Embers of Magic

Vampire Ghost Things Do Their Level Best To Kill Us

“Get up. It’s not safe here.” The red haired girl said – her middle Eastern accent flaring as she dragged me by my wrist. My mother was right when she said nothing would make sense anymore, but, more of a warning to what she meant would have been welcome. It was somewhere between the Roman zombies and the flying shadows where I lost all track of reality. I knew it wasn’t safe here and we needed to get out…

I yanked my wrist free as I stopped dead in my tracks at the end of the Greek wing. She stopped a few feet ahead of me, glazing black in confusion. “What don’t you get? You’re not safe here!” She yelled, trying to reach out for my hand again. I pulled away.

“Yeah, I get it. It’s not safe here. I’ve been hearing that a lot lately. But, what about my dad? What about him?” I struggled to put words to my thoughts after what I’ve just saw happen. She sighed, calming down to explain to me. “Placed into a room with something dangerous, you’ll always face towards it because it is the biggest threat. Right now, you are the biggest threat. They’re all out for you. Your father may be special but you’re the one who opened the Pithos. You found it. They want you.”

I nodded, remembering a few moments ago before she killed the Legionair. He faced me, nearly ignoring her completely. He was there with one reason. To kill me. “Let’s go.” I responded as I ran after her, taking turn after turn through the museum – through Egypt and Rome until we finally reached the main lobby.

If you had ever babysitted a bunch of children on a sugar crazed high, you’d understand the level of chaos in the main lobby. Well, give or take a few dead Roman soldiers. They spilled in through the corridors, all charging aimlessly towards me as we bolted towards the main exit.

“If you have any magic, now would be a great time to use it, my liege!” The girl yelled and she drew her swords. I respected her bravado but it would be pointless against this kind of numbers. She ran towards a group of soldiers blocking the door as she dropped onto her knees, sliding on the cold floor as she sliced their tendons in a series of smooth swings of her blades. The way she moved was nothing short of poetic – each one of her moments flowing effortlessly into the next without stutter.

“Magic? You know that kind of thing only works in fantasy books and movies, right?” I said as I ran after her trying not to get hit by the blades swung at me. I hopped over the bodies she dropped as I joined her by the door. I never trusted anyone before learning their names but now, I had no choice. The world I had been use to was gone. It was adapt or die.

We bolted through the doors, taking a left around the building and cutting through the alleyway. “My liege, the daughter of Hecate has just opened Pandora’s box. You’re just walked into a world of things you could not possibly imagine.”

Daughter of Hecate? I was about to question her and dispatch of the idea entirely when I realized everything what just happened. I’ve been thrown halfway across the globe and back so fast that my soul literally left my body and I’ve seen my mother walk through the mist, looking as gorgeous as a goddess. Was my mother really Hecate?

We continued down the corridor as I ran in a daze, thinking back to my mother’s words. ‘I no longer control the servants of magic. ’ My lungs burned as I yelled out to her, questioning my mother’s words. “The servants of magic. What are they?”

“You’re a smart girl, Ember. Think about the beasts who served your mother. You’ll figure it out.”

Thinking back while my heart thundered in my chest was harder than I thought. Every thought I formed quickly squashed by each step I took behind her. I thought back to the stories my father told me about her, about her following, yet, none of memories tied towards the servants of magic. By the time the memory returned, it was too late.

I stared into into the wispy form in front of me as it slowly took shape. First its legs, one human like, the other bronze. Then the upper part of her body, a beautiful face complete with talons and fangs. She lowered her eyebrows as she tightened her gaze towards me. I knew I was supposed to run, I just didn’t know to where.

“Empousa.” I whispered meekly.

“Ember, you need to focus. Focus on your mother.”

I did my best to remember her. I thought about a few minutes ago as I was plugged back into my memories to the night sang me a lullaby. This time, it didn’t stop just there. I saw the rest of the night – I saw the fire that tore my life apart. The orange glow climbed up the walls around me, dancing to my will as the climbed closer towards me, creeping up the side of my bed. Yet, I wasn’t frightened. The heat of the flame comforted me the same way her lullaby had. By the time my father rushed into the room, I was  surrounded by the flames.
He rushed towards me as the flames tried to force him away. I could feel their sudden urge to protect me, even though he was my father. Eventually, he punched through and ripped the flaming sheets off – pulling me out of the room and into the kitchen. I caught a glimpse of my mother’s face as my father rushed me away from the flames and saw nothing but despair in her eyes.

The memory faded as heat welled behind my eyes. The empousa charged towards me, baring her fangs and talons. The girl moved in front of me, ready to through herself into the demons line of fire to protect me, but I couldn’t allow it. I grabbed her shoulder as I pulled her out of the way. My body heated up as my eyes began to tear from the heat as the entire allyway burst into flames in front of me.

I dropped to my knees with my clothes charred yet, felt no burns on my skin. The flames hadn’t harmed me. The girl sat on the floor behind me, struggling to catch her breath in the unbearable heat – her arm burnt. I struggled up to my feet and swung her other arm over my shoulder as I carried us both towards the entrance of the subway.