In Bones & Blood

"On this night of the eclipse,

we say the Rite of Hecate's Scripts

Give to the Earth, Give to the Stars,

Give to the Souls of only ours

With a deal, we offer this

Death may take us with a kiss

A fair exchange- we may begin,

the immortality of our kin

Candles lit, stones blessed,

hearts beating in our chests

A hint of salt, a pinch of ash,

add some dirt, but just a dash

Willing minds, willing hands,

willing the survival of our clans

A mark on flesh, this brand secures,

In bones and blood- our life is yours"

***************************

Agonizing wails of misery drew me from an unrestful slumber, and my eyes snapped open at the noise.

No, I internally groaned and brought my hands up to rub my face. I was tempted to ignore the dead's call but thought better of it. The Scepter wouldn't be happy with me if I did.

Sighing, I sharpened my hearing to make out the whispers between the cries, and immediately felt a sense of dread.

"Well, shit," I cursed between my teeth.

With sluggish movements, I sat up in my bed and swung my legs over the edge, my limbs heavy from the demanding training earlier. I growled irritably and went to wake the others.

Eight knocks, two for each door as I strode down the dimly lit stone hallway. They'd know what it meant and would sense the urgency from the sharpness of my raps.

The creaking of doorframes sounded behind me, signifying they'd recognized the seriousness of my wake-up call. Good. I didn't have the time to chase them down, and they needed to be ready for what was coming.

"What's happening?"

I didn't slow my gate as I glanced next to me at Jynx, her brown eyes wide and searching mine.

"They breached Oniroth," I said, my voice raised so that each of them could hear. A few gasps rented the air, but not everyone was shocked. The Kingdom had been engaged in battle for weeks. The real surprise was that mortals endured for as long as they did.

That got them moving, and within seconds, four witches were flanking me as I led them into the Grand Rotunda where the Specter would be.

"We should wake the Highest," Ravynn urged from the back.

"No time."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Nyxyn, my third, asked from my left with a subtle undertone of contention.

Given the late hour, her disapproval was justified. It was the Dead of Night, meaning using magic right now wouldn't go undetected, especially since the fall of Oniroth brought the fiends closer. But we were out of options. Our enemies were coming, and we couldn't put this off 'til morning.

"You know I wouldn't put us at risk unless it was completely necessary," I said and pushed the heavy wooden door open.

A musty odor assaulted my senses as I entered the room. Hushed voices halted at our arrival, and twelve heads snapped in our direction. Seemed the Highests had already come together.

"What are you all doing here at this ungodly hour?" Highest Galahad demanded, his wrinkled face pinched like he'd eaten something sour. His reaction told me all I needed to know that they were unaware of the advancing threat and that they'd been meeting in secret. I'd have confronted them about it if it weren't for the more pressing issue demanding my attention.

I ignored him; my sole focus the pile of bones located across the chamber beneath Hecate's shrine. I stood before it, placing my hand directly on the branded skull that was once my mother's, and recited the spell needed to rally her spirit.

Realizing what I was about to do, everyone jolted out of their seats. Highest Edna was closest and shot out her hand to try and stop me. "No-!"

"Ego invocabo te ad me loqui."

"What have you done!?" Highest Saul exclaimed, his voice frantic. "You've damned us!"

"We're already damned," Ravynn said to him, her voice dripping with disdain, and her words settled over the air like a dark fog, eliciting a sense of dread.

The temperature in the room dropped exponentially colder, sending a spine-tingling chill through me. Calling on the dead usually had that effect.

I sensed her arrival instantly, almost as if she'd anticipated I'd call on her tonight.

"Maera," she said as a way of greeting, her disembodied voice having a haunting cadence that rang throughout the chambers like an alto in a church choir.

"Specter," I bowed my head in reverence, as did the sixteen witches behind me. "I have summoned thee for-"

"It's time," she said ominously, delivering the news I'd been dreading since she and four other mothers sacrificed themselves a decade ago, creating The Five.

It was as if I'd swallowed a rock. We'd been preparing for this our whole lives, yet I prayed this day would never come. Not out of fear of being killed- we couldn't die a mortal death- but because we were waging war against vampires.

"The Five sisters are more than equipped for this," she said, sensing my agitation.

"Of course," I answered obediently, even though my heart felt defiant.

"The other covens will wonder why we didn't act sooner," Jynx murmured somberly. As my second, she was allowed to speak freely with the Specter. If any other witch or wizard tried to communicate with our exalted mistress, they'd seize until their ears bled. It was cruel, but it served to remind everyone to respect their Prime; a coven's leader.

Regrettably, the title only proclaimed me as the head of The Five. Our coven was overseen by the twelve Highest behind me. Even though they had authority of their own, they still had someone above them to whom they answered. Whom we all answered to.

Unlike most covens, which had a Prime as their sole leader, ours was special, guided by the Specter after 'the sacrifice'. In addition to her wisdom, she acted as a conduit between us and the goddess Hecate, providing us with her unadulterated power- making The Five immortal. Only a strong necromancer witch could achieve such a capability.

"The other covens should appreciate our involvement regardless. We warned them the vampires would turn on our kind," the Specter hissed, incensed at the idea that other covens would dare to revile us. This belief that our coven was esteemed as better than the others had existed long before The Five did.

"We can't be much longer." It was a sure bet the vampires had already gotten a whiff of my magic and would be heading this way. "This meeting was just to make sure our thoughts were in alignment."

"And are they?" There was a challenge in her tone. It wasn't a secret that I despised the obligation forced upon us. I'd expressed it many times in the past ten years, fighting it tooth and nail. Five warrior witches, each toting a magical skill that'd bring our "allies" victory. Why were we supposed to be their saviors? What did the world ever do for us, aside from burning us at the stake or cursing our existence?

I had no sympathy for the mortal bloodbags or the arrogant Fae. They could fend for themselves. I only cared for the witches.

Mother knew exactly where my thoughts had gone and flashed me a threatening smile. "Need I remind you what's at stake here?" She glanced at the witches behind me, her inference clear. Being the last necromancer made me invaluable. My sisters, however, were replaceable.

My blood raged as if molten lava was coursing through my veins. "You wouldn't."

She laughed, it was sharp and mocking. "Try me, Maera," she responded coldly, and I knew she meant it. Odessa Necromas wasn't one for empty promises or idle threats. She'd get whatever she wanted by any means necessary. The proof of that was her insatiable appetite for power finally being satisfied at the expense of her own sisters. Sure, she was dead- thank Hecate for that- but she could cut our power off from the source without a moment's notice if we didn't stay in line. If I didn't stay in line.

I lowered my eyes in submission, grinding my molars as I did. I could feel her smug triumph circulating through the room, tainting the air I had to breathe. "Your orders?"

Her spectral appearance flickered slightly as she moved, bringing her hand up to the tapestry behind her. She gestured at a spot on the map where Oniroth was. "As fast as vampires are, there's no rush to evacuate the premises. It'll take them three, maybe two days before they're here." Her transparent hand then drifted down the length to where our coven hid at the base of the Ubrax Mountains.

"By now their King has most likely sensed the power in her magic and would try to cut that time in half," Highest Azula pointed out, earning a sharp glare from the Specter.

"Even so, measures must be made to protect our ancient fortress," she responded, her attention dropping to the floor. "We can't afford them locating this place and destroying every bit of magical material left in the world."

"Then leaving now would be the wisest move," I argued, picturing the giant dungeon-like library where every magical artifact and spellbook was kept. There wasn't a safer place in the world for these relics, which was why other covens had entrusted us with their safe-keeping. It was our duty to guard the mystical objects, for if they wound up in the wrong hands, even we'd be powerless to stop the devastation vampires inflicted upon our realm.

"It's too soon," the Specter whispered. Her ghostly features tensed as her eyes slid to her remains. I had to physically fight the smile that threatened to form on my lips. She didn't want us to leave because then I'd have to lock away her bones with the others, and she wasn't ready to give up control of our coven just yet.

"If we're evacuating, the children and expecting witches should leave right away," I said, hinting at the importance of preserving our coven. Even her greed couldn't outweigh this. Hecate loved having an abundance of worshippers. It was why she conceded a portion of her power so that The Five could act as Sentinels to her witchlings, and she wouldn't be pleased if the Specter abused this "gift".

Specter's translucent eyes jumped to mine, her face pulling in contempt.

"We really shouldn't be wasting more time," Highest Mattheo murmured, a tremble in his voice. I almost rolled my eyes at how much of a coward he sounded.

"Very well," Specter acceded and scanned my sisters. "You know your obligations to the coven. What your mothers sacrificed themselves for. Don't disappoint us." Her eyes fell on me with those parting words, insinuating who they were meant for.

Bitch.

Her essence vanished the second I released her skull, and the warmth from the Autumn season returned to the chambers.

"What's the plan?" Nyxyn asked. I heard the scuffling of feet as the Highest all scattered like insects to begin evacuation preparations. They had their own arrangement separate from ours.

I turned to face my sisters. "Get dressed for war."

Silver gestured with her chin at my mother's remains. "And her?"

I followed her eyes, devoid of emotion as I stared at the brand tethering me to Hecate. Each of The five's mothers had one. "I'll deal with it."

Without waiting for further instructions, they left, and I murmured a spell to lift my mother's bones without touching them and brought them to the library below. Her casket/chest stood invitingly ajar next to four others. I dumped her inside carelessly and slammed the lid before enchanting the lock. Glad to be rid of her.

I scanned the vast dungeon, searching for any lingering witches or wizards that might be present. Once satisfied with my lack of findings, I swiped a crystal from beside the door and placed it just beyond the frame, then watched in fascination as an indestructible shimmering ward formed around the room. No one, save a sister of The Five, would be able to enter it now.

With a disgruntled sigh, I headed back to my room to change and gather the supplies I'd need for our endeavor.

War.

Five witches against thousands of vampires.

It was outrageous to think about, and I nearly laughed at how far-fetched it sounded. It wasn't funny. Truthfully, it depressed me. Not the idea that we might fail, but the idea of watching any of my sisters fall. They were my true concern. My family. When we became immortals, our coven ostracized us, regardless that our mothers gave their lives so that we could serve with ours. It was a thankless burden. They only saw us as their weapons and treated us as such.

A loud rapping at my door broke me out of my pensive thoughts. "Come in."

Jynx entered my chambers, garbed in her black battle ensemble. Although we wore long skirts, they were designed with practicality in mind.

The wood under her boots creaked as she strolled over to help me lace the back of my leather chest piece. "We're ready when you are."

"I'll be ready after this," I told her, having packed weeks ago when we first heard the vampires were marching to Oniroth's walls.

"They can't kill us," Jynx reassured me, sensing my distress.

"Unless they learn our weakness." I slung my bag over my head once she was done, and followed her out of the room where our other three sisters waited in the hall. We traded loaded glances before setting off towards the closest exit, a grim silence trailing us as we went.

Once we were within range of the refreshing breeze from outside, I looked over at Ravynn. "Call on your birds. Use their eyes to see how close the vampires are."

She was about to argue but stopped herself, realizing that using her magic at this hour wouldn't make a difference seeing how they were already on their way. With a nod, she closed her eyes and murmured, "Intra corvus." When they opened again, her irises were completely opaque, and a distant chorus of caws rang like a death knell, foreboding an imminent end.

While she worked, I looked at Nyxyn. "Be the terror you were born to be. Unleash your Nightmare, set her free."

A wicked smile lit her face at my chant, and she brought her hands in front of her, entwining her fingers. As they met, her entire being transitioned into her alter persona. Nightmare, a demoness with depthless eyes, elongated black-tipped claws, and sharp teeth. She could only be freed with her name, and only answered the Prime that commanded her coven.

The creature of horrors grinned widely, exposing serrated, deadly points. She dragged in a slow, deep breath, greedily gulping the pervading fear that clung to the air present in our stronghold.

"Delicious," she moaned, licking her lips with a blackened tongue. Her smile widened as she took me in, knowing I wouldn't have summoned her unless it meant blood would be shed. "You called?"

"I need you to shadow to the edge of the mountain where the evacuation tunnel leads. Make sure when our people escape they go unseen. If you spot anyone, I don't care if it's vampires, mortals, or Fae, kill them."

Her eyes, dark as sin, gleamed at my orders. "As you wish, Prime," she said with a delighted chuckle, making her voice husky, and vanished in a puff of sooty vapor as she shadowed to fulfill her obligations.

I glanced at Silver next, the youngest of our sisters, her name earned by the lock of silver hair mixed in with the dark. She already wore an unhinged smile, anticipating her part. "What kind of chaos should I wreck?"

"Hmm." I feigned contemplation. "A class-three hurricane should suffice."

She gave a little pout. "Can I add some hail?"

I cracked a smirk, unable to refuse her when she gave me that face. "Yes, but small ones. We don't want to harm members of our own coven."

She winked at me. "No, we wouldn't want that." With a wave of her hands and a simple spell, she conjured a devastating tempest. The far-off howls of the wind careening through the tunnels made it sound like the mountain was dying.

She hummed along like it was music to her ears, and I had to admit, it was beautiful. In an ominous sort of way.

Ravynn sucked in a sharp breath, returning to herself, and I patiently waited for her to share her news. "On the far side north, fifteen degrees to the right, six miles away. There are over a hundred vampires heading straight for the mountain. They come with wyverns and they're moving fast."

I drew back, stunned by how close they already were. "They knew we were here."

"Or in the vicinity," Ravynn said, glancing between Silver, Jynx, and I. "The group was waiting in Devil's Forest. I think the attack on Oniroth was set up to get us to use our magic."

"Fuck!" I slammed my fist into the wall, shattering bone. I welcomed the pain even though it caused my eyes to water. The snapping of ligaments resetting filled the silence as my body healed itself.

Arms shaking, I turned to my sisters. "We planned for this. It's no longer a drill. The vampires are here. The war has finally reached us. Let's show them how prepared we are." I looked to Silver. "Summon floods, tornadoes, lightning, whatever you can do to buy us time. Bring down heaven if you need to."

She released a squeal of glee and took off to the opening, where she could let out the full force of her magic while we followed her.

Ravynn sidled up next to me, waiting for her next orders.

"See if you can get those wyverns to drop their riders."

Her eyes widened in shock. "You want me to link to their minds?"

"Can you do it?"

She blinked and faced forward before returning to me and shrugging. "I'll try, but it'd help if I had their blood, or at the very least sight of them."

We all stopped as we reached the edge of the tunnel next to Silver, glancing up at the dark sky. "That might be tricky," Silver murmured.

My stomach felt like it was in knots. I looked at Jynx. "Ready for this?"

"Fuck yeah," she said with a grin, relishing the challenge, and knelt to touch the ground. "Terra exaudi me."

The ground trembled and rippled under her hands, groaning as she opened the earth's veins. A laugh escaped her as she dug her fingers into the stone, the earth's muscles flexing with the action. "You're turn, Prime."

A wicked smile curved my lips as I drew my magic to me. "Mortui resurgunt!" The earth rattled again as I issued my rally cry, rousing the dead to arms.

Frosty wind blew across my skin, chilling my bones, yet fire raged in my veins as my magic slithered from me to feed the corpses below. So as to not exhaust myself by rousing a whole army, I directed it to where Ravynn said the vampires were. Jynx's magic guided mine to the graveyard we planted years ago for this very purpose.

"These vampires are about to be in for a rude awakening," I said, my tone harsh and unforgiving.

"Yeah, if only they were easy to kill," Jyxn groused, her magic still active and dancing with mine.

A small laugh bubbled from my throat as I found our enemy, feeling the vibrations of their movements through the ground. They were right over the graves I'd made.

It took longer than I would've liked to animate my deceased gaggle, and the vampires passed the field they were buried in.

No worries, I thought as I continued my conjuring process. I'll just attack them from behind.

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead as I concentrated on commanding the small army. A light moisture peppered my skin and I threw an appreciative smile at Silver. She trembled with the effort it took her to control her torrent.

"Something's wrong!"

My smile vanished, replaced by confusion as I caught sight of the vampire army, seeming undeterred by Silver's vicious maelstrom. It took me a second to realize why.

I clenched my teeth so hard I tasted blood. The vampires had their own coven of witches and wizards, who used their magic to redirect the mighty winds away from them. It took eight storm-wielders combined to equal Silver's power.

"Traitors!" Ravynn bellowed, her lips peeling back, and her eyes full of malice. She shifted her attention to the sky, scanning the darkness for the wyverns. Only their black scales were indistinguishable from the night. This was bad.

The sound of shouting drew my attention to the East side of the mountain. My eyes widened as another horde of vampires and witches broke through the Devil's Forest. The same came from the West, cheering as if victory were already theirs.

We were completely surrounded.

Nyx suddenly appeared next to me, panting and covered in blood. "I was ambushed."

Blood drained from my face. I scanned her for injuries, relieved when I found none.

"Don't worry," she waved off my concern with a bloody smile, flashing the chunks of flesh between her teeth. "I took care of them." The irony wasn't lost on me that she ate a bunch of vampires.

"And the evacuates?" Jynx pressed, her eyes alight with alarm.

"Back inside where it's safe."

"They won't be safe for long," I said, the reality of how fucked we were hitting me like a sack of bricks.

Jyxn's eyes met mine. "They could be..."

I knew what she was suggesting. She wanted to bury them, collapse all the entrances so the vampires couldn't reach them. "They'd run out of oxygen in days if we failed."

Her expression grew somber. "If we fail, they'd die anyway."

I shook my head, refusing to accept defeat. "We fight! Show our enemies the power of The Five!"

My words seemed to invigorate her, and her eyes darkened with resolve. She lifted her chin, forming a claw around her heart, and recited Hecate's benediction. "In bones and blood, my life is yours."

Our siblings echoed her sentiments in a display of unity, and my heart tightened at their devotion. Tears welled up in my eyes. They would not die today.

With a roar, I tugged on the bones of my decomposed cavalry, convoking every skeleton my magic could touch.

My sisters gave their own battle cries and unleashed the full force of their magic.

Ravynn connected to any animal she could reach, compelling them to help us in this fight.

Nyx released a surge of noxious shadows, and it cascaded down the side of the mountain, resembling an avalanche of smog. Jynx stomped a foot on the ground, causing a massive fissure that swallowed a dozen vampires.

Silver's aggressive winds tugged at my hair and dried my eyes, making it difficult to see. But we'd practiced this enough times that I stopped relying on my sight and allowed myself to feel my magic animate the dead.

It took a lot of energy to activate so many, but I pushed through the exhaustion, propelling them into motion.

The vampires showed no surprise as they became surrounded, and I held my breath as two forces from opposite sides of death faced off in a conflict where neither could truly die.

Skeletons tackled the bloodthirsty monsters, clawing at them with bare bones. The vampires used weapons and brute force, snarling as they tore my corpses limb from limb. The witches and warlocks called forth a blazing inferno, and in seconds, reduced my deceased forces to ashes.

A vehement cry of indignation tore from my throat, furious at how organized and equipped they were. They demolished my entire resistance like it was nothing, like they anticipated this!

I felt a wetness dripping from my nose and went to touch it when something swooped from the sky. My instincts kicked in and I rolled, barely dodging the wyvern's talons.

"Maera!" Nyx screeched and shadowed to the winged serpent, tearing at it with her razor-sharp claws. The beast let out an agonized roar, tossing its head back and forth to shake her off. The rider quickly drew her sword and, faster than I could follow, swung it at Nyx, narrowly missing her throat.

More wyverns descended on us, and my heart sank as the knowledge that we were outmatched settled over me. Our first battle and we already failed our coven.

Silver trapped one in a small vortex, while Ravynn sent a swarm of bats on another. It wasn't enough. Despite the years of practice, and Hecate's power, we weren't prepared for this war. But we might've been had the other covens not turned on us.

I met Jynx's eyes and swallowed, hating what I was about to do. "Stay with them."

"No!" She screamed instantly.

"Fucking do it, Jynx," I snarled at her. "Barricade yourselves in the dungeon, the crystals will keep you all safe and supply your oxygen. We'll hold them off."

Tears streaked her face. "I will not leave you!"

I squeezed my eyes shut. My soul fractured as I weighed up the decision I was about to make. "That's an order."

Hurt flashed in her eyes. "You'd command me to abandon you? My sisters?"

"Yes," I bit out, fighting back tears.

She fixed me with a heart-broken gaze before finally relenting. "You're my Prime, I'll do as you wish, but promise me you won't die."

"I promise," I lied, and she knew it.

She gave each of our sisters a final glance, and a choked sob escaped Silver. Before she could talk herself out of it, Jynx turned and ran back inside the mountain's opening.

A wyvern dove after her and I screamed, but she was ready for it. She turned and with the flick of her wrist, the cave's ceiling came crashing down, crushing the wyvern's skull. Nyx rushed the rider before he could recover, tearing him to ribbons.

The whole mountain shivered as Jynx used her magic, blocking off all the entrances from the vampire's invasion. A small weight lifted from my chest, knowing they'd be safe inside the dungeon protected by the crystals.

"Witches, yield."

Fury sliced through me at the command, and I turned towards the source of the voice, finding a sculpted figure standing a few yards away. The imposing armor he wore announced him as the vampire King, and another wave of enmity rode through me.

Nyx frothed with murder in her pitless eyes, her features twisting into a demonic visage. "I will feast on your fucking organs!"

"Nyx," I said, placating the demoness before giving the blood-sucking ruler my attention. "You play dirty," I growled, glancing at the witches among his infantry.

He grinned, flashing two sharp canines. "There are no rules in war."

I rivaled his smile with a sinister one of my own. "Says the devil.”

"Touché, witch." He folded his arms across his broad chest. "Do you surrender?"

"That depends, how did you achieve this?" I gestured around us, insinuating his incursion.

Another grin curved his lips like he found enjoyment in my misery. "With help." He didn't elaborate, but his implication was clear. We had a traitor in our midst. "We were biding our time at Oniroth." I felt the weight of his admission like a stone in my chest. How could I be so blind? The weak mortals never could've lasted this long.

"Surrender, or be slaughtered," he said coolly, his eyes flashing with a hint of madness and triumph.

"Get fucked," I spat at him, my dwindled magic rising in a flame of rage at his threat. "You'll never break through the rock."

He waved behind himself. "You already forget I have my own witches and wizards."

My gaze flicked over to the traitors. They glared back at me, making it clear whose side they were firmly on.

"But I'm not here for those you've buried."

I blinked, not expecting that.

"You want us?" Ravynn guessed.

He nodded and ran his tongue over his teeth. "So long as you come willingly, no harm will come to them."

"You expect us to believe that, leech?" Silver hissed.

He sliced her a cold look. "Don't test the extent of my mercy, witch." His eyes returned to mine. "What'll it be, Prime?"

I felt the gazes of my sisters settle on me, awaiting my command. I rolled my jaw, wracking my brain for a way out of this, but every outcome ended in bloodshed. I never wanted war. I'd fought the fate our mothers dealt us for years, and it found us anyway.

Although every fiber of my being revolted at the idea of being prisoners to our enemies, my sole intent was my coven's survival. I'd accept defeat, as long as my sisters were alive.

I nodded at them. "We yield." My sisters appeared to be on the same wavelength because they all looked relieved, suggesting their agreement.

They dropped their magic; Nyx reverted to normal, Silver stilled her wind, and Ravynn dispersed her animals.

The moment they did, four vampires charged us, moving at a velocity I couldn't track. They bit down on each of our necks, and without missing a beat, his witches began a chant.

Recognizing their words, I desperately struggled to get free, but the King held me in a vice as he drew my blood.

It took seconds, and my fight extinguished as the spell washed over me like a bucket of ice water.

It was done...

Our souls were officially bound to our captors.