The Dark Witch Chronicles Book One: The Curse of The Cymmerien Dragon
Chapter Thirty One: The Lost Apprentice

The spirit of Lilith was trapped inside the sacrificial chamber. Lord Lucifer had paralyzed the body of the possessed and sealed her in the chamber with immense protection around her to protect her from being summoned by Lord Mikhail again. The shields were stronger and better than what Lord Mikhail had done. Ambrosius was asked to patrol around the chamber to make sure no harm occurred. The castle was then calmer and more peaceful than ever before. It was four days later that the doors of the castle were flung open and in walked the King’s men along with an injured prisoner.

Lord Lucifer stood up from his throne. The others were seated around him in a meeting for the preparation of the war. As everyone turned to look at the intruders, a groaning sound was heard while the guards dragged him in and threw him on the floor between the circled residents of the castle. Everyone frowned in confusion.

“Lord Lucifer, is this your apprentice?” asked one of the three King’s guards, lifting the prisoner’s face through his cloak’s collar.

He groaned in pain once again and Iris winced at the familiar sound. Her eyes were wider than ever when she saw who it was. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ (ꜰind)ɴʘvel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

There lay Erasmus, with his face covered in blood, a cut on the side of his lip, an injured eye, hair dishevelled and one hand twisted in a very painful way that made it obvious it was broken. His cloak was torn, blood dripping from a wound in his leg. The sight was unbelievable. He wasn’t the Erasmus that Iris had been with before. He was someone completely different and Iris was astounded.

“Erasmus?” uttered Lord Lucifer, a look of disbelief etched upon his features.

“Well since that has been established. The King has asked for an audience with you this evening, Lord Lucifer. And your apprentice here has been arrested,” another guard spoke.

“What is. . .may I ask as to why he is being imprisoned?” Lord Lucifer asked.

“We are unaware of the same. The King has summoned you and his highness will let you know the reason,” replied the guard.

“But-” Lord Lucifer started to protest.

“Get him off of the floor,” the guard cut him off.

Then before anyone could say anything, Erasmus was lifted up and dragged out once again, to everyone’s shock. Iris stared at the whole scene in front of her wordlessly, trying to contain the sudden shock that she was experiencing. She wanted to say something and stop those guards from dragging Erasmus out of the castle but no sound came. They were all silent. None of them had been able to contemplate what had just happened. It all had gotten over so fast that it was impossible to put the entire process together.

“Take your seats,” said Lord Lucifer, breaking the silence and then settling himself on his throne.

“My Lord?” asked Azrael, perplexed.

“We aren’t aware of what has happened so I can’t say anything at the moment. It will only be understood when I meet the King in about two hours,” he replied.

Every one of them had worried expressions mixed with those of confusion. Nobody knew what was going to happen at the King’s palace. Moreover, why Erasmus had been arrested was a mystery.

“M’Lord, I would suggest you to take someone with you. We cannot risk your safety at this sensitive hour,” said Amara from where she was seated beside Eridanus.

Iris sat on the opposite side with Leandra and Azrael, her eyes fixed at the marble floor, as though in deep thought.

“There is no need for that, Amara. I don’t think going to the King’s palace will be dangerous.” Lord Lucifer shook his head in denial.

“I volunteer to go with you, m’Lord. We insist that you have at least one of us to accompany you,” Azrael offered.

Lord Lucifer let out a sigh and then nodded in agreement. It seemed like a logical and sensible thing to do at a point where one of his apprentices was being imprisoned by the King, for a reason that nobody was yet aware of. The meeting was then dismissed after Lord Lucifer left the main hall and retreated to his chamber, leaving Iris, Azrael, Amara and Eridanus there. Iris was silent, her eyes still on the floor. Her eyes were a bit moist and there was a strange expression that she held, something that the others failed to comprehend.

“Why is Erasmus being imprisoned?” She suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

The rest of them turned to look at her.

“We don’t know yet, Iris. We will only know when the Lord returns from the King’s court,” said Eridanus calmly, from where he was standing next to a window.

As he looked at Iris, he realized that he had failed to confess his feelings for her yet. What stopped him was something he could not put a finger on. Maybe it was a fear of not being reciprocated with, for Iris showed no signs of similar feelings towards him. And he did not wish to impose himself on her if she did not feel the same. But that would not stop him from wishing of being seated beside her right now, giving her an assurance that the first friend she had after entering the castle was going to be okay. He knew that although Erasmus had not been in the castle for a while and that he and Iris had not exactly communicated in the last two months, Erasmus was an important person in Iris’s life, no matter the consequences.

“Why is Erasmus being imprisoned?” Iris uttered again, lost in thought.

Amara and Azrael looked at her in perplexity. They glanced at one another worriedly. Why was Iris repeating the question when she had already been answered? Amara opened her mouth to say something when Iris spoke again.

“Why is he being imprisoned if he was only trying to defend himself?”

Amara realized that Iris had been having visions of what might have happened with Erasmus.

“Iris, what have you seen?” She asked, getting up and heading in her direction.

Iris still kept her gaze locked onto the floor, as though in a trance.

“He was only trying to save himself. Is that a crime?” She said, not realizing that Amara was sitting right in front of her on the floor with her hands on Iris’s knees.

“Iris!” Amara bellowed.

Iris snapped her eyes in her direction. Amara watched Iris’s face with concern.

“What?” She said, as though pulling herself out of a daze; she blinked thrice while looking at everyone.

Eridanus stood where he was, wondering what Iris had seen as he tried to push his way into her mind but she shot a warning glare in his direction and blocked his path. He looked away. Azrael glanced between the two of them and despite the sensitive situation at hand; he smiled slightly to himself at the exchange that had happened. He found Iris and Eridanus to be an interesting pair. But that wasn’t his concern at the moment. He was baffled about the fact that one of Lord Lucifer’s most trusted apprentices was being imprisoned.

“What have you seen that concerns Erasmus?” asked Amara, snapping Azrael out of his thoughts.

“I’m not sure. All I saw was him trying to defend himself. I don’t exactly know what it was. But there was another man, I don’t recognize the face but it was someone old. Erasmus was being attacked and- I don’t know,” replied Iris, dazedly.

She ran a hand through her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear in the process.

“Alright. If you see any more visions just let me know, okay?” Amara gave a determined look and Iris nodded in response.

Amara then stood up and took a few steps back before walking out of the hall and to her own chamber. Azrael let out a sigh and strode over to Eridanus who stood there with his eyes focussed on Iris. She was now getting up to go to her chamber as well. There were a few books that she had to read along with Leandra. She was waiting for Iris. Without glancing at Eridanus as he was expecting her to, she walked past him and disappeared. He let out an audible sigh, which Azrael noticed and raised his eyebrows at.

“Have you ever loved someone?” He said to Azrael.

“Describe love,” replied Azrael, leaning on the wall and crossing his arms on his chest.

“I don’t know. But if you haven’t, then I suggest you don’t, because it is very exhaustive when you aren’t sure whether she is going to throw a curse at you or accept you wholeheartedly.”

With that, Eridanus gave Azrael a fleeting look of despair before wandering off outside the castle. Azrael blinked, staring at the floor beneath his feet. Could it be? He wondered and then shook his head as he rolled his eyes in denial. No it cannot be. Then he proceeded to walk to his own chamber and wait until it was time to join the Lord to the King’s court.

ӿӿӿ

Two hours later, Lord Lucifer found himself standing before King Orcus in the court, surrounded by various other Ministers including Lord Mikhail. He was staring at Lord Lucifer with a piercing gaze that said he had just one thing on his mind: murder. Lord Lucifer bowed in respect to King Orcus along with Azrael who stood behind him amidst the crowd of enemies that they were going to have war with. It seemed nearly surreal to him as he watched the faces of those that he would have to battle in a matter of time. And seeing the looks on their faces, the war did not seem very far away. It was close, and he knew that the protection of Lady Calypsa was now their utmost priority after they left the King’s court, whether with or without Erasmus.

The King gave a nod in Lord Lucifer’s direction.

“Have a seat, Lord Lucifer,” he said.

Shaking his head in disagreement, Lord Lucifer stood there with his staff held in his right hand, his robe sprawling behind him.

“What is it that has happened, your highness?” He asked, eager to know the cause of his apprentice being arrested.

“It is with utmost sadness that I inform you about the demise of our great Lord Zachariah. We have lost a very vital part of our Ministry,” said the King.

Lord Lucifer’s eyes widened in shock before he lowered his head in remorse, wondering how that had anything to do with Erasmus being imprisoned. He was aware of how powerful Lord Zachariah was. He had played a role in Lord Lucifer’s training along with King Abraham. The loss was surely saddening, but having Erasmus arrested was something he still could not understand.

“Lord Lucifer, your coven has been a very important part of Acanthus,” the King continued. “We have worked together in protecting the Kingdom from attacks of witch-hunters and other creatures that would be of harm. We have existed in harmony since the days of my forefathers. However, taking into account recent events, war is imminent, which is of course of great concern to the Kingdom as well as the Ministry. But of course, the privilege of depending on the Ministry’s help resides with my great Ministers solely.

“The Death of Lord Zachariah is most sorrowful, since he had nothing to do with the war. For him to have been harmed is unacceptable and the killer will be sentenced. Lord Zachariah was one of the greatest sorcerers from the time of King Abraham the Second. His killing through the hands of one of your apprentices is alarming; given the respect that Lord Zachariah has received in all these years.

“Today we have arrested your apprentice by the name of Erasmus Carcius Lehfe’r under the accusation of him being the one that has slain our respected Lord. Four nights ago we discovered the body of Lord Zachariah in the mountains of Rosean and since then Lord Mikhail has left no stone unturned in finding out who it was that killed the Lord. After two days of searching the vast areas of Rosean, he has come to the conclusion that your apprentice had been meditating in the mountains when Lord Zachariah met him. The accused has left a trail of him since he resided there for a week which is why we could understand that it was him that was present at the time Lord Zachariah died. We found him in the mountains after Lord Mikhail sent us the message regarding the same.

“The accused has agreed to his crime but refuses to divulge the information as to how he managed to slay someone as great as Lord Zachariah. We all are aware of his power although he was of old age. Killing a powerful sorcerer like him is not a facile task. He is to be sentenced for life imprisonment in the dungeons for committing a crime of such intensity. Tonight, I summon you here to help us in deciphering as to why the accused has slain Lord Zachariah. If you will kindly cooperate, Lord Lucifer.”

For the three minutes that the King spoke, Lord Lucifer listened to him with rapt attention and so did Azrael. Their shock upon knowing that Erasmus was the one to kill Lord Zachariah was obvious enough to everyone else around. Lord Mikhail was still shooting daggers in their direction and Azrael decided to ignore it even though he had noticed, unlike Lord Lucifer who wasn’t as much under shock as Azrael was. Lord Lucifer was well aware of how strong Erasmus was, although his power was not exactly focussed on and shown to others.

He believed in keeping his powers hidden and only revealing them when extremely necessary. Killing Lord Zachariah might have had a reason behind it, since Erasmus was not one to kill a well-known and powerful sorcerer. What appalled Lord Lucifer was the cause of it. He wanted to know why Erasmus had taken such a drastic step. The injuries that he had were obvious enough to tell Lord Lucifer that he had been tortured into revealing the reason he killed Lord Zachariah and how he managed to do so. Yet Erasmus had not uttered a word about it.

“Your highness, it is with great remorse that I express my sorrow for the Death of a great sorcerer of the likes of Lord Zachariah. May his soul find salvation soon in the after-life. I do not know why my apprentice has killed the Lord. I assure you it wasn’t under my orders or anyone else’s from my coven. Erasmus has been away for about a month after the tragic Death of my nephew and part of the coven, Nicholas. Erasmus’s whereabouts were unknown to us. I would be honoured to be of any help to the Ministry. But your highness, we cannot ignore the possibility of a conflict that might have happened between the two. I do not see any evidence that would state that Erasmus was the only one at fault. I am not accusing the great Lord of being wrong, but Erasmus is a trusted apprentice and I have to question this. I believe he had a concrete reason to do what he did,” said Lord Lucifer calmly.

“You are correct, Lord Lucifer. If he were not at fault, the accused would have divulged the cause, free of fear. But since he hasn’t, doubts are bound to arise,” the King replied just as softly.

“I understand that my apprentice will have to be questioned in the court,” Lord Lucifer said.

“It is as custom goes, Lord Lucifer. We shall summon the accused.” The King nodded and started to order a guard to bring Erasmus into the court when Azrael stepped forward.

“If I may interrupt, your highness,” said Azrael, glancing at Lord Mikhail for a moment. “I am Azrael, another apprentice of Lord Lucifer. Forgive me for the intrusion, but will your majesty permit us to speak to Erasmus in private?”

Lord Lucifer snapped his head in Azrael’s direction with a warning look. What he had proposed was most unacceptable and there were chances that Lord Mikhail would be enraged and get Azrael imprisoned as well for going against the rules of the law; given Lord Mikhail’s influence over the King. Lord Lucifer did not wish to lose any more of his apprentices from the coven. The war was coming sooner.

He was not surprised when all the Ministers rose from their seats and began to talk loudly, grumbling and protesting against what Azrael had just said. Lord Mikhail stood there, fuming as he tried to stop himself from not hexing Azrael and Lord Lucifer right then and there. The King silenced the court as he raised his palm.

“Please, great Lords. Take your seats,” he said.

Everyone quieted down; although they did not stop staring at Azrael who had stayed perfectly calm during the whole chaos.

“You do realize that you are speaking against the law?” said the King, looking at Azrael.

“I do, your highness. But the reason I suggest this is that for days the accused has faced persecution in front of the King and the Ministry without revealing what has been asked of him. Speaking to him in isolation would perhaps prove favourable. I can only offer such proposals your highness, the rest is always your decision,” explained Azrael.

The King listened to him silently and then nodded his head in understanding.

“It does not sound any worse than what we have tried already. Very well, we shall go to the dungeons and meet with the accused right away. Lord Lucifer, I will accompany you and your apprentice along with one guard as the custom goes.”

“Your highness, this is against the law!” Protested Minister Gabriel. “His Grace cannot possibly agree to such a request from a mere sorcerer that is part of Lord Lucifer’s coven. The Ministry is responsible for making crucial decisions and not some stray resident of the Kingdom!” He stood up and the other Ministers agreed.

“Lord Gabriel,” the King drawled, “The decision has been made by the King and not a stray resident of the Kingdom. We have not broken any law. ‘The Binding of Sorcerer’s land’ states clearly that changes may be made in the law as long as it is of no harm to the Kingdom. This is not a very crucial matter per se. It is only to meet the accused and I do not see any harm in the same. I would suggest you not to speak against the King in such manner. You may have the power to make decisions for the Kingdom but the power of disbanding you resides with the King.”

With that, the King left the court followed by Lord Lucifer and Azrael, while the rest of the Ministers watched their disappearing figures. Lord Mikhail sat on his throne controlling his anger. It was unacceptable and suddenly the King had become independent and wasn’t taking any orders from Lord Mikhail or other Minister like he used to before. It struck Lord Mikhail that the King might be taking the staunch meditation training from Lord Zachariah to have found such confidence. It was not a bad thing but it bothered Lord Mikhail nonetheless, for he had started to lose power over the King at a time when he was starting to lose a lot of other things including Lord Zachariah.

The King’s guard led the way down as they progressed towards the cell that Erasmus was kept in. The dungeons were located four floors below the courtroom. They walked through a series of corridors and long winding passageways as they made their descent. As they neared the dungeons, groans of pain were heard from a distance. There was a vile stench looming in the air. As they neared Erasmus’s cell, one of the guards shoved the door open and Lord Lucifer spotted his apprentice lying on the cold floor of the dark cell with his eyes shut as tears rolled down slowly and steadily through them. His hands and legs were bound in chains as he wept and cried as pain ensued right from his toes up to his head. The pain that he had been going through for two days was something only he would understand. No other soul would know the torture that was being inflicted upon him for long hours. He could not sleep, or eat, or even crawl away from where he was trapped. Neither could he breathe normally. His chest heaved up and down as he struggled to breathe in the cell that had no sufficient amount of air inside.

It was not like the usual jail. There were no bars. A huge circled wall along with a single window with iron bars on top of the wall right below the ceiling allowed just a bit of air to get in. A metal door was shut using protective shields to prevent prisoners from escaping. They were bewitched to stop the prisoners from using spells to break out. Inside, Erasmus’s head pounded in pain. His eyes were tightly shut as he tried to get rid of the nightmare that flashed before his eyes every time he attempted to sleep. It was a haunting sight that reminded him of what he had done every minute as it passed.

***

The wind echoed around his ears as he breathed deeply with his eyes closed and back straight, resting on the bark of a tree behind. After the Death of his best friend, Erasmus had left the castle to finish the tasks that Nicholas had started. There were witches that he was training in hiding, books that Lord Lucifer had asked him to hide and endangered creatures that he was protecting. All those incomplete tasks that Lord Lucifer had assigned to Nicholas were to be taken care of and Erasmus was going to do the same. As he trudged along the path in the mountains of Rosean, the grass beneath his feet felt soft and inviting. Erasmus settled himself there after a month long travel where he had resumed most of the tasks that Nicholas had left. In Rosean, he was supposed to train a new witch that Nicholas had begun the training of, and now was undergoing a serious meditation process.

Erasmus decided to look for the witch after a while. He needed to rest a bit. As he sat beneath the tree he was resting on, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Opening his eyes, Erasmus turned around to look for the source. Moments later, there stood in front of him one of the Ministers of the King’s court that he had seen once. He recognized the Minister as being a very old and powerful sorcerer.

“Lord Zachariah, is it?” He questioned, bowing in respect.

Lord Zachariah walked ahead carrying his staff with him, taking slow steps as he was unable to walk like he did when he was younger.

“You!” he roared, pointing a finger in Erasmus’s direction furiously.

Erasmus frowned and began to say something when Lord Zachariah walked a bit faster towards him and stood right in front of him.

“Are you not Lord Lucifer’s apprentice?” He asked, still as furious.

“Yes, great Lord, I am,” replied Erasmus, perplexed.

“The foul, loathsome of a Lord, Lucifer. He has raised a coven of weaklings! And he expects to protect not only Acanthus but also the prophecy that Lady Calypsa guards. Tell your foolish Lord that Mikhail will take everything from him! The witch that you call brilliant shall never be able to guard the prophecy!” he bellowed.

There was a stutter in his voice and his body shivered as he spoke. Maybe it is due to old age, or maybe the air is just too chilly, Erasmus thought to himself.

He stared at Lord Zachariah in confusion. What was he talking about? A prophecy? And why would he call Lord Lucifer names?

“Great Lord, I am unaware of what prophecy you speak of. But I assure you, our coven does not consist of weak Conjurers. Whatever it is that Lord Lucifer is protecting, it will be guarded with utmost care if it is of such importance,” he said to the Lord, calmly as he could.

“Mikhail will be informed of the treachery that the spirit has committed. The spirit is gone! The weaklings have taken it under control – it is gone! The spirit will assist. But Lucifer will never see the light of the day when I inform Mikhail of the happening! The war will end the reign and Acanthus will be destroyed! Mikhail shall sail through the sea and gain the secret prophecy that the weak witch is guarding. And I shall help him do so. You, apprentice of the fool that is Lucifer, you must leave those feeble ones and join Mikhail in the quest of eternal glory! You shall be rewarded, young one. Join the coven of Mikhail and let go of the frail!”

Erasmus watched the sorcerer speak in undertone and then shook his head in denial, a silent chuckle escaping his lips.

“Leave the coven of the great Lord Lucifer? Sir, for being one of the greatest sorcerers you speak such malarkey. I have sworn my life to the coven of Lord Lucifer and will never betray the Lord.”

A moment later, he was thrown to the ground as Lord Zachariah shot a curse at Erasmus. He pushed himself up to standing. There was a wrathful look on the Lord’s face as he continued to attack. Erasmus then stepped away and hid behind a tree.

“I do not wish to fight you, great Lord. Do not compel me to do so.”

But his plea was unheard. Lord Zachariah struck a blow once again and Erasmus was tossed away. In an attempt to save himself, Erasmus stood up and decided to teleport from the location but another blow caught him and as he fought to defend himself, he unknowingly shot the silent and strongest curse of paralysis towards the Lord. Soon he was on the ground, his eyes rolled upwards and hands stiff on his sides. Erasmus rushed towards Lord Zachariah to revive him from the curse but due to the evident strong force that he had sent the curse with, the paralysis had taken a worse turn. He had paralyzed Lord Zachariah into killing his own self. It was known that if a paralyzing curse went wrong by an inch, it would mentally affect the victim into ceasing his/her own bodily functions leading to Death. It did not create any injuries or harm to the body, but the victim would be mentally distraught and unable to bring himself back to the normal state.

Due to his old age and weakness after shooting various spells at Erasmus, Lord Zachariah could not counter the curse that Erasmus had shot him with. It was a strong curse and a very covert one that frightened Erasmus to no limit. However strong or capable a Conjurer might be, the paralyzing curse – if gone wrong – had the power to kill in no time. It not only affected the victim, but the killer as well. As Erasmus watched the dead body that lay before him and realization struck him that he had unknowingly killed one of the greatest sorcerers of all time, his eyes were filled with various illusions that blinded him. But he ran. He began to run to wherever his feet dragged him. Visions of Lord Zachariah silently suffering in pain flashed across his eyes as he tried to run faster and faster out of fright. But moments later, his foot tripped over a rock and he fell to the ground into unconsciousness.

***

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