The Tiger Prince's Witch
Chapter 43 - Trio of Goety

"Nice to meet you, King Jarek," Anna said with a smile. She briefly shook his hand even though it pained her. She could feel the darkness coming off him in waves.

"It's good to see you again, Prince Kamryn. You have a mighty fine mate here." He said, looking Anna up and down in a way that gave her the creeps. Kamryn's arms around her got a little tighter. "Yes, I do. Thank you. Please enjoy yourself." Kamryn tried to lead Anna away from the lycan king, but he stopped them.

"I don't see many people here. Usually, it's a full house for a crowning, especially something as important as two princes mating with Spirit Energy witches." Jarek looked at Anna again and had to admit she was quite beautiful. He wouldn't have been heartbroken if she was his mate. Maybe once he killed off the cats, he would keep her for himself.

"You can never be too careful with all the snakes out there. It's important to me to keep my mate safe. Her reputation can cause a lot of unwanted attention from those wishing to do her harm." Kamryn looked the lycan in the eyes while Legend growled softly. He didn't like letting the dogs in the cat house.

"You're right there. Although she's so small, I can't imagine her hurting a fly. It does make me wonder if Spirit Energy's power has been over-inflated. Maybe there are others that are more powerful than what's been rumored." Jarek was trying to get a rise out of Anna, but to his surprise, she smiled and patted Kamryn's arms before he could comment.

"It doesn't take a large person to cast a spell. One small Spirit Energy witch can be more potent than three or more witches of black magic. With a flick of my wrist, I can level an entire coven or anyone threatening my family." Anna gave him a sweet smile, but he heard the threat in her words and saw the fire in her eyes. Jarek took a step back as he laughed nervously.

"I see she's a little fireball." He said, looking toward Kamryn, who was glaring at him.

"You have no idea." He said through clenched teeth.

"I was pretty disappointed I couldn't bring my mate tonight. She almost didn't let me come because she was so hurt. I explained to her that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I couldn't miss it. I hope you can meet her soon, though." Kamryn and Anna both noticed that he glanced toward the door. They looked at each other in concern.

*"I think he's getting ready to do something. Let's get away from him so we can warn the others."* Anna mindlinked Kamryn, who gave her a slight nod.

"We hope to meet her sometime. We'll see you later; my parents are looking for us." Kamryn pulled Anna away before Jarek could say anything else. He watched as they walked across the large room, and he smiled to himself. When the trio gets there, they won't know what hit them.

Kamryn and Anna walked over to where both sets of parents were standing. Jaz's parents were there too, and Kamryn mindlinked Micah so he and Jaz could join them. Once everyone was together, they told them about their encounter with Jarek.

"I can tell he's got something planned, but I don't know what. Have you heard from anyone on the outside?" Anna asked nervously. They'd put some guards with the witches so they could mindlink the king if they saw anything suspicious. "We just received a warning that the trio was on the outskirts of the palace grounds. They said it appears they're waiting for something." Randal stated, looking toward Jarek.

"I know we haven't had time to practice our powers to their full potential, but what do you say we go outside and confront these witches. Maybe we can stop them before they come here and hurt anyone." Micah stated as he shifted from foot to foot. He was ready to fight anyone who dared to come near his mate. Randal's face turned white as he saw Jarek run to the front door.

"It's too late. They're coming now. I got a mindlink that all three flew over the wall like speeding bullets before anyone on the ground could do anything. Are you ready for a fight?" Randal asked, looking toward Anna and Jaz. They were the smallest yet strongest of anyone there.

"We were born for this. We'll consider this practice for the real battle. Get everyone back. Come on, Kamryn and Micah. Let's show them what happens when they mess with our family." Anna flew toward the center of the room, and the other three followed. The guests, who had no idea what was going on, stared at them in shock. The three sets of parents quickly moved the guests to the back of the room as the four young people landed near the door. They didn't look like they were going to fight with the women in their sparkling gowns and the men in their royal suits, but they were ready.

Chloris, Vesna, and Silvina flew into the palace and landed a few yards from the four waiting for them. They were dressed in long black dresses with their white hair flying around them.

"What do you want with us? You know this will only end in your demise." Anna said just loud enough for them to hear. She noticed Jarek standing behind the trio with a smirk.

"There will be a demise, but it won't be ours. The tigers and Spirit Energy will die tonight. You can surrender and accept your fate, or you can fight and die a painful, agony-filled death." The trio spoke together as one with a voice that sent chills down everyone's spine. The evilness pouring from them made those across the room shudder in fear.

"You don't know who you're messing with. You will be defeated tonight. Are you willing to die for the lycan king?" Anna asked and saw the trio shake. She was forcing her energy onto them.

"We don't sacrifice ourselves for anyone." They answered in unison.

"Where's Elsie?" Anna asked and saw them look at her in surprise. Obviously, they didn't expect her to know about having her.

"Who is this Elsie you speak of?" One of them asked. No one could distinguish who was who; they were identical down to the way they moved.

"I know you broke my spell and took her from the cabin. I also know you took her to the lycan palace. What did you do with her?" Anna looked between the trio and the king, who suddenly looked worried.

"What's the matter, Jarek? I thought you weren't afraid of someone so small?" Kamryn smirked at him when he saw the king not looking so confident anymore.

"I'm not scared of anyone. You may think you know everything, but you know nothing. I will win this fight and be the king over all shifters." Jarek spoke loudly, but his voice wavered in the end.

"What do you get out of this? You don't care about shifters." Anna asked the trio, who stood silently. All three had their coal-black eyes on Anna.

"We get the death of all Spirit Energy, so we'll be the most powerful. We can kill off the rest of those who don't practice black magic without any interference from you. We will rule the world with evil." They laughed loudly, and everyone cringed. It felt like they were putting ice into their souls.

"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" Anna asked softly, countering their loud cackling. Something about her calm demeanor was even more terrifying than the trio, and it made Jarek nervous. Why did he feel as if something was off? He wanted to tell the trio to leave and they would try again another day, but they were too deep in this to back out now.

"We will start by killing you and your mates, followed by everyone else inside and outside the palace. We picked this place for a reason. You don't have the four elements needed to kill us." All three smirked, but their faces faltered when they saw Anna, Jaz, Kamryn, and Micah laughing.

"You see, you fail to understand that we don't need the four elements to kill you anymore," Anna answered with a smile as the four of them spread out. The trio, as dark and evil as they were, looked at them with worry. What was their plan? "You're not strong enough to do anything to us without drawing your strengths from the elements. It's the core of your energy." One of the witches screeched at them. They were tired of the back and forth with this witch who thought she could beat them.

"That's where you're wrong." Anna looked towards the others and nodded. As a group, they slowly rose together. Anna raised her hand and opened her palm; they saw a fireball appear in it. At the same time, Jaz made a fist and was holding a lightning bolt. Kamryn flew up to a window and shattered it with his fist, letting in the wind, while Micah moved a large boulder through the door by waving his hand. This represented the earth.

"You have fire, wind, and earth, but I see no water. So you will lose." The trio said as one.

"Oh, yeah. Let me make it rain." Jaz took the lightning bolt in her hand and threw it toward the ceiling. A loud clap of thunder was heard, and a dark cloud appeared. When it started raining, the trio moved together in fear. They underestimated these four. They no longer needed the perfect setting because they could create their own.

"Get ready to dance with the devil." They turned toward Anna's voice, but she was gone. They looked around in dread as they heard her laughing, but they couldn't see her. They knew their time on earth was coming to an end.