Legacy 207: The Perks of Being a Warlock

Part 4

Xxx

After going through the magical door at the club, Grace was transported to a street in an unknown city. Since it was the middle of the night, the street was deserted. She looked up to find herself standing in front of a gothic-style manor that had seen better times. It looked like it had been abandoned years ago, as several windows were boarded up and the garden and fences had been overgrown. She wondered why she had been transported here of all places and turned to the others. Asher and Izzy had been transported there as well, though Krimm was nowhere to be seen.

"Where are we?" Grace asked.

"My place." Asher said. "At least, what used to be my family home. Nobody knows about it, so I figured it was the safest place."

"It looks decrepit." Izzy noted.

"Exactly." Asher replied. "That, along with some spells, means nobody will come snooping around. The inside is a lot better, I promise. We can stay here for the night."

Asher headed to the manor and opened the gate. Grace looked at Izzy and the two exchanged a knowing look before following him. Once she was inside, Grace had to admit that Asher was right. Although it was a little dated and dusty, the interior of the manor was not as bad as the exterior suggested. It was the perfect hiding place for the night.

"You live here alone?" Grace asked.

"I come and go." Asher said. "Being here for too long can be difficult, too many memories of my family."

"How old were you when you lost them?" Grace asked.

"My mom died when I was ten." Asher replied. "I never knew my father, he was vanquished before I was born. I was raised by my grandmother for a bit, but by the time I was fifteen, I was on my own."

"That must have been difficult." Grace said.

"It's all in the past." Asher said. "I'd rather focus on the future and rebuilding their legacy."

"And what does that mean?" Izzy asked. "Going after witches for revenge?"

"Revenge doesn't get you anything." Asher noted as he turned to her. "The only thing I want is to reclaim the status and power that we warlocks deserve. I want the Underworld to finally show us the respect we deserve."

"I agree." Grace said. "I'm tired of being looked down on by both good and evil."

"That's why we need to find the Blackwell vault." Asher replied as he held up the dossier they had stolen. "I'm sure there is something in there that will help us."

"I'm not sure about this." Izzy said hesitantly. "All I wanted was answers about where I came from."

"Izzy, we want the same thing." Grace replied. "We want answers and we might need your help to find them. We've come this far."

"Alright, I'll help." Izzy said after a moment of consideration. "On one condition though, we need to vanquish Wulfric."

"Once we find what we need, I'll gladly deal with Wulfric and his guard dog." Grace replied.

"Taking him out is in all of our best interests." Asher said. "We've robbed and embarrassed him at his own club. As long as he's alive, he'll never stop coming for us."

"Agreed." Izzy replied. "So do you have any food here?"

"Kitchen is down the hall." Asher said.

Izzy nodded and headed toward the kitchen. Grace sighed and wondered why she even cared about the girl. She was a warlock, meaning she had lost the soul that everyone seemed to think was so important. So why was she still being troubled by these annoying emotions at all? Perhaps it was some kind of echo, as Izzy reminded her a lot of herself in away.

"She's a handful." Asher remarked. "Remind me again why you're so attached to her?"

"I'm not." Grace lied. "I just think she can be useful."

"Alright, if you say so." Asher replied unconvinced. "Do you want to get some food as well or should I show you to your room?"

"I'm not hungry." Grace said. "I could use a shower and a comfy bed."

"Follow me then." Asher said.

Asher headed up the stairs and Grace followed him. As they headed up the stairs, Grace noticed several family portraits on the wall, though they were all faded and ripped. The entire manor felt empty and cold, so she could only image how lonely it must feel for Asher. It seemed that being lonely came with the territory of being a warlock.

"You can use one of the bedrooms on the right." Asher said as they reached the top. "My room is at the end of the hall on the left."

"And why would I want to know that?" Grace asked.

"Just letting you know." Asher replied with a smile. "In case you need something, or someone."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Grace said.

Grace turned around and headed to the right, picking one of the bedrooms. She let herself fall on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She felt drawn to Asher, but only because he reminded her of Luke. He had the same devilishly charming smile. However, she wasn't going to throw herself in the arms of another handsome man just to fill the void. She wanted to stand on her own two feet. She wanted to know what was in that vault, so she got up and headed to Asher's bedroom for the dossier.

When she entered the bedroom, she saw light coming from the bathroom and heard the shower running. She carefully moved across the room and saw the dossier lying on the bed. She needed to know what secrets the Blackwells were hiding and how she could use them.

"That didn't take long." Asher's voice sounded.

Grace dropped the dossier and turned around to see Asher stand in the doorway of the bathroom. He was dripping wet and only had a towel wrapped around his hips. Despite feeling caught, the view of his smooth and slender torso was worth it.

"I got curious." Grace said.

"About the dossier?" Asher asked.

"Of course." Grace replied. "Unless you have something else to pique my interest."

"I can think of a few things." Asher said.

"Really?" Grace asked playfully as she sat down on the bed. "Show me."

Asher smiled as he walked toward Grace and dropped the towel just as he reached her. He pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her. Although she told herself that she wanted to be independent, there was nothing wrong with having a little fun along the way. She just had to stay the one in charge. Her hands explored his tempting, naked body and she dug her nails in his tight ass, causing him to groan.

"This is just a one-time thing." Grace whispered. "Tomorrow we find the vault."

"Whatever you say, love." Asher replied.

Grace began kissing him passionately, falling backwards on the bed in the process. As she looked Asher in the eyes, she imagined he was Luke for a moment. She quickly put him out of her mind. Although she had loved Luke, he had also manipulated her into becoming the warlock she was today. She would never let herself be fooled like that again, so she turned the tables by getting on top before giving into her desires.

Xxx

The following morning, Grace woke up in her own bed. She had left Asher's room the moment he had fallen asleep. Although it had been fun, she had no intention of making it a recurring thing. She took a shower and used a spell to conjure some new clothes. Dressed in black jeans, grey denim jacket and some comfortable boots, she headed downstairs, where she found Izzy sitting at the kitchen counter.

"Good morning." Grace said.

"Good morning to you as well." Izzy replied as she handed her a cup of coffee. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept fine." Grace noted with a suspicious frown. "Why do you ask?"

"I heard you sneaking back to your room." Izzy said. "I just have to ask, why him? I get that he's handsome and all, but I don't trust him."

"Don't worry." Grace replied. "It was just a one-time thing. It won't affect what we're trying to do. I'm done letting other people decide things for me, especially men."

"Good to hear." Izzy noted. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Grace smiled as she took a sip of her coffee. After being on her own for all this time, she realized she had missed little things like this. Whatever was in that vault, she hoped that it would break the pattern of warlocks being left on their own. Asher entered the kitchen, dressed in a black shirt and jeans, holding the dossier. Grace had to admit she preferred him out of his clothes, but it was time to focus on the matter at hand.

"Morning." Asher said. "I hope you had a good night. It's time to find the vault."

"We're ready." Izzy replied.

"Definitely." Grace added. "Let's see what's on those papers."

Asher nodded and opened the dossier on the counter. There were a bunch of faded papers, a family tree and what appeared to be a map. The last thing that fell out of the dossier was small, circular ruby. When Grace picked it up, she could feel magic from it like a static shock.

"What's that?" Asher asked.

"A ruby." Grace replied as she held it up. "It has magic, so I'm guessing it has something to do with opening the vault."

"You keep it." Izzy said. "We both trust you."

"The kid is right." Asher admitted with a shrug. "I can't make sense of these papers, but the family tree definitely belongs to the Blackwell family. They date back centuries."

"Well, they're gone now." Grace replied. "Anders was the last."

"Are we sure about that?" Izzy noted. "Anders sounds a lot like Asher."

"I already told you, I'm not a Blackwell." Asher replied in an annoyed tone. "Though I'm sure our family lines crossed at some point in history."

"Aren't we all connected if we just go back far enough?" Grace remarked. "All witches and warlocks came from somewhere, right?"

"Hopefully that's exactly what we're going to find." Asher said. "Let's look at the map."

Asher shoved the other papers aside and rolled out the map over the counter. Grace instantly recognized the east coast of the country and knew where the map was pointing. It was Salem, an important historical place for witches in general, but also for her own family. It was in Salem that Melinda Warren was burned at the stake.

"Of course it was Salem." Asher noted. "I should have realized."

"We need a closer look." Izzy said as she used glass from the cabinet as a magnifying glass. "It's pointing to a cemetery. The vault has to be there."

"Great, let's get going." Asher said.

"Wait, we need to think about this." Grace replied. "Wulfric had this map in his possession for who knows how long. He might know exactly where we're headed."

"It could be a trap." Izzy said.

"Maybe he never bothered looking at it." Asher suggested. "All he cared about was keeping it out of warlock hands."

"Do you really want to take that chance?" Grace asked.

"No, you're right." Asher said. "Even if Wulfric doesn't show up, the vault could still be protected by something else. I have a bunch of weapons and potions in the altar room."

"Let's get ready." Grace replied.

Asher folded up the map and put it in his jeans pocket. As Grace and Izzy followed the male warlock to the altar room, the former looked at the small ruby in her hand. She assumed it was some sort of key to open the Blackwell vault. Her gut was telling her that Wulfric would show up at the vault sooner or later, so she would make sure he'd never leave it again. He would regret the day he ever crossed paths with her.

Xxx

In the blink of eye, Grace and Izzy appeared in the cemetery in Salem, followed almost instantly by Asher. The cemetery was covered in an eerie mist that obscured their line of sight, meaning they could only see the gravestones close to them, while the rest of their surroundings were vague shapes. Was it natural weather or was something magical going on? It was hard to tell. Grace just reminded herself that Lena had enhanced senses, which put them at a disadvantage.

"We need to be careful." Grace said quietly. "Remember we're dealing with a Manticore."

"She's actually half Manticore, half human." Asher said. "I heard the bartenders talking about it earlier."

"Interesting." Grace replied.

"She hardly seemed human when she tried to kill you." Izzy noted. "I doubt we'll be able to appeal to her humanity."

"The only way we'll end this is when both of them are vanquished." Grace said determined.

"I'll defend myself when it comes down to it, but I'm not going to kill in cold blood." Izzy replied. "Contrary to her, I actually want to keep my soul."

"Souls are overrated, we're doing just fine without them." Asher remarked as he walked ahead in front of them. "Come on, we need to find the vault."

"Do you believe that?" Izzy asked as she looked at Grace.

"Does it matter?" Grace retorted. "I lost my soul and I feel fine. I don't have to deal with emotions like guilt or heartbreak."

"But doesn't it get lonely?" Izzy asked. "Not going able to love? My parents always taught me that only a soul can experience true love."

"I don't believe in true love." Grace admitted. "I believe in attraction and lust, but love? No thanks."

"What about friendship?" Izzy asked after a slight pause. "Isn't that a form of love?"

"I… I don't know." Grace replied. "If you want to talk about philosophy, you need to talk to my sister."

"Sorry I brought it up." Izzy said.

Grace remained silent, as she wasn't quite sure how to respond. The loneliness that Izzy asked about was exactly why Grace was doing this. She looked at the younger girl and realized that she never wanted Izzy to experience this feeling. Being a warlock was complicated and difficult, she would not wish it upon anyone, especially a friend.

"Over here." Asher's voice sounded from a distance.

Grace and Izzy followed the sound of his voice and ended up in front of a large mausoleum. Grace noticed a brazier close by and set it ablaze with her fire power. The name Blackwell was chiseled into the black marble and the door was guarded by two statues of a man and a woman. The woman had an owl on her shoulder, while the man was wielding a large blade. Both seemed to be missing an eye, a hole that was just about the size of the ruby Grace took out of her pocket.

"Do we need two rubies?" Izzy asked.

"No, that can't be." Asher replied quickly. "We can't get stuck here, not when we're this close."

"I don't think we need two rubies." Grace said as she looked at the statues. "This is some kind of test."

"How can you be certain?" Asher asked.

"I'm not, but I feel it." Grace replied. "We need to make a choice, so let's take a closer look at those statues."

"Well, the man is holding a sword." Izzy noted. "While the woman has an owl. Don't owls usually represent wisdom?"

"Then the sword must mean power." Asher said. "We need to choose the man."

"No, we came here for answers." Izzy countered. "That means the woman."

"We need power to destroy Wulfric." Asher said determined. "With that power we can bring the warlock race to new heights and reclaim our rightful place."

"That's so typical of a warlock." Izzy replied. "It's all about power."

"Enough, both of you." Grace said harshly. "You gave me the ruby. You both said that you trust me, so the choice is mine to make. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Izzy said. "I trust you to do the right thing."

"Grace, think about this carefully." Asher pleaded. "Think about what this could mean of us."

"I never wanted to get dragged into this in the first place." Grace said. "But now that I'm here, we're going to do this my way."

Grace looked at the ruby in her hand and at the two statues. Then she looked at Izzy and Asher. She understood their desires perfectly. Izzy wanted to know where she came from, while Asher wanted to secure their future. It a cruel choice, as Grace wanted both of those things. However, if she had to choose one, she knew what was most important to her. As she took a step to the door, she was suddenly flung aside by a powerful force blast that sent the ruby flying into the grass. As she got back up, she turned to face Wulfric and Lena.

"Right where you said they'd be." Wulfric said.

"I always was the best tracker in my pack." Lena noted.

"How did you find us?" Izzy asked.

"You left a trail for us, little witch." Wulfric replied as he held up a black card. "You used your blood to enter my club after all."

"So let's finish what we started there." Asher said as his eyes flashed green.

"Gladly, I'm getting tired of dealing with you warlock scum." Wulfric said. "And I came prepared with a few extra powers."

"Throw at us whatever you want, Wulfric." Grace replied. "We're not going down without a fight."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Lena said.

Lena let out a feral roar as she charged forward in a blur. Grace wasn't going down to same trick twice, so she held out both hands and sent her flying back with telekinesis. The redhead was blown back into the mist and disappeared from sight. However, a moment later, her laugh filled the entire cemetery as she moved around in superhuman speed. It was coming from all directions, so Grace knew they were in trouble.

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