Note: Hey loves, so I worked on this twice as long as I intended and this chapter is pretty long in comparison to the others. It might feel like it moves a bit slow, but there were some important things I really wanted to get across. Not the greatest chapter, but it picks up very quick in the next one. Anyway, don't forget to vote and comment! Enjoy ❤️
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Kira's Dream Sequence
"Get up, Zippora!" a vicious voice snapped from above me. I struggled to lift my eyelids as surges of pain reverberated through my head. "I said get up!" she hissed again. A hand dug into my hair, twisting a vice grip on the curls at the crown of my head, yanking me from the cold, hard ground beneath me. "You weak, pathetic little wench! Can't you do anything right?"
Slowly, my eyes drifted open to a pair of icy blue ones glaring back at me. The blood in my veins froze. I knew that look, that fiery glint shining through her scowl. I had seen it in my own mother's eyes many times before. It was hatred. Pure, raw hatred. I must be in a memory again, I thought to myself. I had no control over my own movements. I shrank as far away from her as I could with her hand still tightly gripping my hair.
"I should've had you beaten out of me when your father suggested it," she hissed, drawing her face closer to mine. "Had I known the conniving little traitor you'd turn out to be, I would've gutted you out myself," she bit out, spraying saliva on my face before she released her grip from my hair, dropping me back down to the ground.
I scrambled on my hands and knees to the wall furthest from her, cowering as she stepped closer. Looking through a curtain of my curls, my attention darted back and forth from her looming figure to my surroundings. The room was dark, dusty and patches of mold covered nearly every corner. Everything was chiseled from dark gray stone. Not a glimmer of gold, nor a single shining gem anywhere in sight. A small rectangular mat laid on the floor in the center with a single sheet of fabric laid haphazardly over it. A small oil lamp sat just beside it, but other than that, there was nothing else in the room.
She stepped up to the lamp, hissing something under her breath before she kicked it at me. I jumped, instinctively holding a hand up to stop the lamp and the sizzling oil inside of it from connecting with my skin. The lamp stopped in mid-air for a brief moment before clanging to the ground right in front of me.
"Defiant little wench!" the woman screamed. "You've earned twenty lashings for that, Zippora!" she snarled, retreating from the room.
I leaned back against the cold wall as silent sobs escaped me. When the door of the room opened again, I jolted up to my feet. My heart thudded in my chest as shivers raked through me. I prayed she hadn't come back with her favorite heavy chain for the lashings she'd just promised.
I let out a shaky breath as Iophiel stealthily stepped in, quietly closing the door behind him before turning his attention to me.
"Iophiel," I breathed, running into his arms. For a moment, he just stood there, unmoving, unwilling to wrap his arms around me. I leaned away, confused and hurt as I gazed up at him. "Iophiel, what is it? What's wrong?" I demanded.
Slowly, he lowered his eyes to me, brushing his thumbs across my tear-ridden face. "This ends," he announced, his voice low and gravelly. "This ends, or we end. I will not stand by and watch anymore," he said with, shaking his head curtly.
"What are you saying, Iophiel?" I asked, taking a step back.
"I'm saying a decision must be made. If you don't give me an answer today, I will choose for you," he stated simply, closing the distance I attempted to put between us.
"You don't understand what you're asking of me," I said quietly, looking away from his intense gaze.
"And what are you asking of me, Zippora? To do nothing while the woman I love suffers endless abuse? I will not stand for it," he growled, grabbing my forearms as he pulled me flush against him. "I would sooner drown your entire kingdom in a sea of its own blood than allow that harpy to lay another hand on you."
"She actually prefers her chain," I smirked, hoping to draw out some humor from him.
"You and your dark wit," he snarled, shaking his head. "This is no laughing matter, Zippora. This is an official decree--"
"Iophiel, don't," I gripped the golden lapels on each side of his vest. "If you do this, you'll be forcing me to--"
"From the sovereign of Aritrol," he continued, ignoring my pleas. "I, Iophiel, as acting crown of Aritrol, hereby declare--"
"Please," I begged softly, tears spilling down my face. I brushed the scruff of hair at his jaw. "Please, Iophiel, don't do this."
He stopped his decree, his eyes flitting between mine. "Leave with me," he commanded. "Leave with me now and my decree will be nothing more than whisperings between lovers, silent to the rest of the world, unaccompanied by my sword."
My eyes widened in shock. He couldn't be asking me to do this, to betray my kingdom, my people, and spend the rest of my days being hunted down by my mother and her sympathizers. "She will never allow us any peace," I breathed out, weakly.
"She will be put to death. As will your father and any allies who attempt to reproach my queen," he said, hardening his gaze.
"Iophiel," I blew out a sharp breath, "you're one wrong word away from declaring war against my kingdom. As the crown princess, you know my role here. If you attack, I will be forced to end your life. Would you really have me to do such a thing?" I yanked myself away from him.
"Your laws will no longer matter once you accept my proposal," he shook his head and reached for me again. "Zalbrea will no longer be, only the second kingdom of Aritrol. You will be free to rule over your people as you see fit--"
"My kingdom will see me as a coward, a traitor!" I hissed.
"Zippora, hear yourself. You're so concerned with a role you never wanted for a kingdom that doesn't respect you. Come with me. Allow me and my kingdom to dote on you the way a queen should be," he pleaded, his voice softer for only a moment. "I will do what I must to protect you, no matter the consequences."
Before I could speak, his lips crashed against mine, muffling my protests as his hand slipped to the back of my neck, holding me firmly. He pressed me into the wall, slipping his tongue into my mouth as he slanted his head, deepening the kiss. His hands rolled down the curves of my body and he dipped down to lift my thighs around his hips. He pressed featherlight kisses from the corner of my mouth across my jaw and down to the crook of my neck. "Iophiel..." I moaned, "you must promise me," I breathed out. I yelped as his teeth clamped down on the skin of my shoulder, shuddering as he rolled his hips into me and pressed a soft kiss in the same place. "Please--" my pleading was silenced with another kiss, this one hard and heady, leaving me breathless when he finally pulled his lips from mine.
"I promise only to love you until the end of time," he said gruffly, before kissing me again.
End of Dream Sequence
"Kira," a soothing, deep voice called out. "Kira, wake up," he called again. I rolled over toward the calming voice, humming a response. A warm, large hand brushed over the side of my face and I leaned into it. "If you don't open your eyes in three seconds, I'm gonna kiss you," the voice sang. "Three...two..." I blinked my eyes opened to find Kai mere inches away from my face. "One," he whispered, pressing his lips to mine.
"Kai," I huffed, pushing him away, "will you stop doing that!" I hissed, flopping up to a seated position.
"But it's your birthday in a couple hours. The birthday girl deserves a birthday kiss," he drawled out with a wink.
Ugh. My birthday. I couldn't even think about something so trivial. For the last six days, I'd been having more and more memory-dreams of Zippora's life - my former life - and I was even more confused now about Kai-Iophiel, whoever - than I was before. Was he an enemy? Or was he being honest when he said he would protect me? And then there were the conspiracies surrounding my mother. My heart ached every time my dad crossed my thoughts. She had known. She had purposely destroyed the relationship between us, and took it so far as to ensure it could never be rekindled, not in this lifetime. But why? Surely, it wasn't just out of her hatred of me. That same hatred I had already experienced before, as Zippora. What spurned it? What was the root cause?
"Get ready, we have guests coming over soon," Kai announced, leaving the room with no further explanation.
I scoffed and shook my head, slipping from beneath the soft, plush gold-embroidered blankets that covered the enormous bed. It was modeled after my father's, apparently, but I still had yet to see him in my dreams. Despite the venom that spewed from my mother - in both lifetimes - I would never believe Mason Lockwood to be a monster. From the little details Ty had told me about him, he was a warm soul who'd made a few mistakes, but prioritizing his family was never one of them. It did, however, make me question how he'd gone so long believing I was dead and never thought to mention it to Ty and Aunt Carol.
If I thought my life didn't make sense before, it sure as hell was a ball of confusion now. I sighed, sifting through the odd and ancient fashion from my former life. Everything was traced in gold and dotted with precious gems, mostly gowns that flowed mid-calf in the back and drifted mid-thigh around the front. Mid-drifts were cut out and nearly every dress I pulled out was backless or sleeveless. It was so odd how nothing felt familiar to me here, even with all the dreams and memories and the stories Kai would tell me. Zippora was still a stranger to me.
I slipped into a shimmery, dark green gown with gold trim around the middle cutout and a diamond studded bodice. The only shoe options I had were golden gladiator sandals or my classic black and white Converse lace-ups. The sandals would have to do. I rummaged through the baskets of jewelry that lined a table in the center of the room, not paying much attention to what I picked out. If it was gold or green, it would match. I shrugged at my selections - emerald and gold teardrop earrings, a thick golden braided necklace, a gold and onyx ring for my middle finger, and a golden armband molded in the shape of a serpent - and donned them, eyeing one final piece. A crown. Just looking at it made me feel uneasy. I remembered it from Zippora's memories, ones where her mother wore it, and others where she'd held it in her hands, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. My hands shook as I reached for it, and I couldn't bring myself to touch it.
Sighing, I turned to the door, shocked to see Kai standing there in silence, watching me. I wasn't sure how I hadn't grown accustomed to it, but he always shocked me. I was so used to feeling when anyone's eyes were on me. I wondered why I could never sense him. "It feels like we've just stepped six hundred years into the past," he said, with something in his tone I couldn't quite name. He shook his head and smiled. "Our guests are awaiting your presence, princess," he said, replacing his smile with his usual smirk.
I rolled my eyes and followed him through the door. We went back to the same throne room we arrived in and my eyes drifted around the golden labyrinth in awe all over again until they landed on a pair of tall and pretty blondes. They both looked to be around my age, a boy with straight locks that hung down to his collarbone and a girl with wild and wispy curls almost as long as mine. Both had intense, dark blue eyes that studied me in a way I assumed only a Parker from the Gemini coven could.
"Kira, meet my brother and sister, Lucas and Olivia Parker. Luke, Liv, meet Kira Fitzgerald, my amnesiac better half," he gestured between us.
"She still doesn't remember?" Liv scoffed, turning her harsh gaze to Kai.
"Does that mean she's not helping?" Luke asked, his eyes flitting between Kai and me.
"Guys, calm down. I brought you both here so we could figure out our plan--" Kai started.
"We had a plan - a perfect one, but it all hinged on Little Miss Rapunzel here remembering your great epic love story or whatever," Luke hissed, his sarcasm sounding so much like Kai I had to fight back a laugh.
"Rapunzel is right here and she can hear everything you're saying," I drawled out, bringing everyone's attention back to me. "Listen, I already told Kai I would help you, as long as he didn't harm my friends, but I don't know what you expect me to do."
"We have the spell, the candles and all the ritual stuff. She just needs to perform it," Luke shrugged, glancing my way. "You just need to perform it," he reiterated, sarcastically. "So, ready to rock and roll or what?"
"I literally just found out three weeks ago that I was a witch," I huffed.
Luke tilted his head as if my words didn't make sense. "Okay...and?" he drawled out.
"And you want me to basically disband a coven that's, like, four hundred years old," I scoffed.
"Again, Kira, I'm not seeing this issue here," he crossed his arms over his chest.
"She's saying she can't do the spell, don't be an idiot, Luke," Liv said with a heavy sigh.
Can't. The four letters raked through me like daggers. There's so much I can't do, it's practically my theme word. I can't be normal. I can't do magic. I can't protect my friends. I can't do any fucking thing! All this power just sitting stagnant within me, I should be able to do so much more. The last breathing witch of the Elecebra line, the last with a magic the world hasn't seen in six hundred years, and I've been reduced by a simple spell? No fucking way. I'd made a vow to myself when I first came to Mystic Falls. I'd been here, what, three weeks? If I gave in now, if I reverted back to that weak, little nobody who could shatter with one swift gust of wind, I would be every bit the pathetic coward my mother - in both lives - always claimed I was. And alive or dead, I would never give her the satisfaction.
"Give me the spell," I grounded out.
Luke glanced to Kai for approval and pulled a scrap of paper from his leather jacket and handed it to me. I looked it over, studying the words. It was Latin. I furrowed my eyebrows as the words quickly shifted into another language before reverting back. Elecebra witches never used latin. We had our own language. "Kai, you said this world was a replica of the Zalbrean Kindgom six hundred years ago?" He nodded, studying my face. "And my mother's grimoire? It should be here, right?"
"What's wrong with the spell you have?" Luke asked, a tinge of curiosity overpowering the harshness in his tone.
"I'm not like you. The witches I descend from spoke a different language, used a different magic. This spell won't do anything. I need my mother's grimoire. Get it in my hands, and I can shred your little coven bond in pieces," I explained, handing him back the scrap of paper.
"Your wish is my command," Kai winked, leaving the room.
"So you're really her, huh?" Liv asked, stepping closer, her gaze so harsh it was like she stared right into my soul.
"I guess so," I shrugged, shifting uncomfortably.
"And you really don't remember anything?" Luke asked.
"I...it's hard to explain. I have visions, memories, sometimes of my past life, but they don't feel like memories. They feel like I'm watching a movie starring someone who looks a lot like me," I spelled out. "But at the same time, I get these feelings - these emotions - about things that shouldn't bother me; I know they stem from events in my past life."
"Are you really going to help us?" Liv asked, a small trace of fear in her voice.
"I had a mother - two, actually - who acted a lot like Joshua Parker, from what Kai described. No one should be bound to a monster like that. So, yeah, I'll help you, but if any of you ever come after me or my friends again, nothing in Hell or on Earth will save you from me," I stated, my voice much colder and calmer than I expected. I must've been channeling some of my angst from my former life. With ever passing hour, I felt more like Zippora. More self-assured, confident, but mostly, more angry.
"Noted," Luke said, a tinge of awe in his voice as he nodded. He looked down at his watch with a slight frown. "Only five minutes until go-time," he muttered.
"Okey-dokey, kiddies. Let's get this show on the road," Kai announced, waltzing back into the room, ancient grimoire in tow. "You know, I never could learn your little witchy language. It's like every time I'd look at a word, the letters would change. Weird, right?"
"Only an Elecebra witch can read our language of magic. Even the pathetic men in our coven weren't worthy of such responsibility," the words rolled right out of my mouth as I grabbed the book from Kai's hands. I glanced up to see Liv smirking and both Kai and Luke gaping at me. "No offense," I said sheepishly, turning my attention back to the book.
The same buzzing sensation I'd come to recognize as my power coming to life, rose over my skin as I brushed a hand down the front of the book. The dormant magic within every fiber of my being was slowly awakening. A flutter spilled through my chest as I opened the grimoire. "Mo sakre ki gen pouvwa, Reveye," the incantation rushed through my lips in a whisper. A shaky energy sifted up from the book into my fingertips. "Mo sakre ki gen pouvwa, Reveye," I repeated, louder, as a golden flow emanated from the pages. "Mo sakre ki gen pouvwa, Reveye!" I shouted. The book slowly disintegrated into flecks of gold before a rush of wind dusted them over my skin.
My flesh sizzled and stung, like a million tiny, little, hot coals were being pressed into every pore. I collapsed to the ground in a snarl of anguish, letting out one final scream as the power of my ancestral line, passed down through words, fused with the magic inside of me. I wheezed, pressing a fist to my chest as the fiery pain settled into an electric hum just beneath my skin. Slowly, my breathing evened and I stood back to my feet. I still wasn't Zippora of Zalbrea - I wasn't sure if I'd ever be her again - but I was Kira fucking Fitzgerald, the last Elecebra witch alive. There wasn't a soul, dead, undead or otherwise, on this Earth strong enough to defeat me.
"Tounen," I hissed, pulling the four of us out of the prison world, back to the wooded area in front of the old Bennett house.
"How the hell..." Luke breathed, looking around.
"Let's get started," I announced, rolling my shoulders as my body slowly adjusted to the power pulsating within me.