The Fallen Star

Siren's POV

The she-wolf lays down on the metal table, expressionless. She has become an interesting one, when we had first met she was scared, battle ridden, and loud. Now she mostly stays silent, tired, but most of all sad. Even if she tries to hide it, I can see, I can sense it, but I give her respect for trying. All I can honestly say is that she is not weak. 

We’ve done this procedure many times, it is nothing neither of us have come to enjoy. She willingly puts her limbs between the silver plated cuffs and I could smell the scent of burning flesh immediately, but even then her face remains unmoved. I lathered my hands in the blood, of whom, I do not know. I would like to think it is that of an animal rather than human, but knowing Xavier it is most likely the latter of the two. 

I walk to stand at the head of the table, above her head, placing my palms against her temples. I do not enjoy this as much as she thinks I do, it brings me pain, too. I began the chant and shortly everything went black. 

Grass begins to form in front of me, green and full of life, I begin to walk towards a tree in the distance as more of the environment around me appears. A little girl with white hair is frolicking in a field of yellow flowers. She is laughing and running from a man, not out of fear, but love and joy. He picks her up and twirls her in the air. 

“I love you, little star.” He plants a kiss on her forehead. 

“I love you, too, daddy.” She giggles and smiles with such a glow. 

“Dinners ready!” A woman calls from afar. 

The little she-wolf and her father start to walk away from me towards a blue house, tall and built with love. I followed, but soon the environment began to change. 

The happy little girl is gone and the air has become heavy. She sits on the ground, blood covering her hands and chest, tears pour down her face. In front of her lies a lifeless body of a dark haired female, I can taste death and rot in my mouth. 

I wanted the scene to change, I did not want to witness this anymore, but as soon as the environment began to change, I wished it hadn’t. Failure was now too close to my liking. 

No, please not again.  My mind raced as the room shift around me like a prison. Light was void, the room seems to get smaller each time I visit. There is nothing inviting here. I know this room is definitely not a memory, but is the only thing that blocks me from getting my answer, getting my freedom. I have tried many times to force the scene to change, to get me through this blockade, but have failed each time. 

“Leave this place!” The voice booms and echoes throughout the room, knocking me off of my feet. My bottom lands on the ground as I catch myself with my hands. 

“Who are you? Please allow me passage.” I asked, but kept my voice stern. Waiting for a response, but hoping I do not get one all the same. 

There was nobody in the room, there never was. The walls begin to crack and break, a wave of hope runs through me, but a minute too soon. 

“You will not find what you are looking for here, child. You are not welcomed here.” There was a brief pause. “I said leave!” This time the voice sounded to be right in my ear, I quickly turned, but the burst of the voice threw me backwards and out of the scene. 

My head hits the hard wall, as I moan and reach my hand to the back of my head, I feel the warmth of the liquid seeping from the impact. I looked down at the she-wolf, tears in her eyes and wrists bloody from the cuffs. I sighed, knowing that I have failed once again. 

Whatever magic has touched this child was out of my jurisdiction, I have never seen such a thing, especially in a wolf shifter. I slowly start to release the cuffs from her wrists as she looks over to me. 

“Why?” Her voice is soft, weak. 

“You know why.” I replied quietly, gaining back my thoughts. “He wants his answer, if you knew any better, you would give it to him. The faster you do, the faster this will end.” I paused. “For both of us.” 

She may not believe me, but I want this to end just as much as she does. I do not enjoy torturing people of any kind, it was never who I was. It’s not who I am. At least I hope. 

She lay silently as I removed the cuffs from her ankles, but as the door opened, I felt her flinch before removing the last cuff. 

“Siren?” His voice made my ancestors scream inside my head. 

“I am sorry, Your Highness.” I bowed my head. 

“You are a pathetic excuse of a witch! She is one child, she is nothing!” He boomed, I kept my head low. “One simple task and you cannot abide, you must remember who it is that you are trying to protect and maybe try harder to do a simple task!”

I do not falter, but my stomach goes weak, I want to scream and yell for him to not touch her, to stay away, my sister is not his to keep. 

“Please, I have told you before, someone, or something, is not allowing me access to more than a child's memory. I do not recognize this kind of magic and I have been around for a very long time. Please , Your Highness…” I want to beg, to fall to my knees and ask for my freedom, to beg him to find it in him to be merciful, but I do not.

He stands, looking at the she-wolf, scolding her and scowls. “You are a wasteful little being. I want my amulet.” 

She laughs, and I cringe slightly. “This supposed amulet, that you say has not been seen for many years, but you believe it to be with a child?” She mocks the word. “You will not give me anything about the looks of this amulet or the reason that you want it, you provide me with no information. I cannot give you what you want when I do not have it.” She is calm, but I feel her emotions raging. “If this amulet is as important as you claim it to be, then it is your own wrongdoing to have lost it in the first place.”

I wish to silent her, to tell her to stop before she gets either one of us hurt, Xavier is seething with rage. 

“Do not tempt me to kill you like I have done with your family!” His tone hardens. 

She laughs loudly. “Please do! You would be doing me a favor.” She spits at him. 

Xavier’s hand meets her face with a loud slap. His eyes narrow as he slips through the door and the door slamming rests in the room. 

She rubs her cheek and moves to slide off the table, picking up the white gauze and quickly wraps her wrists. 

“I am sorry.” I say softly. 

She scoffs and rips the gauze with her teeth. “If you were sorry, you wouldn’t be doing this.”

I wish she were right, but she only knows that I am oath bound to him, but not the reason as to why. Three months of this and I wish nothing more than to be rid of this torment. I feel my energy slowly decreasing, begging for a break. It is weak and I do not have the access to my ancestors to regenerate, not within these walls. Xavier will not let me leave, not unless I wish to save my sister, my sister who gave him her soul to save me. 

-Flashback three months ago-

“Siren! Let’s goooooo!” My little sister was about to start her first sacrifice for becoming of age. 

All little witches must complete a sacrifice of oath and bond for Krilla, the first of all witches. To say she was more than excited would not even cover it. We were walking towards the grounds of Saint Whelms, where Krilla came to exist. Legends say that she was created from a Black Nightshade Flower, one of the rarest in the world. It is said that this flower can make most any wish come true, but no one has seen one for too many years to count. 

As we arrived at Saint Whelms border, a wave of nerves rushed through my body. I could taste blood. 

I grabbed my sister's arm, stopping her. “Sonja, stay here.” I warned her, walking slowly through the brush, coming upon a scene I remember too well. 

Two of our Elders were strung in the trees, eyes gone and symbols cut into their skin. Their blood was pouring down their bodies, making puddles on the ground below. My knees buckled and I found myself kneeling, my heart was sore. The moon was shining bright and my eyes strayed to a large figure standing over our coven sightseer. Her heart in his hand, he turned to look at me, I could feel his energy. The energy of a warlock, but his eyes were crazed and filled with hunger. 

Sonja’s scream made me whip my head around, another warlock had his arms wrapped around her. 

“Put me down!” Sonja yelled, flailing her arms, trying to hit him with whatever strength she could. 

Before I could react, large arms were wrapping around me. The warlock I first laid eyes on had me in his grasp, there was something in their blood, I could smell it. A wisp of cold air blew across my face as a tall, dark figure dropped between the two warlocks. 

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” His voice was full of bitter excitement. 

Sonja was still struggling to get out of the warlock's grasp. The stranger was quickly behind the warlock that held my sister. He threw him several feet away as my sister fell to the ground. The warlock holding me quickly threw me with his energy, I felt every bone in my body crack and pop as I slammed into a tree. The stranger swiftly tossed that warlock with the other and the quickly dispersed. 

The stranger walked over and crouched at my side, giving me a better look at his face. I wanted to shrivel away, to hide my sister. The moon made his skin more pale. Xavier. 

“Let me save you, little witch.” His voice was enchanting. “I have work for you.”

I wanted to tell him to leave, to find someone else to do his awful bidding, but Sonja came running up to us. My body was slowly failing, as much as I wanted the pain to cease, I wanted Xavier gone far more. 

“No…” The only word that was able to roll off my tongue. 

“Siren! Quickly, use a spell. You must!” I hear the panic in my sister's voice. I wanted to comfort her, to tell her that everything was going to be okay, but her tears kept falling, and I was slipping away. 

“She can’t.” Xavier stood, wiping his hands together as if he just did us a favor, and started walking away. 

I wish he had. 

“Wait! Help her! You said you can save her. Please…” My sister's voice quivered. 

“Ah, but she must accept it, and as you should know, magic like this always comes with a price.” His lips curved and his eyes filled with deceit. 

Sonja’s eyes met mine. “Please Siren, please let him heal you.” 

My body started shutting down, but I wanted to yell at her, to tell her no, to not even think about it, but it was too late. 

“There has to be another way!” She turned back to Xavier.

Xavier shrugged. “There is another, but it would be you who takes your sister's place. You would have to offer yourself instead. Do you know what that means?” His voice is just as deceiving and venomous as a snake. 

I couldn’t do anything. I wanted to stop her. To stop him, but I failed then, too. I wanted to die then and there. 

“I, Sonja DeVine, off my soul to you.” Her voice was shaky. “Please, just help her.”

Xavier bent down next to my sister, pressing his nail against his wrist, red liquid began to protrude against his pale skin. As my eyes started to fog over, I watched as he pressed his wrist to my sister's mouth, all the while smiling devilishly at me. 

-Present time-

After I washed my hands and waited until my sullen face was slowly regaining color, I started to make my way back to my quarters. As I walked in I found Sonja, her black hair hung short above her shoulders, standing at the window, looking out into the darkness. She is stuck here, I am stuck here. Xavier threatened me that he would kill her if I were to leave before I got him what he wanted. 

“Anything?” Her voice is flat. 

“No…” I reply sadly. 

“You need energy.” It was not a question, Sonja knew I was getting weaker without the connection to our ancestors, this place blocked out any light magic. 

“No, I’m fine.” I tried to reassure her. 

She sat down, using her eyes to tell me to sit. I sigh and sit down in front of her as she grabs my hands. Even though she does not have the powers of our ancestors, their blood still runs through her. She places her small dagger against my palms and a thin line seeps red, she does the same to her palms. We intertwine our fingers together and both start to whisper the chant. 

I feel my energy regaining some of its strength, but I feel Sonja shutter, I was about to pull away, but she held harder to me.