The Dragon's Bane

XXXIV

Izmir Lefeuvre- The Witch 

Silence fell across the room. Not like a blanket flowing from corner to corner, but heavy stone pressing down on all errant noise.

A cold sweat filmed my body. My muscles strained with the physical manifestation of my anxiety.  My heart raced with apprehension. No one would meet my gaze. No one, save Évrard.

"No. Impossible. Can't be." He broke off and a frown clouded his face. "She's not a Siphon, I would have known." 

It occurred to me in that moment, that despite the negative connotations associated with being a witch, being a Siphon was somehow worse. I looked at Maelys, her face had gone as white as the wall behind her.

"Évrard, you surprise me once more!" Sabien's tone mocked him. "Your feelings cloud your judgment. So much so that you could not see something as plain to see as this." He gestured to me in Vanna White fashion.

"Exactly what are you accusing me of Sabien?" A look of scorn flashed across his face. My heart sunk. I felt humiliated. Instead of talking to me they were talking about me and not in the most flattering of terms.

Since when was caring for someone else something to be offended by. "You make it sound like having feelings for me is a bad thing." I interjected drawing the attention of the room back to me.

"It's not exactly been good." Évrard rebutted seemingly unaffected by my statement. 

"This conversation has gone way off track." Her power recovered, Maelys literally floated to the center of the room. "Explain yourself King of the Kindreds. I am a druid and a wielder of power. I have seen Izmir use her abilities without taking life from anything or anyone else. She is no Siphon."

"Oh, but she is but she is not without power of her own. I suspect the gift to be secondary." A smile creased his face and Sabien turned to me, "Strigoi are not without their own abilities, Witch, especially one as old as I. She was able to consume a portion of my life force albeit temporarily and use it against me. Thankfully I am strong enough that it was no great risk to my wellbeing but it would have quickly drained the life from a weaker immortal. An ability such as this challenges even the strongest of creatures. I daresay, that if trained properly she could be a threat to even a Supreme Immortal. Even among witches, she is an abomination of the worst kind."

"He speaks the truth." Maelys began with something like sadness on her face. "If what is left of the covens learns about this ability, you will be shunned. Siphons are very much like vampires in that they have no essence of their own and must take it from others. They often become addicted and it takes more and more to slake their thirst for power. One of the worst crimes in the magical community is stealing the life of another magic user. And if you have been judged to misuse this power you they will do more than kill you. You will be imprisoned in an impenetrable hellscape for what remains of your life." 

A sense of dread rolled through the pit of my stomach. "Then I'm not safe with anyone or anywhere." 

"You're safe me," Évrard half-whispered. 

"How can that be true? You sold me to him." I pointed at Sabien, who gave a nonchalant shrug. "Which is bullshit by the way. You made a promise I have no intention of keeping."

 "There are worse things than being subjugated to me, Beloved. You could belong to them that hunt you. What you are is valuable and rare. The reason he wants you makes sense. It is perhaps why he needs to possess you so badly." 

"Who? Ba'al?" Évrard questioned. "Does he want her for his army or perhaps as his queen?"

"Yes, but you are only half right." Sabien strut to the chaise at the foot of the massive bed and sat cross-legged as he continued. "Ba'al... Bael... He's been known by many names. He has also been called Lord of the flies. He is one of the seven princes of hell. His true name is Beelzebub. He was an angel, specifically a Seraphim, turned high-ranking demon. He, alongside Satan and Lucifer, forms the triumvirate of Hell and is one of the supreme monarchs of the Inferno. He is powerful and his influence is far reaching. Who is to say what his purpose is for the witch but you can bet it is for his gain and her detriment. You've only been spared this long because he still honors the old ways and has allotted time for you to consider his 'offer'." 

"It was no offer. It was a threat." Évrard barked. 

"Yes, well. You only get one. Then he will come for her." I tensed under Sabien's unwavering gaze. 

"Isn't that why you're here? To stop him right?" I fold my arms across my chest with growing unease. This is sounding worse and worse by the minute. 

"Yes, it is why we are here. Myself and my court. But we may need to recruit additional talent. Bael is no fledgling strigoi or low ranking demon lord. He is as old as time and near as powerful as Lucifer himself." Though the news was grave but Sabien's face did not seem as concerned.

"Then what's the point of you if we need to bring in more people to fight this guy off." A pulse hammered at my temple. "Someone please remind me why this man is even here? If I am this powerful Siphoner then why do I need you? I'm probably stronger than you anyway."

"Because I'm the only one who can make it so that whatever ridiculous plan we come up with actually works, without all of you ending up as piles of smoking ash in the process." Sabien stood slowly. 

He dragged his feet as he moved across the short distance to me with a cocky half smile on his face. "Beloved, you're a paper airplane and I'm a 747. Don't you ever think you're anything like me just because you can fly a little. I am thousands of years old and run afoul of creatures ten times what you are. Two things I know for sure, how to keep my life and my crown." 

Embarrassed, I couldn't meet his gaze. "Nobility is what you do, not who you are." I grumbled under my breath. 

"Perhaps tonight I can show you why they named me king." He raked his eyes over my body with the most salacious look. "What are our sleeping arrangements Évrard?" He asked without looking up. "I have a thirst for this one. I'll have her tonight." He pointed his nose at me. "The red witch perhaps another time." 

"In your fucking dreams, Deadman." Maelys scoffed in disgust and stormed from the room. I stood frozen. Undecided between anger and lust. 

"I'm afraid I have very little power over such things. I'm basically a glorified bodyguard."