ARAH
She helped Zylas prepare lunch for everyone in one of the prison kitchens. It felt strange doing something so mundane with a witch, and just hours before they were set to fight another coven. But she welcomed the downtime—a quiet moment before the chaos that was bound to unfold later.
Besides, this was her chance to figure out Zylas’s weaknesses, even though Gildeon had already told her that he was the one she didn’t need to get close to. But with Lokius currently in some kind of hibernation and Vienna busy discussing strategies with Drusden, Arah didn’t have much of a choice. She might as well hang around with Zylas and make herself useful.
She used to underestimate Zylas’s role in the coven. With his weird, carefree attitude at times, it was hard not to question why they seemed to value him so much. If it was his cooking, well, that was something she could easily agree with. He wasn’t as graceful as Tonio in the kitchen, chopping onions l
Long Time Ago (Part 1)YOUNG GILDEONHis fist smashed into Baltae’s face with a sharp crack, sending him skidding across the rough ground. The air stank of sulfur and ash, smoke hissing from the cracks in the earth. Around them, a group of sparring younglings had dropped their blades and formed a circle, but their shouts were just a blur in Gildeon’s ears.His chest heaved, his heart pounding so hard it hurt. He jumped on Baltae, fists swinging again and again, each punch making his knuckles burn. Anger roared inside him, making his head throb and his arms shake, his breathing short and wild.‘Kill him!’ the monstrous voice echoed in his head. He yelled, trying to shut it up while still swinging his fists.Suddenly, arms wrapped around his neck from behind, squeezing tight. Paikon—smaller, but still strong enough to pull him back as Baltae scrambled to his feet.Baltae swung, but Gildeon twisted jus
Long Time Ago (Part 2)YOUNG GILDEONLarge brown eyes, each as big as his head, stared directly at him. He pulled his knife from the sheath on his leg and sliced open the dead swamp beastling’s belly, its guts spilling out in a rush. The smell hit him—rotten fish and sour mud. He scrunched his nose, trying not to gag. He had killed and cleaned beastlings plenty of times by now, but the stench still made him sick.Wincing each time his back throbbed, he sliced through the slimy membranes. He had to be careful—one wrong cut and the coresac would burst, ruining the meat and possibly hurting him. He scooped out the intestines and organs, their weight squishing in his hands, and dumped them into the bucket under the table, blood dripping down his arms.He hated this. But it was better than being stuck underground with old salamander bones and going hungry. His other hand shifted into its beast form,
Long Time Ago (Part 3)YOUNG GILDEONOld Haemos had left for an expedition to the east, taking a whole battalion with him. Gildeon saw his chance. He packed supplies—food, water, salve, and some materials to build a shelter. He didn’t know how long he’d be gone, so he had to be well-stocked.Gildeon slipped out through a tunnel most salamanders didn’t know about. The path led into the growing jungle, but something stopped him. Someone was following. He grabbed a stone and hurled it toward the thick bushes near the rock wall.“Ow!” a small voice squeaked.Gildeon frowned. “Nalini?”The girl appeared from the bushes, rubbing her head, her wheat-colored hair shining in the daylight. “Why’d you do that?” she whined.“Why are you following me?”“I saw you take a bunch of meat from the smokehouse,” she said, coming up to him and shaking the sack on his back. “I was gonna tell the cooks, but
Long Time Ago (Part 4)YOUNG GILDEONThe middling beast came sooner than expected. Its stench hit him first—a rotten, sour smell rising through the trees below the cliff. His heart pounded hard in his chest, and his breaths came fast. He hated how scared he felt, but at least it had come to them—saved them the trouble of tracking it in the wild.‘Let it come,’ the voice murmured in his head.Gildeon tightened his grip on his shortsword, his other hand already shifting to claws. Nalini changed too, her tail flicking nervously behind her. He stepped closer to the cliff’s edge, peering down into the dense tangle of trees below. Something rustled again, making the branches twitch, but then everything went still. Too still.He held his breath, eyes darting from side to side. No sound. No movement. He bent down and grabbed a palm-sized stone. With a glance at Nalini, he whispered, &
Long Time Ago (Part 5)YOUNG GILDEONChunks of beast flesh fell from the dragon’s mouth as it growled, spraying fat, guts, and spit in their direction, clinging to their skin. Gildeon trembled. A pure, beastly dragon stood right in front of them—a creature he’d only seen in the seers’ drawings.A creature that wasn’t supposed to exist anymore.‘Where are you?’ he asked the voice inside his head, but there was no answer. For the first time, the monster was quiet.The fear in his chest only worsened.“Are we going to die?” Nalini whispered, her hand shaking as she held his arm.Gildeon clenched his teeth. He had to protect her. He had to make the dragon chase him so she could get away.But how? He could barely move.The dragon growled again, and Gildeon nearly wet his trousers. The creature took two heavy steps, its wings swinging, sending a gust of wind crashing into them. Cracks
ARAHHer hair was neatly tucked under a black cap to avoid attention, which seemed to be working since her friends hadn’t noticed her yet. Cora, Tonio, and Mabel sat off in the distance. Patricia was there too, along with Nick—just the sight of him brought back those strange flashes from when they’d shaken hands. They were pieces of her memories, but they had come too fast to make sense of. Nick’s reaction to that still bothered her, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.Part of her wanted to stay close to her friends, to be there when the chaos started. But she knew they’d be safer if she kept her distance. The farther away they were when Vergilius and his brides thought about snatching her, the better.At least Stringmaster had kept her word—puppet inmates surrounded her friends, acting as protectors. That, somehow, brought Arah a sense of relief.She glanced around, trying to spot any sign of the enemy, but saw nothing. Were they hid
ARAHHer heart pounded. Had she misheard the mayor’s last words? Judging by the crowd’s stunned and confused reaction—and Roselia gasping beside her, muttering “No”—it didn’t seem like she had.Fear twisted in her stomach. “Roselia,” she whispered, nudging her. “What’s happening?” But deep down, she already knew something terrible was coming. Before she could get an answer, her gaze snapped back to the mayor, whose eyes had turned blood-red. Fangs appeared as she lowered her head toward Mr. Pili’s neck.Arah’s breath caught in her throat.Mr. Pili froze, eyes wide, lips trembling, unable to scream. A shocked silence fell over the plaza, broken only by his ragged breaths and the sickening slurp of blood through the mic. Arah’s stomach churned—and likely everyone else’s, too. She couldn’t believe this was happening. In public. Right i
GILDEONIf there was one thing he had learned about witches, it was that no crucial information ever came for free. Vergilius’s next words only confirmed it.“I shall,” the vampire witch said, “once you have agreed to join hands with me instead.”A smirk pulled at Gildeon’s lips. “I thought you're stronger than Drusden,” he taunted. “Why do you need me?”“We are both well aware he has a dragon shifter at his side.” Vergilius shrugged, tipping his cane upward, then at Gildeon. “Two, if we include you.”Gildeon pressed his lips together. “How did you know?” He wondered if Drusden also knew what he truly was, but figured without seeing him in full dragon form, that man wouldn’t have a clue.“I am privy to many things, salamander.” Vergilius tapped his temple through the brim of his black hat. “Just as I know how a low mortal can—” He waved his wrinkled hand. “Transcend his own limitations.”Gildeon wasn’t sure what the v
ARAHFear coiled around her ribs like a vice.“I-it’s me,” she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath.Gildeon didn’t flinch. His lips remained curled back, exposing sharp teeth. His expression was predatory, enraged. In his eyes, she was someone else—an enemy.What had Drusden done to him?She tried to choke out his name again, but her throat tightened, the pressure crushing her windpipe. Her pulse pounded—a frantic drumbeat against his grip. The steam curling from his scaled body rolled over her in suffocating, blistering waves.How the hell was she supposed to stop this?Through tear-blurred eyes, Arah caught a flicker of movement—an outline shifting, pulsing like a mirage behind Gildeon. Her eyes widened as she remembered her creature-helper.Gildeon hissed, his body tensing as his free hand shot back, claws poised to seize whatever had latched onto him. The creature clung to his neck, jaws clenched, its form flickering in and out of focus.The grip around Arah’s throat sl
ARAHDays passed. Drusden had recovered, but he remained at Roselia’s farmhouse.Roselia taught him about the old world and the ways of hedge witches. Drusden then hunted the dark witch responsible for the devastation—and eventually killed him.Together, they worked to cleanse the village of its plague and heal the people.Arah witnessed something shift between Roselia and Drusden. It was likely during this time that they began developing feelings for each other.Drusden also bonded with young Alaunus, though their connection was anything but paternal. He spoke to Alaunus about mankind’s corruption and the rewards of embracing a higher power as a witch.Roselia noticed it too, and Arah was sure it bothered her.Then came the day Drusden told Roselia everything—about Zephyr, about the vision of an army—an elite force of witches transformed into higher mortals meant to help Zephyr rule over Earthland.Arah wouldn’t have been surprised if Roselia had kept this knowledge even from Gildeon
ARAHTo say this was a massive shock would be an understatement. The idea of a lower mortal becoming a higher mortal was probably the last thing she had ever expected to hear.How could that even be possible? Flying to Shamibar in Zylas’s dragon form was already mind-blowing. But the idea of altering the very nature of a mortal by merely passing through the Mad End’s Wall? That was a whole different realm of insanity.No matter how she tried to make sense of it, the logic eluded her. Unless Zephyr was lying to Drusden. Maybe the sylph simply said whatever he needed to get what he wanted.“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” she whispered.In the next memory, Zephyr was gone. Arah barely had time to take in her surroundings before Drusden crumpled to the ground. Blood seeped from his ear as he fought to stay conscious.The stench hit her—a suffocating, sickly blend of rotting meat, unwashed bodies, and the sharp tang of smoke. She swallowed hard against the bile rising in her throat
ARAHThe next memory swept her onto the battlements, where she had a clear view of the invasion unfolding below. This was a different place, a different time. A different nation. The people spoke in foreign tongues.Men in ragged clothing, their faces twisted with barbaric fury, slaughtered civilians with swords and axes. Limbs were severed, bodies crumpled in pools of blood. Women screamed as they were dragged away—some ruthlessly stripped of their clothes, preyed upon by these animals. Children’s throats were slit without hesitation.Arah grimaced in horror at every atrocity, her stomach churning. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to forget—to block out the carnage. But every anguished scream, every whispered prayer of the helpless, cut through her like a blade, carving into her heart and twisting her gut.Zephyr’s voice interrupted her thoughts.“Look at them,” he said to Drusden as he stood on the parapet ledge, gazing down at the massacre below. “Look at how your kind d
ARAHZephyr brought Drusden to Yonah’s temple. And as she had with Marianne, Arah watched Drusden enter the Dark Plane with Zephyr’s help. It took longer this time, and at one point, she thought Drusden would die right there on his knees.When Drusden snapped back to consciousness, his palms slapped against the stone floor. His breath came in ragged gasps, sweat beading on his forehead. His skin was ghostly pale, his wide eyes unfocused—like a man who had stared into the abyss and seen something stare back.“What have you sacrificed, human?” Zephyr asked, crouching before him.Drusden slowly lifted his head, fat tears streaming down his cheeks. “My spirit will live on even after death,” he said softly. “I will never be able to reunite with my family.”Arah couldn’t begin to imagine the misery Drusden would endure for the price he paid.A small smile appeared on Zephyr’s lips. “For that sacrifice, the power you obtained must be great. Show me.”Without a word, Drusden exhaled, and a bi
ARAHAnother death was reported—a woman who sold milk and eggs, saving every coin to buy medicine for her bedridden father.Arah watched as Drusden slammed his fists onto the desk, sending a quill and inkpot rattling, scrolls tumbling to the floor. His jaw tightened, nostrils flaring as he ducked his head, a muscle ticking in his temple. Even his men, though silent, shared his frustration.She still didn’t know how the deaths were connected to the ministers, but she believed in Drusden’s suspicions. This whole thing reeked of injustice. And more than anything, she wanted to see what he would do about it.The next day, Drusden and his men arrived at one of the ministers’ workshops. The place reeked of ink and damp parchment—likely the very goods being produced here.“Y-you shouldn’t be here, Inspector,” one of the workshop guards stammered, his face pale. “The ministers won’t take kindly to this.”Drusden barely spared him a glance. “I’m not here for their kindness, boy,” he said sharp
ARAHDrusden looked almost the same as he did in the present—just younger. His brown hair was longer, and his face was more open, easier to read. There was no trace of his usual smugness. Instead, he was serious. Dutiful. His tone lacked the usual edge of playfulness she had grown so used to.How could he be the same Drusden, yet different at the same time? Maybe witch power really could change people after all.She followed Drusden through the streets until he stopped in front of a small house. Sympathy softened his features as he spoke to the victim’s wife. Inside, four children sat around a table—faces thin, clothes worn—with nothing but bowls of plain porridge in front of them.Arah felt a tug in her chest. It was obvious they weren’t eating enough. And now, with their provider gone, how would they survive?“I am deeply sorry,” Drusden said.The woman broke down, shoulders trembling as she wept.Drusden’s gaze flickered to the children, their wide eyes full of questions they were
ARAHIt was up to her to pull him out of it.The weight of that realization pressed down on Arah like a boulder. She was determined—of course, she was—but how was she supposed to do it? The thought of failing, of not being enough to help Gildeon, curled around her ribs like a vice.She shook her head, shoving the doubt aside. This wasn’t the time for uncertainty. Gildeon needed her, and that was all that mattered.She sprinted down the prison hallway, dodging jagged chunks of fallen stone and splintered beams. Behind her, the sounds of battle raged—Roselia and Lokius locked in a deadly clash.Then, a sharp cry of pain.Roselia.Arah faltered, her body twisting instinctively toward the sound. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to turn back, to help. But she knew Roselia wouldn’t want that. She wouldn’t forgive Arah for wasting time—not when Gildeon’s life hung in the balance.Gritting her teeth, Arah forced her feet forward.Outside, the fog wall loomed before her—a towering, imp
GILDEONIn a blink, he was back in Drusden’s throne room. He dropped to his knees, palms flat on the cold floor, breath ragged. He hadn’t even realized he’d shifted back to his mortal form. His chest tightened, a storm of emotions threatening to tear free.His mysterious birth mother. His father’s death…He slammed his palms against the floor, frustration boiling over. Haemos and Kohina knew who he really was. Why the fuck had they kept it from him?Footsteps. Brown boots halted in front of him—Drusden’s. The Headwitch crouched, head tilted.“If you need a shoulder to cry on, mine’s available, salamander,” Drusden mocked.Gildeon’s glare burned as he met the bastard’s smug face.“Not gonna lie. Your father’s memory might be my favorite one I’ve delved into.” Drusden paced, dragging from his cigarette. “Learned a lot about your kind. Shame we never got the real answer about your mother.”He stopped, gaze lifting to Dragon Zylas as he exhaled a slow stream of smoke. “I really thought I’