Uriah
Fires continued to rage all around the field, yet somehow the stadium A/V system continued to pick up the signal of the local disc jockey sharing battle commentary on-air.
“This is Freddy Fredericks reporting live in the sky above what remains of Mystic Stadium. We’re being told that city authorities have mandated that all citizens, reporters, and first responders must stay clear of the Mystic Hollow University football arena for at least the next thirty minutes as fires continue to rage… I’m actually being told by my team that we’ll have to land as a storm looks like it’s rolling in out of nowhere!”
The remaining members of the group—save for Haven—gathered around Griff as purple hues swirled through the air like a magical breeze in the wind, all coming together at the tips of his fingers. He closed his eyes, deep in concentration.
“How’d little witch level up like that?” asked, a confused look across his face.
Quinn’s eyes narrowed. “He took a potion to invoke the power of an Original Witch, ,” he said as he shook his head. “I told him not to. Magic like this isn’t to be treated like a kid’s toy.”
“He thinks he’ll need the power to stop the Queen of Wolves when she awakens,” Fen said with a long sigh. “He might be right.”
“Why? Have you seen it?” Magnus asked, putting his hand on Fen’s shoulder.
As Griff lifted off the ground, swirling in a ball of energy, turned to Fen. “Well?” he asked.
“N-no,” replied Fen. “At least not that outcome.”
paused. “But you have seen something?”
“Yes, but—nothing like what has already happened.” Fen swallowed hard. “Not sure if I read the full disclaimer when we all first met, but what happens in my visions is subject to change.”
“Well, what did you see, then?” Haven asked, appearing from in between a small gap in a large wall of flames and rejoining the group. His hands were bloody. No one spoke. “And no, I wasn’t able to save Dachre. He’s dead.”
let out a long sigh, his vision never straying from the levitating Griff. “ I’m sorry. I lost control when I shouldn’t have. I’m responsible for his death.”
“I’m the one who should be apologizing,” said Haven. “The spell that blocked Luna from controlling me wore off at the last second, and I?—”
“Don’t,” put a hand up. “We’ll talk later.”
“Right.” Haven swallowed hard. The vampire could see his eyes were watering. “Anyway, Fen?”
Fen shook his head. “In the last vision I had, all of you died during the football game. No one lived.”
“So, what?” Kale asked. “Wolf queen wins in that future, too?”
“No,” Fen bit his lip. “She wasn’t why everyone died. It was Griff. After taking the potion he just drank, he loses control. In my vision, things just happened in a different order.”
“Keep your eyes on him, please,” said , scooping his signature leather jacket up off the ground and throwing it around his shoulders. “I’m going to see the one witch who might know what to do.”
“ No need to travel far. ”
The vampire spun around to see Old Mother Madge walking up to the group from the far side of the field.
“Isn’t that the old kook from the magic shop?” Quinn whispered into ’s ear.
“Sure is,” Old Mother Madge replied without skipping a beat. “And you must be Quinn, one of the last active Original Witches.”
Quinn puffed out his chest in an attempt to be prideful, the very act causing the remnants of his blackened shirt to disintegrate into a pile of ash. “I’ve since given myself a first name, too—and even a title. That’s Dr. Apollo Quinn, ma’am, live and in the flesh,” he paused. “Well, unalive —and in the burnt flesh.”
“Much more handsome in the oil paintings, I’m afraid.” Old Mother Madge gave Quinn a concerned look before turning to face .
“They always are, lady,” replied as he stepped forward. “So, back at Witch’s Brew, you told us this potion would be safe.”
“I cautioned him to only use it for extreme, world-ending measures,” replied Old Mother Madge as she looked around. “So much death here. By whose hand?”
“Mostly rogue werewolves,” answered . “Now, what are you doing here?”
“Guiding Griff into the invocation powers he was destined to master,” Old Mother Madge said sternly. “With or without your help, vampire.”
rolled his eyes, looking from Quinn to Fen.
“Please, witch, you must know some kind of resurrection spell to bring my friend back,” Haven interrupted. “See, it’s?—”
“Pruitt Mondamin, I know,” the witch interrupted, her hand on her heart. “Griff planned to invoke before any bloodshed was to happen. Now, I fear that revenge and heartbreak may change his destiny for the worse.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Old Mother,” said . “You here to help him, or to stop him?”
“ Help, ” she replied, abruptly stepping forward and grabbing ’s hand. “I’m terribly sorry for your loss, but you must resist letting vengeance and anger consume you, or an even worse fate might befall the earth. The Triad, as you were all once called, was not meant to be broken tonight. You and that poor Pruitt boy were meant to balance Griff as he came into the Ultimate Power.”
Tears fell down ’s face. He ignored them. “Another one of those shitty prophecies. As if we weren’t once normal people or something. Just pieces of a bloody puzzle for someone else to play with.”
The weight of the moment was superseded by the loudest howl anyone present had ever heard. The ground shook, Old Mother Madge grabbing onto , Quinn leaning on Haven, and Fen falling onto Magnus as they realized what was happening. Kale and Julian made a defensive stance around the group.
No longer the average-sized creature she was before, Luna’s werewolf form rolled onto its eight-foot legs and stood to attention. The group looked on in amazement as the remaining arrows in her body were pushed out, falling like tiny broken toothpicks to her feet.
“ And so the prophecy is fulfilled ,” a deep, scratchy, and terrifying voice bellowed from Luna’s enormous jaw. The sound of this oversized werewolf cackling was like a clan of hyenas all laughing at once, and it sent chills down ’s spine. “All of lycankind will join me in immortality. Rise up, fallen and wounded soldiers.”
“See, that’s another part of the reason why I came,” Old Mother Madge whispered in ’s ear as the group looked on. “Where’s the nice short-haired, dirty blonde one? You know, about five-foot-eleven, destined to get stabbed by that awful dagger?”
“Huh?” looked confused.
The shopkeeper scoffed. “C’mon, the one with a knack for getting possessed?”
“Oh, Darcy?” asked, motioning to his body some five feet away.
Old Mother Madge nodded, her short legs moving her as fast as possible to Darcy’s body. She turned and gestured for Quinn to join her. Still hobbling, the professor did. “Look,” he began, “you and me? We need to get everyone still alive out of here now . That giant wolf controls every other lycan here. I’m thinking a transportation spell or something.”
“Griff will tend to the megawolf,” Old Mother Madge said without so much as batting her lashes. “Do you smell it?”
Listening in, interrupted. “Megawolf? That thing has a name?”
Quinn sniffed the air. “Werewolf’s blood. For me, it’s the equivalent of a human finding their favorite meal in the fridge at dinnertime, but it’s covered in maggots.”
“Perhaps becoming a vampire has messed with your witch instincts,” Old Mother Madge huffed, her hands touching Darcy’s unmoving chest. “Griff cast a protection spell on him.”
“Protection spells only work on people who are still alive, ma’am,” replied Quinn.
“Not the ones I teach my apprentices.” Old Mother Madge shook her head. “His soul, and Pruitt’s—both now sit somewhere between this world and the Great Afterlife.”
“Unfortunately, his body isn’t in the best condition to come back to,” Quinn acknowledged.
“Are you so sure of that?” Old Mother Madge leaned down, turning Darcy’s lifeless body over onto its stomach. As she did, the Dagger of King Lycaon fell to the ground, its entry wound into Darcy’s body completely gone. “Because of Griff’s spell, his lycan healing abilities are still active.”
Quinn studied the field. “Is the new university president resurrecting all the undead werewolves?”
Old Mother Madge nodded. “This prophecy was meant to give its successor powers equal to the one they call King of Wolves.”
“Wait, so it doesn’t literally bring back the King of Wolves?” Fen asked as he stepped forward. “Just, what? His power?”
Old Mother Madge shrugged.
“So, that means Pruitt and Darcy are gonna be coming back, too?” asked .
Old Mother Madge shook her head. “I’m afraid that may be our job.”
The professor scratched his head. “So, if your protection spell is keeping them from fully passing on, just how do we reconnect a soul with a body?”
“Clearly, someone hasn’t been practicing much in the last two hundred years.” Old Mother Madge shot Quinn a judgmental look.
As Quinn and Old Mother Madge talked amongst themselves, the three vampires and three werewolves remaining watched in amazement as the scattered, lifeless bodies of nearby werewolves stirred.
“So the dead are rising,” said Julian. “Kinda makes the novelty of being a vampire, uh, not so novel.”
“I mean, that’s what it looks like,” said with a nod.
“What? The prophecy only said something about the Queen of Wolves becoming immortal, so the leader of all the packs,” replied Magnus, an uneasy look on his face.
“She will walk by her king and share all of his powers,” Fen corrected his lover. “Sorry, my parents quizzed me on all the big lycan prophecies growing up. There’s more to it than just the rhyme.”
“Another reason we are so not homeschooling our future kids,” Magnus replied, pressing a thoughtful kiss into his boyfriend’s forehead. “I mean, if we stop the apocalypse, that is.”
“When we stop the apocalypse,” Fen once again corrected Magnus.
“If she’s still alive, she can still control me,” began Haven. “I need to get away from you all.”
“Yes,” came a familiar and menacing voice. Strix stumbled up to the group, stuck somewhere in the middle of his transition to werewolf. He fell to the ground with a thud, letting out a low laugh as the arrow in his eye socket fell to the ground as though new tissue pushed it out of him. The skin from his arms melted away into a werewolf’s fur, but his face remained unchanged. “That would’ve been a good idea. But it’s too late for that, Haven.”
“I won’t be a slave anymore,” Haven hissed, transforming instantly and tackling Strix. Haven let out a howl before sinking his wolf fangs into Strix’s human face. The elder werewolf screamed in agony.
“Enough!” Luna’s gruff voice made everyone’s ears ring. “ You are all my children now. ” Strix joined Haven in fully transforming, but the two stopped fighting and instantly swarmed to Luna’s side.
“What’s happening up there?” Quinn asked, his attention focused on the sky as the two witches returned to the group.
Flashes of thunder and lightning rippled through the air. The burning arena rumbled as a lightning bolt appeared from above, striking Griff and dissipating instantly.
“It is time,” said Old Mother Madge, nudging Quinn. “Tell what to do.”