by T. L. Clarke
Hannah laughed huskily as she sauntered over to him, allowing her gaze to caress his tall, muscular frame with appreciation. "Are you sure that you were not followed?" She allowed her long, delicate, pale fingers to trail along his arm.
He nodded his head insistently. "I’m sure. I made sure that I covered my tracks just like you taught me. We’re safe."
Hannah looked at him quickly. She wasn’t naive enough to think that they were safe from the cruel hands of the Eternals. She knew them too well. By now the Trackers had been dispatched to bring her back for punishment, or worse, kill her.
She stared at him intently. "Did they question you?"
He fiddled from side to side uncomfortably. "Yes, but I told them nothing." He looked at her nervously. "But they said some pretty horrible things about you, Hannah." He swallowed nervously. "Did you really kill an Elementi?"
She looked at him coolly. "Yes."
Jacob stepped back, anxiously clutching his black satchel protectively.
Her eyes narrowed on the black satchel cunningly as she grabbed his arm. "But I had to, Jacob. I tried to reason with him, to convince him to be a part of the rite and allow us to borrow his immortal essence, but he threatened to expose us." She blinked tearfully.
He looked at her with shocked eyes. "They said that they found his body completely drained of all his powers." He gulped nervously. "Killing an Elementi is against the blood oath. Besides, you said nothing about killing, nothing."
"Why do you even care about the blood oath anyway? You’re a mere Normal." She patted his cheek scornfully. "Just leave Eternal business to me, okay?"
His face turned beet red. "I know what I am, Hannah. And remember that this mere Normal risked his life to steal for you."
"What do you want me to say?" She gripped his shoulder painfully. "There is a price to pay for power, Jacob. Sacrifices have to be made. Grow up."
Jacob stiffened defensively, backing away toward the cavern’s exit. "But killing? I didn’t sign up for that."
Hannah smiled quickly, touching his arm. "Don’t be like that, Jacob. I did what I had to do so that we could be together. That’s what you want, right?"
His eyes narrowed with concern. "I thought that’s what we want, but—"
She smiled at him seductively as she licked her lips with anticipation. "Of course that’s what we want. Come, Jacob, let’s not waste time. The faster that we do this, the quicker our union will be." She stormed over to the middle of the large stone floor and walked around in a circle, examining the area intently. "Okay, this will do," she mumbled aloud. She walked around the perimeter, tracing a large pentagram with precision using the sharp tip of her long silver sword.
When she was done, she inspected the outer perimeter of the pentagram carefully, ensuring that she did not step anywhere near the inside. She snuck a peek at Jacob to see if he noticed her carefully avoiding touching any part of the pentagram, but as usual, he was looking at her with that ridiculous adoring puppy dog expression.
She knew that one step inside, or even slightly touching it, would trap her inside like a sacrificial lamb, and that would never do. She stopped long enough at each point in the pentagram to tap the sword briskly, stirring the dirt on the ground—this was the seal to ensure that once he stepped in, there would be no way of getting out.
She smiled at him coyly. "It’s ready. Give me the Book of Eternals."
He hesitated, looking over at her uncertainly. "Are you sure that you can do this? I mean having enough power to make me an Eternal like you, so that you and I can be together forever?"
Silly boy, does he really think that I’m remotely interested in spending eternity with a twenty-one-year-old Normal who follows me around like a sappy puppy dog? she thought with irritation.
She wiggled her fingers impatiently. "The book, Jacob?"
He looked at her apprehensively as he reached into his bag and pulled out the large, ornate gold book.
She smiled reassuringly. "Trust me, Jacob." She was mere seconds from snatching the book from him, but she knew that would have dire consequences. The book belonged to the possessor; therefore, it had to be willingly given over to her.
"But…" He fidgeted anxiously as he clutched the book to his chest.
"Look, do you want this or not? I cannot promise you more than the darkness is willing to give. That’s the deal, so are you in or out, because I can always get another Normal that would be more than willing to oblige."
She was losing her patience. She flicked her fingers at him discreetly, casting an enthrall spell on him. She needed him, and the spell would keep him under her control at least until he stepped inside the pentagram. Then all bets were off.
His eyes glazed over deliriously. "No, I’m willing. I’ve waited too long for this, Hannah. Please." He shoved the book at her.
She snatched it greedily, but almost dropped it when it sizzled in her hands. She gritted her teeth with frustration. The book did not want her, and the burning energy piercing her skin was more than a warning; it was an outright threat. She knew that she had very little time to read the spell before its defensive mechanism locked the book and the information would be hidden from her forever.
She grabbed his hand, softly tracing her finger across his palm playfully. "First thing first, the blood of a Normal to summon him." She closed her eyes briefly, murmuring softly. When she opened them, they were unusually bright blood red. She smiled coldly, displaying the small, translucent teeth with sharp points that jabbed into her lips, leaving droplets of blood along the rim.
He pulled back sharply. "You’re a Banished?"
She chuckled coldly. "Hardly, it’s a transformation spell and only temporary. We must complete the exchange quickly, as the rite dictates this is the only way to get your blood." She raised his inner wrist to her lips. "This will hurt, a lot." With unbelievable quickness, she bit into his flesh deeply, drinking thirstily.
He winced, turning pale at the sight of his dark red blood splashing against the floor in big, fat droplets.
She raised her head reluctantly, wiping her bloodstained lips, letting the blood course through her body deliciously. So this is what the Banished experience after feeding, she thought quickly. The Eternals didn’t know what they were missing. She stepped back, shoving him across the pentagram’s threshold. "Go on, Jacob. Hurry."
He slowly walked to the center of the pentagram, dripping blood in his wake. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he impatiently pushed his hair back with trembling fingers.
She looked at her palm, which was now coursing with his and her blood, and quickly swiped it against the cover, smiling with satisfaction as the book flipped open, allowing her to flick through the book. She abruptly stopped at the page with bold black and gold cursive script written by the ancients, which she memorized quickly before the book vibrated violently, then slammed shut.
"You must not read from this book. What you summon cannot be controlled," a faceless female voice bellowed with outrage.
Hannah tossed it on the ground. "Who says that I want to control it?" She began to speak the forbidden words of the ancients in a language that hadn’t been uttered from the Book of Eternals for centuries. First she chanted it slowly, enunciating each word carefully, then faster, over and over, until she was drenched with sweat from the sheer effort.
Her heart pounded loudly in her ears. Her voice croaked painfully as the air whooshed through the cavern like an air blast. The pentagram was now engulfed in fiery flames that flicked toward Jacob’s ankles, first gently, then violently.
"Ralem, I summon you from the darkness. Ralem, please accept my sacrifice."
Jacob yelped with pain. "I can’t do this!" He stepped across the perimeter of the pentagram, trying to escape its fiery torture, but was bounced back against an invisible boundary that sent him flying against the middle of the pentagram with a loud crunch. "Hannah, let me out," he wailed in agony.
The fiery symbols of the ancients appeared one by one
within the pentagram, literally scorching the shirt of his body and roasting his skin. The scent of putrid burning flesh permeated the air.
She stared at him coldly. "There is no turning back, my love."
His body contorted in pain as he begged for release. Wafts of thick black smoke emanated from his body, hovering in the air. The smoke expanded, then contracted, forming at first an unfathomable form, then a face with smoky white eyes and lips.
"Who dares to summon me from the Underworld?" a cold, disembodied voice bellowed.
She stepped forward boldly. "It is Circle Hannah, Warrior of the Eternals, seeker of your wisdom."
He looked at her cunningly. "I know who you are, Circle. The scent of darkness lingers around you like a beacon. I have been watching you, Circle, and I know what you desire, but it all comes with a price."
She jabbed her finger at Jacob, who was writhing in pain on the ground. "I have brought your payment. It’s over there," she stated matter-of-factly.
Jacob’s eyes were wide with terrifying fear as he let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"I need more. No mere Normal is enough." Ralem responded.
"Name your price, and it is yours."
"First, let’s start with your blackened soul." He cackled wickedly.
"It is yours." She smiled brazenly.
"Then it’s your soul that I shall take, Circle." He blew out a plume of black smoke that encircled her neck, then exploded against her chest, leaving her breathless and drained. He looked dismissively at Jacob. "Now your pathetic excuse of a sacrifice."
Jacob gave him a terrified look before letting out a bloodcurdling scream. As Ralem picked up his body like a feather and tossed it back and forth like a rag doll, he sucked the life out his body until all that was left was his withered, bone-dry body. The flames sputtered and dissipated.
"Now…my request?"
Ralem laughed. "Did you really think that I would just give you such a precious gift so easily? You must forgo all and become my weapon. Swear your allegiance to the Underworld, and it shall be sealed for eternity."
"I am your weapon." She bowed her head with respect.
"We will do much destruction in this world, Hannah, and you shall be rewarded handsomely." The smoke that composed his face started to disappear, causing her to lurch forward with panic as she tried desperately to snatch some of the smoke.
"Wait, you cannot leave me defenseless. They will know that I have betrayed them for the Underworld and will kill me."
"No one can kill you now, Hannah. I have given you the ultimate gift, immortality. You shall keep it…for as long you continue to serve me." He laughed coldly, then disappeared into the dark, thin air.
Her body tingled. She felt different, renewed, and yes, more powerful. She experimented by flicking out her hand. Her eyes widened at the black sparks of energy that exploded with a raw power she never knew existed.
Ralem had given her the best gift ever, a drop of his dark power. She closed her eyes deliciously as it raced through her body, first warm, then fiery hot. It was so hot that she coughed in pain, spewing hot ash onto the floor, feeling almost drunk with the overwhelming power. Nothing in her years as an Eternal Warrior could compare to this power now coursing through her body.
"Thank you, Ralem. I will not fail you," she said aloud.
She knew that failure was not an option when it came to the most powerful, dark demon of the Underworld. No, failure was not something that he would accept at all.
She snapped out of her trance when she felt their presence vibrating loudly through the cavern before she heard their footsteps. So, they finally found me, she thought. She turned toward the dark opening expectantly as the cavern filled with Eternal Warriors, Circles who were what she once called her best friends and sisters-in-arms—now all she felt toward them was utter disdain and hatred.
She looked at Rosa, Jessica, Victoria, and Olivia with pure venom.
Victoria ran her fingers through her long, curly brown hair with agitation as she looked over at the pentagram, then looked back at Hannah angrily. "I didn’t think that you would actually do it. But I see once again I underestimated the lengths that you will go for power, my Circle sister." She swiped her hands through the air as if searching for something. "There is something dark, very dark, in here." Her eyes searching the cavern, she sharply exhaled. "You summoned a dark demon," she stated flatly. Hannah looked at her boldly. "And I do not regret the sacrifice."
Victoria shook her head with disappointment. "And what about the sacrifice of the Normal and Elementi?"
"You’re the one with telepathic powers. Why don’t you read my mind, favored Eternal Warrior?" Hannah responded.
Victoria raised her glowing sword. "Don’t tempt me, Hannah; I will slaughter you where you stand, gladly."
Hannah’s eyes taunted her. "Really?" She laughed as she circled her. "You’re all talk, Victoria. You and I know that you don’t have the heart to break the blood oath. Always by the book, that’s you." She held out her wrists with innocent eyes. "Arrest me. Be a good little Tracker and bring me to the Royal Elementi Conclaves for trial. I beg you," she finished.
Victoria’s eyes narrowed. "I know you, Hannah, maybe too well, and I will not be baited by the likes of you." She smiled, a little too sweetly. "After all, we all know that I’m smarter and more powerful than you. But that has always been the problem, has it not? The fact that nothing you do, or no matter how many Daemons you raise, can change that fact?"
Hannah screeched like a wild animal, lunging toward her throat. Victoria smiled icily as she quickly whispered a combat spell, then flicked out her fingers, sending a burst of energy that knocked Hannah hard onto her back.
Victoria stood over her with a gleeful look. "Please, don’t let this get ugly. Just stay down."
Jessica stormed over, her golden blonde hair flying haphazardly like a plume of feathers. "I can’t believe that you’ve actually pledged alliance to a Daemon of the Underworld. Why would you betray us?"
Hannah looked up at them angrily as she scrambled to her feet. "Betray you? I have always been true to the Eternals, the Elementi, and the worthless blood oath. And what has it gotten me? Nothing. I’m on the winning side now, the Underworld, and everyone that opposes it will perish in flames!" she screamed angrily.
"The Underworld will only win if we let it. I don’t understand how you can throw away everything, and for what?" Jessica spat nastily.
"What do you really understand, Jessica? You live in your world of privilege with everything handed to you on a silver platter." Hannah looked over at Victoria icily. "And you, Victoria, swallowing everything that the council and the Royal Elementi Conclave spout as gospel, never questioning what’s really going on behind closed doors. Wake up. The Elementi are liars and are using us as their private army, and we get nothing out of it but second-class citizen status. It stops, and it stops with me."
Olivia looked at her with agitation as she touched Hannah’s shoulder gently. "Circle sister, you summoned what should never be brought to this earth. This is a crime, and in accordance with the blood oath, this means death."
She jerked her shoulder away quickly. "How you dare talk about death in the same breath that you call me your sister? Hypocrites, all of you are self-righteous hypocrites. You take great pleasure in using your magic in the slaying of Daemons and the Banished in the name of the Elementi like it’s a full-time sport. You treat the Normals as friends instead of what they really are—the lowest form of life and selfish pests. The blood oath says nothing of betraying your fellow Eternals in the name of saving Normals."
Jessica tossed reared her golden blonde hair angrily. "Enough, Hannah, your games will not work today. You have broken the blood oath, and there is no forgiveness for this abomination. The punishment is very clear, and no theatrics will ever change that."
Hannah sneered. "How rich, you’re actually giving me a lecture on the blood oath?" She flung her long chestnut hair over her shoulders. "Wel
l let me educate you on the blood oath. The oath does not state that we should waste our gifts on protecting Normals or that we should live side by side with them like commoners. The oath does not say that we should waste our powers as babysitters for the Elementi like some weak creatures. We are supreme Warriors with immense gifts and powers, and if the Eternals are too weak to demand more for the price that we pay for servitude as protectors of this cursed universe, then I can tell you that I have no reservations at all in taking what is mine."
Victoria looked at her coldly. "Our blood oath is to protect the Elementi and guard the Gates. Our powers and gifts are only binding through them."
"Elementi? They’re the thing of the past. They’re cowards hiding in their castles, waiting for us to fight a war that they don’t have the stomach to fight anymore. Power is all that I care about, and I"—Hannah looked at them like a cobra ready to strike—"I for one will not wait or beg the Elementi for the right to use my powers as I please. I will take what is mine; I will take all the powers that are due to me."
"Even if it means that you have to sell your soul to the Underworld for it?" Olivia asked woefully.
Hannah looked at her with disgust. "Yes, goody two-shoes, even it means my soul is no longer mine. See, unlike you cowards, I am not afraid to do what is necessary."
Rosa looked at them nervously. "This is not right. We must request a meeting before the Royal Elementi Conclaves and let them hear all sides. For goodness sake, give Hannah a chance to tell her side of the story. She has the right to be heard before them."
"Then it is done. We must do what is best for the Eternals." Victoria’s waist-length brown hair flew haphazardly around her as she strode over to the mouth of the cavern, marking the air with her fingers as she drew the shape of a door in the air.
Hannah watched mockingly as a stream of Circles strode through the portal solemnly, among them High Priestesses Celeste and Priscilla.
Rosa ran her hands through her jet-black hair agitatedly, her peach-colored skin flushed with anger. "Wait, Hannah is right. Why do we live in service to the Elementi? Our blood oath to protect them has chained us, and I no longer want to live my life in servitude to them."