Legacy 115: Saving Grace
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As a slight rain fell from the skies in London, a young woman with an umbrella walked across the street. Her name was Aubrey Collins, a beautiful young witch with dark skin and curly brown hair. As she hurried home, she reminded herself how ironic it was that her cute new raincoat was not at all waterproof. It was the perfect finish of a crappy day, after a long day at work and a horrible date with prince not so charming. When it starting raining harder, she just increased her pace until she reached her apartment.
As she entered her cozy apartment, Aubrey took off her coat and dropped her purse on the side table. After the day she had, she just wanted to curl up on the couch with a glass of wine and talk about it to her sister.
"Jeanie?" Aubrey called out. "Are you home yet?"
There was no response, though Aubrey heard a soft gurgling sound. She followed the sound and turned to see behind the couch. She screamed when she saw her sister lying in a pool of blood, holding her hands over her bleeding stomach while blood ran past her lips.
"Jeanie!" Aubrey called out in a panic.
Aubrey rushed over to her sister and grabbed a blanket on the couch to help stop the bleeding. As she held pressure on the wound, she started calling out for her Whitelighter, Roman. Meanwhile, her sister was trying to say something.
"What are you saying?" Aubrey asked. "Who did this, where is Roman?"
"Sorry, Roman can't answer your call right now." A smug voice sounded.
Aubrey turned around and saw a tall dark-haired young man standing in the door opening to the bedroom. Behind him on the ground lay Roman, her Whitelighter, though she could not tell if he was dead or merely unconscious.
"Warlock." Aubrey hissed. "What have you done?"
"I needed your sister's power." The warlock replied. "And now I'm going to take yours."
The warlock raised his hand and a metallic sphere formed in it. He threw the sphere at Aubrey, though she deflected it with her telekinesis and the sphere exploded as it hit the television. Aubrey flung her arm again and sent the warlock flying across the room, crashing into the wall to the kitchen.
"Keep pressure on this." Aubrey told her sister as she pressed down the blanket covering her wound. "Stay with me, sis."
Her sister nodded weakly and Aubrey realized she needed to move fast. Her sister could bleed out at any minute and she needed to check on Roman. She ran over to her Whitelighter and kneeled down, though she gasped in horror when she looked at his face. His eyes were open and lifeless and she could see a stab wound in his neck.
"I killed him as soon as your sister called him for help." The warlock said as he rose to his feet. "I coated my blade with a little Darklighter poison."
"I'm going to kill you for this." Aubrey stated angrily.
"I'd like to see you try." The warlock replied.
Aubrey screamed as she held out her hands, sending the warlock flying against the wall again with great force. She used her power to hold him in place and separated him from his athame. The warlock struggled and he became nervous, as he had clearly underestimated her. With her telekinesis holding him down, he was unable to move a single inch.
"I'm the older sister, which makes me more powerful." Aubrey said. "You should have never come here, warlock. It will be your last mistake."
"No, this can't be happening!" The warlock called out.
Aubrey pointed one hand at the athame and it flew in her hand. She was about to impale the warlock with his own blade when suddenly a cloud of black particles appeared and formed into a young-looking demon with dark blond hair.
"Sorry, can't let you do that." The demon said.
The demon held out his hand and Aubrey was overwhelmed by an intense pain all over her body. She fell to her knees and cried out in pain. It felt like the entire body was burning from the inside and she could not breathe. She was unable to hold the warlock and he fell on his knees.
"Your blood is boiling." The demon informed her. "It's quite a slow and painful death, but it's your lucky day. I only came for the warlock."
The demon grabbed the warlock and both disappeared in a swarm of black particles. The moment they were gone, the pain stopped and Aubrey gasped for air. She crawled over to her sister to check on her, though she realized it was too late. Jeanie had let go of the blanket and she was no longer breathing. Aubrey cried out in agony as she held her sister in her arms. She was the only family she had left, which meant that she was now alone.
"Jeanie, no." Aubrey said tearfully. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here. I love you."
Aubrey let go of her sister and wiped away her tears. Her pain made room for anger and hatred. She was going to avenge her sister no matter what. She looked across the apartment and saw the athame lying on the floor. With that, she had a way to track the warlock. She was not going to give up until he had gotten what he deserved, a slow and painful death.
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Across London, the warlock and the demon reappeared in an empty train station. The warlock, Luke, silently cursed as he slammed his fist on the floor. He had underestimated the older sister. He figured both were easy prey to collect more power. He needed to get stronger. When the witch nearly killed him, he had seen his miserable life flash before his eyes. There was only one good thing in that life, and he would do whatever it took to be with her.
"You're welcome by the way." The demon said casually.
"I didn't need your help, demon." Luke replied.
"Sure, you were doing fine on your own." The demon remarked. "It was part of your plan to be stabbed with your own blade, right?"
"Damn it, she has my athame." Luke said as he noticed it was missing. "She'll be able to scry for me."
"All the more reason to hear me out." The demon said.
"Who the hell are you?" Luke asked. "How did you find me?"
"The name is Dominik." The demon replied. "I was sent by someone who is interested in your plans. However, she has foreseen that you are going to fail."
"You don't know anything." Luke said angrily.
"I know you're in love with one of the Warren witches, one of those twins." Dominik said. "You think you can lure her to your side. You will get close, but in the end, she will choose her family over you."
"So why come to me?" Luke asked.
"The one who sent me wants you to succeed." Dominik replied. "She wants to hurt and ultimately destroy the entire Warren line. Having one of their own turn evil will hurt them deeply."
"You're working for her, the Morrigan." Luke said as he pieced it together.
"True." Dominik said. "She is offering you something that will help turn the witch evil. After you succeed, you can do whatever you please as long as you don't cross her."
"What is it?" Luke asked.
Dominik smirked as he reached into his jacket pocket and revealed a vial with a sinister-looking dark liquid. Luke knew had no reason to trust the demon, but he needed to be with Grace. He could not stand losing her. As he considered killing the demon and taking the potion, he unknowingly clenched his fist. Dominik noticed and raised his hand. An instant burning pain coursed through Luke's body and he fell to his knees. The pain faded when the demon lowered his hand.
"I can easily kill you." Dominik said impatiently.
"I'm sorry." Luke replied reluctantly. "What does the liquid do?"
"She calls it the Heart of Darkness." Dominik said as he looked at the vial. "A tonic from her Grimoire. Let the witch drink it and it will weaken the good in her and make her more susceptible to evil."
"And she is just giving it to me?" Luke asked.
"Turning the witch against her family is its own reward." Dominik said in a dismissive tone. "You have nothing else to offer."
"Alright, you've got a deal." Luke replied.
"Slip it in her drink and tempt her to give into her darkest desires." Dominik explained. "She will not be able to resist the pull of evil."
The demon smirked as Luke accepted the vial and he disappeared through a stream of black particles. Luke stared at the vial in his hand. He had planned to turn Grace to his side ever since she had spared his life. She would be perfect if she became evil. He wanted a true partner to spend eternity with. This potion would draw out her inner darkness, at which point she would be his.
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On a busy street filled with boutiques in Paris, Grace Mitchell was shopping with one of her friends from art school, Margaux. They were having a good time and laughing while going from store to store. Grace needed a new dress for her parents' anniversary dinner in LA, which was tomorrow evening. After failing at several shops, they stopped in front of an expensive store, where Grace was mesmerized by a beautiful red dress in the window. It was dark red with a low neckline and fine silver linings.
"You have to try that on." Margaux said. "It would look stunning on you."
"I could never afford it." Grace replied disappointed.
"It never hurts to try it on." Margaux said with a shrug.
Margaux grabbed Grace by the arm and dragged her inside the store. A few moments later, Grace was standing in front of a full length mirror while wearing the gorgeous dress. She felt amazing in it. However, instead of thinking about her parents anniversary, she was thinking about Luke, wondering what he would think if he saw her in this dress. She knew it was wrong, but she could not get him out of her mind. She had faked his death for time to figure out her feelings. Was she really in love with him, or was she only attracted to the dangerous, forbidden thing?
"What's with that smile?" Margaux asked suspiciously. "Is there something I should know? A guy?"
"Maybe." Grace replied.
"I knew it. You have been distracted for weeks, always sneaking off." Margaux said. "Tell me about him."
"I can't." Grace replied. "We want it keep it private for now."
"Oh my, it's not a teacher, is it?" Margaux asked concerned.
"No, of course not." Grace said as she rolled her eyes. "He doesn't go to our school. I will tell you about him soon."
"Alright." Margaux said reluctantly. "We should get going anyway. I have to finish my essay. I'm nearly done, what about you?"
"Yeah, me too." Grace admitted.
Grace took another longing look at the dress and wished she could afford it. However, as a poor art student, such beautiful things were not meant for her. She took a quick picture with her phone and before changing back to her own clothes.
A little while later, and without a dress, Grace returned to the dorm she shared with her sister. Laura was not there, as she was probably still studying in the library. Grace put down her bag down and sat down behind her desk. She opened a laptop and a white document stared back at her. She was supposed to turn in an essay on her favorite painter tomorrow, though she had not written a single word. She was too distracted with Luke to focus on school. She knew she was in trouble, as she was falling behind on several classes.
When someone suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder, she let out a scream. She spun around and saw it was Luke. Although he nearly gave her a heart attack, she was happy to see him.
"You scared me." Grace said as she got up and kissed him. "I've missed you."
"I have a surprise for you." Luke replied.
Luke took her hand and they disappeared from the dorm room in a blink of an eye. When they reappeared, they were standing on a rooftop terrace surrounded by many lights. A diner table was set with champagne waiting.
"This is amazing." Grace said with a smile. "But I can't, I have school work."
"Come on, I planned this just for us." Luke said. "I spent weeks underground looking another chance to see you."
"I know, I'm sorry." Grace replied. "Maybe I can stay for a minute."
Luke smiled and walked over to the table to get the champagne, which he poured with his back turned to her. When he returned, she accepted a glass, unaware of a few drops of a dark liquid that were dissolving at the bottom of the glass. They toasted and each took a sip. Grace felt a warm tingling sensation as she drank the champagne.
"I don't see why school is that important to you." Luke said. "Art is something to be experienced, not to read about. You should travel the world and see it all yourself."
"Don't tempt me." Grace replied. "I never liked school."
"Of course not, you're a free spirit." Luke said. "That is why I fell for you. You don't want to live by the rules, you want to choose your own path."
"It's not that easy." Grace replied.
"Why not?" Luke asked. "You're a powerful witch, you could do whatever you want. All you have to do is say a little spell."
"That's personal gain." Grace said. "Good witches can't use their magic for personal reasons."
"Personal gain." Luke replied with a shrug. "That is some rule invented by the Elders to keep witches down. All these silly rules that force us to choose between good and evil. It makes no sense."
"Because you're a warlock." Grace said.
"Only because I was born as one." Luke replied. "I didn't choose it, but I enjoy the freedom it gives me. So you're never tempted to use magic for yourself? Just once?"
"Of course I have, many times." Grace admitted. "Earlier today I saw this amazing dress that I could never afford. If I could use my magic to get it, I would."
She showed him a picture of the dress and Luke smiled when he saw it. He took another sip of his champagne and Grace did the same. Again, she felt a tingling sensation that made her feel hot and daring.
"That dress is smoking, I would love to take it off you." Luke whispered temptingly. "What is stopping you? Cast a spell and take it."
"I can't." Grace replied.
"Then allow me." Luke said and he started to chant a spell. "What she desires, so shall it be, make my love look gorgeous for me."
Luke waved his hand and Grace was surrounded by a whirlwind of red smoke. When the smoke cleared, her own clothes had disappeared and she was wearing the beautiful dress from the store. Whether it was the champagne or something else, at that moment Grace did not care about right or wrong. She loved Luke for making her feel special and beautiful. She kissed him passionately and had every intention of letting him take the dress off again.
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