A vampire's Choice
Chapter 36

The castle was carved into the side of the mountain, over 80 feet up from Vanessa's estimate. From their vantage point a mile away, the structure seemed small, but looks can be deceiving. They discovered the place is a tourist attraction from their quick search before coming here, but it has been closed for maintenance. The intricate maze inside has countless rooms, with most not even discovered yet—a perfect hiding place for the one who wishes to end the world.

After a quick meeting, all of the witches except Sarah had opted out. The thought of a fight against a being as strong as Deimos was too daunting for them, but everyone respected their choice. Most of them, even though it is a suicide mission with the whole world hanging in the balance, they had no other choice. Sarah had asked them to form a circle with their numbers less and hold hands, warning against breaking the chain. Sarah chanted in the group, and the wind picked up, blowing in a circle around them. The pressure forced them to huddle closer until their bodies pressed against Sarah and each other. As the wind grew, Sarah chanted louder, turning the wind into a golden light, washing over them. With their eyes closed against the blinding light, they missed the transformation. The golden spell sucked them up, dropping them at their destination in a heartbeat. As soon as the wind disappeared, the heat crashed into them. The sudden change of temperature and humidity brought them to their knees, besides Sarah. Being used to teleporting strengthened her body, the effects non-existent.

The rest felt the effects. Some had spinning heads as the world spun around them. Ruby felt the worst, running to a nearby bush to throw up. Roland willed his body to recover as he stumbled after his wife, holding her hair back as her stomach content pilled on the dirt. Vanessa and Mark crawled to each other, grabbing their hands to hold each other close.

Minutes passed before they recovered, slowly standing up to inspect their surroundings, sweat dripping down their bows.

Suddenly another golden brightness shone from their right, with Nix walking out of it, a stern look of her features. Then, glancing at the group, she nodded. "This is the place. I can feel his darkness all around. It has seeped into nature."

Sarah glanced around, finally noticing the decay of the area. The plants were dying as they withered away, branches and leaves strewn over the terrain. "She is right. It is all dead."

Strolling up to her, Vanessa did the same. "Maybe it is because we are in a desert,” she pointed out.

"Doesn't matter," Mark explained as he joined his mate, reaching for her hand to hold. "Nature can survive in all conditions. These plants usually thrive in the heat and lack of water."

Sarah's eyebrows twisted in confusion as she whipped her head to the sides. Vanessa picked up on the body language. "What is it? You sensing something?"

"Nothing," Sarah said, "I sense no life. Not just in nature but also living things. There are no animals around, not even the tiniest of bugs."

Ruby wiped her mouth on her sleeve as Roland rubbed her bag. Then, making their way to the group, Roland pointed out. "Use your senses. I hear nothing. It is completely silent."

They fell quiet as they tried to zone into anything, but Roland was right. Not even a worm is wriggling through the dirt or birds resting in the trees.

"It is kind of eerie.” Goosebumps shot up Vanessa's spine, a feeling of dread clinging to her. Maybe this was the wrong idea. Her mind screamed to run, to get as far away from this place as possible. But, instead, a warm hand lightly touched her shoulder, sending warmth into her.

"What you are feeling is his powers. The minerals in the mountains act as an amplifier. The darkness within him is spreading. This is only a small taste of what is to come if he succeeds in his plan." Nix explained, still keeping contact with Vanessa.

"So, what are we going to do?" questioned Ruby as she stepped over to them, her arms cradling her baby bumps. The motherly instinct is yelling at her to protect her young from the unseen force.

"Stopping Deimos is out of the question. He is too strong to take on but what we can do is falter his plan to fulfill the last prophecy," explained Nix. She turned to face the ten eyes looking at her with hope.

"But what is his plan? What exactly does the last prophecy entail?" Sarah piped in. "All that the scroll revealed is the body of two will open the doors. So, we figured out it has to be Lisa, but what will she do?"

Nix took her time as she glanced at each for a couple of seconds before stopping on Sarah. "Truth be told, I have no idea."

"What a shock." Mark mocked, "The all-powerful Nix does not know something."

Vanessa jabbed her elbow into Mark's ribs, making him double over, covering his side with his arms. Woundedly looking up at her, Mark mouthed, 'What.' Shaking her head at him, she looked to Nix. "I am sorry about his big mouth. But what he is trying to say is how are we going to help our friends if we don't even know what they are up to?"

Lowering her head slightly, Nix pondered over the question as emotions battled within her. Mark was right. How can she have all these powers but not even use them to stop evil? Cursing silently at the Gods, Nix flew over scenarios and ideas, most ending with their deaths. So far, her eternal life's mission had been to stop Deimos from fulfilling the tasks, but each time it was a failure. Sure here and there, she saved a life from the darkness, but it had little impact on the bigger picture. Faking a smile to hide her genuine emotions, she replied, "To be honest, I have no idea. Seeing the future is not my specialty but what I do know is if we stick together, we can save your friends, and maybe just the world."

"Not very convincing," muttered Mark under his breath.

Nix shot him a death glare, the golden orbs of her eyes lighting up. The sudden show of power shook Mark as he unintentionally stepped away.

"Say what you will, but I have spent hundreds of years trying to prevent this from happening, but I am not stopping now," Nix announced proudly. Then, stopping the show of power, Nix twisted her body, pointing towards the mountain and Deimos' lair. "Inside lays our destiny. We might not know what awaits us but what I can say is that I will use the best of my abilities to protect you and your friends. That I swear."

Stepping up, Roland pushed out his chest as he held his head high. "Then I say we go and show Deimos that the world is not stepping down from this challenge."

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