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

There was a knocking sound. At first Amara ignored it. When it persisted, she sat up from the bed that she was halfway asleep on, to look at the time. It was 3 am and the knocking had not stopped, it was getting louder. Frowning, she stood up and walked to the door, resting a palm on it and staying silent as to wait for the sound to come again. As soon as it sounded again, she said, “Who is it?”

“Fabian, Amara open the door it’s urgent,” came the voice from the other side and Amara immediately opened the door, coming to face Fabian. He stood there with a panic-stricken, breathing heavily as though he had run a few miles.

“What’s wrong, Fabian?” Amara asked, stepping out of her room.

“Nicholas, he’s injured. You have to come,” he said and turned around, expecting her to follow him and she did as they began rushing to where Fabian was leading. Moments later, he stopped outside the great hall, where everyone sat in a circle. Some were standing while others were crouched on the floor. Amara pushed through them and reached the middle where Nicholas was lying on the floor, trembling every now and then as blood splurged out of his abdomen, a gash across his forehead and his left leg twisted in a painful way. In a corner, Iris was shivering next to Erasmus who was trying hard to comfort her. Beside Nicholas was seated the coven’s healer and two-hundred-year old sorcerer, Soter. He pressed one of his palms on Nicholas’s abdomen, which had been injured. It was a deep wound.

“Amara, the Healing Potion is over. I cannot find it anywhere. Apart from me, only you know how to formulate it. I need you to go and prepare it, now,” said Soter, looking up from Nicholas to Amara.

“But it takes three days to get it properly prepared,” Amara said, worriedly as she bent down to sit on the floor.

“I know, but you can prepare it in three hours using one drop of the Spirit of Death. I can hold him until then with Dove’s Blood,” replied Soter.

“Spirit of Death is dangerous. It could kill him!” Sienna, another cloaked witch protested from the side.

“One drop wouldn’t. Amara, you know what to do. Go, we don’t have much time,” Soter said and Amara stood up immediately, rushing to the potions chamber. Iris watched her walk away while Nicholas screamed when Soter let a few drops of dove’s blood onto the injured part of his abdomen. Gathering her strength, Iris pushed herself away from Erasmus and proceeded to go to the potions chamber. When she entered the chamber, she spotted Amara rushing from one corner to another, gathering the ingredients for the potion. Iris approached her and stood at the side, saying, “Do you need any help?”

Amara glanced at Iris once before shifting back to the work at hand. “Fetch me the box of herbs and some water from the lake in the woods. Run,” she replied hastily as Iris grabbed the box of herbs, handing it to Amara before rushing out to the woods as fast as her legs could take her.

In the goblet she was holding, she filled the fresh water and ran back to the chamber, making sure the water does not fall out of the goblet. Panting, she placed the goblet on the table next to the pot that Amara was stirring the herbs into. She added the water and other ingredients before letting it stir itself while she mixed a few other ingredients in a cauldron. Iris silently watched, taking in mind all the ingredients.

“Do you know what happened?” Amara asked, not looking away from the work she was doing.

“Nicholas was teaching me the power of the element of Air in the mountains of Carvelli, as you know, since the last three days. Everything was good until midnight when I was meditating and Nicholas was lighting the Fire. I am not aware of what exactly happened, but I heard him arguing with someone. Since I had only just started, I left the meditation and began looking for him. When I found him, Nicholas was battling with another man. Blinding lights were shooting from their fingers and I didn’t know what to do. Then suddenly I saw that man turn to me and a red coloured light rushed in my direction, when Nicholas jumped in front of me and took the blow, while throwing a curse at him. The man collapsed. The curse that the man had cast hit Nicholas’s abdomen and injured him.” She paused to take a breath. “Because he jumped in front of me too fast, he twisted his ankle in the process. Then I somehow managed to get him back here. The fact that the Carvelli Mountains are not very far was a good thing.” Iris revealed, a tear slipping down her eye and she wiped it away immediately.

Amara stared at the cauldron in front of her. “Why would anyone try to attack you?” She whispered to herself when realization struck her and she dropped the spoon onto the table, using which, she was going to mix the ingredients.

“Of course, how could I forget?” She said to herself.

She had forgotten about the threat that Lord Mikhail had sent, along with everyone else. Six months had passed and nobody had thought about it. She had also forgotten what Nicholas had told her about Iris and Erasmus being in danger. Of course, Lord Mikhail had sent this attacker, thinking that since Erasmus wasn’t present; they could battle Nicholas and then harm Iris. Amara immediately turned to look at her.

“Keep an eye on the pot that is being heated. After the water boils along with the herbs, add these other ingredients in it. Pay proper attention while I am gone. I will be back in a few minutes,” Amara said to her as she sprinted out of the chamber to find Erasmus.

Reaching the hall, she looked around to find him when she spotted him sitting beside Nicholas who was now resting on a cot in the side. Everyone else had gone, leaving Soter and Erasmus with Nicholas who lay there unconscious.

“Erasmus, I need to speak with you,” she said and he turned his head to look at her.

“Yes?” he replied and followed her to the passageway.

“Did Nicholas say anything about the attacker?” She asked.

“He just said Lord Mikhail’s name,” replied Erasmus, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head.

“I need you to listen to me carefully, Erasmus. Iris is in danger. Nicholas had warned me about it and surely, Lord Mikhail sent the attacker. Iris needs to be protected along with you. We need to take special care that nothing happens to either of you. I am not warning Iris since she is under trauma. I want you to take care that she never goes anywhere without at least two people around her. Clearly, Nicholas wasn’t enough. We need more protection,” she said.

“Lord Mikhail wants to harm Iris, but why? She’s a new witch. . .” Erasmus replied, perplexed.

“. . .With the potential to be a powerful one. She is a threat to him.” Amara shrugged.

“Alright, I’ll take care of her. Meanwhile, I need someone else to be with her since I’m busy with Nicholas.”

“I’ll stay with her for the time being,” she replied.

Erasmus nodded his head, before taking a step back and retreating to where Nicholas was. Amara sighed, and walked back to the potions chamber where Iris was stirring the potion in the pot.

“Has it boiled yet?” She asked, standing beside her.

“Almost,” Iris replied, stepping away so Amara could take over.

“Amara,” Iris said, after a long moment of silence.

“Yes?” She asked, glancing at Iris once.

“I’ve been meditating for a long time now. I-I think I am capable of handling it. I can concentrate on one thing for as long as I want to,” she said, biting her lip in nervousness. She was unsure whether this was the right time to say things like these, but she wanted to let Amara know how far she had come in all this time. It had been six months and she was curious to know what task Amara had for her. She was still waiting for Iris’s meditation stage to get over. Maybe I am already past that stage, Iris thought.

“Well, we’ll just have to test it to know if you are good enough,” Amara replied, giving Iris a nod of acknowledgement.

“May I ask you something?” Iris said again after they got busy with the potion for a while. Amara said nothing but nodded, her eyes focussed on the beans she was crushing.

“You said this potion takes three days to get prepared, then how can one drop of Spirit of Death get it done in three hours?” She raised her eyebrows in question. Iris was confused. The name itself said it had something to do with Death. How could it be of help in a Healing Potion? She wondered.

“Spirit of Death is a highly confusing potion, yet simple,” Amara began. “It does not kill one’s body or destroy the physical being. A very deadly potion, it actually aims on destroying the soul. By destroying, it really means wiping off all the wrong substances inside a soul, the impurities within. It enters the soul through the body and destroys all the bad things, making the soul pure. Usually, it is given to those who have done great deeds in their existence. To perform good deeds, one must go through a bad phase. To purify them of all evil, this potion is given right at the time of Death so their soul remains pure, and peacefully rests after Death. The name spirit doesn’t just mean the liquid but it is another word for soul. Since it directly aims at the soul, it is known as Spirit of Death.

“But one has to be very careful, for it can also destroy the soul itself. This potion has the power to finish off the soul along with the evil inside. The quantity matters. Four drops of the spirit end all bad things, but a tiny drop more and it destroys everything. The ingredients used in the Healing Potion are mostly herbs. When these herbs are plucked out from the earth, they do not remain as pure as they were when they lived within the earth. There are impurities, which settle deep inside the herbs and need to be killed to make the potion pure again.

“Therefore, we boil it and three days are needed. At the time of such emergencies, if one drop of Spirit of Death is added, it goes on to kill the impurities, rendering the potion pure enough to be used. Note, just one drop for the herbs and it does not take much time. Mostly, just three hours. It is not recommended to be used all the time, just when it is needed the most at times like these, to save a life.”

Iris stared amazed at the vial of Spirit of Death, which rested on a stand upon the table. Amara picked it up and examined the black liquid inside the vial. A dull looking liquid on the outside, it gave off the aura of a magnificent one. It had a smoky appearance. When Amara was sure the potion was beginning to boil, she pulled the cork out and tilted the vial over the heating potion, slowly and very gently, letting one drop of the liquid fall into the pot. The colour of the spirit, although black, appeared crystal clear when it touched the potion in the pot. The brewing potion that was a brownish hue now had a clear, water-like appearance for a split second before turning to its original colour again. Iris watched the process with her eyes wide and Amara let out a sigh, replacing the vial of Spirit of Death back to its spot.

“We’ll come back and check it in about two and a half hours,” Amara said and started to walk out of the chamber followed closely by Iris. Since she was supposed to stay with Iris, Amara asked her to follow her out to the hall where Nicholas was. Iris wanted some time alone, but obeyed and proceeded to the great hall. Nicholas was laying on the cot, still unconscious, the bruise on his forehead covered with a paste of herbs. Soter was chanting some spells, moving his hands over Nicholas’s body in the air, a few white lights falling out of his hands wherever they moved. His ankle was now in a proper position as Soter, with a click of his fingers, mended it.

Iris shifted to the floor and sat down, resting her back on a pillar behind. She pulled her legs up to her chest and placed her chin over her arms. She looked at Nicholas and a tear slipped out of her eye, thinking about what he had done for her. If something happened to him, she would never be able to forgive herself. He put his life in danger for her. All this time he had been teaching her witchcraft and handling elements, leaving Erasmus in charge whenever he had to go somewhere. Iris felt indebted to him for saving her life. He was helping her in so many ways and then he had to go and put him-self before her. How was she going to pay him back for that?

The two people here whom she had gotten close to, who made her feel home, were Erasmus and Nicholas. If she didn’t have Erasmus, she wasn’t sure how she would have survived. With Nicholas added to the game, it was better; him teaching her everything that she needed to know, helping her with meditation, handling elements, and some ways to deal with Amara, who was also becoming a better version of herself. She wasn’t as rude to her anymore or uninterested like she seemed before. Maybe because she needs my help, Iris thought. Then again, what did she even have to do anyway? She had made this task her sole motive until she achieved it. If she had to do it, then she was going to do it the right way and make efforts for it.

“Nicholas taught you how to tame the element of air, correct?” Amara asked, settling beside Iris on the floor while Soter was busy in conversation with Erasmus.

“Yes, there was still a lot left to teach. He told me so,” she replied.

“How good are you at it, as of now?”

Amara wanted to know more about what Nicholas had been helping her with. Since she was busy with taking care of other things as Lord Lucifer was travelling, Amara had not gotten a chance to know what Iris had been doing. Although she would observe Iris at times and notice her dedication to learn new things, she would be relieved thinking about the fact that she had chosen the right person to help her with what she wanted to do.

“I can hardly make the leaves go two inches above the ground,” Iris said, letting out a nervous chuckle. She felt strange to show any kind of happy emotion around Amara, she was always so blank and devoid of feelings. Iris would sometimes feel as though Amara’s heart was plainly made of stone, but then she would think about what she had gone through and would tell herself that Amara was now built of stone. It wasn’t just her heart.

“It’s alright, you’ll come along,” Amara assured her with a nod. Yet her expression was static. Iris wondered how she could hide and stop any single emotion from showing. It seemed like a hard task.

“How long until the potion will be ready, Amara?” Erasmus asked, when Soter left to get something for Nicholas.

“At least two hours,” Amara replied.

Erasmus nodded, looking at Nicholas again. He was feeling sad after a long period. His old friend, who had risked himself to save Iris, was fighting for his life while Erasmus had not a single harm done to him. For the first time, he felt empty, because even though Nicholas wasn’t around as much, he was still a very important part of his life. He sadly smiled thinking of how much fun they had when they were both new in the coven. Erasmus dreaded losing Nicholas.

“I haven’t gotten into your mind in a while,” Iris said suddenly, startling Amara.

She raised her eyebrows in amusement, “That’s because I haven’t allowed you to. Your training was more important. I’ll let you in with more information when I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it,” she said. After that incident when Iris saw flashes of Amara’s past, she had not gotten a chance to know more. When Amara had found out what had happened, she decided it would be better to delay it all for a while since it was getting hard for Iris to handle. She was still amateur and didn’t have enough strength to take in such grave information together.

They sat in the hall in silence until daybreak, and as the sun rose, Amara stood up to go and check if the potion was ready. Iris had fallen asleep somewhere between the two witches talking about how difficult it is to tame the element of Fire. As Amara was talking about it, Iris had dozed off, her head now resting on a pillow that Amara had conjured after she fell asleep on the floor. Nicholas was still unconscious and Erasmus had not left his position from beside him.

Amara walked into the potions chamber and looked at the brewed potion heating on the table. She lifted the pot from the stove and placed it over the table on top of a thin cloth to sustain the heat. She waved the smoke away with her hand and grabbed a spoon to stir it. When she was sure it was prepared, she poured the required amount into a goblet and took it out to the great hall where Soter was waiting. As soon as Amara brought the Healing Potion out, Soter let a few drops fall into Nicholas’s mouth. He waited for a few moments before Nicholas started coughing and then drank the rest of the potion. The wound on his abdomen healed almost instantly, making it look as though nothing had happened. He still had some pain when he tried to sit up properly.

Iris was now awake, next to Nicholas immediately when she found out he was okay. She sat beside Erasmus who was grinning along with a cheerful Iris. She felt content, and more so, relieved that he was safe and not dead – like she had thought – because of her. Nicholas groaned, holding his head as pain shot up there, stinging his bruise even though it had healed on the outside. Just the pain was there for a while. When he was comfortably sitting, he opened his eyes. Iris was eagerly waiting to hear from him that he was okay.

“Well, this hurts,” he croaked, earning chuckles from Soter, Iris and Erasmus. Amara stood at the side, looking out the window. She didn’t exactly know how she was supposed to react.

“How are you feeling?” Soter asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Like a mountain fell on me, but other than that I feel okay. It just pains a lot,” he said, his voice a bit cracked.

“That is natural. You will be alright in a few days,” Soter said, with an assuring smile.

“Iris, are you okay?” He asked, looking over at her.

“I’m completely fine,” she replied, “I’m sorry you had to-” she began when he cut her off.

“Don’t worry about it, love. I’m still as striking as I was before and you’re still going to have dreams about me,” Nicholas said and winked. As much as she wanted to roll her eyes, she just laughed at it lightly.

“Nicholas, who was the attacker?” Erasmus asked.

“Oh yes, I had an argument with that fool. It was Samael, one of the King’s Ministers. He came to tell me that Lord Mikhail had sent another warning and that he was going to declare an attack soon. The message was to be given to the Lord. I asked him why Lord Mikhail was sending silly threats instead of attacking already. That led to a few other argumentative words and then he started cursing. Subsequently, Iris entered.”

Erasmus began saying something when the sound of wind entering forcefully inside the hall was heard, and everyone turned to look at the source. Amara pushed herself away from the window and approached the door from where the sound came. A moment later, the door was banged open, vibrating the walls. A black dove flew inside, treading upwards and then shattering into pieces, only to assemble again and form a message. The words hung in the air, as though dripping blood from them.

‘Bloodshed awaits,

Destruction awaits, and when it strikes,

Will nothing remain.

I declare war.’

The message then vanished, leaving the aura of black smoke in the hall, silencing everyone around. Lord Mikhail had officially declared war.