The Dark Witch Chronicles Book One: The Curse of The Cymmerien Dragon
Chapter Thirty: The Dance of The Soul

Lit by a single torch of fire, the sacrificial chamber was amiss a darkness that surrounded it for nearly two hours. The door had been enchanted in protection so as to keep the sounds coming from the chamber unheard. For the sounds were a music that no one was able to contain. They were horrific and chilling. It was not a normal night. Inside the chamber, sat three witches surrounding the circle of Fire between them. The candles that rested on the points of the star within were now blazing with flames as the wax melted furiously. Yet they did not diminish. All the candles remained the usual size.

Amara, Leandra and Sienna were chanting innumerable spells so as to summon the Lord of souls, Isiah. Azrael and Eridanus were busy trying to connect their minds to that of Lilith’s so as to manipulate her, while Iris and Lord Lucifer sat in one side of the chamber, watching everything in silence. At times when sounds of the chants grew louder and clearer, they scared Iris. She would flinch every now and then but after a while she began to adapt to them. Lord Lucifer was unaffected.

He sat there transferring some of his energy to the three witches whenever it felt like they were losing strength.

Summoning an evil spirit from the clutches of a Lord like Lord Mikhail wasn’t easy. It was tiring and they had been at it for almost two hours. Various lights flew around as the chants grew louder. Sometimes blue indicating progress, sometimes red: that showed a barrier that the witches had to fight in order to go ahead; and sometimes it went completely black, saying that the spirit was starting to respond.

“Give us your power, holy Lord of Death, of salvation, of doom. Send us the soul that is evil and impure. We pray to thee, Lord of greatness, of spirits. Help us to the evil and to the Deathly. Give us your power to summon the grave soul. Holy Lord of salvation, of doom, give us your strength to take the vile in our grasp. We pray to thee. . .”

On went the hymns, echoing around the chamber, the sounds inducing slight tremors in the walls. Iris watched as the chants continued and Azrael and Eridanus concentrated their best in manipulating the spirit.

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Far away in a small cave of the Dark Falls, the body that Lilith’s spirit had possessed was shivering. She lay on the stone floor where Lord Mikhail had left her a night ago. After ensuring protection around the cave, he had left to go and meet with Lord Zachariah to let him know the progress that had been made. Lord Mikhail had not received any message from his source in the castle of Lord Lucifer and it confused him in some ways. He was aware that something big was about to happen, yet he had not been informed about it.

Although, letting Lord Zachariah and his apprentices know what task they were to do was more important than not receiving information from his source. He was now in the court of King Orcus after a long and tiring journey from the village of Heletes, to the caves of Dark Falls and then back to Acanthus, at five in the morning. The court of King Orcus was eerily quiet. When Lord Mikhail approached the King, he was seated on the throne wearily.

“Your highness?” He expressed with concern.

He wasn’t expecting the court to be summoned so early in the morning. The usual time was always after seven. Seeing the looks that everyone held, it seemed to Lord Mikhail that something grave had happened. When King Orcus raised his head, it was comprehensible that there was a grave matter that needed to be discussed. The court would not be summoned otherwise.

“Lord Mikhail,” said the King, relieved that the Minister was back.

He hoped there would be some help from him.

“What is the matter, your highness?” Lord Mikhail asked, frowning.

“We have lost Lord Zachariah,” replied the King.

Lord Mikhail stared. He merely stared at the King vacantly. Lord Zachariah was the eldest sorcerer in Acanthus, and Lord Mikhail’s mentor. He had been the source of information and help that Lord Mikhail needed. Lost? He wondered. How was that possible?

“What do you mean lost?” He whispered.

Lord Zachariah was the most learned sorcerer of their time. He was old but powerful. He had enough strength to paralyze someone at once. Defeating him was a difficult task, and only extremely strong sorcerers or witches were capable of doing that.

“We buried him a few hours ago.”

Upon hearing that, Lord Mikhail’s heart dropped in his chest. Lord Zachariah was dead? He asked himself a million questions as to how that was possible but he could never get the answers. He knew nothing of what had happened in the court after he left to look for the one who would help him gain the prophecy by summoning Lady Calypsa. He had enough information about everything that went on in the castle of Lord Lucifer but he was unaware of what occurred in his own.

“How did this happen?” He asked.

“There is no clue of how he died,” the King began. “We found his body in the mountains of Rosean. Two nights ago, he told us that he would be travelling for some important message that he had to give to you, said he would only do that in person. He refused to have any guards or our apprentices sent with him and insisted on going alone. We tried to stop him but he would hear nothing. Then hours later, I received a distorted message from him saying that he needed help. By the time we located him and found him in Rosean, he was gone. We suspect that he was attacked but there was no trace of any hex or injury. He was clean. It seems to be that he lost strength or-”

“Lord Zachariah is not weak enough to lose strength while travelling,” Lord Mikhail cut him off, snapping.

He could not believe what he was hearing. It was strange and most mysterious to have Lord Zachariah dead all the sudden. What was the message that he wanted to give to Lord Mikhail? Lord Mikhail gave a lot of thought to it. Lord Zachariah would not have left the court to meet him in person if it were not extremely important. Now there was no way that Lord Mikhail could find out what the message was. Summoning the spirit of Lord Zachariah was also not a choice since his soul would still be in the process of the after-life and during that, it would be of no use. It could be years until he would find out what the message was.

“That is what we believe as well, Lord Mikhail. But his Death is most confusing. We have been trying to think of the cause but there is no answer. If you could tell us any possibility,” King Orcus trailed off.

There was a pregnant pause. Lord Mikhail sat down as he gazed at the floor in confusion. He gave it deep thought. As grieved as he was at the Death of his only mentor, it confused him to no limit for not knowing the cause of his Death. An extremely powerful and learned sorcerer like Lord Zachariah could not die so easily. There had to be someone as strong in competition to defeat him. Who was it that had enough power to defeat Lord Zachariah? Who could have that much influence?

“Lord Lucifer,” he suddenly breathed.

“I beg your pardon?” said the King.

His eyebrows were raised in astonishment. Had he heard what he thought he had?

“It could only be him. You said there were no injuries of hex evidences, correct?” asked Lord Mikhail, looking up at the confused King. The rest of the court, although silent, held similar expressions as that of their King.

“He was clean. It seemed like an unharmed Death,” replied the King.

“Lord Lord Lucifer is the only one that can kill someone without a single harm to the victim. Although, Lord Zachariah is not so weak to have been under influence of Lord Lucifer; what confuses me is how he let Lord Lucifer attack. He could be the only one,” Lord Mikhail muttered in deep thought.

“But why would Lord Lucifer do something like that?” asked Lord Gabriel.

“That is another question.” Lord Mikhail sighed. “We need to find that out somehow.”

“Are you sure that it was Lord Lucifer?” the King said.

“Not completely, but the evidences point that way. I’m going to have to meet him.”

With that, Lord Mikhail stood up to go to the castle of Lord Lucifer when the King stopped him.

“Lord Mikhail, this does not seem like a bright plan. We have not any proof of whether Lord Lucifer has committed this. If he has, it is punishable of course, for Lord Zachariah was one of the greatest sorcerers we have had. For him to be killed it is most astounding, but we cannot blame Lord Lucifer for it without a single proof. There is no existent evidence of this. You have just arrived. Do rest for a while. We know your journey was tiring. I suggest you take some rest and then we shall discuss on this matter thoroughly. It is my request, Lord Mikhail, please return to your chamber. I shall send assistance to you right away for refreshments.”

“We do not have time for refreshments and rest, your highness!” Lord Mikhail snapped with annoyance. “There is a war that I have declared; I have to gather an army. I have an important task to take care of. I cannot sit in my chamber and rest at this moment. Lord Zachariah is dead and you expect me to take rest?”

“Lord Mikhail, you are under a lot of stress. Nothing can function this way. We need you to be stable right now. For that you need to rest. I give you a direct order as your King. You have to obey me and go rest right this moment.”

There was a stern look that King Orcus held, one that Lord Mikhail had seen for the first time in many years. King Orcus was known for being weak and irresponsible. He had never used his authority of being King over anybody. He always took advice of his Ministers before taking a single decision, even though it might be of less importance. Whether it was his kindness or weakness, nobody knew. Yet the Ministers respected him enough since he was the descendant of King Abraham. Lord Mikhail stared blankly at King Orcus, unable to utter a word.

“To your chamber, Lord Mikhail, now.” He repeated.

A moment later, Lord Mikhail was out of the court and back into his chamber. It seemed as though he had not been there for ages. Only months had passed since he had visited his chamber, after he left to travel. It was comforting to him in a few ways, yet he was so disturbed at the Death of Lord Zachariah, that he did not know what exactly he felt. He was perplexed as well. He did not know whether Lord Lucifer had really been the one that killed Lord Zachariah, or if it was someone else. And if it was Lord Lucifer, what was the reason behind it? What was the message that Lord Zachariah wanted to give to him?

As he rested himself on the bed, he stared above at the ceiling with various thoughts running across his mind. Questions that he could not find out the answers to were lurking in his brain as his eyes shut themselves and he descended into a deep sleep after weeks; nearly forgetting about the spirit of Lilith that was being summoned from the Dark Falls, right to the castle that wasn’t very far from where he was.

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Lilith’s body was now being tossed around in the cave, hitting the walls and the floor tremendously as it tried to dodge the protection that had been created around the cave. It was being called somewhere, and the call was powerful enough to have rendered her helpless and out of its own control. Lilith was partly influenced by Lord Mikhail after he had tried to release her mind with all the vile thoughts, replacing them with the prior thoughts of what she really was; and she was partly influenced by the chants that were echoing into her ears, pulling her towards the source. The control of Lord Mikhail was stronger, and it stopped her from breaking the protections and travelling to where she was being called.

As her limp body smashed across walls, her red eyes rolled upwards, mouth open and a horrific sound erupting from her throat, Lilith heard another sound that began to break the protection slowly and steadily. She fought it; Lord Mikhail’s control over her tried to fight harder but the sound that she was hearing started to become clearer. The melody of a flute pierced her ears and mind, rendering all her control useless as she struggled to keep still inside the cave.

All the sudden, Lord Mikhail’s protective shields cracked and Lilith’s eyes burned furiously. She stood still for a moment, eyes wide and hands stuck to her sides. Something made her rush towards the entrance of the cave that had been sealed shut with a huge rock. Lilith began to push the rock using all her strength; unaware of how much her body was being injured. Her fragile fingers applied all their strength onto the rock that refused to budge, for it was too heavy.

Miles away in the castle, Azrael and Eridanus were trying their best to manipulate Lilith into leaving the cave that she was trapped in and reaching the castle but so far, they had only managed to move her body from wall to wall and then back to the floor, injuring her profusely. But as soon as Sienna had picked up the flute and started to send out various melodies from it, the protective shields that were around Lilith broke and Eridanus immediately entered Lilith’s mind, then manipulating her into trying to get rid of the rock that was covering the entrance. When they were sure that it would injure her more and make it difficult for them to make her travel all the way to Acanthus from the Dark Falls, Azrael raised one of his hands, keeping his concentration on Lilith.

The gesture of his hand being raised meant that Iris had to intervene at that point. Since she was weak after having fainted from the journey to the village of Heletes, they had not let her join them until it was extremely necessary and had no option. As soon as Iris saw Azrael’s hand up, she rushed to sit beside him and shut her eyes immediately. Meanwhile, Lea and Amara were in a trance. Their chants were no longer heard, but they were silently praying to the God Isiah so as to keep the sacrificial chamber ready for when the spirit arrived.

Azrael created a link between his mind and that of Iris’s to help her form a clear connection to Lilith. Iris used all of her strength to do the same. She let her mind get focussed on the spirit that was to be summoned and concentrated hard as she could. Lilith went awfully silent. No sound came out of her, no movement occurred. The cave was quiet, eerily quiet apart from the sound of the flute that echoed around. Lilith’s eyes scanned the cave. It was sealed shut. There was no escape. Moments later, she closed her eyes. Her hands raised themselves on their own accord. Her feet moved backwards a few paces.

With slow movements, Lilith’s lips moved and a spell came out of her mouth that shattered the rock on the entrance of the cave, a blinding red light glittering from the stretch of her fingers. Wind rushed inside the cave as soon as the barrier was gone and Lilith then proceeded to walk out of the chamber. Iris let out a breath that she was holding. She had entered Lilith’s mind, keeping a firm hold to the link with Azrael’s so as not to lose herself in the spirit that she was handling. With that, she had made Lilith break the rock down into pieces instead of using physical strength. Meanwhile Eridanus had helped her cease Lilith’s mind to not let any other force enter.

What Iris had done was remarkable, in Azrael’s opinion. He made a mental note to applaud her for that. He then started to make Lilith’s body move in direction of the castle while Eridanus made sure that she was going on the right path, and Iris kept a hold over the spirit’s mind so as not to let it wander around anywhere that was unnecessary. And Lilith walked as she was being made to. The sound of the flute led her into an ecstasy that nobody was able to understand. It mesmerized her and made her lose herself in the sound. The melody that Sienna was producing had immense power to bring Lilith to the castle.

Lord Lucifer watched the whole process with relief. He could see the strength that was his coven. In those six Conjurers, he saw a power that assured him that his coven was going to be one of the greatest of their time. Five elements described the power of his apprentices in the chamber with him. Iris was the Fire that had strength to destroy as well as illuminate. Azrael was the Water that ensured peace and could wipe out dangers of all kinds. Eridanus was the Earth that gave a base to their strength and held them on ground. Sienna and Leandra were Wind, both strong and made their presence felt, although invisible; and Amara was the Spirit that held the rest of them together and ruled over all.

It was astonishing as to how none of them needed his help in summoning a spirit as strong and vile as that of Lilith’s. As he sat there watching the whole process unfold before him, the window of the chamber flung open, shattering the glass everywhere and indicating an arrival. Amara, Leandra, Azrael and Iris’s eyes shot open to find the spirit of Lilith enclosed in the body of a human staggering towards them slowly. Iris looked at the one that had killed Nicholas. She did not know how she felt. Sienna still had her eyes closed with the flute playing and Eridanus was exhausted as he slumped on the wall beside him, his eyes slightly open.

Amara watched as the spirit of Lilith crashed before her between the circle of light. Then there was a deafening silence.

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