[4] Emma

Fear.

I've never felt fear run so deep within my blood. There must be a way out. A way to escape this fate coming towards us. The magic inside my veins warned, it was warning me of something.

I sat locked up in my room, three lamps placed strategically to give the room a bright aura yet even that couldn't brighten my spirits.

How could it? I moved to a candle holder, lighting it as if that could chase away this coldness sipping through me.

Danger. My magic whispered Danger, Danger and Death.

I felt myself freeze, Death?

I fell to my knees, hands clasped as I shut my eyes, I must pray to Erania, pray for her forgiveness that her son maybe a little lenient in his wrath and spare my people.

Would the goddess, Queen of gods, agree?

Knock. Knock.

                                 "Sorceress!" a faint voice called out from the other side of the door. 

                                "Enter" I  replied calmly but loud enough to be heard, my eyes fixed on the wooden table before me.

                                       "What can I do for you my dear? " I asked not even bothering to turn around, I could sense her aura from a mile away. Abigail my dear Niece, was destined for something. Something big.

The magic told me.

The young witch lowered her head showing respect.

                              "I heard you were back, I would like to know if the rumours are true mistress "she said softly and respectfully.

                                   "And what rumours may those be? " I gritted my teeth, anticipating the answer.

                                       "That the prophecy has been fulfilled, "

Sighing, I finally turned to face her, meeting her angelic blue eyes and her coal kissed hair, my blood run through her veins. She would be the next after me.

Abigail gasped reading the look on my face almost immediately. I slumped over feeling defeated. Something was coming, something I couldn't protect my people from or the last of my line.

I was old and although far from feeble, the grey hair flowing down to my shoulders like lofty clouds gave away the fact that my magic was fading with age, my time would soon be near. The thoughts brought about a sadness.

                          "n-no-   i-i-it just can not be true" Abigail stuttered shaking her head slowly. She knew of the prophecy, the downfall of the four kingdoms and the rebirth of the old.

                              "you know it is" I replied, my tone a defeated whisper, " you must always acknowledge the truth."

Abigail stared at the floor her hands shaking but the rest of her body as stiff as a corpse, she looked up at me,

                                  "but he is but a child? Can't we do something to stop him? We can not sit here and wait for calamity, we must do something mistress, we simply must! " she retorted with pleading eyes. She had always been firey, I prayed after I leave this realm she would continue with the same spirit.

                               "I already did" 

Abigail's eyes shot to mine in confusion,

                                  "mistress?" she asked as I rubbed my arms, turning to the wooden table in which the spell from earlier was laid before me."I set a spell that made anyone who was holding the baby after the few moments when deliverd would possessed by a Laina and have the urge to kill it" I said.

It was supposed to end there, it took much energy to conjure, control and send a demon as powerful as that. Even against my own morals crossing over to the dark side.

However, it would not be that easy to get rid of the dragon prince it seemed.

Abigail lifted an eyebrow awaiting the next line but no other words came from my lips. 

                       "And was the spell successful? " she urged, her hopeful tone made me feel worse.

I suddenly looked back at Abigail, my eyes shifting between the spell, a shiny tear escaping from my eyes.

It was my defeat.

                 "Mistress!! " Abigail screeched, wanting to rush up to me and wipe the abominable tear that rolled down a great witches cheek. It was unseen or unheard of for the most powerful witch in the realms to cry but here I was.

I couldn't explain it.

That tear was for a lot of things, a lot of emotions, death, pain, loss.

Abigail proceeded to walk over to me but I held out my hand to stop her from moving further, wiping my own tear away,

                                " I'm fine Abigail, let me weep in advance for my kingdom."

She stood before me, looking both frozen and bewildered,

                                "so the spell did not work," she stated, rather than asked.

For as long as I have lived there has never been a spell that has failed or backfired. Each has been fulfilled to it's purpose.

I was the descendant of a great line of powerful witches,  inheriting their magic, along with beauty (when I was younger though it was slowly fading), and I never ever failed. 

Neither had Rena's, my sister and Abigail's mother, who had passed on to the after life a few days after having Abigail.

So as the last in the line of Great witches, after my death, Abigail would become the next great witch of the kingdom of Riota( the witch kingdom), as the same blood that flowed in my veins flowed also in Abigail's.

                 "it did not fail, my spell worked accordingly, I could feel it manifest seconds after birth" I muttered a little offended at the thought.

                              "So the baby's dead?"

                       "no..H-he is not.." I stuttered, feeling myself gulp.

                    "I do not understand, if the spell worked why is he still alive? "

                              "The spell was only made to posses he who is holding the child at the time of delivery and smother him, killing him instantly. But for some reason, he escaped the claws of death.." 

I shuddered as the wind stormed through the open window,

                          "I can feel his energy. It's too strong it has to manifest as wind," I explained, turning away from my niece, my eyes misty and drenched in fear. 

                            "What do you mean mistress?"

                          "I feel unimaginable power, i-it scares me. " I confessed, "No man should contain so much power, it is deathly. It cannot be transferred, it's just  too much for one being to handle" I  finished moving passed Abigail as if she wasn't even there. 

                                               "i-is it that strong?"

                                           "no my child, he is much stronger. He is but a child but I feel the ground move at a simple cry from wailing infant lips, " A shudder crossed my spine at the thought.

                                        "you can hear him?"

                                                  " I could hear him, when he was born, but he is quiet now. Very quiet.. I can't sense him.. Only feel his power."

I shivered, rubbing my arms, scratching at them, before suddenly turning around grabbing my niece, a warning clear resounding through my mind, 

                               " Abigail, you must stay far away from his presence! Do not use your magic against him! " I yelled at her, feeling like I had lost my mind as another belt of power in form of wind came rushing in.

Abigail winced as I pulled her closer, her eyes wide as saucers. She was probably wondering what was wrong with me, if I was possessed by gods or anything worse.

But I didn't blame her for not understanding, once she wore the mantle, she would feel the magic and it's warnings like I did. 

                                        "but mistress, isn't he just a baby? Now is the best time to finish him off with our magic, when he is still easy to control. If we stand united all of us witches, we become one. We can handle him together, eliminating him once and for all. We can't afford him growing. You above all people know the prophecy! He will clean out our people, rid them to extinction!! I will not let that happen. I am to be the next protector, the great witch, I cannot fail my people, I must do something! It is better done now when he is but an infant! " 

I took a step back releasing her from my grip, amazed at her ignorance. Hope? She had hope? I threw my head back, falling in a fit of laughter knowing that this action probably made Abigail feel like I was crazy.

Where was the cool collective aunt she knew, the one who was always in control? If only she knew how small her mind thought, how little we were. There was no hope!

Only fear.

. 

                                       "you think he is but a child? An infant? " I asked slowly as my laughter died out

I watched her bite her lip.

Oh how sweet and innocent my little niece was.

                                 "My child, " I began, "You and I, and your mother, and your mothers mother, and your mothers mothers mother, and the one before her and so on and so forth, their magic, do you know where our magic comes from? Do you know where we witches began from?"

                            "Mother witch Alesia " Abigail replied as a small flash of lightening crossed the sky. 

                                       "True, mother witch. The mother of all witches. We are her direct descendants. Hence comes our power" I explained to her like I used to when she was but eight winters old.

"Do you know where she got her magic from? " 

Abigail nodded,

                          "She was a kind woman, and for her kindness she was blessed with the gift of magic, after she kindly accomadated a passer by who no one was willing to associate with. They say after her kind action the once dirty old man became a young prince with hair as golden as the sun and eyes bluer than the ocean his voice bringing thunder to the sky yet touch as soft as a flower, his clothes golden like his skin and the wings that grazed on his back . He himself blessed her with the gift. " Abigail replied, that was the first story every witch was ever told.

I grinned,

                                     "What you do not know my dear Abigail is the other half of the story. Who the stranger was and how he did come by this magic."

Abigail pricked up her ears looking at her aunt in confusion,

                                 "what do you mean to say? Who was the man?" 

                            " A dragon prince. More than nine hundred thousand years ago. The dragon race ruled the sky. Dragons are magical creatures just a scale from thier bodies could create great magic. 

The royal family known as the Golden Dragons, half gods half dragon, Kings of the realms, their prince was the man who gave but a fraction of his magic away, a gift, one scale from his glorious body brought about a whole race of witches. Dragons are ancient creatures. Their blood rarer than a month old wedded virgin. Their abilities vaster than the space above the stars, they are the King race, the golden dragons are their royalty. But as time passed and other races evolved the dragons became weaker living amongst men, indulging with them and creating abominations which created havoc thoughout the realms. The pure dragons were not hostile unless provoked but still the mere sight of them brought fear among the people. They were majestic as well as fearful. " i paused, moving around  to the table.

                                                  "As time passed the royal family began to wither as their blood mixed, princes marrying other races, contaminating their blood till no pure golden dragon reigned on the throne, they became weak, the people had enough of the misery these abominations brought and came together in one action and you know what happened next..It is history and now more than ten thousand years  after their extinction, a pure golden dragon is born."

Abigail bit her bottom lip,

                   " Are you trying to say that our magic is useless? "

                        "I'm saying..." I trailed off moving closer to her, " He is much more powerful than we ever could have imagined. It would maybe spare our lives if we kneel now and protect him. "

Abigail thought for a second,

                                          " You want us to help him ruin us? The prophecy clearly states he is here to conquer and extinct us from the earth."

A smile lit up my face. That's it! The prophecy.

                                " My dear," I  bega slyly, moving closer to my dear neice, "reading and understanding are two different things," 

                                     " What do you mean? "  she asked, her facial expression contorting to confusion.

" I mean that-"

I was taken.

I was being transported magically. Being summoned by someone.

I was taken in a blink of an eye and in the next second I was in front of four familiar faces.

I felt Death.

Magic told me.

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