Chapter 26: Memories bring back

Ericka had left the meeting early; she just couldn’t stand those witches who were under Soren’s control. She paced tirelessly at the top of the mountain where the five vampire lords had built their castle around. Memories flashed through her mind, and she wept, remembering the reason why she tried so hard to protect Sage.

****

Flashback:

Ericka and Erick stood in an open field with flowers around them. They were much younger, six years into their marriage.

Erick was a hairy man with brown wavy hair falling over his forehead.

Ericka stood admiring the view of the wide field covered in flowers and watched as the sun set. “Thank you for bringing me here,” Ericka said as footsteps approached her from behind.

Erick, her husband, placed his hands on the small of her back and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her forehead, and she snuggled into his embrace. “I just thought it would be nice to get some break from the kids,” Erick smiled. He knew his wife had not been happy ever since he brought his little niece to live with them. He thought it would be nice to bring Ericka here and talk about it.

“Do we really have to keep her?” Ericka questioned, staring into her husband's eyes.

“We’re not just keeping her, darling; we are protecting her.”

“Why can’t we just drop her off at an orphanage or give her up to foster parents?” Ericka asked, watching the smile fade from her husband’s face.

“I can’t. It’s too risky to leave her in the hands of another,” Erick explained.

“Leaving her with us is risky, for us and our family,” a tear rolled down Ericka's cheek as she thought about losing her family. “You’re putting our lives in danger. What if they come looking for her? They went after her parents, and they won’t stop until they have her.”

“They won’t, because we would be protecting her,” Erick placed his warm palm on his wife’s face.

“Maybe you will, but I won’t,” Ericka took a step back from her husband’s hold.

“Yes, you would,” Erick knew he had a stubborn wife; he only needed to calm her down and give her reasons to do what he was requesting. “You will, because if you don’t, and the vampires get to her, I die, you die, our kids also. Everyone you try to protect will not survive, and no matter how powerful you think you are, you will not be able to do anything about it except watch as your world crumbles. Just like the other witches whose families were taken away from them.”

Ericka stood in silence as she contemplated the consequences. She knew there would be a great battle in the near future; she didn't want her family to get involved, but with the way things were going, it was better she played her part in this while also trying to protect those she loves.

“You will protect Sage. And when that time comes, she would protect us also,” Erick added.

"Okay," Ericka responded after a long thought.

"Okay isn't enough. I need you to promise and seal that promise."

Ericka glared at her husband with a side-eye. He was asking her to make a promise, so when things get rough, she wouldn't be able to back out. She looked at how serious her husband was about this issue. She knew he was ready to die for this cause, and it scared her.

"I promise to protect Sage Markoy," Ericka's eyes shone a bright yellow around her pupils, sealing her words.

"Thank you," Erick breathed a sigh of relief and placed a peck on his wife's head.

End of flashback.

****

Ericka sobbed harder as she remembered vividly the day she made her promise to her late husband. She had disliked Sage from the onset, and the day she found out her husband was dead, she had never stopped blaming Sage for it. He had died while trying to protect Sage, and it was the same thing Ericka was doing too.

Even if she treated Sage badly, she never went back on her words to protect the girl.

Ericka wiped the tears from her eyes. She had come up with an idea on how to stop Soren for a while. It was risky, but she would have to do it.

She walked to the edge of the mountain above where the fifth castle belonging to Soren stood. Ericka clenched her fist hard before letting herself fall from the edge.

She was falling down fast and reached the top of the castle. Her eyes moved quickly as she searched for a safe spot to land. She spotted a flat surface on the castle's roof. Closing her eyes, Ericka envisioned the area she spotted.

She had fallen past the flat surface, and there was no way she would be able to land there again. However, Ericka disappeared mid-air and materialized on the safe spot she found and envisioned in her mind.

She took in a sharp breath and adjusted her gown that had been disfigured by the wind. She was now on top of Soren's castle. Her heart was beating loud inside her chest; she was an uninvited guest, trespassing. If she was caught, Soren would not have mercy on her.

Ericka moved towards a window and peered through it. The hall was empty, which made sense, considering Soren had sent almost all his forces out in search of the hybrid.

Ericka pushed the window with her hands, but it didn't budge as it was pinned shut from inside. She looked at the pin that held the window shut. From outside, she used her hands to control the pin, raising it up as if she had the ability of telekinesis.

She successfully lifted the pin and pushed the window open. Quietly, she climbed through the window and jumped into the building. Without wasting time, she stealthily moved through the building, hiding whenever she heard voices or footsteps approaching.

It was Ericka's first time in this castle; she had no idea which part of the castle she was moving to. All she knew was she had to get to the area where Soren stayed.

After a while of walking around, Ericka found a dining room where meals had been laid on the table. She moved into the room and found only two plates set on it. There were two large iron chairs on each end of the long table, with one larger than the other.

The meal on the table consisted of fresh blood and barely roasted ham. Ericka did not need anybody to tell her this was the meal for a vampire lord. She walked to where the larger chair was and proceeded with her plan.

So far, there had been no obstruction in her way. Ericka needed to be quick yet careful with whatever she was doing so as not to mess it up.

Ericka placed her hand on her hair and pulled out a single strand of her blond hair. She grimaced in pain while doing this, but the pain quickly subsided. She gently opened the cover of an iron jug on the table, which contained blood.

"La va si ñe," she whispered. The thin strand of hair in her hand turned into a thin, long albino snake that was yellow in color with a white head. Using her sharp nails, Ericka split it in half and began to empty the blood that dripped from the reptile.

While the blood was dripping, Ericka heard voices approaching the room where she was. She quickly concealed her presence and kept her eyes fixed on the door.

The blood from the reptile was still slowly dripping into the jug filled with blood.

She couldn't speed up the process of what she was doing and had to wait until it was done.

Time was not on her side. Ericka watched with wide eyes as the door to the room opened.