31. Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-one
O pening my eyes, I feel my stiff back as I try to sit up. Fuck. Where am I?
Everything is dark besides the lit candles in the far corner of the room. Maybe a dungeon? I don’t see any windows.
Standing with shaky legs, I step forward only to be blocked by an invisible wall.
What the heck?
I look down and notice from the dim light of the candles symbols scrawled on the floor—The Tree of Life and the symbol of the Trinity—which are connected.
“Hey?” I call out. “John? Are you there?”
Confused about whether to use my magic, I decide to save it for later. There’s no point using all my strength to get out of the circle when I may need my magic to finish the fight itself. John’s strength won’t be enough.
Calling his name over and over, I still get nothing. Could they be keeping him in a different room? I'm not sure how much time passes, but at some point, I give up. Moving to sit back down, my legs weaken when the door slams open.
Five females fill the room, with a glowing aura surrounding each of them. Their light blinds me, and I tilt my head to the side. My eyes focus on everything but them. The room is smaller than I thought, and it is empty.
Only when I notice that the light around them is getting weaker do I dare to sneak a glance in their direction.
I open my mouth in a desperate attempt to say something that might make them spare me but close it. What could I say to make them release me?
You did exactly what they asked you not to do.
I should have put up a protection spell on Granny’s house. Stupid, Hailey.
Bracing myself, I straighten my gaze, not willing to give any weakness away. If they wanted to kill me, they wouldn’t have dragged me to this place, right?
The five females remove their capes as one, revealing their beautiful faces and soft features. I recognize the blond next to the one in the middle from the incident the other night. My brain shouts danger in my head as my legs beg to flee.
"You were warned of the consequences of your actions and still decided to act. To act in defiance of the tradition of the past dynasties,” the witch in the middle says with a calm voice. Her eyes flash yellow before she begins to mumble.
“What do you mean?” I exhale softly as I feel the pressure of her power trying to break into my mind. Closing my eyes I send waves of protection, keeping her out. “Stop, please.” Her power is so much stronger, and I’m sure I’m about to crumble. My brain explodes as the pressure intensifies.
“I can see it. She is doomed anyway. She is …dicted.” I can barely make out their whispers.
“I can feel it too. She won’t last for long, not without the vampire.”
What?
“John. Where is John?” I ask through gritted teeth, begging for the pain to stop.
Suddenly the pressure in my head stops as I feel the foreign magic descending, leaving echoes of pain in its wake. Panting heavily, I try to stand as steady as I can .
I narrow my eyes at the witch in the middle when she bursts out laughing. The twist in her face makes her delicate features more focused, more forced, and I cringe.
“You still think of this vampire? You foolish child.” She breaks out in more laughter. “He left you behind. He fled into the darkness with his tail between his legs, leaving you on your own.”
No. No, he wouldn’t. We had a deal. This can’t be right. Sharp pain hits my heart as my stomach feels heavy all of a sudden.
How could I be so blind? So stupid?
My granny was right. I was wrong. I’m just like my mother.
Short of breath, I lean forward, needing a break. I can’t think straight. I can’t see straight. Closing my eyes, I try regulating my breathing and concentrating on my magic when I feel a void.
A wave of fear travels down my spine. No.
It has to be a mistake. Concentrating again on the magic, I shiver as the reality comes down on me.
It’s there. The need for a vampire bite. What time is it? When was the last bite? The need is small, like a tiny loop inside me, but the fear of it growing makes me angrier than I thought it would. Rage flares inside me and I feel my last bit of control slipping away .
“Stay away!’ I shout as a blast of magic bursts out of me in an angry wave. It sends them crashing backwards, but not for long. The witch in the middle—the strongest—pins me to the wall.
“Your magic may be growing inside you, but you are still running on a thin thread, foolish girl. It will run out eventually, and then your days will be numbered until you turn into a bite junkie,” she says sharply, making me thrust and fight against her invisible hold. “That is until you die, and so does your tainted bloodline.”
Tears fall from my eyes as the pain in my head consumes my every thought.
“But before that, I will tell you a tale about the four covens.”
Everything around us shifts. We are no longer in the dark room. I’m no longer pressed to the wall. Instead, we are outside.
Pushing me to the grass, the four witches loom above me while the fifth witch starts talking again. "Hundreds of years ago, four sisters were born. As they grew up, they discovered that they held powers and responsibilities that none of them expected. In the beginning, like all the youngsters of the period, they got into a lot of trouble until they learned to control their magic. Together, they controlled the four elements, but individually, they maintained the proper balance to maintain peace. As they grew older, they came to the conclusion that together they were too strong and decided to split up. Each sister formed a coven and kept chaos contained for fear of upsetting the balance. Until one night, everything changed.”
“The Aqua coven decided they were tired of living in the shadows and did the thing they shouldn't have done. That night, the first vampire was born. Needless to say, the balance was broken. Chaos swept in, taking charge as the Aqua coven lost control. Many lives were taken because of the ambition of a few betrayers. Did you know that before, each coven controlled one element to its fullest power? Well, we can’t do that after the disruption of the peace.”
I did.
Confused by her story, I ask, “What has that got to do with me?” Blinking hard, I let my eyes adjust to the dark night as I push away the headache. The witch moves to the side revealing the Tree of Life in its mighty glory. Gasping loudly, I look at the tree, making her laugh wickedly.
“Not everyone can see the tree. I understand that you see it. The tree holds greater powers than any normal understanding..."
She continues talking but all my focus is on the tree. It runs to at least forty feet tall and is huge and beautiful. Its green leaves glow in the dark, blinding me, but I’m unable to look away.
I'm not sure why I do this, I must have a death wish. One moment, I'm on the ground, and the next, I'm sending a circle blast towards all the witches, sending them flying to the ground.
Without hesitation, I rise to my feet and break into a run. I can't explain it. I need to be close to it. Maybe it's the knowledge that the tree holds the ability to return the magic to my tribe, but I just know that I have to get to it. Touch it.
Stopping mere inches away from the tree, I can't think about anything else as I try to catch my breath. Shivers invade my body as I reach out to touch it. Charging my full power onto its magic, I suddenly feel warm in every way. It’s like I’m home. That’s what I was missing all along.
Without giving it much thought, I pick a few leaves, stashing them in my pants pockets before turning around.
Shit.
Coming face to face with five angry witches was not my intention. I don’t know what that was, but I can’t shake away the fear this time.
“Please, give my granny her power back. She’s at the hospital. She’s sick.”
“I can’t do that. Your clan has to suffer for all it has done.”
“No!” I shout. I won’t accept that.
“You can fight it as long as you want, but it won’t help. You are doomed. All your bloodline is. Sit down, I haven’t finished the story yet.” Raising her hand, she charges her magic at me, pinning me to the ground with a yelp. She sounds excited about her story and she continues as if nothing happened.
"After the mess the Aqua coven made, we knew we had to do everything we could to bring balance back to Earth. That's why we created the clean-up plan. We vowed to eliminate all vampires and do what needed to be done to restore the world to its former glory.”
Coughing harshly, I manage to say, “You killed people.” I know the story. I read the books. Their crusade claimed thousands of casualties.
“In our quest to cleanse humanity of vampires, we discovered enemies we did not expect. Your dynasty has made the most fatal mistake. Helping vampires was not part of their job. Serving as a refuge for these monsters was not a wise thing to do. But they did it, and for that, they pay with each generation that is born. Less magical and weaker than the previous generation. The magic within you degenerates until it will perish completely. ”
Shaking my head. It can’t be true.
“What are you going to do with me?”
“There is nothing I can do that will change the future you build around yourself. But be sure, my child, I will be looking, lurking in the shadows until you crumble as the magic consumes every bit of your being,” she promises in a sinister voice.