His Fated Queen

Chapter 8

One day, I was on my way to our locus sacer to look through some books. I was still thinking about portals and was yet to find anything on them. I was almost at the door when I heard someone inside. It was my grandmother; she was reading through the list of powers I would have. She was trying to get a vision of my future. I could feel her frustration at being unable to see anything.

‘How can I prepare her when I can’t see anything?’ As she said this, she slammed her hand down, upsetting some of the items laid out on the table. She grumbled and reset the items.

I opened the door and walked in, she looked up sharply. ‘Hello Katherine, what are you doing up here?’

‘I came up here to look for some information.

‘What information?’ My grandmother sounded tired and distracted.

‘Um, nothing important. What are you doing up here?’ I asked hoping she wouldn’t ask me anything more.

‘I was trying to get some information myself.’

‘About my future?’

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it slowly. ‘Yes, I was trying to get a vision of your future. I want to see so I can help you be prepared. I know it is centuries away, but some insight might help.’ She looked sad and frustrated.

‘Why didn’t you ask me for help? My power combined with yours may be what you need. Perhaps my blood will help you see around the block.’

‘How do you know I am blocked?’

‘It is my future you can’t see, perhaps it is my help you need to see.’

Grandmother raised her hand to rub her forehead, ‘I’m sorry my child, I did not want you to know my frustrations.’

‘It’s okay, but I want to help where I can.’ I walked over to her; she had the grimoire open to a spell to bring forth a vision. She had a bowl in front of the book full of dried salvia. She was burning it to induce a vision. There was an athame next to the bowl. I picked it up and made an incision on my right palm. I let a little blood drip on the leaves and placed a hand on the spell in the book, then with my other hand, I took my grandmother’s hand. We closed our eyes and took a deep breath. As we breathed out together, the smoke rose up, and I could feel a vision coming.

I saw lots of tall buildings; they were made of glass, stone and materials I did not recognise. There were hundreds, no thousands and thousands of other people there. I was dressed so strangely. My dress was short, showing my legs and my shoes. I could not describe them. I looked to my right and there was a tall blonde man at my side. He had long golden hair woven into braids with leather ties at the end. He was beautiful. He turned to me, smiled then took my hand, kissing it before lowering it back between us. It felt so real. I shook my head, and suddenly I was standing by a lake. The golden man was at my side and four other men on the other side. They were clearly vampires. The one closest to me looked so grim, so dark compared to the golden man on my other side. But I couldn't make out his face, though be reminded me of Abaddon. It must have been my future, so I must have been a vampire too. There were some other beings, but I could not make them out. A girl entered the circle, no a young woman, who looked exactly like me. I started a fire, each being was standing equally around me. Again I used an athame to make an incision on my right palm and threw blood on to the fire and I threw different herbs and flowers into the fire. My doppelgänger and I recited some words I couldn’t make out along with a couple of other beings I could not quite see. There was a blast of fire and there was an image of a man standing in the fire. I stepped forward into the fire. I opened my eyes and was back in our house. I looked at my grandmother.

‘My child, you are power indeed. You will be the one to summon Lucifer to earth. I understand the birth of the final one now, another child who will look like you. When you meet her, your time will arrive.’

‘That was very strange.’

‘Yes, calling forth a vision always takes more out of you. You will recover quickly.’

‘I don’t think I will do that again any time soon.’

‘No, my dear, I would not try to call forth a vision again like that. But you were right, I needed your blood to see around the block. It is your connection to Lucifer that blocks me seeing anything in your future. Perhaps it is Lucifer himself blocking anyone from seeing your future. He isn’t ready for you to know everything yet.’

‘It really is my fate, isn’t it? I really have no choice. I know we have talked about it, but to see it like that, it made it so much more real.’

‘Yes, my child, it is your fate, the prophecy truly is about you. Many years ago, when you first came into your powers, I had a vision. I think Lucifer sent it to me, but it showed the birth of his daughter Ruth and him training her. She looked exactly like you. Though I had seen that, I still wondered. But after this vision, I think we know for sure.’

‘Can I change my destiny?’

‘I don’t think you can. Once you were born, there was no changing it. Your fate has been woven into the fabric of time. To unravel it may unravel time and the world itself. But you will never be alone. You will be surrounded by beings who will guide you on your journey.’

‘I will always be alone. This journey is mine, and mine alone. You saw that vision, it is my blood that summons Lucifer, it is my power that brings him here. My life will always be in danger, there is no escaping that. I can’t let anyone else suffer for it. I will not let anyone else suffer for it.’

‘That may be so, my child, but it is the love of the people around you that will give you the strength you need to carry out your task. To keep you focused and on your path. The vision may have shown you summoning Lucifer with your power, but you were surrounded by many.’

‘They were not there for me; they were there for Lucifer. As much as I drew them there, Lucifer is what drew them to me, him and his powers and blood that runs through my body.’

‘My child, do you not see, without you Lucifer has nothing. You are many generations removed from Lucifer, your blood and power are yours. My dear, you are the one who will hold all the power.’ I looked at my grandmother. She believed what she was saying. I now believed the prophecy and that it was about me. But I also believed there would be suffering on the way to reaching my full power. There would always be sacrifice and pain. For the first time, but not the last, I wondered if I could change my fate.

‘Come Katherine, let’s go downstairs and have some tea. You need to replenish after a spell like that.’

‘I feel fine.’ I did feel fine, I did not feel drained, I felt energised. It was the first time I had used so much of my power. I felt strong, I felt powerful. I felt greater than my ten years. I wanted to know what else I was capable of. ‘I’m going to go into the forest, I want to go down by the river.’

‘I’m not sure Katherine; it is not safe in the forest by yourself.’

‘I will be fine; I will get Ethan to come with me. He is back from London.’

I left my grandmother and went to find Ethan. He was in the backyard chopping wood for the fire. I looked at Ethan working. He enjoyed the physical work required around a property such as this. I called him in my mind.

‘Ethan, I am going to the forest, to the river, will you come? I don’t want to be alone.’

He looked up at me and nodded. He handed the axe he was using to one of the men and collected his coat. As he reached me, he held out his arm, ‘Come sister, let us escape while we can.’ He smiled at me with a sideways grin. I loved that smile; it lit up his whole face, and he would give a quick wink as he raised his eyebrows. He saved that smile only for me.

We walked slowly into the forest, Ethan leading me. He knew the river as well as I did. He had followed me here so many times over our childhood I had lost count. It was my safe place. A quiet place to get away from everyone and everything.

As we reached the river, I turned to my brother. ‘I want to try something today. Something I have never done before, and I have no idea if it can even be done.’

‘What, my darling little sister, will you be trying today?’

‘I want to fly.’

Ethan stared at me for a moment, then laughed, well, almost choked on the word. ‘Fly?’

‘Yes, fly.’

‘Is that even possible?’

‘I have no idea, but I just tried a spell with grandmother, and I have never felt as strong or powerful as I do now.’

‘Alright, what do you need me to do?’

‘Nothing, just sit here and watch.’

Ethan sat on a small tree stump by the river. It was in front of another tree that had grown up right behind it after the first one had fallen. Ethan was able to sit back on the stump and lean against the tree without falling. He got himself comfortable and looked at me expectantly, ‘ok, let me see you fly.’

‘It may take a while. It is only something I have thought a little about, and not the practical side of it.’ Ethan shrugged and sat with patience while I tried to figure it out.

I stood still and closed my eyes. I waited until I could feel the slight breeze in the air. Then I focused on the energy surrounding me from the trees and the ground covering the forest. I brought it all around my feet and could feel it all swirling there. I concentrated on the energy pulsing at my feet and pictured it building and building and pushed off the ground. I thought about the energy and the breeze pushing and pulling around me to raise me off the ground. I heard my brother gasp as I felt a strange sense of weightlessness. I opened my eyes and looked down. My feet were no longer on the ground, I had raised myself off the ground. It was not far, and it wasn’t flying, but it was a start. I focused on the energy slowing leaving me and I lowered myself to the ground. Ethan rushed over and picked me up in his arms to swing me around.

‘My god, sister, you are amazing.’

I laughed as he swung me around. I felt amazing. I had done it. Well, not completely flying, but I now had an idea of how, and now all I needed was practise.