Chapter 59
Willow was impressed by the princess; she now understood why the powers that be chose her for the prophecy. It wasn’t because she did the wrong things or needed to be punished. No, her undoing was her blood and the fact that she looked exactly like the ancient Vampire Queen Irisa, the very same Queen her sister Hazel was so jealous of and betrayed, which led to her getting caught. Irisa beheaded Hazel and burned her body.
Will guessed that during that time, at some point, her sister Hazel was the one who cursed the line of purebloods.
Wait till the King finds out who started this shit ball rolling down the hill. Not only that, but she has to, by the old laws, now ask for payment; her sister truly was an ass.
It is funny, though; here she is fixing something that started thousands of years ago; Willow was the one who turned her sister over to the Queen and was there at her execution. Now here it all was again. She could almost hear her sister laughing.
She sat down in the King’s office, staring at the other people in the room. None of them would like what she was about to tell them, but it couldn’t be helped. Sometimes, it is what it is.
The King spoke first, dispelling the heavy silence in the room.
“Baba Yaga Willow, what do we need to do to eliminate this curse before it kills one of my grandbabies?”
“I would also like to know the curse’s origin to understand better if there is a way to stop it.”
“Your highness, I will have to start from the beginning to tell you about the curse and how you can get around it.”
Before anyone could speak, Noah spoke up in concern.
“Around it, but I thought you said you could stop it; what does it mean to get around it? Are we going to trick it so it can then go on and kill again in later generations?”
Willow raised her hand to silence the questions and end the rising panic she could feel in the room.
First, I will tell you the story of my stupid sister Hazel and her enemy Vampire Queen Irisa. It is a tale with a tragic ending, as are all levels of those that refuse to stop being the fool.
My sister was also a Baba Yaga; there were three of us; Hazel was the oldest. She let her power get too corrupt, and in doing this, her abilities became unpredictable. She also went insane, head over heels in love with a Vampire, King Orick.
Not only did the King not return her love, but he was also madly in love with his Queen, Irisa. When Hazel realized that her dreams of having a relationship with the King were not going to happen, she used her magic and potions to make him love her.
As in all things, though, true love wins out over illusions and lies. She had disguised herself as Irisa and lured the King into having sex with her, but her spell wore off before he could finish the deed.
Yelling for his guards and pushed her violently away from him as the real Queen came into the room.
My sister had used up too much of her magick and had fled back into the forest to hide from persecution.
Unfortunately for my sister, I was the official advisor for the Queen and was bound by magical laws and mortal laws to inform the King and Queen of my sister’s location.
I gave them a spell that would stop her from harming anyone who came to arrest her, and they did just that, bringing her before the crown and sentencing her to death by fire.
As the flames burned her, she cursed the royal family; when the one comes to birth three, one will be lost to the curse, and any and every generation will yield the third. Once there has been sufficient sacrifice, I will return.
At first, those that knew about the curse got around it by only having one of two offspring. However, I did fear the day when a third was born or, in this case, triplets.
The Queen was so angry that she ordered that the account of my sister’s life and crimes would be erased; the only thing that survived was a vague mention of the curse.
Still, I think that my sister’s spirit lives on and waits for the final sacrifice to be made. I believe that is why your Dark Hall is so dark. It is where she is residing in spirit.
That, I believe, brings up to date; what has to be done though you will not like or be willing to do. It is the only way. I don’t want to, but the magick dictates the rules; I have to ask for payment before giving anything more.
The payment has to be something no one has ever given me before.
Since we have a little time before the curse takes effect, I will give you three days to come up with payment. After that, we will have to be very vigilant because it will all happen very fast.
Now, I would like to be shown to my room, and if possible, I would like something to eat. Perhaps, some of your famous homemade wine, without the blood, of course.
Daisy and Noah sat speechlessly; what kind of payment could they give her? How were they supposed to know what she had never been given? She is an old boogeyman and witch. What the hell hasn’t she been given.
It was then that Daisy stood up and let out an excited squeak…
“I know something that she might not have ever been given before!”
She grabbed Noah’s arm and ran out of the room, yelling her father’s name.
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As Michael escorted Willow to the quarters prepared for her, he was lost in thought. What would be something that you could give to an immortal being of the stature of a Baba Yaga that she has never been shown before.
He didn’t foresee this minor issue; there were times when he hated the magical world and all its inhabitants, including himself. Willow must have sensed his mind going crazy because she stopped before him.
“I can not tell you what it is; all I can say is that you already have it in your possession.”
“How do you know this?”
“I know this, Michael because the old laws would not have imposed the law if you didn't.”
Now stop fretting. It is ruining my concentration on the energies of this place. I am looking forward to a meal that I don’t have to cook myself for a change, and a nice soak in a hot tub will be excellent instead of the mountain stream.
“Baba Yaga, what are you not telling me?”
“I am holding back, yes, but only because I wait for the right moment to reveal it. To break this curse, you have to hold your cards close to your vest. Otherwise, it will get wind of your plans and change the dynamics of the spell.”
“You can not tell me even just a little bit?”
“NO, ask anymore, and I will turn you into a frog.”
Michael kept his mouth shut. You don’t talk back to a Baba Yaga unless you want something unpleasant to happen. She meant just that when she said to turn him into a frog; If he had persisted, he would have been on the floor hopping around and croaking out a merry tune.
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She waited and watched where she could, sensing that its time was coming; she knew that there was nothing that the pathetic living could do to dispel her curse. Soon she will be free once again to do as she pleased.
She could also feel those dark shadows hunting for her, to bring her to hell to pay for what she had done; she didn’t deserve such treatment; she deserved everything in the mortal world.
She was safe from those nasty shadows as long as she stayed hidden in the binding spell upon the dark hall. Once the sacrifice was given, then they couldn’t touch her.
Everything was going just as she planned when she felt another powerful presence in the magical threads of time. Once she realized who it was, she became still. That bitch how dare she mess around with my plans again.
Only one being she knew could have that signature of high power and duality. It was the one who got her killed.
Willow.
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Hello everyone, I will tell you about my new Facebook page. I know that you are paying for these words, but I felt the best place to tell everyone was here.
For my readers. There will be snippets of upcoming stories and new covers to look at, and you can post your questions or discussions.
Hopefully, other authors will join as well, so you can see what new things they are putting out and where to find them.
“Beyond the Pages” https://www.facebook.com/groups/1167940254001417
Come on in and say hello.
Thank You,
Lori Ameling