Part 4
In a dark room of the castle hundreds of candles burned, creating the only light, the rest of the room was pitch black, swamped in shadows. There were four people, Midnight Witches dressed in black robes. They each held a different coloured candle. One black, one red, one white, one purple. The flames burned different colours, creating deeper, dark and twisting shadows. Each was surrounded by a triangle with two wiggly lines either side of the feet, and on either side of each line, two pentagrams, all made with white salt. The witches wore chains with skulls and bones and chanted in a strange language in soft, eerie voices.
Susan herself was kneeling in the centre of a large pentagram drawn also of white salt and lined with white candles. Around the inner perimeter of the pentagram was a ring of black candles burning with a black flame. She held her palms up, facing the ceiling, chanting herself in a different language to the others, carefully, not wanting to mess up. The ritual was complicated and dangerous, and if she made a mistake, then it could be disastrous.
She reached for a beautifully crafted silver knife and made a cut along the base of her throat and on each wrist. The blood trickled down her pale skin, onto the front of her dark robes, it trickled down her arms and fell on the floor, soaking the dark bricks and the lines of the circle of white salt around her.
Blue fire began to stream upwards from the wounds in her wrists, and as the chanting in different tones grew louder, more urgent with strange pauses and harsh sounding words, the blue fire began to change colour. It turned blue-black, then dark purple, then red with sparkling gold and finally the bright red and gold grew to an unbearable brightness, filling the room and the vision of the witches.
When the red and gold magic cleared, the chanting of the witches stopped.
The room was silent.
But standing in the centre of the room was a new figure.
A tall man.
A tall man with hair as red as blood and eyes of gold like topaz or a hawk's, with a slightly dazed expression.
Susan's lips curved into a smile. "Hi there, Hunter," she said, standing up to face the man. "Welcome to the twenty-third century."
* * *
Damien led Julia and Poppy through the slave quarters to a small hut near the entrance to the kitchens. The hut was clean and tidy - or as clean as a slave hut could get. There were herbs and things on a shelf, the witch must be one of the healers.
Damien came in the hut with a medium sized young woman, a few years older than Julia. Poppy was a vampire-slave, and at least three hundred, since she'd been born before the millennium battle. The woman eyed them with dark eyes, tired and dull, but with a little spark of curiosity.
"This is Kira," Damien said. "She's a healing woman. She also has dowsing powers. She might be able to help find what you're looking for."
"We're looking for other Harmans. Good witches. People that can help us," Julia explained.
"Help you do what?" Kira asked.
"Start a revolution," Julia said bluntly. "Get the world back to the way it used to be."
The woman looked at her as if she were crazy. Julia had been expecting it. "I know how it sounds, how dangerous it is...but I know if I have help from people and witches, then we can make a difference. The world wasn't always like this. People weren't always slaves. Do you want to live this way forever?" How many times was she going to have to give this speech? She wondered.
Kira looked at her for a long moment. Finally, she sighed. "All right, all right. But If we get caught..."
"We won't get caught," Julia said briefly. "Now how are we going to find these witches?"
"I can do some dowsing. This will find out where they're located but if you have to go in the castle itself, you're on your own."
Julia nodded. She watched Kira walk over to the fire place. She knelt down and began to wiggle a loose brick back and forth. She reached inside the hole there and pulled something out. It was a large, folded piece of paper and a crystal on the end of a thin gold chain.
Kira spread the piece of paper out on the floor. It was a map of the castle. She took the top of the gold chain and drew it up so the crystal rested on the palm of her hand. Then she let go and the crystal twirled back and forth. Kira said some strange words and waved the twirling crystal over the map. Then the crystal stopped.
"The dungeons," Kira said finally. "The Harman witches are in the castle dungeons."
"Oh great," Poppy muttered under her breath.
Julia frowned. She had no idea where the castle dungeons were, or how she was going to get into them.
"Is there anyway to know their names?" she asked.
Kira closed her eyes for a moment. There was a look of great concentration on her face. Then, she opened them again. "Their names are Thea Harman and Winnie Arlin. Thea Harman and Winnie Arlin are made vampires. They survived the millennium battle but all the survivors of Circle Daybreak were taken prisoner by the queen. If their soulmates survived, they were separated, and one of the pair was killed, the other she had made a vampire and then locked them away to suffer."
"Charming, isn't she?" Damien said sourly. "I'd hate to meet her in a bad mood."
"She was in a good mood when she did that," Poppy said dryly. "I'll never forget it."
"Well we have to get them out," Julia decided. "Which means sneaking into the castle and hoping we won't get caught." She picked up the map. "Can we keep this?"
"I guess. I don't need it."
"Thanks." Julia looked at the others. "Let's go."
"You mean, right now?" Poppy squeaked.
"The sooner, the better, right?" Julia said.
"This is suicide," Damien muttered. "We can get into the castle through the kitchens. Then we'll have to work our way down to the dungeons."
Damien led them out the hut and to a side door of the castle. The castle loomed above them, dark and eerie in the unnatural twilight. Julia took a deep breath and pulled open the door. She had no idea what it would be like inside, she'd never been in. She was stepping into enemy territory.
She didn't know if she'd come out alive.
"This is it," she said to Poppy and Damien. "There's no turning back now."
She entered the castle.
* * *
In a dark room of the castle hundreds of candles burned, creating the only light, the rest of the room was pitch black, swamped in shadows. There were four people, Midnight Witches dressed in black robes. They each held a different coloured candle. One black, one red, one white, one purple. The flames burned different colours, creating deeper, dark and twisting shadows. Each was surrounded by a triangle with two wiggly lines either side of the feet, and on either side of each line, two pentagrams, all made with white salt. The witches wore chains with skulls and bones and chanted in a strange language in soft, eerie voices.
Susan herself was kneeling in the centre of a large pentagram drawn also of white salt and lined with white candles. Around the inner perimeter of the pentagram was a ring of black candles burning with a black flame. She held her palms up, facing the ceiling, chanting herself in a different language to the others, carefully, not wanting to mess up. The ritual was complicated and dangerous, and if she made a mistake, then it could be disastrous.
She reached for a beautifully crafted silver knife and made a cut along the base of her throat and on each wrist. The blood trickled down her pale skin, onto the front of her dark robes, it trickled down her arms and fell on the floor, soaking the dark bricks and the lines of the circle of white salt around her.
Blue fire began to stream upwards from the wounds in her wrists, and as the chanting in different tones grew louder, more urgent with strange pauses and harsh sounding words, the blue fire began to change colour. It turned blue-black, then dark purple, then red with sparkling gold and finally the bright red and gold grew to an unbearable brightness, filling the room and the vision of the witches.
When the red and gold magic cleared, the chanting of the witches stopped.
The room was silent.
But standing in the centre of the room was a new figure.
A tall man.
A tall man with hair as red as blood and eyes of gold like topaz or a hawk's, with a slightly dazed expression.
Susan's lips curved into a smile. "Hi there, Hunter," she said, standing up to face the man. "Welcome to the twenty-third century."
* * *
Damien led Julia and Poppy through the slave quarters to a small hut near the entrance to the kitchens. The hut was clean and tidy - or as clean as a slave hut could get. There were herbs and things on a shelf, the witch must be one of the healers.
Damien came in the hut with a medium sized young woman, a few years older than Julia. Poppy was a vampire-slave, and at least three hundred, since she'd been born before the millennium battle. The woman eyed them with dark eyes, tired and dull, but with a little spark of curiosity.
"This is Kira," Damien said. "She's a healing woman. She also has dowsing powers. She might be able to help find what you're looking for."
"We're looking for other Harmans. Good witches. People that can help us," Julia explained.
"Help you do what?" Kira asked.
"Start a revolution," Julia said bluntly. "Get the world back to the way it used to be."
The woman looked at her as if she were crazy. Julia had been expecting it. "I know how it sounds, how dangerous it is...but I know if I have help from people and witches, then we can make a difference. The world wasn't always like this. People weren't always slaves. Do you want to live this way forever?" How many times was she going to have to give this speech? She wondered.
Kira looked at her for a long moment. Finally, she sighed. "All right, all right. But If we get caught..."
"We won't get caught," Julia said briefly. "Now how are we going to find these witches?"
"I can do some dowsing. This will find out where they're located but if you have to go in the castle itself, you're on your own."
Julia nodded. She watched Kira walk over to the fire place. She knelt down and began to wiggle a loose brick back and forth. She reached inside the hole there and pulled something out. It was a large, folded piece of paper and a crystal on the end of a thin gold chain.
Kira spread the piece of paper out on the floor. It was a map of the castle. She took the top of the gold chain and drew it up so the crystal rested on the palm of her hand. Then she let go and the crystal twirled back and forth. Kira said some strange words and waved the twirling crystal over the map. Then the crystal stopped.
"The dungeons," Kira said finally. "The Harman witches are in the castle dungeons."
"Oh great," Poppy muttered under her breath.
Julia frowned. She had no idea where the castle dungeons were, or how she was going to get into them.
"Is there anyway to know their names?" she asked.
Kira closed her eyes for a moment. There was a look of great concentration on her face. Then, she opened them again. "Their names are Thea Harman and Winnie Arlin. Thea Harman and Winnie Arlin are made vampires. They survived the millennium battle but all the survivors of Circle Daybreak were taken prisoner by the queen. If their soulmates survived, they were separated, and one of the pair was killed, the other she had made a vampire and then locked them away to suffer."
"Charming, isn't she?" Damien said sourly. "I'd hate to meet her in a bad mood."
"She was in a good mood when she did that," Poppy said dryly. "I'll never forget it."
"Well we have to get them out," Julia decided. "Which means sneaking into the castle and hoping we won't get caught." She picked up the map. "Can we keep this?"
"I guess. I don't need it."
"Thanks." Julia looked at the others. "Let's go."
"You mean, right now?" Poppy squeaked.
"The sooner, the better, right?" Julia said.
"This is suicide," Damien muttered. "We can get into the castle through the kitchens. Then we'll have to work our way down to the dungeons."
Damien led them out the hut and to a side door of the castle. The castle loomed above them, dark and eerie in the unnatural twilight. Julia took a deep breath and pulled open the door. She had no idea what it would be like inside, she'd never been in. She was stepping into enemy territory.
She didn't know if she'd come out alive.
"This is it," she said to Poppy and Damien. "There's no turning back now."
She entered the castle.
* * *