The Witch’s Destiny

by Emma Glass

  But my brows furrowed as a dark sensation rolled through my mind.

  That’s not possible…

  When I opened my eyes again, I realized that joy had left Clara’s face. She stared at me in open terror. Just the sight of that expression was enough to tear my heart out.

  I felt every hair on my neck bristle as I turned to face my fate.

  Chapter 33

  Kinsey

  The atmosphere of the room grew bleaker by the minute.

  Clara’s original three guardians stood guard together, though their usual mirth was gone. The female, talkative Duelist watched quietly; she was unwilling to disturb the fragile peace. The older, sterner one, always at her side, stood at the edge of one of the windows—leaning into the arch while staring over the breadth below.

  Arch-Magister Vayne and Griswold watched over their charges, quietly murmuring to themselves. I ignored them for the time being, choosing to hover near Hargonne.

  I rested against the opposite side of his arch, facing his way. But I gave my attention to the sprawling academy. He and I stood in silence like that for a short while. Even after all that wasted time scrambling around down there, trying to find my way to the vampire lords, it was easy for me to appreciate the beauty of this stark, imposing architecture.

  As this tower stood in a corner, it seemed the whole of the citadel stretched out beneath us. Even the High Tower towards the center wasn’t that much higher than this.

  “Things have been so… strange,” he finally spoke.

  I raised a brow. “Oh? What do you mean?”

  “Never once did I ever think I would meet the vampire lord. Let alone a human…” Lazily, he glanced over to them in their thrones. “I thought the mere suggestion of a human walking among us was ridiculous… but for years now, I have watched over her myself.” He shook his head. “It boggles the mind.”

  “You get used to it,” I shrugged.

  “Do you know why I came here in the first place?”

  I looked at him curiously. “No.”

  He snorted. “Kierra talked me into it. We made a pact when we were children. One of us goes? The other goes. She wanted to learn how to be a better fighter. You would not know this to look at her, but that one…” He glanced towards her, watching her study the others. “She is a Brawler of Broken Field.”

  “Broken Field… I recognize that name.”

  Hargonne nodded slowly, lost in reflection. “Many do. Vampires from all corners of Stonehold came to Broken Field to seek glory, and test their mettle. Kierra is a veteran brawler, trained to be deadly with fist and foot alone. It was grueling training, but if you can hack it…” His eye trailed to me. “Well worth it.”

  I nodded. “And you?”

  He smiled. “I never competed. Never cared for the ego. I trained, though. Kierra can keep the glory to herself. I prefer tactics over brutal strength. Outsmart, not overpower.”

  “Sounds like Lady Craven would love you two.”

  Hargonne’s face brightened. “Nikki recognized Kierra for what she was at a mere glance, the night she returned to us.”

  “Poisoned,” I noted dryly.

  “Yes. Poisoned.”

  I frowned. “So… what happened to Broken Field?”

  His eyes darkened. “The last war destroyed the whole village. Neither of us were anywhere near it. By the time word traveled here… the arena wasn’t the only thing drenched in blood. Our presence there wouldn’t have changed a thing. We would have joined the corpses of our old friends.”

  “That’s awful.”

  “It is the reality of things. If you are unlucky, you live long enough to see the worst happen.” He smirked quietly. “I wonder if humans have it better than us after all. They die too early to see destiny undo their legacy.”

  “Speaking of death…” I looked over the citadel.

  “I have not seen anything coming. Not yet.”

  I nodded. “Good. At least we have some peace.”

  “Even if we die…” A smile lifted over his face as he stared over the academy. “It has been an honour to be here.”

  “Yeah…” I looked over at Clara and Elliot again. “I have to admit, they have both been a real pain in my arse. There is never a dull moment, but, I think the human might be growing on me.” I glanced back. “That might just be a little temporary insanity.”

  “We are about to be overrun. You are entitled.”

  I laughed. I don’t know why, but I did.

  “Go watch over them,” he nodded towards the others. “I will remain here as a lookout. In case it happens.”

  I put a hand on his shoulder. “Stay strong. I need you in this fight.”

  Hargonne smiled at me. And then he looked away.

  * * *

  I left him to his brooding. Kierra had since joined the guards standing vigil. Meanwhile, the vampire lords remained uselessly unconscious.

  “Can we help them?” I asked.

  Vayne shook her head. “They are on a journey together. To disrupt them now could be catastrophic. I do not know where they are, nor what they do. They could be defeating the Calamity as we speak.” Her tone, however, lacked the optimism her words implied.

  My eyes narrowed. “But you aren’t convinced.”

  “Something happened a few hours ago,” Griswold confided to me. “Clara has rested peacefully almost since the start, but the others slept fitfully at first. Now, they have all went silent. Deathly so…”

  “What do you mean?” I tilted my head.

  “I have never seen anyone sleep like this. Their bodies lay motionless… and yet, they breathe.”

  “And what about them?” I asked, looking over to Nikki and Elliot as they shook and shivered in their slumber.

  “They were deathly still for a time, yes. Nikki Craven was the first to stir, with Lord Elliott close behind her.”

  I watched curiously as, Nikki began to convulse in her sleep.

  Vayne immediately rushed to her side and tried to tend to her. The Arch-Magister cast a powerful Fortification spell, whispering under her breath.

  Nikki’s body went rigid as her mouth opened, unleashing a terrible scream…

  And then… she slumped back into the chair.

  “Did… did she just die?” I gasped in horror.

  Vayne brushed me aside to check her breathing. With a pair of fingers to her pulse and her head pressed to Nikki’s chest, she sighed and rose up again.

  “She is alive. At least, her body is.”

  I wanted to ask the obvious question—but her face told me she didn’t know the answer.

  The room fell unnaturally silent, all conversation ended by Nikki’s blood curdling scream. A moment passed before Hargonne finally broke us from that strange trance. With both hands on the archway of his window, he glared over the citadel below.

  “I see something…” He spoke loudly.

  “It’s too soon!” Griswold cried in anguish.

  Viktor looked up. “How long until they awaken?”

  “I don’t know! Ten seconds? Ten hours? Who’s to say?”

  The four of them threw down their cards and rose back to their feet, drawing weapons. Each took another window apiece, watching below for danger.

  “How does it look?” I called out to them.

  “On a scale of one to ten?” Wilhelm answered.

  “Sure. Just—“

  “Four.”

  “Really?” I furrowed my brow.

  “I’m being optimistic…”

  Griswold growled. “Can someone who isn’t Wilhelm—“

  “Eight,” Kierra called out. “Or maybe ten…”

  “Guys?” Wilhelm looked up. “We’re past ten.” Trembling, he glanced down again. “Scale of one to ten… I put us all at a nice, solid twenty-five.”

  I shoved him out of the way and looked for myself.

  “Is it truly that bad?” Vayne asked from the thrones.

  Wilhelm swallowed as I turned to him, then back down to
the citadel beneath us. “…Twenty-five sounds right.”

  * * *

  A carpet of life crossed Seven Portals towards us. I couldn’t make out any individual creature among the coming swarm, but it really didn’t look good. The vicious things snapped at each other as they approached, but most of them seemed purely focused on their destination.

  “What I wouldn’t give for a barrier,” Wilhelm sighed.

  Kierra snorted. “Or for the lazy gits to wake the hell up.”

  Glancing over my shoulder, I couldn’t help but agree. I stood here with an elder magician, an arch-magister… and five other capable warriors. Eight of us, altogether. That was it.

  Eight vampires against a horde.

  Hargonne said it first. “…We can’t stop that.”

  The others looked at him in various levels of disgust.

  “He’s right,” I added. “We can’t stop it… but we can slow it down.”

  “And if that isn’t enough? I don’t mean to sound like a coward or anything…” Wilhelm stared down at the monsters. “But it really looks like it won’t be enough. Call me crazy. Please. I encourage it.”

  “Are you yellow-bellied?” Asarra asked him.

  “I’ll die here if that’s what it takes. But I think we should be planning an exit strategy here…”

  “There isn’t one,” I said. “We fight until we can’t.”

  I broke away from the others to approach my fitfully sleeping vampire lord. Wake up, Elliott. We need you. You only have a few minutes left to save the world… so, wake up.

  But he couldn’t, of course. Or maybe he wouldn’t.

  “The day we met, I saved your life… and you saved mine. When you made me your own personal guardian, it was the proudest moment of my life…”

  A hand grasped my shoulder. “They’re coming.”

  I nodded, but I didn’t turn. I stroked Elliott’s cheek.

  “You found your way. You have become so much more than you once were, Lord Elliott. After everything we’ve been through… it has been an honour to serve you.” I straightened my back and pulled my hand back, well aware that the others watched. “I’ve put a lot of work into you, my Lord… I think it’d be a real shame to watch you die here.”

  Ignoring their mournful glances, I grabbed up a sword. It felt natural in my grip; it would swing true. As we faced the coming threat, I strode forwards to finish the circle.

  From our vantage point, I could see how they swarmed across Seven Portals. The creatures crawled over walls and blotted out the courtyards, flocking in a tightening circle at the base of this tower. It looked bad. The only thing we had going for us was the tight doorways and windows that led to this chamber.

  That would buy us a few minutes… at best.

  Nobody wanted to say it, so I did.

  “This is a losing fight. We may die here.”

  Wilhelm began to slowly clap. “Bravo.”

  I shot him a filthy look; he quietly stopped.

  “Even as we fall, we protect the vampire lords, and the only human present on this world. The odds are against us, but this world is depending on us. We must buy Clara enough time. If we must die… it is so the people of this world may live. Ours will be a noble sacrifice.”

  In my peripheral, most of them seemed to reluctantly agree. Not good enough… It was time to stir up some battle morale. We would need every drop on offer, and we needed it now.

  “History will forget us. But who are we?”

  My ragtag allies readied their weapons and took battle stances. The Arch-Magister was weaving a powerful fortification spell, reimbursing our courage—I felt magic coursing in my veins, and welcomed the supportive boost.

  “We are guardians of the witch, and we shall defend her to our last.”

  The magical beasts crawled halfway up the tower now. Each of us spared a brief glance at the others; instinctively, we spaced ourselves to ring the thrones. For the moment, our single objective was clear: hold the line.

  Today, we will die as warriors.

  The first beast passed into view before me, crawling in through the doorway on six legs. Hideous and antlered, the vicious creature growled sadistically as it turned a wicked gaze towards me.

  “A Bukavac!” Assara gasped in horror. “The strangler!”

  Strangler? I will not let it gain a grip on me…

  A battle-cry poured from my lungs. I lunged forwards with my blade held at the ready, prepared to slay the beast before it could touch the vampire lords. As the monstrous creature narrowly dodged the strike, I noticed eyes, fangs, and claws reaching the windows and doors of the chamber…

  The chaos of war erupted around me.

  Chapter 34

  Clara

  Wrapped in tattered robes, furling her giant bat wings back into a cloak, Tzavos Tzovac took a hunched stance over her reclaimed staff.

  We watched her with bated breath. As Elliott bumped his hand into mine, I took it, squeezing it tightly.

  Her withering glare cast a threatening shadow, but the witch quickly broke into a defeated smile. “Well done, my children. You have proven yourselves remarkably capable. Though we may stand in complete opposition…” Her eyes flashed a dark glint; curiously, her smile only widened. “I can respect your strength.”

  I snarled, fear in my eyes. “How are you here?”

  “Do not fear, my child,” Tzavos replied, almost wearily. “My magic is gone. I struggle to maintain this form. I cannot harm you here.”

  Elliott narrowed his eyes. “I thought you were destroyed…”

  “My fated return has been defied! I saw so many possibilities… but I could never have predicted this.” The elderly magician looked almost… entertained? “How curious, that I could be bested by a barely trained witch and a, what did you call yourself? A vampire lord? Why, I haven’t been surprised like this in a very long time. I hope you can appreciate what that means. I will never underestimate either of you again.”

  At the time, I should have questioned her wording. But I gave Elliott a questioning look instead. He didn’t budge.

  “Tzavos, you’ve undone my entire family,” Elliott declared with a hard glare. “You murdered Fiona. My mother and father perished in defiance of you. Now, even my younger sister is gone. All of these lofty claims you love to make about saving the world mean nothing if you are so willing to burn down all these innocent lives…”

  Staring her down, Elliott’s eyes darkened considerably. “I can’t help but take this all very personally.” His fists clenched at his sides.

  Watching him, Tzavos Tzovac arched her brow.

  “Your family interfered, Elliott.” Her tone was far more subjective, even apathetic, than Tzavos had any right to be. She spoke not as a bitter enemy but nearly like a… patient, sagely teacher. It unsettled me to listen to her so casually and objectively justify her heinous actions. “Fiona Craven could’ve had a place in the new world. Your mother as well. Even you, and Nikki. It was not to be so. Of all my children, the Cravens have set themselves apart as the loudest and, by far, the most… defiant.”

  “And all of it,” he growled through clenched teeth, “for nothing, in the end. Tzavos, your ambitions are ruined. At the end of everything, the worlds remain safe from you. The woman you made into little more than a murderous pawn defeated you.”

  “I was hasty,” Tzavos sighed. “I can see that now.”

  Dumbfounded, I stared at her. For someone in her position, she sounded awfully… cavalier. The witch’s reaction put me immediately on the defensive. “Hasty?”

  “Yes…” The old woman folded her hands over her rod, her face curling into a mildly disappointed frown. “I have been trapped here so long that I became arrogant. I should have taken more time to lay out the pieces! Another ten or fifteen years, perhaps. It’s a mistake I won’t repeat.”

  I felt unnerved by her words. “But… we defeated you.”

  “Yes,” she dryly noted. “Savour that, my child.”

  So
mething strange blew in the air.

  “You know something,” I narrowed my eyes.

  Tzavos smiled—not slyly, but sadly. “I know what I’ve seen. I know what my failures will wreak upon the worlds you have so desperately tried to keep broken. Please don’t fault an old woman her disappointment, or her regrets.” Frowning, the elder witch shook her head... before her eye glinted darkly. “At least I can take some solace in today’s events. In your small moment of triumph, you are the ones who failed…” Her smile made me shudder. “I still live… and I have learned so much.”

  That strange feeling in the air stirred. It troubled me.

  “If you try to come back…” Elliott took a stand. “The world knows the danger you represent. My descendants will safeguard against the threat you pose to us, Tzavos. For the rest of my life, I will ensure that you never step foot on our world…”

  “Do so!” She chuckled faintly. “I encourage that.”

  “You sound… confident.” I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”

  “Because it matters so very little. Go on then, guard a gate sewn shut by your own hand! If that’s how you two choose to keep yourselves occupied… who am I to judge?” She shrugged nonchalantly; Elliott finally broke his gaze to share a confused, alarmed look with me.

  “Explain yourself!” I demanded.

  The witch raised her brow. “Excuse me?”

  “You sound far less angry than I thought you’d be.”

  “One does not blame the child when it breaks something of value. You have interrupted my return, but I do not fault you for your actions. Clara, I can no longer guide you on your journey. You’ll continue your studies without me, and fade into obscurity. These past years have been busy ones for you… it is a shame you peaked so young. Had I waited longer, perhaps you could’ve learned to be so much greater than you are… and so much wiser.”

  “I’ll be great without you.”

  “Yes,” she cryptically noted. “For a time.”

  Her eyes narrowed with a smile. I suddenly felt vulnerable. I needed to get away from her, and soon.