The Witch's Chalice

by Melania Tolan

  I felt compelled to do exactly what she told me without question. The zinging in my hands continued as she traced all the lines and curves and bumps and calluses on my palm. The arcs of electricity never bothered her. Then she reached out with her wrinkled fingers and touched my face, each finger outlining the curves around my eyes, the slope of my nose and cheeks, the bow of my lips and the angle of my jaw.

  “You are so beautiful,” she whispered. “You will do great things. Thank you, Goddess. But first, we must get to why you are here. I am Satra, the last crone, as I have no heir to pass my magic to. There's no one who knows as much about plants and herbs as I do, therefore I fear my craft will die with me. I am reaching the final chapter of my life, and believe me, the end is coming soon.” She patted the little stool next to her. “Sit.”

  I did as I was told.

  “I am Satra,” she repeated. “Alas, I continue to be here in hopes I can find someone to take on my power.” She may have appeared old, but her voice had the strength of the mountains—steady, deep, and very powerful.

  I listened to her speak and realized that coming here was part of the invisible, silver web of destiny that I had found myself entangled in beginning that night at the cemetery. In fact, I knew that what would happen from here on out depended on this meeting tonight.

  “We don't have much time, for he will be upon you very soon.”

  She reached over to a little box on the table next to her chair. From it, she produced a glass vial that hung on a silver chain. The liquid inside matched the blackness of my boots. She looped the chain over my head, and the ampoule lay against my chest.

  “You are not like the others before you. You can wear silver without it burning through your skin. Silver is your power. From the metal, you can draw your energy. Silver will also calm you when your powers get out of control. There are many other things you will learn to help you control your gifts, but this right here is the first.” She tapped on the glass. “Inside is a potion that you must drink from the silver chalice. It’s buried underneath the city of silver. You must enter the underworld to reach the chamber where the cup is protected. Only one has access to it, and that is you. You will go alone, for this is your destiny.”

  “Where is this city? How do I find the entrance?”

  “Worry not.” She tapped on my chest. “Follow your heart. It will lead you where you must go. Find this chalice, and you will know the prophecy.”

  Prophecy? I tucked the vial inside my jeans pocket.

  “Once you have drunk the potion and you know what you need to do, you will come back here. I will show you how to create potions and train you to control your powers. In the meantime, the elf will teach you more on how your magic flows, for you share some of the same magic. Your lover will teach you how to fight and how to protect yourself. This is important, Everly. You must learn how to protect yourself, for you are our last hope. If you do not carry out your mission, we will all perish—the living and the dead, both.”

  The weight of responsibility pressed down on me. A mission? Me?

  After spending days playing interior designer inside a cave and trying not to set the furniture on fire or collapse the place on top of everyone, it seemed highly unlikely that I would be suited for a mission.

  “Are you sure you don’t have the wrong person?”

  “I am sure.” The woman chuckled. “You are her.”

  “Eva told you I would come, didn’t she?”

  “Yes, she did, and we have yet to know what her plans are. They are hidden deep in the earth and throughout time. She was a powerful witch, but not as powerful as you will be.”

  “I'm a witch?” I fiddled with the silver chain hanging around my neck.

  “Yes.”

  “I thought I was a vampire.”

  “A strigoi, yes, but you also have elf magic, and the magic of the gypsies is in you, as well.”

  “How is that—” I stopped the question, for I knew she was right. “That’s why I was able to come here and walk through the protective barrier.”

  Her glassy eyes glinted in the dim light. “Very perceptive. Keep learning, my child, you have much knowledge to acquire. Now you must go. Our guards are waiting for you. They will not hurt you as long as I am here, but once I die, I cannot guarantee your safe passage.”

  “You are dying soon.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them.

  “We are all dying, my child, all of us. Even you with your immortality. The only difference between you and me is that your life is longer than mine. But you can still be killed, as can your lover.”

  My face flushed when I heard that word again. ‘Lover’?

  If she was referring to Traian, how did she know anything? How could he be my lover when nothing had happened between us?

  As if she could read my thoughts, Satra chuckled. “It's coming, my child. All in due time, you will discover your passion for each other. Now go.” She waved me away.

  I went to the end of the tent and then turned to her. “Thank you, Satra. Thank you. For the first time, I feel like there is hope.”

  “There is always hope, my child.” She shifted in her seat and tucked the shawl around her more tightly. “Find the chalice and drink. I will see you tomorrow, after midnight.”

  Chapter 10

  “No.” Traian shook his head, lowering his voice to a small whisper. “It's not happening. You are not going down there amongst humans. Nor will you go anywhere near the gates of the Underworld. I forbid it.”

  I stepped up to him and placed a hand on his chest. I could feel the tingling in my palm, as could he. “I will go because this is part of my destiny. I need to know who I am and what my part is in this world.” I kept my voice low.

  Padrick chuckled quietly next to Traian. “Oh, this is going to be fun. You two are just absolutely fucking adorable.”

  Everything about Padrick rubbed me the wrong way in that moment. I didn't need to hear his jokes. I put my other hand on the elf’s shoulder, electricity zinging through my fingers.

  “And you need to shut the fuck up,” I said in a calm whisper, letting the energy in my hand drive the point.

  The smile on Padrick's face disappeared.

  “Everly. You need to calm down, my darling. We cannot have you displaying your magic out here in the open.” He glanced into the woods to the right of us and up above the trees. “People are watching us.”

  I knew we were being watched, but I figured the fog was thick enough they couldn’t see us. Ever since I’d left the gypsy camp, I could sense the presence of our observers. These weren’t the clan’s guardians I was feeling. No, the creatures hiding in the trees and rocks, and even flying high above us, were much different from strigoi, but they didn’t have heartbeats, either.

  I knew someone was spying on us, but that didn’t change the fact that I needed to know why I had been chosen. Why Eva had chosen me, how my grandmother had known all along and planned my whole life before I was even born. My death outside of the cemetery had not been a coincidence.

  And Padrick knew more than he was letting on, of this I was certain, but there were still gaps in what had been revealed to him. My mission was to fill in those holes.

  I took a deep breath and sent the energy down my legs, into the ground, and calmed myself by focusing on the stones buried in the earth beneath my feet. I found a vein of silver about fifty yards underground and pulled energy from the metal.

  “Well, you’re getting better at that,” Padrick commented.

  I looped my arms through both Padrick’s and Traian’s. “Look, guys, I have to do this. And it must happen tonight.” I braced myself for what I was about to do.

  “You do not have to do anything tonight, Everly. You have thousands of years to figure all of this out. Right now, there is a lot of danger around us, and we need to get back—”

  I cut off Traian’s words with my lips on his, while still keeping an arm around Padrick.

  Yes, I felt t
he danger. I could smell it.

  Wait…I can smell it?

  More things kept happening to my body and my senses with each passing hour, which made it all the more important for me to find this chalice and prophecy, or whatever it was that I needed to hear.

  I knew how to throw the spies off their game. I could smell them, and they me…Why not confuse them a bit?

  I placed a finger over Traian’s lips and turned to Padrick. I gave him the lustiest look I could and drew his head down until our mouths touched. I’d never kissed an elf. Goodness, he tasted so different—he tasted of everything my body repelled. A mixture of a bitter bark, earth, and metal had my tongue tingling.

  I clamped down my gag reflex and instead let out a moan that would be audible to those watching before pulling away. The air around us filled with pheromones of vampire, elf, and whatever the hell I was.

  “Shall we have some fun, boys?”

  Traian looked equal parts pissed off and shocked. Padrick, however, grinned from ear to ear. I hoped it was because he understood what I was doing, and not because I had given him any new ideas with my kiss.

  I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply.

  Even though my heart didn't beat anymore, I focused on the energy point inside my chest and listened quietly through my mind's eye. I saw the tentacles of silver, the same ones inside my body, moving and swirling beyond the confines of my skin. They extended out through the trees, over the hills, around the mountain, and down into a valley, following a river over the fields, through a cemetery, and stopping at an old, Byzantine-looking cathedral.

  I opened my eyes and, even though I couldn't see it, I felt the silver thread pulling me in the direction I needed to go.

  I winked at Padrick and placed a quick kiss on Traian’s lips. “Catch me, if you can.”

  Traian grunted and tried to take my hand but missed. I leapt just out of reach and broke into a full run. I didn’t hold back. Trees, rocks, woodland animals blurred past me. The only sounds I heard were those of my feet hitting the ground and the two other sets following me.

  “Everly, you are being foolish,” Traian called behind me.

  I laughed and dove around trees and large boulders. Yes. This was what my body had craved. I needed to run and exercise. After years of never being able to do anything physically demanding, it felt freeing to run through the forest without having to worry about inhalers or my heart giving out. I laughed as pure joy bubbled over my skin, spurring me on.

  Every now and then, I glanced behind me to check on my companions. They were struggling to keep up with me. Traian finally gave up running and took to the air to follow, but even his wings were no match for my speed. Padrick seemed amused by all of this.

  Just for show, I slowed down enough for the elf to catch me around the waist. We tumbled down the hill, laughing. I gave him a quick kiss before rolling off him and running again. This had the exact effect I’d hoped on Traian, who came in hot from above. His wings surrounded me as his arms of steel grabbed my waist.

  Before I could stop him, we were in the air.

  I called down to Padrick. “You know where to meet us.”

  Traian carried me high above the clouds. “What are you doing?”

  “Look behind you,” I said.

  The creatures who had been spying on us from the air were still hovering around the area where we had been. Traian lowered us down to cloud level.

  “You reek of him now,” he snarled.

  “A small price to pay to throw them off our track,” I said. “We need to get to the cemetery in the small city that has an old cathedral.”

  “How did—” Traian shook his head. “Never mind. I can’t let you go through this alone.”

  Inside his arms, I turned until my chest lay flat against his. “It’s something I must do alone.” I kissed his jaw. “And don’t worry. I’m not into threesomes. But our enemies don’t need to know that.”

  Padrick played a very important role in all of this. The elf had protected me my whole life, and Traian felt the need to continue to shelter me, even though I had enough power in my hands to blow him into the next world.

  But didn’t I blow both of them into the next world?

  I remembered the moment after I had destroyed all those black shadowy things in the graveyard with one bolt of lightning. Traian and Padrick were the only two who had survived.

  Traian’s hold tightened. “I don’t like sharing.”

  I ignored his comment and glanced over my shoulder to the ground and spotted the river.

  “That’s it.”

  “This is the Arges River,” Traian said.

  “The Silver River,” I whispered.

  “Yes.”

  We followed the river through the valley and fields into a little city. I spotted the gate of the cemetery.

  “There.”

  Traian lowered us to the ground.

  “How did you know about this?” he asked.

  “I just followed my heart.”

  “We’re not allowed to go in there,” Padrick warned from behind us.

  “You made it.” I ran to him and hugged him.

  “That was clever, however our mating scents will fade, and they will know we have left.”

  “Well, then there is no time to waste.” I released Padrick and walked up to the gate. “I'm supposed to go in through here, but I’m not sure how this will lead us to the cathedral.”

  I climbed a street lamp pole as if I’d done it a thousand times. In the distance, I could see the turrets of the cathedral shining in the night.

  “That's it.” I pointed. “But why am I here?”

  “This is the entrance into the catacombs of the city—the Underworld,” Traian explained. “We are barred from entering—”

  “Except you,” Padrick interrupted.

  I jumped and landed in front of the gate and placed my hand on it. Tiny sparks of electricity leapt from my palm onto the metal. Suddenly, the rusty old iron turned into shiny silver. The wind picked up, and fog filled the graveyard, spilling onto the ground around our feet. A hole appeared on the gate where one would normally put a key, but it was in the shape of a cross.

  I pushed against the gate, but it didn’t budge.

  “Mew.”

  I glanced at my feet to find Storm.

  “How did you get here?” I picked her up.

  “Mew.”

  I wished I understood Cat, but I didn’t. I met Traian’s gaze. “How did she get here?”

  Both Padrick and Traian stared at the kitten in my arms, but didn’t respond. A jingling sound drew my attention to her collar.

  The cross. That's it.

  “I don't know how you got here or what you are doing, but I’m sure glad you found me.” I unhooked the pendant from her neck. “But you really should stay in the cave, little girl.” I scratched the top of her head, and she head-butted my hand.

  I placed the cross inside the gate.

  With creaks and rattles, the gate opened. The fog shifted inside the cemetery, rising on either side of the entry and taking corporeal forms with feathery wings.

  “Only the girl and her familiar may enter the land of the dead.” The voices emitting from the winged forms sounded disembodied.

  “I don't like this,” Traian said.

  “Me either,” Padrick added. “Eva never mentioned this.”

  I turned to the boys. “I'll be fine. Storm will be with me, and I can protect myself.” I waved, little sparks falling from my hand. “See you in a bit.”

  I placed a little kiss on Traian's cheek and gave Padrick a quick hug before stepping through the silver gates into the graveyard. Storm followed me in, and the gate shut behind her. The mist thickened around us. I couldn't see my protectors anymore, but before me, a path formed and I stepped forward, feeling the pull inside my heart like before.

  Yes, this is the way.

  The path opened before me through the fog, winding around the graves until it came to a cryp
t. The door opened as we approached, revealing stairs descending into the ground. Little forms of mist filed past us. On closer inspection, I realized these were people. Well, they used to be.

  Are these ghosts?

  I couldn't tell. But there was much whispering around us.

  Storm padded down the steps with confidence and disappeared into the darkness below. I followed her, and the door closed behind me. It wasn’t totally black, though. The white, misty forms of the people lining the walls of the tunnel cast a silver light.

  Deeper into the ground we went. As I passed the spectral figures, I listened closer.

  “This is her.”

  “She's the one.”

  “She will bring the light back to the Earth.”

  I pretended I didn't hear them, but I couldn’t help but be curious about what they meant. I was nobody. Sure, I had a few new powers, but I was still a girl from Seattle who had led a pretty boring life before she died.

  We came to a pair of silver gates similar to the ones at the cemetery’s entrance. They had the same little space for my cross and opened when I placed it inside. When Mr. Black had given me the little box with my grandmother’s cross in it, I had no idea I would be using it to open gates in the underworld.

  Storm and I walked through. A few feet ahead stood an ethereal woman with a baby in her arms.

  “Welcome, Everly,” she said. The child cooed against her chest.

  “How do you know my name?” I asked.

  Storm padded up to her and circled around her ghostly feet.

  “We’ve been waiting for you,” she said. “You are the only one who can enter.”

  She stepped aside, and with her free arm, she pointed toward the door. Storm walked up to the portal. How can all these spirits know who I am? I didn’t even know who I was.

  I followed my cat to the rusty iron door. The eroded handle creaked when I turned it, but the door opened.

  In the middle of the chamber, on a pedestal, stood a silver cup.

  When Storm and I stepped inside, the door closed behind us with a loud clunk. The silver chalice glowed, though there was no light inside the room. It stood, gleaming in the darkness.