“Mum!!” Nella screamed again and ran over to her mother’s body.
Tricia was not dead yet, she was struggling to say something to her daughter.
“Mum please don’t die.” Nella said, cradling her mother’s body and weeping.
“She’s the only one still alive.” Evan whispered to Kenneth.
Kenneth nodded grimly.
“It was…” Tricia whispered, struggling to talk.
“She’s saying something.” Kenneth said and knelt by Tricia’s body.
Evan walked around and saw a few tufts of fur on the ground. He sniffed them – they were werewolves’ fur.
Werewolves could not attack the library the previous night so how could they do so tonight?
For the werewolves to break into the library, they would have needed magic strong enough to break the barrier.
Evan stood up sharply, struck with a sinister suspicion.
“… Upir,” Tricia said, confirming Evan’s fears, “she has… the … book.”
Those were the last words she said.
Tricia took her last breath.
“Mum!!” Nella screamed, “Mum!!!” She screamed again.
Objects started falling around in the room. The windows seemed like they were going to break.
The more Nella screamed, the more the room was torn apart.
“What’s happening?” Evan asked Kenneth, alarmed.
“She’s losing control of her magic.” Kenneth replied, “we need to leave this place – Upir might be back.”
Evan nodded in agreement.
Kenneth carried a weeping Nella on his shoulder and together with Evan, they ran over to the car.
Evan got the car keys from Kenneth and started the car. Kenneth had barely gotten into the back seat with Nella when Evan sped off.
Nella was not screaming anymore, she was just weeping. Kenneth put an arm around her and tried to console her.
“Where are we going to now?” Evan asked.
“I have no idea.” came Kenneth’s reply.
Upir held the spell book that the she had gotten from the witches of Lighthood coven.
“Quite foolish of them to think that I would not trace them.” She said.
“They thought themselves more powerful than they actually are.” Was Lehi’s reply.
“Witches,” Upir scoffed, “always so pesky.”
“So what are you going to do about them?” Lehi asked her.
“Those fools are dead now,” Upir said, “but you cannot be so sure about witches. I must find a way to ensure their submission permanently.”
“And do you know any way?” Lehi asked.
“Why yes I do.’ Upir said, smiling evily, “what makes a witch?”
“Magic.” Lehi replied.
Upir smiled again.
The realization struck Lehi suddenly.
“You want to seize their magic?!” He said, surprised, “but that will be too much power for one being. Nature will not permit it!”
“Nature is just a law that can be bent.” Upir said, getting another book and placing it on a table, “you of all people should know that.”
“I know about twisting the laws of nature,” Lehi said, walking over to her, “I know about going round the laws, but I know nothing of outright breaking of Nature’s laws.”
“We are not going to break Nature’s laws, we are just going to bend it to suit us.” Upir replied calmly.
“But this could be dangerous.” Lehi said.
“You knew bringing me back from the dead would be dangerous,” Upir said “but you still did it.”
Lehi ran a hand over his hair. He brought Upir because he knew she was very powerful and he wanted to grow very powerful too. But it looked like the power he sought would soon destroy them.
“Are you afraid?” Upir asked, “I do not work with fearful people.”
Lehi shook his head, he was no coward. If the power he sought would require him to risk his life, then he would do it gladly.
“I fear nothing.” Lehi said.
“Not even Nature?” Upir asked, smiling teasingly.
“Not even Nature.” Lehi replied.
“Good,” Upir said, “now let me show you something.”
She opened the book she had formerly placed on the table and started flipping through the pages.
“I have not fully told you about my plans have I ?” She asked Lehi.
“Not really,” he replied, “all I know is that you want to establish your reign again – and this time humans would not be spared.”
“That’s not all,” Upir said, pointing to a page in the book. It was covered in strange scrawls that were scattered all over the page.
“This is a strange language.” Lehi said.
“It is the language of the abyss” Upir replied, “I learnt something about it when I was trapped in the abyss.”
She took a dagger and streched out her hand to Lehi.
“Why?” Lehi asked, unwilling to offer his blood without knowing the purpose of such.
“Because if we are to be able to read it, we would need blood.” Upir replied.
“Why can’t we use your blood?” Lehi asked, still unconvinced.
“Because the blood flowing in me now is not mine – it belongs to that vampire you sacrificed.” Upir replied .
Lehi stretched out his hand and let Upir make a cut on his palm with the dagger. She let the blood drip on the page and started chanting in a language even Lehi could not understand.
Suddenly, the scrawls on the book started moving into position. They gathered into groups, forming words and full sentences. They were in Aghi – an old language that spells were formerly chanted in.
“Read it.” Upir said to Lehi.
Lehi fingered the words and read them silently, saying the words carefully. It had been a while since he had cast a spell in the Aghi language.
” Silen nio staue majo vamoira et aetu naois.” He read.
“You know what it means?” Upir asked.
“It says that when the time is fulfilled, the vampire will rise and take the night in her hands.” Lehi said, “is this a prophecy?”
“It is,” was Upir’s response, “this prophecy was made by a seer shortly before my soul was banished to the abyss. I heard about it while I was roaming in the abyss. It was said that since no vampire had done what the prophecy stated, I was definitely the one that was to fulfill it. I am the only one powerful enough to do so.”
“But what does it mean to ‘take the night in her hands’ ? ” Lehi asked.
“I did not make the prophecy,” Upir said , “I cannot be so sure of the meaning. But since the night is when vampires, werewolves and the like roam freely at night, then to rule the night means to rule over these creatures and the magic that makes them what they are.”
“But to achieve this you will need …” Lehi said, waiting for Upir to complete the statement.
“Abyssal magic.” Upir replied.
“But you don’t fully understand it.” Lehi said, “or do you?”
“That is why I have a working brain and a powerful wizard,” Upir said, “whatever is unknown can be learnt.”
Lehi was not too enthused about messing around with a strange kind of magic. Abyssal magic was not to be toyed with, it had destroyed the few who had tried to use it and so witches and the like avoided it.
“You want power don’t you?” Upir asked, “that was why you brought me back.”
“I do want power,” Lehi replied, “but I want the type of power that I understand.”
“If that is what you want then you have become powerful enough,” Upir replied, “raw power resides in the abyss Lehi, I have felt it.”
Her voice was becoming excited as she spoke about abyssal magic.
“It is more than we have ever known Lehi,” she continued, “and all we have to do is unlock it.”
“How do we do that?” Lehi asked.
He was still not enthralled with the idea, but it sounded so new and exciting that he was becoming slowly drawn to it.
“We have to perform a ritual on the night of the black moon,” Upir replied, “that will tear the veil between us and the abyssal realm so we can have full access to it’s power.”
“What will we need for the ritual?” Lehi asked.
“Children,” Upir replied, “plenty of them.”