The Warlock's Redemption: Jade West on Trial
Disclaimer: I do not possess the rights of ownership over the characters or setting of Victorious, copyrights or trademarks thereof are the property of Dan Schneider and his associates. I don't write for monetary compensation nor will I accept any recompense for this. I wrote this tale using the characters for purposes of entertainment and just for fun. No offense or infringement is intended, and I have no desire to anger the powers that be. The only thing of my own devising is the persona of Draco Magnus and the various characters of Clan Azhkaran, and the location of Kaer Drakaan. I don't own the hollowbrook hotel, and nor would I care to.
The Vega clan was old. Very old, full of Wizards and Sorceresses every other generation. Their names were on the rolls of honor for dedicated service to the Elders, that ruling body of all things supernatural and immortal. It was July 30th, in the year 2036. Beings from all walks of life, from the Sidhe of the Faerie courts to the drakes of clan Azhkaran would be attending a gathering called by the Eldest, Tarhiras Azhkaran himself. Even the mortal wizards like Victoria Vega and her family were summoned to the meeting upon penalty of censure. It was rumored that a renegade wizard or Sorceress had been hunted down and brought back for trial, and that the matter was greatly dire enough for the mighty and powerful to gather for such a mundane thing.
The Vega residence was in an uproar over the summons notice, each member gathering their formal outfits and other accoutrements necessary for the occasion. But one member was silent, almost mechanical in her motions. She was a tanned half-Latina with pronounced cheekbones, bright eyes, and luxurious brunette hair. On her finger was a ring that had a simple message in Latin: "Amo tu, Victoria. Semper fidelis, R.S.". After finishing packing her things, Victoria looked at the ring and burst into tears. She sobbed loudly, and wondered why the Elders would call a meeting on this day, of all days? The memories still hurt her after twenty years of grief, and she didn't want to go to the meeting, not now on this anniversary of the Incident at Hollowbrook. She wiped her tears away and sniffled as her magically enhanced hearing picked up the sounds of her cousin and sister coming to check on her.
"Tori, are you okay? We're going to be late for a meeting with the Elders" said Trina as she and Beck Oliver entered Victoria's sanctum. Trina was older than Victoria, and had dedicated her life to serving as a illusionist and actress for the Sidhe courts. Beck, by contrast, was a distant cousin of the Vega sisters, but close enough to act more like a brother at times. He had once been engaged to a Dark Sorceress but had called off the engagement when his fiancée went rogue and disappeared after Hollowbrook. Taking in the somber and downcast aspect to his favorite cousin's eyes, the Canadian Wizard spoke up: "Cousin, what are you thinking about?"
Victoria shook her head and got up, gesturing that she was ready to go. The three of them left the sanctum with their respective provisions and possessions, to the living room couches. David and Holly were waiting there, with a Portal Way already opened to Kaer Drakaan, the lair of the Eldest. The Vega clan stepped through the portal, and found themselves in a surprisingly modern underground series of caves. Everywhere around them were all sorts of beings chatting, laughing, and bartering in numerous languages, like something out of a mundane television show.
Victoria didn't care for this racket, she wanted to get this over with and go home, because she hated it when the Hollowbrook Incident would inevitably come up in conversation. "Twenty years ago, I lost the love of my life." That is all that she would say, whenever she did speak of the 'incident at the Hollowbrook Hotel' . Victoria Vega's tone often held a complicated mixture of longing, grief and rage when the subject matter would turn up in conversation. Her friends and family, especially her sister Katrina, her distant cousin Beckett Oliver, and her old master knew what Victoria meant by that statement. Victoria was an accomplished sorceress trained by several high-ranking wizards, including a drake named Draco Magnus, a seer named Erwin Sikowitz, and her father David Vega, an old student of Draco's. She wondered if Draco would be there, since he was the son of the Eldest, and consequently ten millennia old.
The Vegas and Beckett made their way to the far end of the atrium part of the caverns, passed several other caverns full of various beings doing business, and finally arrived at the Sanctum Sanitoria, the place where the Eldest and his peers held court over the denizens of the supernatural community. as they entered the sanctum, they saw a woman with a black hood obscuring their face, surrounded by a squad of Venators and guarded by old Draco himself. The Eldest, a massive drake that was eight feet tall with golden wings folded at his back, noticed the newcomers and announced to the assembled Elders: "Since our honored servants, the Vegas and Wizard Oliver have arrived, this gathering shall come to order. Venators, take the prisoner to the holding cell and ensure she does not escape. There are matters to observe here before the trial begins in earnest..."
Draco gestured for the vega sisters to sit at his right hand side, near the right hand postion near the Eldest. Victoria couldn't help smiling fondly at the old drake. Draco was terrifying as a person, a being that could be harsh, unforgiving, compassionate and still amazingly dedicated to the practice and art of magic. Draco had been the one put in charge of the initial training and instruction of Victoria and her peers when they were just kids. From the age of six until the children hit puberty, the drake instructed them in the basics of preparing spells, siphoning energies from their environment, and meditation. Draco emphasized to his pupils that magic took dedication and decades of practice to master, and frequently reminded them that ambition and envy are the pitfalls of learning magic.
Victoria recalled Draco's lesson on the use of emotions and motivation for casting a spell.
[Flashback]
"Ambition is a wonderful thing to have, but it can blind you to what is truly important. So too is self-confidence, my students. Now confidence is a vital part of casting a spell- so remember this: once you commit yourself to unleashing the energies of a prepared spell, you cannot abandon the workings set in motion" said Draco in an intensely passionate tone of voice. At that age, everyone listened to the deep echoing voice of the scaled humanoid with the leathery wings, even Jade.
[Flashback End]
[Flashback]
Once, when they were practicing simple conjuring spells, Jade tormented Robbie by summoning little trickster spirits that shapeshifted into their victims' worst nightmares. Robbie's nightmare happened to be called Rex, the soul of a long dead ancestor bound to protect him and guide him in life. Rex's advice and attitude frequently put Robbie in dangerous situations when they weren't being supervised by Draco. Robbie's confidence wasn't at a high point at that time, so he couldn't conjure guardian entities to ward himself against Jade's servitors. Victoria had intervened by summoning the biggest guardian that she could think of: Draco himself. The drake disappeared from his place near Trina and Beck, where he had been answering their requests for advice, and reappeared right behind Jade. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, HATCHLING?! Apprentice West, cease this pointless cruelty at once. Else, you will be sent to the Venator barracks to serve as target practice for the battle-mages. " roared Draco in a voice that caused all the apprentices to lose concentration on their spells. "...Yes sir, Master" said the small dour goth girl. Later, after the lesson had ended, Victoria and Jade were both disciplined for misuse of magic. Victoria was ordered to assist her father in his duties as a member of the Magus Praefectus, or Wizard police. This involved helping him do paperwork for captured renegade wizards who had committed various felonies, which proved to be a mindcrushingly dull task for the young sorceress. Jade, on the other hand, was forced to assist the healers in preparing potions and elixirs for sale to the Sidhe nobles visiting the drake's lair. That was a truly thankless task, as the exotic ingredients needed for the formulae involved many things that Jade considered to not be the good kind of pain.
[Flashback End]