The Dark Witch Chronicles Book One: The Curse of The Cymmerien Dragon -
Chapter Fifteen: Fire and Ice
She felt a host of emotions and they were neither showing up on her face nor were they staying inside of her. She had spent a hundred years trying to suppress her emotions and not letting them get in the way of her life, and now when she wanted them to surface, they were arduously struggling inside of her, unable to decide whether or not they were to surface. She wanted to scream, she wanted to ask questions to whoever that would come forward and she wanted to kill someone, anyone. Her jaw was clenched, eyes stinging with tears and heart hammering inside her chest with the occasional goose-bumps running down her arms. She felt nauseous, she felt as though her chest was constricting her heart, and it had to go faster to circulate the blood. Her head felt heavy and she had no idea what was happening to her.
Inside the cave, Iris stood up and staggered out to the door. When she spotted Amara, she rushed in her direction and came to a standstill a few paces away from her. Amara stood with her back facing Iris, her fingers clenched around her palm. Iris took a step forward hesitantly. She didn’t know what Amara was feeling at that moment. She wanted to take that pain away but she was unaware as to how she would even attempt to do that. So wiping her tears, Iris took another two steps forward and came to stand beside Amara.
“Tell me everything,” said Amara, her voice cracking.
Letting out a deep breath, Iris prepared herself to reveal everything to her, deciding not to leave anything since she deserved to know it all. Clearing her throat, she began explaining every single vision that she saw from the time Amara went unconscious. She told her about how Lord Lucifer saved her, how Leo followed him and how Nicholas killed him. In the end, she proceeded to tell her about Leo being the Lord’s son and while doing so, she could not stop the tears from starting to fall again. She didn’t realize when that happened, and began to cry as she spoke. Amara quietly listened to everything and didn’t utter a single word while Iris talked. When she was done, Iris stood there wanting to comfort Amara somehow because the rage that she was feeling had begun to show.
There was a varied amount of emotions on her face, Iris observed. A burning sensation had crept up Amara’s spine and she had started to tremble with the anger that was boiling inside of her. It felt as though her bones were cracking inside and an intense pain shot up from her toes right up to her chest. She felt as though she was the victim of the pain that she inflicted on others. She felt as though her whole body was being shattered into pieces once again, just by a plain truth that had been revealed to her.
The force with which she was clenching her fingers, made blood slip out of her palm and the droplets skidded onto the ground. Iris plainly stared. She didn’t have enough strength to say a word.
Without so much of a glance at Iris, Amara walked away so swiftly that Iris could not understand what had happened. Her heartbeat ran faster as she started walking in the direction Amara had gone. She heard a scream, a heart-wrenching, earth-shattering scream that sent waves of chills down her spine. Iris stood in place, closing her eyes for a moment. It felt as though the ground was shaking beneath her feet and it would only be seconds until she fell down. Holding a tree that was trembling, she stood herself in place until she was sure the ground wasn’t shaking anymore. The scream continued to get louder by each second and Iris was sure everyone else was going to hear it. The whole castle must be shaking by now, she thought.
Moments later, the sound stopped and the wind became normal again. Iris opened her eyes and proceeded to walk further when she noticed that everyone else had rushed there from the castle. She saw Erasmus, Sienna, Fabian, Lilienne, and a few other Conjurers standing there with their eyes wide and jaws open. When she went and settled next to them, she saw Amara standing at a distance with her back towards them. Raising her hands, she lifted her head upwards and a roar was heard, as though a lion was about to prance to attack when the familiar light started to appear. Amara stretched her hands to the sides and the light spread along. It was only a few seconds later that they all realized it.
Amara had set the woods on Fire.
The flames grew stronger as they started licking the trees and the shrubs, covering the grass that was visible and moments later, everyone had begun coughing as the Fire started to surround them. They all tried their best to use the water from the lake to stop the Fire but it was no use. The flames were too strong and violent as they engulfed Amara who was now nowhere to be seen. Iris began to panic. Her breath became shallow and she started to sprint in the direction Amara was when Erasmus grabbed her from behind by the waist, stopping her.
Everyone wondered what they could do, but nothing seemed to work at all. It was a mass panic. As they all tried to protect themselves and dodge the Fire somehow, some of them caught Fire on their clothes, and Fabian was trapped in a corner surrounded by the flames. Conjuring up some water, he diminished the Fire and rushed outside to protect himself. Lilienne tried to dodge the flames that threatened to engulf her while Marissa pushed the Fire away through wind. Erasmus tried his hardest to stop the struggling Iris, who was ready to plunge into the Fire to save Amara. There was no way they would be able to save her now.
“Don’t. It’s too dangerous,” he said to Iris.
She only struggled harder and sobbed uncontrollably. Flinging her arms around her she screamed to set herself free and save Amara but Erasmus held her tight.
“I HAVE TO SAVE HER!” She protested against him.
“No, love, you can’t go there. Breathe,” he whispered softly in her ear to relax her. But she refused to listen and continued her struggle.
In a bid to save themselves, they all left the woods as soon as they could, to summon the Lord and save the whole area from being burnt down. As far as they knew, either Amara was dead or she had already saved herself and gone from there. Iris was now crying profusely and struggling harder to go to Amara. She screamed, scratching her nails into Erasmus’s arms that were holding her in place and dragging her out of the woods.
“LET ME GO!” She cried and fought against him, tears sliding down her eyes.
Erasmus refused to let go of her, clutching onto her tighter than before. He knew that something grave had happened; otherwise Amara wouldn’t react this way. She would not set her beloved woods on Fire. And he knew however bad it was, she would never let anything harm herself. Along with everyone else, she was aware of her importance and in absence of the Lord, she was in charge. Saving Iris and getting her back to normal was more important.
They all stood outside the woods, watching the flames dance upon the trees to burn them down. The ones that could handle the element of Water tried their hardest to reduce the Fire but to no avail. None of their efforts worked and they stood there helpless, chanting spells to stop the rage. There was nothing that worked.
“AMARA!” Iris screamed as Erasmus dragged her back in the direction of the castle. It was essential to escort her to a safe place. She was getting out of control.
As soon as he turned around to take her away, the sky went completely black. Clouds covered the whole area, engulfing it into darkness but the only light that was there was the Fire. Erasmus turned to look up at the sky, frowning, as Iris too went silent, with her eyes focussed above. The few birds that were flying up there suddenly vanished and the sound of thunder was heard. Lightning struck and moments later, it was raining. The black droplets of water descended upon them and the Fire began to subside slowly. The rain started to pour down even faster, drenching the entire place and suddenly the Fire was gone. The woods were engulfed into darkness. The atmosphere felt like Death. Everyone went silent.
On the other side of the lake, stood a hooded figure, his face hidden with a cloak. Striding upon the water in seconds, he reached the opposite side to where the Fire was. Erasmus felt someone standing beside him and turned to find that it was Lord Lucifer.
“M’Lord,” he breathed.
Iris had now rested her head on Erasmus’s chest, her fingers clutched around the fabric of his cloak. She was looking at the hooded figure standing at a distance. He looked eerily familiar, as though she had seen him somewhere. The vision of someone diving into a terrible sea flashed across her eyes.
Iris blinked only to find another vision of the similar looking figure seated on the shore of a sea. The same figure that had made it rain; the black droplets of water, the gloomy atmosphere – as though someone had just died. It all felt familiar and she wanted to mull over it but her mind kept going blank every now and then. Suddenly she forgot who she was with. She didn’t know what was happening and stood there, staring at nothing in particular. Erasmus wanted to let go of her but seeing her fragile and scared in his arms, he decided to keep her close. She needed someone.
“Take her inside. She looks pale,” ordered Lord Lucifer, looking at Erasmus once.
Without a word, he nodded and turned around, wrapping the cloak around Iris since the air had gotten incredibly cold. Lord Lucifer looked at the destroyed woods in front of him, the burnt trees and grass that were no longer present. The owls that hooted all night were gone, the doves and crows flying around had vanished and some of them might even be in there, burnt to pieces. He walked further as everyone bowed to him and he then sauntered off, making his way to find Amara.
As soon as he had received the message from Fabian, he had teleported himself to see what had happened.
The hooded figure that was standing in the distance started to stride further as well to reach a point where Lord Lucifer met him. Amara was lying on the ground unconscious. The rain had begun to subside and everyone retreated to the castle. Lord Lucifer looked at Amara with a calmly, unable to understand what had happened, and why.
“Azrael,” he whispered, looking up at the man before him.
“Yes, m’Lord?” He replied.
The sound of his voice was clear, deep and husky enough to make a person shiver in fright. The man who stood before Lord Lucifer was the one that he had trained in hiding, and who had grown up to become one of the greatest sorcerers of their time.
“Will you please escort her in the castle? I have something to take care of,” Lord Lucifer said to him and Azrael nodded, turning to look at Amara.
With the swish of his fingers, he lifted her off the ground and she followed, suspended in mid-air. Proceeding in the direction of the castle, he went in through the doors as though he knew exactly where he was going, as though he had been living in the castle for years. He took Amara to the great hall where everyone was seated and conjured up a cot on which he placed her unconscious body. Everyone stared at him quietly. Slowly, he took of his hood and Iris – who was sitting next to Erasmus holding a cup of tea shakily in her hands – looked at him. Her breath hitched at the mere sight of him.
His eyes were a dark blue, almost black but not black enough. He had hair as black as Amara’s, short and cut properly. He wore a black robe, and a cloak on top of it that touched the ground effortlessly. His hands were strong, the veins clearly visible. His skin was a bit darker than white but still white enough. A slightly crooked nose that was hardly noticeable, lips that were sealed shut and he held a stoic expression. It felt as though he never smiled, as though he had never seen what happiness was like. His presence would make someone feel gloomy. It almost felt like a part of them had been ripped out of their soul.
Iris noticed that he was good looking – like the others were, but he wore no expression that a normal sorcerer would. It seemed as though there was absolutely nothing that could make him happy. His eyes were so dark that Iris felt as though they could torture by simply looking at someone. In a way he reminded her of Amara. It felt as though they were of the same species - blank, cold and emotionless.
Lord Lucifer walked into the castle and entered the great hall. Everyone stood up and waited for him to get seated. When he rested his fingers on the armrest of the throne, they all sat down in their own chairs. Amara lay on the cot in a corner, her body still drenched. Lord Lucifer looked at her just once and a gust of wind dried her completely. He then turned to look at Azrael, who was standing at a side with his arms folded across his chest.
“Have a seat,” he ordered and Azrael sat himself down on a chair.
“What we have seen today was most astonishing and uncalled for. We do not know what made her set the woods on Fire but I have observed that there was some reason behind it that infuriated her.
We all are aware that Amara would not harm anyone or anything unless given a strong cause to. Since the damage has been done, we can only find out the reason when she wakes up,” he said to everyone. Ambrosius stood up from his seat to wake Amara when Lord Lucifer held up a hand to stop him.
“Not now,” said he. “Let her rest.”
“Meanwhile, I have to inform you that since Lord Mikhail has been gathering an army, we need one of our own. For that purpose, I have been travelling to find more Conjurers who would like to join our coven and help us. Azrael is a sorcerer whom I had been training in hiding for a long time now. He has been trained to be a very exceptional and brilliant sorcerer and I believe he will be of great use to us whenever needed. Also, I would like all of you to begin practicing your powers so they are polished when we are in need. I will be leaving again tomorrow. Erasmus, is there anything the new witch has to say?” He said, turning to look at Iris who still looked as pale as she did before.
She was no longer holding the cup of tea and sat there with her eyes fixed on the floor, unable to utter a single word. Erasmus shook his head after looking at her.
“I don’t believe she is in the condition to do anything right now, m’Lord,” he said. Lord Lucifer sighed, nodding and turning to look at Amara. He instructed Fabian to escort her to her chamber.
“You may all leave now,” Lord Lucifer addressed them and everyone left while Fabian proceeded to take Amara back to her chamber when she stirred and opened her eyes, blinking a few times before sitting up. Fabian took a step back and glanced at Lord Lucifer once who waved a hand, gesturing him to leave.
Amara turned to look at her Lord sitting next to her and she stood up immediately, roughly forgetting what had happened. She bowed down, getting to her knees when realization struck her and she immediately lifted her head back up. Was she capable of asking questions to him? Would he answer truthfully after lying to her all this while? She struggled to get hold of her thoughts when her eyes fell on the stranger sitting in front of her. His eyes were stuck on her, as though reading her soul inside out and she suddenly felt afraid for the first time. She quickly looked back at her Lord.
“Amara?” Lord Lucifer spoke with a questioning look. She knew what he was asking, but she didn’t know if she was ready to say anything at the moment.
“M’Lord, I apologize for the destruction,” she said, looking down and refusing to make any sort of eye contact. She was afraid that he would see through the lie that she was about to tell him.
“The question is, what made it occur?” He replied, trying to look her in the eye so he could know what it was but she didn’t look at him at all. Instead her eyes were focussed on the floor.
“I was-” she hesitated, “I thought there were witch-hunters in the area and I was meditating and I couldn’t think of what to do so I set Fire to avoid them.”
It was the worst lie she could ever tell. A witch as strong as her could not battle a few witch-hunters and set the woods on Fire, was anybody going to believe that? She cursed herself for saying such a silly thing but to her surprise, Lord Lucifer stared at her simply for a few seconds before he nodded. Of course, he wasn’t that foolish. He knew that she was lying but this wasn’t the right time to ask her the truth. He would let it go for now and ask her whenever he felt the time was right.
“Very well, but I hope this will not happen again,” he said sternly.
“No, m’Lord. Of-of course not,” she replied, her eyes still not meeting his.
“I have some other things I need to take care of before I leave again tomorrow. You may go now.” Lord Lucifer stood up to leave when his eyes fell on Azrael and he stopped in his tracks.
Amara was now standing aside to give him way.
“Introduce yourselves. I believe the both of you will have to work together in time,” he said to them before walking out of the hall. Amara turned to look at Azrael who was already looking at her.
“I didn’t know the Lord’s apprentices lied to him,” he spoke, startling Amara. She narrowed her eyes, not liking him already.
“And who are you to tell me that?” She shot back, raising her eyebrows.
“I am one of his apprentices. He trained me in hiding. Azrael,” he said, extending his arm for her in courtesy but she did nothing of that sort. She opened her mouth to say something when he spoke before her.
“Amara, I know.” He nodded, pulling his hand back. She frowned, wondering as to why he was here.
“The Lord is gathering an army and I will be a part of it. Now I’ve heard a lot about you, Lady Amara. Your brilliance, exceptional qualities, your powers that are unmatchable but just a moment, great witch, did my powers not defeat yours, minutes ago?” He said to her, circling around.
Ridicule dripped from his tone and it clearly showed how much he was mocking her. Amara closed her eyes for a minute to contain her anger. She was right, she didn’t like him a bit.
“I never said my powers are unmatchable,” she replied, her voice thick with rage.
“But others have, m’lady. Like everyone says, there is no one who can defeat you. I am not close to believing that but surely I would like to tell you this, if we are going to be working together, we better accept the fact that there is going to be someone stronger than you and in this case, it would be this humble sorcerer.” His hands were clasped behind his back and he bent in front of her mockingly. Amara resisted the urge to scoff at his antics.
Azrael was impressed at the strong amount of confidence that she gave off. However, he was also not in favour of her being the strongest witch there ever was. With a roll of her eyes, Amara turned her face to look at him.
“In the absence of the Lord, I am in charge of the castle, which means I have an authority over some people. In this case, you, humble sorcerer,” she replied very softly, only to march past him and make her way out of the castle.
She didn’t need to be answerable to someone as over-confident and vile as him. Surely he showed himself as being strong and manipulative enough but it didn’t mean her powers were any weaker. She was sure about herself but not as overly as him. Being over-obsessed with one’s strength wasn’t something she appreciated. She wondered how she was going to work with him.
Inside the castle, Azrael stood with his hands still clasped behind his back. When Iris walked timidly out from her chamber to go to the kitchen, she looked at him from the corner of her eye and slowly enough, proceeded away so as not to get him anywhere close to her. She was as terrified of him as she had first been of Amara. Azrael stood there watching her walk past him. He looked at her quietly, his eyes focussed solely on her and as she was about to reach the door of the kitchen, she stumbled in her steps and frowned in confusion. I haven’t been physically harmed to be so weak while just walking from one chamber to another, she wondered.
With one palm resting on a wall, she straightened herself and stepped inside the kitchen, yet her legs wobbled and they were about to fall apart. Azrael then let out a breath, taking his eyes away from her and suddenly Iris began to walk normally again, her legs feeling as usual as they did before.
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