7.32 – Rosahelminthe’s descendant

James’ POV

I guess in the back of my mind I knew going to the witch’s location probably involved seeing her again.

In those first few months, I’d imagined everything I would do if I ever saw her again. They all usually involved a lot of anger on my part. I’d felt betrayed and uncared for and I was relieved when she didn’t come to school when the next year started. I moved on, I know I did, and even now I’m sure of it.

“James. You shouldn’t have come here.”

But it’s hard to think of her as a traitor, as someone who betrayed me when she looks at me with those sad eyes, as if she’s one of the victims in this whole situation as well. How am I supposed to hate her for not caring if her voice is laced with concern?

‘But I did. Are you going to stop me from going inside?’ I signed at her, doing my best to not show my emotions.

Mariposa’s lips formed a thin line. “I can’t stop you. She doesn’t want me to. But whoever that fairy is behind you, can’t come in.”

I turned around to look at Kyxa, suddenly at a loss of what to do.

“Ha, don’t worry about me. I’ll stay out here and chat with the pink fairy.” She said. The both talking didn’t seem like a good idea, but I gave her a small nod.

Kyxa’s POV

I watched as James climbed up the stairs, leaving me alone with the cute little pink fairy. I’m unbelievably curious as to why James wanted to come here after seeing a dead Kent, and about what could be in that house. On top of that, this whole situation is giving me the heebie-jeebies.

What is James involved in? Drug-dealing? Somehow, I really doubt that’s the case though.

The important thing here for me to know is that this is none of my business. This is James’ business, and I’m really happy he let me tag along, but if this is as far as I go, well this is as far as I go.

The moment the door closed, the little fairy flew down to me.

“What’s your relationship with James?” She flat out asked, the concern she’d been wearing on her face disappearing into thin air.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me.” I said. She narrowed her eyes at me.

“I’m his girlfriend.” She declared, her nose held slightly into the air. His girlfriend?

I swallowed my reaction.

“Girlfriend? Well I’m sorry to be the one to break this to you, but your hold on him is kinda weak, see non-existent.” I said, feigning pity.

She hmphed in annoyance. “You make it sound like you know him better than I do.”

“Would explain why he prefers to hang out with me.” I said, smirking at her. This girl can’t be James’ girlfriend. She’s probably an ex or has had a crush on him in a while. Too bad I caught him first!

“Knowing someone doesn’t mean staying at their side. You may get along well now, but you don’t understand him.” Mariposa said, giving me a cold stare.

“Sign language is something you can learn, pixie.” I insulted. I had to keep myself from spitting out the word pixie.

“Look you, I’m talking personality. James is someone out of your field, he’s too complex for a simple innocent little girl like you to understand.” She said and if she’d said that to me a few years ago, I would’ve finally crumpled and let her be. But I’ve done enough of deals, talked with enough of nasty people to fight this annoying manipulating fairy.

“Do you not see the sword on my back? I’m more than meets the eye pixie. If anything I’m probably more apt to understand him compared to your shivering little carcass. You act all tough on the outside, but you’re an unstable plate of jell-o in there.” I shot back.

“And you’re going to tell him all about you? About why you have a sword on your back? Sure looks used too.”

Unfortunately, whether she fully realized it or not, she had me there. I couldn’t imagine a world where I told James everything that I’d done, of the things I still had yet to do, and of the past I kept locked inside that sword.

But that doesn’t matter, because James and I probably won’t see each other long enough for things like this to have to come out in the open. Until then, I’d rather James doesn’t know about that side of me.

An explosion suddenly erupted from the second floor of the house. James!

“We’ll continue this conversation another time pixie.” I told her, before I flew up and towards the explosion, pulling out my sword as I did so.

***

James’ POV

Just a few minutes earlier…

After entering the house I was greeted by Mariposa’s mom, Anna. The person who claimed to have been my ancestor’s friend. The ancestor who imprisoned Assaria in the book.

“It’s not just her blood she passed on it seems.” Anna murmured to herself. “I’m not going to stop you James. On the contrary, Assaria is right upstairs. Take the first door on the right.”

That sure sounds like one hell of a trap.

‘The witch was your enemy once. Why are you helping her now?’ I signed at her, in a vain attempt to make her change sides.

“Because the end of her means matches my goal.” She replied, stepping to the side so I’d go upstairs.

Seeing as I wasn’t going to get anything else out of her, I climbed the stairs meticulously checking my mental defenses as I did so. I am ready. I got stronger. I can do this. She’s been imprisoned for over a century, she can’t be that strong right now. I was just overwhelmed the first time I met her.

I could feel her dark nasty presence in the room, but I’d come this far. I can’t back out now. That witch is mine.

I didn’t need to search for her in the room, her obnoxious cackle told me exactly where she was.

“You Whitelights are all the same. Rushing blindly, on mere impulse and recklessness into danger by just a few simple actions. Of all of them, you resemble Rosahelminthe the most, though she was definitely smarter than you. I give her that at least, since she’s the witch who caught me. You, just like her, know full well the extent of my power. You think you can defeat me? No of course not, you came knowing I could kill you. So come child, I will end your life since that is clearly what you expect me to do.” She said, her voice weighing down on me like a heavy fog. I can’t be pushed around by just her words! I have to stay on my guard. Strangely enough I could feel another mind with us this room. She’s not alone, which would explain why she’s damn confident. Who could it be though?

The weapon of course! She has it, and she must be keeping it hidden behind that bed or somewhere similar. That way the moment I get too close she can make the weapon attack me, and then I’m done for.

I can be smart about this.

If the weapon is over there and I take control of it, I can make it attack her. I searched and concentrated at the extra mind I’d found.

I frowned.

There was something really weird about it. There was nothing…concrete about it. It was like a bunch of fragments swirling around in a circle, unable to take a complete form. But it was definitely a human mind. It was certainly not the weapon’s though. Who was she hiding?

The witch smirked as she felt my mind search the room.

“Oh, so you have gotten better. You found it didn’t you? It’s the reason I have the power to kill you now. I couldn’t before, because your line has to continue and other ridiculous stupid stuff of the sort. But now…”

What was she saying?

“And you led me right to it you naïve boy. It was quite the surprise. I didn’t expect to find such a treasure in that girl’s abdomen.” She said.

My whole body went rigid. What…

“I think it was quite an ingenious idea of mine. I did to it exactly what was done to me. I wonder what will happen if your legacy is trapped in a book forever.” She smirked.

It can’t be- she can’t be saying that…My eyes drifted to the source of the other mind, directly to a small children’s book placed on the bedside table.

But Jamie was- it’s not possible…

“Do I really need to spell it out for you, little failed vampire?” She asked. “I ripped the shrimp sized foetus out of your girlfriend’s stomach and trapped it in a book.”

In that book was Jamie’s baby, and from the sound of it, it was mine as well.

Just how low can this person go? Is there no limits to her insanity? Does she really thrive on making people suffer!?

Unable to keep my anger back any longer, I mentally striked at her with everything I had. I charged straight for the stone wall she had and banged against it again and again in the hopes it would crack. And when it would, I would make her regret breathing the same air as me.

“Oh! Is this how you want this to end? I’ll be sure to donate your child to a library once you die.”

Her stone wall suddenly curbed towards me, and in a matter of seconds she had gone into the offensive and I was pushed back into defensive. But this time, I could actually hold my ground. My shield might not have been a stone wall, but it managed to withstand the worst of her attacks. As time progressed, however, my defenses started to shake and crack. I still wasn’t strong enough.

“Enough!” She eventually exclaimed out of impatience, the shock of the mental attack that followed made me stumble backwards.

“I don’t have the luxury of seeing you crumble, not when that vampire has the Weapon.” She growled. Her confidence seemed to have been tampered down. Magic began to seep from her hands. “Doesn’t mean I won’t kill you though.”

“Upon the target of this magic,

Reflect the anger dwelling inside,

Let it feel the punishment I desire,

For the Whitelight bloodline.” She chanted her spell as the magic lashed out towards me. I don’t know how I avoided it, but somehow I did and the magic, as quick as a whip, collided with the dresser behind me.

Barely a millisecond later the dresser exploded into a bunch of wood fragments. The force of the explosion sent me straight into the wall as pieces of wood scratched at my skin.

I fell to the ground, my back hurting and my whole body heating as the fire from the explosion started to spread around me.

The worst of it was the horrifying ringing tearing inside my ears. I couldn’t concentrate on anything as the heat of the fire tore away at my bleeding skin and as my ears screamed out in agony. My head was pounding like a mad beast against my skull and no matter how much I held my head and squeezed the pain wouldn’t go away.

I don’t know what happened after. The shock, the pain it was all too much to handle.

My mind fell into darkness as the smoke from the fire invaded my lungs.

 

 

 

End of Arc 5