"Oh my God, Laurie what happened to your parents?" Aaliyah exclaimed after entering their living room.
"Should we call someone?" Elijah whispered to his sister.
"Laurie, talk to me.... does this have anything to do with the shadows you see?" Aaliyah asked and a sharp silence followed before Laurie looked at her with hope and fear.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"You would be surprised." Elijah said then he and his sister shared a knowing look.
"Aaliyah the shadows, they're not shadows, they're people from another realm, they didn't do this, well not on their own, there's this shadow beast and she's..." Laurie stopped herself to observe her audience, they looked at her as if she had finally started to make sense, the exact opposite of the reaction she expected.
"Odd." Elijah said looking at his sister.
Laurie's face fell, she must of misinterpreted their reactions.
"I expected this to be the Relic hunters, they've been watching you, Laurie." Elijah said and Laurie's heart stopped for a second.
She looked at him with new eyes and backed up.
"How do you know about the-"
"I told you, you would be surprised." Elijah said with a grin and his eyes glowed purple.
Aaliyah did the same and Laurie remembered the story Aaliyah told her about her family history after she told her about the shadows, she said her ancestors were witches.
"Oh my God, you weren't kidding when you said your ancestors are w-"
"Witches." Aaliyah finished for her then held up her finger, it lit up with purple flames.
"I can't believe this." Laurie replied.
"So if this wasn't the relic hunters, why would they be watching you?" Elijah asked.
"Long story, I may have found a genie's lamp or stole it from my mom." Laurie replied.
"Oh my God, Ramsey don't tell me, I knew I could sense something and not just him." Aaliyah replied.
"Yeah, Shawn's different too." Laurie replied.
Elijah was standing over her parents with his eyes closed.
"They're fading, both of their life forces are very weak, they don't have much time." Elijah said, Laurie's heart sped up again, but maybe she could still have hope, she thought they were already gone.
"What happened to them?" Aaliyah asked.
"The shadow beast who happens to be my great grandmother, devoured their souls."
A grim look passed between Aaliyah and Elijah.
"What?" Laurie asked.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." Laurie replied.
"I'm guessing this matriarch is very powerful?" Elijah said.
"She's referred to as a shadow beast and can turn into a monster, so yeah." Laurie replied.
"That's gonna be a problem." Elijah said.
"The only way to save your parents, is to kill her and free them, before they are fully merged."
She would have to kill her, she would have to find the strength and the courage to kill her great grandmother.
"Where are the Genie and Shawn?" Aaliyah asked.
"She has them and she has the necklace that would've given me a fighting chance against her." Laurie replied.
"What necklace?" Aaliyah asked.
"The kiss of death, its-"
"A relic, a very powerful one too, I always knew you'd be a tethered." Aaliyah said smiling, she revealed the ring acting as a pendant around her neck.
"That's king Solomon's ring." Elijah clarified.
"You're a tethered too?" Laurie exclaimed.
"Yep." Elijah said and a burgundy cloak appeared around him for a second then disappeared.
"Freya's Falcon Cloak, the Relic hunters have been trying to swipe these babies forever, but The kiss of death, Tutankhamun's necklace must be at the top of their list." Elijah.
"Funny story, I actually stole it from them, what they're really after is Tutankhamun himself, who happens to be Ramsey who happens to be the genie." Laurie replied.
"Whoa." Elijah gasped.
Aaliyah was about to speak when Someone threw something threw the window and into the living room.
"Smoke bomb, its them." Elijah said then kicked it into the next room.
"No, this can't happen, I have to go to the shadow realm to save everyone."
"Don't worry we got this." Elijah said when several relic hunters stormed in with strange weapons, Cerberus was leading them.
Aaliyah fired purple fire from her hands, Elijah's cloak reappeared then transformed into wings, he flew into the air then dived on the relic hunters.
"Laurie, we got this, we'll protect them on our end." Aaliyah replied.
"Where is my genie you witch? You better not have used your last wish." Cerberus exclaimed, dodging Aaliyah's fire as if he could anticipate each move.
It was like he had six eyes and ears, extra sensory perception.
She tried her best to summon her power, to tap into it, but she felt lost without the necklace and Ramses by her side.
"Aaliyah watch out!" Elijah shouted just as Cerberus kicked her clear across the room and into a glass table that immediately broke.
Elijah flew after her only to be caught by two of the relic hunters, the others piled on to him.
Cerberus lunged at Laurie and grabbed her throat viciously lifting her off her feet.
"I should thank you for leading us to those two, we've been after their relics for awhile, I should also thank you for revealing that traitor Shawn." Cerberus said as she scratched at his hands, she looked into his empty grey eyes and realized that he was blind.
"Let me go."
"Aww you think he loves you? Do you even know who Shawn Fireawn really is?" Cerberus said, she realized then that he was somehow reading her thoughts, it terrified her, she focused on him and his flashy bejeweled bracelet caught her eye, it was a relic, it had to be, she was sure it was giving him strength.
"His mother is running all of this and when she finds out what he did, you'll end up saying a permanent goodbye, if you are still alive." Cerberus said.
"Where is the lamp? Did you use your last wish? Answer me!" He exclaimed tightening his grip around her throat, she could feel herself slipping away.
"Yes." She answered and he threw her to the floor she struggled to her feet, then lunged at him, specifically aiming for his right arm, he shoved her off with ease.
"Pitiful." He spat, then immediately realized his bracelet was gone, it was complete lights out, he could no longer perceive everything around him.
"Think fast." Laurie said then slammed a lamp into his head, he fell unconscious.
The other relic hunters fighting Elijah turned their attention to her.
"Laurie put it on!" Elijah shouted.
She did as told and it immediately resized to fit her arm after she put it on, her mind's eye opened, she felt it light up her mind, she was fully aware of everything and everyone around.
"Shadows." She transformed into her black sun form and took out each and every one of the relic hunters with ease.
"Elijah, is she alright?" She asked as soon as she defeated the last hunter.
"I'll be fine, Solomon's ring has a small healing factor." Aaliyah said standing.
"Yow that was badass!" Elijah exclaimed.
"I don't understand, why did this work for me?" Laurie asked taking off the bracelet and returning to her human form.
"What do you mean?" Aaliyah asked confused.
"Oh, you thought that only someone who is tethered to a relic can use it?" Elijah asked and the idea immediately felt stupid to her, if that were the case the relic hunters would have no use for them.
"This is so weird, it helped me tap into my shadow powers."
"Artemis's bracelet opens all of your chakras and connects you to everyone around you as well as everything inside of you." Aaliyah said.
"Whoa." Laurie replied in awe.
"Put it back on, you're gonna need it and this." Elijah said then handed her his cloak, it disappeared the moment he placed it around her shoulders.
"Why are you giving me this? How will you protect yourself?" Laurie asked.
"I have other skills." Elijah replied.
Aaliyah started to remove her necklace that held Solomon's ring.
"Aaliyah no, you guys almost got kill with them on."
"You called them, right?" Aaliyah turned to her brother and asked.
"They're coming." he replied.
"Then you don't need to worry, take it." Aaliyah said placing it around her neck.
"Who's coming?"
"We're from a family of badass witches, that's why they've never been able to get us." Elijah said.
"I'm so glad I get to share this world with you now." Aaliyah said hugging her.
"You read my mind." Laurie replied, wiping a stray tear.
"You need to go now, they don't have much time left." Aaliyah said.
"You're glowing." Elijah said.
She looked at her hands and they were glistening, her skin was covered with tiny black diamonds, that possessed their own light.
"I feel so powerful." Laurie said as she started to levitate, unable to ground herself, she attempted to summon the shadows to create a portal.
"Oh no."
"What is it?" Aaliyah asked.
"I can't summon the shadows without the necklace, I need them to create the shadow portal"
"No, you don't." Aaliyah replied.
Her heart smiled and she begun to glow even brighter.
"I am the black sun." She whispered then disappeared.
**********
Shawn and Jaden were locked in Sojourner's basement. They were surrounded by several of her guards, bulking men with spears and glowing skin.
Jaden was asleep in his arms, he reminded him of Farley, his older brother that he always wanted to repay for looking after him.
He was starting to wonder what happened to Laurie and Ramses, it felt like an hour had passed.
He was worried about her, he allowed himself to get caught up in his facad, a day into his mission at her school, he was day dreaming about all the other days he would spend getting to know her.
There's one thing I can do and this would be over, just like that, but she wouldn't spare my friends, I'm lucky if she'd spare me.
"Why are you people taking orders from her?" Shawn asked.
"She is the mistress of the shadows, she is a reincarnation of our saviour." One of the men said.
Shawn paused for a moment.
So that's it, but then how did Laurie come about? Shawn thought, he was under the impression that there could only be one reincarnation of a person at a time.
"How is that possible? If Laurie is the new mistress of the shadows?" Shawn exclaimed.
"Blasphemy!" A different guard shouted.
"She is no shadow mistress, she is weak and has yet to prove her strength, we respect power, we follow power."
"That girl is not a shadow mistress." Another guard said.
"What if she could prove it?" Shawn asked.
"The only way for her to do that, is for her to defeat our queen." a smaller guard said, he had a huge thick afro and several beauty marks on his face.
"Do not entertain them, Marcus." the first guard roared.
Shawn decided to remain silent. He knew he could easily overpower them, they were incredibly strong and had some kinda of fire power, but he was sure he was stronger.
He was just waiting on Jaden to wake so they could blow their way out. A loud commotion from upstairs alerted the guards and some of them stormed out.
Shawn shook Jaden awake while they were distracted.
"Sshh, follow my lead, touch whatever you can." Shawn whispered.
"Hey, sit back down!" The guard shouted.
"Make me!" Shawn exclaimed lunging, the guard grabbed him by the arm spun him then threw him into a wall.
"Oh no." is all Jaden said.
"Don't move little boy."
"What should I do? I'm scared."
Shawn was exhausted and beaten, his body wanted him to give up.
"Scream, call for Laurie." Shawn said with effort.
"No, shut up." the guard warned squeezing Jaden's shoulder aggressively.
"Laurie!" He screamed with his still very high pitched adolescent voice.
****
Laurie had just busted into the palace and was fighting off all and any guards she encountered, when she heard her brother scream, her already hurting heart shattered in her chest then reformed into stone.
She had the power of Solomon's ring, the wings of Freya's Falcon cloak and Artemis's bracelet amplifying her senses, she felt invincible.
She ripped through the castle floors and into the basement, by this time she was glowing too bright for anyone to look at directly, she viciously took down all of the guards then went to hug her brother, the falcon wings disappeared as she hugged him.
"Laurie, are you an angel now? Did- did you die?" Jaden asked crying, she couldn't bare it, her little brother rarely cried, for anything, he'd fake it to get something, but she rarely saw him cry and realized then, that she never wanted to see him cry again.
"She truly is the new mistress-"
Laurie punched the guard unconscious before he finished talking.
"I'm sick of hearing that. I'm Laurie Bloom. Shawn."
"Don't worry, I'm good." Shawn replied getting to his feet, refusing to accept her help.
"Where's Ramses?"
"Right here." Sojourner said entering the dungeon.
Jaden was immediately enraged, his hands glowed and he picked up a chair then threw it at her, it blew up in her face and she fell back, the lamp fell out of her hand.
Laurie quickly ran after the lamp.
"Laurie watch out!"