Chapter 20

When Anya regained consciousness, the first thing she noticed was that she was lying on something hard and cold. After a moment, she realized it was a stone floor. She opened her eyes, taking a moment as they adjusted to the dimly lit room. Not only was the floor stone, but the walls were, too. There was a series of narrow windows on the wall opposite of her. They either weren't facing the right direction to let in light or she'd been out of it a lot longer than she'd first realized.

The room was fairly sparse. A few pieces of old-looking, wooden furniture were scattered around the room. There was a large bed in the center of the room, covered in a mountain of pillows and luxurious-looking sheets. Anya frowned, wondering why she'd been dumped on the floor when the bed was only a few feet away. A low groan from her left drew her attention to Cedric. He rolled from his stomach to his back, clutching his head. Anya's frown deepened. Her own head no longer hurt and his shouldn't either since he was so much stronger than her.

"Where are we?" he asked, sitting up with another groan.

"If I had to guess, a castle," she replied drily.

Cedric didn't respond. Instead he stood up, offering her his hand to help her to his feet. "Is it magic proof?"

Anya shrugged. "No idea, I woke up just a minute before you. I haven't had a chance to do much."

They scanned the room, searching for their bags. Anya spotted them first: They'd been nicely placed on a table to her right. Scoffing, she nudged Cedric in their direction. She was surprised to see them, honestly. What kind of captors left their prisoners with their belongings? Her disbelief grew when found their wands still in their bags.

"They must think we're muggles," Cedric mused, equally confused by being left armed.

"Or we're not a threat even with magic."

They each slipped their wands into a pocket, not wanting to be without them just in case they weren't totally useless. Anya walked over to the windows, hoping to get some insight on where they were. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see. Their view was of an empty cobblestone courtyard. The only thing she could confirm was that they'd been unconscious for quite a while. The sun had set, leaving only the barest pink streaks behind as the stars began to peak through the inky blue sky.

"What'd they do to us that knocked us out for so long? At least five hours have passed," she wondered, turning back to face him. Cold air seeped through the glass and made her shiver. She took a step forward, putting some distance between herself and cold.

He sighed and leaned against the bed, thinking. "There are psychic demons. They attack your mind. Usually, they try to drive their victims insane. It keeps them weak while they feed."

Anya nodded. This information sounded vaguely familiar to her. She must have read it one of the books he'd given her way back when she was first learning about what she was. However, knowing this didn't make her feel any better. They'd been able to incapacitate her and Cedric so easily. She wondered if they'd be any match for these psychic demons even if they were prepared for a confrontation, or if they could take on whatever else was here.

"Well," she said, searching her brain for something useful to say and coming up with nothing. "I guess we were looking in the right area. This has to be the place."

"Yeah, I guess it's unlikely for there to be two hidden demon settlements in such close proximity to each other. I have to say, this is not what I expected," Cedric said, eyes going over the room once again.

Anya hummed in agreement. She didn't know what she'd expected, but a castle with a force of psychic demons wasn't even close to being on the list of things they might have found. Still chilled from the drafty windows behind her, she crossed the room to sit on the bed next to Cedric. Had they not been ambushed, they would have had a plan for how to approach the inhabitants of this place. Now, all they had were unknowns. An escape plan would have been, would still be nice, but she knew they couldn't leave without finding Krall first.

She fell back on the mattress with a despairing sigh; Anya was at a loss of what to do.

Perceiving her mood, Cedric patted her leg reassuringly. "Cheer up. I think they're curious about us."

"How is that helpful?"

"We're still alive," he said sardonically. "I doubt they get a lot of trespassers out here. They probably want to know how made it so far."

Thinking over his hypothesis, Anya frowned. Hikers got lost all the time and there was the dragon refuge only a few miles away. Passersby may not be a frequent occurrence, but she was sure they happened. Even if they hadn't been perceived as a dangerous threat, this group clearly valued their privacy. They could have killed her and Cedric to keep them from accidentally sharing what they'd found with others. And then there was the fact that they hadn't taken their wands, or anything, from their bags.

"What if …" she said softly, her voice trailing off as the thought finished forming. Cedric glanced at her, waiting for her to finish. "What if they sensed we were like them? That would explain why they didn't take our wands. They were worried about our demonic abilities, not our magical ones."

"That's true," Cedric said, nodding thoughtfully. "Demons don't usually seek out witches to mate with, it's too risky. They most likely assumed we were half-human. It would also support them wanting to know more about us."

"And why we're in a somewhat nice room instead of dungeon," she muttered. "So when they come for us, what do we do?"

"Show them were not a threat. I'm not saying be totally submissive, but don't be confrontational in our manner — or thoughts. I think it'd be a mistake to play dumb. We didn't get out by accident and it's obvious were not locals."

"Shouldn't be too hard," she said sarcastically. "I'm not convinced we are a threat to them."

Cedric opened his mouth to say something, and then froze. He turned toward the door, as if he had heard something. Anya strained her ears, but didn't hear anything. She trusted Cedric's instincts though. Not wanting to be found in a vulnerable position, she slid off of the bed and stood next to Cedric, who was now facing the door. She placed a hand on his upper arm, a gentle reminder for him to relax his stance.

The wooden door opened with a loud creak and two young men entered, not bothering to close the door behind them. Anya studied them, but couldn't be sure if they were part of the group that had ambushed them or not. The men were only a few years older than them, mid-twenties at most. What struck her the most about them was how similar they looked. They were both dressed in black pants and long-sleeved black shirts. Their dark brown hair was even styled the same. They weren't twins, though. Their faces were very different. The man on the left had rounder cheeks and a shorter nose in comparison to his companion. Even with those differences, there was something in their faces, something she couldn't quite pinpoint, that made her think they were related.

"Good, you are awake," said one on the right with the sharper features. Though he spoke with an eastern European accent (Anya couldn't narrow it down much more than that), his English was very clear. "He is ready for you. Come with us."

Though this was all said very politely, there was no mistaking his words as a command. Anya chanced a glance at Cedric, who gave a curt nod and nudged her forward. She stepped forward, walking past their escorts and out the door. Cedric followed close behind. Anya thought he didn't want to risk them being separated.

They entered a dimly lit corridor that wasn't much different than the ones at Hogwarts. Narrower, dimly lit just like the room, and lacking any art, but not much different. Their footsteps echoed loudly against the stone walls. Anya couldn't help but think it was a bleak place to live. It was like something out of horror novel. She would have laughed if she wasn't worried about whoever they were being taken to trying to kill them.

"Go left, here," the man on Anya's right instructed.

They did, finding themselves in a slightly larger and better lit hallway. It was still empty of any furnishings. Anya couldn't help but find that odd even though there were clearly more important things at the moment. People with large homes usually liked to show off their wealth and power by adorning their large mansions with expensive furniture and art. She would have expected someone with a castle to do the same. Then again, who would the owner be trying to impress? They were in a secret castle after all.

She thought one of the men said something, but it was said too low for her to catch it. Cedric moved closer to her and she wondered if he'd heard their whispered message. They were instructed to make another turn — right this time. Anya was growing impatient. She just wanted to get to wherever they were being led. The never-ending hallways and silence were putting her on edge. She had to stop herself from wringing her hands so as not to show her agitation.

Finally, they came to a set of wooden doors. Much like the rest of the castle, they weren't anything fancy: rectangular, unadorned, black metal hinges and handles. Anya was pretty sure she saw chunks of them missing. They stopped just before them, allowing the man next to Anya to step forward and open one of the doors. As they were ushered inside, Anya had to squint from the sudden brightness. They had entered this castle's great hall, which was unexpectedly large considering what she'd seen of the place so far. Once her eyes had adjusted to the light, she practically gaped at the number of people in the hall. There had to be well over a hundred people, clustered into small groups. They paused their conversations as Cedric and Anya were led to the top of the hall, but resumed them after a cursory glance.

They came to a final stop at the high table, presumably in front of the castle's owner. Anya took a moment to really observe the scene before her. There were seven people at the table, each one looking miserably bored even with their arrival. She was surprised by how young the people in front of her were. Her eyes traveled from the far left of the long table to the right, taking note of each one. They were all teenagers, unusual for such a high position of honor, which begged the question of why they were sitting here. Their appearances varied even more than their ages: light skin, dark skin, blonde, brunette, red hair, thin, gangly, buff. Their singular shared trait, she noticed, was they all had the same gray eyes.

That detail bothered Anya, though she couldn't fathom why. Finally, she turned her attention to the man at the center, and gasped. Before her sat an almost-carbon copy of Cedric. He was older, probably mid-forties judging by the faint streaks of gray in his dark brown hair and fine lines around his eyes — also gray. Her mind spun, trying put all the pieces together.

No wonder they hadn't been killed or taken to a dungeon: The guards had recognized Cedric or, at least, realized he was their boss's son. Well, one of their boss's sons.

Damian Krall smirked, pleased by the sight before him. Unlike Cedric's smirk that she found mischievous and warm, Krall's was cruel and calculating, causing chills to run down her spine. Almost unconsciously, she took a half step back and bumped into Cedric. He placed a hand on her lower back to steady her, maneuvering them so he stood slightly in front of her.

"When I was told my doppelgänger was found lurking outside of the castle, I can honestly say I wasn't expecting this," Krall commented, a wide smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes.

If it was possible, Cedric became even more rigid in his stance. Anya realized they had never discussed what they would say if they ever found Krall. They'd been so focused on finding him; she supposed neither of them really thought they would. But now they had and, whatever expectations either of them had had, they weren't prepared for the actual meeting. Cedric was livid, his face a blotchy red as he stared down the man in front of him. She took his hand in hers and squeezed, trying to convey comfort but also a warning. They were seriously outmatched.

The teens at the table were watching them with mild curiosity, as if strangers that looked like Krall appeared outside of their home all the time. Krall's eyes darted between them, analyzing the action. She knew it hadn't been the wisest move. He now had confirmation that they were more than travel companions, though it wouldn't have been hard to deduce even if she hadn't reached for Cedric. After a moment, he waved to their escorts and they found themselves being steered to a room off the hall with Krall bringing up the rear.

The room was small and windowless, meaning there was no way out except through the door behind them and the great hall that was full of Krall's children. The two unnamed men took positions on either side of the door to ensure they were trapped. Anya quickly glanced around the room. It seemed to be used for storage as it was filled with an assortment of chairs and small tables. Krall took a seat in a plain, wooden chair and indicated for them to do the same. After a tense pause, Cedric and Anya both complied.

"If you were hoping for a warm father-son reunion, I'm afraid you'll have let dream go," Krall said, his tone changing from entertained to cold and businesslike. "However, I am interested to know where you came from and what you want. And who your friend here is."

He studied Anya, openly curious, which only served to anger Cedric more. Knowing they only had one shot at this, she gave him a slight shake of the head. He needed to calm down. Cedric took the hint, inhaling deeply. As he exhaled, she watched as his body relaxed and a neutral mask settled on his features. She let out her own quiet breath of relief.

"England," Cedric answered curtly. "We're here for your help."

Krall scoffed in disbelief. "Well, that's a first. Why would I help you?"

"Clearly, not out of the kindness of your heart," Anya muttered. His eyes darted to her, narrowing dangerously. She wasn't scared, only worried Cedric would be too upfront with his answers. Krall wasn't someone who valued honesty. It was too easy.

"For the challenge," Cedric said quickly, drawing Krall's attention back to him. "My girlfriend, Anya, is like us but not. She wasn't born with her powers, you see. She has them because of magical experiments that were done on her when she was a baby."

Krall's eyes widened, a smile slowly appearing on his face as he leaned forward. "No," he said, his voice nearly a whisper. "Lilith Thorn was successful, then? How many did she make?"

Stunned by his reaction, Anya and Cedric sat speechless in their chairs. Getting over her shock, Anya asked, "You knew my mother? How?"

"I lived in England for a time, oh I don't know, about twenty years ago," he said nonchalantly, missing how Cedric tensed up again. "I was approached by her and some of her colleagues about about helping with their hybrid project. I must say I was intrigued. Creating an army without having to wait for the child to be born. It would speed things up considerably. I didn't really care for You-Know-Who having that knowledge, but I figured I could steal it before they handed it over to him. But then, he lost power and the experiments stopped — or so I thought. Not that it mattered much, I had to return home anyway."

Anya felt a flash of anger. Her mother's notes had never included the names of the people she'd worked with, but it didn't make sense that she wouldn't have mentioned working with a demon. He had to have played a significant role in the process. Perhaps her mother was afraid of being cut out of her work and that's why she'd kept the information out of her journals. Still, it was absolutely insane that the same demon her mother had worked with was Cedric's birth father.

"Well," Anya said, trying to bridge the awkwardness. "I'm the only one that survived the experiments. But I'm not sure how successful she was. I'm getting weaker. I have to feed more and more, and I can barely use my abilities."

"Lilith gave her a potion that suppressed her abilities while acting as a source of energy," Cedric chimed in. His tone was hard, but, too enraptured by their story, Krall wasn't bothered by it. "When Lilith was arrested for her crimes as a Death Eater, the potion ran out. We never found the notes to brew it. I think it may be contributing to Anya's decline."

Krall leaned back in his chair, looking genuinely thoughtful. Anya chanced a glance at Cedric. He was still clearly tense, but there was no obvious anger in his expression. At least his manner could be explained by the situation: He was simply stressed about Anya's condition. She was glad he'd gotten her hint. It was better to start with this as their reason for their visit, especially if he was still in contact with any Death Eaters. It gave them time to gage if he was open to a new alliance, and if they could trust him.

"That is curious," he muttered. As if suddenly remembering he had an audience, he returned his attention to them with a feigned smile of warmth. "Well, we certainly won't solve this now. Let's get you two settled and cleaned up for dinner. We'll start our research tomorrow — after a welcoming feast tonight."

Anya forced a smile, feeling relieved. They were in.

AN: We're finally getting to the part I really wanted to write! Only took 20 chapters, oops. I am trying to finish this fic by the end of September, but we'll see. Classes have started for the fall, so those will be keeping me pretty busy soon.