Hybrid Trilogy

Chapter 35 Lineage

Charlotte reappeared in a small alleyway at the beginning of Godalming high street and began walking slowly along the road studying the buildings intently, it was true that since being taken she had been home, but as with the first time the memory of the location of the gateway home was once again lost. The travel spell she had cast could only bring her to the nearest entrance to the world of magic, her world. She now needed to use all her 200 years' experience & magic in order to isolate the portal's exact location. As she neared the building at the far end of the Street known as the pepper pot, she could feel the intense power emanating from it. Charlotte didn't feel that using magic to gain access without observing would be wise, as the building, now a museum was closed & there were people everywhere, it was after all a Saturday. So instead she went to the café just across from the building, ordered a coffee & sat watching & waiting. As the evening approached there were less & less people around, the café closed & she stood in the shadows watching & as she did she could clearly see as the light faded, purple light shining out from the upstairs windows, but none of the human passers-by gave it a second look. She spied Witches materialising through the closed door & again the people walking by seemed not to notice. This was a skill known to all Witches, how to be there, but not, not invisible but just absent from the consciousness of those around them. The Witches seemed to stand there looking almost confused for a while, as if getting their bearings, then setting off purposefully in search of their Vampire charges & vanishing in puffs of smoke. Eventually Charlotte walked around Godalming until the early hours of the morning, all the pubs & late-night takeaways were shut, & the streets were now deserted, Charlotte walked up to the door & kept walking as if the door wasn't even there. On the other side she found herself at the foot of a set of stairs at the top the light was brighter still, she climbed the flight of stairs & at the top she met a young Witch who couldn't have been more than 16 in a brown linen smock dress with long golden curls. "hello, my lady Alcina" the girl said offering a small curtsy "why thank you my girl but I am not the lady Alcina, I wouldn't presume, I could never weald such power" replied Charlotte surprised at the girl's apparent conviction that she was indeed addressing the lady Alcina "oh, I'm sorry my lady" said the young Witch, who looked confused & embarrassingly scampered off down the stairs. At the far end of the room past the notice boards depicting various stages of Godalming's history stood a full-length mirror above it was a plaque saying 'ALICES LOOKING GLASS' apparently Lewis Carroll had used the mirror as inspiration whilst writing a book of the same name when he had stayed in the town. At least that's what the plaque said. It was from this looking glass, that the lavender-ish purple light was coming. The light intensified as another young red-haired Witch came through "my lady" she said quickly, curtsied and ran off down the stairs & out. Charlotte looked in the direction of the departing red-headed Witch, a very puzzled expression on her face (what the hell, that's the second time, I mean I'm good, but not that good) she thought. She stepped over to the mirror & looked intently at her own reflection (well I have to say I don't look too bad considering I'm over 200 years old) She thought to herself with just a little bit of pride, she reached forward & touched the mirror, & her reflection began engulfing her in its purple light she shut her eyes, expecting some degree of pain, she didn't however pull away (the book had told her not to) when she opened them again she found herself in a grey windswept woodland, the room in the pepper pot & the mirror all gone, she glanced about her & behind her she saw a 6 foot shard of what looked to be purple glass, also she could see other Witches, who it appeared didn't see her or for that matter each other. A sparkle caught her eye in the far distance, so she began to walk towards it, as she did she began to hear a booming deep demonic voice, and for one moment she thought it was Theon, but realised that not only was this voice far deeper & darker than Theon's but that it was also only in her head "you belong to me! Yield and agree to serve me through your masters the Vampire, and you can leave this place, and again shall you know magic, and again shall you know company, if you do not agree then this land will become your eternal prison" the voice repeated this demand endlessly, this mantra being played in her head with no hope of a reprieve, it almost drove her insane. She began remembering how the voice in her head was in the heads of all of her sister Witches. The voice of Abadan keeping all who bore the mark as prisoners within the wood making them utterly loyal to the Vampire, so as to avoid the repetition of Abbadon's mantra.then as if recalling it from her distant memory came the fiery voice of her auntie Nighmearee "go to the other light, you cannot help your sisters now, but you can help yourself get to the light." So, she was able to disregard the voice in her head and concentrated on the voice in her heart until she reached the other shard of purple light and stepped through it. She turned to see light glint off another object, so ran to it & found another Shard, she put the palm of her hand to it, was once again engulfed in its light & found herself back in the pepper pot, the street light casting shadows through the windows, she knew then that middle wood was in fact trying to somehow keep her from getting home, she turned, touched the mirror & once more was in the familiar place she knew as middle-wood, she located the other shard & ran to it as the voice continued to boom inside her head knowing as she recalled her auntie Nighmearee say don't look back, she put her palm to the lavender colored shard & almost instantly found herself in a small village the buildings all single story basic designs, constructed of mud & straw the people all around took no notice of her but she instantly recognized it as home. She twirled around drinking in the bustling market atmosphere, then she ran to her old home a cottage on the fringes of the village, she knocked lightly on the door. an old white-haired lady bent double by the weight of life, came to the door "yes young lady" she croaked "miss Magrat" Charlotte cried the old woman had been her mother's house maid a nom but given purpose by her mother and she had been a great support for Charlotte before she had been taken, her return had awakened memories within her that had for the best part of 200 years remained dormant. The old woman looked up "Jasmine, Jasmine Is that you my girl?" She croaked with no degree of certainty "it is miss Magrat it is I" Charlotte replied her voice filled with joy "oh my" the old lady retorted, her eyes filling with tears of relief & joy she then collapsed into a gibbering heap, Charlotte helped her up and into the tumble-down cottage that she as a child had known as home. After some time & a cup of nettle tea "so how is it that you are here, I mean even as a nom I know that no Witch has ever made it back?" Miss Magrat asked, "well I happened across a volume of 'Witches porridge' & it talked about the portal, how & where to find it, & how that when a Witch goes through she instantly forgets its location" Charlotte answered. She told Miss Magrat all about her life now, about Ruby, George & Unity also that she now went by the name Charlotte, & this made Magrat weep as it was her mother's name then she told her of the lady Alcina's visit, this made Miss Magrat wince slightly as she suspected that even though she didn't have magic her years of woman's intuition gave her an insight into possible future events "well you should go & see the lady, your mother has clear need of your presence" Miss Magrat croaked. They said their goodbyes & Miss Magrat watched as Charlotte headed towards the shimmering crystalline structure in the distance, she remembered how hard it had been to watch Charlotte leave the last time, but somehow this time felt so much better. Charlotte approached the imposing white source castle, shining light bouncing off every block of its marbled purity the home of the queen of all Witches (& more importantly her mother). As she walked into the great hall, an extravagance of pure white crystal, ceilings so high she could not see them, in the center of the immense room was the sunken fire pit housing a fire of white logs, with flames near 20 feet in Hight burning an almost iridescent blue white, causing shimmers of light to dance about like little sprites. Stood by some Christal chairs draped in pure white furs was the lady Alcina, just visible beneath the hood of her long white gown her vivid emerald eyes framed by her platinum white hair offered the only other color & a surprising warmth, to the cool whiteness. As Charlotte approached the lady Alcina greeted her warmly. "Charlotte so good to see you my daughter, I did wonder how long it would take you" the lady Alcina began "please forgive me but the only way for you to get home was for you to find 'Witches Porridge' without my assistance" the lady Alcina said soothingly. The lady indicated the chairs "please take a seat my child we have much to discuss" she said in her warm inviting voice Charlotte sat opposite her mother "you are a very special young Witch Charlotte, you know, don't you? The lady Alcina began softly "well...erh...no not really I didn't, but how?" Charlotte asked "to start with" she began almost beaming with pride, "not every Witch can travel between dimensions, even with 'Witches Porridge' to guide them & your powers have matured exponentially, your mark, have you never wondered why it is different to other chosen Witches" the lady Alcina continued & pointed to Charlottes fore arm, Charlotte looked at the mark on the inside of her wrist. all Witches chosen or more precisely taken in service of the Vampire bore the mark from birth on the inside of the left fore-arm it was as if something were under the skin forcing it up in the shape of the letter 'V' but in Charlottes case along with the V running through it also raised was the letter 'S.'  "now look at this" the lady said offering her own arm for inspection, Charlotte had a sharp intake of breath for on the lady Alcina's fore arm she saw a raised 'S' and for the first time since she had learnt of her Mother, she began to think of the inevitable course of her future, it had never really occurred to her that one day she would also become the lady, but very suddenly it dawned on her that, this was very much a future that would become a reality.

"but, what does this mean my lady" Charlotte asked a look of frightened realization coupled with confusion on her face, when I took over following your aunty Daisy's abdication the raised 'S' appeared on my wrist" the lady Alcina began taking a sip of the piping hot nettle tea that had suddenly arrived, "I do not know if you know but our bloodline has been at the head of all covens since the beginning of time, each time at the point a lady passes her child, who until that time remains a regular Witch becomes the new Alcina and inherits the power of all the ladies before her & as all Witches die their power too flows into the lady, and as each new Witch is born their power comes from the lady." She paused again taking some more tea, whilst Charlotte remained riveted by her mother's story "our bloodline is baron, our bodies are poison to Warlocks so must seek out a baron Witch to host her child and that child will only ever be a female, but until the point at which she becomes the lady, she is totally unaware, with you though it was different because we were already a family, unfortunately I had to wipe the knowledge of me from your memory so that Abaddon could not use us against one another" she stopped seeing that this information had affected Charlotte "our lineage will always be at the head of our peoples unless for some reason the power is taken" she again paused "but my lady surely no other Witch could stand against you" Charlotte interjected "true my daughter but to be so naive allowed Abaddon to enslave our peoples, so we must never underestimate darkness, Alcina means sorceress, the font of all power in our lands. The life span of an Alcina can be up to 10000 years but ultimately, we must all succumb to the ravages of time, and I for one will, never take my position for granted.

Then the lady Alcina told Charlotte "as the wisest and most powerful of all Witches I have been fortunate enough to have had time to guide you, not a privilege afforded to any of my predecessors, but be aware that you will be looked upon by all Witches & Warlocks in the land, for counsel." She finished. She then went on to tell her that Abaddon, the Devil from the world of man had tried to poison the bloodline by a union with the 3rd Alcina deceiving the lady by assuming the form of the lady's husband, it was a very dark time for our dimension, luckily the lady already had a daughter, but the 4th lady had had to kill her own mother to restore light, and she then became the most powerful & wisest of all, so she banished the devil & made sure that any further births would only ever be by proxy as it were. "but if as you say previous incarnations of the lady have been known to live for up to 10000 years, then why won't you my lady.... Erh .... mother?" Charlotte asked, the lady Alcina took up her hand in hers, looking intently at her, both their green eyes fixed on each other "look my daughter, to become the Lady is not only a great honor, but also is for want of a better word the pinnacle of our people, within me along with my own power & knowledge, resides the power, wisdom & knowledge of 399 previous Alcina & within you will be 400, along with your own" the lady began, not taking her stare from her Childs "such power affords me some knowledge of events to come" she continued, Charlotte's face fell "but....." She whimpered, quickly the lady spoke again "my awareness, is by no means clear or defined, but I believe my life may soon reach its end, but then again I would be more than happy to be proved wrong, however as you know if my life is taken then my knowledge & power along with all who have gone before me will transfer to whom so ever should take my life from me." The lady Alcina finished sadly. "But.... but... mother I have only just found you, I do not wish to lose you" Charlotte said reaching across to embrace her mother. "Oh thank you my child, but even one as powerful as I, cannot cheat death, the fates decree what the fates decree, I just wanted you to know that when the 'V' disappears from your arm, my time will be at an end & yours will begin, if this happens & I don't come to you for the transference, then you will have to defeat my assassin with only your own magic & guile, but defeat them you must, there must never be a repeat of the darkness here, the fallen angel of the world of man must never again weald his dark demonic power over our peoples" the lady Alcina stated firmly.

"I promise you mother, I swear that should the need arise, & pray to the sisters that have gone, that it never comes to that, but if it should then I will avenge your death" Charlotte reiterated "thank you my child" the lady Alcina began "now time is no longer your friend daughter, you must return to Unity she is the key to unlocking the curse of the Vampire on our people" she continued " I will send you back from here, please take care my love" she finished. This had been the first time in the history of the lady Alcina that any direct emotion had ever been shown, other than that of the love of a monarch for their people and the love of a people for their monarch and it was not wasted on Charlotte and emotionally floored her, but before she had any time to react, the lady waved her hand & both she & white source castle became a blur as a white smoke enveloped her.