by Eloisa Clark
Juliet looked up at Niko and frowned, she couldn’t answer her, she honestly didn’t know what she would do if that were to happen.
The door flew open suddenly, causing Fiona and Juliet to jump in their seats while Scott, Niko and Doctor Livingstone all braced for a fight. Odette stood in the room; her red evening dress torn and smeared with blood. She held a struggling Adrienne by the neck and chest, locked against her in a tight hold.
Darius followed behind, calmly closing the door behind them.
“Excuse the interruption Elijah, I believe we have something of yours.” He said with the hint of a smile.
“That’s not her blood, I hope.” The doctor said, standing and eyeing the stains on Odette’s dress.
“No, mine.” Odette hissed, “This bitch has claws.”
The doctor nodded and approached Adrienne, he reached out and took her neck in his hands, tightening some kind of metal collar around it.
“Stop” he said, using the power of his voice to control her mind. She stopped resisting immediately and slumped in Odette’s hold.
“Put her in my chair please Miss LeClaire.” She obliged and dragged the now cooperative Adrienne behind Doctor Livingstone’s desk and sat her down.
“How long have you been working for Phobos?” He asked as he sat on the edge of his desk and got straight into the interrogation.
“You dare speak ‘is name?” She hissed, spitting on the floor.
He grabbed her face, silencing her immediately and holding her still while his eyes pierced hers.
“How long?”
Juliet could feel the power of his command and marvelled at Adrienne’s ability to withstand such brute force.
She spat again, this time spitting out blood.
“Since ze bitch woke ‘im.” She said, her eyes turning towards Juliet.
“Why?” He demanded.
“Why? Why not? Why wouldn’t I want to side with ze most powerful Demon in existence? I am ‘onoured to serve as ‘is emissary until ‘e is risen.”
“So that is his plan, to be restored?” Niko asked, stepping forward.
Her eyes turned to him.
“You ‘ave no idea little boy. Do you plan to wake up every morning? Do you plan to breathe?” She writhed against the invisible binds that held her in place.
“’e will rise as surely as ze sun will rise come morning.”
“And then what? What happens once he rises?” Juliet asked, her voice beginning to shake.
Adrienne laughed hysterically, making Juliet’s skin crawl.
“Zen those who bound ‘im will be made to suffer, while those who aided ‘im will be rewarded in eternal rapture.”
She continued laughing, the childish giggle further unsettling Juliet’s nerves.
“Be silent.” Doctor Livingstone said, ending her outburst immediately.
“But, if you’re so keen to be by his side, why haven’t you released him already? What have you been waiting for?” He asked.
Adrienne tried to look away, refusing to answer.
Darius pursed his lips and sniffed at the air in Adrienne’s direction before closing his eyes and tilting his head to the side.
“You’re sick, aren’t you?” He said.
“I had ze cure. I just needed more time for it to brew.” She sneered, her body going limp.
“That’s why you trapped Eric? You were using his blood?” Fiona chimed in.
“Ze stupid boy. So easily lured. ‘e would ‘ave gotten away once ze Palāxu ‘ad released ‘is body. Because of my summoning spell, ‘e didn’t even make it off ze grounds.”
“You fool Adrienne. We taught you of the Old Ones so that you could be prepared to defend against them. Not so that you could turn against the people who have cared about you for hundreds of years.” The doctor said.
“You cared for me? When? Was it before or after you fucked me for a century and zen tossed me aside? Why was that Elijah? Hmm?”
A slight twitch in the doctor’s jaw told Juliet that Adrienne had struck a nerve.
“You meant a great deal to me Adrienne, but you always knew that I could never give you what you wanted.”
“Hmm.” She writhed in the chair and looked away.
“Elijah, how is this even possible?” Darius asked. “The Pair Dadeni was supposed to be destroyed. Now it’s been used for Vampire possession and from what I can gather, it was used to poison him as well. How could you let this happen?”
Adrienne’s scowl turned to a smile as she watched the doctor’s face turn to ash.
“’e doesn’t know, does ‘e? You are so full of shit, E-LIE-jah. Do you even know what is ze truth anymore?”
“What lies, Elijah?” Darius asked.
Juliet turned to him and noticed his clenched fists and cold fury creasing his brow.
“What was done with the Cauldron?” He demanded through clenched teeth.
Adrienne laughed gleefully and patted her flat stomach.
“Darling, I am ze Cauldron.”
Darius froze, “What?” He said, as all eyes turned to them in shock.
Elijah swallowed hard as Adrianne smiled.
“When ze Palāxu was bound, zey did not know what to do with ze cauldron. So, zey had ze Witches transfer it into ze body of a baby. Zey hoped zat ze purity of such a little creature would protect it from being used to do harm.”
“But, how can an inanimate object be transferred into a human being?” Juliet asked.
When Adrienne and the doctor remained silent, she looked at Fiona for an answer.
She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.
“I’ve ‘eard it can be done, but I ‘ave no idea how.”
“That’s not exactly what happened.” Darius said, crossing his arms and staring at Elijah with pursed lips.
“The Pair Dadeni was already human. I don’t know if it always was, but at least it has always been in my lifetime.”
“You’ve lost me.” Scott said, “You’re saying the Cauldron of Rebirth is a person?”
Darius nodded, “If you think about it, it makes sense. Its original name referred to it as a ‘vessel of life’. What is the most common vessel of life? A woman’s womb.” Darius said as he narrowed his eyes at Adrienne.
“Before it was transferred into her, it was another Witch, and before her it was another and so on.” He explained.
“What the fuck, so you’re like, going to give birth to this fucking Phobos dude?” Scott jumped away from the wall he’d been leaning against, his eyes wide as he stared at Adrienne.
“Not exactly. Her blood acts as a kind of conduit, it allows the power of the Cauldron to be accessed.” Doctor Livingstone explained.
“You promised, Elijah. You swore to us that she would be destroyed.” Darius accused. “And she was. But not before the transfer took place.” Elijah said, looking away and letting out a long breath.
“The Witches all agreed that it needed to be protected, that at some point it would be used to create a great life. One that would save all of the factions.”
“And you took the word of Witches? Even though you’d seen over and over again how they couldn’t be trusted. How every time they tapped into that much power it corrupted them. After you saw Phobos return from the brink of extinction stronger and more vengeful than the last?” Darius laughed ironically.
“You’re a bigger fucking fool than-” He was cut off as a small sound caught their attention. Juliet gasped at the sight of a pen sticking out of the front of Darius’s crisp white shirt. A thin red line soiling the space beneath it.
Odette growled and attacked Adrienne, pulling her out of the chair and plunging her teeth into her neck.
“Stop.” The doctor and Darius both commanded and Odette froze immediately.
“Seal the wound before you release her Odette, we can’t risk even a drop of her blood spilling on Livingstone soil.” The doctor instructed and Odette gave a small nod of acknowledgement before removing her mouth from the Witch�
�s neck, she licked her lips delicately while her nose crinkled in disapproval.
“I apologise.” Odette said, before returning to Darius’s side and looking at the pen that remained in his chest.
“A pity it’s not silver.” Adrienne said, her lip curling in a sneer.
Darius sighed and removed the pen before regarding the stained shirt with pursed lips.
Everyone froze as Adrienne threw her head back and let out an ear-piercing scream. Juliet screamed in fright as Adrienne’s eyes were devoured by black and a blast of energy pushed them all backwards and knocked her unconscious.
THE QUIET TICK of an old clock was the first thing Juliet heard as she came to with a splitting headache. She carefully opened her eyes and looked around the room, suddenly alarmed that everyone else remained unconscious and Fiona was missing.
Keeping an eye on Adrienne, she went to her knees and shook Niko who lay unmoving on the floor beside her, holding her breath until his eyes snapped open. She returned her attention to Adrienne as they roused the others, wary that she might wake up before she could be controlled again.
“Where’s Fiona?” Niko asked.
Juliet shook her head, “Do you think she did something to her?” She asked him.
He pursed his lips and looked at the unconscious Witch.
Shaking his head. “No, I can hear her. I can’t tell where she is, but she doesn’t sound like she’s in any harm. Scott, do you think you could try and find her?”
He’d been next to rise and he nodded in response.
“Text me if you find her first or if something else happens.” He said before leaving.
Darius, Odette, and Elijah rose quickly and took turns examining Adrienne. Juliet was struck by an odd sense of déjà vu as she watched them attempt to wake her without any success. Her body remained alive; they could see her chest rising and falling with each breath, but there was no mental activity, as if she were comatose or braindead.
Juliet didn’t know whether or not she should be relieved. Without Adrienne in the picture, they no longer had to worry about the impending resurrection of Phobos. But Elijah’s grim expression told her not to start celebrating just yet.
“We still have work to do. With four of the five factions’ blood being spilled, there’s still a chance that a Witch could be killed and Phobos will be released. At any time, he could take possession of someone at Livingstone and compel them to pick up where she left off. We need to go.”
“Go where?” Niko asked.
“To the lake.”
“And do what exactly?”
“We’re going to have to recreate the ritual that trapped him in the first place. We still have Adrienne’s body, that means we can still tap into the power of the Cauldron.”
“We’ll need all five factions.” Darius interjected, to which Elijah nodded.
“I’ll have Kijo meet us there. She’s performed the ritual before, she’ll know what to do. I also have a human I trust, he’s impervious to telepathy and never answers his phone so I’ll have to go and get him from the village.” He said, before his expression changed, his lips forming a thin line and his brow creasing.
“I don’t want there to be any surprises going into this. The spell that is performed is an incredibly powerful one, by tapping into the power of the Underworld, you damage a piece of your soul. You will carry the pain of that with you for the rest of your life. Darius, Kijo and I have already experienced it, and I think I safely speak for all of them when I say it is not something to agree to lightly.” He looked at Niko directly, his eyes intense.
“You have every right to refuse me, but haste is essential, and the sacrifice must be made willingly. We don’t have time to find another Demon who can be brought in on this. Will you do it?”
Niko looked at Juliet, his lips turning to one side, before he looked back at Elijah.
“Not really much choice is there?” He took a deep breath and nodded, “I’m in.”
Elijah turned to Juliet.
“Miss Vassilios, there’s really no need for two Demons. I would suggest you take refuge in the castle, perhaps assisting Scott to find Fiona?”
Juliet shook her head and looked at Niko.
“No, I started all of this. I want to be there, to make sure things are set right again.”
He nodded, but his frown suggested he would have preferred her to comply with his request.
Juliet watched as he opened a cabinet behind him and collected a small medical kit. As he went about taking blood from Adrienne’s unresponsive body, he went over the details of the spell, making Niko repeat it back to him to make sure he knew exactly what to say, what to do and when. When he seemed satisfied that Niko wouldn’t mess it up, he looked at Darius who nodded but still seemed uncertain.
“Do you think it will work?” He asked.
“It worked last time. No reason to think it won’t again.”
Elijah was silent for a moment, his eyes glassing over before returning to normal.
“Kijo is on her way to the lake now and will meet us there.”
He pulled out his phone and pressed at the screen while everyone silently waited.
“As much as I am loath to admit it, there is a chance that we might not be successful.” He said, straightening his posture to stand tall as he addressed Darius directly.
“Darius, if something goes wrong, I want you to take Odette and leave immediately. Is that understood?” Darius’s mouth opened to object.
“If we fail, Legion will need the support of the Vampire Kingdoms on their side.” Darius looked at Odette for a moment and then returned to face Elijah and bowed his head.
“I will do as you say, Ambassador.” Darius said as he clenched his fist.
The use of a formal title confused Juliet, she looked at Niko who looked equally confused.
Elijah turned his attention to her and Niko next, using the same commanding voice.
“If the time comes, I want you to return to the castle at once. Ash has been given explicit instructions and will need your help coordinating the evacuation and second front.”
Juliet and Niko exchanged a look before they both nodded.
“You should go now, while I collect Patrick. You can wait for me in the clearing, but don’t go into the forest, not until I return.” He instructed.
“Why don’t one of us go? We’ll be much faster?” Odette offered.
Elijah shook his head.
“Patrick is wary of Otherworlders, especially Vampires. He'd likely try to attack you and wouldn’t believe your explanation.” He said.
“No, I’ll go.”
Juliet crossed her arms over her chest and followed behind as they made their way out of the office and moved silently through the quiet castle.
As they approached the heavy entrance doors, Odette and Darius paused briefly before giving them a small nod. They then flashed ahead, disappearing into the dark night.
“I’ll tell Scott to find Fiona and get out of here.” He said as he pulled out his phone. Juliet nodded; she wanted her friends as far away from here as possible. Elijah’s warning had left a seed of doubt in her heart that was growing with each passing minute.
As they made their way to the clearing, rain began to fall. They pulled their hoods over their heads and ran to take cover beneath the protection of a large oak that stood hallway between the castle and the woods.
Despite her thick layers, the cold soaked into her bones and within a few minutes, Juliet began to shiver. She flinched when Niko reached out to her, but he ignored her and wrapped his arms around her anyway, rubbing warmth into her arms.
“And now we wait.” She said, as she looked up at him, searching his eyes for courage as she tried in vain to ignore the chattering of her teeth.
“Now we wait.” He replied, focussing on her eyes and lips before turning to the moon above.
Chapter Forty
Doctor Livingstone arrived as promised, followed by a short, round man who was grum
bling under his breath about being dragged out of his warm bed to trudge around in the mud.
“Haide! Come on. Ve haven’t got all night.” He grouched as he passed them without stopping for an introduction and continued walking directly towards the forest.
Juliet and Niko quickly followed and remained quiet as they walked. Odette and Darius silently watched as they approached their position edge of the forest. They nodded and took a flank position without a moment’s hesitation.
Niko pulled out his phone again, this time to use as a torch, it seemed more for Juliet’s sake as the others clearly had no need of it.
A scuffling sound made Juliet freeze in her tracks; Niko pointed his phone in the direction it came from and the light bounced off the intelligent eyes of a red fox, who sniffed the air before quickly resuming its retreat.
“Haide! Hurry up!” Came another crackly bellow from Patrick and Juliet hurried onwards, wondering if maybe the fox had the right idea, and they were going the wrong way.
A SOFT BUZZING sound like a swarm of bees grew louder as they approached the lake. When the trees began to thin, Juliet could see a soft warm light guiding the way to the rocky shore. She spotted a small woman by the water, surrounded by dozens of burning candles, their flames impervious to the falling rain. Juliet recognised the small Witch from her brief encounter in the Conservatory months earlier and Elijah led them to her, picking up the pace.
“What is it Kijo?” He asked, “What’s wrong?”
Kijo turned around, and Juliet stopped. Something felt wrong about her face. It seemed contorted somehow, as if she were trying to smile but the muscles in her face refused to obey her command.
“We should start.” She said quietly. Juliet was barely able to hear her over the rainfall and the endless hum.
Kijo waved Odette over, but Darius shook his head.
“No, I will act as the offering.” He said, clutching Odette’s hand.
“You are not worthy. You have sacrificed before. It has tainted your soul.” She said, waving Odette over more insistently.
“Hurry.” She said, “We are running out of time.” Odette went to the Witch, crossing the circle of candles around her by the edge of the lake.