Episode Eighteen Part Three

After telling Diana and Matthew her painful story about the being she loved who impregnated her, Anna wanted to be alone. She stood in Matthew's office upstairs, leaning against the windowsill. Diana and her father went off to visit her tutor Goody Alsop, leaving Matthew to watch over her. She stared out of the window, holding her belly bump.

The vampire entered the room with cups of ale. She turned to him. "Drink?" he offered.

She smiled. "Thank you," she took it and gave it a long sip.

Matthew was sad to see her like this. "I know it was very painful…and I'm sorry that we asked,"

"You were right though," she titled her head a little to meet his concerned eyes. "She deserves to know this. No matter how painful it is," staring out again, she sighed. "I've often been asking myself why I fell for him. Why I ever thought I could start a new life and have it with him despite his position in the creature world. Aurora was the only good thing that came out of our love,"

"I give you my word that Diana and I will make sure he never learns of her existence or sees her," vowed Matthew. "All of us will keep her safe,"

"Thank you, Matthew," said Anna gratefully. "I can see very clearly why Diana fell in love with you and became your mate. You're a man who has changed over the centuries…and became a better person; many creatures I know will never change their views of those who are different. Not like you, Diana and Aurora have. You're both so lucky you can have a life together,"

Matthew detected three people outside. Anna could sense it too. "They've back with Goody,"

It was night-time outside and they stood on the balcony watching as Diana was doing the ninth knot with her father and tutor watching. Anna smiled at her talent. "I have not seen power like that in centuries,"

Matthew flicked his head at her. "You are full of mystery if you don't hunt yet you've lived for many, many years,"

"I am centuries older than I look. Much older than you Matthew," said Anna. "I wish I could tell you and Diana the truth about myself…but that would endanger everyone other than your loved ones and friends. You may find the answers in the book of life once you've completed…but don't assume for a moment you'll find any fact about creatures in that book," she advised cautiously.

They saw Goody walking away and Diana and Stephen having a tearful conversation. Their time here was coming to an end. "It's time to say goodbye,"

"Write Aurora a letter," Matthew insisted. "Write some enclosure for her. She may find peace if she reads it,"

Anna sniffled and he led her inside. He helped her seat at his desk and laid out paper and ink with a feather pen. He gave her some privacy and went to check on Jack whilst she wrote her final words, shedding tears with every line she wrote on the sandy paper. Once it was finished, she folded it up and walked slowly downstairs, Matthew waiting for her. Stephen was outside with Diana.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Anna nodded. They departed outside and they saw Stephen tearfully hugging his daughter. Diana saw her and approached, holding her hands. "I wish I knew how you saved my life. But whatever it was, I want to say 'thank you',"

Anna nodded. "Diana, I'm really glad to have met you. And I know that whatever happens to me I can rest in peace knowing of the person my daughter has become. Thanks to you. Promise me that you'll protect her,"

"I will," Diana cried. "I promise I won't let anything happen to her,"

Anna sniffled. "Thank you. I'm so glad she has you for a sister and you're lucky to have her. Tell her I love her so much. And give us this too," she held up the folded letter. "Please," Diana nodded. "I know that you wish you can keep me from my fate. But what will happen mustn't change. No matter how much you want to,"

Diana desperately wished she could change everything. She could prevent Phillipe from dying, Argus from being killed, her parents were suffering at the ends of their species, and Anna from…. What would happen couldn't be changed for the sake of the future. She embraced Anna and Anna hugged her back, imagining she was hugging her daughter whom she had seen so much in Diana.

"It's time," said Stephen. They linked arms. "Goodbye Diana. You're everyone your mother and I dreamed you'd become,"

"I'll see you, dad," she bid tearfully.

"Take good care of your child," Anna knew that Diana was pregnant. "But most importantly take care of each other," she gazed at both her daughter's sister and Matthew faithfully. "Love one another without measure. There is no greater gift…than love,"

And with those final words spoken, they turned and walked down the streets disappearing into the dark distance, Diana and Matthew watching out solemnly. Diana looked at the letter which she promised Anna she'd deliver to her daughter; she rubbed the snowflake insignia on the folded paper. "It's time to go home," she said to her husband.

He nodded. "Time to say goodbye,"

Back at Sept Tour, everyone was ready to tuck in for the night. Thomas and Phoebe were in the room he once shared with Argus. He walked over to move the portrait of himself and Argus.

"Leave it," Phoebe in her pyjamas said. "Don't remove him from your life. He's still a part of you,"

Thomas turned around to her. "You don't mind?" She shook her head. He smiled and sat down and kissed her. "I'm so glad you love it here,"

"Your grandmother is so amazing. And this chateau is a wonder," Phoebe loved everything Aurora had shown her. "Thank you so much for showing me this new world,"

"There's still so much you've yet to see," he said.

"And I look forward to it," she smiled. "It will be a big adventure,"

"It's already been an adventure. Ever since I met you. I'm glad you came to that church,"

"Me too," she leaned forward and they kissed falling under the covers together.

In their room, Marcus, pyjama top partly unbuttoned, noticed something was off about Aurora. "You okay?"

Her partner was staring out through the window in her night robes. "I can't stop thinking about that guy in Paris. When I saw him…those eyes…it felt like I was seeing my mother. And I had that feeling that Sophie felt before…that I had this connection…and I was gonna feel happy but shocked about it," she sighed. "What am I thinking? I'm just going crazy," she sat on the bed, rubbing her eyes.

"You're not crazy," Marcus shuffled over. "We'll find out who he is. And we won't have to worry about any dangers. Knights are surrounding this place. It's perfectly safe,"

"You make me feel safe," she kissed him and they fell onto the bed together, embracing one another like Phoebe and Thomas down the corridor.

On a tall tree on a hill where he could see Sept Tour, the winged creature who had come to Paris, spying on the two couples, narrowed his dark eyes. He sniffled dozens of knights surrounding the site. He had his work cut out. But it wasn't just that. The sounds of a car were approaching the site. Someone else was here. He had to act fast.

You know what you're meant to do. Screeched a menacing through the com on his metal collar. Get me Aurora Bishop and kill anyone who tries to stop you.

The name 'Aurora' made the winged creature tingle. Just one glimpse of her in Paris had sent his spine tingling from top to bottom. He looked so much like someone who had been on his mind for years, someone whom she resembled.

If you fail me…

The collar sent an electric shock and the wearer cringed in pain. He didn't retort back. He had to obey his master.

…you've been useful to me these last few months…but your work has only just begun. Now…fetch.

Another electric shock rattled his body and made him cry out in pain. He felt the electric shock tingling through his wings, almost breaking off. After taking a moment to recover from the excruciating shocks, he spread his wings and took off into the sky. He flew towards the chateau, holding a fireball in his palm. Time to use his magic.

Marcus's arm was drabbed over Aurora as they lay together, and her head was on his outstretched arm. She was sleeping peacefully. She dreamed about their love, their happiness, and their family…but as she did, she suddenly suffered a series of shocks. She saw the visions of her mother, and then the man she had seen in Paris. Then a voice came into her ears. Very faint but audible.

Aurora. It was Rebecca. Aurora.

Aurora's eyes flickered open. Her adoptive mother was calling to her. It sounded urgent. She raised her head off Marcus's arm and gently pulled his arm off her waist. She sat up, hearing the voice growing louder and louder in her ears. She gently sat up and pulled on a dressing gown and walked out of the room, taking a glance back at Marcus to make sure he didn't wake up.

She walked into the hallways wondering where it was coming from. She walked over to the window, sensing the voice was coming from outside. She stopped. She couldn't go outside. She had promised Diana she wouldn't leave. A hand clasped her shoulder. She jumped and spun around.

"It's all right. All right," Em shushed. 'It's okay,"

"Oh Em…you gave me a fright,"

"Are you all right?"

"I heard mum, Em. I heard her voice, from outside,"

"I saw her too. She's calling to us. She has information to give us. Come on," Em tried to pull her down the corridors but Aurora pulled her back.

"We can't leave the chateau. I promised Diana,"

"Darling…there are knights surrounding this place. No one's gonna get in," Aurora remained uncertain. "It'll be all right. We'll be quick,"

Aurora still wasn't sure. But Rebecca's voice kept calling from her outside. She sounded desperate. What if she had the information that they needed to complete the Book of Life and defeat their enemies? "Okay," she reluctantly accepted. "But just five minutes,"

"Deal," Em approved. Picking up her ritual things, she grabbed Aurora's hands and they walked through the corridors out into the gardens. Coming to the wooden door, they opened it quietly and stepped out of the garden and into the forest, before walking towards the ancient site where Aurora had unexpectantly walked through time to meet Diana. They sat down on the religious circle of stone and lighting up her candles, Em started swirling her hands, vocalising ancient spells.

The smoke from the candles formed an image and Aurora felt her tears fall down her face. "Mother,"

Rebecca smiled as she saw her daughter. "Aurora…Em.." Emily and Aurora smiled as they saw her. "I've missed you both so much,"

"We've missed you too," Aurora sniffled. "Thank you…for everything you did for me," she owed her so much.

Rebecca pursed her lips. "I'm sorry that we weren't able to tell you the truth ourselves. But that doesn't make you any less our daughter. We love you…so much,"

"And I love you and dad too," sniffled Aurora. "Mum…we need your help. We need to understand the Book of Life and why it's connected to Diana,"

Unknowst to them, Margeret had been crying. A magical power had intermingled with her witch blood and her sobbing woke up the house. Thomas and Phoebe walked into the room and they saw the daemons and his goddaughter crying. "Is she okay?" he asked.

"She's fine," Sophie gently rocked her. "We don't know what's wrong with her,"

Marcus entered the room. "Has anyone seen Aurora?"

They became shocked. Sarah came in too. "Where's Em?"

"There will be dark times and grave losses," spoke Rebecca. "But the book will change everything. Once it's completed, the book is going to reveal itself,"

"But we only have this page," Em lifted the one that had been sent to the Bishop household, the one she and Sarah had kept safe for months.

"There are two more pages we need to find. How do we find them?" Aurora asked.

"'Find the three bequeathed to the three'," Rebecca simply said. "That's the only clue I can give you,"

"Mum…" Aurora leaned forward. "Do you know who my birth father is? Please I need to know…" Before the anxious Rebecca could answer, she saw something behind them that made her stiffen. "Mum…"

"It's Knox," Rebecca disappeared in a puff of smoke. Emily and Aurora turned around and they saw Peter Knox approaching them, only twenty feet away.

Quickly Aurora stood her ground, shielding her aunt and the page from the cruel witch.

"You made a big mistake coming here," she seethed.

"You made a big mistake underestimating me," he retorted back.

"You killed my parents," she snarled baring tears. "You're a monster,"

"Rebecca should have chosen me instead of your father. What am I even saying? You're not even their real daughter. You still have no idea what kind of creature you are. Freak,"

Marcus and Thomas came dashing into the living room. Ysabeau was up and so were Miriam, Jason and Hamish. "We've searched the house and the gardens, but they're not there," panted Marcus.

"I know where they are," alerted Sarah. "Em's taken what she needs. She's trying to communicate with her," she rushed off.

"Communicate with who?" called after Miriam but Sarah had dashed.

"Uh, guys…" alerted Jason. "You'd better come and see this," the boys and his mother huddled behind him at the window and to their shock, they saw forest fires scattered around the forest.

"Oh god," breathed Thomas. "That is not good. Miriam, alert the village! Jason, call the firefighters! Everyone else, stay here!" he would not endanger the daemons or Phoebe and Ysabeau needed to stay and protect them and Phoebe with Marthe.

"Thomas…" Phoebe grabbed his hand, not wanting him to go.

He cupped her face. "I'll be back I promise," he kissed her and dashed off. The paralysed Phoebe stood breathless. Agatha comforted her.

"How did you get in?" demanded Emily, frightened to death for Aurora's life.

"Your knights aren't as clever as you think. As a matter of fact,…" he raised a finger above his head "….it seems like they've done their duty,"

Aurora looked up and saw smoke rising from the forest. It was on fire. "No,"

"Someone….whatever it is seems to have already been dealing with them. Still…I'm getting what I came for,"

With her distracted, Peter raised his dark magic orb to send a shock of dark energy at her. Aurora was not prepared. Just when Peter shot the spell and she raised her palm to shoot ice magic, Emily waved her hands and Aurora and the page disappeared out of sight.

Marcus and Thomas were just dashing through the gardens when out of nowhere Aurora came tumbling onto the grass in front of them with the page in flash of magic.

"Aurora!" Marcus stumbled forward pulling her into his arms. "You're okay!" he kissed her head.

"What were you and Em doing out here?" demanded Thomas. He was relieved she was safe but aggravated too.

"It's Knox! He's here! And he has Em!" panicked Aurora. "There's a fire spreading. I think the knights are in trouble,"

"Go and help the villagers. Marcus and I will stop Knox and whomever it is that caused the fire!"

"How do you know it wasn't Knox who called that fire?" Marcus asked.

"It's that smell again. Like back in Paris," Thomas's eyes narrowed.

Marcus and Aurora shared shocked looks; was it the man she had seen in Paris the cause of this? Was he working with Peter Knox?

Quickly Aurora dashed off out of the gardens to reach the village whilst the brothers sprinted into the forest to stop Knox, save Em, and find out what had happened to the knights. They split up in different directions. Marcus went left; Thomas went right.

As he dashed through the forest, Thomas heard Emily's groaning, powerful dark magic tearing apart. He hoped he wasn't too late. But he was late. The instant he arrived at the ancient site he gasped when he saw her dead. Knox had killed her. He was shocked. Knox was close by. He sprinted off in a blur, rage overcoming his nature. He saw Knox in the darkness. He flew in front of him, blocking his bath. "You threaten my goddaughter and her family and now you dare to come here to my territory,"

"The witches belong to me," he sneered.

"I swear you will pay for Emily's death and what you have done to those knights,"

"It's not me you should be worried about," Peter sneered.

"You underestimate me, Knox," Thomas dodged Peter as he shot a blast of energy at him. He tried to get a strike at the man in his sixties but for an old wizard and a very strong vampire, Peter's magic was so powerful. He finally got a chance to strike. He charged at him but just when Knox turned around, cold eyes focused on him, he saw an amulet out of his shirt. It was dark-coloured, round and had a snake coiling in the centre.

In Peter's place, he saw the dark witch who had killed his parents, that day in 1057. He felt like the young helpless kid who had lost his parents. He froze, losing focus and Peter struck him down. He tried to get up but Knox's power was too dominant. He felt his brain exploding in his head.

Marcus dashed for the forests trying to find the knights. To his shock, he saw dozens of them, dead, scorched, burnt black. He gasped. It couldn't have been Knox. Suddenly something swooped through the streets. He dodged. He turned his head and saw a winged creature rocketing in the night air, using it as cover to stay invisible. It was the creature who had freed Fergus and the MacDuffs. What was it? He had never seen a creature with wings before.

Fire was thrown from the air burning the trees. Marcus dodged the falling branches and tried to jump up but the creature was too fast, too agile with its wings. He tried again and again when all of a sudden the creature shot a fireball at his neck. He cried in pain as he felt his skin burning up. He tried to get back up and fight but the fae-like creature flew into him knocking him down severely.

The village was in chaos as people were scrambling out. Miriam and Jason had called some firefighters. Aurora arrived at the scene. "Is everyone evacuated?"

"Yes," she said.

"It wasn't Knox who started this. It was something else," as she was speaking, Aurora's ears trembled when she saw Marcus was in grave danger. She felt strong fire magic reacting with her ice magic. She could feel someone close by. "Marcus is in trouble! I have to help him!"

Jason and Miriam tried to stop him but to their alarm, she disappeared in a blur. They were paralysed. She had gained both vampire-enhanced hearing and speed.

Peter was seconds away from killing Thomas with his magic orb. "Young sheep should never break from the herd,"

"You…" Thomas strained under the pressure, crushing his head. "You kill me…and you will start a war that you won't win,"

Peter didn't show it but he knew Thomas was right. If he killed him, a war would start between creatures and he would be punished severely. "Sleep now," he cast another spell and Thomas was knocked out cold. He disappeared into the darkness, escaping.

The winged creature approached Marcus menacingly. The vampire was burnt terribly on the neck, too weak to stand up. The flames surrounded them, spreading. "Tell me where she is," he demanded. "Where is Aurora?"

"I'll never tell you," Marcus coughed. He stood up ready to fight.

"I don't want to hurt you any more than I already have. But I need her. I don't have a choice,"

As he spoke, Marcus detected something. He was frightened. He was being forced. He was endangering these people in cold blood. "No," though he sympathised with the creature he refused to give up the woman he loved.

A fireball was prepared to be thrown. Suddenly an ice blast froze his palm and an ice path was formed underneath causing him to slide away but he used the claws on his wing muscle joints to brace himself. Aurora appeared beside Marcus, defending him. She snarled when she realised the man standing before was the same one she had seen in Paris. Though his face was half-covered, she could see his dark eyes, the ones that made her tingle. What confused her was the metal collar around his neck. Why was he wearing it?

Focusing again on what was happening, she stood her ground, preparing her ice magic, Marcus refusing to leave her. The fire fae creature prepared a fireball but he froze seeing her.

"What are you waiting for?" Aurora demanded.

The dark eyes that glared at her quivered. He couldn't do it. He couldn't harm her.? Aurora saw that the man in front of her was agitating. But why? With a flap of wings, she shot off and disappeared into the knight. She stamped her feet and the ice spread through the burning trees, extinguishing the flames completely. The fire was over. Only a small section of the forest had been burnt. And no one had been harmed by the flames.

"Oh Marcus," Aurora sniffled, cradling his face, cringing at his neck wound. "I'm so sorry,"

He hugged her and she hugged him back. "I'm so sorry," she cried. "It's all my fault,"

"Don't say that" he begged.

Holding hands, they walked towards the unburnt areas of the forest and they saw Thomas. "Tom…" Marcus stumbled over.

Aurora pressed her hands over her mouth. "Is he…" she heard a heartbeat. "He's alive," she was relieved.

"Em!" shouted a loud voice. It was Sarah.

Aurora felt her heart jump in horror. "No…" she turned pale. She dashed off. Marcus stayed behind to tend to his brother. She rushed through the forest and to her shock, she saw Emily, dead in Sarah's arms. Her tears fell. "No. No! No! No!" she fell to her kneels on her other side. She looked at Sarah's wet eyes. "Wake up Em! Wake up! Please wake up!" She heard no heartbeat. It was done. Know had killed her. She sobbed as she held her hand. "I'm so sorry Em!" she felt like it was her fault. Completely.

Miriam and Jason came rushing onto the scene. They gasped when they saw Sarah was dead. The son's arms flew over his mouth. Marcus dragging a dreary Thomas beside him was shocked when he saw Emily was dead. Knox hadn't got what he had come for. But Emily had died. Along with so dozens of knights.

From the living room, Ysabeau hung her head down, having heard everything from outside. She turned with a devasted expression to the daemons and Phoebe. She fell onto the sofa; afraid something had happened to Thomas. Nate and Sophie shared heartbroken expressions and so did Agatha and Hamish. They thought they were safe. But the truth was no one was safe anywhere. Not as long as people like Peter Knox and Gerbert and the creature who had endangered an innocent settlement of humans.

It meant one thing. The great fight had just begun.

And that's it. Season Two is done. Just Season Three to go. Please send reviews and let me know what you all thought. I would love to hear your reviews. Thank you all so much for your support. So Aurora can run at vampire speed and sniff and hear like one. And what did you all think of that winged fas-creature? Who is he? Why couldn't he fight Aurora? We'll have to wait and find out. I probably might not update till the beginning of March. I'll see how my writing goes. See you all soon.