Beyond Immortality

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

"What did you do?" I ask. Watching them prepare the ritual.

"Why do you think I served the wine? It's enchanted. All it takes is a mystic portion only I know how to brew from years of knowledge, and all is forgotten. It's effective only on anyone who knows anything about that girl. It wipes away their memories and just never existed. The power of alchemy my dear, is unimaginable." With such power, it means they would still kill more people and never be caught. Something had to be done. I turn to one of the veiled women.

"Cyris I know you always mean well don't let our mother's deeds corrupt you." I am advised.

"Cyris?" the high priestess says "That's not Cyris,"

"I know you will do anything to defend your daughter but you two are evil regardless,"

"That's the part you're wrong about, Cyris doesn't know about any of this." They finish preparing the ritual requirement with Isolde stripping. She slits my palm slightly and uses the blood to draw Celtic signs onto my chest and hers.

"Valiant? Where are you?"

"Almost there,"

"That gullible girl deserves nothing from me, she pretends to be a follower of the rules yet she breaks all of them. Do you think it was a coincidence I asked you to sleep with Valiant? There is more to it than meets the eye."

"you could not possibly hate your daughter to the extent of causing her harm," she scoffs.

"I care only for power. Only one person suspected me, my son, the little idiot was biting more than he could chew, and tried to blackmail m-"

"you killed him?"

"and took his power. After I take yours I don't think I will need any more of it. You are extremely powerful, with your power combined with the scraps I have gathered I can bend the entire world to my will our gifts surpass alchemy itself." I try breaking the chains but end up groaning from the pain it causes. "oh did I forget to mention you have an enchanted collar that prevents you from using our abilities? When you unleash them they get reversed back to you ten times stronger. I'm not sure you can hold the impact it will have on you." She grabs a blade and the trio starts chanting incarnations.

A gust of strong wind blows past me slamming the woman against the cave wall. From the space between my legs, I see two figures emerge from the water. The high priestess'  two assistants stand ready to fight the intruders.  It was about time. A magical duel commences. Valiant is struck by one of the fireballs conjured by one of the ladies submerging into the water. Cyris emerges from the water and throws a dagger at one assistant striking her in the heart. The other one makes a fire strike to attack her but Cyris raises her forearm and creates an invisible shield to protect herself. The woman in white uses her other hand to intensify the fire Cyris is about to lose when the lady is struck by a lightning bolt, thanks to Valiant, killing her instantly. The two climb up to the altar. Cyris unchains me as Valiant checks the bodies. No sooner had she taken the collar off my neck, than I was on my knees throwing up. The pressure applied by the collar in rendering my magic futile has me nauseated. I put on the clothes laid on a table beside the altar. Valiant unveils the dead bodies only to find out it's Ymaine and Ione. A groan comes from the edge of the cave. We all turn to the high priestess who is regaining consciousness.

"Cyris help me this new being attacked me," she sympathizes. An angry Cyris turns to her mother.

"You killed my brother and pretended like it was nothing. I suffered trying to find him and you watched me. I...I would say that you're my mom, a wo..woman that I love but I don't know who this woman is because this vindictive, murderous being cannot be the woman that raised me." Cyris quivers in sadness.