—Serena’s POV—
“Don’t worry Annet, I will see to it that everything is taken care of,” I tried calming my mother’s personal adviser. “It’s not as easy as it seems, your sister. She’s very powerful and has been locked up for a long time waiting to unleash her evil and desires for witch flesh. We need to do something about her and fast,” she complained and I just nodded. How is it that she was able to escape? It is something I must find out and I must find out how to put her back in her cage. “What must we do then? What would you have advised my mother to do?” I asked, confused and I needed answers. “I would have advised your mother to end her,” she said, hovering over me from where I sat down at the palace lounge. “What do you mean? To kill her?” I gasped a little because I couldn’t think of the fact that I would be the one to murder my sister. “Yes! I told your mother this, years ago but she refused to listen. She decided to lock her up in the void of doom that can as well release her if your mother’s powers were tampered with.” “And her powers were tampered with?” I was inquisitive of everything, finding this whole new life without my mother quite daring. “Yes. You see, the moment a witch dies, everything that she had her everlasting powers on would fade away or begin to lose touch. If your mother had the garden outside to bloom with her powers, the moment she dies, the garden will dry up and die. That is just how it is child.” “So you advise me to kill my own sister?” I asked her but it was more of a reassurance to myself because I had no idea how I was going to pull that off. “It is no easy task child, but it must be done. Remember that if it is not done and you die, she will become alive again to hunt us. Who then will save us?” She said and her words pierced deep into my heart. I was more motivated now, more than ever to end my sister. Just thinking about it made my blood boil. A few moments later, I heard cries from outside the palace. It was as though there was a commotion between the palace guards and other witches outside. “What’s going on?” I asked the men guarding the door. “It’s a group of women, they’re here to see you. They are wailing.” One of them replied to me and I was keen to know what they were wailing about but also scared because I’d never been the one to handle palace affairs. “Where are they? Let them in,” I commanded and they opened the door at once, letting the women in. “May you live long Princess Serena,” one of the women said, slightly bowing while the other one joined her to bow. She had very long flowing black hair and looked to me like a woman in her early thirties. She had smudged eye liner and a pale face which made me understand that she had been crying. “Long live, Aretuza,” I said, hailing our community, Aretuza. “What may I do for you today?” I asked the young woman, standing before me and she fell to the floor, unable to control her tears, she was wailing. “What’s wrong?” I asked, more concerned while her escort tried to hold her up and console her. She was crying uncontrollably for a while before she finally found her voice to speak. “My child. I cannot find my child,” she said with a desperate tone. “Relax. What happened to your child?” I asked, moving a bit closer to her, looking her in the face. “I heard your sister, Amanda is back right? The evil witch! The outcast!” She yelled and went back to crying again. “I need my child! Bring my child back to me!” She was already crawling quickly toward me and grabbed my dress, almost tearing it out. I could feel the pain from her voice but my guards stepped in and tried to get her away from me, which they did. I just stood there, in utter shock, unable to say a thing or move an inch. This is not happening. What do I do from here? Were the questions rummaging through my mind. “We’re doing our possible best to make sure everyone has their children returned to them, unharmed,” I explained and it seemed to only aggravate her the more. “That’s what you’ve been saying to the other witches! You think I’m going to let it slide? I won’t. I’ve been barren for a long time and thought I could never bear children. Now, I have a miracle and she took my miracle from me,” she said between sobs, obviously very much agitated as though she was going to rush me and beat me up. “I understand you ma’am,” I said, trying to calm her down but she wasn’t having it. “No, you don’t! You don’t have a child of your own so how would you understand me?! I need my child. I cannot live without her!” She yelled and the palace guards had already had enough. They decided to interfere in the situation and get those women out of there. “It seems you have a hard time finding Amanda or doing anything about her. But whatever it is, make up your mind fast. The people are starting to lose hope in you. They’re starting to lose hope in everything your mother built.” The other woman who came with her whom I guessed right be her sister chipped in. “What is your name?” I asked her, curiously because she seemed way calm and collected unlike her sister who was causing a scene in my abode. She also seemed really smart and I loved to be around the smart ones. “Cirilla your witchness,” she said bowing slightly. “Cirilla is a beautiful name,” I said and she smiled slightly. “I want to see you here at this time tomorrow, I have something to discuss with you that I’d rather not talk about here and now,” I instructed and she nodded while she stood up and took her sister with her to leave. “See?” Annet nudged me after the women had left. “I see. I’m making a promise to you and my people. I will serve her head back to you,” I said with determination in my voice. “That’s your queen,” Annet said and disappeared with a flick of her finger. “When will they stop doing that?” I muttered under my breath. I walked back into the palace and began adoring the palace walls. I had grown up there but for some reason, I became more drawn to it than I used to when I was a kid It was paintings and sculptures or different witches who have lived on. There were writings on the wall, telling their stories. “One day, your story will be written on that wall,” a voice said to me and I was startled. I turned around to see who had the voice but I didn’t find anyone. “Who are you? Show yourself!” I said, preparing my magic, ready to attack the intruder. “Relax Serena,” the voice in the form of whispers said again and I was confused. Was it a witch? Who owned that voice. I couldn’t tell the gender of the voice with all those whispers the words came along with. “Who are you?” I said more firmly this time, I stood put, alone in the halls that I could hear my own heart beat. “Who are you?” I said, again after the voice had refused to heed to my question. And then again, I didn’t hear a word from the voice. “It is treason to startle the Princess of Aretuza and keep your identity hidden. So I ask again, show yourself and you may live,” I said, hoping for a positive reply but I got none. “Oh, but I don’t have a body,” the voice said again and I gasped. “How can you not have a body?” I asked curiously. “Well, unlike you witches, I was born as a soul,” the voice said again and soon after, I started laughing and laughing so hard. “This must be a joke, I don’t have time for this,” I scoffed and went back to looking at my paintings. I would have brushed off the voice as an intrusive thought but I knew it was something more. “I speak the truth Serena,” It said and I heard a light cackle from the voice too it made me shudder. But I decided to ignore it. I kept touching the paintings, writings and drawings on the wall. I was taking in the whole serenity and I noticed how they were carefully carved onto the wall very passionately. I thought the painters and sculptors must have been very passionate ones who loves what they did. “Ignoring me I see.” The voice said again and I didn’t mutter a word. “Then I suppose you don’t need help from the ‘others’ in securing your mother’s throne safely and opening the lock of doom,” the voice said and immediately, my eyes shot open in shock as I started to pay keen interest again in what the voice was saying. No one else knew about the lock of doom outside the walls of this palace. Everyone read it as a myth while they were growing up. Only my descendants and ancestors have been able to secure that locket for years and centuries “What do you want?” I asked finally and the voice cackled again, with a raspy voice. “I am your mother’s doppelgänger. Her doppelgänger in the form of nothing, thin air,” she said and I let out a huge sigh.There was a lot I didn’t know about my mother. Her secret allies, her secret enemies. There was so much hidden behind closed doors.“How are you supposed to help me?” I finally asked the voice but I got no response.“Uh… what’s your name even? I’m tired of labeling you as the voice,” I said with slight frustration in my tone and I got no response again.Well, maybe it was all in my head. There’s no such thing. Why would I even think that a voice lived as my mother’s doppelgänger? And then the voice spoke up.“I’m Sabrina,” the voice said, voice still raspy.“Is that how your voice is? Or you haven’t had water today?” I joked and heard the voice cackle dryly.“You speak too much for a queen,” the voice finally said but sounded like it was fading away.“I need to know what you’re doing here and not dead with my mother,” I said in a commanding tone waiting for a response of a voice I was started to doubt was in fact, real.“I don’t die, I’m an entity. I’m here with the others to help you
…………“Cut yourself.” The voice said.“What?!”…………..I was convinced at that point that they were batshit crazy and it was probably my instructive thoughts going haywire again. I started to walk down the halls, trying to ignore them but wherever I went, their voices still followed me and it was evident they weren’t leaving unless they wanted to.“Child, you are mistaken if you think you can walk away from an entity,” Sabrina said and I stopped in my tracks.“Jeez! You guys should disappear!” I yelled out of frustration and they started cackling.“We’re already disappeared, child!” The voice said, coughing and laughing with his raspy voice.“Enough of the jokes and games child. We’re here on a serious mission. To help you navigate the treacherous walls of the unfortunate situation you are about to find yourself in,” Sabrina said and the hairs on my neck stood immediately as though someone was watching me. Who am I kidding? Of course, they were watching me.“The first step for you to ta
……………..“She won’t be easy to end. But it is possible and that’s why we are here to help you. Because, asides from the werewolves, she’s your next biggest threat and you need to get her off your radar.”“How?”……………..My question obviously fell on deaf ears as they ignored me once again. “Child, we need to move on to the next thing in these halls,” Sabrina finally spoke up like I didn’t just ask how to end my sister.“I just asked a very important question which is how I will actually end her. My sister. Amanda!” I repeated myself and the voice hesitated for a moment before it spoke up.“You see, the problem with you is that you are so quick to dive. But not to worry, your mother was that way too. She eventually came to understand that the world of magic had due process you have to follow so you can make progress. And I just say she died an honorable death. May her dust Rest In Peace with the ancestors,” the voice said and I kept mute.“Okay. Whatever you say. Is there anything else?”
“Leave me alone!” I yelled at the top of my voice because I felt like I was going crazy and I just needed to break free from them.“You are not crazy and you will listen. We have one more thing to show you. Afterward, we’ll be off your radar, for now,” Sabrina said and I inhaled deeply and exhaled. That was exhausting.“So, my sister is an Elder blood and I have to get her to these halls before I will be able to end her. How am I supposed to do that? She won’t come back unless I’ve accepted her to be my queen and that’s not happening. Not on my watch,” I said and silence followed.“And that is exactly what you will do. You need to lure her here. What better way is there to do that? She wants to rule, you want to end her? She isn’t interested in coming here unless she comes to rule and you’re not interested in bringing her here unless she comes to die. There you have it. A brilliant plan,” she said and I paid close attention. She was actually making a lot of sense. I mean, that could ac
Within split seconds, I felt a huge gush of wind over me and the voices had stopped talking. They had finally disappeared.“Thank goodness,” I muttered under my breath. My feet were already hurting from all that standing and my brain was also hurting from all that education. I was still in fact dazed from all the revelations I had gotten from that encounter. I started to walk down the hallway, one step at a time to get to my room so I could at least sit down. I got to my room, took a deep breath then went ahead to open the door handle and it opened. “They’re actually gone,” I said to myself looking around. I walked into my room and shut the door behind me. My room was a very massive one and was very secluded. It was the most secret room in the entire palace. It was like that because I didn’t like anyone in my business or bothering me. It also gave me time to think and harness my powers and that was how I practiced as a child. My room had a huge tower of books I liked to call m
-Gabriel’s POV-“Are you having a good time Daddy?” The pretty blonde massaging my back gently asked. I think her name was Missy. Missy was a human and I was always at my beck and call whenever I visited the human world. She had no idea of my true identity. However, she knew the right places to touch me and the right things to do to ease off my stress.It was a hassle finding a human mistress. Humans had a different way of thinking you know. And they weren’t strong unlike the werewolves back in my pack. Most humans couldn’t handle the strength I possessed when having sex but Missy. Missy was very different and I enjoyed every bit of her.“Yes, my dear. I am. I’m really stressed from all that hassle in my company,” I replied. I laid face down on a massage table inside my hotel room. It was a five-star hotel and one of the biggest in the town. I could afford to live there if I wanted because I was a billionaire. Most people there didn’t know my exact status and how much I was truly worth
I followed the trail of blood, my heart thumping in my chest as though it was going to explode. My legs were getting too weak to carry me any further. The closer I got to the body, the more I prayed for the ground to open up and swallow me whole.This war had been the toughest I had ever fought against those animals who called themselves Alphas. We had a long history of battles, and it was clear that we despised each other. Thanks to the breach of contract between our coven of witches and the Alphas, I would be forced to rebuild my coven once again.The Alphas were wild, misusing their strength to bully us witches whenever they pleased. No wonder the contract was breached! But there was no real breach. It was just the Alphas trying to remind us of who held the power in this cold world.I could hear my mother's heartbeat slowing down. Eloise Blackwood, the only woman who could slice an Alpha's throat with a swerve of her hand. She was the most powerful witch to ever live, a full-bloode
“Serena,” I heard a voice echo in my head as I started to regain consciousness and touch with reality. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a group of women around me. I tried to look around but I realized I was tied down to where I lay.“What’s this?” I panicked, failing to recognize the faces of the women hovering over me and I also failed to recognize where I was. The last thing I remembered was seeing my mother's lifeless body in front of me. This place was different.I was laid on some kind of wooden bed with leaves and vines that tied me down. I looked around and I was in a cottage which I was guessing belonged to witches but I didn’t know those witches.“Relax, you need your strength back,” one of the women said to me. She was obviously old but still had black, healthy hair. She had wrinkles on her face and her hands with bright red lips. She looked like she used to be a very beautiful woman in her days.“I don’t, I do need to get the fuck out of here!” I yelled, attempting to break