by F. L. Jordan
“Ladies! Welcome,” Shone’s silvery smile flashed in the low light of the street lamps. “I was worried you might have an unwanted guest with you.”
“No need to fear, Shone,” Cora spoke up. “Agram has lost the loyalty of her coven sisters.”
His eyes grew wide, a mischievous grin spreading on his lips, “Then we may actually have a chance. Find a place to squeeze in. I’m afraid it’s standing room only.”
As they entered, Steffani was surprised to find several uniformed police officers from every precinct standing in the front of the library’s large conference hall. They were talking to someone who looked like Zachariah Hail, but it couldn’t be him. He was dressed head to toe in black leather, wearing a blindfold, and void of one signature dragon. She looked around to see if Copper might be nearby, but saw no sign of the creature.
A few more minutes passed until the doors closed and Shone stepped inside. To Steffani’s surprise, the dragon she’d been searching for sat upon his shoulder. Copper didn’t stay there for long, taking flight and landing on the man in leather who cocked his head to listen to him. So that was Hail. Starra had questions.
Zach walked away from the group of police officers and spoke to a tall, thin, dorky looking man dressed in a pink polo and khaki slacks. Steffani had seen him before, but couldn’t remember where. He tried to quiet the crowd, but failed miserably, turning to Zach with a helpless expression.
Steffani plugged her ears as Copper opened his mouth, knowing full well what the dragon was about to do. As the high pitched sound wave burst from the little creature, the gathered witches gasped in surprise. Their conversations ceased instantly. All attention was given to the front of the room.
“Thank you, little one.” The tall man spoke to the dragon before turning to the crowd, “Good evening, everyone. I would normally start by thanking all of you for gathering here, but we don’t really have time for such formalities.”
“What’s going on, Tark?” a man called from somewhere near the front.
“Long story short,” the man sighed, “our queen has been kidnapped, and the dark queen has been manipulated into starting a war.”
“Don’t beat around the bush, Tark,” Hail spoke up. “The dark queen has been charmed into loving a power hungry idiot who wants to summon Satan. After using their magic to complete the task he’ll likely kill both of them.”
Hail’s cold demeanor sent the terrifying news through the crowd like an electric shock. People began murmuring and trying to leave, fearful of not being able to survive the upcoming disaster he spoke of. Classic Hail. He never delivered bad news gently.
“We need to evacuate!” a woman called out, several frantic voices agreeing with her as the crowd surged towards the door. Steffani rolled her eyes and drew her wand from the air. She flicked her wrist, sending a gentle pulse through the crowd that pushed them back. Her dark magic silenced them and they stared at her.
“What you need to do is back your queen,” Steffani put her wand away as she addressed the terrified people. “Pent is strong. If every white witch stood behind her, she’d easily overpower Agram.”
“Why is there a dark magic witch here?” a man shouted fearfully. “Is this a trap?”
“We’re here because Agram betrayed us,” Cora spoke up. “When she sent out that little drug of hers, she forgot who would be using it. The dark witch has killed at least a quarter of her loyalists.”
“And lost the faith of almost all of them,” Steffani added. “She’s weakened herself with her blind ambition to please her false king.”
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” a mousy woman with a fierce ‘let me speak to the manager’ haircut looked them over. “How can we trust someone of your... quality?”
“Because we ain’t got nothing to lose, lady,” Cora glared at her.
“If it helps,” Steffani slipped the black box out of her stockings, “we brought a gift for the White Witch King. I have it on good authority that he’s had some trouble in the past finding a suitable wand.”
Zach had drunkenly admitted to her their first night together that he’d longed to be a witch as a child. His father had scoured the globe for a wand that might bring out his magic, but had never found the right one. Considering his father had been an honest man, it was guaranteed that he’d never purchased one of this particular type.
“There is no white king,” a man in the middle of the crowd shouted. “Pent isn’t married.”
“It’s a rather new relationship,” she held the box up, meeting Copper’s fierce gaze. “Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”
She wasn’t sure what to call him since he didn’t have a coven name, or if he did, she didn’t know it. Zach nodded and Copper took flight, gliding effortlessly over the crowd to snatch the black box from her hand. The dragon carefully deposited the item into his human’s hand before returning to his perch upon Zach’s shoulders.
Steffani watched as Zach opened the box slowly, quickly ripping off the blindfold to get a better look at what was inside. Tark reacted to the wand with shock as well, his eyes growing wide with disbelief. Steffani was more concerned with the fact that Zach could see. When had that happened?
“The fact that Pent was able to lift Agram’s curse from you is all the proof anyone should need to believe in her power,” Steffani locked eyes with him, Zach’s icy blue irises seeing her for the first time.
“Is this supposed to be funny, Starra?” Zach placed the lid back on the wand box holding it up for her to see, “Because this feels more like a threat than a peace offering.”
She was surprised he knew her coven name, “Does it not make sense? A dragon bone wand for a dragon tongued witch. Pick it up, and let’s see what happens.”
The crowd gasped and murmured at her words. Dragon bone hadn’t been used to make wands for centuries, not because it was illegal, but because the artistry was never handed down due to the stubbornness of the yielded products. The wands typically held a bit of the dragon’s soul and were insanely particular about their owners, often rejecting those who tried to use them. This of course made such wands valuable beyond imagination. Steffani didn’t want to think about how many blow jobs she was going to have to give in order to pay Cora back for it.
“The wand in that box was forged nearly 300 years ago, yet it has never accepted a witch as its wielder,” Cora encouraged. “Let’s see if you can sweet talk Magna.”
The entire room was captivated. The spirit of this creature was legend. Magna was the last living giant dragon on record, a proud beast who had bowed to no one. She had befriended a young dragon tongue witch towards the end of her life and granted the young man permission to use a single femur bone to craft a handful of wands. Only 5 existed, and four of them were buried in the ground long ago with their chosen witches, all of whom had been great dragon tongues.
Zach tapped the side of the box in thought, then silently asked Copper something. The little dragon shook his shiny head and the man sighed, reopening the box. He tossed the lid aside and grabbed the black wand within forcefully, as if expecting nothing to happen. He couldn’t have been more wrong. The wand responded to his touch instantly, unlocking the magic within him. A collective gasp rang out through the room as his immense energy burst forth. Zach dropped the wand, backing away from it in shock. Even Copper reacted to it, his little golden eyes glowing red with Magna’s power.
Steffani folded her arms and smiled. It was clear that Zach belonged with Natalie. His power level and magic type complimented her perfectly. His lack of spell casting knowledge was unfortunate given the current situation, but that wasn't the point of giving him the wand. The display of Zach's power combined with his intimate connection to Natalie won over even the most frightened witch present. As he cautiously bent to pick up the wand, murmurs of action and plans arose.
"You have the witches of the Imperial Coven at your disposal," Steffani announced proudly. Several others followed her, making the same declaration.
Zach tucked the wand into the inner pocket of his jacket and signaled for everyone to calm down, "Thank you, Starra, for the gift, and all of you for your loyalty. I suppose it's time we share our plan."
Chapter 18
Pain ripped through Natalie’s jaw as Daniel’s fist connected with it. She’d lost track of how many times he’d hit her, or how many days she’d been tied up to the building’s center support beam. All she knew was that a good majority of the bones in her face were broken and she was now missing a few teeth. Daniel had taken his nightstick to her yesterday because their spell hadn’t worked.
“Fucking cunt!” he screamed as he struck her again. “What did you do? How the fuck did you alter the summoning?”
Natalie spit out another tooth and laughed at him, speaking through swollen bloody lips, “Fuck you.”
He cocked his hand back again, slamming his fist into her stomach. She groaned from the impact, leaning against her restraints. If only she could get her hand free. She’d destroy both of them in a heartbeat.
“Daniel, perhaps we’ve done something wrong,” Agram spoke now. She was obviously uncomfortable with how much damage he’d done to Natalie.
“No,” he struck again, “I know she’s done something. The pentagram is perfectly drawn, I’ve checked it four times. We have a surplus of general sacrifices, both light and dark magic of equal power present, and exactly three sacrifices from genuine lovers. The spell should have worked!”
Natalie’s legs shook, tired and cramping from days of standing. Her thick curls stuck to the wounds on her face. Her uniform was drenched in urine and blood. The zipties he’d bound her with had cut into her flesh. She hated that she’d been reduced to such a mess. She hated the fact that she’d ignored Zach’s request for her to wait. If she’d listened to him, she wouldn’t be in such a state. If she hadn’t been so stubborn, Slag wouldn’t be dead. If she hadn’t placed a sleep charm on Zach, he’d be on his way to find her, wouldn’t he?
“What if that girl’s love wasn’t genuine?” Agram asked quietly.
“Do you doubt my abilities?” Daniel spun on her angrily.
“No, of course not,” Agram stepped back from him. “I’m just trying to think of what could have gone wrong.”
“You think I’m not?” he shouted at her, completely belligerent.
“Wait,” Agram stepped towards Natalie, “there’s been rumors floating around town that Hail has his sight back.”
“Impossible,” Daniel shook out his hand as Natalie struggled to breathe. “I saw him today. He’s still as blind as a bat.”
“Why would you risk getting anywhere near him after what he did at the warehouse?” Agram hissed, her voice full of a lover’s concern.
“You think I’m scared of that man?” Daniel turned on her, allowing his anger to extend towards her as well, “fucking wimp didn’t even try to follow us here. He’s not coming for her, and neither are his little lizards.”
“Darling, that’s not what I meant,” Agram tried to calm him. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
She set her hand on his forearm lovingly and Daniel smacked her away harshly, “Don’t touch me. I need to think.”
Agram gasped and backed away from him quickly. Natalie recognized the fear in her eyes. It was the same look she’d gotten when he used to get mad at her. It was obvious that Daniel had charmed his way into the Dark Witch Queen’s heart. He had no real love for her, just her power. If only Natalie could get Agram to see that.
Daniel glared at her for a moment then grabbed Natalie’s sore jaw, forcing her to look at him through her swollen eyes, “Zach is a damn good actor if the occasion calls for it. Did you remove his curse?”
She remained silent, giving him the best glare she could. He squeezed her shattered jaw bone and angrily tossed her head to the side, delivering several hard blows to her abdomen as he cursed. She was sure he cracked a rib.
“Damnit!” he yelled as he walked away from her.
“So we need another sacrifice,” Agram stated optimistically. “It’s only a minor setback, honey.”
“A MINOR SETBACK?” he screamed at her. “Do you have any idea how much effort it takes to charm someone into that state of devotion? It will take me at least a month!”
“That’s because you’re weak,” Natalie laughed feebly.
Daniel picked up a piece of metal pipe that laid nearby, striking her as hard as he could in the shins. Blinding pain ripped through her left leg as her fibula fractured. Her entire body began to shake violently from the amount of adrenaline she was producing. Natalie refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream, but if he pushed her much more, she’d probably end up having a heart attack from the stress. She hung her head and tried to focus on not passing out.
Content with the damage done, Daniel dropped the pipe and walked away, “Fucking bitch. As soon as this is over I’m offering you as a meal to the devil.”
Agram watched him leave, holding her arms uncomfortably. Daniel slammed the door behind him, sending a fierce echo through the empty building. After a few moments with nothing but Natalie’s labored breathing to fill the silence, Agram approached her.
“Why’d you have to screw everything up?” she asked pathetically, looking for someone to blame for her own misfortune.
“Why’d you let him charm you?” Natalie sputtered through the blood and saliva that ran freely from her mouth.
“Excuse me?” Agram said indignantly. “Daniel loves me.”
“Austin loved you,” Natalie could barely manage a whisper, “and you killed him.”
“Fuck you,” Agram spit on her and walked away. “You get everything you deserve, Pent.”
“Do you understand that your baby will be his next sacrifice?” Agram froze at Natalie’s words. “Of course you don’t, or you wouldn’t have told him about it.”
“What are you talking about?” Agram held her abdomen protectively as she turned to glare at her.
“You’ll see,” Natalie coughed against the blood that was in her lungs. “He’s desperate now, and that child is the easiest way to fix it.”
“He’d never hurt our baby,” Agram yelled at her defiantly. “He loves me!”
“You’re a fool, Agram,” Natalie felt the cold fingers of unconsciousness wrapping around her vision as her body began to slump against the beam. She barely felt the zip ties cutting deeper into her flesh as her right leg failed her and she slumped painfully to the floor. The fractured bone in her left leg snapped under the pressure of a new angle and her brain shut down. As the sweet embrace of darkness overcame her, she sent out a silent plea for help. If he was anywhere nearby, Zach would hear it.
~*~
Vivian stared at the battered woman before her. Three days of tourture. That’s what it took to take Pent down. Vivian knew she wouldn’t have been able to do it. Pent was physically and mentally stronger than her. She always had been, and yet, she’d easily fallen victim to Daniel’s charms.
She sighed and walked away, not wanting to look at the wounded mass of flesh that had once been her best friend. As she left, Vivian thought about Austin. She hadn’t thought about him in years. The man had been everything Daniel wasn’t; kind, patient, caring. Austin had never struck her. He’d never yelled at her. They had dated for almost three years by the time Daniel entered their lives.
Vivian thought back to that day. Their covens had gathered for fellowship. Vivian hadn’t really been impressed with the older, less attractive, less magically capable man that was Daniel Corvis. She’d even been a little concerned that Pent had taken such an interest in him. Yet somehow, only two months later, she herself was completely infatuated with him, sneaking out to meet him in the middle of the night. Eventually she tried to break up with Austin. The man had looked her in the eyes as he sobbed and claimed that Daniel had charmed her. He’d begged her to let him remove it. She’d coldly told him that she wasn’t charmed, and that he wasn’t her king.
>
Austin confronted Daniel about it, kicking him out of his coven and marking him as a traitor to his own kind. Vivian retaliated and challenged Austin to a duel for Daniel’s honor. He’d refused to attack or defend himself, hoping she’d come to her senses. That was the first time she’d ever casted a soul eater curse.
A tear rolled down her cheek as she remembered the horrified expression on his face. A sob wracked her body as she remembered how he’d called out to her. Vivian hit her knees as she remembered how he’d begged her to see that she was being manipulated. She screamed as she remembered how he’d proclaimed his love for her with his last breath. Eleven years, it had taken her eleven years to break Daniel’s charm.
She’d lost everything that had ever mattered to her. Her best friend, her king, and now her coven. She’d given everything up simply because he’d told her to.
As she cried, Vivian rose to her feet and ran. She needed to help Pent. She needed to fix this mess she’d so willingly created. She knew she had the ingredients for a healing potion in the room she’d been living out of for the last three days. She was confident she could whip it up before Daniel got back.
~*~
Natalie coughed and sputtered as a bitter liquid entered her mouth. She knew what it was, but was having trouble believing where it was coming from. As the potion slipped down her throat, eliminating pain along its journey, Agram sobbed, begging her to keep drinking. The distraught blonde shoved a glass of the stuff into Natalie’s hand and raised it to her lips. Was this a trick? What was happening?
“Drink, Pent, please. I’m so sorry,” Vivian cried as she set Natalie’s broken leg. “You were right. Austin was right. How? How could someone with so little magical talent manipulate us so easily?”
“He’s a charmer, Agram,” Natalie chugged the potion, realizing this was her opportunity, “it’s what they do. Even the most devout will fall to their wills if even the slightest suggestion is allowed in. Think back to that day we met him. Did he offer you any ideas that were appealing?”