"Ignis." Circles of fire roared to life, trapping the three living, witch catchers in separate circles of blue flames. I sat on the stairs to the dais, holding the head of the dead witch in my hands. My bloodied sabre laid on the polished floor beside me, dripping crimson liquid.
Standing a couple feet away, Vladimir held his blade to Einar's throat. The warlock, still under the affects of the Magic Nullifying charm, didn't dare to speak for he knew he could easily end up like the witch whose head I held. Vladimir and I were splattered with blood. My clothes were torn in some places from being stabbed by staked and various weapons. All my wounds had healed, only traces of blood remained.
The last two hunters walked into the throne room, taking in the scene before them. I looked between the two of them. I recognized Lamia, as I had met her briefly before. She darted towards Raiden, who laid within a boundary of blue flames. The magic forced her backwards.
"Took you long enough." I said, standing up and using my hand to move the jaw of the head I held, as though the dead witch was speaking. "'We missed you.'" I mocked.
"Alice Mikaelson." The warlock who had walked inside with Lamia must've been Sombrous. He was tall, and had the matching black hair as his brother Raiden and sister, Lamia. His hair was braided back from his face, not unlike mine. The trapped witch catchers on the floor began to stir.
"Einar!" Lamia went towards her beloved. Som grabbed his sister by her arm, a silent warning. Vladimir pressed his blade tighter against Einar's throat.
"Kill her!" Ase snarled, clutching his broken wrist. He had come to, trapped within his circle. I casually hold the witch's head against my chest, grinning at the scene before me.
"Let him go!" Lamia screamed at me, clearly referring to Einar.
"Lamia." Her elder brother urged her to calm down. Seeing Einar being held such way had made the witch hysterical. She was desperate. Her eyes brimmed with tears.
"Sombrous Haraldson. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." I greeted the leader of this team.
"You monster!" Lamia yelled at me. I didn't even look at the woman.
"Tame your bitch, so the adults may speak." I told Sombrous. The man's jaw clenched. Lamia yelled out in rage. Her brother grabbed her by the shoulder and said a few sharp words. Lamia quieted down. Som clasped his hands behind his back, and turned back to face me.
"You certainly live up to your reputation." He replied to me. His tone was calm, calculating. He held himself stoically, but I knew it was a farce based on what Ase had said in the hallway. Sombrous's weakness was his family, and his sister's weakness was Einar. And oh, how I wanted a good excuse to kill Einar.
"Flattery won't get you anywhere." I shut down his approach immediately.
"Just kill her, Som." Einar snapped. Vladimir pressed his blade sharper against the man's throat, cutting off his words. Ase struggled to his feet, cradling his wrist in his hand. He glared daggers at me from within the boundary spell.
"That's enough." Sombrous's voice commandeered respect. The leader of the extraction team- and the leader of the brotherhood, I realized- took a single step forward, giving me his full attention. "What do you want?" He asked me.
I tossed the head to the side, and the body part bounced down the stairs. "Kneel."
"Kill him, then." Sombrous gestured to Vladimir and Einar. Lamia grabbed her brother's arm desperately.
"No, no, no!" She pleaded. Sombrous waved her off.
"Kill him, you lose your leverage." He added, trying to call my bluff.
