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

Azrael stared at the witch in front of him. His eyes were stuck on her, unblinking and she was smiling at him. Iris wondered why none of them spoke a word. Do they know each other? She thought. Or are they lovers? Because the way he was looking at her, he obviously looked surprised, but his expression held so many emotions that Iris felt as though he didn’t know what was happening. She looked back and forth between the two, unable to understand what was going on. The woman standing at the door was beautiful, no doubt about that. She had long red hair that reached mid-back, her eyes were a blazing blue, porcelain white skin and an average height figure, and her smile was incredible enough as well. Iris always wondered how easily these witches had beauty granted to them.

“Lea,” whispered Azrael, almost to himself but Iris could hear it.

And the way the witch nodded in agreement, it seemed as she heard him as well.

“Rael,” she responded and her eyes moistened a bit.

Iris took a step back as Lea rushed towards Azrael and pulled him into a hug. This was the first time Iris had seen the display of any kind of affection in the castle. There were those who had mates and were destined to be with each other but none of them even expressed an ounce of love in gatherings. This confused her, even more when Azrael actually hugged Leandra back. Iris could only stare with her eyes wide. For someone who seemed so cold and ruthless, hugging wasn’t normal.

The girl dressed in a green laced gown then turned to Iris when she let go of Azrael. She smiled and said, “I’m Leandra.”

Do they have the same eye colour or am I imagining it? Iris wondered.

“Iris,” she replied, with a tiny smile. She stood there curiously, hoping to know who Leandra was and how she knew Azrael. Leandra looked at Iris through her shining blue eyes and pulled the strap of her sack back onto her shoulder.

“I’m his sister, if you’re wondering,” she cleared and Iris then gave a nod of understanding. That is why the sudden affection, she thought, and they do have the same eye colour.

“Oh.” Iris glanced at Azrael for a moment. He was running his slender fingers through his hair, and then rubbing the back of his neck as he looked down at the floor.

Iris felt a bit comfortable, for Leandra was extremely cheerful and it must have hurt her jaws to smile this much. After having been around all sorts of gloom, Iris felt relieved knowing she could possibly find a friend in this jovial witch.

“Lord Lucifer thinks I’d be helpful in the war,” Lea said, now looking at her brother.

“Does he?” Azrael shot back, amused.

“How have you been?”

Iris decided it was best she leave the siblings in each others’ company since they obviously needed some bonding time. With a faint smile, she began to walk towards her chamber.

Azrael watched Iris for a moment before turning back to his sister. “Fine, you look as tiny as you looked when you were eight,” he told her with a smirk.

Lea rolled her eyes. “It’s been twenty years, Rael. I’m surprised you were able to recognize me.”

“Your hair is still the obvious red.”

“And you still don’t smile enough,” she sighed.

“Why don’t you go and make some friends? Get acquainted. You seem to like Iris.” He pulled his cloak tighter around him and began to walk away when Lea stepped in front of him.

“Am I not allowed to talk to my brother?” She looked at him flatly.

“I have some work to do,” he responded.

“Twenty years, Rael, and you still don’t want to spend time with your poor little sister. What did I ever do to deserve this?” Lea faked a look of sadness, dramatically placing a hand on her heart.

“Hmm,” he sighed, shaking his head in amusement. “I’ve missed you.” He ruffled her hair and walked past her to the door of the castle.

Lea rolled her eyes and turned to look in the direction that Iris had gone, hoping to find her. She proceeded towards the passageway when the door of a chamber on her right opened, and Erasmus stepped outside.

“You must be Leandra,” he said, after looking at her for a long moment.

“How do you know?” She asked, surprised.

“I just happen to know everything,” he replied, smirking as he shifted to give her way.

“Then you must know where I can find Iris.”

“Right beside my chamber,” he said, pointing to his left. “I’m Erasmus, by the way. If you ever need anything.” He smiled before leaving her next to Iris’s chamber.

Lea knocked on the door of Iris’s chamber. The door opened after a moment and Iris stood there holding a book close to her chest.

“May I come in?” Lea asked.

“Of course.” Iris smiled, letting her in.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you,” she said, walking into the chamber.

“Not at all. I rarely have company,” Iris replied, putting her book away.

“Oh. Is it that lonely all the time?” Lea looked around the small chamber that had various lamps around the walls, and chimes hung near the window with a mahogany round table in between and a bed at the side, that had rumpled sheets.

“Not always,” Iris said and placed her book on the intricately carved table. They proceeded to sit on the chairs and Leandra grabbed the book that Iris had kept on the table in between.

“Ancient Witchcraft,” she said, flipping the pages of the book. “I read this when I was seventeen.”

“How old are you now?” Iris asked, as Leandra put the book back on the table.

“A hundred and ten,” she replied. She looked no more than twenty four in Iris’s opinion. Then again, the elixir of immortality does wonders to a witch.

“Were you part of some other coven before you came here?”

“No. I practiced witchcraft on my own. Though I had a mentor, but she sacrificed herself fifty years ago. Since then I’ve been alone.”

“You must be quite acquainted with this world then. I’ve only been here six months and I barely know anything.” Iris thought about how less aware she was of her surroundings. She was inexperienced and Leandra, although young, seemed fairly smart. It seemed as though no new witches had joined after herself, and Iris always felt inferior to everyone else around.

“That’s alright. It took me almost three years to get properly familiar. You’ll come along,” Lea gave her a smile of assurance. “So is everyone friendly here? How many Conjurers are in this coven? Do you have any good friends? Do you fancy someone?” She asked as she grinned from ear to ear.

Iris chuckled in amusement at the amount of questions she was asking. “Not everyone is friendly,” she began. “I’m only friends with Erasmus and Nicholas. . .” she didn’t know whether Amara could be classified as a friend. “. . .About thirty to thirty-five apprentices of the Lord are in this coven and no, I don’t fancy anyone,” she finished.

“You don’t have any other friends?” She frowned.

Iris shook her head.

“Well then, what am I for? I’ll be your friend,” she grinned and clapped her hands together while Iris chuckled.

“Okay,” she replied happily.

“So uh, you must know Lady Amara.”

“Yes, I do.”

“I’ve heard so much about her! Everyone talks about her brilliance and I’m so glad I could be a part of this coven to serve the Lord alongside someone as powerful as Lady Amara. She’s remarkable, isn’t she?” Lea let out a long sigh.

“She really is,” Iris said, smiling to herself.

Iris had known Amara more than anyone else ever had, and she felt proud of herself. She felt as though she had achieved a milestone in life. Leandra began to say something when the door of Iris’s chamber opened and Amara stormed in with a furious look across her face. She looked at Leandra once who was now standing up, staring wide eyed at the beautiful woman standing before her. She immediately recognized Amara at her mere presence. It wasn’t difficult to recognize someone like Amara.

“I thought you were coming to the library with me,” said Amara, fuming.

“I-I got caught up and forgot about it. I’m so sorry,” Iris said, standing up with a look of dread.

“Don’t just get out of my sight like that! Do you know how important it is to protect you?”

“I’m sorry. I-why is it important to protect me?” Iris frowned in confusion.

Amara went silent for a while, wondering whether or not she should tell Iris about her being a threat to Lord Mikhail, when her eyes fell on Leandra who was standing there looking completely star-struck. She was staring at Amara as though she were some angel. Amara frowned, not recognizing her and before she could ask Iris who she was, Leandra spoke.

“You’re Lady Amara, right?” She whispered, her eyes still wide enough. Iris more or less chuckled.

“Just Amara, and you are?” Amara replied. Amara noticed that she had a similar eye colour to that of Azrael’s.

“I-I’m Leandra,” she said, a smile grazing her lips.

She smiles a lot, Iris thought to herself.

“She’s Azrael’s sister,” Iris said, for Leandra was captivated under Amara’s presence.

Amara nodded and looked at Leandra for a while before turning back to Iris who was trying to stifle a laugh at the way Lea was behaving at the moment. She looked like a child who had just seen her favourite toy come to life.

“I’m going to my chamber. Don’t wander around anywhere without informing me,” said Amara before leaving.

Iris wondered why she was being so protective over her, but then shrugged the thought, turning to Leandra who had just let out a sigh.

“Do you want a tour of the castle?” Iris said to her.

“Of course!” Lea replied and rushed out of the chamber.

Iris had never met such a cheerful witch in all the time that she had been here. She had learned to adapt to the serious environment around and didn’t expect anyone even close to being as radiant as Lea was. Iris felt like she had found a good friend apart from Erasmus who seemed rather busy these days. She had been trying to talk to him but he would mostly get away saying he had some work to take care of; which again left Iris by herself. She felt at ease after having met Lea.

They passed a few chambers and met Fabian and Erasmus on the way near the meditation chamber. Iris showed the library and the ritual chambers to Leandra along with Lord Lucifer’s chamber which was still sealed shut after he left to travel again. Passing the meditation and potions chamber, they went into the kitchen when Lea felt thirsty. Later, they visited the two towers at the sides of the castle, overlooking the woods and the lake. Lea looked at the surroundings gleefully since she had barely ever been in a castle. She told Iris that being alone, she had travelled a lot and never stayed in one place for long. Going to castles of covens wasn’t part of her journey. She would always be in woods or mountain valleys where other witches who were not part of covens would reside.

“Do you like travelling?” Iris asked when they were sitting at the tower, looking at the lake and the burnt part of the woods that lay beneath them.

“Mm, I’ve seen so many beautiful lands!” She nodded. “But sometimes I just like staying at one place. It gets tiresome.”

“You must have a lot of powers,” Iris said after a moment of silence.

“A few, yes. I can handle the elements of Spirit and Earth. Do you want to see something?” She said, with an excited glint in her eyes.

Iris shrugged, nodding. She watched as Lea conjured up some mud and water. With her fingers waving around in circles, she mixed some water with the sludge and then lifted her hands above, which made the silt rise up and mould into the figure of a fairy, her wings spreading as though she was about to fly. Lea glided her fingers a bit more, giving proper shape to the figure and when she was sure it looked perfect, she took a step back. Iris stared in wonder at the beautiful sculpture that stood before her. Lea smiled at her reaction and clicked her fingers once, which made the leftover soil vanish from there. The sculpture looked elegant and Iris could only stare in marvel. There seemed to be no flaw in her intricate work.

Lea watched Iris in happiness. She felt as though she had found a good friend in her and it would only be hours until they started to get along even better. She let out a sigh of content, looking at the sculpture she had just created. One of the specialties of handling the element of Earth was that she could create various things out of the supplies that mother earth offered. Lea loved designing sculptures out of earth.

“This is beautiful, Leandra,” Iris said, smiling.

Lea simply grinned back wider than ever as her eyes shone with excitement.

“I didn’t know witches were capable of being so creative,” Iris joked and Lea gave out a slight chuckle.

She glanced at the woods below, where she spotted Amara standing beside a tree. Amara lifted herself in the air and sat on one of the high branches. Lea watched as an owl flitted close to her and settled beside Amara, stroking its head on her arm.

“What else can you do?” Iris asked, snapping Lea’s attention back to her.

“I can summon spirits – haven’t really had the opportunity to do so for any important purposes – but it is one of my strong abilities,” she replied. Iris gave a nod.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you not get trained with your brother?”

“He left when he was eleven. I was eight years old then. Father trained me for a few years and asked me to go find a mentor on my own. Then I was trained by three other witches. Rael would send me letters at times. That continued for a few years and later it all just stopped. I was excited knowing Rael would be here when Lord Lucifer asked me to join the army. So here I am, all because of him.”

They proceeded to walk towards the railing. Azrael stood beside the lake in the woods. He lifted himself in the air before diving backwards into the lake. The vision of a similar figure diving into a sea flashed in front of Iris’s eyes and she blinked to focus back to reality. She silently stared at the invisible Azrael who had vanished into the water. Iris wanted to know more about him, so she turned her attention back to Lea. She was busy admiring the stretch of woods that lay before them.

“Do you mind telling me more about him?” Iris asked, and Leandra glanced at her once before looking back to the woods.

“He’s one of the greatest sorcerers of our time; almost as good as Amara. He was always fascinated with witchcraft and couldn’t wait until he would come of age to start practising. Father always said that he would make an incredible sorcerer. We used to be very close, but one day he suddenly left. Nobody knows why. He left to never look back. I tried to find out why, but he never gave an answer. I missed him a lot when he was gone. I got lonely. Later, I had to get used to it since my training had begun. . .” she trailed off and sadly smiled at the memory before continuing. “. . .He would steal books of witchcraft from father’s library. Once I found him reading a book on black witchcraft. I didn’t know what it was then. Father told me that after Rael left us, he learnt both black and white witchcraft.

“Because of that, his letters changed, the way he expressed his feelings changed. There seemed to be no happiness within him. I later realized that it was because of the knowledge of black witchcraft.” She paused to take a breath and watched as Azrael’s head lifted itself out of the water. “The aura that us Conjurers carry, that which we choose to show when we wish to, depends on the kind of witchcraft that we have learnt. Rael has an aura of Death, I know you might have noticed. . .” Iris was suddenly listening with rapt attention. “. . .That is because of the dark magic that he is familiar with. He chooses to keep this aura around him. In reality, he’s just as normal as we are. But that’s not what he wants others to think. There are so many good attributes hidden inside of him but he never reveals them. That is what makes him look so dangerous on the outside. He’s strong, extremely strong and he tackles Fire and Water. He can also inflict torture. All of us can’t,” Lea completed, letting out a breath.

Iris could now put the pieces together. How Azrael’s presence made the surroundings seem ghastly but sometimes it would feel completely normal when he was around. Her confusion about him seemed to have cleared now that Lea had explained things to her. Iris realized that most of his powers and his nature matched Amara’s. They were more or less the same, yet a little different. He was someone as cold and as torturous as her, yet somehow they were two separate entities who had their own share of problems that were unknown to most. Iris was curious to know what made him leave when he was a child.

“There is one other power that I know of,” said Lea, breaking Iris’s train of thought.

“What is it?” Iris asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Have you ever heard of the phrase, ’If looks could kill’?”

“Yes.” Iris frowned.

“When he wants someone dead, he merely has to look at them intently enough, which either paralyzes the person, or kills them. In essence, he can manipulate you into doing what he wants you to without you realizing it. He doesn’t have to invade your mind for that.”

Iris looked at the figure of Azrael striding out of the lake. The image of her legs shaking when she was going to the kitchen the week before flashed across her eyes. She had noticed him looking at her, and moments later, she had staggered into the kitchen with her shaky legs. Sudden realization hit her that it wasn’t her weakness acting up, but Azrael testing his powers on her.