Hybrid Trilogy

HYBRID TRILOGY Book 2 Hybrid Rebirth

                  Chapter 19                                              Darkness Cast's its Shadow

Casandra opened her eyes, and her heart sank, as she realised that she was again in middle wood, she hadn't been here in a long time. She first came here when she was a young fresh-faced Witch of only 16, but that was over 1000 years ago, with all Witches who bore the 'V' mark of the calling, at the stroke of midnight on their 16th birthday, they were transported to the middle-wood. A holding area of sorts, young Witches and those who's Vampire masters or mistresses had died, were sent here. It was a dark lonely place, for no matter how many Witches were here, they could neither see or hear their sister Witches and only left here when they were taken to protect a Vampire, or they died. It was the 399th lady Alcina, the leader of all covens in the Witches dimension, who had unwittingly made the deal with Satan to, as she believed, protect her world.

So, for nearly 10 generations young first born female Witches were marked with a 'V' birth mark this denoted that they would be taken on their 16th birthday to serve Satan. Casandra was lucky as she'd been chosen by Drakon, at only 6 years old, so had only spent one night here before being called to serve Drakon nowadays she was very different from then, at about 5ft tall, slender, a beautiful young woman who looked no older than 25 years old, with long black hair, dusky green eyes, wearing a long black flowing crinoline gown. She looked around, and it hadn't really changed in all the time since she was last here, an area of about 10 acres full of tall thin silver birch trees, interspersed with shanty-town style dwellings, thrown together offering limited shelter from the cold and the howling wind that whistled through the trees to Witches, for short periods of time. Casandra watched as Witches appeared and disappeared, some were clearly very young just 16, and some were returning because their Vampire masters had been slain. After a while of watching it dawned on her that she could see them, although they couldn't see her. She glanced around and could see a purple light near her, and another at the far side of middle-wood. Casandra cast her mind back to when she was a young 16-year-old, new in the middle-wood and couldn't recall ever being able to see anything other than trees and only some of the shelters, but no purple lights.

Casandra walked over to the light near her, it was a six-foot pane of purple light in the shape of a door. She walked through the light doorway, and found herself in a busy smoke filled tavern full of men laughing and talking loudly drinking from tankards, they took no notice of her what so ever, she turned to look at where she had come from, and she could see a doorway to another room and witnessed a fat man with thinning greasy hair wearing an oiled leather apron holding 6 empty tankards, she could see a faint purple hue around the doorway, when the man past her au route to the bar she went back through and found herself once again back in middle-wood. She made her way towards the other light it took her about an hour, but easy to find as it was the only colour in this grey dull land.

Casandra walked through the lighted portal, and this time found herself in a bustling village of wattle and doorb single story homes with thatched roofs each adorned with hanging bunches of drying herbs and others with vegetables. A selection of farm animals, who it appeared belonged to no one, seemed to be wondering aimlessly about the village only scattering when one of the villagers dispersed them. It had also been a long time since she had been here, but she recognised it instantly as home, the sky was a bright blue with hints of turquoise and wisps of white candy-floss clouds.

The only shadow being cast by the imposing structure of white source castle, the home of the lady Alcina the coven leader of all Witches. Its tall spires emanating a bright almost diamond sparkling white to the surrounding area its ramparts festooned with vibrant vivid green creepers sporting beautiful pink roses, providing a floral sent to the air. Casandra, looked at it with contempt & disgust, she couldn't see the bottom of the castle, but if she had she would have seen an imposing entrance again adorned with creeping roses forming an impressive floral archway. She looked up at the castle as she walked through the village, not noticing the lady striding purposefully towards her, walking straight into her. "Oh, sorry dearie" the old lady said in a broad Scottish accent and then her face dropped its jovial smile, she was a very old looking lady with white hair worn in a bun, she was quite plump, and wore a grey floor-length dress and a tartan woollen shawl wrapped around her shoulders, Casandra looked at the woman almost dismissively and with an air of contempt, "There's is no place for you here dearie, you belong in territory six" she said resting her hand on Casandra's arm, before scurrying off at pace and before Casandra had any chance to respond, she looked at the woman confused as she hurried off, and wondered what she had meant by her comment.

She walked out of the village that she later recalled was known as territory 1, once in the wilderness she wandered aimlessly for what seemed like days, drifting into villages, and being directed on, before she eventually found herself in the 6th territory, much the same as the villages she had been in before, this was made up of small single-story dwellings surrounding a central area of open ground with a huge fire and cauldron in the middle. With livestock wondering freely around, snuffling in search of food. Just then a girl carrying a small baby, she was a young thin looking girl of about 17 with long shoulder length auburn hair wearing a full length floral dress with bright red poppies against a black background. The baby she carried had jet black ringlets of hair, a pallid complexion and the child's grizzling could leave you believing that it was in fact a harmless baby, but its shockingly vibrant ruby red eyes, revealed it as a Vampire to Cassandra.

She was momentarily taken aback, she had never seen such a young Vampire. "I am Poppy, and this is my son Mandrake" the girl stated in a very juvenile voice. "You must be Cassandra, my lord Drakon said you would come" she announced.

And once again Cassandra found herself at a loss for words, "how did Drakon know she would come here? how did Drakon know that she Cassandra would be his Witch before she knew?" Drakon had been her master in the human dimension. A tall, dark and demonic looking man, he was the First True Vampire. Dark haired, pale looking, although he was refined, and a well-spoken nobleman of Germanic extraction. He had been her only master and

she had worshiped him, until he had been killed by a particularly strong Werewolf, who had also befriended another Witch whom she'd dispatched.

"But how did my master know I would be here?" Cassandra asked, but really expecting no explanation.

"I don't know my lady, he did say you would be very powerful and would take care of me and our son Mandrake" Poppy replied again showing the baby off.

"So how is it you and Mandrake is it?" Cassandra began pointing at the baby "are so young, I mean I was with my master for over 1000 years, and your no Vampire and your no older than 17!" She finished acerbically.

"Oh, I am as you say only 17, when my lord Drakon came first to our dimension he chose me because I have no magic, when Mandrake was born, and he had told me of you the lady Alcina cast a frozen spell on us, only to be undone when you returned." Poppy explained. Cassandra had learned during her childhood, that the lady Alcina, the constitutional leader of all covens had made a deal with Satan, allowing first born females to be taken in service of the Vampire

when they came of age, to ensure the survival of her race. But why she had frozen this non-magical girl and babe, Cassandra had no idea.

"Have you been traveling long my lady?" Poppy asked

"well as I said I have been away for over a thousand years, so there's been a lot to take in, and I am weary so what I really want is some food and sleep" Cassandra replied sternly to the timid Poppy, she in turn bowed her head "yes ma'am right away ma'am" Poppy mumbled and she scurried away as Mandrake began to wail like a banshee.

At the door of a dishevelled looking single-story cottage, with a thatched roof and just light chiffon fabric acting as covering for the one glassless window, Poppy bid Cassandra come in, she entered the drab one room with a dirty hessian blanket used as a room divider the living cooking area, set around a grubby looking fire barely lit and thick with ash housed a caldron holding a smouldering stew little wisps of steam rising from its contents.

A scrubbed wooden bench table with a solitary high back chair at one end was the main furniture with a half-spent candle in the centre cascades of dried wax drips running down its length and onto the table, the only other furniture was a thrown together potting table used as a sideboard sporting the meagre collection of plates and cutlery. The room was dark and smelt of damp. Poppy offered Cassandra a dish of the stew and a hunk of stale looking bread "forgive me my lady, but this is all I can offer" Poppy said apologetically.

Cassandra took the bowl with little thanks, Poppy still holding the now whimpering Mandrake,

pulled back the hessian drape to reveal a small cot covered with hessian next to a small makeshift crib with the same hessian blanket. "Please sleep here my lady, it is not much but you are welcome, Mandrake and I can sleep in the chair" she said pointing to the end of the table. She pushed past Poppy handing her the half-eaten stew and drawing the hessian shut, leaving a very confused Poppy