Chapter 9
Cole, a familiar voice called out to me in my sleep. I see something deadly and flying past the horizon. It will reach you by the time the sun rises. Wake up!
My eyes were tightly shut as the woman from my dream’s voice rang through my head, and I could feel my coven’s warm bodies pressed against mine. I tried to pry my lids open, but my entire body felt as heavy as lead, and I couldn’t move any of my limbs. When I attempted to open my mouth, nothing came out, and for a moment, I was filled with panic and confusion.
How can I wake up? I asked in my head. I can’t move my body.
Samara is trying to pin you down, the woman said in a soothing voice, but I could still hear the terror behind each word. Just remain calm and listen to me while we still have a few precious seconds left. The orb you possess cannot send you anywhere right now, and the compass won’t, either. Samara’s power has recovered to a degree, and she’s placed a barrier upon the realm. You’ll need to find another way out of here, but I have faith in you. Now, fight her, Cole, and wake up!
I gritted my teeth and fought to move my body, but I remained as still as stone. I thought I could hear Samara’s taunting laughter somewhere in the back of my head, but that only motivated me to fight even harder. I steadied my heartbeat, tried to move my fingertips, and suddenly felt a tingling sensation when I raised my index finger up in the air, and then another. When my hand was free from whatever power Samara placed over me, the rest of my body started to cooperate as well. Feeling slowly returned to my face as my eyes fluttered open, and I could sense the air returning to my lungs.
I quickly sprung up from the bed and looked down at the naked women who were still deep asleep. The room was pitch black, and I knew the sun was just about to rise, which meant we had very little time to escape.
“Wake up!” I called out, and the women jerked into consciousness. “Hurry, we have to leave!”
“W-What’s going on, master?” Penelope asked, and her voice was thick with sleep.
“There’s no time to explain,” I said before I jumped off the bed and quickly pulled up my pants and buttoned up my shirt. “Get dressed! I’m going to rouse Vanessa and the others awake, and then we’ll meet in the throne room.”
“Yes, master,” Akira replied in a steady voice. “We’ll be down there immediately.”
As the women swiftly dressed, I grabbed the orb, sprung from the bedroom, and raced down the corridors until I reached the east wing. There were countless doors, and I had no idea where the other women or the professor resided for the night.
“Hey!” I cried out aimlessly through the hallway. “Everyone, wake up! Now! There’s no time to waste!”
Soon, a door at the very end of the hall swung open, and there at the threshold stood Vanessa dressed in a sheer white nightgown with Isobel by her side. The professor’s pale eyes were wide with irritation, and there was a scowl across her bare face.
“Cole, what in hell’s name is going on--?” she asked, but when she took a closer look at the expression on my face, her features became more concerned and less agitated. “Wait, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“We need to leave,” I snapped. “Now.”
“Then we’ll use the orb--” the professor began.
“No, we can’t use the orb,” I explained quickly, “and we can’t use the compass, either. Samara has placed a barrier over us.”
“Fuck,” Vanessa sighed before she slapped her hand against her forehead. “Alright, I’ll get dressed and grab the other women.”
“Good.” I nodded. “Then we need to meet down in the throne room. No longer than five minutes.”
“Fine,” the professor agreed before she swiftly turned around and slammed her door.
When I rushed down the hallway and down the flight of marble stairs, I saw the familiars all curled up by the prince’s throne, and I didn’t waste any time waking them up.
“Alexander!” I shouted. “Wake the hell up!”
What’s going on? Alex asked in a sleepy voice as he groggily raised his head. It’s still pitch black. I thought we didn’t have to leave until sunrise.
“No, we have to go now,” I urged. “Here, take the orb and hold onto it for me.”
Why? Alex asked, but he still did as I commanded.
“Because I said so,” I grunted. “Something’s coming.”
What?
“I’m about to find out,” I growled before I closed my eyes.
Periculum.
My mind rushed out of me like a river courses into an ocean, and I zoomed over the land too fast to track the distance. It didn’t matter anyway, because all too soon, I came across two elder scouts on a pair of serpens. Their forms seemed to be surrounded by ethereal, holy light, but I could also sense the power emanating off them in waves. Then, once again, Samara’s face flashed before my eyes.
So, these were her men. And they seemed to be pretty powerful, more powerful than her other minions we’d faced so far. I wondered if they were actually working for the goddess, or maybe the elder lord who pulled her strings.
Whoever these bastards worked for, I could tell they meant business.
I withdrew my mind from them quickly, but instead of just immediately zipping back into my body, my consciousness seemed to take a detour on the roof of the castle, and I thought I saw what looked like scales silhouetted against the sky.
Then I opened my eyes.
“Master?” I heard Marina’s voice echo as she ran down the stairs with the others by her side. “What’s going on?”
“We need to get the hell out of here,” I explained in a rushed voice, “but we can’t use the orb, so I think I have another idea, but professor, you’ll need to send us up to the roof.”
“Alright,” Vanessa responded without questioning me further. “Everyone, gather around me. Snatch your familiars up or keep them close to you.”
No one argued or uttered a single word as we formed a close circle around Vanessa with our familiars right behind us. Then the professor uttered the incantation to shadow port us up to the roof, and after the purple clouds disappeared, we were back on top of the castle. The night was dark as I gazed down upon the city, and pale moonlight reflected off the still present ocean of crimson blood.
When my eyes lifted to stare upon the horizon, I caught a glimpse of the orange sun slowly making its way upward. I could feel a sinister sensation creeping down my spine, too, and it was like we were waiting for an hourglass to drop its last grain of sand.
Time was running out.
“How the hell are we going to get out of here now, Cole?” Vanessa demanded. “You said you had an idea.”
“I’m going to summon our dragons,” I said in a steady voice as I thought about that flash of scales in my vision. “I know it’s not ideal or what we had in mind, but it’s our only choice. Now, be quiet and give me a moment to concentrate.”
No one said a word as I closed my eyes and took a deep, steady breath, and I stood still and silently prayed for Satan to give me strength. Satan only knew what reinforcements the elder scouts would bring, and if there was any way to get out of this blood-soaked realm, it would be on the backs of our faithful dragons.
When I felt like my soul and heart were open to Satan, I steadied my hands and my pounding heart and then silently uttered the incantation to summon our bonded creatures back to our side. I pictured their shimmering scales, snake-like yellow eyes, and magnificent wings, and I willed them to come soaring through the clouds before I shouted the ancient spell.
“Ego in vtero producite!”
A deep silence suddenly filled the air until there was a fierce chorus of growls in the sky, and when I craned my neck to look up at the clouds, a group of shimmering emerald dragons were descending to meet us. Their magnificently scaled bodies soared as gracefully as a ballet of swans, and relief flooded through my body when they hovered before us.
“Master!” Faye giggled as she clapped her hands together. “Well done!”
“Yes, well done,” Vanessa snapped as the dragons hovered over the side of the castle and waited for us to climb on. “Now, let’s get a move--”
Before she could finish her demand, a whooshing sound whipped through the air and was quickly followed by an agonizing scream.
“Akira!” the women cried out in unison.
I whipped around, and I saw there was a golden arrow sticking out of Akira’s right shoulder blade and staining her dress a deep shade of red. I swiftly spun around to see where the enemy was, but there was nothing in sight besides orange clouds and a burning morning sky.
“Are you alright?” Morgana panted.
“Yeah,” the dark-haired Wicca growled through gritted teeth and furrowed eyebrows before she fiercely yanked the weapon out of her flesh and tossed it aside. Her dark eyes widened as she stared toward the horizon, and her face became pale and slick with sweat. “Broom fucker… we need to leave now.”
When we turned around, I could see two tall men garbed with gold breastplates and riding on two giant ivory serpens. The soldiers both had golden-blond hair and glowing blue eyes we could see even at a distance, and their expressions were as cold as stone. They both carried shimmering bows with them, but before either of them could notch another arrow, I pointed my wand at the duo.
“Dissulto!” I screamed.
My spell whizzed through the clouds, but the scouts were quick, and both elder men managed to dodge out of the way. I waved my wand in different directions as they flew in two elegant circles, and they were still drawing nearer and flying faster.
“Let’s get on these dragons and get the hell out of here,” I ordered.
“He’s right,” Vanessa agreed before another arrow shot right past her, and it was inches away from piercing the side of her skull. “Carry your familiars if you have to and get on!”
No one dared argue while we hoisted ourselves on each dragon and urged them to fly as fast and as true as possible. Alexander soared by my side as we ascended through the lavender and orange clouds, and as the sun grew brighter, the ocean of blood beneath us sparkled like a thousand rubies. The wind whipped past our faces as I looked at the other women, and their hair was flying behind their heads like silken curtains. I knew they were flying with nothing but conviction coursing through their veins because I couldn’t sense any terror radiating off their bodies.
Even though we were possibly being followed by the most powerful soldiers conjured up by the elder lord himself.
The compass around my neck began to tremble uncontrollably as we soared through the sky and past the sea of blood I’d conjured, and when I looked down to stare at the needle, it was pointing north. I guessed by now we were finally out of Samara’s barrier and able to navigate.
Still, the scouts were hot on our trail, and they showed no signs of stopping. The elders were gaining on us, and through the mist of clouds, I could see one of them notching an arrow and aiming it right at Vanessa’s back.
“Vanessa, look out!” I shouted, but the arrow sprung from the bow and went soaring toward the professor. Then, before I could snap the weapon with my magic, Penelope used her flying beast to nudge the professor out of the way.
Vanessa gasped in shock and nearly fell off her dragon, but she caught herself just in time. While the professor struggled, the orange-haired witch was struck with the arrow, and she screamed out in pain before she tumbled off her dragon’s hide and fell down into the abyss.
The women cried her name in terror, but Morgana didn’t hesitate before she aimed her wand downward.
“Volitant!” the bookish brunette shouted.
Suddenly, Penelope stopped falling and hovered in the air, and the bright-haired witch gasped with surprise as Morgana used her magic to gingerly bring her back up and then place her carefully onto her dragon’s hide.
Once Penelope was safe, searing rage coursed through my body before I gritted my teeth and pointed my wand at the elder who tried to kill our professor and nearly sent Penelope down to Satan knows where.
“Dissulto!” I cried out with all my determination.
My spell soared through the air and hit the elder right in the middle of his chest, and the sudden impact knocked him off his serpen. Strangely, he didn’t scream as he soared downward, and his counterpart didn’t even look mildly fazed as his companion fell past the clouds. All the remaining scout did was stare into my eyes, and a small smile spread across his face before he descended and disappeared into the clouds.
For a moment, everything was silent, and no one knew what to say.
“What the hell was that?” Marina finally shouted.
“Let’s find a safe place to land before we ask questions, shall we?” Vanessa called back.
The former siren nodded in agreement, and we flew onward. Minutes passed, but I couldn’t feel any danger surrounding us, and that’s when I realized we were finally in the clear.
We were out of Samara’s reach for the moment, and after we had a moment to rest, we could use the orb to take us to our next destination.
The compass around my neck seemed to warm in confirmation, and I knew when the time came it would guide us the rest of the way.
I glanced over at my coven, and all the women stared at me with wide, curious eyes while Penelope was slumped over and clutching onto her wound. As soon as we landed, I knew we’d need to take a moment to stop and wait for her injury to heal. Thankfully, the clouds began to part as I turned my attention forward, and I thought I saw a cluster of tall green peaks.
“Let’s head over there,” I ordered as I pointed ahead, and I thanked Satan we had somewhere seemingly isolated to stop and rest for a moment. “We can use the orb once we send the dragons off.”
“Yes, master,” my women answered in unison.
I led the others toward the towering green hills, and once my dragon landed on the luscious, tall emerald field of green, I dismounted from his hide, looked deeply into his snake-like yellow eyes, and then smiled.
“Thank you,” I whispered as I stroked his snout. “Now, go off and be free. I’ll summon you when I need you once again.”
My dragon nodded, and a deep growl resonated in his chest before he flew off into the blue sky with the others following behind him.
I looked back at the women, and I saw they were all hunched over and struggling to compose themselves from the sudden attack. Penelope was pale, but I could tell she was quickly regaining her strength.
“Are you alright, Penelope?” I asked as I approached her and pushed a bright strand of hair out of her chestnut eyes. “That was very brave of you.”
“Yes, master,” the orange-haired Wicca responded with a small smile. “And thank you.”
“Who were those men?” Marina asked with a deep frown. “They didn’t even seem fazed when we sent one tumbling off their serpen.”
“Those were elder scouts,” I replied. “I believe they are working for Samara, but they seem more powerful, so I suspect they might also have some ties to the elder lord who commands the goddess.”
“But we killed one,” Akira said before she turned to look at Vanessa with wide eyes. “Right, professor?”
“I can’t say that for certain,” Vanessa panted as she stared aimlessly around the green fields. “Taking into account how powerful Cole says they are, I have no doubt those scouts could have been forged by the elder lord himself and bestowed upon Samara as a gift.”
“And do you know that for certain?” Circe asked, but when Vanessa shot her a stern glare, Circe looked down at her feet, and we all knew she instantly regretted her question.
“I can’t say anything with absolute certainty, Miss Circe,” Vanessa snapped. “I know, however, that I felt an unfamiliar presence from them, one more powerful than I’d ever experienced before.”
“You’re right, professor,” I said, and everyone turned to look at me. “The woman from my dreams said the same thing, and I have a feeling that wasn’t the last time we’ll be seeing them.”
“Agreed,” Vanessa sighed. “Now, Cole, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to get the hell out of here. It’s not safe to stay in one place for too long.”
“Of course,” I said before I glanced at Alexander. “Alex, give me the orb, please.”
Yes, Cole, my familiar responded before he dropped the orb in my hands.
For a moment, I gazed at the black marble with the swirling clouds deep inside the heart of the relic. I could feel its surging power flowing through my body, and as I gripped it, the compass shook violently against my chest.
“How do you know where we’re supposed to go, master?” Vesta asked in a soft voice. “I do not mean to question your power, but I am curious how this orb works.”
“He’s developed a connection with the compass and the orb,” Morgana answered before Vanessa could say anything. “All he has to do is open his heart to Satan and pray for the knowledge to take us where we need to go.”
“She’s right, as per usual,” Vanessa said as she rubbed tiredly at her face. “Cole, we trust you to take us wherever we need to go… but before we leave, I’d like to say one thing.”
We waited a moment before the professor cleared her throat and looked down at her feet. Whatever she had to say, it was clearly painful for her to get the words out.
“Professor?” Beatrix prompted in a kind tone. “Whatever it is, you can say it.”
“Yes, well,” Vanessa coughed, and her cheeks blushed a deep shade of crimson. “I’d just like to say that… I appreciate what you did back there, Cole… and Penelope. If it weren’t for you two, I would’ve died. So, I suppose what I’m trying to say is… thank you.”
“Of course, professor.” Penelope smiled, and the color had finally returned to her face. “We’d do anything to keep you safe. We consider you one of us.”
“Thank you, Miss Penelope,” Vanessa replied in a quiet voice. “Now, let’s get the hell out of here, shall we?”
I smiled as the professor looked to me, and then I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as my fingers tightened around the cold orb. I could feel the compass beating against my chest like a second heartbeat, and as I held onto the power between the two objects, I summoned the dark lord to come to my aid and help me see where we needed to venture to next.
I clung onto the orb with my eyes still tightly shut, but I could see something in my mind. At first, it was an obscure vision, but then it slowly turned into a vast beach with snow-white grains of sand and a lilac-colored sky with rose-pink clouds. The landscape was filled with a holy presence, and it pierced every bone in my body while simultaneously sending a nauseating feeling into the pit of my stomach.
Sudden surety settled into my gut. That is where we had to go, and the moment I had the thought, a string of words popped into my head.
Uti potestate mea regna monumenta nobis sanctae nulla magicae.
The incantation felt intrinsically intertwined with the presence of the orb, and I knew it was the spell needed to get us to that disgusting holy realm.
I took another deep breath and tried to calm my wildly pounding heart. Then I urged Satan to come to my aid, and when I sensed his unholy power taking over my entire soul, I opened my eyes and looked at the others.
“I know where we have to go,” I said. “Now, everyone, hold onto each other and open your hearts to Satan. I’ll do the rest.”
“Yes, master,” my coven responded while Vanessa nodded her head in agreement.
I cleared my throat, and with my fingers pressed tightly against the cold orb, I closed my eyes again and uttered the incantation.
“Uti potestate mea regna monumenta nobis sanctae nulla magicae!”
Suddenly, a great cloud of silver and black smoke surrounded us, and when the green fields disappeared from view, I could feel myself shifting in between realms. It felt like my skin was melting from my body, and my head began to pound uncontrollably. My entire body was on fire, and when I tried to open my mouth to breathe, I couldn’t feel any air going in or out of my lungs.
Finally, everything came to a standstill as my body returned to normal, and I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. Then the orb melted in my hands like black ink, but no one except me noticed. The rest of the women stood still in a circle with their hands tightly held together, and the familiars were as steady as stone as they remained positioned behind the Wiccas. No one dared to open their eyes until I cleared my throat, and when each woman slowly peeled their lids open, they gawked at the sight before them.
“Unholy hell,” Beatrix gasped with curious brown eyes. “What is this place?”
“It must be the Regnum Caelorum,” Morgana breathed in awe. “I’ve read about these realms. Every step we take according to the compass will guide us higher to the elder ecstasies… until we reach the elder heaven.”
“Well, fuck,” Akira whispered before she placed her hands on her hips and rocked on the balls of her feet. “So… we’re really almost there.”
“It would appear so,” Vanessa agreed in a faint voice. “We must be careful. There could be eyes watching us right now as we speak. Cole, what does the compass say?”
I flicked open the compass around my neck and stared intently at the spinning arrow. It was whirling frantically until it came to a sudden halt, and according to the relic, we’d need to keep walking northwest down the crystal white beach.
“Follow me,” I said in a firm voice. “I have no inkling of where this compass will lead us to next, but as Vanessa said, we need to keep a sharp eye out. Something tells me Samara has many more tricks up her sleeve, and the closer we get to reaching her, the more determined she will be to see us fall.”
“So, let’s prove her wrong,” Penelope said with her chin raised. “I’m not afraid of her.”
“Neither am I,” Faye added.
The rest of the women chimed in, and their willpower and bravery made my heart swell with pride. I knew they trusted me with their lives, and by Satan, I vowed to protect them with all the power I had coursing through my veins.
And once the moment arose, I knew Samara would finally realize I would stop at nothing to protect my kind.