by T. S. Ryder
Aaron glanced at her with wide eyes before focusing on the page. As he read, his face first fell and then smoothed out, the way it did when he knew something wasn't going to work and was trying to hide his disappointment.
"Black-capped toadstools. They're only found down in the swamp."
"I know. But the rest of the potion can be readied beforehand and—"
"The radical sect of witches have taken up residence in the swamp, Sofia." Aaron put his hand over hers. "It's too risky to send you there. Seeing this, my guess is that they somehow set all this up in the first place, to get me off the throne. And I guess it's going to work."
Sofia's heart plummeted. "Aaron—"
"I won't lose you. We don't know if becoming human will kill me, but if you go to the swamp, chances are you will die. So no. You are not going to attempt to create this potion. I'm sorry, Sofia. I love you. But I really have to finish this paperwork off. I'll see you later."
Sofia picked up her book again. She hugged it to her chest as she glanced down at what Aaron was working on. It was an official abdication of the throne, and a document naming his replacement. Bile rose in her throat, but she turned away quickly. Her husband wouldn't see her cry…
But once she was alone, she let the tears fall. Being king was important to Aaron. He was determined to help people the best he could. He loved being a vampire. Sofia couldn’t imagine how much it would destroy him for his identity to be taken away…
It won't, she vowed. I am going to save him.
She opened the spell book again. First things first. She would need a cauldron.
***
If Aaron was still at his full strength, Sofia knew she wouldn’t have been able to sneak out without him knowing. He would have known everything that was going on for the past few days. Sofia had been using her old chambers to make the potion, and now had it in a thermos in her backpack with her grandmother's spell book as she slipped out of the palace. She had told the guards she was just going for a moonlit walk since she couldn’t sleep, but that was far from the truth.
It was the night of the full moon, and there was only one ingredient left on the list that she needed to turn Aaron back into a vampire. Black-capped toadstools.
Sofia took one of the cars and left the palace grounds, her heart in her throat as she headed for the swamp, where Gloria was going to meet her. Her friend had been scouting the area for some time and found the mushrooms they needed. Luckily, she hadn't seen any of the witches that were supposed to be living in the swamp.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Gloria asked once they stopped at the edge of the swamp.
It was a dark, frightening place. There were a few paths and boardwalks set up throughout it, but nothing that a car could travel over. Sofia hoisted her backpack onto her shoulders and nodded. "I'm not going to give up on Aaron."
Gloria put a hand on her shoulder. "Is it so bad to have a regular human as a husband? Is being a queen that important to you?"
"Being a queen has nothing to do with it," Sofia snapped as she headed in. "It's Aaron. You can't see how this is destroying him. He doesn't deserve to die because of my actions. And we have no idea how becoming human will affect him. A cold might kill him!"
"Sofia, I know this is hard for you, but—"
A flash of red light burst through the trees. Sofia stumbled backward, crying out as something hot seared across her shoulders. The smell of burnt hair mixed with the methane of the swamp. Gloria grabbed her arm and pulled her back the way they had come.
"It's a witch!" she shouted. "We're under attack. Sofia, run!"
Chapter Seven – Aaron
How could he have missed the signs? Aaron's fingers drummed against his thigh as the van raced from the city, wishing that he had paid for a vehicle with a little more speed. The guards he had called to come with him as he went after Sofia were sitting all around him, silent as they glanced askance at him. He ignored them, praying that Sofia was safe.
Of course she wouldn't have accepted his decision to let the magic run its course and turn him human. Not when they didn't know what would happen after he became fully human. If their situations were reversed, he never would stand by and watch. Why had he expected her to?
If Gloria hadn't phoned him to tell him about this crazy plan, would he have ever guessed Sofia was doing this? But it was too late to stop Sofia from leaving. Was it too late to stop her from going to the swamp?
"We're here," the driver said.
Tires screeched as they came to a stop. Aaron was thrown from his seat, though a dozen hands instantly reached to support him. He pushed them off.
"Go."
They ripped open the doors and jumped out of the van. Aaron wanted to lead the charge but forced himself to stay still as he watched the others stream out. Right now he'd only slow them down. As soon as they were out, however, he jumped from the van. Flashes of light burned through the dark swamp, and he ordered his men towards it.
Aaron watched for a moment, waiting with the two guards who stayed with him, but he soon realized he couldn't just stand here and do nothing. He started after the others. A smell of ozone soon filled the air, making him gag. The flashes of light grew brighter. Within minutes, he found himself in the middle of a battle zone. Sofia and her friend hid behind a tree while all around them witches sent spells at them. His guards chased at the witches, dodging spells.
The king grabbed his wife around the waist and pulled her back towards the edge of the swamp. "Drive them off," he ordered the guards. "Get rid of them!"
The vampires broke their tight formation around him and charged the witches, agilely dodging spells that flew at them. The witches fled into the forest. Sofia fought against him as he tried to pull her away. Soon the only sound in the dark swamp was that of her cursing.
"Let go of me," she spat, clawing at his arms. "I'm not going to let you die, Aaron!"
"Stop struggling." Sweat broke over Aaron's forehead. "I can't hold you."
Gloria stood still, watching them with wide eyes. She cleared her throat. "I'm pretty sure that's the point. Not being able to hold her, I mean."
Aaron sent her a glare, but at that moment Sofia jabbed her elbow into his sternum. An unexpected pain blossomed from the point of impact, making Aaron stumble. He released Sofia and fell to one knee, pressing a hand to his chest. There was a strange thudding pain in it, something clawing at him that made him gasp for breath. Blinding pain shot through his chest. Sofia pressed in against him but he fended her off, trying to catch a breath.
"What's wrong? Aaron, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you that hard."
The king closed his eyes as the pain started to ease. A strange tingling filled his body out to his fingertips. He swallowed down the bile that rose in his throat. The thudding in his chest was still there, bringing up half-forgotten memories.
"It's not you," he managed to say to Sofia. "It's my heart. It's started beating again."
Sofia's eyes rounded. She put her hand on his chest and shook her head. "We don't have much time. Gloria, we have to get to the toadstools now!"
"No," Aaron said. He straightened. "No. We are going back to the palace. You were already attacked."
"The vampires have driven them off."
"And there could be more. No, Sofia. You can't put our child at risk."
Sofia swallowed hard. Her hands drifted to her stomach and tears filled her eyes. "And if we don't do this? I want our baby, I want to protect it, but I need you. I can't let you die. How am I supposed to be a mother that a child can rely on if I don't do everything I can to save you?"
"The toadstools aren't far," Gloria added. Her eyes were locked on Aaron with a strange gleam in them. Her hands twitched. "But I agree with him. We shouldn't do this, Sofia. You're being selfish. What kind of mother can you be when you will kill your own child for the off chance that you can stop this transformation?"
Aaron growled at the witch, fury building in his belly at her words. How dare she s
ay such awful things about his queen? He'd never liked Gloria, hating the way she spoke to Sofia, but this was extreme even for her. He stepped forward and opened his mouth, but Sofia beat him to it.
"I don't care what you say, Gloria. I am doing this. Now show me where the toadstools are, or I am cutting you off. I will not be your friend. I will not give you more gifts, and I'll start charging you rent for the house I bought for you."
Gloria's jaw dropped. "Sofia!"
"I mean it." Sofia crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Now show us the way!"
Gloria glanced at Aaron again. A brief flash of regret shone in her eyes before she turned and pointed. "It's this way. And I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I just don't want you to get hurt, Sofia."
Sofia ignored her as she headed in the direction the witch pointed. Aaron ground his teeth and pulled a gun from his belt as he followed. There was no changing Sofia's mind, it seemed. And he might be useless as a vampire right now, but magic couldn't stop a witch from dying when a bullet was in her head. He could still offer some protection to his wife.
They reached a small clearing soon enough. Sofia put the flashlight between her teeth as she pulled the spell book and a thermos from the backpack she wore. She started working at once, slicing up the mushrooms into the thermos while consulting the book regularly.
"Hurry," Aaron urged.
"I'm going as quickly as I can," Sofia said. "If I get anything wrong, the potion could kill you."
A flash of blue caught his eye. Aaron turned just in time to see a ball of the lightning fly at him. He threw himself to the ground, grunting on impact, and rolled back to his knees. A woman strode through the trees, stretching the crackling blue energy between her fingertips. Aaron rose the gun and let off a few rounds.
A cry of pain. The lightning blinked out and the woman fell. Aaron got to his feet unsteadily. Sofia stared at him for a moment before shaking her head and bending over the potion again. Gloria, however, backed away from him, her gaze locked on the gun in his hand.
"Why did you bring that? Vampires don't use guns!"
"We don't have to," Aaron grunted. He scanned the trees, but there didn't seem to be any more witches around. "But I'm not a vampire anymore. I might not be able to fight like I used to, but that doesn't mean I'm completely helpless."
Gloria shuddered, making Aaron frown, but she turned to Sofia before he could question her on it. He turned back to the forest, gun up and ready to fire at anybody who dared approach. The swamp was still around them, not even the sound of crickets or frogs breaking the silence.
"Here, let me help you," Gloria said, reaching for the potion.
Sofia grabbed it and pulled back, shaking her head. "No! If anybody else touches it besides me, it will transform into poison. You know that as well as I do. Just help Aaron keep watch."
The king's nerves tingled. Maybe it was just his ongoing transformation, but there was something that felt wrong. Too silent, maybe. Too dark. With the full moon in the sky, why were the shadows so deep around them? He stepped a little closer to Sofia.
"Why would a potion require one specific person to make it?" Gloria said. "Come on, Sofia. I'm better at this than you. You can't even read the full recipe. It's smudged! For all you know, you could be making a poison that will kill him the moment you drink it."
"I drink it?" Sofia's voice rang higher pitched than normal. "It doesn't say anything about me drinking it."
"You had to drink the other one, it only makes sense for you to drink this one. Sofia, please. If you do this, you're going to die too. You can't save him. But you can save yourself."
Aaron turned from the trees to look down at Gloria. In contrast the darkness around them, she seemed to glow. A chill ran down the king's spine as the witch shook her head, a strange blue light coming from her eyes. Something niggled at the back of his mind. This wasn't ordinary magic…
"I didn't want it to end like this, Sofia. You could have had a happy, human life. But I guess now I have to kill you both."
Chapter Eight – Sofia
Sofia gasped, her heart plummeting. This couldn't be happening. Her friend must just be trying to be funny like she did sometimes. She couldn’t really be saying she was going to kill the two of them… could she?
"Gloria, what are you talking about?"
But her old friend wasn't looking at her. Her gaze was fixed on Aaron. The king pointed his gun at her, expression blank. Sofia wanted to be sick. How could her friend, somebody she had always trusted, turn on her like this? Both Gloria and Aaron ignored her as they faced off. Bright yellow sparks began dancing at Gloria's fingertips.
"Gloria, you can't do this," Sofia said. "You can't—"
"I will do what I have to. Witches have been persecuted for far too long, and this so-called king only perpetuates our continued silence."
"I don't know what you think I'm doing, but you're wrong," Aaron said calmly. "I have made sure that witches have protected spaces—"
A flash of light cut Aaron off. He yelped and dodged the spell that Gloria threw at him. He fired the gun once, but the shot went wide and Gloria was on him. The weakness that seeped into his bones from turning human was painfully apparent as the witch slapped the gun from the king's hand. She thrust her hand into his chest, sending a spark through his body.
"Aaron!" Sofia lurched forward, reaching for him as he fell.
His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went still.
"No!" Sofia scrambled over to him, cupping his face in her hands, tears blurring her vision. "No! No!"
"He's not dead yet," Gloria said. "He will die, but I wanted to give you one last chance to come out of this alive, Sofia. We used to be such good friends. All you have to do is walk away, and I can convince the others not to kill you or your child."
But Sofia didn't trust a single word coming from her former friend's mouth. She snatched up the gun that Aaron had dropped and pointed it at Gloria. Her hands shook, but her mouth tightened in determination. She wasn't going to walk away, letting Aaron die, and she certainly wasn't going to let this witch stab her in the back again!
"You are going to leave right now or I'll shoot you!" Sofia hissed.
Gloria held up her hands and backed away a step. "You're risking yourself and your child for nothing."
"Once Aaron is fully vampire again—"
"He can only become a vampire again if he drinks the potion through your blood. You have to drink it first, and then he drinks from you. Just like before. But if you drink that, it will kill your child."
As if hearing the words, there was a soft movement inside of Sofia's belly. She gasped, fighting the instinct to put a hand on her stomach. The movement was gone as fast as it had come. But it was enough for Sofia to waver. Could she really risk this child growing inside of her? What would Aaron want her to do?
Well, that was obvious. He'd want her to protect herself and their unborn child above all else. She lowered the gun, tears streaming down her face.
"Good choice," Gloria said softly. "Now just put down the gun and walk away. You won't hear anything, I promise."
Sofia hesitated. When was the last time Gloria had kept a promise? Hell, when was the last time she did anything for Sofia that didn't have layers on layers of self-interest in it? The book hadn't said that she needed to drink the potion first–there was something about blood, but it was too smudged to read, and two short for complicated instructions.
"Sofia, I'm telling you he's not worth it," Gloria said. "Come on, all you have to do is drop a few pounds, and every man in the country will be drooling for you."
A hiss escaped Sofia's clenched teeth. She leveled the gun again, pointing it at Gloria. Her eyes were narrowed as the witch backed up a step. Her heart continued to pound, but she was determined.
"You have always lied to me. Why should I believe you this time? I can't believe I ever called you my friend."
"Sofia—"
"Even if I walk away, my child, Aaron's chil
d, wouldn't be safe. If you are after the king, then you want to destabilize the vampire government. Aaron having a child and heir—"
"Don't be an idiot," Gloria growled. "Just walk away! How is a vampire's spawn worth your life?"
Gloria stepped towards her. Sofia's fingers seemed to move on their own accord. The gunshot rang through the swamp, echoed back at her from all angles. A jolt reverberated up her arms. Gloria screamed and fell.
"Gloria!" Sofia gasped, dropping the gun. She started forward before stopping.
The witch clung to her hip, screaming and writhing in pain. In the bright moonlight, Sofia saw a well of blood coming through her fingers. Bile rose in her throat, but she grabbed the gun again and turned away from Gloria. She had to finish this potion!
She hurried back to the thermos and knife, cutting off the last of the toadstools she needed. Once she added it to the potion, she stirred it with her knife. The brew bubbled, changing from a sickly green-yellow to something far darker. Sofia couldn't tell if it was blue or black–but she couldn't waste time hesitating. With the thermos in hand, she returned to Aaron.
"Drink this, darling," she whispered, pouring a little into his mouth. "Drink."
Aaron moaned, licking his lips. His eyes fluttered open, but rather than the clear gaze Sofia expected, he looked dazed and confused. He licked his lips again. "Thirsty."
The book did call for blood. Sofia's heart sank. What if Gloria was telling the truth? That the only way to save Aaron was to drink this foul brew? It would poison her child, she had no doubt about that. She felt sick, staring down at her husband as he continued to lick his lips, eyes not focused on anything.
"Like I said, he needs to drink it when it's imbued in your blood," Gloria gasped. Her face shone with slick sweat in the moonlight, but a grin lit her face and she laughed. It looked maniacal. "So? What's it going to be, Sofia? Are you going to let your vampire continue to be human, or are you going to kill your child?"
