Chapter 45: Tension between false allies

Kashina had returned to her coven. She lay on her back on the cold, dirty floor, staring at the rocks above. She didn’t have anything to do for now, but she was sure that Zayn would send for her soon.

Zayn had stopped all searches for the hybrid after his father’s death. Kashina also needed the hybrid’s energy for her own goal. Without the hybrid, she couldn’t go further with her plans. The only one with a lead on the hybrid was her daughter, Venzy. But Venzy hadn’t left the castle yet to search for the hybrid for days now.

Kashina turned on her side, frustrated. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. Kashina wanted Soren to go down, but not by the hands of another witch, especially not by one who had not suffered any form of abuse or pain from Soren. Memories of the torment she faced at his hands flashed through her mind, each one fueling her desire for vengeance.

The poison Ericka used on Soren was killing him slowly from the inside. Kashina wanted something worse to happen to him, something that would give her payback not just for Soren, but for his brothers and their minions as well.

She had the option of betraying the vampires and working with the werewolves to annihilate the vampires, but she was disgusted by how soft and merciful the werewolves were. She preferred working with a higher power filled with evil, one that didn’t know the meaning of peace, mercy, or love. Yes, a monster more wicked than Soren.

“Mother!” Venzy screamed. She had been standing at the entrance of the coven for a while now, trying to get Kashina’s attention, but Kashina seemed to be in a different universe.

Upon hearing her name called so loudly, Kashina looked up. She got up from the floor when she saw who it was.

“Zayn has sent for me, hasn’t he?” Kashina asked, brushing the sand off her gown.

“Yes! And he also isn’t in a good mood,” Venzy reported. “Word got out about his father’s health, and his uncles have been requesting him to come over for questioning.”

“Did he say anything?”

“Nope. All he said to them was that it was a rumor and his father had left for a journey, leaving him in charge. He asked some guards to move his father to a secret chamber and now he wants you to check if the spell you cast is still active.”

“Nothing about the poison?” Kashina inquired. She knew he would ask about her progress in getting an antidote. She just wanted Venzy to give brief details on how he would react if she gave him bad news.

“Why don’t you just go up there and find out for yourself?” Venzy smirked jokingly at her mother.

Kashina frowned. She didn’t think Venzy understood how much she didn’t want to give a report about the antidote. Angry at Venzy, she dematerialized out of the coven without taking Venzy with her.

“See you in an hour, my dear,” Kashina said with a wave before completely vanishing from the coven.

“Ah, come on, evil witch queen!” Venzy threw her hands up in the air. Coming down the coven was easy, as one would just have to jump from the top and know how to land properly so as not to break their legs.

Witches who came down the mountain would just teleport themselves out because they didn’t have the skills needed to climb up a mountain.

An average vampire would need at least two hours to climb up the mountain, but Venzy wasn’t average. She could be out in less than an hour, but she hated the stress of climbing. She didn’t do it often, so there was a chance of placing her hands on the wrong rock and then falling off.

“Oh well, I guess I deserve it,” Venzy said before walking out to begin her climb.

Kashina had already arrived hours ago, but she stayed in the hallway just outside the throne room, pacing back and forth. Her train of thought had been interrupted by Venzy. She still hadn’t decided if she wanted to help Soren just to destroy him later or let him go down now.

‘If I don’t save Soren soon, the hybrid will never be found, his brothers will find out about the state of his health, and my plan will never be fulfilled.’ Kashina’s goal was to see the downfall of the vampires by her own effort. But Ericka had ruined everything. It wouldn’t have been an issue if Ericka wasn’t dead, but she was the only one who had the cure.

Kashina remembered when she was still close friends with Ericka. Ericka had shown her how deadly the strands of her hair were. At one time, she had asked Ericka to help her deal with her cheating lover using the poison from her albino snakes. However, Ericka refused. Kashina then secretly cut off Ericka’s hair while she was asleep and used it to poison her ex-lover whom she caught cheating. She was so pained then she didn’t care to know how the poison worked and acted out of a broken heart. She had thought the poison would cause a slow, painful death alone for her ex-lover, and she wanted him to beg for the antidote. But she thought wrong, and the poison killed him within seconds.

He was a human, unlike Soren whose supernatural cells fought to keep him alive. Kashina watched as he took his last breath and slumped. She instantly regretted her action, and it was then the repercussions of her actions fell on her.

Ever since, she blamed Ericka for not properly explaining how the poison worked. She knew she was at fault, but she needed someone to blame for her actions. Ever since then, she had severed all ties with Ericka.

The door to the throne room was pulled open from inside, and there stood Zayn, all seriousness and frowning. He didn’t look like he was ready to hear any bad news from her.

“Kashina,” Zayn’s voice cut through the silence like a blade. He stepped forward, his eyes dark with frustration. “I’ve felt your unrest from behind these doors for over an hour. You have delayed coming to see me and that is unacceptable.” His tone was icy, each word laced with a barely restrained fury that made Kashina’s heart pound.

“I am sorry, my lord,” Kashina whispered, bowing her head low. Her voice trembled slightly, a rare crack in her usually steely demeanor. She could feel Zayn’s gaze piercing through her, a reminder of the power he held over her.

Venzy had successfully climbed up the mountain and ran down to the castle.

Her heart pounded as she reached the castle, every muscle in her body aching from the climb. She zapped into the hallway, her breath catching in her throat when she saw her mother and Zayn locked in an awkward silence. Frustration bubbled beneath her skin, but she forced a smile, trying to mask her own fatigue and irritation.

“Why are you just coming now?” Zayn threw Venzy a deadly look. He didn’t want to think they had little or no respect for him just because he wasn’t his father.

Both Kashina and Venzy threw themselves side glances. Venzy had a perfect explanation for why she was late, but she didn’t understand why her mother, who had left her, was.

Zayn didn’t wait for a reply from Venzy. He left the door open and walked back to his throne. The two ladies outside didn’t wait to be told before following him in and closing the door behind them.