To Have And To Hold

Smoke On The Water...Part III

Chapter Sixty-Five: Smoke On The Water...Part III

TATIANA

Black magic, we respect thee and understand that you were called, but the Firebird Phoenix and Fairy Queen kindly appeal to you that what has been set forth be stalled...

A perilous plague, tragically put in play—by those who seek death of the innocent—mercy for their lives our plea on this special day...

Hear our words so desperate and true, dispel and destroy the death that was requested of you...

We added additional support to my green prison as Raven and I recited our incantational plea, which—as expected—was not met with a kind response. Our words had barely finished when the jar exploded, shards of glass whipping around the dense, furious hurricane that spilled out, the swirling winds slamming with all their might against my protective globe.

Initiating our defense, Raven and I hit the storm cloud above us with massive doses of power from our palms, letting loose a hard, pounding rain full of healing powers to battle the cursed droplets begging to be set free, instantly drenching us and the expanding orb as lightning strikes created by Remi’s powerful beams cracked down all around the potent enlarging circle of green...

In retaliation, the dark spell summoned more strength, hitting against the barrier so hard, it caused anticipated cracks, which we countered—Raven directing a burst of blinding rain over the orb while I sent a bolt of Remi’s lightning to hit the black stream of hellish toil and trouble, sending it recoiling back inside my aura in almost life-like fear and pain...

Our test of the plan passing with flying colors, we continued our assault. With every crack made and escape attempted, Raven and I hit back harder, managing to infiltrate a great deal of our healing moisture into the dark magic’s ferocious storm to kill the lethal plague contained within its enormous thick cloud that had it reactively and frantically fighting back in an unexpected move that horrified both of us to our cores...

********************

MADELINE

Everyone was sitting around the great room at the Mystic Fire main house, but the atmosphere was quite different than the previous night as we all anxious awaited word from Crescent Moon...

Harshly wringing my hands as I furiously paced back and forth behind the couch, Vivian calmly urged, “I know that look. Please sit down, Madeline. At this rate, you’ll be in a full-blown panic attack in no time.”

Vivian wasn’t wrong—I too knew the signs—my mind frantically racing as I muttered under my breath, “We should have postponed the wedding—why didn’t they just let us postpone it?”

“I’ve come to realize—especially as of late—that there is a reason for everything, Madeline, even when we can find no explanation as to why these challenges must be faced,” Luminara poignantly replied in a soft, assuring tone, “Fate’s plans at times are unexplainable until much later and if there are any two people we can trust to dispel this spell, it’s Auntie and Raven.”

“Beast says it looks like Auntie and Raven have things well in hand,” Tink worriedly exhaled out, “They’re keeping it holed up in Auntie’s magic, using all the powers and Remi’s healing magic to try to destroy this damn Rain of Plague spell they were going use against us.”

Sitting between Tink and Constance, Charlotte suddenly let out a loud scream, doubling over in pain as she heaved out, “Oh, no! NO! This can’t be happening!”

“Charlotte?” Constance yelled out in a panic, her hands flying up to grab hold of her sister’s shoulder and arm, “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Her head snapping up, Charlotte’s petrified eyes were wide as she wildly gasped out, “I’m no longer the storm—I’m the victim!” Whipping her head to the side, she weakly mouthed out in a desperate plea, “It’s coming for me, Constance—it wants me! It’s telling me I can’t stop my fate this time!”

“Like hell you’re a victim! We’re always the storm!” Tink heatedly blurted out, taking hold of Charlotte from the other side, “What exactly is it saying?”

I sprinted towards her as a desperate Constance and Tink were clinging onto their sister, but as I got closer, they violently fell forward into one another—their shocked and terrified eyes locking together as my whole body began shaking in fear. Charlotte disappeared—she was gone—and according to her last words, I knew where she was now—and so did they...

Jumping up from the couch, Tink looked straight up, infuriatingly bellowing out, “MY SISTER IS NOT THE DAMN VICTIM! DO YOU HEAR ME? CHARLOTTE IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE THE STORM—AND I’M A MEGASTORM LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN! IF YOU DON’T GIVE ME BACK MY SISTER, I WILL FIND A WAY TO MAKE EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THIS PAY—AND I WON’T NEED DARK MAGIC TO DO IT!”

************

JACE

Mother and Raven had done well against the black magic Saphira and Igor had viciously commanded to be brought forth, but it didn’t appear to be enough as the plague-filled swirling cloud fought against the violent rain storm of healing they created, even managing to throw out its own splashes of deadly intent towards my two beloved sorceresses that fortunately, they deflected.

I realized quickly, however, that the faceless attack was a diversion as a burst of grey suddenly appeared in front of our enemy. A white light appearing in the center that soon took a human shape as I received a panicked link from Constance that stilled both my breath and my heart...

I heard one of the witches who brought the dark magic spell to Crescent Moon breathlessly exclaim, “No—Sister! Saphira must have added a caveat to the spell before we arrived!”

“N—No! NO!” Carson desperately cried out, releasing his hold on my shoulder before dashing over to heftily force his way in between a stunned Caelus and Guntur, who were standing at the far-left windowed balcony doors, beating his fists hard against the thick glass, “Charlotte! THEY’RE GOING AFTER CHARLOTTE AGAIN!”

**************

TATIANA

“Charlotte,” I shockingly whispered when she appeared—even through the dark grey, I could see the tears streaming down my girl’s fright-filled face.

Auntie! Raven urgently linked, It must feel that defeat is near! Charlotte is the chosen retribution—the live victim the dark magic requires!

I saw the wave of poisonous flooding rain being thrown out from the cloud through a wide crack it forced into my protective core, simultaneously sending out a shield of green to protect Charlotte as she threw her hands up in front of her face, reactively anticipating the hit—just as a thought hit me—Raven’s words replaying in my mind...

LIVE VICTIM...

Replying with matching urgency, my words came out as an authoritative command, Raven, we only have a small window of opportunity. Fly above me and prepare for a tornado to come down over us. I need you to bring forth the Firebird Phoenix—we’ve worked on your control, so I know you can do it! We will both need wide wingspans to defeat the dark magic. I’m sending you the vision of what needs to be done now.

After shielding Charlotte from another deadly strike of thick, pelting black raindrops, I brought forth the encased live spell Saphira had used against us days earlier, the rainbow of streams still zipping around the domed glass jar that I sealed at the bottom after sending my message to Azora.

Quickly extending an extensive cone of tornadic winds down from our magical cloud to block us from any remnants of the spell after I executed what I hoped was our final move, I covered Raven who, as requested, was positioned above me now, readying to have the Firebird Phoenix appear as I swiftly brought the winds of protection down towards me.

Just as it reached the top of my head, I sent a surge of my powers through my palm, catapulting the jar towards the imprisoned hurricane—my burst of green doing as I wished, sending the encapsulated live magic directly into the center of the contained storm that began its desired feast—more shards of glass blasting out from the forceful, famished cloud’s mighty snatch...

As it was distracted from her presence, I encased Charlotte in my aura, yanking her back to hover in the air behind me, throwing my hand down towards the water below to allow the turbulent winds I created to descend the shielding vortex over us as I reared my wings fully back—elated when I heard the ear-piercing cry of the most magnificent of birds...

**************

CHARLOTTE

Do not be fooled—you are not the storm. You are our victim—our chosen—the target of our lethal storm now. Your fate is sealed—the command made—the bell of death tolls for you...

I will never forget those words, nor will I ever forget the sound of the eerie, haunting echoed delivery of them. The deep, soul-stirring whispers of supernatural immortality forever imprinted in my mind...

When I appeared in front of Auntie’s brightly colored circle, the sight of the torrential dark winds was mesmerizing, continuing to send taunting threats of my impending demise as a spray of black liquid savagely spewed towards me—my hands instinctively coming up to protect my face from what I knew was wet death.

And then, I saw the flash of green—Auntie’s magic protecting me from an inevitable doom—a second burst of her aura saving me from another strike before I saw some kind of large glass object full of colors fly past me into the deadly storm that had brought me back to Crescent Moon to meet my fate.

Only seconds later, however, I was suddenly being roughly pulled away from death’s door, my eyes widening as I realized I was brought to rest behind the vast sparkling wings of my Auntie—our beloved Fairy Queen. Directly after, my ears were ringing after as the high-frequency sounds of our Firebird Phoenix rang out—my Raven—who had been protecting me since I was little, especially after the attack that killed our parents and family...

My life was in the hands of two people I wholeheartedly trusted and loved—I only hoped that their combined magic could help me cheat death once again to stay with my family—to get to love my sweet...

Unable to link him, I breathlessly whispered out, “Carson”

***************

NICHOLAS

I had Loa bring Carson to me, linking Jace and Beast to remain where they were while I took take care of him, as it was the one responsibility as Crescent Moon Alpha that I did still have control over—and there was nothing I wanted more than to comfort and support my lifelong friend and brother...

When Carson appeared in front of me, I immediately wrapped my robust arms around his slumped shoulders as he brokenly brought his hands back up to rest on the window, looking out as Auntie shielded Charlotte from a deadly spray of poison the dark forces sent barreling out towards her, “Why her, Nicholas? Why is Saphira wanting so desperately to kill my Lottie?”

“I don’t know, Carson,” I hoarsely replied, tightening my grip to keep him upright, just as Auntie slung out another green barrier to deflect another strike against his mate, “Just keep trusting in Auntie and Raven—they will do everything necessary to protect Charlotte, alright?”

“Wait! What is that?” Spiros emphatically questioned, his eyes narrowing as he attempted to focus on an object that suddenly appeared in Auntie’s hand, “Is that—the spell Saphira used last time? The one Auntie encased?”

A bright smile crossing her face, Loa enthusiastically exclaimed in astonished awe, “Oh, Tati! You are brilliant!”

Peering down at her, Mahan mumbled out in a daze, “Loa?”

“Dark magic requires retribution—at least one victim to satisfy its fruition!” Loa ecstatically blurted out, “And that is a live spell!”

Keeping Charlotte in his sights as Auntie created a brightly colored expansive twister that descended over Raven, moving further below towards her, Carson precariously asked, “So, the dark magic will accept the live spell as the sacrifice instead of Charlotte? And what is Auntie doing now?”

“I can’t make any promises, but it is a masterful move, Carson,” Loa ponderously replied, “And if I were to guess, that is to protect them from whatever they are planning to do next.”

All of us fell into a tense silence as we watched Auntie propel Saphira’s previous deadly attack into the center of the vicious storm, the dark powers of the underworld immediately attacking the object, consuming it whole, sending glass exploding into its violent winds. Auntie took advantage of the moment—sighs of relief and held breaths expelling out into the air—Carson’s body slightly coming back to life, weakly bouncing up and down as Charlotte was harshly brought behind Auntie—the wide girthed tornado coming down over them both before the room filled with shocked gasps—

A familiar high-pitched caw rang out—a sign that our Firebird Phoenix had now joined the Fairy Queen to hopefully finish this fight...

***************

JACE

I had just been able to expel the stilled air in my chest as I watched Charlotte’s endangered life being protected by Mother and the genius move made to extract her from the black magic’s intended end and protect them all...

My heart broke as I peered over at Carson, who, while as relieved as we all were, still understandably appeared completely broken as he had earlier this week—Nicholas holding my old friend’s defeated and desolate athletic frame in a stronghold again. While I was attempting to take in a deep breath, however, I suddenly heard Raven’s bellowing cry, my tattoo lighting up, stopping the oxygen inside my lungs from expelling once more—my eyes instinctively darting over to Talon, who too was finding it hard to breathe...

Returning my attention to the battle, I saw the massive wingspan of my loved and adored Firebird Phoenix powerfully fluttering back and forth, as well as the extraordinary enormous wings of my revered mother, the Fairy Queen, who was forcefully and purposefully doing the same as they began what I knew as the final blow to the darkness that had been sent on a deadly mission by our enemies—destroying it with the light that only they could bring...

**************

TATIANA

The colored streams of the live spell were dimming quickly, losing their impossible fight against impending death, only momentarily quenching the thirst of the black magic at play. I knew it wouldn’t be long before it set its sights back on Charlotte with Enora, Elvira, and Elveena being next on the list, though I had preemptively instilled a protection spell over them and Azora as well in their shackles...

Raven had masterfully brought forth the Firebird Phoenix, both of us using our wings to decisively send our countering curing rain into the globe, slamming the hurricane inside with our own powerful attack. The teetering dire need to finish its consumption of the live sacrifice and battle against its own eradication reflected in clashing swells of greying inner turmoil that Raven and I took further advantage of...

Using the overwhelming winds created from the fierce and relentless back and forth motion of our massive wings, Raven and I sent a section of our restorative cloud towards the storm below, directing it to infiltrate the boundaries I put in place. Success was met by a small crack in the side, our harnessed magic forcefully making its way in to begin shrinking the weakened dark spell.

While still supporting our effort on the outside utilizing the rest of our massive cloud, I saw our light begin to dispel the darkness—our cloud swiftly expanding, as did my bubble of protection—spreading out before soaking the black magic with the same torrential rain and lightning bolts fiercely being sent out in back to back strikes on the outside—allowing us to slowly but surely choke and kill the moisture of plague held within. The dangerous winds decelerated, the girth of the black magic storm shrinking as our squall thankfully tipped the scales to our side...

Sensing the end was near, the spell sent from the depths of hell prepared to take its last stand—surging one last time as I prepared to protect the targets it sought to harm and take back down below—all the while assisting the four witches with a plan all their own...

Bringing forth my own final almighty rush of magic, I coated the lake below in green to protect the waters from any toxic debris before sending two blinding wide bolts towards the orb to try to contain as much of final blow as I could. The reverberating forceful explosion emitted afterwards sent our twister back several feet but doing its job as we were completely protected from any potent remnants of the spell. Quickly peering back at Charlotte, who was in shock and sobbing uncontrollably, I lovingly linked, It’s over now, my darling. Neither of those spells will ever return to harm you again...

Raven had shifted back to her human form, lowering herself down to hover beside me before we peered down below at the thick black smoke caught by my shield just above the water.

“Aunt Loa said your shackles worked perfectly—the three sisters were protected in your bubbles when the dark magic sent them flying up towards the ceiling,” she proudly stated, “Had it not been for that, all their necks would have been broken.”

“Fortunately, it received the desired live sacrifice or much worse may have been done,” I thoughtfully replied, “I just hope my message was received by Saphira and her four other friends—it will make their discoveries more convincing and make things much easier for us.”

**************

SAPHIRA

“Saphira?” Temora’s usual harsh voice softly echoed in my ear, “Saphira, we really need you to come back to us now.”

My eyes slowly opening, I pushed through my thick silver-glazed brown hair to grab the back of my head—throbbing pain piercing through my brain as I realized I was on my dark wood floor with Temora and Theodora kneeling on either side of me.

Dazed and confused, I looked between them, hoarsely questioning, “W—What happened? Is everyone alright?”

The sisters momentarily removed their concerned gazes from me to look at one another before looking back down, the flat features of Temora’s thin face hardened so hard, her deeply recessed cheekbones could now be seen clearly as she reluctantly replied, “The dark magic spell backfired on us, Saphira—it sent us a message—we—failed.”

Swallowing back the myriad of emotions that instantly gathered in my throat, cutting off my air, I weakly questioned in a devastated accusing whisper, even though I already knew the heart wrenching answer, “Enora? Elvira? Elveena?”

“They’re gone, Saphira,” Theodora slowly drawled out, every well-protruding bone in her diamond-shaped paled face just as rigid as her underlying fury unable to be concealed in her tone, “And I suspect the Firebird Phoenix and Fairy Queen utilized our own spell to send them to their deaths—something we will need to avenge. Their home was set fully ablaze. Cordelia is there now, putting out the inferno that was left behind. There’s nothing left, I’m afraid.”

Reaching out to take hold of their slim, but steady arms to stabilize myself, I gingerly sat up to see my once immaculate dining room a shambled mess—the remains looking as if the same devastating tornado that I had been hit with inside had also been released inside my home. The long antique mahogany table and tall ornate chairs were now heaps of broken and splintered wood scattered all around the room—destroyed by what I now remembered was the sudden shocking blast that sent all of us flying across the room...

“The rest of you—you are all alright?” I exhaled out, flabbergasted by what I was seeing all around me.

Pushing her fine grey hair behind her ear, Temora cautiously stated, bringing forth more concern as I could tell she was hiding something in her overly assuring reply, “We’re—fine, Saphira.”

Realizing there was one more of my sisters missing, I harshly blew out, “Uma—where—”

I let out a sigh of relief as my question was interrupted by the appearance of my old friend. Uma appeared well for the most part, her bulkier frame more than likely cushioning her fall better than ours, though her short bright white hair contained pieces of blackened ash debris, which I assumed meant that she had been assisting Cordelia, further proven by the somber look in her dark eyes and Uma’s locked squared jaw. But then I noticed she was holding a small piece of parchment in her hand...

Her tone was off as Uma reprovingly queried, “Have you told her yet?”

Peering up at her, I devastatingly replied, “Yes, I know of our sisters’ fates. We will avenge their deaths, Uma.”

“She doesn’t know yet, Uma,” Theodora flatly relayed, dumbfounding me by her reply.

My eyes darting between the three—Temora and Theodora’s expressions were passe, bringing forth irritation in Uma’s, as I harshly replied, “What don’t I know yet?”

Extending the paper out towards me, Uma downheartedly relayed, “Not that these two seem to care, but it appears Azora made a grave error in judgement.”

“Oh, please, Uma—that girl was probably hoping for the spell to fail so she would have a way out of her miserable life,” Temora coldly retorted, “Azora has been lost without Minki—she was her only source of love. If anything, that letter is nothing more than a suicide note.”

Floored by their words, I was sent further into despair as Cordelia reappeared in the room, admonishing, “You should be ashamed of yourself, Temora, that’s a horrible thing to say. Especially since if that is indeed true—not only did we fail Azora—we all failed Minki as well.”

“Nonsense, that girl was never one of our own. Azora has always been ashamed of her sorcery,” Theodora dismissively murmured, looking at my two friends with narrowed eyes, “I’m in agreement with my sister. That girl was a miserable, depressive being. It was insane to bring her onboard with us in the first place.”

Forcing myself forward, I brought my shaky hand up to snatch the letter from Uma’s hand, reading Azora’s words as she confirmed, “Apparently, Azora felt bad for Elveena’s plight and decided to go to her. In her words—if things go awry, then my overwhelming inclination to make sure Elveena was not alone during all this is fate’s way of telling me that it was time for this life of mine to come to an end. Do not feel any regret. I accept the risk and the responsibility and am truly sorry if by some chance my death causes any of you distress.”

“Why?” I incredulously exhaled out, stammering out a slight pause, “Why would Azora do this? I—I gave strict instructions that none of us were to be anywhere near Elveena in case—”

“I saw this end when you couldn’t conjure any visions or reach them at Mystic Fire, Saphira!” Uma angrily shouted out, “When are you finally going to realize that we are outmatched?”

“We just need more sorceresses to join our cause!” I emphatically snapped back, “If we all call upon our friends, we can—"

Her fury released, Uma stormed towards me, fiercely interrupting, “You really are insane if you continue to think you have any chance to succeed against them, Saphira! What happened today proves what we’ve told you all along—this is a fight you cannot win—it’s time to cut our many losses here, especially you. Walk away from this now or you will meet the same fate as our sisters!”