Don stared hard into that fixed scrutiny of glacier blue, his body a solid unit of tense muscle and bone as Veda's words slowly registered, eliciting an unmitigated blow of shock and disbelief. "What?"
Beyond the window, the sun climbed higher, igniting the undulating landscape aglow, that said golden light jutting across the wan face opposite of him, its concentrated brightness doing nothing to lessen the harsh contours of her angular countenance as her voice drifted to him from across the room, "Elle was not meant to be blind."
"That's impossible," he exhaled on a ragged breath, disconcerted. "Even your sister does not have that kind of power."
"It was a cloaking spell," Veda divulged, "Created in an effort to shield the elemental host from my sister, and from those who sought to benefit from it." She held his rapt gaze, her fathomless, wintry eyes easily being the coldest thing in the room. "But no magic is wrought without consequence. As a result of the spell, it subsequently made Elle blind. My sister inadvertently broke the spell when she bestowed her with sight." Shaking her pale head, she deviated from that deadpan inflection, admitting with incredulity, "I cannot believe she did it. If anything, it is a testament to her power, to what she is capable of."
A startling realization struck Don, the shock of it slackening his rigid jaw, "Are you saying you cast a spell nearly twenty years ago, before Elle's conception?"
Veda nodded, the gesture irritatingly subtle as she imparted, "Give or take. Almost two years after my sister and I fled England, an image of Elle came to me in a vision." She began to meander about the room, her unhurried strides taking her further from the focus of the sun. "I felt her energy; I recognized her for what she was and without delay, I shaped a spell that concealed her from Sera, and others like her."
His eyes narrowed, "What do you mean you 'felt' her energy? That you concealed her?"
She leveled that ice-blue stare at him, "Elle emanates a vitality that is inviting to those who brandish magic. Like a moth to a flame." Veda expressed, "There is an engaging essence about her that is palpable, discerned only by magic wielders, and it was that natural energy I felt."
"That is why your sister returned to England," Don remarked, "Sera sensed the host here ... but could not distinguish who it was, because of your cloaking spell?" he questioned.
"In no uncertain terms, a cloaking spell is exactly that. It is created to shield its subject from discovery." Veda went on to say, "Apart from my prophetic insight, there is an involuntary physical awareness that accompanies a vision." As his frown deepened, she abridged, "I see and feel things, often in unison."
Flashing a cynical grin, "Aye, and I suspect when one's sister intends to beget mass destruction, it hardly elicits warm and pleasant feelings."
Her expression and tone were as he would expect, equally and uncannily emotionless, both wildly misplaced given their concerning circumstances, but for a fleeting heartbeat, Don thought he had perceived a visible shudder.
The icy one was not as unmoved as she would have liked to portray to the world. Sera wanted power, and with that power came imminent death. Veda knew that, felt that.
"Something to that effect," She muttered, supporting his thoughts, and then volleyed, "The same cannot be said for you, beast."
"Indeed," Don grumbled, his grin slipping. "There's only so much a beast could inspire. Horror. Disgust. Pray tell, which is it?"
"Hope." Veda blurted.
He allowed a space of a heartbeat to pass before emitting a deep laugh, the sound reverberating through his chest. "Humor is very unbecoming for one so cold, would you not agree?"
If he deflated any optimism behind that enigmatic stare, not that she was in the habit of making exaggerated displays of it, there was no indication. Just that ever-present, vacant blue. "Think of it what you will."
"Hope is not a term often paired to a man like me," Don stated, his tone dry, "Especially one whose moniker is the "Rossetti Beast".
As they settled into silence, the sarcasm ebbing from his expression, Don took a moment to rearrange his thoughts, to try and make sense of Veda's staggering revelations.
It was difficult to understand, much less believe. Veda claimed to have fashioned a spell that had prevailed for roughly two decades, disguising, and protecting Elle – he would not gloss over that – since before her birth. How that was feasible was beyond his comprehension. When Sera had administered the incantation that awarded Elle with sight, it somehow broke the former, thereupon exposing Elle as the host, and furthermore, Veda's efforts in masking it.
Don had believed with irrefutable doubt, that the older sister was abetting the younger – he would have staked his life on it, but much to his astonishment, Veda had been working against Sera from the outset. Her machinations more or less had proven that. Had he not suggested as much to Sera earlier? But never would have believed it to be true.
It seems my sister has not been as absent as we both had presumed. She's had a hand in this from the start.
It was that pivotal moment, just after Sera had spun her spell, when that nameless display of emotion had flitted across her wilting face, striking dread in his heart. It was then when she learned who the host was, next to the realization that she had been deceived, by her sister, nonetheless, thus changing the course of everything.
You should not have let her slip through your fingers. The dread he felt then doubled back with gut-wrenching force, a soaring alarm usurping his rampant thoughts, firing through his blood, and gripping his muscles like a maniacal fist.
There had been a heap of reasons why he had sent Elle away, thinking her safe, thinking her far-removed from the evil at his threshold, except none of those factors stacked up when confronted with the real threat of losing her indefinitely. If he had known that Elle was the host, he never would have sent her back to the village. Was it too late to save her?
Gnashing his teeth, Don willed for composure, despite the mounting trepidation that lodged uncomfortably in the center of his sternum, the panic welling beneath his muscled seams. It urged him to take action. To put into motion a chain of events that would secure Elle's safety.
What makes you think I could want a woman like you?
His parting words had been deliberately cruel, unforgiving, delivered as they were to cut her down, to wound her compassionate heart and shatter that unflagging honesty. He had convinced himself that it was for the better, that she was safer when severed from him and the darkness that eclipsed his heels. So why then did his heart bleed in her absence? Why, in such a brief and an astounding span of time, did he yearn to haul her back to him? Elle was in far more danger than he ever could have foreseen. If anything happened to her, as a result of his lapse in judgement and rash decision, he would never survive it. He could never live with that fate, knowing he had carelessly handed her over to his enemy.
"I have not met another conjurer who has the ability to siphon power or exchange bodies, save for my sister." Veda began, jarring him from his grim musings. "Which makes Sera, where Elle is concerned, the most dangerous and ruthless. Still, we mustn't eliminate the risk of there being others."
Don stiffened at the likelihood of there being other threats, others like Sera who might want to do Elle harm. The disturbing notion intensified his unease and anger, prompting him to admonish, "If I am to contend with an assembly of mages, I need to be assured that you'll not stand in my way. Two witches are plentiful enough."
There was nothing in her features to negate her firm nod, still, he was not entirely convinced that she could be trusted.
"Again, how is Elle an integral part in all of this? How is any of it possible?"
"We exist in a world replete with energy, and that energy constitutes the sun and the moon, and the four elements: fire, water, earth, and air. These elements are vital when manifesting spells or conducting rituals. Imagine the kind of power one can garner when all are wielded in tandem." She went on to add, "As I described earlier, our ancestors used primitive power into fashioning a mortal form designed to merge and sustain energy. It is that primitive power that is coveted and attracts us to Elle. She is common knowledge among my kind, namely in that, her body gives life to other energies when the right components are applied, because her body is supported by the power of my ancestors. She is what makes utilizing all of the elements as a whole, possible, and more importantly, that her body will sustain its synergy and not deteriorate. She is not the first to exist, nor will she be the last."
"From what you're telling me, Sera is the only one that stands to benefit from this, that has any chance of emerging more powerful and indestructible, aye?" Don stated, frowning, "Why then would others waste their efforts in competing against someone of your sister's caliber, when they haven't the experience nor the ability to exchange forms? When they cannot do what Sera can?"
"That is not to say they haven't their own designs for the host. Where there is power, there is always something to be had." Veda replied, "Magic is a vast term in my world. There are some that would exploit the host in ways that serve their agenda alone, whereas others may destroy it for that very reason. It is subjective."
"We are not speaking of some inanimate object," Don snarled in a scathing tone, "Lest you forget, Elle is still human. She is innocent. Breakable. Fragile. Bear that in mind if we are to band together moving forward."
"If that were true, why did you let her go? Knowing my sister would take immense pleasure in breaking her."
The tightness in his chest expanded, and then vaulted with pain across his upper body. It took every bit of his willpower to appear undismayed, when on the inside, he was anything but calm. Why did he let her go? That was the burning question that left an intense throbbing and uncomfortable knot wedged between his bone and heart. The question itself roused his inner monster. His beast combated its sinewy confines, raging to be set free. To give chase. To mow down every budding threat that put Elle in peril.
You put her in peril.
It was a disturbing, uncomfortable notion, but it was a harsh truth. He learned too little, too late, that she was in danger, and that he could not resume life without her and now he stood to lose everything that mattered to him.
Don could not endure her death. He would not.
Quelling the alarm and dark parts that demanded violence, he inhaled deeply through his nose, and abstained from responding to Veda's statement, instead he asked, "These others ... are they like you and Ivy? Is there a hierarchy of sorts with your kind?"
"There are natural born witches, like my bloodline, who are born with primitive power and possess unique abilities that differentiate from those who merely dabble in the craft, and fall short of experience. Among the former, are elementals, like Ivy and me, who command an element at will. I assume there are a legion of elementals to be accounted for, but we are few and far between within region. We make it a habit to not cross paths."
"Why is that?"
"It is ill-advised to gather in numbers, and justly so to engage with an equal, by dint of common enemies and conflict of interests. I should remind you, lest your memory not serve you right, that our kind is widely feared, and fear brings about flawed reasoning and impulsive conduct." Her icy eyes glimmered briefly with emotion, "For example, burning an innocent woman for exaggerated crimes." She blinked and that transient sentiment vanished, "Additionally, we are a greedy lot where there is power for the taking."
"Yet, you are the exception." Don commented, eyeing her suspiciously. "Tell me, has your insight kept you abreast of your sister's plans concerning your element? Is that sisterly affection is as entrenched as she proclaims?"
In a very uncharacteristic fashion, Veda cracked a grin, "I needn't insight to know that she intends to steal it. I am readily available, whereas others are not. Likewise, I was the catalyst to her plans, and as you know, Sera has a knack for retaliation." She maintained his intense gaze, those insightful eyes likely discerning the anxiousness in him as she suggested lastly, "We could kill her."
Don glowered, "Was that not the plan?"
Hazarding a step in his direction, "Not Sera, but Elle." As a hardness stole over his face, she ventured to say, "Indulge me for a bated breath. She is unwittingly formidable in that, her body is a lasting, imperishable vessel, a powerful conduit for energy." She hesitated, seeing a swift and violent change shudder through his marred features, an instant rage discoloring his eyes. "She is a weapon, Don."
Stalking closer, his boots scraping roughly across the stone underneath, he hissed in a voice that dropped an octave, "You are quick on the uptake, de Ceville, so heed my warning well. If you value what short life you have left, you will not mention unwise threats again. Elle is under my protection. I will allow no harm to come to her whilst I have breath in my body."
Her eyes never wavered from his menacing glare, "It was no threat, merely a suggestion, if you will."
"A reckless one." Don growled, then to redirect the conversation, and his seething rage, "If Elle is this powerful and rare form, how has she not exhibited this vital energy? Is she something other than human, then?"
"The energy she emits cannot be discerned by mortals. Elle is human, but she is extraordinary, and incredibly valuable from my side of things."
"Why would your ancestors forge a powerful vessel in that of a human? Why not a witch?"
"Because our enemies would not think to look for a human." She fell quiet, surveying him with those reaching eyes. "Sera knows the truth now. She knows I have been plotting against her, and Elle is no longer safe." Inching closer to him, "You are unwilling to trust me, but what other option have we save to rely on each other? Let there be no misunderstandings between us. I intend to release my sister from the darkness that enthralls her, and should that be death, so be it. You long to save the woman you love. I see what is writ upon your face; what resides in your heart, beast. Will you not help me?" She entreated, her tone almost breaking with a tremor, as if real emotion welled behind that frigid resolve. She was thawing, and he saw with fresh eyes, the exhaustion etched upon her face; the defeat embedded in the frost of her stare. This had been no easy feat for her.
Veda had made somewhat of a convincing and earnest plea, and he had half a mind to trust her, whereas, the other half was not as eager to repeat history, to revisit deception and betrayal. This was after all a de Ceville, that spun words just as effectively as magic. Could he trust Veda? Did he have any other choice? Elle was in danger, more so than ever, and it was his fault that her life was at risk. But he had a chance to make this right.
"You must be desperate to have come to me." Don declared.
If he had wounded her pride, she exhibited no sign of it. "Sera intends to complete a ritual that will bind her permanently to Elle's body. She requires a full moon to do so, and one nears in a sennight. The ritual will kill Elle." Veda emphasized, "Is that not incentive enough? Sera needs a new body to replace the one that has deteriorated. She will make no further moves on Elle until she has fully recovered and renewed her strength. This has allotted us some time, where there was none. She is most vulnerable when exchanging bodies. If we have any chance of catching her unaware, we must act now, and if there are others, I will need you to –"
"Kill them." Don interjected.
Veda raised her chin, "Neither more nor less than that."
With a slow and wretched grin, he flung Sera's words back at her counterpart, "Where is the fun in that?"
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