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

Lord Mikhail stared perplexedly at the huge waves crashing on the shore. The air refused to slow its pace and continued to sway around him as he stood below the tree thinking about how he was going to summon Lady Calypsa. If only, there was some way to get her to meet him instead of spending years in praying to her or having enough dedication for the same. It didn’t seem like an easy task as such.

If there is some way that she would appear without having enough will to meet her, thought Lord Mikhail. How could Lady Calypsa possibly know that someone wished to summon her? How was it that someone could let her know they wished to be in her presence? Lord Mikhail realized that Lord Perseus had just given him an idea, planted a message inside of him, which he had to figure out on his own.

He was aware that there was no way he could get to meet Amara and ask her to reveal what Lady Calypsa was hiding, since she was the only one who knew the entire story. After sending Death threats to her and now declaring war against Lord Lucifer’s coven, thinking of getting help from her would be the silliest idea ever. It would be completely ridiculous to think of something like that. Then what could he possibly do to achieve what he wanted? Fight her or forcefully summon her? Lord Mikhail didn’t know how he was supposed to fight or force her. He needed a solution out of the answers that Lord Perseus had given.

Resting his back on the bark of the tree behind, he closed his eyes and concentrated on what the Lord was trying to convey.

“If you have enough will and dedication. . .

“There is someone who does not need to be prayed to. . .

“Your mind should be strong and unmoving. . .

“She should be the only concern. . .

“A witch who guards the treasures. . .”

Lord Mikhail repeated whatever the Lord Perseus had said to him and hoped that he would arrive at a conclusion. There was always a hidden message in his answers. Being such a great sorcerer, he was aware about the rivalry between Lord Mikhail and Lord Lucifer’s covens. Surely, he would not suggest seeking help from Amara. There was something else that he meant, there had to be something hidden in what he was saying. And as Lord Mikhail focussed on deciphering what the message was, the wind began to slow down and an unfaltering calmness settled around. His mind set itself on one track, concentrating on the hidden meaning of what Lord Perseus had said.

The wind echoed the sound of the waves on the shore, hitting the rocks forcefully yet gracefully and Lord Mikhail opened his eyes, the corners of his lips twitching with a small smile. Setting the staff he was holding back on the ground, he pushed himself away from the tree he was resting on and with a lingering glance in the direction of the sea, he proceeded to journey his way. The message was deciphered and he now knew where he was going to go and whom he was going to need for the task.

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Lady Calypsa swam her way back into the water from where she was observing her visitor, a little confused as to how he didn’t wish to summon her. With a glance at the sky, she descended back into the sea, vanishing away as Lord Mikhail strode out of sight.

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Lord Mikhail walked further ahead, now aware of where he was going to journey for the one he was supposed to meet. Lord Perseus had subtly enough, planted the message inside his head, that there existed someone who didn’t need to be prayed to for summoning Lady Calypsa, apart from Amara.

Whomever he was going to meet had the power of weakening his enemy, as a result, rendering enough strength to his side. Once that person got the enemy under control, everything would be in Lord Mikhail’s hands. That person didn’t need to be prayed to; and he would get the key to his dilemmas. Lord Perseus was invariably intelligent and had helped him quite simply. That was the most redeeming factor of great sorcerers; they were highly reasoning and could offer any sort of help through clues.

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Inside the castle, Iris sat still, her eyes wide wearing a worried expression across her face. She did not know what to do. The task that Amara had given was making her want to rip her head out and tear it into shreds. It was the most confusing and impossible task one could ever hope to do. Amara had gone to read in the vast and sprawling library of the castle, which was located in the farthermost corner situated levels below the surface she was. The lowest level of the castle consisted of the sacrificial chambers where most of the rituals of sacrificing souls were performed along with torturing them. Iris didn’t wish to go anywhere near that just to meet Amara and ask her the questions that she already had asked, for half an hour.

Back when they were in the woods and Amara had said that she needed Iris to help with finding out what happened to Leo, she had stared at her confusedly, unable to figure out what exactly she had meant by that.

“How can I be of any help in that?” She had asked.

“Well, the task is difficult and extremely complex but I’m sure you can do it,” Amara had replied confidently, despite the clear bewilderment that Iris showed.

Iris had thought to herself how Amara could have so much of confidence in her when she herself wasn’t aware of what was going to happen.

“Are you going to tell me what it is?” She had asked, hoping to get the answer this time. Now after hearing the gist of it, she was unable to wait any longer.

“As a matter of fact, I will.” With that, Amara began explaining what Iris was supposed to do.

“You have now learnt control over your mind, which means you are capable of learning control over that of others’. Reading someone’s mind and manipulating it are two very different things. But all you have to do here is read a mind; there is no manipulation needed. So the task becomes relatively easy. You see, I have no clue of what happened to Leo, as much as I wanted to find out all those years ago. I didn’t dare ask the Lord because the mere mention of that incident would get him enraged. So I decided I would ask Nicholas as he was friendly to me. But, he refused to divulge any information apart from the fact that the Lord wasn’t the one that killed Leo even though he was the one that captured him. What I wish to know is, after he got captured, why the Lord didn’t wish to kill him. I want to know who did, and whether he died at that point of time or not.

“A hundred years have passed yet I am unaware of that little piece of information and the feeling has not left me since. I have not found anyone remotely close to venturing into someone’s mind as easily as you do. Hence, the long wait. I am completely sure that you can perform the task I am about to tell you,” she said, pausing to take a breath. “The Lord has inconsiderable amount of control over his mind. No one else does to the limit that he does. Entering his mind and finding out what happened years ago from his memory is not going to be possible now. Also, he isn’t here at the moment-”

“You want me to read the Lord’s mind?” Iris cut her off mid-sentence, her eyes wider than ever. How in the devil’s name could I invade the Lord’s mind? That was the silliest thing one could ever imagine.

“Let me complete,” Amara said, giving her an intimidating glare which shut Iris’s mouth. “Like I said, invading his mind now will be of no use because he would easily be able to find out and you will be punished for that. But you can invade my mind. You can see what happened all those years ago if I allow you to. Through my mind, my thoughts and my memories, you will get inside the Lord’s mind, a hundred years back. That way there is no chance he would find out you invaded his mind.”

Iris stared at Amara quietly, not a single thought crossing her mind as she listened to what she was saying.

“Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that I have to invade the Lord’s mind through yours when I metaphorically go back a hundred years ago in time?” She said, hoping that this was all a silly joke that Amara was playing.

“I mean exactly that.” Amara nodded a slight smile on her lips.

“You’re joking,” Iris remarked, chuckling nervously to herself but deep down she was sure that Amara wasn’t joking at all.

“Have you ever heard me joke, Iris?” Amara replied, the smile disappearing and a grim look replacing her features.

“How is that even possible in the simplest of ways? Invading an entirely different person’s mind through yours; how is that going to work?” Iris said, baffled.

“Everything is possible in our world. The events that happened when I wasn’t there and when I was unconscious are in the Lord’s memory. Those events can only be found if you invade his mind. Since it is not possible at the moment, the only chance you have is to get inside his mind through the connection in mine. The visions that you see, basically, take you back in time when all of that happened. If from the time I lost consciousness, you get into the Lord’s mind, there is a chance you will be able to find out what all happened and tell me everything. It’s not easy, I know, but that is the only way.”

“Why can’t I just invade Nicholas’s mind?” Iris’s head was boggled, her thoughts were everywhere and she had absolutely no way to contain them.

“Because he is going to be travelling from tomorrow and wouldn’t let you invade his mind. He is skilled enough to manipulate you without entering your mind.” Amara said, rolling her eyes.

“This is not possible. It’s not humanly possible in any way.” Iris shook her head.

“And you forget the fact that you are not a mere human. Maybe it is impossible for mortals but not for you. The complexity of the task is unnerving, I agree, but we can make it simple. The mind has innumerable powers if you know how to put them to use. The mind is capable of doing impossible things with a simple control technique. Of course, that needs enough strength but you have it. It is a power you were born with and it is being polished in the best ways. As far as I know, meditation has helped you control your mind entirely. If you can manipulate your mind into doing something, you can do the same with others. You have the power. Put it to use. Your mind is capable of doing this and I know it. The mind is a notorious thing, Iris. It is in fact, insane. As long as you can control your mind, you survive, once the mind begins to control you, it leads you to insanity. You are capable of holding your mind in the right place and making it do whatever you wish. You have the power to do this. The mind can perform all the things that one assumes cannot be done. I believe in you, you can do this. Think about it,” she said, trying her best to make Iris understand her point.

And after that, the both of them had gone back to the castle, where Amara left to go to the library and Iris was now sat inside her chamber, trying to configure a way to do what she had been asked to. The first thought that Iris had, was that Amara had gone entirely mad for suggesting something as silly and impossible as this. Invading the Lord’s mind through hers, how completely daft did that sound? She was lost, and she could not tell anyone about it. Not even Erasmus; and talking to Amara again would do her no good. I could back out from doing this, she thought, or maybe that would be unfair. Amara had the right to know what had happened to Leo. She had all the right in the world after going through what she had. If it were Iris, she would have wanted to know, or probably kill the man herself if she could.

For a witch as great as Amara, Iris had to do this. Where else would she put her powers to use? The world that she had entered had made her a better person. It had made her realize what her true worth was. And it showed her what pain was. What going through real problems was, and if she wasn’t capable enough to accept that and live her life, she didn’t deserve anything that this world gave to her. Letting out a deep breath, she left the chamber and started walking down to the lowest level, gathering up all her strength to do so. As frightening as that part of the castle looked, Iris was always curious to know how it would feel like if she was there. Making her way across the passage, she passed the ritual chamber, the sacrificial chamber and then Lord Lucifer’s chamber.

As far as she had heard about it, Lord Lucifer’s chamber was the largest after the library and the most dangerous one you would ever come across inside the castle. But of course, no one was allowed to enter apart from Ambrosius and whoever he would give permission to. Ambrosius had forever been his servant, his companion who would do anything and everything for him. Not even Amara was allowed inside his chamber even though she was his utmost favourite. Iris stopped outside the doors of his chamber, observing the carvings. Two big doors were guarding the chamber, a huge lock around it since he was travelling for now.

Letting out a sigh, Iris retraced her steps and began walking towards the library, which was at the end of the passage. The doors were open and as she stepped inside, she was greeted by millions of books stacked upon the shelves. Iris titled her head upwards to see how tall the stands were. They almost touched the ceiling. Bringing her eyes back to level, she started walking further to find Amara. After looking around for a while and finding a few witches seated in corners with books clumsily stacked around them, some open, some hovering at a little height with the witches furtively scribbling down notes, she spotted Amara flipping through some stray parchments. She was standing between the passages of the stands, replacing the parchment from her hands into a book. Her attention was focussed on what she was doing, and she hardly noticed Iris walking towards her.

“Amara,” Iris called out without realizing how loud her voice was. All the witches looked at her with scowls and she mouthed a ‘sorry’ to them with a sheepish grin. Amara gave her a flat look before turning to her book again.

“Have you never been to a library before, Iris?” hissed Amara.

“Actually, no. I’m not really fond of books. I could barely read the school books and I-”

“What are you here for?” Amara cut her off as she looked up at her with the book now sitting close to her chest.

“Oh yes. I had to talk to you about the task that you have given to me,” she whispered, careful to keep her voice low this time.

“What about it?”

“When do you want me to do it?” Iris followed Amara to where she was going and sat down opposite to her on a chair.

“Whenever you think you’re ready,” she replied, her attention now on Iris.

Iris had no idea how thankful Amara was that she was doing this for her. The amount of years that she had spent thinking about what happened to the man that betrayed her and destroyed her world made her all the more aggravated. She wanted to know why it was hidden from her. She wanted to know what had happened to him. Her mind had not rested even once after that incident. It didn’t matter that over a hundred years had passed. If there was one way to get those visions of her past out of her mind, it was to know what happened to Leo.

“I don’t know how I’m going to understand whether I’m ready. Do you think I am?” Iris said. She felt extremely confused.

“You will realize it when you are. So come to me when you get the idea. Without that we cannot proceed. It is a dangerous task. As simple as entering someone’s mind is, it is more difficult to get out of it. And once you enter a mind through another one’s, there are chances you get lost in that place and that time, which will make you go insane to no limit. Therefore, your control should be incredible. It has to be. Or else you will end up in the asylum. I don’t want you to lose control over yourself and I surely do not want you to go insane. You have to be very careful. So when you have enough confidence over yourself, only then will I give you permission to do this.”

Iris nodded her head in understanding. Of course, there were going to be the pros and cons of the powers that she possessed. If she lost control by any chance, it would result in disastrous consequences. And she didn’t want to go mad if it was going to be that way. She wanted to give Amara the truth that she deserved to know, but also protect herself from any harm.

“I told you, the mind is like Fire. One moment you lose focus and it will destroy you,” she said again when Iris remained silent, her mind going to various possibilities of what could happen if she wasn’t confident about what she was going to do.

“Okay. I will let you know when I think I am ready,” she said and stood up to leave.

“Iris,” Amara called out, when she was about to leave the library.

“Yes?” She said, turning around.

Amara’s eyes were fixed elsewhere for a moment, before she shifted them to look at Iris and said,

“Thank you.”

Iris smiled, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear and gave a slight nod before walking out of the library, making her way to the upper levels.

“This is going to be interesting,” she muttered to herself and proceeded to go into her chamber to get some sleep. The night was about to end and she had not gotten even a blink of sleep all night. With her mind travelling across the visions of Amara’s past, she faded into a deep slumber, unaware of what her mind was about to show her. Unconsciously, the delusional dream pulled her away to the shore of a dark sea where sat the hooded figure of a man, his head hung low. His black robes surrounded the place he was sitting on, flowing with the wind. The hood covered his face, his shoulders broad and strong as he sat there with his back straight.

The wind around him moved in a pattern, creating illusions of varied designs that vanished in the fraction of a second. He sat still. The only movement was of his fingers resting on his knees, going up and down, which showed that he was managing the wind around him just with a swish of his fingers. They didn’t have to leave the surface they were resting on. As he sat there with his eyes closed, the waves pushed themselves away from him, not daring to get close to him in any way. The birds that were arriving anywhere close to the shore took different turns. The darkness that had been created around the sea was blinding and every single creature was scared.

The aura surrounding him made any human want to hide. There was a Deathly vibe coming off him. The night made his powers younger and stronger. His hands were like stone: clear, hard and rough. His eyes were darker than the night, crystalline and a pellucid black, whenever he had the Deathly aura around him. As he stopped controlling the wind, his hood fell and he lifted his face up towards the sky and let out an earth shattering spell that created thunders, blackening it completely and rain began to fall viciously all over, the droplets were pure black but they dare not drench him. He stood up, pulling the hood over his head again and approached the sea, stepping into it before walking in further and vanishing into the water.

Iris’s eyes shot open and she immediately sat up, the image of the dream vanishing out of her memory. She turned her head to look outside the window. It was raining.