Chapter 9: The Wake
1839 Words
DIEGO'S POV
The ritual required silence. Not reverence—he had none of that left—but silence, absolute and suffocating.
He stood alone in the catacombs beneath Black Vale, where no breath had stirred in centuries. The bones of the damned lined the walls, crumbling in places like sand. The stone altar before him was older than language, carved with runes only a few still dared speak.
He'd bled three witches to open the veil. Burned the heart of a loyal ghoul. Even sacrificed the last living priestess of Dolar. All to call her.
*Tasha Cavalero*
The first of their line. The one who drank from the Darkness itself. The one he descended from, blood thinned over the ages but still marked by her fire.
He stepped forward and cut his palm, letting the blood drip onto the altar.
“I summon you, Matriarch,” he whispered. “By right of name, by bond of blood. Diego of the Cavalero line calls upon Tasha Cavalero, Bloodborn of the First Night.”
The chamber darkened. Even the torches flickered like they wanted to flee.
Then, she appeared.
Not with fire. Not with screams. She simply was—*a silhouette of shadow and gold*, her eyes ageless and burning with that calm, terrifying wisdom the living never possess. Her hair floated as if underwater, her skin pale as bone, yet strong as granite.
"You summon me, childe of my childe’s childe," she said, voice echoing through him like a song in reverse.
He fell to one knee—not out of worship, but instinct.
“Matriarch,” he said, not meeting her gaze. “I seek what was promised. Power. Legacy. Immortality beyond even this.”
She moved like smoke, circling him. "You seek what all my children seek—*dominion over the curse*. But few ask the right price."
He looked up. “Then name it.”
She paused. Then smiled. It was beautiful. And horrifying.
“You chase Ivy Quinn,” she said. “The Catalyst. Alpha hybrid, bound to the Eclipse.”
“I intend to drink her blood under the red moon.”
“That would make you strong.”
“Stronger than Raymond?”
She smirked. “He is my heir in silence. You are my heir in rage. Two branches from the same root.”
Diego flinched. “Raymond is a traitor.”
“He is *balance*. You are chaos. Both are needed. But only one will survive this.”
Tasha moved to the altar and placed a single, long finger into the blood he had spilled. It hissed beneath her touch.
“You wish to rule. But you are incomplete. You hunt Ivy. You watch Raymond. But you forget the third piece.”
Diego blinked. “The third?”
She nodded. “You want to break the Old Laws. You seek the Plaze scepter, yes. The forbidden trinity ritual.”
He nodded. “With Ivy and Raymond’s blood, I will transcend.”
Tasha’s golden eyes darkened. “Yes. But it won’t be enough.”
Diego froze. “Explain.”
“There is another—*my own blood*. The last living First who still walks. Hidden. Bound in shadow. Her name is mine, by legacy and fire. She is the *true bridge* between Old Power and New.”
“Tasha…”
“*Tasha Cavalero*,” she confirmed. “My descendant. Yours too, by a bloodline long forgotten. She carries my will in her veins, diluted but potent. Drink from her under the Red Eclipse, and the chains of death will shatter.”
“Her Great great grandfather, Edward Lavis, is my brother, he left our family because he felt we were evil” She said.
“Who is She?” I asked.
“You will know when the time comes, she will be the third person during the Red Eclipse” Tasha said.
Diego staggered back, breath sharp. “You mean—if I drink from all two—”
“You become something no world has yet seen.”
“Not just immortal…”
“*Unkillable*.”
His heart thundered. “Where is she?”
Tasha raised a hand, and a burning map carved itself into the air. Three red marks flared—one over Black Vale, one over Hollowdeep, and one over the ruins of Saint Aemilian’s Monastery.
“She is there,” Tasha said, pointing at the monastery. “Guarded by a tomb of salt and iron. You will not find her easily.”
“I will tear the earth apart if I must.”
“You will have to. But know this, Diego—*power breeds hunger*. If you consume all three—*Ivy, Raymond, and Tasha Cavalero*—you will no longer be man, nor beast, nor even vampire.”
He licked his lips. “Then what will I be?”
Her eyes glowed like dying suns.
“*A god.*”
The chamber pulsed.
Tasha’s form flickered. “You have a fortnight till The Eclipse comes, and with it, the chance to ascend or fall forever.”
He stood now, trembling—not from fear, but from possibility.
“I will not fail,” he said.
“I know,” she replied.
“And what happens to Ivy?”
Tasha’s smile faded. “She will try to stop you. Because deep down, she still believes in the Light.”
“I’ll snuff it out of her,” he growled.
“No,” Tasha said softly, “you’ll break her. And that will be the end of the old world.”
Then, with a whisper and a gust of ice-cold air, she vanished—leaving only silence and the blood-hissing altar behind.
Diego stood still, body buzzing with purpose. Three bloodlines. Three souls. One ritual.
He was done playing games. The Plaze scepter was no longer legend—it was a path.
And Diego Cavalero would walk it with fire.
---
IVY'S POV
"I'm what they call the Catalyst, My hybrid blood can break the Old Laws. If he drinks from me during the Eclipse, he becomes something else, unstoppable, at least that's what Nona says, I really need to read about this s**t"
Jade stood, pacing now. "Why the hell didn’t you tell me all this in a dream or a message? Ivy, I would've come sooner!, Does he know all these?"
“He is keeping me in the dark so I would like to do same” I said.
“This is a serious matter, vee be mature” Jade said
A beat of silence. Then she sat again, softer. "What now?"
I looked toward the horizon. The wind was colder now. The Eclipse was only fortnight away.
"Now? We prepare. Raymond’s gathering his best. We strike before Diego does. We end it."
---
RAYMOND'S POV
Blood always smelled louder in the mornings. Especially when it wasn’t mine.
Damien stood across from me in my study room, tossing a silver dagger between his hands like he wasn’t itching to use it. His black eyes shimmered in the moonlight bleeding through the stained glass.
"You think she’ll actually bring Jade into this?" he asked.
"She has no choice," I replied. "Diego’s hunting Ivy. And now that Jade’s back, he’ll use her as bait whether he means to or not."
Damien snorted. "Alpha vampire-werewolf with emotional baggage. What could go wrong?"
I didn’t laugh. "We need a plan. Fast."
He nodded. "The trackers saw movement near the Bone Hollow. Diego’s coven is gathering. Three witches, two ghouls, and at least one crypt-binder. And that’s just what they saw."
"And?"
"Still alive. For now. ."
"Good." I cracked my knuckles. “If Jade stays in, we have a shot." I said.
“Don't you think, we would have to go to the packhouse, they'll both be safer there” Damien suggested.
“We would but Ivy has to see her Dad first, and if Jade's coming, she has to inform her parents too” I said.
“And since when does Raymond Hart care about procedures, you are really becoming a softie” He said.
“But Jade has to use a Landline in a shopping mall or something, so they'll trace her there” I instructed.
Diego Cavalero, I'm going to end you for Good. I decided to go through our books to see if I'd find something.
“Wait if he had three witches, two ghouls and one crypt-binder” I said, it's familiar, that combo.
Damien stood beside me, his usual jovial demeanor replaced by a rare seriousness. "This isn't just a random attack," he muttered, eyes scanning the c*****e. "Diego's up to something."
I nodded, my mind racing. "The presence of a crypt-binder suggests a ritual. Possibly the Wake."
Damien's brow furrowed. "The Wake? That's ancient magic. Dangerous."
I turned to him, the weight of realization settling in. "Diego wouldn't attempt this unless he was desperate. He might be trying to awaken someone who attempted this before—someone like Tasha Cavalero."
Damien's eyes widened. "But she failed. Why would he risk it?"
"Because he believes he can succeed where she didn't," I replied grimly.
Just then, my study room's doors creaked open, revealing Ivy and Jade. Ivy's eyes met mine, concern etched on her face.
"We need to talk," I said, leading them inside.
As we settled into the dimly lit space, I recounted the events gotten from our informant and our suspicions about Diego's intentions.
“We have a problem at hand” I said.
Jade leaned in, whispering to Ivy, "Just say it, Vee." before going to the next chair.
Ivy hesitated before speaking. " Me first, look, My great-great-grandmother, Silvana Roe, told me about a ritual more powerful than obtaining the Plaze Scepter. It involves the blood of three individuals: you, me, and a Tasha Cavalero."
I stared at her, disbelief and frustration bubbling up. "How long have you known this and why didn't you tell me? "
"Didn't I tell you?" she replied innocently.
"You should have told me sooner," I snapped. "We could have delayed the Wake ritual, kept Diego in the dark."
Damien interjected, his tone calming. "Now's not the time for blame. We need to focus. Raymond, who else could this Tasha Cavalero be? Tasha Cavalero is dead?"
I shook my head. "It's Tasha's way of confusing us. It's not her—it's her descendant."
Damien pressed further. "Who could that be?"
I moved to the library's shelf, followed by Ivy, Jade and Damien, searching for the history of the Ashgrave Pack and the Cavaleros. My fingers traced the spines until I found a book I'd never seen before. Opening it, I found a riddle:
*"From Roe to Lavis, a union divine,
Their bloodline's secret, a hidden sign.
One child born, a legacy concealed,
The key to power, once revealed."*
I looked up, realization dawning. "Silvana Roe married Edward Lavis, the greatest Alpha Vamp. They had one child. That child is the link."
Ivy's eyes widened. "You mean... me?"
- Writer
