Chapter 7 - Sylas #3
I gasped when I took in the modest log cabin, the one that looked exactly like the one I lived in now.
I’d built it with my magic to look like that.
My family home. My family home belonging to just my mom, my sister, and I.
It was where we’d retreated to after my mother had cast out my father when he’d been on his mission to dominate the supernatural world through recruiting so many fucked-up beings to his megalomaniacal cause.
Unlike my cabin, inside this one had been two bedrooms—one belonging to my mom and the other to my sister and me.
With a flash of silver and crimson light, I was inside the cabin itself.
I realized why as soon as I took in the living room with the jewel tones and oversized cozy couch and two armchairs, the fireplace centered in the space, shag rugs covering the wooden floors.
Remnant, the past version of him, had vamp sped inside.
And there he stood in his black robes and his mask concealing all but his eyes.
I sucked in a breath as my mom appeared.
Fuck… I couldn’t… I couldn’t believe it, as I took her in. That distinct blonde spiky hair, her worn jeans and one of her signature flowy tops, this one white with gold stars that shimmered like glitter.
“Remnant,” she breathed, rushing over to him. “It’s happening?”
“Yes,” he responded in a grave tone that sent a chill through me. “He’s found you.”
“I’m not going to let him force me to give up my son to a Coven.”
“He requires that education and guidance regardless.”
“No. He needs to be rooted to his humanity, not schooled in the same magics that have twisted his father.”
“The boy is not his father. That is a large part of the reason Morien wishes to use him.”
“Use him?” She scoffed. “That’s a nice way of referring to that maniac’s plan to murder Sy. To drain his power for himself, then kill him so there’s no chance of survival.”
“No chance for his son to overpower him in the coming years—the only necromancer who will be able to accomplish that. He cannot fall this night, Ashlynn. You must let him go. Let me take you and your daughter to the Shadow Tunnels for a time. And I will see to Sylas. He will be protected within a Coven. Those institutions exist out in the open, somewhere Morien cannot venture or openly attack. He is still in the process of building his army, not yet strong enough to withstand the Guardian Movement’s response. ”
She shook her head vehemently.
Remnant stepped forward. “Morien is wielding my agents with Undead Domination.”
“Then kill them.”
“I am not a tyrant.”
“They’re already gone if they’re under his control, being puppeted. Besides, you have many more. How many does he have? A handful?”
“Ten. Enough to murder all of you in this home. We need to leave now or I will be swept up in that necromantic hold as well, and then you will truly have no hope. With my power set—”
“I know. Just… give me a moment. I need to… think.”
“We already cemented plans should this come to pass so that you didn’t need to delay with thinking things over.”
“Well, it’s different in reality, all right? You don’t understand. You’re childless.”
I saw Remnant flinch.
My mother didn’t notice in her panic, though.
Didn’t notice the truth—that he knew a great painful deal about it.
“Mom?” a familiar voice cried, rushing out from one of the closed doors—a little blue door with a pencil drawing of the three of us on it that I remembered as mine.
Strawberry-blonde curls filled my vision, and then I was taking in my little sister. Her purple flowy dress swung around her as she hurried through the room, before pulling up short at the sight of Remnant there with our mother.
“Sy!” she screamed. “Sy! A scary man is here!”
And then I burst out—thirteen year old me.
My hair was shaggy and without shape and I was in a pair of blue jeans and an oversized gray sweatshirt.
My past self’s eyes narrowed fiercely at Remnant. “Get away from our mother, vampire, or you’ll regret it.” I saw power spark.
“Stop, my sweetheart,” Mom called. “He’s a friend.”
“What was your intention when your magic sparked?” Remnant asked.
“To force-teleport you away, of course.”
Remnant eyed my mom. “Not to inflict harm. You see how he stands apart from Morien?”
Mom grimaced, looking from my past self to past Remnant. “I can’t… I can’t risk it.”
“You must.”
“I know you can’t take him with us because you’re concerned about his volatility.”
“A natural part of a young necromancer’s evolution, but that which could be crippling to those under my charge.”
“ A couple of tantrums could result in the destruction of your Shadow Tunnels.”
“Like I’ve stated already, he also won’t flourish there. He needs schooling. He needs to understand how to wield his power safely around those who are equipped to assist. His abilities are already beyond yours, because you denied yourself schooling, so you wield only a fraction of what you could.”
“I won’t let Morien break up my family! He’s already forced us into hiding!”
“Mom, what’s happening?” Raina asked, running over to her, while watching Remnant warily.
“He’s coming. Isn’t he?” my younger self asked. “Father?”
“Yes,” Remnant responded, before my mom could try to counter it, or likely feed us a falsity.
“He comes this way as we speak intent on taking your power and your life. I’m here to get you to safety at a Coven that I’ve already made arrangements with.
And I will conceal your mother and sister in my Shadow Tunnels. ”
I saw my younger self taking Remnant’s words in.
Then he walked to my mom, telling her, “We need to do this. It’s okay. The threat will calm and then we’ll be reunited. And I’d like to learn at a Coven.”
“And I told you why you can’t.”
“Those are your fears, not realities.”
“Smart boy,” Remnant spoke.
“Stop it!” my mom yelled at him.
Remnant swung his head around all of a sudden. “It’s too late. He’s here.” He held a hand out to my mom, eyeing her and my sister. “Take my hand.” His other, he held out to me, uttering the same.
Mom resisted and then she swept her hands around, her amber magic encompassing her and Raina.
Remnant was forced back with a blast from her.
“Mom!” my younger self cried. “You’re not strong enough! Not against Father! We need help!”
Tears filled her eyes. “We’ll never be the same if I allow that! I love you too much to let you end up like that monster!”
“Ashlynn,” Remnant’s commanding voice boomed, cutting through everything.
She held her hand out instead, “Sy! Come!”
But then it was too late.
A blast of black power ripped through the house decimating half the structure.
Glass shattered.
Windows and walls were blown to hell.
Furniture toppled.
Trinkets were wrecked
My little sister screamed.
I saw my mom’s power cut out, her and my sister diving underneath the couch.
And then Morien arrived flanked by the ten vampires forced into Undead Domination that Remnant had warned about.
In the split second that they entered the house, Remnant burst toward my past self and snatched me up before Morien had noticed him being present inside the house along with my mom and sister.
I saw Remnant stop on the outskirts of the forest surrounding the house with my younger self stunned and staring up at him.
“You will be safe with me,” I heard Remnant assuring him.
Morien’s thundering, irate voice pulled my attention back to the scene inside the blown out house. “Where is Sylas, wife?”
“Out playing,” my mom spat back at him, as she staggered to her feet wrapping her arms around my sister. “He won’t be back for hours, so get out. Leave us be.”
“I need to disappear for a while due to heat from those Guardian Movement fools. So tonight is all I have. With my son currently out of reach, I’ll simply pivot and invoke my backup plan.”
“Backup plan?” my mom asked, nervously, backing away cautiously with my sister in her hold, as she held up her free palm with her magic flaming.
“I’ll use the boy to dispose of a particularly resilient enemy of mine. And then I’ll drain him. And if he fails and is murdered by said enemy before he’s able to dispose of them for me, I’ll tether him back to the mortal plane, drain his power, then cast him back to death right after.”
My mom shuddered.
Sadistic piece of shit. I ground my teeth. My mom was so afraid, my sister was scowling at Morien while trembling. She’d been such a tough little thing.
Morien snapped his fingers and I jolted as he commanded his ten vampires, “Kill them. Make it messy. When my son finds their dead bodies, I want it to be a brutal visual to behold. Every little bit will help to turn him dark, to invoke vengeance. Especially when he finds the ten of you desiccated beside him and quickly learns that The Shadowed murdered his beloved mother and little sister.”
“No! You’re not going to corrupt him and fill his gentle heart with vengeance!”
“I surely am, wife. Can you picture it now? A furious necromancer unleashed among the vampiric underground? It will be glorious destruction.”
“He’ll see! He’ll know it was you!”
“On the contrary, he’ll have no idea. I’ll ensure it.”
The vampires moved in.
My mom fired her power.
It hit two of them, knocking them back.
But it wasn’t enough, and then one of them snapped her wrist, making her scream.
My sister’s lavender power ripped one of them off their feet, and then she punched another in the gut, screaming at the vampire to leave them alone.
“You’d kill your own daughter?” my mom called to Morien desperately.
“She’s useless to me. She was meant to be a necromancer, but your weak magical genes took precedence there.”
I clenched my fists.
And then it happened, the vampires descending on them as Morien stood leaning against the wall watching on with a sadistic thrill in his eyes.
I looked away, unable to stand seeing my family taken from me and in such a brutal fucking way too.