The Witching Hour

Ch. 28

Castle Nitehardt

Queen Anthena sat on her throne calmly as King Leonidas stood and waited for the Oracle to arrive. He was in an unpleasant mood, as always, and had ordered her to come to the throne room immediately. After several moments, the Oracle finally arrived. She wore a simple black gown and had her hair straight, just as the queen's was.

"Oracle," the King stated,
"When I order you to my presences immediately, that does not mean at your leisure!"

"Calm yourself, Leonidas." The Oracle replied calmly.
"I am not one of your citizens, and you can not order me to do as you wish."

"Oh can't I?" The king asked with a smile.
"My queen's attack with her dragons should have eliminated the rest of the witches by now. We are waiting confirmation of their fall, that the witch from Eversong has died and has no family left." The King spat out.

"With no more witches left...you will be the last one." He added and stared into the Oracle's eyes. Queen Anthena smiled with delight up on her throne.

"Be wary of what you say, my king." The Oracle replied smoothly.
"Do not forget, it was I who gave Anthena her power over the dragons in the first place. The spells and enchantments placed over the dragon's heart were all of my doing." She stated.

The Oracle walked forward and placed herself between the King and Queen of Aster.

"The witch from Eversong may still be alive, and may have more family than you know." She added with a smile.
"Not that you know much about family, Nitehardt. You, who murdered his father and stole my daughter from me. Anthena was better off a Grayson."

The King smirked and went over and kissed Anthena deeply.
"As I recall, it was your daughter who came to me, wasn't it Sylene?" He asked the Oracle, tauntingly using her real name.

"Yes, she was always drawn to power." The Oracle stated flatly.
"May I have a moment alone with my daughter, before you carry out any more of your plans for my kind?"

The King looked sternly into the Oracle's eyes for several moments before answering. He nodded slowly and dismissed his Guard. The Oracle squinted her eyes and the king too, left with them. The grand doors to the throne room slammed behind him as he left without another word.

"You charmed him into leaving, didn't you mother?" The Queen asked with a hint of a smile.

"Perhaps, though do not think for a second that I am oblivious to how often you have charmed your so called 'husband', Anthena." The Oracle replied.

"But it is as you say," Anthena started,
"I am not a witch, how could I possibly use such magic as charming to get my way?" She asked with a sly smile.

"Do not use my own words against me." The Oracle replied.
"You and I are both well aware that being a witch is not the only way to use magic."

"True, though we also know that is not why you requested we speak privately." The queen answered back.

The Oracle and the queen stared at each other for several moments, neither willing to concede power to the other.

"I indeed kept you here for a reason, Anthena." The Oracle started,
"I have to ask you...please do not continue with your plans. I have seen many futures, none end well."

Queen Anthena looked upon the castle's art before replying. There was a beautiful and elaborate tapestry hanging from the stone ceilings. It was a mixture of red, orange, and gold and resembled burning flames. It seemed to glow in the torch light and gave a warm yet eerie feel.

"You want me to stop?" Anthena asked slowly. Her red lips then formed into a devilish grin and she laughed to herself.
"Oh, I will stop. Once every witch is dead and there is no magic to stop my husband and I from ruling." She said confidently.

"Please, Anthena. You must know who this witch is. There was only ever one witch in Eversong, who do you think it could possibly be?" The Oracle replied, the slightest hint of desperation lacing her words.

"Oh, of course I know." The Queen stated, her face growing more serious.
"I had my suspicions at first, perhaps another witch had simply appeared. It was not until you told me there was a witch and a warlock that I knew for certain."

"If you know the witch, you know you have to stop your plans. There's no future where you win against her if you stay like this." said the Oracle.

"We both know you do not see every possible future. Besides that, your powers have been wrong before." The Queen said and stood on a higher step than the Oracle.
"Like when you said the power to change the world would come from my sister. How can that possibly be correct?" She added with a sneer.

"You have spilled enough magical blood, you do not need to keep this up to be ruler. Your insults mean nothing, you have always doubted my abilities, my queen." The Oracle replied with a smirk of her own.

"Why do you believe you can convince me to stop?" Anthena said, staring into the Oracles eyes.
"What gives you that small sliver of hope that you have clung to all these years? This is who I am, mother. Why would I spare this witch when I was the one who ordered my own sister be burned for her crimes?"

"Do not say 'this witch' like she is some common charm caster!" The Oracle spat back.
"She is the daughter of a member of the 13th Council of Witches. She is the daughter of your sister. She is the daughter of my first born. She is the daughter of Meredith!"

At the sound of her sister's name, Athena became more tense and clenched her fists. She stared at her throne for a moment and then returned her gaze to her mother.

"I have told you before, do not mention my sister to me." She stated calmly.
"I had her burned to death without a second thought. There is nothing I will not do to ensure my power, dear mother. I do not know or feel for my niece, she is nothing to me."

"You have no soul, that is why you could never become a witch. Our power comes from our spirit, yours is of no use to you, Queen Anthena." The Oracle said firmly.

The Queen looked at her and then upon the stone walls of the castle.
"My dragons will end the witch's efforts." She said aloud.
"The war against magic will continue, every magical abomination will perish. There will be nothing that can stop us." She stated and sat back in her throne.

Before the Oracle could reply, the queen dismissed her with a wave of her hand and had the Red Guard return and escort her out of the throne room.