rippled her clothes, even lifting up her platinum blonde hair. Her gaze turned from us, facing into the terrifying light.
For that moment, she looked weightless.
And—just for one beautiful, shining second—my sister looked as I thought she might have once been; had her fate been kinder, had she not been tainted so early in her life by this inflicted, crippling madness. She looked as she should have been, in another time that left her mind intact.
Unwavering. Indomitable. Beautiful. Whole.
Nikki Craven stood tall before us, the rod held so tight in her fist I thought it would split in twain. By the strength of her defiance, she willfully held back what meant to end us all with her bare hands. My throat went dry. I realized I was screaming her name as Clara held me. The thought of losing anyone else in my family was too much. I couldn’t bear to be the last Craven, and I couldn’t bear to lose her. Of my blood, she was all I had left.
It should be me up there, I pleaded. Let her live. Take me.
She was too far gone. Standing atop the few low stairs, the rupturing light threatening to drag the rest of us down with it into oblivion.
Nikki stared away as the light consumed her, just as it had consumed Tzavos.
As the light faded, my beloved sister was gone.
I felt the floor against my forehead, bent over against the hum of magic. My heart was so broken that whatever tears I had left were simply beyond reaching.
I was spent and destroyed.
A voice danced upon my ears. Clara Blackwell was comforting me.
But it was so distant. Paradoxically, my chest burned in pain but felt overwhelmingly numb. That numbing feeling cascaded throughout my body, drowning my sorrows in a dulling of every thought in my mind and every last nerve ending in my skin.
She was kneeling before me now. Shaking me.
What is that on her face? It isn’t depression. More like…
Slowly, I lifted my head in a dark despair. “…What?”
“Elliott,” she cajoled me. “Look!”
I turned, looking for my sister. Instead of her, I saw that the purple vortexes of magic surrounding us fizzled out in rapid succession; they released each captive vampire lord. I felt a faint flicker of happiness as I watched my brethren freed. Every one of them dropped against the edge of the rings of power, groaning blearily.
Stumbling to my feet, I staggered towards the nearest. I grabbed the lord of Alevorra by the shoulders, holding her stabilized. She
looked tired. “Chandra! Are you okay?”
She reached to grab onto my wrists; I saw something in her eyes deeply sadden. Weakly, she nodded. “Elliott…”
“What is it, Chandra?”
Her sudden burst of strength surprised me. Lord Song pulled me into a hard, supportive hug as she started to sob heavily into my chest. “Oh gods, Elliott… your sister!” Her body heaved as she cried harder than I thought a vampire could ever cry. “I can’t… I don’t… I’m so sorry…!”
Clutching Chandra’s head to my chest with a hand, the other fell limply to my side. I gazed over her shoulder in a dumb, slack expression. “My… sister?”
She nodded, sobbing. “I saw everything, Elliott!”
“I don’t… but how? The prisons. The fantasies…”
Sniffling into my chest, she nodded. Words spilled out of her with sputtered bursts. “Tzavos had us all trapped in fantasies, yes… but then…” Chandra pulled me in closer. “When you broke her hold on Clara… the fantasies, they all burned away…” The lord of Alevorra began to cry harder. I held her, trying to comfort her, though I knew not what to say. “I was trapped… and made to watch the three of you fight that monster… ”
I stared silently. Their prisons held, but they couldn’t help us. Did they truly witness everything?
“Did the others see?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
I released my embrace, but still held her upright. “Are you going to be okay if I check on them, Chandra? Hold it together for me, if you can.”
The lord of Alevorra nodded, glancing over at Clara.
Letting go of her shoulders, I watched her start to walk over to the witch in the center. Then I moved to the next—
Clearly rattled, Valentine Vasiliev dusted herself off. I knew no tears or embraces would come from her, so I held a respectful distance and watched her compose herself. As the proudest among us, I knew she had the most to lose—and when she noticed me, she sighed wearily.
I have never seen you look so tired, or so dejected.
“Lord Craven…” Valentine regarded me cautiously.
“Did you bear witness, Lord Vasiliev?”
Nine hundred years of sorrow was written in her face as she lowered her face. “You all performed… very remarkably,” she conceded. “Lorelei Craven would be proud.”
“That is generous of you to say,” I replied calmly.
“Generous? No,” Valentine turned away. “It’s the truth. And, for what it is worth, Elliott…” The arrogant vampire lord glanced back, staring me in the eyes. “Without the late Lady Craven… I suppose I could be proud of you for her.” I never thought her chilly eyes capable of warmth before, but she found a way to surprise me. “Thank you, Elliott.”
I nodded graciously.
“And I am sorry for your loss.”
The last part stung, but I held a brave face.
One by one, I dealt with checking on the other vampire lords. It seemed all of them had witnessed our final battle against Tzavos Tzovac—and the sacrifice of Nikki Craven. While most of them did not dare to comment on her fate, I could see the sympathy and pain in their eyes.
Oh, you would be eating this up right now, I thought. Even as much as you hated them all… knowing that they have turned a new leaf on you so severely, it would go straight to your head. A small smile hit my lips, just thinking about it.
When I came to Svetlana Lovrić, I watched her coolly.
“Lord Craven…” Her shoulders sagged. “Together, we came here to save our world. It was a burden you had to bear without our combined strength behind you. I do not understand how you managed this… but the three of you were spectacular.”
I watched her with a cold look in my eyes. It took her a moment to notice it; a few seconds later, she deduced that it had little to do with the battle.
“What is it, Elliott?”
“You knew,” I replied calmly.
Svetlana squeezed her eyebrows in confusion.
“Our mother has passed from this world… and our father…”
I could see immediately that she understood. “Oh, Elliott....”
“You knew,” I spoke through gritted teeth. “Every time we convened the council. Every time I turned to face the vampire lord of Bleakwood… I stared into the eyes of my own father.”
The lord of the Drenchlands regarded me sadly. “Yes.”
“And you never told me… because?”
She sighed, but she didn’t break my gaze. “Because your mother swore me to silence,” Svetlana answered. “Lorelei Craven feared what could come from your enhanced lineage. The same as she feared for your sisters’ well-being. If you found out who your father was—if the other lords discovered your secret—it could have thrown us all into war. I am the only lord who knew the truth. It was a secret I planned to take to my grave.”
“It will not remain a secret any longer. No matter what our foreign allies think, I will take no shame in my parentage. Mattias and Lorelei were the best among us. They died protecting the ones they loved… just as Nikki sacrificed herself.”
“Your sister left us as a proud warrior, Elliott.”
“While the Blackburn and Craven bloodlines were steeped in battle and triumph, both bore many facets. Nikki can keep their lust for combat; I choose to embody their diplomacy.”
“A wise choice, Lord Craven.”
I watched her, trying to come to terms with the feelings bubbling inside. I chose to be diplomatic… but stern. “You and I have grown closer,” I told her. “I will not jeopardize this. We stand at the cusp of bringing a new revolution to our world, one that could dwarf even your prior work… but that is where our familiarity begins, and ends.”
Accepting this with a nod, Svetlana sighed in despair. “Whatever you wish, Lord Craven.”
I decided I was fine with that.
Turning away, I left her alone to find her composure and sauntered back into the center of the rotating circles. Chandra and Clara were hugging one another, weeping in the intensity of this experience. Although I wasn’t keen on breaking up their moment, I felt it was my turn.
Lord Song pulled from Clara, smiling in her tears. With a grateful nod to her, I embraced my beautiful witch with what strength I could, careful to not break her delicate bones.
“Oh god, Elliott…” She breathed heavily. “We did it.”
“We did. Tzavos is defeated. The vampire lords stand freed from their prisons. Your dream draws to an end.”
Clara nodded against me. “Hold me, Elliott.”
I did as she asked, planting a kiss against her forehead. After all the horrors of this day, it felt reassuring to finally grip onto her like this; I felt my chin nestle into place over her head, and she fit snugly against my chest.
This moment together was peaceful and perfect…
Until the floor burst alive with the activation of a spell.
* * *
The magical circles began to spin beneath us, bursting out of their usual rhythm. As we stared together at the three massive rings, each one fought for dominance over both the others. They span faster, glowing brighter by the second as the white light shined hard enough to nearly blind us both where we stood.
“Elliott?!” Clara gasped, terrified.
The fear in her voice provoked me to action. Throwing my arms around her, we clutched to one another. I shouted over the sound of the building magic. “Clara, no matter what happens now—“
“We’ll be together!” She shouted back.
The wide rings span faster around us. I felt a powerful magic stirring—one that could rip us apart. After everything we’ve been through, is this how it ends? Torn to pieces by magic? The spell reached a fever pitch around us; for a moment, I honestly thought I might go blind after all, if not deaf… I couldn’t spare even a glance to check on the battered, fatigued vampire lords… The only thing that mattered to me now was her safety.
And then the crushing tensio
n released in a snap.
Clara and I slowly opened our eyes, facing one another. Clenching onto each other’s shoulders, both on our knees, we slowly released our grips with a heavy sigh.
“Elliott… is this…?”
I followed her lead, glancing around. White sands surrounded us, stark and lifeless in motionless dunes beneath the black sky. No wind blew; no moon hung in the sky above. Were it not for the light of the sand itself, we might have been as good as blind. “It feels so long since we’ve been here, doesn’t it?”
Light burst up beneath us. The rings rematerialized.
They showed the way out. A reflection of yet another dark, sinister place shone through the magic rings, but this one held floating arrays of shattered mosaics. The High Tower of the Magisters, I gasped, remembering it now. It really has felt like so long since we were there last… We were back at the very start. This was exactly what we saw when we first encountered the diabolical witch.
“What is that, Elliott?” Clara whispered.
“The other side of the seal.”
“But… what about the other vampire lords?”
I smiled at her. “We’ve shattered Tzavos’s grip on this dream. As soon as I bring you across the seal, everyone will wake up…”
“But… what about Nikki?” She turned away.
My mind clouded in grief. “I don’t know.”
As if on cue, the rings began to glow again. We covered our faces from the burning light. But an optimistic warmth entered my heart. “What? How many times is that going to happen?” Clara bellowed over the spell in shock.
I nearly smiled, because I could feel a familiar presence pulling through. I gripped onto her shoulders once more. “Look into my eyes, Clara! Focus on me!” I lightly pressed my forehead against hers, feeling her nod as she matched my gaze. We closed our eyes against the light; magic lifted the ripples of our clothes, crackling around us as I felt a new presence joining us.
“Is it Nikki?” She cried out, sensing the same thing.
I nodded. “I think she made it! She’s here!”