Scars Will Remain

Chapter Nine

Despite Fane being upfront and telling me who he was, I didn't have the strength to fully digest his identity. The rest of that information was with Khan. And maybe Phaedra. Putting it aside for now, I settled down into the beginning of the second part of my plan. Moving towards the shelf once more, I became aware of the unknown person. I could see him clear by the daylight of the mountain and he was standing next to Aaron. They were exchanging words with each other. I started to move closer when a rumbling in the ground stopped me. The lycans stopped as well and glanced around, trying to pinpoint the interruption. And then the rumbling increased until there was an explosion sounding from the south passage. The passage that Khan was assigned. The lycans began to change as I recognised our soldiers and more flooding from not only the south, but the west and north as well. "Attack!" Aaron changed as well and jumped into the fray. Fane appeared by my side. "Ready kid?" "This wasn't a part of my plan. Did Khan tell you he was gonna do this?" He winked at me and jumped into the cavern. Growling furiously to myself, I jumped into the cavern as well and started to fight. Two lycans came after me. I grabbed one by its mouth and tore its jaw out before pulling his heart out and then I killed the second with my daggers. Pulling them out, I carried on through the cavern, trying to make my way towards Khan. A firm grip pulled at my waist and I was pushed towards the shelf. Flying in the sky, I collided with an ice shaft and fell to the floor. A lycan stood before me. He was snarling at me and his teeth were bared. Looking down at my waist, I could see that his claw had sliced into my hip and blood was pouring out of me. It was just like that same night when I was a child. I froze and looked around frantically for my siblings. They were too separated from me to notice. The lycan's claw was raised for the final strike when a hand from the air stopped him and emerged into full view. "Wait Aaron. This one is important. Lets take her to my chamber." I shrank back from him as now that he was closer, his scent affected me even more than the lycans. "Stay away from me." He came closer. "You will prove very useful to me little princess. Now, sleep... sleep..." My eyes began to droop and I lost all consciousness. The last thing I was aware of was the blood pouring from my hip. The blackness encompassed me and I noticed nothing else.

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"Fane! Where's Ariahni?" He looked frantically around and pointed at the shelf. Ariahni was there and she was staring at a lycan. I could tell she was scared. "Ariahni! Look at me!" Her eyes didn't move to meet me and I saw how wounded she was when I caught the scent of her blood. Moving towards her, I stopped as someone appeared from the air and stopped the lycan from finishing her off. Then Ariahni, the lycan, and the stranger disappeared from the cavern. "Ariahni!!" I screamed in rage. Striking at every thing that was around. Striking at every lycan I made it to the shelf where my little sister lay. Her blood was still there and I looked at it. Pain flowed through me. "Bring her back!!" I hung my head. "Khan, I..." I didn't acknowledge him. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." "Fane, it's not your fault. I... I thank you for being here." "Khan, I think you should see this." Standing slowly up, I turned to where I heard her voice and there, in the middle of the cavern, was Serena. Rushing towards her I grabbed her neck. "Tell me where she is!" I fell through her and realised she was in her ethereal form. "Calm yourself Khan. You know that this was her fate." "Being taken away by some caster. What kind of fate is that?" "That a caster has taken her is understandable. Now I am free to tell you whatever information I can." I calmed down a bit more and took a step back from her. "Are you saying that a caster was preventing you from seeing what would happen to her. You're a grand witch how is that possible?" "A caster may be the same as us, but, that one is male, and male casters are more dangerous than female casters and I believe this one is holding a grudge against your family. He seems to hate your father the most as he served beside him. I think when you were born Phaedra, your father disposed of him." "I had no notice of father working so closely with a caster." "Casters need to be ordered. They need a corporeal link who is already linked with the living world. Even if that link itself is neither living or dead." Phaedra came to stand beside me. "Ok, so what does Ariahni have to do with this? Why did the caster take her?" "He wants to use her as his link and strike the existence of vampires from this world entirely. That is why he has partnered with the Lycans." "They're nothing against us." "He is the energy source behind them. Those lycans you fought were only pawns. He has more at his own stronghold." "Can you tell us where his stronghold is?" "Yes. And I can help but only in my ethereal form. Do you wish me to transport you there?" "Along with our alliances?" "Of course. I have no limit with my ethereal form." Looking at Phaedra and Fane I nodded and they nodded back at me. "Then lets go." Serena nodded. Holding her hands palm forward she merged them together and a bright light seared between them. A warm tingle vibrated through my blood and we were nothing more than a speck travelling through light.

When the light vanished we were standing outside a fortress. It was nighttime and the moon was in the wrong position. "Where are we?" "Welcome to Casteria. The home of all supernatural beings." "We're in another realm?" "Yes, this is where all supernatural beings must come to at some point. To hide, to live, to learn, to exchange. There are many ways for one to travel between here and the human world to make a living. It's a very popular way of living actually. And this, is the caster's home." "It's an exact replica of our home." She laughed. "Yes unfortunately. Shall we begin the rescue mission?" I nodded and looked behind me. My sister and brother were there and so was all of our alliances. I looked back towards the castle and put one foot in front of the other and moved towards rescuing my little sister.