Twilight Embrace (Completed)

Chapter 65

 Arianna sank to the cold wet floor of her prison. It had taken every ounce of her magical powers to reach them. Believing her to be week and powerless, DaggerDarkStar had left her untied. She used every fiber of her being and every morsel of magic she had left to fight the evil that surrounded her and the potion he had drugged her with. She had used her out-of-body experience to guide Wolfe and Vampuric. The train she had conjured up, so only they could see, had drained her physically. It was now up to them, she could do no more. 

As she lay on the wet cold floor her feeble breath hissed softly from her lips turning to droplets of ice that splintered when they hit the floor. Her eyes were dull and her skin crawled with pain as the effects of the drug DaggerDarkStar had injected into her neck began to take its toll. In her weekend condition she could no longer fight the inevitable as she lost consciousness and her body went limp into a paralyzed state.

Arianna’s last thoughts were for Annjelica and she tried telepathically to reach her coven in the hopes she could break through the evil dark spell DaggerDarkStar had woven around them. In desperation she cried out to them ‘Save her, don’t let her heart turn cold.’

As her eyelids closed she made one last desperate plea. ‘Mother Earth save your daughter, I can do no more.’ Arianna fell into the darkest abyss she had ever encountered. Such evil tasted thick on her tongue as she tried to breathe. Her body burned from deep inside and she heard her heart stop beating…..

***

“Moraine, wake up.” DaggerDarkStar shook her violently. “Wake up witch."

Moraine slowly opened her eyes. The lead ball and chains attached to her ankles and wrists were bolted to the floor and she was unable to move. The lead lined cell prevented her from using her powers and the lead chains strapped to her body made her skin burn.

DaggerDarkStar grabbed her by her throat. “Annjelica needs a top up. You’ve failed witch. Your spell and potion aren’t as powerful as you claimed.”

“I don’t… understand…did exactly…what…you…asked.” Her throat was so raspy and dry she could barely get the words out. “Water…please…water?” She begged.

“You can have as much water as you like as soon as you have done it all over again.”

“Please.” She begged. “Can’t do…anything…feeling…to weak…thirsty.”

“Damn you to hell witch.” He stormed out and came back minutes later carrying a jug of water and dry bread. “Here. Drink and eat. I’ll be back in half an hour and then you must be ready to perform.”

“I don’t understand….”

Before Moraine could continue DaggerDarkStar spat out his words. “There’s nothing to understand. Your spell is not full proof. You have to do it again and again and again.” He roared with laughter as he walked out. “Consider yourself my guest till hell freezes over. I won’t have Annjelica remembering her past ever again. She is mine now and she will love me and only me.” Before he slammed the door shut he looked back at Moraine. “And you will be here forever to make sure she never remembers.” He laughed in the face of her misery, locked the door and left her in the dark.

True to his words, within half an hour he was back in her cell. He unhitched the balls from her chains but made sure the chains were securely strapped around her wrists and ankles. He dragged Moraine through to Annjelica’s bedroom and sitting her down in the armchair he inserted the needle into her neck and drew out her blood.

Moraine winced as the needle went into her neck. She knew he wouldn’t kill her and take more than he needed, when he had so clearly stated he needed her now. She would bide her time and gain her strength to escape. She looked over at the sleeping beauty and smiled inwardly. Maybe once she became DaggerDarkStar’s Queen of Darkness, she could befriend her and secure her release. After all she knew the key element to all Annjelica’s powers. This would surely work in her favour in time to come.

DaggerDarkStar quickly inserted the needle into his own neck and withdrew the same amount of his blood. He handed a gold goblet to Moraine along with the three test tubes of blood, one of which was Arianna’s he’d taken from her earlier. “Now do your spell and mix the bloods and don’t dream of making a mistake.” He glared at Moraine and saw something in her eyes that made him watch her every move. “Witch, deceive me and I’ll bleed your dry and feed your rotting corpse to the rats.”

Moraine acknowledged his words with a bow of her head, but he did not see the sly smile that played on her dark lips. She kept her thoughts to herself, feeling in her weekend state he might be able to read her mind, but she knew her time would come and her revenge would be sweet.

She took all three tubes and poured the bloods into the gold goblet at the same time and whispered the words of the ‘life spell’ into the goblet.

“May the four powers of the universe and the fires of the dark bring this spell of life to birth. Let the flame ignite this trio of bloods and give to Annjelica her new life as Aspen.”

As Moraine dipped her long pointed finger nail into the goblet and stirred the bloods a blue flame ignited on top of the bloods and burned with such brilliance it lit up the darkened room.

“Flame that burns and brings this light, let no harm come to this night. Transform the life once known to Annjelica and give birth to a brand new life. Let Aspen arise from the ashes of old, never to return to that lived before.”

As the last word left her lips DaggerDarkStar took the goblet and carefully lifted Annjelica’s head. Supporting her head with his left hand he pressed the goblet to her lips with his right and whispered into her ear. “Drink Aspen, drink my love. You’ll feel so much better after you have drunk all of this.”

In her trance like sleep Annjelica obeyed the voice that spoke to her in her head. She had no thoughts or visions of anything. Her mind was an empty space. A vacuum of nothing, just shades of darkness. She floated in this foggy space and felt no emotions, no pain, no pleasure, just empty.

Although the flame still burnt till the last drop of blood had been drunk, there was no heat in the flame. The brilliant light shone over Annjelica’s face as she drank and for a moment she opened her eyes and looked into DaggerDarkStar’s eyes. He was pleased with what he saw. The transformation was taking hold. Her once bright blue eyes were now as dark as the midnight sky.

He placed the empty goblet down beside her and kissed her eyelids. “Sleep my Queen, in just four days your heart will be mine.”

“I am well pleased Moraine. You appear to have done well.”

“Does this mean you will set me free Master?” She asked with her head bowed.

DaggerDarkStar laughed. “Ohh Noo! Moraine, definitely not…yet.” He said as he ran his hand over her bowed head.

“So what’s to become of me Master?” She lifted her head but did not look him in the eyes.

“Aahh, subservient, I see. I’m glad you finally know your place.”

She bowed her head acknowledging his remark.

“Well, mhmm let me see. For now you will return to your chamber. The chains will remain but I will not bolt you down to the ground. You will have freedom to walk around and you will have food and water daily. I will think again about your situation after our wedding day.”

“Thank you Master.”

He pulled her up from her chair and took her back to her cell. As promised he did not bolt her down and the heavy lead balls were no longer attached to her chains.

Moraine waited long after she’d heard him bolt the door before she allowed any thoughts to enter her mind.

‘Enjoy my subservience now Master Dagger, but my time will come and then it’s your heart that I will claim.’