A Curse of Fate

Chapter 7

My whole life I was taught that magick was an abomination, creatures made from it, and those that could wield are to be killed. My father and the Council made sure that I feared all aspects of magick, they threw me to the darkest creatures, training they said, to make me stronger than the monsters I would hunt for them. For the safety of this world and the innocent souls that lived in it, my father used this creed to mold me into a killer of my own kind. When I was young I made a flower grow from the concrete in the dungeon that he threw me in, my punishment for failing my training lesson for the day. The flower came from nothing, I had wanted a light to make the darkness less scary, to comfort me. Trouble was I didn’t know two things, that I made it or that there were cameras watching me, father stormed into the small dark cell with a flame thrower and torched it, screaming obscenities, burning my legs with the same fire. I passed out due to pain, waking up in the infirmary with my father holding my hand, his story was that a witch sent the flower to kill me. The council had found a woman to burn for the crime so that I would believe the story of how the witch wanted vengeance against my father for killing her sister. He made himself the hero of this story, telling me that he had killed to save lives. The part that sickens me most is that I believed them, so easily so quickly, never questioning the story no matter how flawed, just to keep my father by my side, loving me. 

But now I know what happened that day was all a lie, they wanted me for my magick, but they wanted it to go to their next generation of weapons, my children. The horror of the truth crippled me, I crumbled on the floor the second my feet hit it, Gunther shielding me from everyone, nudging me with his head whickering at me. Dracula and Lila were moving everyone back and running into the ring to grab me. Gunther wouldn’t let them near my ridged form, he was ready to bite any hand that drew close. Rocking back and forth holding my head I kept repeating the phrase, “He lied”. Suddenly all of the Temps were surrounding me, some glaring out into the crowd to keep the farmers away, others trying to calm my giant protector. Max was the only one who could get close to me, Gunther must have smelled me on him. The giant horse moved back enough for Max to pull me into him, essentially wrapping his body around me. “Love you have to let it go, you knew that they all lied to you, what they wanted from you.” He said softly trying to bring my mental break under control, but my mind wouldn't let it go. All I could think of was the blood of creatures on my hands, the damage I had done to creatures that only wanted to be themselves, causing no harm. I am a monster, an abomination. My mind kept falling apart further and further until I heard on voice, You are a weapon for the Council, a tool for their will, another soldier born for the Armory. You obey the Council, YOU OBEY ME!! Screaming I clutched my head tighter, my father’s voice slicing through every part of my mind, like a knife. No one can save you, you were born to be our weapon!! With every word the pain grew, I could focus on anything else, not even the needle sliding into my arm, “Shh love, it will be ok” Max’s voice fluttered across my awareness, slowly the pain began to numb, the words began to fade but not before another voice rang through bringing an end to my pain and my consciousness Remember me, daughter, growing softer the voice was the last thing I heard before passing out Find me, join me, dea. 

Waking up was hard, my mind was still uncooperative and my body drained of energy, I felt so weak. Opening my eyes was like prying open cement bricks, lifting my eyelids just made me want to close them and sleep more. Sensing my internal struggle Max sided with my body, “You need more sleep love, it's late and you are tired.” running his fingers through my hair he resettled me to lay into his side still cradled in his arms. “Sleep we will sort all out when you wake.” My mind and body readily agreed I fell into a deep sleep, in Max’s arms. Little did I know that what was to come would be an even greater challenge.

My dreams were fuzzy and strange, I could hear a man and a woman fighting, “ You will not take my child from me!” Suddenly a light grew brighter showing me the full scene. A chair flying across a room, a kitchen, a heavily pregnant woman clutching her stomach protectively glaring at the man. “You have no choice w***e, she is ours.” He sneered at her as he stalked closer to her, “You knew that I would come for my weapon, and nothing you can do will stop this.” He was less taunting her, a sick smile plastered to his face, “You can’t even use your magick to save her now.” Laughing he closed the remaining distance to the women, brandishing a large hunting knife. The woman didn’t move, a look of utter horror twisting her beautiful face, her arms further wrapping around her belly. “You won’t have to worry though, as our weapon she will be stronger than even you. And someday the children she gives us will be the greatest weapons in  our history.” The man said, grabbing her arms and prying them away from her unborn child, the woman was fighting back with all her strength, “She will be your death, monster. Your council will crumble before her.” The woman said as she spit in his eyes “And this will be my curse to you, she will be the only child you have, no matter what you do she will be the only child you raise, and you will die by her hand.” The man growled back at her, shoving her to the floor, raising the knife, “Then I shall take her with me now, I only need her.” Bring the knife down on her lower abdomen he sliced across her belly, the woman screamed, blood ran everywhere. The man ripped the wound open, grabbing the child within, tying the cord, and cutting it. He wrapped the child in a blanket and left the woman there, to die alone. As he walked through the door he looked back at the woman reaching for her child in his arms, “She will never know you now Esmeralda, she will be mine and only mine.” The child started screaming as soon as he walked out the door. His face was so young, but I knew the monster that had just stolen the child, my father. I thought the dream was over but, the woman began to chant, looking at her bloody from, I saw her body healing. A large dog came running in, it began licking her face, whimpering for its mistress. Suddenly the room was filled with more women, they were laying their hands on the woman, her body began to glow, and heal with the power that they were giving her. A large creature walked in, a gargoyle, he bent at the woman's head and laid his hands on her head, pushing her hair away, “I am so sorry love, I should have been here by your side.” He whispered to her. The woman looked up at him, the life returning to her eyes, tears streaking down her face, “I knew this would happen, and why it has to. She will come back to us, my love. But she will suffer until her mate finds her.” Suddenly she looked at me, her eyes looking into my own, they were the same as mine. Come home to us dea, we have been waiting for you. She reached for me with her hand smiling, the vision narrowing to her and only her everyone and everything else just faded away. I have been waiting for you. Now that your blood is freed from them it will call to us. I will see you soon, Elora. Looking into her eyes I felt the power in my blood rise, calling my mother to me, as it had for our kind for generations.

 my dream faded out, I felt Max wake beside me, my magic calling to him as well, the scent and song of it drawing him to me, in lust and hunger. My eyes snapped open to see him over top of me, his face twisted in concentration, “You don’t need to fear love, you won’t hurt me.” I said reaching for him, “I know what you want, just do it” pulling his head down to my chest, the shirt I wore gone, he stared at me with fear and confusion. My mark spread to its full size, I stared at him too, with acceptance and understanding, “Claim me as your own, and I will do the same Maximus” I said as my marks moved and glowed. The magic in my body had shown me the damage to my mind, the council's control totally gone from me now, my power giving me my mind back as it was meant to be. I kissed his forehead, before pushing him to my heart vein, the magick had shown me what I needed to find my balance and bond with my mate. Finally, together I thought as he bit into my flesh. His strong arms wrapping around me, locking my writhing form into place as he fed on the body, taking blood and giving his love in return. He bound me to him completely, when he finished I kissed him, he sat back on his legs kneeling with me in his arms. “No it's my turn,” I said, my voice different with the magick now flowing through it. I pressed my lips to him, pushing something into his being, letting the magick of my mother's bloodline guide me. He gasped as my hands pressed against his chest, a piece of the blessing his mother bestowed upon me blooming onto his chest. A smaller version of the flower grew above his heart, this one an emerald green, a piece of my soul binding us together. He stared at it as I pulled my hands away, the marks on my own body growing and changing, now the dark jewels tone had colored parts of the dizzying patterns as they grew down my waist and thighs. I looked up at stunned Max, his face crossed with amazement and joy, “My mom is alive'' was all I could get out before all hell broke loose.