by C. M. Sipes
Marcella stared at Samia, mouth agape in astonishment.
“You would be immortal and my heir, and you would still have your husband and daughters by your side for eternity.”
“I do not know what to say.”
“‘Yes’, would suffice,” Samia said lightly. “The only downsides of this gift are that you must drink blood, and avoid sunlight while you are a fledgling. I am able to walk in the sunlight because I am old, but the young ones cannot for many years. As Queens, we are more resilient, even as fledglings, because of our ancient blood.”
“I—” Marcella shifted uncomfortably. “I do not believe I can accept.”
Samia’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Why do you believe you cannot?”
“I cannot go in sunlight. I must drink only blood. How am I to be a mother to my children if I cannot step outside with them during the day and play with them? This immortality would completely alter my life and I do not believe I am ready for such a thing.” Marcella’s eyes drifted down to her hands, examining them intently.
“It is alright, Marcella. I understand,” Samia said sincerely. “I have gone many years without an heir, something that is quite unusual for us. I am able to wait longer if need be, and if you still do not wish for immortality then I will patiently wait for someone else.”
“Thank you.”
“Goodnight my darlings,” Marcella said sweetly to her daughters as she kissed them both on the head and tucked them in for the night.
“When can we go to the temple with you?” Davena asked, her voice small and excited.
Marcella chuckled. “Perhaps we can go in a few days.”
“I want to see the Egyptian High Priestess,” Rena said with a grin.
“Mother said she is really pretty, Father believes so as well,” Davena added.
“Yes, your father and I believe Samia is quite beautiful,” Marcella replied with a light laugh. “But I believe that it is time for you two to sleep.”
Davena grumbled, but snuggled into her blankets regardless. Rena followed suit a moment later as Marcella exited their room and headed down the corridor to her own bedroom. Her husband was already in bed when she arrived and she easily slid in next to him, pulling the blankets up to her chest and looking at him with a curious expression.
“What is wrong?” Marcella asked as she examined the slightly troubled expression on his face.
“Are you sure you were right in turning down Samia’s offer for immortality?” Antonius asked carefully.
“We would not be able to be the parents we need to be for our children,” Marcella replied softly.
“Immortality though, Marcella. It is a blessing from the goddess,” Antonius commented seriously before sighing.
“Is this about the prophecy?”
“The prophecy said that an offer would be extended, and if accepted, you would live. If you denied it, then you would perish.”
“Antonius, that could easily mean that if I accepted I would live forever, and if not then I would die an old woman. There is no way to know if I would perish in the tragedy that is to come,” Marcella reasoned.
“But there is no way to know that either,” he replied seriously.
Marcella sighed. “It is late. The girls are tucked in and I am tired. Let us sleep and worry about this in the morning.”
Antonius nodded his agreement, albeit reluctantly, and leaned into his wife. He carefully placed a soft kiss on her lips before they settled comfortably into the bed, their arms wrapping around each other in contentment. Antonius fell asleep shortly after, his breathing evening out and barely noticeable in the bright light of the moon.
Marcella, however, was not so fortunate. Her thoughts kept her awake for some time, her eyes trained on the shape and brightness of the moon.
Suddenly, she heard a vase break down the hall near the girls’ room. A sharp cry from Davena sent her sitting straight up in bed, Antonius following suit. Their eyes locked on each other in sheer panic before scrambling from the bed and rushing down the hall. Rena’s voice carried a blood-curdling scream of terror as Marcella and Antonius sprinted into the bedroom. A silhouette of a woman was visible in the center, her arms outstretched and a strange language falling from her lips. Objects in the chamber began to rise and spin around, as if the Venti themselves were being commanded by the woman in question.
The woman was thin. Her long light brown hair whipped in the wind within the room while her bright blue eyes focused on the two girls before her.
Marcella screamed for Rena and Davena, drawing the woman’s attention. Their eyes met and Marcella involuntarily shivered at the desperation and intensity of her gaze.
“You cannot save them,” the woman yelled over the sound of the howling wind. “They are mine now.”
Marcella and Antonius both yelled for their daughters as the woman grabbed both girls tightly.
“Mother!” Rena and Daven screamed in tandem before the woman and her wind forcefully pulled them from the room.
As soon as the three were gone, the wind disappeared and left the room in shambles. Marcella fell to her knees, sobs wracking her body as she screamed after her daughters. She never registered Antonius’ hand on her arm, but she heard him say he was going to gather some soldiers and begin searching the city for the girls. He departed shortly after and left Marcella on her knees in the doorway, sobbing and staring out of the open window.
Her eyes widened when a swarm of bats rushed into the chamber, flying in a circle a moment before vanishing into a body.
“What happened?” Samia asked worriedly, her form coming to fruition. Her blood-red eyes shone in the darkness of the room as her nose twitched to smell the air.
Marcella let out a choked cry before swallowing and speaking, “A woman appeared in their room and she commanded the wind. Sh—she took my girls.”
Samia’s eyes widened before she sniffed the air a few more times, gathering as much of the scent as possible. “We will find them,” she said seriously before walking to Marcella and helping her up. “I am going to carry you back to the temple. I shall send some scouts out to scour the city and see if we can find the witch.”
“How do you know she is a witch? How do you know that she was not one of your kind?” Marcella asked harshly.
“I can smell her and smell her blood. It is distinctly witch, and very powerful. I believe I know the one you seek. Her name is Circe. From what I have heard she only seeks to further herself.”
“What would she want with my daughters?”
Samia sadly shook her head. “I do not know. But we will find them and bring them home.”
Marcella nodded before wrapping her arms around Samia’s neck. The High Priestess easily lifted her into her arms, holding her tight as she ran at the window and leapt from it.
Marcella resisted the urge to scream as they fell toward the ground. She shut her eyes in fear, awaiting the inevitable impact.
When no impact came, she opened her eyes.
They rushed through the streets so quickly that Marcella could not make anything out. Everything was a blur to her as they ran, and she found herself closing her eyes once more to avoid becoming nauseous.
She felt her feet touch the ground as Samia carefully lowered her, an arm holding her close to keep her from becoming too dizzy at the sudden stop.
“Your Majesty?” Nuru asked, kohl-lined eyes searching the two women frantically.
“I need every fast able-bodied scout to begin searching every nook of this city for Marcella’s daughters. They were just taken from their room by a witch. I believe it is Circe.” Samia looked at her priests and priestesses as she held up a dress.
“That is Rena’s,” Marcella whispered.
“I grabbed it from the room before we left,” Samia gently told the woman before looking back to her fellow kin. “Smell this and track the scent. We must find the girls as quickly as possible. Whatever Circe has planned, she must need to act fast if she did not mind Marcella and An
tonius seeing her. If you see Antonius while on your search, aid him in any way you can.”
“As you command,” came the response.
Her subjects dropped to one knee before vanishing from the room to do as their Queen commanded.
“Come, we need to act quickly,” Samia said as she hoisted Marcella into her arms once more.
Marcella merely nodded before they were off again.
The streets still held their blurred shapes as they raced, weaving in between houses and buildings as they searched. The bright white light of the moon illuminated the buildings and streets, and although Marcella was unable to make out any of the scenery, she knew they had covered a little less than half of the city.
Samia growled in frustration as she continued to leap across buildings and weave through the roads. The trail she was following seemed to take them in every direction with no end.
Finally, having enough, she stopped atop a building and gently sat Marcella down.
She smelled the air a few more times, focusing on the scent of Circe and the distinctive aromas around it. Samia began to be able to smell the girls and she turned around quickly, staring out in another direction and sniffing the air. She could smell the witch and the distinctive odor of flames and smoke coming from the same direction.
“Did you find them?” Marcella asked, taking note of Samia’s tense muscles and slightly rippling skin. Suddenly, Samia’s eyes widened and Marcella looked out in the distance, seeing nothing, and then looked back to the priestess. “What is it?”
“I found them, we need to hurry,” Samia said in a rush. She did not even give Marcella time to respond before she gathered her in her arms and quickly leapt from the building.
They hit the ground and Samia pushed herself to run as fast as she could, needing to cover most of the city and reach the Circus Maximus region. She cut through alleyways and leapt across buildings, attempting to close the distance as quickly as possible. The fragrance of Circe was becoming more prominent, and the scent of the girls was fading.
Samia let out a frustrated growl, and she could feel Marcella slightly tremble in fear at the sound. She leapt across two more buildings before hitting the ground once more and rushing into a nearby structure that appeared to be abandoned.
“Circe!” Samia roared before dropping Marcella on the ground. Her eyes widened when she saw that she was too late.
Marcella rushed to her daughters, falling and checking over them. A strangled sob left her lips when she saw the bloodstains and their pale faces.
Circe looked panicked as her eyes registered the ancient standing in her midst. She had almost completed her chant when Samia rushed in and distracted her for a split second. Within that moment, she uttered a few words incorrectly, ruining her ritual.
She had needed two young girls of prominent birth for her ceremony, seeking to bestow immortality on herself and successfully live forever, hoping to become the most powerful witch of her days. Instead, her mistakes turned her ritual into a curse, and she could feel the strength she had gained begin to leave her body. Her powers were weakening and she suddenly began to see three ghostly hooded figures dance in the flames.
“You sought that which cannot be,” the first woman whispered.
“To cheat death through immortality,” said the second.
“To trick fate and save your soul,” the third said.
“For this insolence, you shall pay the toll,” they whispered darkly.
“No, Parcae, I beseech you,” Circe whimpered as the figures closed in on her.
“You sought to live, which we shall grant,” Nona said, her hollowed sockets seeming to bore into Circe’s soul as she held up a thread.
“But you will perish and be reborn,” said Decima as she began to measure and pull the thread tight.
“Forced to live with those you’ve scorned,” Morta said with finality as she moved to cut the thread. But, instead of the thread breaking and bringing Circe’s death, it turned to sickening black. The Parcae laughed jovially as their forms faded to wind and flew into the flames, causing them to explode.
Flames danced in the light of Samia’s red eyes, which were intently focused on the scene that had transpired in front of her. She rushed forward to grab Circe, but the witch, although weak, was fast and flung her hand up, causing flames to fly in front of Samia.
Circe turned and leapt from the window, the wind sucking her from the room, as well as flames as she fled through the city.
“Samia!” Marcella yelled.
Samia turned and sadly looked at Marcella and then to the large bowl of blood that lay unscathed by the flames that were slowly devouring the room. The High Priestess looked outside, her eyes widening as infernos began to pop up all over the city, marking the path Circe had taken before flames began to consume everything in their wake.
“Marcella, we need to leave,” Samia urged. She walked to the distraught woman, who had begun sobbing as she cradled her daughters’ lifeless bodies. “Marcella.”
“I won’t leave them,” Marcella cried as she held them close.
“They are gone, Marcella. I cannot carry all three of you,” Samia said gently.
But Marcella did not move. She continued to sit and sob, and Samia knew they did not have much time before the woman would succumb to the smoke filling the room. She grabbed Rena’s lifeless body, prying it from Marcella’s grasp and quickly exited the building, carefully placing the girl on the ground where the flames had not spread. She flew back inside and grabbed both Davena and Marcella as tightly as she could, despite the awkward hold, and rushed from the structure. She sat the two outside and glanced up, watching as the building lit up as the flames claimed another section.
She could hear various citizens screaming throughout the city as the fire began to devour everything in its path. People began to flee past them, attempting to escape the area. The wind had picked up as well, easily carrying the burning embers to apartments that had not been touched yet. The wooden construction of the buildings, wind, and the dry summer air helped the embers climb higher and faster.
“We need to leave this area, it is being consumed,” Samia said as she grabbed Rena and Davena and slung them over each shoulder. “I will get their bodies to safety, outside this area. Get to a safe spot, and I will return for you shortly.”
Marcella wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded, holding back the sob threatening to escape her until Samia disappeared. She begrudgingly followed the slew of people that pushed and rushed past her to safety, fleeing the crumbling burnt buildings and heat of the flames. Her legs began to give out on her as the harsh reality of what transpired began to sink in.
A witch had taken her daughters from their home, and they had been bled and left lying on the cold floor where their bodies were almost consumed by the flames that were devouring the city.
Her daughters were dead and gone.
Antonius would be equally as devastated.
“Antonius,” Marcella whispered. She had forgotten that he had begun searching the city as well for their children.
“Come,” Samia said as she appeared from thin air. “We need to leave this area. It has already begun spreading to the next.”
“We need to find Antonius,” Marcella said, her voice sounding hollow to her own ears.
Samia merely nodded before gathering Marcella in her arms and rushing through the city, carefully avoiding any falling burning wood and terrified civilians. She ran through the streets, quickly leaving the burning fires behind as they escaped the district that was being destroyed.
Marcella felt dead in her arms and she pushed herself to run faster, hoping that finding Antonius would lift the woman’s spirits some.
They came to an abrupt halt outside of the temple and Samia carefully sat Marcella down as she looked at her kin. “Have you any idea where Antonius is?”
“We saw him enter the Palatium district just before the fire began,” one priest said.
“I want everyone
scouring the Palatium. We need to find Antonius and get to safety,” Samia ordered. “Go, find him.” She turned to look to Marcella. “You need to stay here for now. I will help the others search and when we have found him we will return.”
Marcella nodded, but her head felt heavy making the motion. Samia vanished before her eyes, as well as the other priests and priestesses, leaving her alone with her two lifeless daughters.
Samia rushed through the streets, passing her subjects as she slid into the Palatium. She smelled the air, cursing under her breath as the stench of the flames and burning flesh clouded her senses.
She would be unable to locate Antonius this way.
The fire was spreading quickly and she could see various troops of legionnaires entering the area and dispensing water onto the flames, attempting to halt its progression. Samia leapt into the air, her body shifting into her swarm as she soared into the sky and then down through the streets, quickly flying overhead of the throngs of panicked citizens and military troops. She searched for a while, covering the entire district and seeing no sight of Antonius.
Eventually she stopped, her swarm disappearing into her body as she approached Nuru. “Have you had any luck?”
Nuru looked at the ground before solemnly holding up a red cape for Samia to inspect.
She eyed the cape a moment before taking it and smelling it. “It is Antonius’. Where did you find it?”
“Next to a charred body. The cape was caught on a piece of wood and somehow was saved from the flames,” Nuru said.
“Was the body Antonius’?” Samia asked.
“I am unsure. If we make haste, we might be able to gather a scent still,” Nuru replied.
Samia merely nodded before following Nuru, weaving through the streets and reaching their destination a moment later. She sniffed the air and Antonius’ cape, gathering the scent as she walked through the blackened and still smoldering, buildings. The heat was unbearable, but she needed to push through it until she knew of Antonius’ fate.