Luna Abigail
Chapter 21

– Earlier that same day –

Sylla was pacing in her potion room. She could feel something big was about to happen, but didn’t quite know what. It made her irritable and moody. She needed everything to fall into place, and her time to do it was running out.

Keres had been there a couple of days ago, warning her of her sister’s impatience with the crowning of the bitch who called herself Queen. Sylla was the Queen, and everyone would soon know the truth. As this thought settled itself in her, she smile a sinister smile. Oh, how she would enjoy punishing those who disobeyed her and stood against her. Especially Morgan and Meeri. She would make those two suffer – a lot. She would kill the little bitch to Abigail quickly, only because she didn’t want to give that meddling goddess to Selen a chance of saving her. Then she would kill the so-called King, even though she made a promise to her newest ally to spare him and make him love her. But she couldn’t risk it.

What if he remembered and came for her? No, better to be safe.

Sylla was far off in her own thoughts when there was a knock on the door.

“Mother. We are ready.” The girl in the door says while never making eye contact. The last who dared looking Sylla in the eyes without permission had lost her eyesight. And eyes. After that everyone looked down to the floor, not in respect as Sylla thought, but out of fear for their life. Well, it didn’t really matter to her. Fear was also respect, right?

“I’ll be right down. Make sure she is aware of the risks and make her step into the basin before I arrive. I don’t like to waste time.” She answers in an annoyed tone. The girl courtesy and closes the door behind her.

As Sylla walks down into the basement, she is happy to see her members have followed her orders to a tee. The girl is naked in the basin, candles have been lit, the ceremonial cup and dagger are placed neatly on the holy book stand and they have placed the salves for the ritual around the basin edge. The room is dark and wide, with a built in basin for rituals. Their water comes from an underground river, heated with magic as soon as it hits the basin. The surrounding platform makes room for the witches and warlock required present at times like this.

Sylla walks to the edge of the basin, eyeing the desperate and eager girl. She had found her in the human realm, when she went there to hunt for persons to sacrifice. It was not used anymore by the goodie-too-shoes covens, but Sylla and her followers had brought back the rituals and found some forbidden scrolls to build up their power. She had read the warnings of it not lasting if one was to overexert oneself, but she didn’t believe it for one second. Someone who didn’t want others experimenting with his or her invention probably wrote it and therefore tried to scare them off by writing rubbish.

– Sylla’s flashback –

She had been hunting at a nightclub, knowing that desperate men and woman were the easiest to lure back with her. Many of them were addicts of some sort or were just really naïve. She had been sitting with a small group of youngsters when the announcer in the club said the next performance would start soon. As the girl walked up on the stage, Sylla knew something about her was different. She was not fully human, or had not been for a long time, anyway. A rest of a scent still lingered on the girl. A scent of a rogue.

After the girl was finished dancing and walking down the stage, Sylla made her move. She had sent the others with some of her coven members so they would get the “royal” treatment back home. A smile played on Sylla’s lips. A smile that promised nothing good.

“Excuse me, young lady. May I ask you a question?” Syllas asks as politely as she can. The girl turns slowly and looks her up and down. She then crosses her arms.

“Yes?” she asks impatiently, tapping her foot. Sylla needs to swallow the snarky comment on her lips as she tries again with a smile, which does not reach her eyes.

“I’m sorry, but your scent caught me off guard. It’s very distinct. Do you perhaps have an animal?” The meaning is clear to the girl. This is not just a human bitch here to complain about how she was taking all the male attention in the room. Her interest suddenly peaked. Maybe this woman could be of assistance to her. She needed someone like her to take her back to the realm so she could extract her revenge.

“No, not anymore. Some little insignificant whore took my animal and gave it to my weak little sister, who was complaining just because I killed hers.” The girls roll her eyes. Sylla’s smile widens and this time it reaches her eyes, but still there is nothing warm about it. It was cold as a winter’s night without the moon, and her eyes glinted evil will anticipation.

“Mm hm, that’s very interesting. It seems the same someone who you are probably seeking revenge on is also an irritating thorn in my eye. What do you say we work together?” The girl taps her finger to her chin, trying to look like she is thinking it over, when in reality she is trying to figure out how this can come to her advantage the most. No doubt the woman’s aura screams to the heavens of someone in power, but the ickly little half-breed was not just a nobody either.

“Can you get me another animal?” The girl finally asks.

“Of course.” The woman answers immediately.

“Okay, let’s do this then. I’m Maria.” She extends her hand.

“Syllla.” She takes the hand and shakes it. Another puzzle piece has fallen into place.

– Back that same day, before the attack –

They had gone back to the realm as soon as they could. Maria was an unsuspected but welcomed ally, even though her voice and demands some days had been too much. The others had been complaining about her none stop until she told them the next one to complain would lose a tongue.

“Maria, are you ready for the ritual to start?” Sylla asks. And as the girl nods eagerly, she gives the signal for the members there to chant and add the salves to the water. As they all start on their duties, Sylla walks to the bookstand. She takes the dagger and cup, chiming in on the chant. As she walks back to the basin, they drag a new girl in. The fear in her eyes are prominent and grows as they throw her on the floor. Before she can scream, Sylla jabs the dagger into her heart and puts the cup under the wound. The b***d enters the cup and it sizzles.

In the basin, Maria quietly observes the ritual taking place. She is aware of the possible consequences and outcomes, but her need to take down Abby is greater than her self-preservation. Maria smiles a sinister smile when Sylla stabs the girl. She doesn’t know who she is or where she’s from. It doesn’t matter, anyway. Her purpose was served.

Sylla nears the edge, hands the cup to the waiting girl, along with a wolf’s heart. She needs to eat the heart first and drink everything in the cup afterwards.

When everything is downed, Maria’s heart rate speeds up, her breathing becomes ragged and suddenly something tugs her under the water.

Under the water, Maria tries to scream, but she ends up swallowing a lot of water in her efforts. Black dots play on the inside of her eyelids, and as she thinks this is going to be the end, a voice talks in her head.

‘You need to relax and come out of the water. Come on, I will not die just as I got life. Now, get the f**k up!’ The voice is cold as ice and very demanding. Maria breaks the water, just to see a screaming and panicking Sylla on the floor.

“NO! ALL THIS PLANNING AND THAT BITCH GODDESS CROWNS THEM TODAY! ARHG!” She trashes around before halting. When she looks up, her eyes are empty and black.

“We attack in an hour. Gather our allies. IMMEDIATLY!” A deep female voice demands, and everyone in the room, Maria included, shakes under the pressure of this aura.

It’s not only Sylla who is here.

– Present time –

“The Rising Sun coven is mine.” Sylla says before she turns towards Blade.

Just as she is about to attack the seemingly frozen alpha, something hits her and sends her flying away. There, where Sylla just stood, stands Antares. To say Sylla pissed her off is an understatement. Her aura has doubled in strength, and it feels more commanding than ever. Everyone from the Rising Sun coven in her aura’s reach kneels down.

“Mother.” They all say in unison. Sylla screams out her wrath. Her eyes quickly flash a black color before she blinks and they are back to normal.

“NO! That coven is mine. I killed the last mother!”

“Actually, you didn’t.” Someone from the crowd says.

“They did the ceremony in secret a couple of weeks ago, but Mother Meeri concealed it until she would be no more, or Mother Morgan was ready to take on the full responsibilities of the coven work. We knew you would eventually try something and ought to be prepared for it. Me and a few others were their witnesses.” She explains with a small smile and looks at Antares with respect.

Sylla sneers before her attention is drawn back to the snarling wolf in front of her. Her smirk was cocky, her eyes focused on the task at hand.

“So, you think you are a hotshot now, huh?” She asks mockingly, readying herself for the attack about to come. The wolf shakes out her fur, sneezing in a wolf grin. Her eyes shine and the wind picks up all around them, throwing the dust in a circle surrounding them both.

Sylla cackles.

“You need more than those children’s tricks to defeat me.” She yells over the winds, throwing her magic out in the tornado to make it disappear. It works, but as the dust settles, Sylla realises it was a distraction. The others have her surrounded. But as long as that pesky Queen is taken care of, Sylla doesn’t care. She can handle herself, even against these heathens and traitors.

Soon, a new and more intense battle begins. Sylla tries desperately to take down Antares, going for all the tricks she knows. As the battle carries on, she feels the power she has honed diminishing. She battles on two fronts, keeping the other wolves from helping the opponent and keeping her opponent from using her powers on her. It was very tiring.

Just as Antares jumps in for the kill, an unfamiliar girl enters the fray. She slices her hands in a swift motion and lets Sylla take the bloody hands in hers.

A blinding light emerges from their joint hands, taking Antares off guard. When the light loosens its grip, the girl lies dead on the ground and Sylla feels the power renewed in her system. She gave up her life for her coven Mother, just as every member should be willing to do.

A shout distracts Sylla enough for Antares to try a strike. But she is held in magical bonds. She looks on as Aros enters the battlefield.

“Sylla, this ends here. You are losing. Your allies lie dead or deadly injured around the field. Nothing is going your way. Give up, or die with them all.” Aros spits as he takes a stand before Antares. The wolf nudge him with her head. She knows what dangerous games he has been playing all this time to protect her and Morgan until they could meet their destined mate. He smiles at her before setting her free from the magic binds.

“This is going to be fun, son. I take down the fake Queen, the little Mother bitch and a traitor son all in one day. I’m proud of myself.” Sylla says in a sickly sweet voice.

“Yeah, speaking of traitors. Which one of you is alpha Jason?” Aros asks the surrounding wolves. A huge sandy colored wolf stands forward.

“You wouldn’t..” Sylla starts.

“Watch me! Annika is from your pack and has been monitoring your mate and you spying on all of you.” The wolf growls deadly in response before his eyes glace over and Sylla screams in agony as the life of her loyal follower is taken. Her eyes turn pitch black and empty, before a smile makes itself to her face.

“It’s on, little traitor.” A deeper voice rings out from her mouth.