Without another word or any fanfare, my mother stretched towards the river and somehow manipulated the wind into a giant scoop that gathered a giant amount of water, lifting it and carrying it to where Elyssia sat, still slumped over, and dropping every ounce of it on top of her. Elyssia absorbed every last bit of it, slowly at first, then quickly taking it all in, even the few drops that had spilled onto the ground. I could see her strengthening right before my eyes. While that was taking place, Mom was somehow using the wind to break through the chains that were holding a still weakened Anya. Once she finally had her free of her bindings, Mom’s winds lifted Anya gently, almost as if in a loving embrace, and carried her over to our baby sister, who was looking even better still. The same could not be said for Anya—she lay on the ground trembling like a leaf.
I was in the process of trying to get up, grabbing the ground for purchase, when I felt a warm vial and grabbed on to it just as Mom shouted at me, “Get to your sisters, now.” She gave me a none-too-gentle shove with her wind, essentially gathering the three of us into a pile of puppies.
I ended up rolling into a way-too-cold Anya, who from this close I could see was even worse off than I’d originally thought. Not only was she shivering so hard I could feel it through the ground, her skin was so cold it was turning blue, and she didn’t even so much as respond when I bumped into her. That last was what scared me the most. It had a question rolling around in my mind that I was ashamed I hadn’t thought of before. Was it due only to what had been done to her, or was she so weak because she was experiencing what I was on top of that? So then came the question, did I give the vial to her, or keep it for myself? It was blood, and not just any blood, but Demon Bran’s. I could smell it now. My sneaky, conniving demon must have snuck it in right before I pushed him out.
“Tia.” Elyssia transformed herself into liquid for only a second, just long enough for her chains to slip right through her and onto the ground. Looking from me to Anya, she did a double take. “Tia? What the heck?”
“Meet your other big sister, Anya.”
“Wait, what?”
“I don’t have time to explain right now. Let’s just say we have a lot of catching up to do. Look.”
As Elyssia took in our surroundings, I made a split-second decision and drank the blood myself. I damn near gagged as it burned its way down my throat. Demon Bran must have done something to the blood. Whatever it was had made it into a thick, horribly disgusting concoction that burned like a son of a bitch, but it did the job in not only strengthening me, but also heating up my insides. But as I turned to look at Anya, I could see that it wasn’t helping her out at all. I sat up and pulled her into my lap, trying to share my own heat with her, anything I could think of. It wasn’t working.
“Come on, Anya. I just found you, girl. I need you.”
I rocked back and forth, uselessly stroking her hair, trying to think of what else I could do. Pulling more on my own heat only let off steam that still did nothing to help her. I looked over at Nana and Mom still going at it with each other. Mom was holding back, though, and I couldn’t figure out why.
“Mom, what the fuck are you doing?”
“She can’t use too much of her element on Nana.” This from Elyssia. “Nana’s a Syphon. That’s why she left me dehydrated the way she did. When she came after me, I didn’t understand what was going on at first, but when she kept trying to force me to use my water on her? I refused to do it. At first she just knocked me into a wall. That’s when you—well, Anya—flashed in trying to help me. I thought Anya was you. I was still in so much shock over what Nana was doing, I didn’t pay much attention to the fact that her hair and fire were white. But when she kept using fire on her, Nana just started laughing, getting stronger and stronger, while Anya started getting weaker until she was only blowing smoke, literally. I think her plan is to drain all of us.”
“So what are we supposed to do now? And what’s happening to Anya?” I was beginning to panic. Had Nana taken Anya’s element away from her? If she had, how would she survive? Was she dying in my arms right now?
“I don’t know, Tia, but looks like Mom has something figured out. Watch.”
I did just that. I truly looked at what Mom was doing this time. The chains that had once held my sisters? She was slowly pulling them towards her while using just small bursts of wind, backing Nana up closer to the railings. Now that my other senses were coming back online, I could vaguely make out what she was saying to her.
“…no more, Mother. You will not use my daughters, none of them!”
In one huge vortex, Mom carried them both to the very center of the river, quickly wrapping the chains around Nana in the process. Some even seemed to appear from the bottom of the river, effectively wrapping Nana from head to toe.
Lifting her head, Mom began to chant. “Hail to the Guardians of the Watchtowers of Air. Hear my plea and allow your spirit to come forth! I thank you for all that you have ever given me, and now ask you to bless my daughter.”
“Mom, no!” If she did this…
“I bequeath my Winds unto you, my beloved Anya. May they carry unto you the protection and joy they have always given me. My will be done, and may our love never be undone. So mote it be!”
As Anya rose into the air, letting out a huge gasp, Mom looked at the three of us one last time.
“I love you all, now and always.”
Then both she and Nana dropped into the middle of the river.
25
Is This The End?
I filled Anya in as best as I could while Elyssia dived for what had to be the tenth time into the river, still searching for our mother. It still hadn’t quite hit me yet that she was well and truly gone.
“Is it fucked up that I haven’t the slightest idea how to feel right now?” Anya asked me. “I mean, I barely knew her, but not only did she give birth to me, she essentially just saved my life. So doesn’t that, like, mean she gave me life twice?”
I didn’t even have it in me to wonder if she was being serious, trying to make a joke, or in shock. So I just looked at her and shook my head.
Elyssia finally surfaced again, and this time made her way over to where we stood. “Tia, she’s gone.” She broke down into a series of sobs, and I just grabbed her and held on.
“Really feeling like a third wheel right now,” said Anya.
She began to walk past us, but as she did so, she made brief contact with Elyssia as I was still holding her. We all gasped as we felt a major shock and something within all of us clicked.
Under our breath, Anya and I spoke as one. “Stronger together.”
“Grab each other’s hands.” When all they did was look at me, I said, “Just do it.” They shrugged, and finally we did.
As we grasped each other’s hands, first Elyssia spoke. “Don’t think.” Then Anya and me. “Just feel.” What we did next, we did on pure instinct.
Letting go of everything in this reality and all thoughts, our bodies began to levitate. We ended up towards the middle of the river, where Nana and Mom had last been seen before plummeting to the very bottom. We released each other’s hands and Anya used the air to part the waters and we saw them both, lifeless, at the bottom. Elyssia went down to gather our mother. Before Anya released the waters, and once Elyssia and Mom were safely out of the way, I directed my fire to the chains that bound Nana. Once all the links were melded together, Anya blew cold air onto them, turning them into a solid grave she was sure never to break free of.
Once we were back on solid ground again, Elyssia laid Mom’s body on the ground, a body that appeared its true age now that she no longer held her element. She was more human than witch now. When I knelt beside her, that was when I felt it—a tiny spark of life remained inside her.
“She’s not gone yet.”
We all got to work then. No more words were needed. Elyssia expelled all the water from her lungs, and Anya was right there to blow air into them. I blew hot air directly onto her t
o warm her body back up. At first it seemed as though I must have been wrong, until she started having an uncontrollable coughing fit. As bad as it sounded, it was our reassurance that she was at least alive.
“Girls. My beautiful daughters,” she said in a very hoarse voice. “I am so sorry for my part in all of this. It never should have gotten this far.” She sounded as though she was struggling for breath with each word.
“Mom, it’s okay. Let’s just get you home—”
“No.” She stopped me mid-sentence, trying to sit up, but she was too weak. Elyssia noticed and sat right behind her, placing Mom’s head in her lap. She coughed again before continuing, “Girls, I don’t have much time left in this life. Our Goddess, Sekhmet, is waiting for me to start my next journey. She only allowed you all to bring me back to bring you up to speed.”
Without giving us any time to process that, she continued. “I did some more digging after you left the war room that day. Turns out this whole thing is something that has been stirring for centuries. Our bloodline, not that of Elyssia’s father, was once the ruling house of Underlayes witches. Nana’s plan was to get our line back on the throne, feeling that it was up to her to do so since we’re the last of our line. The problem was, she didn’t care who she had to manipulate, scheme against, hurt, or even kill to do so. Originally she had only planned on killing the two of you, Anya and Tia, which was when she brought Young Rasputin into the mix. When that plan fell through, she planned on getting rid of all of you, after stealing your powers for herself, ensuring she would be strong enough to reclaim the throne.”
She fell into another coughing fit. “Well, after everything that has taken place lately, all hell is sure to break loose. So you three had better be prepared for anything. I wish I could be there with you, but I can’t. Elyssia, things may be the hardest on you for a while, my dear, as you may feel conflicted when it comes to your father. But know this: it is his line, their very beliefs, that continues to hold witches back and separate from all others. That was never what was intended for witches; we are truly free spirits. We were always meant to love, live and practice magic freely. We aren’t just from the Earth but of the Earth.
“When you get back, things will not yet have begun. You should have time to prepare. But Tialanna—you, my dear, have even more to prepare for.”
“Why me?”
“Nana didn’t plan on killing you right away, baby. She planned on using you as an incubator first and stealing the child you’re carrying. A child that, as much as it may pain you, you’re going to have to keep hidden. As much power as that little one will possess, others will want to use it as well.”
I let that fly right over my head. A baby? I couldn’t even begin to take that bit of information in. Not right then.
“Anya, I’m not going to insult you with apologies.” I saw Anya’s left eye twitch at that. “What I did, I did only because of how much I love you. The beliefs as they are right now within the witch community? No way would you have been able to survive that. The king would have taken one look at you and killed you on sight, no questions asked and no answers needed. Which is something you girls are going to have to change. Your fire may be gone, but a flame still burns bright within you, honey. Hone your new element and let it shine through.”
Mom sucked in one long, final gasp of air. “I love you girls, all of you, and I know you will make all of this right.”
With that, her eyes glazed over and her body went completely limp.
When they speak of wars in the history books, they rarely speak of the battles that take place well before the front lines draw first blood, or feel that first bite of cold steel. The people lost before the war has officially begun, the casualties that only fuel the fires for the inevitable. The empty, hollow feelings of losing someone you thought you would have so much more time with that losing them hadn’t even been a negligent thought in your mind.
And there is no describing the feelings that go through your mind and your heart when watching someone you have loved for the entirety of your life, no matter their mistakes or faults, die while you sit there helpless to do anything about it. And when you have people to direct all your negative feelings towards, feelings that are eating away at your very soul because the majority of the blame lies in their hands, it takes everything you have not to go directly there, in that very moment, and say screw it to the bigger picture. Your hands want nothing more than to feel their hot and freshly spilled foul blood running between your fingers.
But Elyssia, Anya and I were not just anyone. We were princesses, and we had been taught from birth to put our people first above all others, including ourselves.
So before returning to Underlayes without any fanfare, we gave our mother a makeshift pyre and let the wind take her ashes to the river. And even though we felt like broken shells, our emotions a roller coaster, no clue what our next step should be, we went back to our realm.
Many plans would have to be made, but first we needed to at least attempt to heal. We thought it best not to let on anything to the witch community just yet, so we made a place in the palace for Elyssia for the time being, letting everyone think her, Nana, Mom and I were on a hiatus together. We knew that ruse wouldn’t last forever, but at least long enough to figure out what we would do next.
Anya went off with Kierra to heal, while I found my demon and vampire fighting it out in my quarters over their plans to get me back. They both stopped mid-swing once they saw me, and all that built-up anger, hurt and aggression were put to a much better use. I didn’t mention anything to them about the pregnancy my mother had spoken of. That wasn’t a conversation I was ready for just yet, especially since I didn’t know exactly when the child had been conceived, or with whom.
We now knew exactly who we were, and what we were, and soon all of Underlayes would too. We knew to expect that the more allies we gained, the more enemies we would gain as well. But we would be ready when that time came.
We would see to it that our bloodline took its rightful place back on the throne, but through blood, magic and tears, not manipulation.
* * *
The Beginning…
Still hungry for more?
Here’s a chapter from another erotic story from the world of Underlayes.
* * *
The Succubus, the Witch and the Vampire
I awoke with a start, gasping for air. Considering the situation, I’m surprised I didn’t come to and start screaming my head off like a banshee. Oh, I also woke up not knowing where the hell I was, or how I’d got there. Some birthday this was turning out to be.
See, I’d gone to bed just like any other normal twenty-year-old. Turning twenty-one, being able to drink—legally, anyway—finally having saved up enough money to move out on my own… I’d even gone to bed early because my girls and I were supposed to be celebrating all day and all night! Including getting rid of my virginity! Growing up in a house full of orphaned witches, vampires, werewolves and other types of shifters does not make a dating life easy, believe me. Never any fae, though.
Well, one thing was for certain, I no longer had to worry about losing my virginity.
Oh, stuff it!
U stuff it!
Ur the one who got us into this mess!
Well, arguing with u isn’t gonna help me remember jack!
Great, now I was having a mental battle with myself, in text speak, no less. That’d really help me figure out wtf had happened.
The first thing I should probably do was take in my surroundings, eh? Another thing was, I didn’t have to think about my virginity issues, seeing as I was stark- bootie- butt-naked apart from some damn collar on my neck, in a huge bed with three just as naked men with collars on their necks! Thankfully they were still blissfully sleeping. Thank Goddess for small favors. Hopefully I could figure this out before they woke up. And from the smell of things, I’d better act fast. Though they all had their faces turned away from me, I could smell shifter, vampire…and holy shit!
A damn demon?
H-o-o-o-kay, Jelissa, let’s pull it together. The only thing I’m missing is any memory of last night. Well, that and my damn clothes. Time to answer the question I’ve been dreading. Do I still have any powers? Screwed up as they may be, anything is better than nothing at this point.
See, I’m a witch. Well, actually, I’m more than that, but that was all the orphanage seers could see clearly when I was brought to them as an infant. That and the fact that I was pretty much a mutt. They ended up having me sniffed out to try to figure out what I was. All they concluded was that I had four different bloodlines within me. Talk about multiracial. The orphanage wasn’t an uncommon place for something like that. It was pretty much what made up the whole place—unwanted cross-breeds, misfits, or true orphans whose parents had passed on. Well, okay, kids were usually only cross-breeds of two things, not four, and the seers usually had no problem figuring out what those things were. Guess I was just special. So I’d become a great guessing game, and they’d just bided their time waiting to see what powers, if any, I developed.
So far I had the ability to call insects, which came in quite handy in school, and some telekinesis (I say some, cause if I got too upset I just blew up whatever it was I was trying to move). That would come in handy right about now. If I focused on the lock on the door, whether it unlocked or simply blew up, who the hell cared as long as it opened? So I focused, and focused some more, and the only result I got was a little dizziness, feeling myself going cross-eyed and nauseated.
“Damn it,” I muttered.
Maybe I could do a past visualization. If I couldn’t get out, maybe I could at least figure out how I’d got there. And pray to Goddess that nothing else happened while I was in a trance.
Witch Wars: The Underlayes, Book One Page 15
