The Witch's Chalice

by Melania Tolan

  I smiled at the familiar face, but he remained serious.

  “Octavian has declared war against you and placed a hefty price on both of your heads. But know that your lover is still alive. He will be okay. But I'm here to warn you that things are about to get worse.”

  Chapter 23

  I stood on top of the submarine and stared at Ari in disbelief. Oh, I believed him. He wouldn’t lie to me or Padrick. But his words still had that otherworldly feel, as if this was a dream and I would be waking up soon.

  Alas, this was really happening. I knew what I had to do.

  Ari’s boat bobbed up and down on the waves, and a cool breeze off the sea filled the space between us.

  “I need to ask you something, Ari.” I hesitated, because what I was about to request was big, but I knew I had to.

  If there was a war against me, then my family was in danger, and so was Mindy. They didn’t have special powers to protect themselves against Octavian’s evil, and they were the only people I cared about besides Traian, Padrick, the clan, and coven.

  “I need my family to be protected. And my friend Mindy, too.”

  Ari studied me for a moment. I could tell by the tightening in his jaw and the straightening of his back that he wasn't happy with my request.

  “I will do anything in exchange for protection for my sister and mother and best friend who live in Seattle. Tell me what I need to do. Anything,” I pleaded.

  Ari bowed his head. “I will see. If my family is unwilling, then I will go myself and ask for nothing in return.”

  I noted the exchange of looks between him and Padrick. Something was going on between them. Both of their scents changed. Hmm.

  Padrick nodded in agreement. “Thank you, mate. Appreciate you helping her out.”

  “Think nothing of it. Now go, for danger draweth nigh. I will go talk to my family. I will take care of yours, mark my word.”

  “Thank you, Ari, I owe you big time.”

  I was about to step back into the hatch, when Ari cleared his throat. I met his gaze.

  “The only way you can repay us is by learning how to destroy him as quickly as possible. Also your coven has gone into hiding.”

  A sense of relief filled my chest. “Good. And I will destroy that asshole. Thank you.”

  We descended back under the water and traveled further and further into the sea. About an hour, maybe two later, Padrick guided the sub into what looked like a cave. We traveled through it until we came to a massive open gate. It looked like it hadn't moved for thousands of years. We passed through it and got to a point where the open cave wasn’t completely filled with water.

  Padrick docked the sub next to a walkway, and we both got out. What is up with all these caves? Everywhere I’d been lately, from Romania to Africa and now the Black Sea, had caves. Is this how the magical community stays hidden from the humans?

  “This is an ancient structure from the days of Atlantis, an old outpost used by the aliens to monitor people in Europa.”

  I stared at Padrick. “Did you just say ‘Atlantis’ and ‘aliens’ in the same sentence?”

  He nodded and motioned for me to follow. We went across a walkway and into a passageway. Everything was wet. The wall seeped with moisture. We went deeper, through a series of tunnels, until we stopped at a blank wall. Padrick pressed on a series of stones as if punching in a code, and a door opened. We stepped through. A couple of lights came on that looked like glowing stones inside the walls, and I noticed the runes etched into the rock. The entire place buzzed with an energy I had encountered before.

  The same as in the helicopter and the fortress.

  Octavian had said he was over ten thousand years old. Had Atlantis been a real place, not just a legend? That would explain the weird technology I’d encountered—not that I had experience with military equipment.

  I placed both palms on the damp wall next to me. The stone hummed against my skin as if the structure was alive.

  In this compound, we found many chambers. One had beds. Padrick sprinkled soil on the four corners around one of the mats and tossed a blanket on top.

  “It's very rustic, and for that I apologize. But this is where we have to stay for a while, until we figure out the next step.”

  “So where exactly are we?”

  “Near the Danube River Delta. There are ruins underneath the delta that are at least seven thousand years old, maybe even closer to eight. These date back fourteen thousand years, to when Atlantis was still here.”

  I wanted to ask what he meant by ‘still here’. What had happened to Atlantis? Did it disappear or get completely obliterated? Were aliens involved? Was Atlantis a spaceship? I had so many questions. Before I could say anything, though, Padrick held his hand up.

  “You must rest. I’ll warm up some blood for you, but we will figure out our game plan only after you wake up.”

  He was right. I was in no state to do anything. I needed to sleep and feed.

  A few minutes later, he returned with a steaming cup of blood. I downed it quickly… I’d ignored my growing hunger, with all the excitement of our escape. After I ate, sleep hit me.

  I felt guilty for wanting to sleep when the love of my life was being tortured on a different continent. I felt guilty for leaving Traian, and for putting my family in danger by trying to escape Octavian.

  A warm elf hand touched my shoulder, interrupting my musings. Padrick stood next to me, his face downcast.

  “You are so young—too young to have all this thrown on you. But if you can't help us, we’re all doomed. Octavian will destroy the planet. He thinks he's saving it by destroying humanity—he’s so hungry for power that he doesn’t even realize he's eliminating his own source of food. Without humans, vampires will die. They cannot sustain themselves on the blood of animals alone.”

  I couldn't agree more. The twenty-four hours I had spent in Octavian’s fortress were enough to tell me that something was truly wrong with that man. Maybe such a long life had caused him to go crazy. His unchallenged strength and power only added to the impending disaster.

  “Rest,” Padrick urged me. “We will talk more when you wake up. I will be in the next room, going over some data.”

  I nodded.

  He took my empty cup and left the room.

  I laid down inside the circle of dirt, pulling the blanket over my shoulders and head. Before I even realized my eyes had closed, I had been transported.

  I was in a different cave, somewhere away from where my body lay. In this cave, deep in the bowels of the earth, a stone sat at the center. The more I looked at it, the more it glowed. The silver light shone brighter the closer I got.

  I reached out to touch the sphere, but the moment I made contact, everything disappeared.

  Find me, Chosen One, a low, male voice said.

  I sat straight up on the cot. I was back in the sea cave. What was that? I had seen that orb of light before, in the vision I’d received when I touched Eva's grave, and then again when I drank from the silver chalice.

  That’s my next clue.

  I settled back down on my bed, but then I realized I knew what I needed to do and sat up again. This time I went to find Padrick.

  “You didn't sleep long.” He looked up from a small console that looked more like a game board.

  “I had a vision.”

  He stood up and came around to face me. “A vision of what?”

  “I think there's an egg, a dragon egg I'm supposed to find.”

  Padrick's face softened, and a smile spread on his lips. “Well done. Yes, there is a dragon waiting for you. I have no idea where. Do you remember what the cave looked like?”

  “How did you know I saw a cave?”

  “Because that's where dragons hide their eggs.”

  We were actually talking about dragons. Holy shit. “Dragons are real?”

  As I voiced the question, I felt stupid. Of course, dragons are real! I’d seen a red one, Zara, in dreams and right before
I died. And why was I surprised? Vampires and elves were real, so why not dragons?

  “There's something I need to do. I know of this dragon,” I said. “I know this is the key to saving Traian. But I need to let him know that we are coming for him. Can you teach me how to communicate with him?”

  Padrick studied my face and sighed. “It's called dream walking. When you go to sleep, focus on something you love about him. That thing will pull you to him. You have already exchanged blood, and that’ll help you find him quicker. You can't stay too long with him, though, because the others will sense you and torture him even more to get to you.”

  I stepped forward and hugged Padrick. I didn’t know why, I just felt like it was the right thing to do. One of his arms came around, and he hugged me back.

  “Who knew that my pain-in-the-ass professor would be my ally in saving the world,” I whispered against his chest.

  Padrick chuckled and squeezed me. “I've been your ally from the very beginning. Now go rest. Tell your lover what you need to, and then come back. We have much work to do.”

  I returned to the cot and lay down. I felt Traian’s pain right between my shoulder blades but focused on how much I loved how he kissed me and willed myself to go back to sleep. As unconsciousness took over, I felt for the cord with my eyes closed, and pulled on it. One hand at a time, I tugged myself in that direction, following the connection through a long, dark tunnel until I came to a room full of light.

  There, on the table, lay Traian, with silver spikes sticking out of his body. We were alone. I walked around the table as he groaned. I could feel his pain.

  I breathed through the agony. “I’m here, my love.”

  I came to his head and touched his matted, bloody hair. Silver pins stuck out of his face. I touched the one spot between his brows that didn’t have a needle sticking from it.

  I whispered, “I'm here.”

  Traian opened his eyes and turned his head slightly to face me. “You shouldn’t be.” His voice sounded raspy.

  “I know, but I wanted to let you know I'm coming for you. Please hold on just a little bit longer. Don't give up.”

  “I'll never give up, as long as you are alive.”

  “I love you.”

  I kissed his ear and then I let the silver cord pull me back to my body. When I opened my eyes, I knew what needed to be done.

  It was time to pack for a trek into The Alps.

  To Be Continued….

  Author’s Note

  I can’t believe this book is finally out. When I started writing this series (ten years ago), I traveled to my motherland, Romania, and visited family in Curtea de Arges. I knew right away I needed to include the Cathedral and city somewhere. The mountains were close by and provided a perfect setting for lots magic stuff to go down. Some of the creatures you meet in this book were taking from Romanian folklore, but I did take lots of creative liberties so they fit in my world.

  If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review! And don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter at www.melaniatolan.com.

  Acknowledgments

  A huge thank you to the readers, beta-readers, and reviewers. To my writing groups both in person and online.

  Thank you, Laura Heilman and Eric Hudson for proof reading this book. And Jenn McConnell, my beautiful, brilliant editor.

  And a big thank you to my friends, family, and all who supported me through this process.

  About the Author

  Melania Tolan is an emerging author of fantasy fiction with a love for all things paranormal. When not writing you can find her exploring the Pacific Northwest where she lives with her family. She’s also the author of Urban Goddess Mama.

  Also by Melania Tolan

  Legends of Carpatia

  The Witch’s Spark

  The Witch’s Dragon (coming soon)

  The Witch’s Sword (coming Fall 2019)

  The Witch’s War (coming Fall 2019)