Fated Origins: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 4)

by May Freighter

  By the time she had found what she was looking for, Helena was jerked towards the centre of the ancient site. Next to Ealdraed, Reaver got handed a small velvet sack by Nico which he offered to her.

  “Come now, Helena, help these generous beings open the gate,” Reaver said with a smile.

  Her expression hardened as she accepted the bag. Inside were the ingredients for the ritual: a dragon’s scale, a wyvern’s tongue, a cobra’s tooth, and a heart of a pixie. All of these were terribly hard to find based on the struggle Lilia went through to acquire them in the past. Going by today’s news, dragons no longer existed, which made Helena wonder just where exactly he had received such a rare item from.

  Shrugging Ealdraed’s hands off of her, she laid out the items like she had seen in Lilia’s deepest memories. She put the dragon scale facing north, the tongue to the south, the tooth in the east, and the heart to the west. She peeked at Ben who was fighting his restraints.

  Helena’s attention turned to Lucious. His eyes bore into her with a silent plea for her to abandon her need to protect him. She ignored the rational part of her heart that told her to listen to him. He would die if she didn’t do this ritual. It was the only way to protect him and repay for the times he had kept her safe. What worried her most were the mortal sacrifices. She couldn’t let Ben become one of them.

  Making up her mind, she stood with a golden chalice in her hand and held it out to Ealdraed. Before he could take it from her hand, she moved it back, out of his reach. “Two sacrifices are needed for the ritual. I want you to promise me that Lucious and Ben will be unharmed.”

  Ealdraed’s eyes flicked to Reaver for a second. “Since the warlock will not eagerly give up his friends, who do you suggest we sacrifice?”

  “Exactly!” Reaver grout out. “My daughter and apprentice must stay out of harm’s way.”

  “Me,” Helena said. “You can take me.”

  “Helena!” Lucious shouted and bucked so hard that the knife Kallias held to his neck sliced deeper into his skin, creating a large trail of blood under his Adam’s apple. He coughed as the Royal gripped his neck and positioned the knife above Lucious’ heart.

  “Dying here will keep you from watching, Lucious,” Kallias said. “You must stick around to know how it ends.”

  Ealdraed shook his head. “We cannot touch you. Our sire’s order forbids it.”

  “I’ll do it myself if you give me a weapon.” She balled her hands at her sides and ignored Lucious’ pleas for her to stop being ridiculous.

  Cenric came over and draped his arm around her shoulders. A subtle scent of pine trees seemed to be mixed in with his fresh cologne. “I don’t see a problem here. There are more than enough humans to go around. We can make both sides happy by killing the hunter and the witch, one from each team.”

  Helena glared at him. “Don’t touch my friends!”

  “Ah,” Cenric drew away with a laugh, “she’s got spirit and is as stubborn as her predecessor.”

  Kallias spoke from behind Lucious. “I agree with Cenric. Let’s stop delaying or the sun will come up by the time we decide on what must be done.”

  With a heavy sigh, Ealdraed nodded.

  She knew right then that there was no arguing with that man. He had made up his mind. Grasping her upper arm, he took the golden chalice from her and asked Reaver, “What do we do with this?”

  “You shed blood of two Royals into it,” the warlock replied.

  Helena pursed her lips when an idea came to mind. She quickly added, “We might only need one sacrifice if all Royals bleed into the chalice. Your powerful blood combined could open the gate…”

  “It won’t work,” Lilia replied.

  “It might.” Helena nibbled on her lower lip in wait for his response.

  Ealdraed bit into his wrist. His black blood dripped into the chalice until a sixth of it was filled. He passed it to Cenric who did the same. Each Royal, one at a time, shed blood until it came to Hartwin, and they forced him to bleed by slicing his wrist with Kallias’ knife.

  At last, Kallias stopped in front of Lucious and grinned. “You too.”

  “Lucious is not a Royal,” Helena said, her brows scrunching together.

  “He holds some of our abilities, and he is Runa’s direct descendant. He’s almost as good as the real deal,” Kallias replied over his shoulder. “And it will be our fail-safe in case you decide to cast some other kind of spell.”

  “I wouldn’t do that!”

  Kallias clicked his tongue and motioned for Lucious to offer his arm. “We don’t have all night, mate.”

  Begrudgingly mumbling something under his breath, Lucious showed the man his wrist. As quick as lightning, Kallias cut Lucious’ skin and scarlet liquid dripped into the sable mixture in the chalice.

  Helena was presented with a full chalice which she placed in the middle of the four ingredients. She raised her hand, palm up, in front of Kallias. “I’ll need your knife.”

  He snorted and folded it away. “Not a chance, kiddo.”

  “My blood is also needed for the ritual,” she said with a scowl.

  “Do as she says,” Ealdraed said.

  Kallias handed her the knife, and she wiped clean the vampires’ blood on her jeans. The final ingredient was in the sack—the phial with her unborn sister’s blood. She cringed when she held it and uncorked the rubber stopper. Her mother was going to murder Helena if she found out what happened to her child.

  “Helena, it’s not too late to finish this. All you have to do is pierce your own heart with that blade,” Lilia urged. “It is not the best course of action, I know, but you are playing with fire, child. Please, heed my warning. You should not do this. They will have no reason to kill the others once you die.”

  “I can’t risk that. Some of these men seem spiteful enough to kill my friends if I disobey.”

  The fate let out a huff. “I see that your mind is made up. A foolish choice you’ve made.”

  Helena closed her eyes and let the contents of the phial drip into the chalice as she began to focus her energy. A light breeze around them turned into a stronger gust of unpleasant wind. She dropped the phial and the sack. Then, she made a deep cut in her palm. To her left, she felt Reaver and Nico joining their energies with hers.

  Her hand burned with searing pain. She ignored it and began to chant the words Lilia once spoke. “Ya 'amnaan klna, aismaei bikayiy waiftihi dhak albab almakhfi 'amam naziri. Hatmi aleawalim litawaqquzi abni, Arthemis.” —Mother of us all, hear my cry and open the door hidden in plain sight. Break the barriers that split these realms to awaken my son, Arthemis.—When the last word left her mouth, the cold air wound around her like a chain. She was ready to complete the ritual with the final ingredient—her life—when a bullet shot past her, grazing her shoulder.

  Her eyes opened to find a few of the Royals glaring in the direction of one of the hills.

  Bion growled. His shoulders squared as he started to march towards the threat, ignoring the oncoming bullets that hit him in his chest. Ealdraed and Laclia followed right behind him.

  Helena glanced at Ben, seeing that he was smirking. The hunters were here. Maybe if she could get to Lucious, amidst this panic, they would be able to sneak away. To her dismay, the knife in her hand was torn away by Kallias. He pushed Helena aside and caught Nora, the nearest mortal to him. With a sickeningly quick movement of his hands, he snapped her neck, and she fell down.

  The budding pain started to grow in Helena’s chest, forcing her to kneel. She gasped for air. Her body began to burn with alien energy. The commotion around her continued and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kallias using Nico as a shield against the bullets that rained down on them.

  Familiar arms wrapped around her, and she recognised Lucious’ desperate embrace. She faced him, saying, “You need to get out of here. The gate…I can feel it…”

  “And I can see it.” He pointed to the two stones that formed a perfect arch. At first, she couldn’t se
e anything there. But, after a moment, she witnessed the air rippling in that spot as if it was being sucked away.

  Black miasma started seeping out of the gate, entering their realm and rapidly forming a shape of a man. Behind the figure, Reaver snuck around, mumbling a spell to keep the bullets away from him. A magical barrier around the warlock reflected the silver rounds and propelled them skyward.

  “He’s going to get through!” Helena shouted, trying to get back on her feet but was unable to.

  Lucious pressed her body into the biting grass. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s get you to a safe place first.” While the Royals fleeted after the group of retreating hunters, Lucious ushered her towards one of the larger stones. A groan escaped him. He must have been shot.

  Once they were away from the direct path of gunfire, she searched for a wound on his body, finding the right side of his shirt becoming wet with blood.

  “You’re hurt,” she said more to herself than to him.

  He hugged her close and sank to sit on the grass. “Promise me you will run from here.”

  “But you can come with me. I’m sure you can!”

  Lucious forced a stiff smile and kissed her with more longing than a man should contain. “I beg you to leave. Now, my dear, while the Royals are distracted. I will hold them back. Get in the car with Ben and go. Away from here. Away from danger.”

  Tears ran down her cheeks. “I can’t leave you here! Just come with me.”

  “Go. Now!” He pushed her away as the see-through dark figure started drawing close to the chalice. For a split-second, she thought the being was looking back at her.

  Ben grabbed her by the waist and propelled her towards the cars. “Run, Helena. We don’t have a lot of time.”

  Her body moved by itself. Everything from thereafter was like a movie playing out before her. It was as if she was no longer controlling her limbs, or climbing in the car, or automatically putting on a seatbelt. Her world was focused on Lucious, and he was staring down the shadowed figure right before Ben pulled away and her view of the scene disappeared.

  10

  THE ORIGINAL

  LUCIOUS

  W hen Lucious laid eyes on the shadow emerging from the gate, his body started to burn. He opened his mental shields wide enough to take in the true form of that being, and his eyes bulged. From the see-through form of a powerfully built man, Lucious saw energy chains shooting off towards the Royals. Each golden link danced in the air and seemed to expand exponentially. There was no distance where it would break or stop at—a curious discovery.

  Past the man’s outline, a swirling portal of blue energy began to close. Lucious pressed his hand to the bleeding wound on his chest as the creature attempted to lift the chalice and failed. His hand went through the metal.

  The Royals returned, bleeding from various places. Laclia held on to Hartwin with a death grip around his neck, keeping him at her side.

  Ealdraed scanned the scene and froze midstride when he discovered the shadow creature. “Sire?”

  Kallias pushed past the others, staring in wonder at the man who came through the portal. “Father!” He collapsed to his knees and pure joy washed over his face. “It’s been so long…”

  Arthemis observed each one of them in turn. He closed his eyes, which were framed by thick brows, and breathed in the air around him. A second passed, and he muttered something in a foreign and ancient tongue. A blast of light exploded from Arthemis, brushing everyone present at the scene.

  In Lucious’ chest, a sharp pain erupted. He propped himself up on one arm. By the looks of it, he wasn’t the only one who had suffered. The others around him tumbled to their knees, too, wincing or crying out in agony.

  Lucious’ head spun. He felt as if someone was sifting through his mind with a rake. Such an invasion of his thoughts soon became unbearable, pushing him to the brink of madness. His shaky arm could no longer keep him upright, and he collapsed face first into the grass and dirt. Slowly, the pain dissipated.

  Arthemis tried to lift the chalice again and, this time, he was able to touch it. He drank the blood in it whilst the Royals staggered to their feet.

  Lucious had little energy left in him to move. The silver bullet that pierced his lung was spreading the poison through his system. He needed to get it out as soon as possible. Without Helena being soul-bound to him, the effects of the hunters’ weapons were extremely potent.

  Once Arthemis finished drinking, he let the chalice fall with a dull ring of the metal against the hard ground and loose stones.

  Lucious felt his dead heart squeezing for the first time in a long while. With quivering arms, he pushed himself into a sitting position and watched in horror as a golden chain started to form from his chest, extending to meet with Arthemis’ heart.

  A Royal, Bion, seemed to notice this as well. His brown eyes widened in shock or surprise, Lucious wasn’t certain which.

  “Children…” Arthemis said in strained English and wrinkled his nose as if he was trying to figure out a flavour of the wine. His voice was wonderful and deep. It resonated with every part of Lucious.

  Unable to help himself, Lucious shifted closer just to listen to Arthemis’ words.

  “My presence in this world, how long was it gone?” Arthemis asked.

  Kallias was the first to respond. “Two millennia, Father.”

  Arthemis lifted his hands and assessed them, turning them over as he did so. “Lilia, is she here?”

  Ealdraed stepped out of the line of immobile Royals. “She was with us until now.”

  “I see…” The elder lowered his head in what appeared to be disappointment. He turned his attention to Hartwin who began struggling more in Laclia’s reinforced hold. When Cenric joined her, they both held their blood-brother down, pushing him into a kneeling position.

  “Hartwin, my Pillar of Mystic Sight…betrayal was not what I expected from you,” Arthemis said calmly.

  Hartwin growled in protest. His fight was cut short when Arthemis inched closer and went down on one knee. Stroking Hartwin’s dark, wavy hair with strange gentleness, Arthemis said, “Look into my eyes and tell me why.”

  “You were forcing us to kill,” Hartwin yelled. “To drain so many people! How could I serve such a terrible goal? Lilia was correct in her decision to lock you away. She knew what you truly were!”

  Arthemis inclined his head, making his shadowed blonde hair glide over his broad, muscular shoulders that were wrapped in a tunic. “A wish to perish, I will not grant you, my son. Forgive me.” He stood and glanced over his shoulder at Lucious. “You are the protector of my mother’s, are you not?”

  Sweat formed on Lucious’ forehead and body from the pain in his chest. He wanted it to end, the sooner the better. He wouldn’t mind dying here if it meant that Helena would be safe from these men forever.

  “Think not of my mother but of your creator, childe,” Arthemis said, drawing Lucious’ attention back to him.

  Lucious was certain he hadn’t spoken his thoughts aloud.

  How could this man know what I was thinking?

  “The minds of my pillars are open to me when I wish to access them,” Arthemis replied to his unspoken question.

  Wide-eyed, Lucious swallowed. He had to think of anything other than Helena. He couldn’t let this man get his hands on her. Arthemis seemed to believe that Lilia and Helena were the same person…

  Arthemis paused, enthralled by his fading hand. “My time here is limited without my true form.”

  “What do you need us to do, Father?” Kallias asked, dripping with eagerness.

  “From the blood of my pillars, I’ve absorbed your memories and energy well. The only suitable vessel for me is him.” Arthemis pointed to Lucious who blanched. “Mother will return for you.”

  “She won’t!” Lucious shot back.

  Arthemis towered over Lucious. He placed his hand on Lucious’ head, sending a violent burst of searing energy through him. “Accept me, childe, as Runa had don
e in the past.”

  “My sire would never have accepted something like you!” Lucious growled and clenched his jaw. Another wave of fiery agony coursed through his nerve endings.

  “Then you must see for yourself, I believe…” As the words left Arthemis’ lips, Lucious’ vision darkened.

  He found that he was no longer at Stonehenge, surrounded by the Royals and pain. Instead, he was standing in a snow-covered forest. Tall fir and spruce trees reached for the sky with their heavy branches that were weighed down by mounds of white. Grey clouds loomed above his head, but it was still day time.

  To his left, a twig snapped, and he turned his head to the offending sound. A girl in animal fur ran past him with a bow and arrow in hand. She ducked down behind a tree, peering around it at the forest beyond.

  Lucious edged closer to her. She didn’t react or seem to notice him, which forced him to believe that this was a vision of some kind.

  After getting closer to her, he frowned. If he was to take away the grime and dirt on her face, it would be his sire he was looking at. Her dark eyes focused on something, causing him to look in the same direction she was aiming for.

  Over fifty feet away, a deer searched for food in the folds of snow. Its reddish fur contrasted the almost blinding whiteness and bleakness around them. Anna pulled on the tail of the arrow, stretching the string of her bow. She squinted and slowly let out her breath as she released the arrow.

  The deer’s pained cry resonated throughout the forest, and Anna unsheathed a bronze dagger from her leather boot and ran towards the fallen animal at a faster speed than he had seen any human use. Yet, it was still slower than that of any vampire or supernatural being that he knew of.

  Lucious sped after her, hurrying to catch up with his sire. When they stopped next to the wounded deer, Anna knelt beside it. She whispered a prayer and drove the dagger into the animal’s heart without batting an eye.

  Leaning his back against the bark of a tall evergreen tree, he watched her searching the surrounding area for something. She shot up and ran over to a long branch. After picking it up, she started tying the deer’s limbs together.