WITCHCRAFT (A Paranormal Romance) (4 page)

Relief swelled in her body. She was so worried she would find something horrible at the top of the mountain, or that The Great Sage would confirm her mother's death.

But if her father was alive, then Queen Anai must have been alive as well.

“Father!” Terra said, closing the distance between them with a sprint. He opened his arms, and she jumped into them. He hugged her close, then put her down.

“Terra. I've been watching you for so long, ever since you were a child. I knew you'd do great things, and you have. You brought me a piece of the puzzle, one more thing I need to fulfill the prophecy.”

Terra pulled back and gave him a strange look. “What prophecy?”

Orussus looked past her, at Lance, and raised his eyebrows. His lip twitched into an ironic smile, then he looked sadly down at his daughter.

“Father… can I have that necklace back? It's important-”

“Unfortunately, you can't have it back. You know, I knew that Helina was a lost cause, that she would take after her mother. I thought you, my daughter, would take after me. But I see your mother's genes poisoned your soul, too.”

She was confused. What was he talking about? Was he disappointed with her over something? She couldn't think of a reason for him to be disappointed. “I'm looking for my mother. Do you know where she is?”

“No.” He continued to glare at Lance, who kept his distance.

“Is she dead?”

Orussus shook his head. “She isn't. Not yet.”

“Terra, I think you should step away,” Lance called, backing up towards the woods again.

She looked back at him and saw the fear on his face. “Why?”

“Because I recognize his voice. I would recognize his voice anywhere.”

Orussus grabbed Terra's arm and pulled her closer, grinning like a madman. His other hand put the necklace in the pocket of his huge fur coat, and pulls out a small dagger, its blade straight, the color of blood.

The blade went through her chest easily. It came out easily, as well, and her blood began to fall.

Lance was upon him in an instant, pulling Terra away from his grip and punching Orussus in the face. Her father fell back into the snow, but was up again too quickly. He had magic, but Terra couldn't figure out how. Her vision was going dark as she bled into the white snow.

Orussus plunged the dagger into Lance's chest, too, but didn't manage to pull it out before he was hit with a ball of white light. The last thing that Terra saw before she passed out was the absence of her father. He was gone. Disappeared.

Soft humming woke Terra up from the blackness. Her body was warm, though it should have been freezing from the cold mountaintop.

She couldn't move her body, no matter how much she tried. She couldn't even wiggle her toes. Struggling for a few moments, she finally managed to open her eyes, just a crack.

The light was intense until she adjusted to it. There was a figure over her, though its back was to Terra. It looked like a woman, with long and wild hair. Her hands were out, hovering over another figure. Lance?

Terra's arm finally moved. She felt dirt beneath her, and smooth stones. The figure turned towards Terra, and finally she saw. She saw, but she didn't understand.

It was her mother.

“My sweet child.” A hand was placed on Terra's forehead.

Terra coughed, and swallowed, trying to make her horribly draw mouth work. She croaked out, “Am I dead?”

Her mother smiled, sweetly. “No, Terra. Not yet. You must live.”

“Mother, are you back? Will you retake the throne?”

Her eyes were sad, gentle. “No. I am not meant for that throne. I am meant to lead an army, with your help. I have things I must finish, and I cannot finish them without you, or your friend here.”

“There's a war coming! We need a queen! You can lead an army from at home, can't you?”

“I can't. Not the kind of army we need. It can't just be witches anymore, because something bigger than vampires is looming over us. I need you to get strong. This apparition only has so much strength, and I focused on healing your wounds. If you want your friend to live, you must heal him.”

“Lance is going to be okay?”

“I healed him as much as I could, but I'm limited when I am so far away. You need to heal him, because he is as important as you are for our future.”

Anai stood and stepped away from her daughter. She seemed to be growing more pale by the second. Terra sat up, trying to grab her mother's hand.

Her mother was gone before she could stand. Terra's head was spinning. Crawling over to Lance's side, she placed her hands over the blood spot on his shirt. The wound was closed, but there was infection growing within him.

She couldn't heal him while they were outside. She had to get him inside. She looked around. The cabin was still intact.

She hoped The Great Sage wouldn't mind her using it.

Dragging Lance by his shoulders, she pulled him into the cabin, which was warm with a fire still burning in the stove. A stew was cooking. Once Lance was in the bed, covered by furs, she looked and finally saw it.

The Great Sage was dead, his hands charred. A sign of fire magic. No doubt he was burned from the inside out.

She touches him, trying to decide what to do with the body. She wasn't strong enough to dig through the frozen ground and bury him. Maybe once Lance was healed, he would help her.

There was something in his hand. Pulling his fingers away from the object, she found a key. Was he trying to hide something?

Looking around the room, she tried the key on whatever she could find with a lock. The closet door didn't fit. The trunk where he kept poisons was unlocked, but it didn't fit there either. She sat on the floor, but below her she felt something strange.

Pulling away the rug, there was a lock on the wooden floor. She sucked in a breath of air and undid it, pulling the floorboards up to reveal a book in the ground. It was The Great Sage's written prophecies and predictions.

A few had notes on whether or not they came to pass. Most seemed like gibberish.

The last one, in red ink, was written as if The Great Sage were in a hurry.

The Demon will return, and will destroy all mortal life

The Vampires shall drink the blood spilled by his darkness

Only in the Great North, Sharptide, will light shine

Terra read the words over and over again. They didn't make much sense to her, but she knew where she needed to go next: Sharptide, the hidden country between the borders of Finland and Russia.

It was a cold day in August. All of the women in the East Manor on the castle grounds were wearing sweaters over their shirts, except for the staff who had to remain in their uniform. Servants wore simple black clothes with the royal crest stitched with a rose pink thread.

Helina-Catherine Neithercutt sat at a tea table next to the large south-facing window that overlooked the rose gardens. Her two closest friends were with her.

The princess fidgeted with the ribbon of her corset, poking out from below her sweater. Very few women wore corsets, as it had gone out of fashion decades ago in Mindren, but Helina continued to train her waist. She preferred feeling that her core was solid to the freedom that most women enjoyed.

She was also something of a traditionalist among the Mindren elite. She observed all of the holidays, and spent much time at her personal altar to the gods and goddesses she was promised to when she turned eight.

“Can you believe that Edward thinks he can woo me?” Anais asked, covering her mouth from revealing a pleased smile. “A cook! A French one at that! I should think the future queen's cousin and best friend would deserve better than that.”

Helina smirked, rolling her eyes to look out the window. “Are you sure he's flirting with you? You can rarely tell the difference between mockery and love, you know.” Edward was all her friend would talk about lately, much to Helina's great annoyance. She didn't like thinking that Anais might be in love with the cook, but not because of his station.

Anais scoffed, pushing a bit of turquoise hair from her face and behind her ear. She often dyed her hair strange colors, as an act of rebellion. She made sure there was a portrait painted every year, when her hair was at its strangest, and had it sent back to her parents. Her mother was King Orussus's sister, though he ran away from home at a very young age to become a soldier.

“Well, at least you don't have a horrid old man leering over you.” Remiel shivered, wrapping her arms around her athletic waist. She was a tomboy for as long as she could be without being shamed for it. Helina always thought her ability with the sword was admirable, but her parents wanted her to join The High Court one day, which meant a proper schooling and wearing dresses. While Helina and Anais were able to run around in jeans, Remiel was constantly reminded to be ladylike.

“Is he still bothering you? Doesn't he know that High Court members must be virgins? You can't be a priestess if you've been defiled, as ridiculous as it is to talk about sex that way.” Helina frowned. Though there wasn't more than a handful of Christians in Mindren, that didn't stop the emphasis on purity. At least in her country, it was equally important for men and women.

Remiel nodded, rubbing her fingers. They were bandaged from her many errors while learning how to cross stitch. “Unfortunately, he is convinced he can get my parents to change their mind, and almost has them convinced that's my goal! They screamed at me last night to get him to leave them alone. Oh, Helina, can't you do something about it?”

She thought about it for a moment, then nodded. She couldn't let her friend be harassed by an unwanted suitor. “I'll talk to Anoud about Sir Aleister. I'm sure he will convince him to leave you alone.” Helina reached over the table and patted Remiel's hand.

“Well, if you're doing favors-”

“Not even I could force a man to marry you, Anais!” Helina laughed. “You'll have to convince one on your own!”

“Hmph,” Anais pouted, then smiled again, leaning in. “Do you think I could get away with an affair with Edward?”

Helina blushed, but looked away before her friends could notice. She looked outside, watching the rose petals blow in the wind. They would bloom even in winter, thanks to the environment spells around the castle grounds, but she had to admit the unseasonable cold was beginning to worry her.

“And anyway,” Remiel said, continuing a chastisement that Helina missed most of. “If you have an affair, your future husband might not like it. So I don't think it's a good idea.”

“Well, I may just do it anyway. A current lover is much more fun than hoping for a future husband.”

Remiel sighed, and Helina chuckled. “You'll do whatever you think you want to do, Anais. We expect nothing less of you. Perhaps you should ask him for a dance during the summer harvest ball tonight?”

“I just might! What a wonderful idea, Helina, thank you.” Anais stuck out her tongue, and Helina returned the gesture.

A sudden crash forces all three women to turn their head to the sound. “Oh, goodness! I'm so sorry, miss!” A maid was stooping on the ground, sweeping dropped cookies and shards of ceramic into her apron with her bare hands.

Helina was about to tell her it was okay when the woman started to scream in horror. She looked at her hands, raising them to her face.

The maid's skin was sizzling, rotting away from her flesh and turning a disgusting green color. Helina stood, horrified by what she was seeing. Other servants rushed in, but kept their distance from the woman. There was an unsure murmur across the crowd that watched as the woman screamed. Their reaction, their inaction, infuriated the princess.

Helina rushed to the maid's side while her friends protested. She held her hand up and tried to heal her, pumping as much power as she could into the spell, but nothing would happen. Her skin continued to bubble and fester until the maid collapses onto the floor, taking her last breath right before the princess's eyes.

Remiel was the first to scream. Many others screamed after her. Helina remained silent, staring wide eyed at the dead maid, wondering what had just happened. Had someone just tried to attack her, to assassinate her? How could this happen in her own home?

Anoud finally runs into the room, his purple suit half closed after his bath. “Helina! Are you alright?”

“I'm the one still standing,” she croaked out, pointing at the woman. Anoud looked at her, circling the maid.

“What happened?”

Helina shrugged, and then one of the cooks stepped forward and told him what happened. Anoud's face struggled with worry and fury. “How could this happen? Who let this happen?”

The servants all remained silent.

“You all have until midnight to find the traitor that allowed this to happen. If you don't, you will all be whipped and fired, your families ruined for your hand in this treasonous act.”

The fop stared at all of them, his anger ridiculous on his feminine features. Then he clapped his hands. “Well? Get back to work! And someone call in a priestess to help decontaminate the maid. I don't need any more of you dying.”

Anoud turned back to Helina and pulled her into a tight hug. “My dear child...”

“I'm not a child,” she protested.

“You will always be a child to me. I raised you from when you were only a toddler. I can see you as nothing else. But you need to learn that a maid is replaceable. The future queen is not. Your safety comes first.”

Helina shook her head, but Anoud silenced her with another tight hug.

“I'm sure her family didn't think she could be replaced,” Helina said, quietly.

Anoud frowned, holding her at arms length. “I wouldn't be so quick to give her your sympathy. She very well could be the person who tried to poison you. But your softhearted nature will make you a compassionate queen.” He twisted to look back at Remiel and Anais, both still shocked from having seen a woman die. “Ladies, could you take Helina elsewhere? She shouldn't be surrounded by death. I need to find out who tried to poison her, and how it happened.”

Remiel and Anais both took Helina's hands and pulled her away.

“And Helina?”

She turned back to Anoud, who smiled a reassuring smile.

“We'll be hiring you a taster. Don't worry. They won't be able to poison you. For tonight, for the ball, avoid any food or drink that I do not personally give to you.”

Being ushered out of the room and into the rose garden, Helina felt lost. Her friends sat in the sun, at a table made of glass and etched with beautiful runes. She could see her name, and Terra's name as well. The table had been a gift from a duke from Riftedge, an American witch colony.

“I didn't even know her name,” Helina said. She put her head into her hands, breathing in deeply. “I didn't know my maid's name.”

Neither Anais nor Remiel said anything. Giving each other a look of worry, they set back in, talking about who they would want to marry, what kind of man they wish would court them. They knew better than to attempt to cheer Helina up.

The princess was easy to throw into black moods. Anoud told her this was something her mother did, as well. When in such a sorry state, any attempt to cheer her would lead only to anger. She once gave Anais a black eye, though her cousin quickly forgave her.

Helina listened as she tried to calm down. The scent of the roses did much to aid this. After a while, Helina stood. “I am going to take a short walk through the roses, to collect myself before the ball. I'll be right back.”

Anais nodded and Remiel continued to giggle, thinking about handsome men from faraway countries. Helina stood, wiping her clammy hands against her slacks.

The breeze through the garden carried with it many bees. They were spelled to be gentle, but could also attack if given the order by The Queen's Guard. One landed on her shoulder, and she smiled at it. “Hello, friend.”

There was a sound from far away, at the front of the manor. Helina plodded over to the corner of her home and peeked around it, seeing a purple rift in reality tear open. A portal! Only the strongest witches could create one anymore. She was barely able to do so, though her teacher promised that she would become better at it.

Watching, she saw a company of men exit. They wore strange, dark clothing, and their skin was very pale. Perhaps they were witches from the north? She'd heard that they were extremely handsome, and these men did not go against that rumor.

One man in particular caught her gaze. Even from far away, he took her breath straight from her lungs. His hair was light blond, light as the sunshine itself. The tallest of the group, he led them into her manor quickly.

Maybe they were soldiers? Anoud wasn't past calling in bodyguards for her. He'd done it after a traitor's son had tried to stab her as a teenager, and she wasn't allowed to dismiss them until she came of age.

Her eyes followed the handsome stranger until they no longer could, their party disappearing inside. She could hear the thump-thumping in her chest.

She wondered if he might be someone with a marriage proposal. A lost royal from a faraway land, come to help Helina claim her throne and rule her country. Her heart danced in her chest when she considered this.

If the man was that handsome, she thought she might not only have to marry for her country. She thought she might be capable of marrying for love.

“Or at least lust,” she whispered, giggling before she turned back to her friends, who were watching her.

“See anything interesting?” Anais asked. It was true that Anais was her best friend, though her tongue was often sharp and her jokes extremely unfunny, offensively so. Helina thought she needed someone like that, someone to keep her in reality even as Anais kept her head in the clouds.

“A group of men, who all came through a portal.”

Remiel gasped. “Do you think he might be here to ask for your hand?”

Helina grinned, then shrugged. Her face was hot. “Maybe. They were all very handsome. I hope not all of them intend to ask, I would hate to have to choose.” She knew who she would choose, though. The tall, handsome stranger with the light hair. Only thinking of him made her whole body feel weak.

The one time when corsets truly were not out of style was for balls, especially balls for religious holidays. Every woman dressed in their finest clothes and made their waists as small as possible, especially if they were looking for a husband.

“This corset is so beautiful. Did Bella make it?” Anais asked as she held the ribbon of the corset tight for Remiel to tie. Bella was the best corsetière in all of Mindren, and maybe the whole world. Her creations were coveted by all, especially since she made them so infrequently. Corsetry was only her second job. Her first was caring for a whole stable of royal horses.

“Yes, she sent it to me for my last birthday. This is my first time wearing it.” Helina paused, taking a breath and looking at herself in the mirror. “I think it could go a tad tighter.”

“You're already a fine catch, Helina. I don't think we need to suffocate you,” Remiel chastised. She looked at Anais, who laughed and rolled her eyes. Remiel was a worrier, something of a mother for her group of friends. It helped that in her studies to become a member of The High Court, she was required to take nursing classes every single year.

Helina even asked if Remiel would be her midwife when she finally got married and fell pregnant. Remiel blushed at the thought, but she of course agreed.

“Well, if the handsome man from the portal is here to ask for my hand, I'll be sure to find out if he has any available brothers or friends for you, Anais.” Helina gave her friend a wicked smile, which faltered when the blue haired girl tugged on her corset strings.

“Don't tease me!”