Anna was born a normal child, she liked to play dress up with mummy and watch TV with daddy and stay up after her 8 o'clock bedtime. She was however born to parents Dalia and Cale, Dalia was a witch and Cale a mortal, Dalia only practised recreationally and lived a mostly normal life with her family.
She grew up with a mother that liked to practice magic a lot, and much of it was dark and scary, Dalia learned a lot of what not to do from her mother and when her mother died ,laughing while coughing up blood from chain smoking her entire life, she decided she would live a different life to what her mother wanted for her. So she opened up a bakery, on the side she sold some herbal medicines that could be considered mild potions, where worked hard to make a living instead of living the lavish life off of her inheritance, their she met Cale and they fell in love and had their beautiful daughter Anna.
They lived a happy life, they had a cottage in the little village where Dalia's bakery was located and Cale worked from home so he could look after Anna when she wasn't at school. They were both content and thinking about having another baby, but life was cruel.
Anna was 9 and they were driving down the motorway towards home after going out for ice cream and a movie when a van plowed into the right side of their car at a speed where they had no chance. The car flipped so much that luckily it ended upright. But the damage was already done.
The impact hit straight into the right side, killing Cale almost instantly. Dalia was face smashed into her window and her nose broke. But little nine year old Anna was bleeding out, glass sticking out of her body. She was fading, fast.
Dalia felt the world around her as if in slow motion, she turned to her husband, his eyes were frozen in shock, and his neck bent at a right angle. Her head turned to look at her daughter who seemed to have shattered glass littering her body where she was almost unrecognisable.
Dalia whaled in rage and despair.
Dalia through her grief and mourning refused to loose her daughter and her husband in the same night, she knew what she had to do.
Dalia carried out a ritual that was considered a sin in the magical world, and would cause both Dalia and her family to be outcast from any and all witch gatherings, and if caught using magic by another witch or wizard she would be executed immediately. These thoughts flashed through Dalia's eyes as she pulled her daughter from the crash site, she simply did not care about anything but Anna anymore.
The other driver had got out and was puking on the side of the road on his knees, clearly drunk out of his mind.
He caused the death of her husband, needlessly, and was going to cause the death of her daughter if she did nothing. Dalia did not hesitate as she drew out her small knife, that she carried to chop herbs and spices, and lay her daughter nearby the drunk man.
She then stormed towards the man yanked his head back, almost snapping his neck, and slit his throat.
As he was choking on his own blood and clenching at his throat, attempting to staunch the bleeding, Dalia dragged him over to little Anna's prone body, that lay as still as the dead, which she was just moments from joining.
And bathed Anna in the mans blood, gushing quickly from his throat in rivers, covering her from head to toe, she whispered "My mother was a dark witch, i promised not to follow in her footsteps...oh well." Dalia was composed and resolved to carrying out the ritual to save her daughter and she began to chant.
"I offer the life of this murderer in place of the life of my daughter, I offer him in her stead. He shall take her place in death. She shall never feel this pain again and she shall never die. I call upon the mother, the father, heed these words of this grieving mother. Give my daughter sanctuary from death, keep her safe always."
A storm began brewing in the sky. The night fell quickly as if it always was. Thunder cracked through the air, then began fermenting the ground around Dalia, Anna and the dead stranger. It cracked around them in a perfect circle.
Manically she added "NEVER WILL SHE DIE, NEVER WILL SHE FEEL PAIN! SHE WILL ALWAYS BE FREE! SHE WILL ALWAYS BE FREE.I offer the blood of this man and the life of mine. I will serve any who heeds my words, the first to comply with my wish will be the one i worship and live for. My soul is yours once my life ends but my daughters will be her own. Forever."
Dalia knew her blood was a rarity, her and her daughter the last of her ancient bloodline. The Quarths once ruled with an iron fist, giving and taking whenever it suited them.
Their blood so strong in power that wealth was an inevitability. They decided in their death they would not leave this earth as was meant, they created a powerful potion that when dying a Quarth, and only a Quarth could drink and be sent to another life, just as powerful and wealthy. Once drinking the potion the Quarth would forever be reborn, over and over, wealthy and powerful. Never would their soul move on to the after life. Truly they were cheating death, this made any and all gods very unhappy.
To give the soul of a Quarth to any deity was a bountiful treasure and it seemed the gods were fighting for the chance at taking it.
Thunder screamed in the sky, fire erupted from the ground. The sun fought for dominance over the moon as did day and night.
Animals of all sorts came from all angles as rain burst from the sky. Most notably however was the hell fire that licked the edges of the circle of lightning, eventually seeping in to the circle and claiming the prize of a Quarth soul.
All in the vicinity were transported to the underworld where Hades ruled as King. Mother, father, daughter and stranger all woke in the underworld.
The Stranger woke first choking, chained to a rock, he struggled to get free but could not see an end or beginning to the chain wrapped around his arms, legs and throat. He knew instinctively he could not die, but would continue to choke and struggle until he was released.
Dalia and Cale woke at the same time and pulled together and cried in each others arms, clutching at one another as if to stop them from breaking.
Hades looked on with excitement, waiting impatiently for the last of their party to awake.
Finally Anna slowly woke up. Pain encompassing her entire body, as she was still technically alive and could feel earthly pain, she screamed like a banshee, undeniable and overbearing, Cale and Dalia swarmed her, Cale began rocking her back and forth, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.
Dalia stood with a strength she did not feel, she too was human still and hurt, but she stood tall and strong and spoke clearly to Hades.
"My terms, good sir are as thus, my daughter never dies, and will always be free. she cannot be harmed or trapped. She moves freely, forever. Then, when i die a NATURAL death," she emphasised "I shall allow you to collect my soul." she finished.
Hades listened with bated breath, immediately agreeing to her terms once she finished her speech.
"Yes, yes" he drawled in a low voice. "I shall keep your daughter safe forevermore in exchange for your soul. Agreed?"
He held out his hand, the hand of death that once shaken cannot be undone.
Dalia held back a moment "...there is the matter of my husband" Hades stopped her with a grim look on his face.
"Death cannot be undone, your husband is dead and therefore cannot be brought back to life, i cannot agree to this..."
"Wait." Dalia rushed "I know this, i am not asking for him back, just that you keep him comfortable until i die and then we are allowed to reunite in death. Agreed?"
Hades beamed a million watt smile "of course!" he chuckled "i was always going to reunite you two lovebirds, you will be comfortable here after death, that i swear, i do not collect your soul for torture dear Quarth, mainly to have something over my siblings, to have something in my possession that they could never hope to obtain is all the torture i need to bestow, they will all be ripe with jealousy and anger for aeons to come. I will find you both a place in my court. To show you off as well as so you do not get bored."
Cale, Dalia and Hades smiled in agreement and Dalia gratefully shook Hades hand with a gentle grip and a thankful smile.
And with a loud crash Dalia and Anna were returned to earth.
They woke on their sofa, cuddling with not a hair out of place. Both looked around in wonder. The news was playing in front of them on the TV. A ken doll looking man spoke "In latest local news a man took his life by jumping off of the Redford bridge, instantly killing a man driving home his family from work." A picture of both the stranger and Cale flashed on the screen before Dalia turned it off and gently kissed Anna on the forehead.
Anna cried for hours in Dalia's arms for the death of her father, it petered off into whimpers then stopped at straining breath.
"Mum...what..did...you agree...to do?" Dalia held Anna close to her chest until her breathing returned to normal and she could speak clearly.
"What did you agree to mum?" Dalia pulled away so she could look Anna in the eye and said "I did what i had to do, to keep you safe."
Anna and Dalia spoke at length about the outcome of the crash that almost tore apart their family but neither truly knew the consequences of their actions, not really, all they knew at this point was Dalia's soul would be taken to the underworld at her death and Anna would always be safe.
They did not know the details and were kept in the dark about Hades interpretation of 'forever safe' for Anna, until later in life.