The Dark Witch Chronicles Book One: The Curse of The Cymmerien Dragon

The journey was a long one. Teleporting wasn’t an option since they had to save that energy for times when threats would show up. So they walked, with the wind throwing her hair into her face and his staff dropping to the ground as he lost grip over it several times. To anyone who saw them, it would look like they had been possessed by some demon. Hands hanging at their sides, shoulders slumped and hair resembling a bird’s nest, along with eyes that were tired and worn out. They had not slept in three nights, and although they were used to insomnia, a long journey like this one wasn’t helping their situation at all. Amara and Azrael were clearly exhausted.

It had been three days since they had left the castle to go to the Sea of Cypress. They had to travel through the huge woods and mountains to reach their destination but it wasn’t easy at all. Their preparations were not that good either. They had forgotten to pack some food for the journey, which as Amara said, was the silliest thing to do for two grown adults. Even though they could create the food and use the fruits and vegetables available in the woods, it wasn’t that easy to find proper things to eat when their minds were under stress. The day before they had left, Amara had talked to Erasmus about asking Nicholas to return and take care of the castle while she was gone.

Erasmus had tried his best to contact Nicholas, but his mind was involved into something very deep which rendered the connection broken. The harder he tried to connect their minds, the stronger Nicholas’s mind would become, owing to the task that he was busy with. Then Erasmus had decided to tell Amara that he would be in charge until Nicholas was contacted. Hesitantly, Amara had agreed seeing the gravity of the situation. She had to go to the Sea of Cypress as soon as possible. Before the war struck, she had to make sure that the treasure that Lord Mikhail desired was thoroughly protected.

The next morning, Azrael and Amara had left without informing anyone apart from Erasmus.

“I don’t want to have to answer the questions that everyone is going to ask. We don’t have the time. So I’m trusting you with this and leaving you in charge. Please take care of everything until we return,” she had said to him moments before they left the castle.

“I’ll take care of everything. Be careful and return soon,” he had replied, bidding the two of them goodbye.

After that, Azrael and Amara had begun their journey, carrying a few weapons, a map, Healing Potion, and the words of the prophecy neatly written on a parchment, hidden in a large book so it would be safe. They made it hard enough for anyone else to locate, if attacked by Lord Mikhail or his servants. It was kept quite safely so only the two of them knew on which page it was written. They had been walking through the woods day and night, unable to stop and get some sleep since the worry about keeping themselves and the prophecy safe rested itself as a burden on their heads. The journey – although not as long – seemed tedious enough seeing how much they had to take care of and not end up getting attacked by any chance.

“We need to stop,” said Azrael, breathing heavily, three nights after they had left.

His legs were beginning to feel as though they were about to crack up and burst into pieces. Amara’s situation wasn’t any different. But her extreme will to keep going ahead and not resting at all – apart from a few minutes that they stopped to have some fruits on the way – made it all the more difficult for Azrael. He was starting to get annoyed.

“We don’t have much time,” she replied gruffly, turning to look back at him.

He was now seated on the ground with his back resting on the foot of a hill.

“If we keep walking right now, we won’t have enough energy to move forward. Please, relax for a while. They won’t appear suddenly and stab us,” he pleaded. He was tired and sleepy after a long time.

Amara looked at him uncertainly for a while, before letting out a sigh and settling herself beside him. She had to agree that they needed to rest. It wasn’t going to help if they would keep walking continuously. It would only drain out their energy and make it even harder for them to reach the Sea, which was a lot more miles to go.

“Do you need something to eat?” She asked him, resting her head on the grass and closing her eyes.

“I need water,” he replied.

“I think there is a river ahead. I can hear the sound,” she said, straining her ears a bit and sure enough, the sound of the waves was easily heard. The water body didn’t seem far away.

“You wait here. I’ll go fetch some water. Do you have a flask?” He stood up, dusting off his cloak.

Amara nodded and dug into her bag of supplies before pulling out a medium-sized flask and handing it to him. Azrael began moving ahead, following the sound of water while Amara let herself drift off into a deep sleep. The moon was beginning to get covered with grey clouds, the atmosphere becoming darker. Azrael walked faster so as to get back sooner. He was worried about Amara getting attacked while he was away. The amount of exhaustion that was plastered across her face made him think that she would not be able to handle a danger alone.

When he reached the huge river, he quickly gathered some water into the flask, filling it whole before standing up to leave again. Something made him sit back down and splash some water on his face. While he was doing that, he heard the sound of footsteps scraping across the leaves. He lifted his head up, wiping the water off of his face. He scanned the surrounding; the darkness had made it difficult for him to adjust his vision. Securing the flask around his waist using the band that was wrapped around it, he stood up and looked around once again. It was too dark. Clicking his fingers, he lighted a little flame that lingered above his palm. With a swish of his hand, he transferred the glow to a few corners. The flames stayed suspended in the air, making it easier for him to look for any intruders.

He turned around but found nothing suspicious. With another click of his fingers, the Fire extinguished, and he began walking back in the direction where Amara was. Once again, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Frowning, he lit the Fire again as he proceeded ahead. The light followed him where he went as he looked around for the source of the sound. Amara lay there on the ground with her eyes closed and breathing shallow. Azrael was about to reach where he had left her. As he neared the place, his eyes halted at a figure standing behind a tree. He stopped in his way.

He strained his eyes to make sure he wasn’t mistaken. Before he could do anything, the figure dashed away from him and in an instant, was next to Amara. Azrael widened his eyes and proceeded forward, careful not to make a sound. He stood at a distance, watching what the person was trying to do. The cloaked figure that looked like that of a woman, bent low, close to the sleeping figure of Amara. He took a step forward to attack the woman when Amara’s eyes shot open and she pushed herself away. The woman fell to the ground, her hands resting beside her. Azrael immediately rushed forward and stood next to Amara.

She opened her mouth to ask something when the woman stood up and glanced sideways for a moment. Amara and Azrael followed her gaze and a few other cloaked figures appeared with their faces covered in hoods. Soon enough they were surrounded by at least seven of them. Azrael and Amara didn’t bother to ask who they were and began to defend themselves as the attacks began. The figures slashed their swords and Amara glanced at the bag of weapons resting a few feet away from her. There was no way they could grab it, they were completely surrounded.

Azrael stood there staring at two of the attackers approaching him. His gaze travelled slowly from one to the other, and the two men fell to the ground, their feet trembling as they did so. Moments later, their eyes were rolling upwards, their bodies twisting in a terrible way, hands going rigid and fingers curling up. They were paralyzed. Azrael’s attention moved to another attacker who had raised his sword to attack Azrael, when Amara struck forward with equal force, an arm slamming right onto his neck. The attacker fell to the floor, petrified. Amara’s arm was strong as iron as it stung across his neck, twisting it sideways, and the man went still, falling to the ground.

Azrael gave Amara a gesture to which she nodded and began to approach the woman that had first tried to attack her, while Azrael fixed his attention onto the other three attackers that were standing there, a bit terrified of what had just happened. The woman didn’t notice Amara marching towards her as she dug into the bag that Amara had gotten with her. Before she could pull out anything of use, Amara had grabbed her throat in a Death grip, making it difficult for the woman to breathe. She pulled the woman up to standing, fingers clenched around her neck. Using her other hand, Amara removed the hood off of the woman’s face.

She didn’t recognize the woman.

“Who are you?” Amara asked, pushing the woman’s body so it was pressed against the bark of a tree.

Another attacker was starting to walk towards Amara and she turned her head in his direction, lifting her leg and kicking it into his shin. The man fell down. Azrael, who was now done paralyzing the rest of the attackers, grabbed a sword from the bag and slashed it across all the attackers’ necks. He stabbed his sword into the abdomen the last one that was on the ground, Amara held the woman in a tight grip, and Azrael pulled a rope out of the bag before fastening it around the woman who made no attempt or struggle to get away. Instead, she held an amused appearance, which confused the two.

“Who sent you?” He said, holding the sword in the woman’s direction, its tip resting below her chin.

The woman was looking at the two of them silently, her eyes a shining green. She wore a long cloak, her hair tied up in a bun as she sat there, just looking at the two of them. Azrael stared intently at her with a piercing gaze. The woman only smirked once before transforming into smoke, setting herself free. Once out of the ropes, she took the form of a woman once again but was no longer covered in the dark cloak. Instead, she wore a long white gown, her hair a moonlit white and a smile covering her lips. The woman was beautiful and nothing like the one they had seen mere moments ago. Her emerald green eyes seemed calm now as she glanced at the dead attackers that were on the ground. They instantly vanished, leaving no trace. Azrael and Amara stared at the woman uncomprehendingly.

“Your strength surprises me, sorcerer. I am impressed,” she said to Azrael.

Her voice was sultry, soft and overly calm. It could make a person content for no apparent reason. Both of them stayed quiet, unable to utter a word. The woman released a chuckle.

“I am Selene, a friend of the moon goddess Luna. I am the guardian of these woods. Do the two of you know where you are?” She said, glancing at both of them.

It seemed to her that they didn’t know their location.

“We don’t,” Amara managed to utter.

“These woods are known as Rosean, surrounded by the mountains of Romarin. You must be wondering why you were attacked. I think you are aware of the fact that this path leads to the Sea of Cypress. Not everyone is deserving and capable enough to reach there. As one of the guardians of the Great Lady, I have the duty to test everyone who uses this path. I am aware that you are part of Lord Lucifer’s coven, who is the owner of the treasures that Lady Calypsa guards, but I had to attack you out of force of habit. However, the both of you have proved your strength and I am glad to meet you two. You may proceed ahead. The Sea is not very far away,” she said, a sweet smile grazing her lips.

Azrael and Amara blinked, registering whatever they had heard.

“It is an honour to have met you, Goddess Selene,” said Amara. “We are thankful that you were of assistance to us. We were well aware of the route, since we do have a map of the same. Although, we did forget where we were for a while, due to the exhaustion following the journey, but we would like your permission to rest here for the night. We have been travelling for three days and haven’t rested enough. We need some time to gather up the energy.”

“Of course, you may rest here for as long as you like. As the guardian of this area, I will make sure you are not under any kind of threat. Do stay here for the night. It is my duty to protect travellers as well,” she replied and twirled around once before vanishing off into the dark.

Azrael looked at Amara and she shrugged, gazing back at him before they sat back onto the ground.

“You did get the water,” she said, breaking the deafening silence.

He glanced at the flask that was still tied around his waist and pulled it out, handing it to her.

“You’re the thirsty one,” she said to him and he smiled a tiny one, nearly unseen as he unscrewed the cap and drank the water.

“That doesn’t mean you don’t save any for me,” she told him when he kept drinking.

Pulling the flask away from him, he looked at Amara silently before handing it to her. The rest of the night was spent peacefully with both of them sound asleep after the longest time. None of them had slept so calmly in the last hundred years. A subtle, yet clear realization dawned upon both of them at the same time. In all these years, the peace that they felt together was never felt before. Even though they were not on good terms with each other most of the time, somehow they felt safe when they were together. There was an invisible trust that lingered around them, with none of them realizing it.

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Iris sat in the castle with Leandra, listening to the knowledge that she was providing about dark witchcraft. Iris listened to her quietly, her heart hammering inside her chest at the thought of Amara gone. She had no idea where Amara was. Erasmus had told her that she had gone somewhere with Azrael for an important task. Iris didn’t trust Azrael. He seemed as dangerous as Amara yet she honestly didn’t think that Amara was going to be safe with him. The man could be torturous enough, even though she was well aware of what Amara was capable of. There was no way the two could stand against each other, because none of them could defeat the other, and in the end they would end up destroying the surrounding.

She didn’t want anything to happen to Amara. If only I could see where they are and what is going on with them, she thought. Lea blabbered on about a dark witch when she noticed Iris was paying no attention. She stopped talking and stared at Iris, who was busy looking at the foot of the rickety chair she was seated on. They were sitting in the kitchen, sipping warm lemon tea and with a few other witches bustling around. Lea cleared her throat in an attempt to grab her attention. Iris heard nothing. Lea tapped her fingers on the table between them. Again, she got no response. Iris’s gaze was stuck where it was. Sighing, Lea called out her name twice before leaning across and nudging her shoulder. Iris snapped her eyes towards Lea.

“What are you thinking?” She asked.

“Nothing,” Iris replied, shifting back into the chair to sit properly.

Lea didn’t say anything, merely gave a flat look to her and Iris glanced away, letting out a sigh.

“I’m worried for Amara,” she muttered, so softly that Leandra had to strain her ears to listen clearly.

“Why would you be worried for that lady? She’s the most brilliant one I’ve ever seen.” Lea gave a look of bewilderment, wondering why Iris would get anxious regarding someone as capable as Amara.

“I know but, she attracts trouble at times,” Iris said, biting her lower lip.

“What’s trouble for us is normal for her. Besides, she’s with Rael and he’s quite strong too. Two of them together can face a hundred other witches by themselves,” she replied, shutting the book that she was holding.

“Do you…do you think Azrael would want to harm her?” It slipped out of her mouth unwillingly.

Iris didn’t want to ask that question to Lea. What if she got offended? He was her brother. Of course she would not like it. Iris cursed herself for being so silly. Lea watched Iris blankly for a moment before she burst out laughing.

“Why would Rael want to harm her?” she said, stifling her laughter. “I know they don’t really get along so well but that doesn’t mean he would kill her. They are working together and the Lord trusts both of them with their lives. I’m sure even if they argue about something they will not kill each other.”

“But-” Iris began but thought otherwise and decided to keep her mouth shut.

“Calm down, nothing is going to happen to her. She’s capable of handling everything. Of all people you should know that. You are closer to her than anyone else, right?”

Iris nodded, shutting her eyes for a long moment and hoping that Amara would be safe. The vision of Amara sleeping, and someone standing beside her as though ready to attack, didn’t leave her mind after the night that she had had that dream. She decided to let it go since Leandra was probably right. Amara was capable of taking care of herself. Yet, she was finding it hard to trust Azrael.

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Erasmus sat inside the meditation chamber, concentrating hard on connecting his mind to Nicholas’s. He was finding it harder even after three long days of trying. There was absolutely no way that he could reach Nicholas. At times, he had gotten close, almost very close that he was sure Nicholas got the connection but suddenly it would break and he would have to start right at the beginning. He was starting to get irritated and impatient. Erasmus needed him, there was no way he was capable enough of handling the castle all alone. So once again, he concentrated harder than before and his mind shot straight up to Nicholas’s.

Nicholas held his breath for a moment, when his meditation was interrupted yet again. Letting out a sigh, he opened his mind to receive the message that was coming from Erasmus. As soon as the message registered itself in his brain, he stopped the meditation process and opened his eyes. He looked at the unconscious human sitting in front of him. The girl was tied to a chair, her body now numb as the spirit was just about to descend into her body. Nicholas had to stop the process. If he had been called back into the castle, he could not summon the spirit of Lilith at the moment. It was his responsibility to go back, however important the work he was doing. Without realizing the point where he had just stopped the process, he stood up and began to seal the cave, so as to keep the girl safe inside. When he was sure the place was covered in protection, he took one last look at the girl before walking out of the cave and sealing it one more time.

When the doors were shut, the lights in the cave began to dim and the wind suddenly took a halt. The earth below the girl’s feet trembled and her body went rigid. Her breath stopped, her eyes sealed shut tighter than ever before, and her jaw clenched. The veins inside her throat began to appear clearer and her fingers held the arms of the chair so tight that they were close to start bleeding. A distant, bright, yet faded light shone upon her forehead, as though entering right inside her and seconds later, it vanished into her. There was a moment’s pause, and the torches went out, plunging the cave into darkness. A tremor suddenly shook the girl’s body, and her eyes shot open.