406- The Fire and the Promise
POV Viktor Averwyn:
Elowen trembled more, releasing low sounds like gasps, as the energy burned the previous one, slowly opening a hole. It was as if it wanted to create a portal, to expand around the structure.
“Damn it…” Aldren grew very nervous when blood began to run from her nose, dripping onto her clothes and the ground.
Her body swayed abruptly, her head falling back, murmurs leaving her lips in words from none of the languages I knew, as she seemed to look at the sky, opening her arms even wider.
Suddenly, the still air was struck by a strong wind, and the flames on the energy blazed, leaving a small opening in the middle. She screamed, her body shook, the gray aura around the castle popped, and the fire began to shrink.
The energies seemed to fight, Elowen’s to open, the Ancients’ to keep it closed.
“Enough!” Aldren surrounded her, nervous, as more blood dripped and her body shook repeatedly, visibly. “Elowen…”
“Ah!”
She fell, but he caught her before she hit the ground, kneeling with his wife in his lap, her head lolling back. The magic she had tried to create vanished, and the castle remained protected by the previous one.
“It’s still too strong…” Elowen opened her cloudy eyes, trying to orient herself. “They left everything… ready…”
“Easy. You did what you could.” Aldren caressed her hair and held her tight. “We’ll figure it out.”
“I can do it, but not now. I need to prepare more. Ask for help… from the ancestresses.”
Lunara used the hem of her shirt to wipe the blood from her sister, and he stood up with her in his arms, very worried.
“We’ll have to wait.”
“Bastards!”
Furious, I raised my claw and struck violently against the light, almost transparent gray aura. It was like colliding with a thick bar of heavy metal, causing a vibration of pain that shot up my arm and did no damage whatsoever to the structure.
“It’s impossible. Our strength is useless.” Edric ran his hand through his hair, irritated. “It’s around the entire castle. Even weakened, they are still powerful.”
“Only magic can fight magic,” Lunara murmured.
The mood grew heavy. We were agitated from the battle, full of blood and hatred, eager for answers. My vengeance for Adelina’s death would only be complete after I learned everything and destroyed those demons, if it was confirmed that they were the authors of all the evil since our parents’ time.
Seraphine approached and hugged me. That calmed me enough to take a deep breath and make a decision:
“We’ll wait for Elowen to find a solution. We’ll also seek one out. Meanwhile, we need to establish a permanent siege around the castle, to alert us immediately if there is any change. They cannot escape.”
“I’ll make some of my wolves available to rotate shifts,” Edric offered.
“I will too,” Aldren agreed.
“All three of us. Meanwhile, we have much to worry about. The residents of Cyndrael and Tharengard and the territories.” I took Seraphine in my arms and kissed her hair, finally feeling the exhaustion set in, the pain from losing my daughter nearly overwhelming me. “Those old men cannot leave here.”
And so, a group was called to begin the siege. Noctheria would be watched daily.
This time, the Ancients would have nowhere to run. I would be watching.
(...)
POV Seraphine Valerian:
Everyone was quiet and solemn as the flames rose to the sky from two pyres, one small and one large.
I thought they buried their dead, but no. The cemetery was only for the human women and for Jasmina's baby, an innocent who paid with her life as soon as she was born.
They preferred to set them on fire, believing that the wolves' bodies would have more dignity without rotting, the soul finally becoming free. That was why Adelina burned on the larger pyre, and the smaller one was for Katarina's head, since her body had not been found.
The farewell ceremony was beautiful. The entire pack gathered, paying homage to both women, fragrant flowers being placed on the kindling, clothes on Adelina covering the open wounds on her chest. With her hair falling to the side and a serene expression, she looked asleep.
Katarina had a beautiful red dress in place of her body, along with some personal items. It reminded me of how it was after my father's funeral, when we burned some of his belongings in the fire.
Standing beside me, Viktor was silent, dressed all in black, his expression heavy. Staring unceasingly at the flames, in an intimate farewell to his daughter. I did not let go of him for a single second, crying softly, but trying to be strong to help him.
Edric and Aldren were present with Lunara and Elowen. They had left their pups at home and came to be with their brother, also standing by his side. As did Daciana, Florian, his sons, the duchesses, everyone.
I wished everything could have been different and felt guilty for having agreed to run away with her. Perhaps she would still be alive. There was no way to know. Either way, I would have to live with that. Just like Viktor. Although he didn't speak, I knew he also blamed himself, for not having saved her.
When the fire began to die down, the residents returned to their homes, sad and with their heads bowed. Only the six of us remained, the brothers and their companions. The family Viktor had regained after all that pain. And the one that would come in the future, when our baby grew in my belly and was born.
The moon was in the sky, along with the stars, cloudless, making the night more beautiful. Only a cold wind blew.
The Ancients inside Noctheria were still a threat, although everything remained still over there, the guards alert, changing shifts. Which made Viktor even more furious, wanting to find a solution quickly.