“Do not lie to me!” she yelled.
“Rene, it does not matter now, we do not have much time, we need the spell or all our attempts, all our battles, all our struggles of the past will mean nothing in the face of this.” said Ava.
But Rene would not take it and she screamed again “How long did it take? Tell me!”
“Twenty years!” answered Vladimir.
“Twenty years?” asked the witch. “What happened when he was not in control of his own power?”
“You do not want to know the answer to that.” he replied.
“No! How many times?” asked the witch, but Vladimir refused to answer. “If you want me to do this, you will answer or I will leave right now!”
“I lost count of how many times he almost died. I received the energy gradually so I adjusted to it, but he almost died when I gave him half of what I had. And then, he kept losing control and every time he almost died, but I was there, always, and I forced his mind to be strong, to live.”
“And who will be next to Ava when she will be on the edge of death?” asked Rene.
“No one!” answered Vladimir.
“I won’t do it!” said the witch.
“You must!” added Ava.
“I have lost one older sister once, I will not do it again. Maybe two years ago I would have do it, but not now, no! We might not share the same blood, but what we have been through connects us like family. You, Jonathan, Mark, you are all my family. I can’t be the one who breaks this.” said the witch.
“Rene, if you do not do this, there will be no family for you to return to. Aron will stop at nothing. I might not be able to enter the mind of my brother at the moment, but I feel everything he feels. And I am telling you, this is what he feels: extinction of anything that might threaten him in any way. Please, think about the number of souls that will perish. Think about Mark, think about how difficult it was for him to live for the past over two hundred and fifty years. Doesn’t he deserve to live? Doesn’t he deserve to finally be free? We need to do this.”
“Whenever we catch a break, things seem to crumble again. Why does that always happen?” asked the witch.
“It won’t, not again, not after this. This is the end. It is either them who go extinct or it is us, all of us, the natural werewolves and the dracos.” added Ava.
“Fine, I will do it! But Jonathan needs to know.” replied Rene.
“I can’t tell him about this.”
“Why?”
“Because he will try to stop me and I am afraid I might give in to his demands.” answered Ava.
“We will need this for the spell.” said the man as he walked toward a small vault imbedded in the wall, opened it, and took out a small black rock.
“What is it?” asked the witch.
“This little black rock will help you transfer my energy into Ava.” answered the man.
“What will you get out of this?” asked Rene.
“Peace! I will get peace! I will finally be able to close my eyes for a night. I will be able to look around me and not see them die over and over again. I will not feel their pain.” answered Vladimir. “Us, mindbenders do not die of any natural cause. The hunters used spelled knives to kill those like me, but those knives are all lost now. Even if I search for one, I won’t find it.”
“Once that energy is out of you, you will be nothing more than a simple human.” said Rene.
“Yes! Then nature will take its course.”
“You wanted all the power and now you’re giving it all up for death.” said Ava.
“Life means nothing if you alienate everyone around you and you live haunted by the ghosts of the past. All actions have a consequence and torture was mine” replied Vladimir. “I understand that now. My life was no life, it was a pool of nothingness. I am ready to trade it for a peaceful night followed by death. Now, shall we proceed?”
“Let’s do this!” said Ava, with conviction.
The three formed a circle, they held hands. Vladimir was holding the rock in his right hand and Ava had her left on it also. Rene held Ava’s right hand and Vladimir’s left. The witch chanted for a few seconds, then stopped. A deep noise was heard from outside. Winds blew and water poured. The sky turned dark as black clouds covered Moscow. Next, a myriad of thunders pierced through the thick smog and Ava’s eyes turned into a mixture of black and red, like the strongest of fires burned in them.
The spell was done. Ava captured Vladimir’s energy and the man was free. For the first time in three hundred and twenty years he was at peace, he was himself again, alone in his mind, with no thoughts of others, of dead mind benders. “I am free!” he said with tears in his eyes.
“We need to go. I know where he is!” said Ava.
“Where?” asked Rene.
“London!” she answered.
“It seems that roads always lead back to London.” added the witch.
Next, the three bought the needed plane tickets to get to London, while the hybrids were all wondering where they were.
“What are you doing?” asked Mark.
“Remember Arnaud Thierry, the Algerian that gave me the shares I needed to bring down the Jameston Oil Company? He now has access to the best technology the world has to offer. He will try to find out Ava and Rene’s location through facial recognition with the help of a satellite.” answered Jonathan.
“If he can do it, then that is fantastic!” added Mark.
“We will find them!” said Jonathan.
Chapter 8
The twins’ meeting
While on the plane, Rene and Vladimir were sitting right behind Ava who, at one point, coughed shortly and silently. And, as the woman looked at her hand, she noticed a thin red line growing in her palm. Blood! She took a paper handkerchief and wiped it. Where did it come from? There was no cut, now wounds whatsoever. Then, her head felt a deep pain. “It’s the energy!” she thought. “It will pass if I stay calm, it will go away.”
When the plane landed, the three did not wait a minute longer, they went straight where they thought they would find Aron. They arrived in front of a hotel.
“This is where he is?!” asked Rene a bit baffled.
“Yes! In room 301.” answered Ava.
“This hotel looks very strange.” said Vladimir.
“It’s very old. Now, let’s get in the elevator.”
“Yes, let’s!” said the man while walking toward it.
Rene also entered in the elevator cabin and, right then, five more people rushed inside, leaving Ava on the outside. The woman compelled the humans to crowd the elevator so she could get away from Rene and Vladimir.
“Wait there, I’ll get the other one.” she said while moving toward the second elevator.
When the doors closed, Ava, instead of taking the second elevator, the one on the right, turned around and went out of the building, leaving the witch and the man to wait on the third floor. She took a taxi and went directly to the other side of town. Ava had no phone so there was no way for her to be tracked, she made sure of it long before she left Brasov.
“Where is she?” asked Rene while looking at the elevator doors. “I’ll go downstairs, you wait here!” Vladimir waited and, when Rene came back up she said “Ava is gone! She is not downstairs!”
“Aron was never here! She never wanted us to get to him! She tricked us! Call her, or do a spell to find her.”
“I can’t call her because we threw away the phones in Brasov so that they could not track us. And even if I knew a spell that could locate her, which I don’t, she would probably block it.”
“So what do we do now?” asked the man.
“I do not know!” she replied.
Meanwhile, Mark and Jonathan received news that the two women were seen in London. The airport cameras caught their faces. Arnaud traced them and now the hybrids were heading toward the city.
“What are they planning to do?” asked Mark.
“I wish I knew, how I wish I knew!” r
eplied Jonathan.
Ava’s taxi stopped. “Thank you!” she said as she got out of it. The woman turned and, in front of her, there was a bridge. She walked for a while and then she got to large metal bars. Behind them, there was a door made of steel. A man came and opened them, letting her in. She walked for a minute through a tight corridor and then arrived in a large room filled with different riches.
“Do you like it?” asked another man, not facing Ava, but looking at a painting on a wall. He resembled her quite a lot, he too had copper hair, but his eyes were blue. “This place was used in the 1700s and 1800s by a band of thieves. They used to store here everything they stole, before they could sell the goods. In 1859 there was a huge heist in Paris. The band of thieves stole so much gold and so much silver that they almost could not carry it all. They brought it here! This is all they took throughout the years: gold, silver, diamonds, art collections. Everything is here! Isn’t it wonderful? Two hundred years of stolen goods and they are all here. Do you want to know why everything is still here?”
“I do not suppose what I want matters all that much in this equation.” replied the woman.
“I killed them. Even without my mind bending abilities, I could still make them believe whatever I wanted. And, when they had outlived their usefulness I took their silly lives away from them. I used different men throughout the centuries, but the last ones were the most resourceful. I respected them for that, however, my plans did not include them selling any of it, well, not then. You see, all I ever wanted, was to be the most powerful man in the world. When I lost the ability of bending minds, when that bastard shield was placed on my thoughts, I had to rely on human abilities and I asked myself: what good is a human life? I still get to live forever. I should take advantage of my years and build a world of my own. But now, I have more riches than I could ask for and I get to modify the thoughts of people. I guess that those that wait do get it all at some point in their lives.” he said and then he turned around. “Hello Ava! It was long due to meet you! After all, it’s been three hundred and forty five years since we were separated at birth. I see you came alone. I am glad you decided to do as I requested. How is dear old grandfather? No, you do not have to answer. I already know.”
While Ava received the energy of Vladimir, Aron and Ava connected and Aron proposed for her to come to him. They would settle their differences once and for all. Aron could not read her thoughts and she could not read his. They were both just as powerful and they blocked each other from doing so, but they could still communicate.
“What do you want form Constantine? she asked.
“What I want I will have!” he replied.
“What does he want from you?”
“What he wants I will give to him. A pact is a pact, I respect my word.”
“That’s ironic coming from someone like you, someone whose whole life is a huge string of lies and manipulation techniques.”
“I never promised the robbers that I would not kill them.”
“But you also never told them of your plans for them. A lie by omission is still a lie and nothing less.” added Ava. “Wait, Constantine did not turn you into a werewolf yet, has he? That is the only reason you want to give him what he wants.”
“I have been on this Earth long enough to know that you can never give up your leverage.” said Constantine as he came from behind a door.
“What do you want Constantine?” asked Ava.
“The same thing I have always wanted, the only thing I have truly wanted: you.”
“You do not want me, you want an illusion, something that does not exist.” replied the woman.
“My illusion will soon become reality.” continued Constantine. “Before I wanted to become a werewolf, before I realized just how great of an empire I can build, I wanted you. Those big brown eyes got me through the cold November 1697, that horrible month when I did not know if I would return alive.”
“And, a little over a year later, you found out I was a wolf and killed me!”
“That was unintentional.”
“Constantine, you do not see what’s right in front of you, you want to deny the truth. All the pain, all the years hidden in a basement, those are your own doing. You never once asked the others what was that they wanted. You created sires, but you will forever be alone. These beings, these werewolves, if they would have free will they would run away from you and you know it. Cristian keeps thinking of how he could separate himself from you and he is your most trusted ally. Whatever you intend to use Aron for, do you think you will ever find a soul to truly connect with? There is anybody in this world that would trust you because all you do is betray, lie, and fail them.”
Constantine got angry hearing those words. “Do it now! I do not want to hear anything she says. Do it now!”
Aron tried to get into Ava’s mind and clear all the memories she had accumulated since 1697 while creating others, new ones that would have Constantine in them, Constantine and Aron. The twins were equally powerful, with just one difference: one had years of practice, while the other only had half a day.
When seeing Constantine, Ava let her guard down and her brother entered into her mind. He saw her plan: find an opportunity and kill Aron before he could turn into a werewolf. “What a silly creature. She cannot fool me!” he thought in that moment. He then took advantage of her being too angered and saddened by Constantine and started altering memories. “She has all that energy but she cannot use it to her advantage” he then said to himself.
“What are you doing?” asked Ava with her eyes wide open.
“You see, dear twin of mine, I know Vladimir told you to kill me. But if you would try to do it, we both know, you won’t be able to withstand so much energy. And, for me to kill you, now why would I do that? Sure, I can turn into a werewolf and then I will be able to handle so much of it. But, unfortunately there’s a catch which Vladimir knows very well.”
“What do you mean?” she asked while falling on her knees as it became difficult even to stand.
“The catch is that if one of us tries to kill the other, we both die! It does not matter if I become a werewolf or not. If Vladimir had all the energy you now possess, I would be fine if I would turn into a werewolf before or right after his death.” he replied angrily. “But, because we are twins, whatever one feels, the other also feels, now that our mind shields are broken. And, unfortunately, this bond of blood which now drowns in energy is even tighter than before so if one of us dies the other perishes as well. Vladimir knew he could not defeat me for so many years being hunted by his own ghosts rendered him weak. He was aware I would kill him and he preferred to send you to your death. You were tricked by Vladimir. You are weak sister. You were tricked by our grandfather just like mother was. I will not kill you, but I will make damn sure that no one will reach you of those you so much care for now. Once your memories will be altered, you will remember nothing and I will guide werewolves to where the hybrids are, to where the other dracos are. They will all go extinct.”
“What will you do with the werewolves?” she then asked.
“Every king needs administrators… and an army, just in case anyone tries something I don’t approve of.”
“You are insane!” she then added.
“This is not insanity. I am pragmatic, I know what I want, I know my goals, unlike you. You want nothing but a normal life when we were both destined for greatness. Our kind was destined for greatness, until our grandfather decided to hunt the rest. Oh well, at least there are the two of us. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure the new memories will be of love and care between us. We will get along from now on.” he said while grinning and looking at her with his mad eyes.
Ava let out a wide scream for Aron was now rewiring all thoughts in her mind. She was no match for him. All that power could not be used as she did not know how. And yet, while it looked like she was fighting it hard, it was not so. Then, her eyes closed and, as she could not hold her position, Constantine caugh
t her, before she could fall.
“It is done!” said Aron. “She has new memories and when she will wake up she will even think that she loves you. Now, turn me!”
“No!” replied the duke.
“You do not want to anger me Constantine!”
“I will turn you only once I get proof that she is as you promised.”
“You just saw with your own eyes what I did here.” added Aron.
“How do I know it is not a trick? I will wait until she wakes up and I get definite proof that she is as you said. Then I will turn you.” replied Constantine.
“I can turn your werewolves against you!”
“I know that already, which is why I will respect my part of the pact. But if my wife does not turn into what I want her to be, then it is all almost for nothing. I have waited far too long to get this. She is the main reason why I did all this. So you can understand my concerns and my I am abstaining from turning you now.”
“You care far too much, that is your weakness, this woman is your weakness!” said Aron.
“It may very well be as you say. And yet, she is also your weakness!”
“Fine, you have until tomorrow morning.” said the mind bender while moving toward the door. “But Constantine, know that if you do not respect your part of the understanding, I will turn all your werewolves against you!”
As the night was deepening, the hybrids got to London and found Rene and Vladimir. But, by now, Jonathan was very nervous as he had a feeling that something horrible was happening.
Chapter 9
Where is she?
“There is no need to look anymore!” said Vladimir. “What’s done is done!”
“What do you mean by that?” asked Jonathan, but the man did not answer. “What do you mean?” yelled the man angered as he pulled Vladimir by his collar.
“I turned weak by feeling the pain of the victims so I could not destroy Aron. But Ava is the only one who can do it, she is the last mind bender in the world who can pull off such a stunt.”
“You said that she might not be able to control it and that is when she can even die.” said Rene.
Age of Extinction (300 Years of Sin Book 2) Page 10
