by Kant, Komal
“Valeska!” Panic seized a hold of me as I tried to free my hand from hers. I wanted to do something to help her, but I was so frozen with fear that nothing was coming to mind.
“Neither Hell nor Heaven born.” Valeska’s voice came out in a low chant, her eyes still unseeing.
She didn’t seem to be here anymore. Was she having a vision? Should I call 911? Did 911 handle witch related emergencies?
Cast out because of Hallowed Scorn
Hidden on the earthly plain
Where sky meets earth, and earth meets pain
When more than one is magnified
The ancient power cannot be denied
Wandering minds, metal, and flame
But broken the power won’t stay the same
When truth and lies break all the ties
Only will the Mortal Blade choose a new ally
Then without warning, Valeska’s body went limp and she slumped to the side, her hand falling from mine.
Chapter Three
I wasn’t going to lie; for a few seconds I really thought Valeska was dead.
Overdramatic, I know, but after the strange rhyme and the violent fit she’d just had I wasn’t sure what to think.
Thankfully, she twitched, filling me with relief at the discovery that she was still alive.
“Valeska?” I asked uncertainly, leaning forward in my seat—well, cushion—to study her.
Her unnerving blue eyes flew open and she sat up, seeming irritated. “What is it?”
My eyes grew wide as I gaped at her. “Uh, you just had a seizure. Are you okay?”
Valeska’s stared at me like I was on crack. “A seizure? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I was starting to freak out a little now. “Are you messing with me? Is this some sort of joke? You just had a seizure and starting chanting a rhyme and-”
“A rhyme?” Valeska’s entire demeanor changed. She bowed her head as though my words suddenly had more weight to them. “What was the rhyme about?”
“Um.” I wracked my brain, trying to remember the words from the rhyme. “Something about Hallowed Scorn, and there was a thing at the end about the Mortal Blade.”
The Mortal Blade—I knew what that was. It was from a supernatural fairy tale my mom had read to me when I was younger.
“The Mortal Blade?” Surprise, then fear, flashed across Valeska’s face for the quickest moment. Her reaction to a magical object from a fairy tale made no sense.
She reached across the table and placed her hand on my forehead. A white-hot heat slammed me in the center of my head before spreading throughout my body. My skin began to tingle uncomfortably, and then all of a sudden the words that Valeska had chanted minutes ago, imprinted themselves into my mind.
I lost control of my body as my mouth moved on its own. Panic swelled up in my chest as something took over me—I’d never felt so helpless before; present but locked away from myself.
Neither Hell nor Heaven born
Cast out because of Hallowed Scorn
Hidden on the earthly plain
Where sky meets earth, and earth meets pain
When more than one is magnified
The ancient power cannot be denied
Wandering minds, metal, and flame
But broken the power won’t stay the same
When truth and lies break all the ties
Only will the Mortal Blade choose a new ally
It felt like someone had doused my head in a bucket of freezing water as I finally regained control over my body. Fear coursed through me as I shot to my feet and stared at Valeska who looked just as shaken as I felt.
“What the hell was that?” I demanded. Losing control of my body, of my choices, was something I couldn’t handle.
“I remember now.” Valeska’s voice sounded weak as her electric blue eyes focused on me. “I had a vision.”
Vision? Holy hell, it was like an episode of Supernatural.
“What did you see?” My voice rose in panic. I didn’t enjoy feeling helpless, and I was completely out of my depth here.
Valeska’s brow creased. “I saw you lying on the ground. There was blood on your face and a flurry of sound around you. And there was metal and fire, and an angel’s touch.”
At the mention of blood, I started feeling sick. I knew a vision sounded like something that was make-believe, but in my world a witch’s vision was priceless. My mother wouldn’t have sent me to Valeska otherwise.
“And that rhyme was part of it?” I asked, trying to distract myself as I resumed my seat on the cushion.
“It was a prophecy, silly girl.” Valeska’s voice had strengthened and she seemed to be back to her normal self again. “An ancient prophecy that was told thousands of years ago.”
“A prophecy?” My brows rose in surprise. We were back to Harry Potter.
“Yes, a prophecy was made long ago about a child and a legend,” she said, her voice so low that I had to lean forward to hear her. “The Legend of the Triad tells of three magical objects created thousands of years ago by the Heavens, the Earth, and the world below.”
My ears perked up at the mention of the legend—it was a familiar story to me. “Yes, I’ve heard of it. It’s a fairy tale my mom told me when I was a kid. So what?”
“It is not simply a fairy tale. It is a story that has been told throughout generations.” Valeska continued. “When brought together, the three objects give the bearer unimaginable power. Since the objects cannot be easily destroyed, long ago, Parlum separated them to avoid anyone acquiring such a level of omnipotence.”
I decided to go along with her fairy story, even though I wasn’t sure where she was going with this. “So where are they now?”
“The prophecy is ancient, but the events of it appear to be coming into effect now. I believe that it is guiding you to a Triad object; the Mortal Blade.”
A shiver ran down my spine as the final line of the prophecy came back to me.
Only will the Mortal Blade choose a new ally.
“How is this supposed to help me?” I had risked a lot to get to Valeska, yet I didn’t seem to be any closer to getting the answer that I needed. “I need to know who killed her.”
“You are special, Katerina Lyrille, this is just a sign that great things are about to happen to you, you just don’t realize it yet. I cannot tell you why the fates have chosen this path for you, but somewhere along this path you will find the answer that you seek.”
Another shiver ran down my spine at Valeska’s words.
“So what does this all mean? Where do I find this Mortal Blade?”
“Hidden on the earthly plain; Where sky meets earth, and earth meets pain.” Valeska pointed at the single tarot card that lay face up. “The Hierophant. It expresses the need to conform to social structure and tradition.”
I had completely forgotten about the tarot card.
Staring down at it, I saw a large figure in a red robe sitting on a throne, holding what looked like a fancy scepter. Two people were kneeling in front of him—possibly worshippers.
“How do you figure that?” I met her with a blank stare. I wasn’t following.
“This card,” Valeska continued, “represents an institution which allows access to something sacred.”
My heart sank as I caught the meaning behind her words. “An institution like…” I trailed off, hoping that my gut instinct was wrong.
“Like a school,” she finished for me, “like Esteré Academy for the Gifted and Talented.”
Her words stunned me into silence. A powerful magical object was at my school, the very place I had run away from. This was too much to process in one sitting.
“So,” I finally said, trying to wrap my head around the idea, “you’re saying that this all-powerful object of legend is hidden at my school and no one knows about it?”
Valeska shook her head slowly. “I never said no one knew of it, I simply said that it could be found there. Only a few speci
al people would be able to acquire it.” She gave me a meaningful look.
My mouth dropped open. “What are you saying exactly? That I’m this special person? That I should go back there? I left school for a reason! Shouldn’t your cards have told you that?”
“Sometimes running away takes you back to the very place you left behind.” Ignoring my outburst, she continued calmly. “Your journey will come full circle. The answer to your question will be found there. Fate has chosen this path for you.”
Fate was a twisted bitch.
I was going back to school. Damn it.
“A part of you must want to go back. You have friends there who have risked a lot for you, don’t you?”
Valeska obviously already knew the answer and was trying to affect me. I pressed my eyes shut, trying to clear my head. Her words had hit a nerve. I did want to see my friends again, and if going back to school was going to help me find this Mortal Blade and give me my answer then what else could I do?
Once again, I didn’t have a lot of options.
“They’ll imprison me as soon I go back,” I said in a whisper. “I ran away. I look guilty by default.”
“I do not see imprisonment in your future. They are still gathering evidence against you, are they not? You must find the Mortal Blade and see where it takes you. The cards are never wrong.”
“How am I supposed to know that finding the Mortal Blade will help me?” I opened my eyes and saw her watching me intently with her electric blue ones.
“Your mother would not have sent you to me if she wasn’t certain that I would be able to point you in the right direction.” Valeska’s tone was firm. “I have helped your mother in her darkest hour. Trust in what I have told you, trust in the prophecy.”
My head was too full of my thoughts, warring with each other, to even ask what my mother had come to her for. There was so much I didn’t understand, and every second seemed to present me with more questions and less answers.
“And if you are still unsure, the Hierophant,” Valeska said, pointing at the card again, “represents the balance of three. That triple sceptre is a symbol of his dominion over the three worlds.”
Hidden on the earthly plain; where sky meets earth, and earth meets pain.
The three worlds.
Fate really did have a screwed up sense of humor.
***
When I finally stepped out of Valeska’s shop, it was just after midnight. Wellton seemed like a ghost town as I stole through the dark alleyways and headed back towards the hotel I was staying at.
My finger still throbbed from where I had cut myself with the knife. My head was throbbing too, mainly because I was trying to shake off the bad feeling that lingered from gaining no answers and only finding riddles.
Then I’d gone ahead and sold my soul to the devil, or whatever that blood promise thing had been. My mom had told me to be smart, but sometimes I made stupid decisions. Now I had to find an ancient object of legend I wasn’t even sure existed.
The chill of the night air seeped through my coat and into my skin, and I wrapped my arms around my body as I finally broke out onto the main street. The hotel was a few blocks away and I stuck to one side of the street, allowing the shadows to engulf me.
Only I could get myself into a situation where I had to go back to the one place I had run away from. Even if I proclaimed my innocence from the rooftops, no one would believe me. No one except my friends, and they didn’t have a lot of sway.
There was a dull ache in my chest as I thought of them.
Annaliese Taliesin and Mishelin Delling were as opposite as two people could be. Anna was an angel with the ability to teleport; insecure about her power, obsessive about studying, and always followed the rules. On the other hand, Misha was an ectra demon— with the ability to use electric-based magic—who was a complete rule-breaker and did things without thinking them through. She was the extreme version of me.
When the hotel loomed up ahead, I quickened my pace, eager to be out of the cold. The hotel was a rundown, Victorian-style mansion that had been converted into a cheap bed and breakfast. It probably couldn’t pass a health inspection, but it was a good place to hide out because it blended in with the other mansions on the street.
The receptionist nodded at me as I entered, but I was too lost in my thoughts to return the greeting as I took the stairs to the first floor where my room was.
As I fished for the room key in my pocket, my hand brushed against something soft. A feather. It was Valeska’s parting gift to me. I had no idea how a stupid, purple feather was supposed to help me, and all she’d was, “This will help you when you are in need. You will know what to do with it when the time is right.”
I felt like the entire encounter with her belonged on a t-shirt: I met a witch and all I got was this purple feather.
And a prophecy that made no sense.
Sighing, I made my way down the corridor to where my room was located at the end. About halfway along, I stopped and looked around. The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood up like they usually did when I got a bad feeling about something.
I glanced up and down the hall and noticed three sets of wet footprints leading to my door. My three visitors had been out in the rain recently, and I could bet my purple feather I knew who the footprints belonged to.
SRECON had found me. Again. Man, they were good.
My first instinct was to get as far away from them as I could, but then a thought occurred to me. If SRECON was trying to get me back to school anyway, it made sense for me to hitch a ride with them.
Convinced that this was the best way to return to school, I strolled towards the door and pressed my ear against it. It was silent on the other end, but that didn’t mean they weren’t still inside. SRECON didn’t give up the hunt so easily.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside, anticipating an ambush. The room was dark, but before I could reach for the switch, the lights came on.
Loire was three feet away from me, glaring back at me with those slate blue eyes. To add to the pressure, his short-sword was pointed right at my face. If I didn’t hate him so much, I’d compliment him on it. The hilt was a beautiful gold with vibrant green ivy winding around it—the work on it was incredible.
“If you move, I will not hesitate to drive my sword through that pretty face.”
“So you think I’m pretty?” I doubted they would seriously hurt me; they’d had plenty of chances to do that already.
Loire grabbed me by the shoulder and pushed me back until I was pressed against the wall with his sword still pointed at me.
“You think this is funny, Rookie?” I bristled at his choice of name for me. “Well, I don’t find it funny chasing around some snot-nosed boarding school kid.”
Looking beyond Loire, I noticed that he was accompanied by Tyrone and the telepathic angel. They both met my gaze, their faces unreadable beneath the fluorescent lights.
I fake pouted just to annoy him. “Is that all our thirty seconds together meant to you? I’m hurt.”
He ignored me and glanced back at the angel; I could see the look of question on his profile.
“She has no more angel hair,” the angel said, as though responding to a silent question. “It is safe for us to use our powers on her.”
“You sure?” Tyrone asked. “Because last time I nearly set myself on fire. What a thought for my eulogy; the demon too hot to handle himself.”
Loire rolled his eyes and looked back at the angel again. “Veritas, are you positive?” He seemed to trail off before he finished his sentence and studied the angel intently. With a start, I realized he was continuing the remainder of the conversation in his head.
Wow. This angel—Veritas, was it?—was one powerful angel if she could read thoughts and have conversations in her head.
Veritas nodded and turned to Tyrone. “I am sure. You can bind her now.”
“Ooh,” I said, “binding? Sounds dirty.”
Loire ignore
d me again and lowered his sword before walking over to join Veritas as Tyrone stepped forward eagerly and tilted his head, scrutinizing me. The gleam in his eyes was unsettling. I was so not looking forward to this.
The tattoos on Tyrone’s forearms glowed as he directed an invisible energy at me. At first nothing happened, but slowly a heat spread along my arms, startling me. A thick loop of fire in the shape of a bangle, appeared around each wrist, like two unconnected handcuffs.
The heat radiating off of them wasn’t nearly enough to burn me, but I still scowled at Tyrone who seemed pleased with my reaction.
“Did you know that fascination with fire is a psychological dysfunction linked to rapists and murderers?” I asked in an off-hand tone.
Tyrone clutched his chest dramatically and stumbled backwards. “It’s like you can see right into the depths of my dark and tortured soul.”
I stifled a laugh and held out a hand as I wriggled my fingers. “So what do these bracelet things do exactly?”
Tyrone admired his handiwork with a smile. “They only do what I tell them to, unless, of course, you try and remove them in which case they will explode, turning you into ash.”
“Sounds lovely. Anything else I need to know?” I didn’t bother asking whether he was being serious or not. I’d rather not know.
“If you run away, they will explode. If you try and fight, they will explode. If you kill anyone, they will explode. If you try to be a smart ass, they will explode.” His eyes glinted at the last one.
“Hey, these look pretty fashionable on me,” I said. “Only I could pull off prisoner chic.” The flames suddenly flickered and tightened around my wrist, singeing some of my skin.
I yelped in pain and shot Tyrone a dark look. “That’s child abuse you know?”
He simply sneered before turning and walking back to where Veritas and Loire stood, speaking to each other in hushed tones. I guess they didn’t see me as much of a threat now that I had been restrained.
Loire, who seemed to be the spokesperson for the group, caught my eye and approached me again. “I want to ask you something. Off the record.”
Off the record? He knew how to pique my interest. “Okay, shoot.”