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

Crimson red eyes glittered in the darkness, the only light in the otherwise blackened cave. The girl was now standing, possessed by the spirit of Lilith. She began walking towards the door of the cave. Nicholas was long gone. He had teleported and reached the castle in no time. Unaware of what the result of his mistake was, he had left without giving it a second thought. The process of summoning the spirit that he thought he left half-way had almost been completed, and Lilith’s spirit was a moment away from entering the girl’s body. As soon as he had left, the spirit descended, now angered by the fact that the one that had summoned her wasn’t there. It was a well-known truth that an angry spirit – upon entering a body – becomes vile and malignant, even if it does not have those characteristics. The vile spirit of Lilith had now possessed the girl’s body.

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When Nicholas reached the castle, he was met with the news of Amara being gone along with Azrael for an important task and that he was now in charge. He had begun gathering everyone and making them practice their powers to strengthen them. Erasmus had sent a message to Amara saying that there was nothing for her to worry about since Nicholas and himself were now taking proper care of the coven. She was free to concentrate on her journey.

Azrael and Amara stood at the shore of the Sea of Cypress. Their journey was now complete; though that didn’t necessarily mean that Lady Calypsa would appear.

There were chances of her not choosing to appear even though they had already had an audience with her before. The two of them had left the woods of Rosean the morning after they had met Goddess Selene. She had bid them goodbye with a few victuals for their journey. It took them six more hours to reach the Sea and when they did, the sun was about to set. The sun-rays shone on the darkness of the water, as the star dipped lower and lower into the horizon until it vanished out of sight. Since Lady Calypsa only appeared after midnight, they had to wait for a while before it was dark enough. Both of them were standing near the huge rocks, watching the water turn darker as the sun-rays began to disappear. For the next few hours, they sat there waiting for the night to get darker. When it was time, a gush of wind blew past them forcefully.

Amara looked at Azrael who turned to look at her as well, and they both nodded once at each other before walking further ahead so they were close to the waves. With their right legs extended, they rested their toes lightly on top of the water. It went calm instantly. It was known that whoever that had been in the presence of Lady Calypsa at least once, only had to touch their feet onto the water to tone down the waves that were ferocious most of the time. If that was successfully done, it meant that she would not take long to appear. Otherwise, they had to spend years of worshipping and magic to summon her. Due to the fact that Azrael and Amara were both trusted apprentices of Lord Lucifer, and the guardians of parts of the prophecy, there was an easier chance of them getting to see her. To some extent, Amara was certain that they would not have much trouble in getting her to meet the two of them.

She was right. As soon as they stepped on the water, smoke rose out at a distance. It whirled above, taking the shape of a hooded figure. Lady Calypsa had appeared. As she began proceeding towards her visitors, sliding across the water, her robes rippled creating mild waves in the sea. Amara and Azrael waited for her to reach them. They now retreated both their feet from the water they were touching, and took a step back. Lady Calypsa stopped a few feet away from them, examining the two. She then slid forward a little so as to be able to hear them. Amara let out a breath she was holding. Even though she had met the Great Lady once before, it made her nervous as of now thinking about what would happen next. She didn’t know whether the Lady would agree to their demands, or even so listen to them. But she wanted to take her chances.

Lady Calypsa was now a few meters away from them, gliding over the water in silence. Amara and Azrael wanted to say something but they felt tongue tied. The presence of the Lady was intimidating, and they had never been so speechless before. It was always them who made others nervous. Amara now realized what the others must feel in her presence as well as Azrael’s. So they stood there without saying a word. The Lady began to get impatient and quietly decided to turn around and leave, when Azrael finally uttered something.

“Great Lady, we come to seek help,” he said, bowing his head.

The Lady stopped and lingered there in silence. She uttered no words, waiting for them to continue. Since everyone did come to her to seek help, it wasn’t a surprise. She chose to stay quiet.

“We are the beholders of the prophecy that you guard. A part of the prophecy was given to Lord Lucifer, the message of which, divided in two other parts that were revealed to us. We come here to seek your assistance in letting us know about the rest of the prophecy that you protect,” he told her, taking one step forward while Amara stood in place.

“How do you prove that you don’t have the power of impersonation? How do I believe you are the true apprentices of Lord Lucifer?” Lady Calypsa replied, gliding forwards and circling around Azrael.

Her voice was deep and grave as always. She spoke ever so slowly. It was chilling.

“We would be honoured to have answered your queries about us being the true ones, Great Lady,” said Amara, lifting her head.

The Lady turned to her, leaning forwards and going still for a moment before getting back to her initial position above the water. She never put a step on land.

“Reveal the parts that you know of,” she said, pulling away.

“One can die at one’s own will,” Amara said, quoting the part that Azrael had been assigned with.

He glanced at her for a moment before turning back to the Lady.

“To possess it, a loved one must be killed,” he said.

The Lady looked at them for a moment before swirling up in the air like the black smoke and coming back to their level. She moved towards Amara, beckoning her to come forward. Amara obeyed, taking a few steps ahead, her feet immersed into the water. Azrael stood there watching, hoping nothing bad would happen. Lady Calypsa was known for the changes in her behaviour.

“Do you know why a loved one must be killed?” the Lady asked, leaning close to Amara.

Amara shook her head.

“And do you, great sorcerer?” She turned to Azrael, who shook his head as well.

“To gain eternal glory, a sacrifice must be made,” Lady Calypsa began. “To kill an enemy is facile, effortless. But to slay a loved one, with a love that has the power to take pain away is what takes strength. True power lies in love, it lies in Death. And Death is an unknown reality, an unheard truth, a morbid lie. If one succeeds in killing a loved soul to achieve the treasure, the love never existed at all. Love does not kill, it heals. Yet, the desire to gain a treasure that belongs not to you, to achieve it, you slay a loved one. Would you end a loved one’s life?” She flew towards Amara, who stood there confused.

Amara looked at Lady Calypsa with her eyes narrowed in thought. There was something the Lady was trying to convey, something hidden underneath the words that were in the prophecy and the words that she had just said. A message was between the lines, and Amara tried to read it, straining her mind a little more than usual.

And then she spoke, “Yes, I would.”

Azrael turned to look at her, frowning. Would she? He wondered.

“If the loved one wasn’t mine, if he or she meant nothing to me. I would slay the one that is loved by someone else,” she completed.

The message said that killing a loved one was necessary to gain the treasure, but it never specified that the loved one was supposed to be the seeker’s own. It could be anyone. It could be a person that was truly loved by someone else and held no importance in the life of the seeker. The riddle here was to decipher the message hidden in the prophecy. If the true meaning wasn’t understood, the seeker would never attain the treasure. It was highly confusing, and only someone as experienced and intelligent as Amara could have understood it. Lady Calypsa was amazed by the wit that Amara possessed. She was now assured that one part of the prophecy lay in good hands and that she was the true apprentice of Lord Lucifer.

Azrael watched the great witch that stood beside him. All his dislike towards her due to the doubts of her not being as brilliant as everyone said, were gone. Respect emerged inside of him and he now had to accept the fact that she was truly the greatest witch of their time. He could never have met a better witch in his existence, and maybe he never would. His eyes were stuck on Amara until Lady Calypsa strode in his direction and stood before him. He shifted his focus to her.

“Great sorcerer, your name makes you the Angel of Death. Do you know how the one that achieves the treasure, will have a choice in his own Death?” asked the Lady, gliding forwards and backwards once before getting back in position.

“I do not, Great Lady,” he replied, looking down.

He felt ashamed of himself for not knowing the answer. How foolish, he thought to himself.

“But Death is the ultimate purpose of life. A mortal may gain great power, he may become the ruler of the world and he may be the one that guides the world, but what makes him the King of his own Death? What makes him seek the power to have a choice in the time of his Death? Will it give him eternal glory? Not likely, m’Lord. Will it make him the crowned head of the world? No, my dear sir, it would not. Then what would he gain? Why would he need the power to choose when the Angel takes him away?”

It was beginning to get darker. The moonlight shone upon the Sea and water glittered over the surface as darkness spread around. Azrael watched as the waves slowly moved across the otherwise silent Sea. There was no sound, not even of the wind gushing past them. It was silent, so calm yet terrifying to be in. His mind wandered around the questions that the Lady had asked. His eyes looked beneath his feet as the sand slowly but steadily began to slide down his toes and vanish into the upcoming waves.

“Power over the world does not give a man power over his life,” Azrael responded with his eyes still on the sand. “The cycle of life and Death will continue and when he is aware of the fact that he will die inevitably, the power and authority will one day end, leaving him with nothing when he dies. It does not give the choice of Death to the one who gains power, but it does give eternal glory to the one who is the king of his own Death. He can live the way he wishes to. He can rule the world, he can watch generations pass as the mortals leave, and he can always be the one that holds monarchy over everything else. But if only he ends the life of a loved one, will he gain the treasure, and only when he gains the treasure, will he become the ruler of Death itself,” he finished, looking up at the Lady who was listening to every word carefully.

And now, the doubts that she had about them being the true apprentices were gone. She understood how truthful and deserving they were to protect the prophecy that was given to them. There wasn’t a doubt about them not being able to guard the rest of the prophecy. Being aware of the fact that she was under a threat, she had decided to reveal the complete prophecy to those who deserved to be the true guardians.

“To know what the prophecy beholds, you will have to follow me into the Sea. What you already know are interpreted parts that have been extracted from the prophecy. You will now see what the foretelling truly holds,” she said, turning towards Azrael. “Lord Azrael, you are well aware of the nature of the water since you have been visiting often. You shouldn’t have any trouble sailing through.” She looked at Amara. “The Sea is honoured to have you here, Lady Amara. Follow me, if you will. The prophecy will be revealed along with it the secret of the treasure that I guard. But you must be prepared to keep it safe, you must sacrifice your blood once again in order to protect it,” the Lady said to the both of them.

“Of course, Great Lady, we certainly will sacrifice our blood to protect the treasure and the prophecy,” Amara replied, giving a nod.

Lady Calypsa said nothing and conjured a dagger out of the water. She handed it to Amara. She wasted no time in slashing it across her index finger and letting the droplets of blood descend into the water below her feet. Azrael took the dagger from her and did the same.

Then, they both spoke, “By the power vested in us by Lord Zelos and his sole heir, Lord Lucifer, we – the true apprentices of the great sorcerer – swear to protect the prophecy and the treasures for as long as we breathe this air and walk this earth, as long as we consume the water and ignite the flames. We swear to never let any dark force harm the trove. We swear to be loyal guardians.”

“By the power vested in me by mother earth, lord of Air and Spirit, governor of Fire and Ale, I – the appointed guardian of the great prophecy – hereby allow the true apprentices of Lord Lucifer to enter the Sea of Cypress and I hereby pronounce them guardians alongside myself,” said Lady Calypsa.

There was a wave from the sea that washed upon Amara and Azrael fiercely, as though accepting them and allowing them to achieve what they wished for. Lady Calypsa gestured for them to follow her and turned around before vanishing into the water. Azrael and Amara stole a glance at each other before proceeding behind her. Wrapping the bag of weapons and supplies tight around her waist, Amara plunged herself into the water and Azrael did the same, dropping his staff on the sand.

He knew that it would be safe until they returned. But the bag that Amara held, contained more important things which could not be left anywhere else, it had to be protected. As the water began to gush around them in wild waves, the three of them swam forward. Amara and Azrael kept trace of the Lady as they glided ahead behind her, side by side. When they started to go deeper into the waters, they noticed that the sea-bed was as dark as they had thought it would be. Although Azrael had travelled these waters before, he had never entered the deepest parts, for it was forbidden unless Lady Calypsa allowed it.

A few creatures moved past them but they carried on without losing focus on Lady Calypsa. They were now inches above the sea-bed and the plants began to tangle in their limbs as they proceeded. Amara’s legs were suddenly bound by the strong leaves of a plant, and her pace stopped right there. She struggled to break free when Azrael swam backwards, keeping his eyes on the Lady as he tried to untie the tangles. Amara watched as he pulled on the plant forcefully, and a moment later her legs were free. She gave him a thankful nod and they started forward, careful not to get caught again. The Sea was just as dangerous as Lady Calypsa. One needed the approval of the Lady to let the visitors enter inside.

A while later, the Lady stopped in front of a cave. It was locked by a huge door, which had chains around the handles. Amara and Azrael looked at each other once before going ahead and waiting a few feet behind Lady Calypsa. They watched as she waved her hands in front of the door, and the chains loosened themselves, before falling onto the bed and vanishing instantly. She then proceeded to open the door, using one of her hands to do so. With a mere gesture of her hand going backwards, the door pulled open and the water around stalled. Lady Calypsa turned to glance at the two of them and gave a nod before pushing herself in through the door. The water stayed still as Amara and Azrael swam forwards. As soon as they entered, the water began to move again and the door immediately shut itself.

It was completely dry inside. They felt as though they were somewhere underground inside a castle instead of the deepest part of the sea. With a simple drying spell, Amara and Azrael stood there bone-dry. Both of them proceeded to follow the passage through which Lady Calypsa had gone. They walked ahead together. The passage was wide enough to allow two people to walk at the same time. A few minutes later, they reached an opening. They found themselves in a huge chamber at the end of the passage, where a stone table rested in the middle, with the little ball of glass resting on top of it, filled with black coloured smoke. It stood on a stand and there was nothing else but another little door in a corner which was locked, sans the chains.

Amara and Azrael stood at the entrance, with Lady Calypsa standing in the middle of the chamber next to the stone table. She waved her hands and out of thin air, appeared two throne-like chairs, which settled around the table. The Lady turned to the two visitors standing behind her. She gestured to them to get seated on the chairs. Amara and Azrael obeyed silently, walking over to the table and sitting on the chairs. Lady Calypsa stood in between them, bent low so she was level with the sphere resting on the table.

“What you see here is the prophecy record. This little globe contains the truth that you seek. It will reveal the treasure and it will answer all your questions. It will tell you why one must kill a loved one and how one will achieve the power of choosing the time of one’s Death. Look into it yourselves and the answer will be revealed. Either one of you can look in, or else both of you can watch the prophecy unfold together at the same time,” the Lady said, her voice even deeper than it was before.

Azrael and Amara looked at each other for a long moment, as though talking to one another through their eyes, deciding who would look. With a simple blink of both of their eyes, they shifted their gaze to the tiny sphere that held the prophecy and fixed all of their attention on what was about to be shown to them. They blocked out everything else, their focus on the black smoke moving around in front of them. Suddenly the chamber felt smaller and the globe started to become larger and larger.

Both of them watched as the colour of the smoke changed from black to green, to red and in the end it settled on white, then they heard the sound as their eyes went completely blind.

‘Locket of the blood,

Chronicle of the dead,

The seeker must slay

Through poison, a loved

An enemy tortured, a phoenix bled

All merge together

To make one the slayer of Death,

For you might need a Dragon,

Another dead on your Manus

The end of a mortal

Will be the inception of your existence’

A sudden burst of red coloured light had them thrown away from the stone table. Panting, Amara and Azrael lay on the floor, clutching the end of the chairs that they were seated on. The prophecy was a riddle that they were now trying to shape. Lady Calypsa was gone. They were surrounded by complete darkness. Amara stood up, holding the chair as she was unable to see a thing.

“Azrael?” She whispered softly.

“I’m here,” he whispered back, a few feet away from her.

“There is a locket and there is a book. An old book,” he said after a moment of silence.

Amara frowned, her mind going back to the time when she had told Iris the story of Lilith. The book of dark witchcraft was taken away by Lady Calypsa when Lilith died after taking Phoenix Blood. She now realized that the book was one of the treasures.

“The Chronicle, yes. The book of the darkest witchcraft there is. It belonged to the great witch Lilith. It was taken by Lady Calypsa when she died,” Amara said in a low tone, wondering where the Lady had gone.

“The locket contains blood of some sort.”

“Phoenix Blood,” whispered Amara, a slight gasp escaping her lips.

“An enemy has to be tortured and a loved one has to be slain. . .” He began, getting up and walking towards Amara as she did the same.

“. . .Which means that only after two mortals are killed, will the seeker be able to get closer to the locket.”

She took a step forward. He took a step forward.

“Phoenix Blood is in the locket. But why so? Phoenix Blood is obtainable to almost every coven. Why would it be hidden here?” Azrael wondered.

Amara’s mind went back to the part of the story that she had not revealed to Iris. The night before Lilith set herself on Fire, her blood was mixed with that of the phoenix, making her whole being pure and immortal. A little amount of her blood was taken by Lady Calypsa for it was the purest one there ever was. Nobody knew what she did with the blood.

“That is not just Phoenix Blood. It is mixed with the blood of Lilith,” Amara answered.

She took a step forward. He took a step forward.

“And in order to kill a loved one, a dragon is needed. . .”

They now stood foot to foot.

“. . .Which means that the blood from the locket must be consumed but it can only be done after taking a life through poison of the Cymmerien Dragon. And the process of torturing an enemy rests in the book of darkest witchcraft,” she said.

“The three treasures: the vial of the blood of the Cymmerien dragon, The Book of Darkest Witchcraft and the locket of Phoenix Blood merged with that of Lilith’s,” whispered Azrael.

A moment later, the cave was lit with flames emerging from the torches around.