55. The Fall of the Phoenix
Chapter 55
The Fall of the Phoenix
V atican - Vatican City, Rome
April 21, 2018
(Day of Death)
The sky above them churned as if the heavens themselves were on the march for a great return. Dolly squared her shoulders, power rippled through her frame. She prepared to face Phoenix. His calm, condescending smirk only added purpose to her rage. The others—battered, weakened—watched her, their hope hung precariously on her resolve.
And then, the cosmos shifted.
A single bolt of lightning tore through the swirling clouds, blinding the fallen in its zig-zagging intensity. The battlefield of the residential streets of the Vatican rocked and crumbled beneath its force. Time froze for them all; the charged air sent sparkles of light everywhere. As if the sky was now raining stars. The bolt didn’t simply strike—it ripped a glowing rift into the very fabric of reality.
From the searing light inside the seam, a figure emerged. Phoenix stood transfixed as did Dolly.
The first thing Phoenix saw was her silhouette—a warrior’s stance, proud and unyielding. As she stepped fully into their realm, the light dimmed, revealing her in all her celestial glory.
Aries had returned.
Her skin was the deep, luminous hue of obsidian, like polished Nubian stone kissed by the sun. The very truth of melanin personified. Her presence was both regal and untamed, a blend of light and shadow that made her beauty otherworldly. She wore the garb of a goddess and a warrior; her attire echoed the traditions of ancient Egypt.
A golden breastplate adorned with intricate carvings of ankhs, serpents, and lotus flowers clung to her torso, gleaming with divine energy. A flowing white kilt embroidered with shimmering golden threads draped around her hips, slit high on one side to reveal powerful, yet shapely muscled legs. Her arms bore thick golden cuffs, etched with hieroglyphs that glowed faintly, pulsating with her internal power. Around her neck rested a broad, golden collar, encrusted with jewels the colors of the cosmos—sapphire blues, fiery reds, and emerald greens.
Her hair was a cascade of midnight waves, styled in tight, precise braids that fell past her shoulders. Each braid was tipped with small golden beads, clicking softly as she moved, like the faint chiming of a sacred bell. A golden circlet rested upon her brow, its centerpiece a black diamond that seemed to drink in the light around it.
Her eyes—brilliant, molten gold—scanned the scene. They were sharp as daggers, assessing, commanding, piercing through every soul before her. Her gaze locked on Phoenix, and for the first time, the Magistrate fell to his knees.
“Aries,” he whispered, his voice thick with disbelief and something that almost sounded like fear.
She stepped forward, her movements fluid, each one echoing with an ancient authority that dwarfed everyone present. The ground beneath her feet glowed faintly, as though the earth itself recognized the power of her return.
“You’ve gone too far, Phoenix,” Aries said, her voice soft with disappoint and pain but resonating with power. It was deep, melodic, a song of creation and destruction. “For centuries, you’ve played your games, torn the fabric of reality, and sacrificed countless souls. But it ends now.”
Phoenix recovered his composure. He stood before his wife, his smirk returning, though it was weaker this time. “You’re late, my love,” he said mockingly. “I already won. The Supreme Draca has been unleashed. Lucio is his, and the balance is shattered.”
She raised an eyebrow, a small, dangerous smile graced her ruby red lips. “Is that what you think?”
Without warning, Aries struck.
Her movement was so swift it seemed instantaneous. One moment she was several paces away; the next, her golden blade—materialized from the very ether—was pressed to Phoenix’s throat. The weapon shimmered with divine energy, hummed with power that vibrated deep within the paralyzed bones of everyone present.
Phoenix’s confidence crumbled. He staggered back, trying to summon his own weapon, but Aries was relentless. She disarmed him with a single strike, her blade slicing cleanly through his ancient sword.
“Is this what you wanted?” she asked, her voice now cold. “You sought to break the cosmos apart to force my hand? To bring me back?”
Phoenix dropped to his knees, his face a mix of awe and desperation. “I did it for you,” he said, his voice cracking. “I did it because I love you. It was always for you. We can rule together my love. The greatest King and Queen the pharaohs ever dreamed.”
Her golden eyes narrowed, and her grip on her blade tightened. “You killed me with that same love. You betrayed everything I stood for, everything I fought to protect. You cursed me to an eternity in the void, Phoenix. And for what? Power you are not entitled too. Chaos to boost your ego?”
He looked at her, tears streaming down his face. “It was the only way to make you mine again.”
Aries tilted her head; a flash of pain went across her face. “You fool. I loved you once. Enough to betray my sisters, my mother, my purpose. And you repaid that love with a dagger to my heart.”
Her words cut deeper than any blade. Phoenix bowed his head, shrinking, trembling before her.
“I am not here for vengeance,” Aries continued. “I am here to restore what you had no right to destroy.”
In a single, fluid motion, she struck him. The blow sent him sprawling, his body crumpling to the ground. When he tried to rise, she lashed a golden chain around him, the links glowing with divine light. He struggled, but the chain tightened, binding him like an offering to the ancient gods. Heated by the sun he screamed in agony as his vampiric existence withered under the tight grappling.
“You will answer for your crimes,” she said, her voice heavy with finality. “Not to me, but to the ancient ones you betrayed. There will be no dark void to sulk in as I have, no penance, no merry.”
Phoenix’s face shriveled, his sobs wracking his body with pain and suffering. Despite his betrayal, his love for her was undeniable, and Aries could feel it. Her resolve wavered for a moment as she knelt beside him.
“I loved you, Phoenix,” she said softly. “But I cannot forgive you.”
She leaned down and kissed him despite his bondage—a lingering, mournful kiss that carried centuries of pain and longing. When she pulled away, tears streaked her cheeks.
With a final tug, she dragged him toward the rift. The sky above them roared, the cosmos shifting once more as the gods prepared to deliver judgment.
Turning to Dolly, Aries nodded. “Prepare for Lucio. Unite with my sisters. The Draquria must fall. I am not worthy of this battle. This worlds balance now hangs for you. The Chosen.”
Her gaze softened as she faced Kaida and Liora, who stepped out of Charmaine and Sonya who were down on the ground. They were ethereal then physical, changed into the same regal attire as their sister. Aries stepped toward them, her voice trembling.
“I betrayed you,” Aries wept. “I can never undo it. But I have paid my penance. Will you forgive me? It’s all I need.”
Kaida and Liora exchanged a look, then rushed their sister with a unifying embrace that was tight with forgiveness. “You were lost,” Kaida said and kissed Aries. “But now you are found.”
“Of course we forgive you my sweet sister, you are the uniter of us, the truth that was destroyed. You were the Defender of the Balance between darkness and light, and you have served that purpose well,” said Liora
Aries wept as they held her. The three sisters, once divided, were family again. And then she let them go. She looked at Shakespeare and Tristan. “I see you have chosen mates,” said Aries through her sniffs. She glanced to her husband still wailing in agonizing screams. She spoke to the consiglieri. “Do not ever betray my sisters, because Draca in you will tempt you both.” Her gaze leveled on Tristan. “You were a man of faith. You resisted temptation before. Do not ever divide my sisters because I will return. Hold true to your vow to Charmaine. No matter how much you are tempted not too.”
Shakespeare frowned. He looked at Sonya and then Tristan. Tristan looked to Charmaine. The goddesses Kaida and Liora gave Aries one final hug and returned to the sisters.
With a final, radiant smile, Aries stepped into the rift, pulling Phoenix behind her. The light swallowed them, leaving the battlefield stunned, awed, and silent.
The fight wasn’t over. But hope, once distant, now burned brightly in their hearts.
The goddess Aries was gone.
Though the guardians Kaida and Liora had returned to their hosts everyone still remained trapped by Phoenix’s magic. Aries could only take Phoenix from the battle but not free the lot. Doly looked to Charmaine. “Do you have it?” she asked.
A jewel—the golden scarab—radiated both beauty and energy in Charmaine’s hand. Its ancient power pulsed with terrifying potential.
Without hesitation, Charmaine found the strength to hurl the scarab toward Dolly. Time seemed to slow as the jewel spun through the air and then hit the ground. It exploded into a massive, writhing creature—a golden beetle with long, spindly legs. Its armored shell gleamed brilliantly under the moonlight. Its mandibles clicked ominously, and its many black eyes locked onto the vampire brothers Marcello and Sebastiano.
“No! You will obey. Free them. Release them!” Dolly commanded. “We need them to defeat Lucio’s Dragon. Do not?—"
But it was too late. The beetle’s legs shot out with terrifying speed. Each latched onto one of the brothers slamming them about, pinning him to the cobblestones. Marcello and Sebastiano thrashed violently, their power flared in dark bursts, but the scarab drank it in with greed. It grew larger with each second.
“It’s going to kill them. Take them! As it did Nzinga,” yelled Charmaine to Dolly.
“It’s blocking our energy. We can’t help!” shouted Sonya.
The ground beneath them began to tremble and crack. From the depths of the earth, a swirl of darkness rose—a portal to the Underworld. Dolly closed her eyes an tried to summon her light. Tried to reach into the cosmos for the power to keep the darkness from winning. But there was something stronger than her charging through the beetle. She did not want Lucio to lose his brothers. She would need everyone to save her lover.
Marcello’s face twisted in horror as the scarab dragged him toward the widening abyss.
“I won’t! I won’t go!” Sebastiano screamed, his voice shredded in both English and Sicilian. “ Vaffanculo! You can’t do this to me! Maledetti! I am a supreme! I am the servant of Draquria! I?—”
His words dissolved into agonized cries as the scarab yanked him closer to the eternal darkness. The others were freed from Phoenix’s binding spell now, they staggered to their feet. Tristan helped Shakespeare up, who immediately rushed to Sonya, cradling her as her wounds healed.
Dolly’s force grew greater. She raised an orb of light and shot it deep into the gaping hole of the scarab that it was intent on feeding the vampire brothers. Both vampires were immediately released.
Out of the swirling blackness, a figure materialized—Domencio, flew up from the blackness carrying her sister, Darlene, in his arms.
Darlene. Her twin. Her heart. She was alive.
The underworld’s screams echoed in the background as the scarabs’ legs trembled and the beetle began to shake as if imploding. Dolly rushed forward, her legs trembling with exhaustion, but her resolve stronger than ever.
Darlene stirred, her eyes fluttering open. Dolly fell to her knees as Domencio gently lowered her sister to the ground. For a brief, sacred moment, the world stood still.
“Darlene,” Dolly whispered, her voice breaking. “I thought I lost you. I thought you were—” Then they touched. In that moment she learned the truth. All of it. From the deal with Papa Legba to the love affair that bloomed as children between Domencio and Darlene. Shocked Dolly blinked at her sister in disbelief. The twins embraced, their tears mingled as they clung to each other, their reunion a fusion of joy and sorrow over all the betrayals and past hurts. Everything they had lost, everything they had fought for, seemed to collide in that embrace.
“What the hell was that thing?” Domencio’s voice was hoarse, his body sagged from the exertion.
“Is it true?” Marcello demanded; his voice strained with emotion. Blood tears streaked his face as he looked at Domencio, then Sebastiano. Marcello approached faster, his body ravaged not from the attack launched against him by his own consiglieri and mentor, or the scarab but from grief. “Did you know that Phoenix betrayed us and chose her over saving us?”
“It’s complicated little brother,” Domencio stammered.
“Did he kill our father? Release the Supreme Draca? Bring on the prophecy with my tools and weapons!! Mine!” Marcello shouted enraged.
Domencio remained silent, his jaw tight. He did not want to add to his brother’s pain. Marcello was the best of all of them and loved without judgement. He didn’t deserve this level of betrayal. So, he remained silent. But his silence was answer enough.
“No. No. No,” Marcello stepped back, refusing to believe.
The courtyard fell deathly quiet. The sound of an approaching whistle cut through the air like a blade. Every supernatural being froze, their senses attuned to the change in the atmosphere. A presence—dark and all-encompassing—descended upon them, it sent a sliver of dread through the night.
Dolly experienced a warming sensation throughout her body, as if she were being embraced. Her heart hammered in her chest. She knew that presence. She felt it in her bones.
“Lucio,” she whispered, her voice quivered.
Darlene stiffened beside her. Her hand slipped into Dolly’s and the sisters stood—united.
Out of the shadows, a figure emerged, cloaked in darkness, his silhouette unmistakable. The night seemed to bend around him, an aura of power so suffocating that even the strongest among them hesitated to breathe.
“Lucio,” Dolly sobbed, her voice croaked. All the suppressed emotion over the loss of him over the past forty-eight hours hit her like a jet stream. Her body ignited. It glowed with her uncontrollable light, pushing away the guardians behind a force field, barring anyone from coming close to him, Darlene, or her. It was as if her soul had reached out to him and pulled her closer to her one true love.
Come to me, Lucio whispered through the darkness, seductive and powerful. I’ve missed you… Come to me… It was Lucio, but not. His voice, deep and familiar, coiled around both twins, intoxicating them both. Dolly’s glow intensified. Her skin shimmered, and she lifted a few inches off the ground, being pulled toward him.
“Dolly, no!” Darlene yanked her sister back with her own power. “It’s not him. Can’t you feel it? That’s not what Lucio would do to you, or me. He never used his power like that on us. He never had that kind of power over us.”
But Dolly couldn’t hear her. Lucio’s call was too strong, too compelling. The love she felt for him—the love that once defined her—swallowed her whole. She shook off her union with her sister and floated toward him; her eyes glowed as her power surged to be siphoned.
Domencio’s voice cut through the haze of resistance. “Darlene!”
He ran to her side, but a blast of unseen force grown by Dolly’s power threw him back. Marcello and Sebastiano experienced the sensation of being seized by invisible hands, which lifted them into the air while their pain reverberated across the courtyard. Tristan and Shakespeare writhed in pain, suspended by a power greater than their own as well.
The shadow approached. With every step, Lucio’s power rippled through the air like a storm.
“Dolly, resist!” Darlene pleaded, her voice breaking. “It’s not him! Stop it, Lucio! Stop! You’re taking too much from her!”
But Dolly didn’t stop. She glowed so bright, that almost everyone had to close their eyes. It was as if she would implode soon.
“It’s him,” Dolly groaned in evident pain. “I can feel him. He’s all over me. He misses me. He loves me.”
Darlene turned to Domencio, desperation in her eyes and tears in her voice. “What’s happening to her? Why is he doing this? Why is he hurting her like this? Make him stop!”
Domencio staggered to his feet, his body shook, but he could feel it—the resistance. Something within him fought back against Lucio’s pull. And then he understood. The gem, the jewel that had saved him and Darlene from Vittorio and his Draca, protected him now.
He reached Darlene. He grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. “Don’t go. Focus on me. Don’t look at her. Just focus on me. Stay with me, Darlene.”
“I can’t,” she said. “He can’t stop it. Can he? He’ll take her, he’ll drain her. She’s my sister, she’s a part of me. I can’t… let her die for him.”
Domencio nodded. They understood the bond the sisters shared. He looked at what was left of Lucio and suffered his own pang of guilt.
“Okay,” He kissed her brow and pressed the gem into her hand. He put his lips to her ear. “Use it to save them both. Take them somewhere the Draquria can’t reach and I will find you.”
Her gaze dimmed. The gem grew hot in her clutched fist. She tilted her face to kiss him. And Lucio snarled a lethal warning behind them. Domencio had to let her go.
“I’ll come back to you,” Darlene whispered telepathically. “You’ll find us and we’ll come back. Promise.”
“I swear it on my life,” said Domencio.
Before Domencio’s love could change her mind she stepped away and went toward Lucio. Dolly, already in his arms, rested her head against his chest, her body shivered with devotion, her light absorbed by the darkness.
The Supreme Draca smirked, his eyes blazed with malevolent triumph.
Darlene glanced at Domencio one last time, then lifted from the ground. She reached for Dolly. The truth struck her with terrifying clarity—she and Dolly were stronger together. It was the only way they had ever won against the darkness. The battles of their lonely childhood and neighborhood bullies, the battles with an abusive boyfriend. They defeated the monsters of their past together. They were destined to never be apart. The strength they had always drawn from each other surged backward and pushed through the darkness.
Grabbing her sister’s hand, Darlene squeezed tightly. “I’m sorry, Dolly. I’m back now. We are some badass bitches, remember? You and me. We are one.”
At that moment, their souls merged. Darlene left her physical state. The shapeshifter, whose physical form she inhabited, dropped free from the trio. Startled, the indigenous woman looked up at the Master vampire and his brides. Lucio glared down at her. The shapeshifter turned into a raven and flew off into the night before he attacked.
The light from within Dolly exploded, Darlene’s energy fused with hers. As one, they turned toward Lucio. The Supreme Draquria’s smirk faded as Darlene and Dolly, pressed the gem to Lucio’s chest. Its radiant light speared through the shadows. Dollys and Darlene’s combined power ignited a blinding force, that filled the now destroyed courtyard with an overwhelming brilliance.
Lucio—no, the Draca —roared in fury, his eyes stretched wide with shock. His dark smoke twisted and recoiled, but it was too late. The sisters, fused in purpose and power, held him firm.
“We love you, Lucio,” Dolly and Darlene whispered as one. Their voice vibrated with emotion as they pressed on the gem harder. The gem sank into his skin.
The Draquria’s face contorted, switched between Lucio’s familiar features and the monstrous beast he had always. been. His hands tightened around Dolly, fangs bared, ready to strike again. But Darlene’s dark energy blended in with the light that surged through him, and forced him to bend. His grip weakened.
“You’re stronger than this!” Dolly decreed. Her voice echoed through the courtyard, as much for Lucio as for herself. “You belong with us!”
Lucio’s eyes flared—one moment, they were filled with rage and madness, and the next, something flickered deep inside that resembled the love they shared. For a brief heartbeat, his eyes softened, recognition surfaced up in his gaze. But the Draquria, the ancient evil that had taken hold, fought back with everything it had.
“I won’t... be controlled!” Lucio—no, the Draquria —screamed, his voice cracking as dark tendrils of smoke erupted from his body. His shadowy form writhed in agony as the light from the gem pulsed deeper, burning through his dark essence.
The Draca’s rage twisted into panic. “ I... am... eternal !”
Dolly’s grip on him tightened, tears streamed down her face. “We’re bringing you home, Lucio.”
The gem flared brighter, its power intensifying as Darlene’s spirit pushed deeper into the core of the Draca’s form. The sisters worked as one. Their combined will cut through the ancient evil that had ensnared Lucio for far to long.
Lucio roared again, a deafening, heart-wrenching cry that shattered the air around them and then three of them exploded into a brilliant light of stars.
They were gone.