When Darkness Fell: An Elemental Enchanters Story (7 page)

Throughout the years, the coven continued to grow, and we led many battles against Corbin’s army, but never saw Corbin. At times, I wondered if someone had already defeated him, and he just had loyal followers. There were so many of us, and we needed a safe place. We built a magical manor deep in a forest near the town we settled, and I had learned to perform protection charms so it would remain unseen by anyone who was not a part of our coven. We called it Blackhart Manor. We began performing initiations to bind ourselves through blood, and Colden made empathetic necklaces for the covens. It helped us feel each other and know when someone was in danger. Our families grew, and when the parents’ children were old enough to accept their responsibilities, we initiated them into our coven.

We accepted several young Enchanters who were abandoned because of Corbin’s army and we trained them to fight along us. We had been warring for almost three hundred years and some days there never seemed to be an end in sight.

Despite the wars, we remained healthy and appreciative for we had each other. Colden took care of the covens by feeding, clothing, and preparing them for war. He still fought beside me, even though his lack of ability still hindered him. Aaron and I became lifemates. We strengthened each other and developed a very deep and loving relationship. I always kept George in my mind, but Aaron had my heart. We understood each other in so many ways, and I knew that was something I could not have shared with anyone else. I helped him read minds, and we both worked on becoming as strong as we could. He still made me feel as incredible as the first time I met him.

We lived among the Ephemerals in secret, and we protected them without their knowledge. But then we received word that Corbin’s army was moving closer to us. We had to stop them.

“Sister, I think we should go to Caprington,” Colden said to me one night as we sat in the parlor with Aaron, Gustav, Maggie, and Maya discussing a strategy.

“You cannot be serious,” Aaron said.

“It is the only way to defeat Corbin. He will not fight his own battles as you see. This will not end because both sides are equally strong.”

Gustav stroked his thick beard. “He is right. We have to kill him. End this madness once and for all.”

“How can we?” I asked. “We cannot be seen in Caprington. Everyone there will recognize us and kill us.”

“We can sneak you in,” Maggie said. “They will not know we have come.”

As I sat and listened to their ideas, I feared what would happen. I did not want to go to Caprington. But this was something Colden and I vowed to do. I hated war. I hated the deaths and violence, and I wanted peace. And this seemed to be the only way.

We traveled in a small pack, so we would not draw attention to ourselves. Carmen had the ability to change our appearances with a single potion. However, it would not last long and we had to be quick to find Corbin.

We set out the following night. The sky turned a blood red once the sun set. I did not want to face Corbin. Colden had reservations about seeing him after so many years, but he was calm, much to my surprise. My stomach had twisted itself into several knots, but I gripped Aaron’s hand as tight as I could.

After several nights, we arrived in Caprington. I had never seen it, but it reminded me of the village where Colden and I grew up. There were small buildings down a few streets and larger manors on the outskirts. Tall snow-capped mountains in the backdrop. Despite the evil that was Caprington, it had a beautiful landscape. We looked to the largest manor, surrounded by a gate.

“That has to be his,” Colden said.

Gustav pushed his way to the front. “Looks like something he would own.”

“Here.” Carmen handed Colden and me each a vial. “Drink the potion. We have to hurry. Once we are inside the manor, we must act fast in order to kill him.”

I exchanged a worried glance with Aaron.

“It is okay,” he said. “I am here.”

I took a deep breath and drank the potion. I felt the strangest pull inside and outside my body. My skin stretched and my hair shortened. I touched my cheek, and it was bigger and more filled out. Colden’s long raven hair changed to a blonde color and his features lightened. He looked younger and less glum. His skin tone darkened a little.

“Let’s go.” Maggie’s arms turned into Sai weapons and she held a fierce look. She was prepared for this moment.

We snuck inside the gate, with the others following closely behind. The grounds looked quiet and we saw no guards.

I had no idea how we would take Corbin down or what we would even say. The closer I walked toward the door, the more I doubted our mission. We had not thought it through very well at all. But Colden seemed confident and invincible. It was as if he knew exactly what to do and say. I had never seen him like that.

We approached the door. Colden turned the knob and opened it. We heard chatter, laughter, and music. Were they celebrating another victory? We followed Colden through the strange manor, and he halted.

“What is it?” I asked, taken aback by the strange sound of my voice. It was deeper.

“I hear him.”

My heart pounded so hard I felt sure it would leap out of my chest. We did not have long for the potion. We were in Corbin’s manor on a mission to kill him, but the closer we got to him, the more I wanted to turn back and run away. Could we defeat him? Were we strong enough to kill our own father?

Colden moved toward a room and I reluctantly followed. Once we reached the room, Colden crossed the threshold and stared his father in the eye. I clutched Aaron’s hand and looked at the man who had caused us so much heartache.

Corbin and his guests hushed and looked at us with confusion. I knew Corbin did not recognize us, but looking at the man who turned evil and killed my former lover and millions of innocent people, I was enraged. This was our chance.

The energy hummed inside of me, just as it had when I escaped my hanging. I balled my hands into fists and let the power consume me. Heat spread throughout my body and my veins throbbed.

“Hello, Father,” Colden said. “It’s me, Colden.”

And with those words, chaos ensued. Flashes of light illuminated the room. Torturous sounds amplified. Screams and cries of agony. Fire began to spread and smoke filled the room. Colden did not move, though. His eyes trained on Corbin.

Aaron and I broke apart. A woman grabbed me, and I shot my energy toward her. The force hurled her body through the wall, creating a hole with her shape. Fire shot through the opening, lessening the smoke in the room.

I felt hands on my shoulders and then a warmth seep into my skin. I fought back, reaching into her mind and pricking at her memories. I took the first ones I came to and then she let go, screaming and holding her head. I saw Maggie move with a quickness I could not comprehend, but it only took seconds for her to take down her enemies with her Sai weapons.

I could feel the strange pull once more and I knew my body was transforming back to its normal state. The fighting moved out into the main entrance of the manor as more and more Enchanters came to defeat us. I stayed with Colden and Corbin in the burning room.

“You should not have come,” Corbin said.

“We are here to kill you,” I told him. I did not recognize the hatred in my voice.

He shook his head. “You think you can defeat me? You are the weakest one of them all.”

“I have survived this long. And I intend to live a lot longer than you ever will.”

Corbin lunged for me, his hands reaching for me. But then Colden intervened and slammed his father against the wall.

“You will never harm us again, Father. Or anyone else. The war ends tonight. You end tonight.” His voice was dark and menacing. A clear cloud emitted from Corbin’s eyes, then his mouth, and soon his entire body.

I gasped. Was Colden doing something? Corbin went limp and then Colden let him go. He collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

I inhaled a shaky breath. I looked down at Corbin’s eyes, which had a milky substance over them. They looked soulless. He did not move. I checked his pulse, but felt nothing. The fire latched to Corbin.

Colden cried out and fell to his knees. I rushed to his side and he held my hand. He clutched his heart and took gulps of air but he could not breathe.

“Colden! We must get out of here.”

His eyes bulged and he struggled to breathe. I felt arms around me and I let Colden go to fight the opponent, but when I turned I relaxed as I saw Aaron.

“Let us go!” he shouted over the flames.

The fire reached out at us, as if the flames were hands. We needed to hurry. Aaron grabbed us both and we fled the manor. All of us alive.

When we reached a far enough distance, we stopped and rested. Colden held himself and rocked back and forth.

“What happened?” I asked him. “Are you okay?”

He took a deep breath and then leveled his breathing. “I am fine, sister.”

“What did you do?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“Is he dead?” Maggie asked.

“Yes. Corbin is dead.”

I pulled Colden into an embrace. “It is over.”

He held me at arm’s length. “He will never hurt another soul.”

Colden’s eyes changed. They went from the soft eyes I knew, to hard and cold. “Your eyes. What is happening?”

Colden winced and screamed. He pounded the ground with his fist.

“Colden,” Aaron said. “Are you okay?”

“It hurts. The pain.”

“What? What hurts?”

His body shook and contorted on the floor as if it was fighting with itself. His screams pierced through the night. I waved my hand over him, hoping to heal him from whatever ailed him. A few minutes later, he stopped screaming and moving. Tears leaked from his eyes and he loosened his grip on my hand.

“Colden, are you okay?”

He closed his eyes and nodded.

Aaron and I watched him day in and day out, but he seemed okay for the most part. He was quiet and did not eat much. Sometimes I caught him staring out the window with a vacant expression. I did not know if he was depressed that he had killed his father or if it was something else. After some time, he became himself again. He came to me one day, weeks later, with a pained expression.

“What is the matter?” I asked.

“I have to confess something to you.”

“Okay.”

“I am a soul reaper.”

“What?”

“I reaped my father’s soul.”

“What? How? How do you know?”

“I found out one night. I reaped an Ephemeral’s soul.”

My pulse raced and my knees weakened. I could not catch my breath and then Colden helped me sit. I could not grasp his words.

“This is my ability, Savina. After all these years, this is what it is. I could feel something inside me growing and I did not know what it was.”

“What? What do you mean you reaped an Ephemeral’s soul?”

“One night, many years ago, you and I had stopped in a village to stay for a while. You had retired for the evening, but for some reason I could not sleep. I walked around the town and wound up in a tavern. It was raucous and I wished for something quieter, but then I heard a soothing and peaceful sound. I pushed through the crowd and saw the most beautiful woman playing a harp. She had long brown hair and dark gleaming eyes and skin that glowed. Her smile made my heart race. When she finished, several of us applauded. She bowed and left the stage. I approached her and introduced myself as Jonathan.

She smiled and held out her hand. “Esmerelda.”

“That was wonderful,” I said. “I have never heard such a more glorious sound.”

“Thank you.”

“You are beautiful.”

“Are you always so forward?”

“Never.”

“Are you new here?”

“Yes. Would you care to dine with me?”

“I would love to. I am starving.” Her dark eyes pinned me with a heavy gaze. My heart raced and I held out my arm for her. She interlocked her arm with mine and I escorted her to the balcony that overlooked the bar. We could still hear the noise, but at least it was not as loud. We ordered drinks and her smile teased me.

“You play so beautifully. Have you always played?”

“Yes. My father taught me. My parents and I traveled and performed in places such as this.”

“Where is your family now?”

Esmerelda frowned and her eyes darkened. An ache stabbed me. “They were killed.”

“Oh, I am sorry.”

She shook her head and took a sip of her drink. “It was ages ago. I have managed to perform well on my own.”

“That is amazing.” I admired her strength.

“I must say, you are not like many men I have met before.”

“What am I like?”

“You are careful. Quiet. Reserved. And quite handsome.” She licked her lips and leaned forward. Her eyes arresting me once again. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”

I shook my head. Two could play at this game. “Not at all.”

Esmerelda gave a quiet laugh. She blushed and looked away. “I like you.”