Chapter 54: A magical mystery.

Nadia

My people were relieved when I returned with some food and water. Above us the world was falling apart and we didn’t know what was happening. We didn’t know how many of our people had been injured or killed. All we could do was wait. I had no idea how long it lasted, but everything eventually went silent. Everyone held their breaths as we waited for news. Any news.

I took up a position near the door and shifted. I was going to protect the people in this room even if it was the last thing I ever did in this life. I nearly cried when Lucca walked in looking as though he had been crawling around the dirt all day. He pulled me into his arms as soon as I shifted back into human form and breathed in my scent.

I couldn’t believe that he was alive. I could, because he was strong, but I still couldn’t because we had no idea what was happening up there. They led us back upstairs, and I was shocked to see the damage the witches created. According to Lucca, they bombed the castle and disappeared when it seemed that their bombs were finished.

Nobody could understand why this happened. Nobody had seen the witches in centuries. Why now? Why start a war? What had we done that was so bad they didn’t face us. They simply decided to bomb us into oblivion?!! Lucca suggested that the people grab what they needed and return to the dungeons and basement for the night.

He didn’t trust the silence. He believed the witches were going to come back. Reports started coming in through the pack link and my heart sank. The witches attacked our entire country at once. Reports of damages and people we lost quickly flooded the pack link. While Lucca made sure everyone that was still alive took shelter, I made sure the people in the castle were taken care of.

I wanted to make sure everyone had a place to sleep. Once that was sorted out, I made sure that we moved all our spare water and food downstairs. If the witches attacked again, we had no idea how long we might be trapped down here, and I didn’t want a single child or adult, for that matter, to get hungry or thirsty. Having to sit here and listen to a war was bad enough as it was.

We had just settled in for the night when the first bombs dropped above us again. I looked at Lucca who was sitting beside me. He decided that it would be best for all our people to stay down here. None of our warriors were going upstairs until we knew for sure that the witches weren’t going to bomb us again. We could fight them on land.

We couldn’t fight them in the air. We couldn’t do anything about their magical bombs. The world finally fell silent for some time during the night and I fell asleep in Lucca’s arms. It had been one of the worst days since the war ended, and I was tired down to the bone. When I woke in the morning, Lucca had already left with a small group of warriors.

“How is it looking?” I asked him through our pack link and when he hesitated, I could only imagine that it was bad. I made my way upstairs and half of the castle had been destroyed. My jaw dropped when I looked toward my parents pack house, and it had all been obliterated. A small group of wolves came towards the castle and I cried as soon as I saw my parents with them.

We rushed them down to the dungeons while they explained how they took shelter underneath their homes. The forest that divided the old vampire kingdom and their territory was completely destroyed. There was nothing left. I couldn’t understand why. Why would they kill so many innocent people?! It was late afternoon when I heard from Lucca again.

My jaw dropped for the umpteenth time that day when he told me that he had met with the leader of the witches. Some chick named Melina. According to them, we had broken some mystical law from eons ago! We unknowingly created a new ghost world. They were terribly offended by this, since it cut their ties to their ancestors. That was apparently where they got their power from.

I was still in shock when Lucca returned late that night. He promised me that the witches wouldn’t attack again. At least, not for the night. I couldn’t believe that they would do such a thing! We didn’t do it on purpose! We didn’t ask for this to happen! We didn’t take away their power! Clearly! They still had magic! It was just a bit more difficult to get to it!

In the morning, I was up early and I cornered Lucca. What he told me made no sense. I wanted to know how he met the leader of the witches. How did he know how to go and meet her? I wanted to know what was said. In detail. Every word. Lucca and I took a walk while he explained it all, and even when he was done, I still felt as though this wasn’t happening.

“And you explained that we didn’t do this on purpose?” I sighed, tilting my head to one side. He nodded.

“They didn’t believe me, Nadia. They think that someone used magic. Apparently there is a spell that you have to use to create this kind of place.” Lucca frowned. “I just can’t think who could have had that kind of power and what they would have gained by doing something like that.” He sighed. “Anyway, the witches aren’t going to let it go. They want the person who did that to confess. Until that person confesses, and they have the chance to punish that person, they are going to keep on doing what they’ve been doing.” We were a couple of meters away from the castle when we heard the bombs starting up again and Lucca covered me as we ran back to the castle.