by J Middleton
When she looked in them she saw evil. He carried an aura of pain and death around him. Handsome as he may be, his heart was as black as the deepest pits of hell.
“What do you not understand?”
“We are at war with evil and you appear out of nowhere and tell me you and give me my wildest dreams. With your powers, you draw me to you. I don’t understand why? The only reason is because of Lilly, she sent you here to get to me.”
Minutes passed in silence, how many she couldn’t be sure of. All she knew, that time had stood still for just a few moments.
“I told you I work for no one!” He paused as frustration filled his eyes. “Who is this Lilly? Explain!” He smirked.
Victoria took a deep breath.
“She was condemned to the pits of h-” before she finished he spoke.
“Condemned to hell and now she rose to get revenge and to take what is hers.” Is that correct. I’ve heard the story.” He stares as if no interest to hear the rest.
“Yes but- “
“I am not fighting in her crest of destruction. Nor will I help her army of evil beings. Now does that answer your question!” He nods.
“Then what are you here for?”
“Do you not know the answer to that?”
She swallowed hard.
“No I don’t.” her voice almost a whisper.
“Think back my dear. Remember when I approached you on the street for the first time.”
“Yes I remember.”
“Think, what did you give me?”
“I gave you nothing.” She stared into his deep glowing eyes.
“Think Victoria.” His voice hypnotizing her letting her mind go back to that day.
Swallowing hard she remembered what the witch had told her. “Do not give him your name are he will own you?”
“I gave you nothing, all I did was tell you my name.”
“Yes you did. Do you know what it means?” he answered.
“No, but I am sure you are going to tell me.”
He giggles at her smart mouth before he answers.
“It means Victory in Latin. Being borne by the roman goddess of victory. It is also a feminine for of victorious. This name borne by a 4th century saint and martyr from North Africa. “
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Everything, you gave me you name and your heart belongs to me now.”
“What?” She knew now that the older witch was telling the truth, and that he was dangerous, very.
Looking over at his hand he was holding a live heart in his palm. It beat rapidly against his skin. She gasped at the horrifying sight of this bleeding organ that was still beat and pumping blood out of it arteries. He then moved his hand to his chest, the heart disappeared instantly, as his chest glowed a deep red.
“I have you heart close to mine. You belong to me now.” He smiled.
“No! I don’t know what kind of trick you pulled but I am married.”
“Yes to the shadow hunter.” He giggled. “Your body may be with him for now, but your heart is not. You will see.”
“See what. I don’t understand. Look I don’t have time for this.” She snapped.
“Don’t insult me!” he yells.
“I am not trying to insult you. I just don’t have time for this. I have a battle to fight in a few days to save my family from the darkness. The only reason I came was to find out who you really were and why you came here.”
“The only reason you came is because I summons you! I will continue to do so until you commit to me.” He snapped as his voice was so loud it echoed.
“No I will not!”
“No, you dare tell me no! Yes, you will and soon.” he slammed his fist down on the table as the glass rattled almost tipping over. Silence then filled the room for a moment.
“Victoria you will come to me every time I call upon you to do so. I have control. Beside you will lose this battle without my assistance.” He stared at her as if he was going to jump up and grab her. “I will bargain with you. If I help you kill Lilly, in return you will commit yourself to me.”
“And if I don’t!”
“Your family will die and you will still be mine. You gave me your name. When you give some stranger, you name you belong to them. Don’t you know that? You have no other choose.” He smiles.
“I do have a choose I can beat her again!”
Laughter filled the room as his voice rang in her ears.
“Oh my dear you are not strong enough, even with your small army of witches and voodoo priest. It isn’t enough, you will lose and all will die even you son.”
“You know of my son!”
“I know everything about you.” He smiles.
“Leave my son out of this.” Angered but trying not to show.
“Lilly will do whatever she can to get her way. Her strength has grown ten times stronger sense you seen her last. She will stop at nothing. I can defeat her. Lilly’s powers are nothing against me. Let me help you.”
“How do you know her name if you don’t work for her?”
“I know all.”
Victoria nods her head in disbelief as she tries to stand but her body would respond to her command.
“I have to go, please let me go.” She begged
“As you wish, but remember I have your heart. You have to surrender your flesh to me soon are your family will die.” He stoked her cheek gently with the back of his hand. Victoria bit her lip as a tear filled her eye.
“I have enjoyed our evening. I will see you again soon.” He stood up and pointed to the door and withdrew with a bow.
Victoria stood up and everything around her went black.
Chapter 18
Victoria awoke breathing heavily. An overpowering dream, so seemingly real that she’d jumped quite suddenly confused. Then there was the smell, his scent filled the air around her. It lingered, hanging in the air, penetrating the fabric of her bedding. A memory trickled slowly out of the recesses of her subconscious. She felt a surge of energy run through her mind, a brightness of blurry images.
“It can’t be real.” She thought as the images flood through her head.
With her heart racing she jumped to her feet, dazed. She moved towards the window and looked out. Streets were bare and covered with trash and debris from the strong winds of the south. No movement other the bare trees that were hardly standing.
Clutching at her soft, blue robe, she curled her fingers tight into the fabric and tried to swallow her nerves, though she knew she was strained by the emotions of her morning. Anger burned through her belly, and with it came a hot rush of tears jammed tight in her throat.
“It’s just a dream it’s not real.” She told herself as she swallowed hard.
It didn’t take her by a few minutes to dress and hurry down stairs. Vince was at the breakfast table with Glenda. Heading straight for the coffee she sat down beside them.
“You want some breakfast?” Vince asks as he looked over at his mother noticing the dark rings around her eyes.
“Coffee is fine.”
Silence filled the room, until they heard a knock at the door.
“Another one of Lilly’s warriors?” Jessica asks.
“They don’t knock?” Victoria nods.
“Stay here.” Victoria ordered Vince.
Glenda opened the door and a dark headed man was standing in the ease way. Sensing the man’s gaze on her, though his features were still concealed beneath the shadow of his hood.
“What do you want?” Victoria spoke as she walked up behind her.
The man looked up revealing the dark circles around his deep brown eyes that were almost black. His skin pale, and his cheek bones were sunk in.
“I am Geneon, here to assist you in your battle.” His voice was deep and disturbing.
“Who sent you?” Glenda asks.
He pulled up his sleeve revealing a tattoo on his arm of two blades and a star. Glenda’s eyes narrowed when she seen
it.
“Why would I trust you? You are a deceiver.” Glenda answered, as a wave of adrenalin surged through her as she watched a slight smile appear on his face.
Opening his hand revealing strange, oval pendant. His name blazed on the back of it, glaringly bright. It lit up glowing orange from the palm of his hand. His eyes flicked between the two of them, gauging their reaction.
Victoria stated at his hands like they were about to combust.
“This only tells me you have magic, but it doesn’t tell me what you are?” Victoria spoke up.
“What I am is not important?”
“It is important who you are?” Glenda snapped.
“Very well, I am a warlock sent by my king.”
The words seemed to bounce off Glenda’s ears, taking a moment for it to unfold in her mind until she understood the implication of what he’d been told.
“You are telling me that you are Warlock Geneon?” Glenda’s stomach nodded up.
“Yes.”
“You are a deceiver and an oath breaker why would we trust you.” Glenda spoke.
“Because the army you are facing is larger than you can ever imagine. I am here to protect you from the evil that lurks around your corner, and already it has consumed half of your city as we speak.”
“I am aware of what lurks in the shadows. Who is your King?”
“I cannot speak of him. Just know that he sent me.”
“I don’t like this at all.” Victoria said.
“You may not like this Victoria but your time of war is close and you need as much help as you can get.” He answered her with a smirk.
“How do you know my name?”
“That isn’t important?”
Victoria shot him a look of anger and unfolded her arms.
“What is important?” she snapped waiting for and answer but never got it.
“Mr. Geneon.” A woman came from behind Victoria spoke.
“Yes Elise?” he answered.
“You know him!? Glenda turned and looked at her but she never answered. Instead she stared at this creepy stranger standing in the doorway.
“Why have you come? You don’t fight for the good. Dark magic is what you practice.”
Geneon nods before he answers her.
“You are correct, but the evil that proceeds to destroy you is darker then I. You will need my assistance I assure you.”
“What if I don’t take your help.” Glenda snapped.
“Then half of your people will die or maybe more.” He glared into her deep green eyes.
Suddenly a shadowy darted left then right behind Geneon. Victoria could see the movement but couldn’t distinguish what it was. Glenda shouted out in alarm, roughly grabbing Victoria’s wrist and pushing her back. From nowhere it appeared in front of them once more, it slashed a blade at Elisa and she flinched backwards. The blade tore into Elisa shoulder, the metal sinking into her flesh with an unbearable, searing sensation. Geneon turned around as the adrenaline pumped through his muscles and he tensed for attack. Grabbing the creatures leathery skin as fire ran though him and he burned it into ash. Quickly he moved in the house and closed the door behind him.
Elisa cried out and collapsed, breathing heavily through gritting teeth. The blood was flowing thick and fast and suddenly she felt overwhelmingly light headed. She lifted her hand, her muscles feeling void of energy as she touched her shoulder and her fingers slipped through the blood.
“Move your hand aside.” Geneon commanded.
Elisa did so, as the loss of blood making her head spin. Geneon ripped away the remnants of his sleeve and Glenda looking at the deep wound, as her gut churning at the sight.
Elisa sinking to the floor in front of him. Geneon held his palm over the wound and green light flowed toward it. A cool, trickling sensation seeped into the torn flesh then changed to a soothing hear. Elisa skin tingled as the pain eased and the dizziness in her head began to recede. She looked down to find the wound healed, the remnants of blood already drying onto her skin and clothes.
Elisa sighed, “Thanks.”
“What was that thing?’ Victoria asked, terror returning to her eyes.
“You need to ask. She has summoned a shadow creature. It came from beneath your world. The pits of the dark ones. Now do you need my help are not?” As he glared at Victoria
“Are you alright?” Glenda asked Elisa.
“I feel better, just a bit weak.”
“The wound is gone but you lost a lot of blood. It will take a little longer for you to fully recover.” Geneon said.
Victoria helped her to the sofa in the din.
“You can’t stay her much longer. They will be back and next time it will be harder to defeat them. You will be safer at my location.”
“How can we trust you?” Victoria asks.
“After what I have just done you really need to ask?”
“Stop this.” Glenda demanding. “He is right we do need to leave.” She paused. “If this is a trap you will die also.”
“It is no trap.” He replied. “We have to hurry and move, it will soon be dark and you will not be able to move. Gather your things that you need, nothing more.” He said as he moved to the window.
Victoria stared at Glenda, “I don’t trust this,” she mumbled.
“We don’t have a choice we need more time to prepare. This is our best choice”
Victoria nods her head as she heads to the kitchen to gather Vince. She stopped at the door way when she seen him looking in the crystal ball. His hands glowing as he stared deeply into the ball.
“Vince,” she called out but no answer.
“Vince,” she called again and finally he turned to face her.
“Come we are moving to another building we must prepare.”
“Are we going with the warlock?” Victoria froze.
“How do you know he is that?”
“Momma you underestimate my skills.” He answered.
It was no use trying to lie. So, she nods her head at him.
“He will not turn on us we can trust him, but only this time because after that he will go back to his dark magic and his world.”
“How do you know this?”
“I read his thoughts, he can’t go against his King and it was ordered that he help us.”
“Vince who is his King?”
“That I don’t know?” He got up and headed upstairs to gather his weapons.
Victoria wasn’t far behind him, quickly she went into her room and gather a few of her things. She walks to the closet to retrieve the black book it was no longer there. Panic ran through her veins as she tossed everything around looking for it but she couldn’t find it.
“Momma are you ready,” Vince voice was heard through the door way.
“Yes let’s go,” she jumped up and headed out the closet.
“Vince did you get the black book.”
“No! Why?” He answered.
“It don’t matter let’s go.” She rushed him out the door.
She knew if he got it he wouldn’t responded differently. It wasn’t enough time to wonder who was in her room. She would deal with that later. As they got to the bottom of the stairs everyone was waiting in the foyer. They hurried into the crowd of the fellow sisters.
“Keep behind me and don’t stop.” Geneon ordered as he pulled the hood over his face.
The sun poured down on them as the wind was harsh and strong. They rounded to the left as they followed him in and out of the alleys. Stopping every so often to look behind. They hurried in silence until they reached the back of an odd hotel. The building was almost crumbled to the ground as it sits at the end of the street. Following one after another through the door. Victoria shut it behind her.
“This place?” Glenda asks.
“Yes.”
“Why here?”
“Because they know only warlocks reside here.”
Glenda nods her head as she moves to the window and looks out, it has th
e prefect view of both sides of the street. Geneon was right, you can see them coming from here it covers all angles.
“Follow me.” He ordered as they went up two flights of stairs, down a long hall way and into a large room. He lit a candle and the walls were covered in swords, knifes, and shields. On the other side a tall bookshelf loaded down with spell books of all kinds. A large black pot sits almost center of the room with a table of spices and herbs.
“Here we will prepare for our battle, but first you must rest. I will wake you early before daybreak.”
“Who made you the leader? Victoria eyebrows raising in alarm.
“No one, but by the looks of things someone needs to be in charge. The only think I see that everyone has done was try to call in help. No one has a plan. I’m sure your friends would go along with that if I asked them to.” Smirking at her.
Victoria narrowed her eyes, wanting to speak but suddenly changed her mind. She fell into a thoughtful silence which was broken by the emergence of her sisters in the doorway. She shook her head as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
Glenda walked over to join her. And turned quickly to see a man with dark eyes and wild, long locks of hair stepping forward. A grim expression upon his face. Victoria could see the fear within the black stare. As he started to open his mouth to speak, Geneon held up a hand to silence him, snarling. His nostrils flared as he tried to control his anger.
Victoria watches as Geneon stormed out the door and the man followed.
Chapter 19
Victoria turned and faced Vince which was staring out the window. Her eyes were targeting his hands with the coldest stare in anticipation for him to draw his sword like showdown. She watched his eyes widened as they filled with rage. Feeling a flash of horror, the hair on her arms stood up as she watched the glaze in his eyes.
“Vince” there was no reply.
She stood looking out into the window as fog was moving in like, something out of a horror movie. Dark clouds looming in southern sky. She jumped suddenly as the wind gusted, throwing debris against the small, narrow window. Just about that time a loud crack of thunder jolted the house.
“Her dark army is gaining strength just like my dream.” Vince said staring at the dense fog.