Dark Witch
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| Art by Leah H Williams from Oddyssey.studio |
Darkwitch
Intro
They were in an antique parlor theatre that had been decorated with heavy red velvet curtains.
A strange mist hung in the air that smelled of old cigars and bourbon. There were wooden chairs and tables in front of a stage. A bar was off to the right where some people stood in silence, wearing masks and holding drinks. Zara adjusted the mask they had sent her and looked around. It was eerily quiet. Smooth jazz played from an unknown source. She could hear the occasional faint murmuring of patrons. Zara had never been to this building before, she supposed it was easy enough to do in a city as big as this one. When she arrived, she came in through a door tucked between two other establishments on a busy city street. A door ignored by everyone else, lost in the helter-skelter of the city. Zara had walked past it two or three times, before seeing the small sigil on the non-descript door that marked the auction. It all seemed very cloak and dagger to her. She had been to private mystery auctions before and they were all very big on secrets, amongst other things. However, this one was leaning towards the eccentric side.
To start, an anonymous person sent her a very fancy invitation, accompanied by a detailed description of a single auction item and mask. What made the entire ordeal truly strange to Zara was the item they were auctioning. It was a book apparently dated over 500 years old in absolutely pristine condition. Additionally, the book was apparently all written in a language that had yet to be officially discovered. Zara had seen it before, years ago in another life, in fact, she was there when it was unofficially discovered. How this person found her personal address and knew about her connection to this, perplexed and to be quite frank, concerned her.
Zara assured herself it was mere coincidence, after all, books were her trade and the older the better. She had started off her career studying ancient languages with her parents as her mentors, the two had been amongst the most prestigious archeologists in the world. She spent her youth homeschooled, or camp schooled. When she reached adolescence she was put into a private school with her best friend and right hand Karla. However, Zara was never one for traditionally structured schooling. It’s strange to think that reading is what made her career and brought her here to this strange place. Finding an ancient script in a forgotten language when she was 19 and stumbling upon an entirely new civilization with a fellow adventurer brought her here, to this strange auction in this mysterious place for an equally, if not more so, mysterious book. Zara's attention was suddenly drawn to the stage at the pinnacle of the room as it gradually illuminated. A tall dark man with a black suit and black, bird-like mask stood looking out over the people, all still hidden in shadow.
“Ladies and gentlemen your seats, we are to begin,” he said softly without the aid of a microphone, the room was so quiet. Zara’s palms began to sweat as she moved to a seat in the back. She liked to see who was bidding for what, which really didn’t matter in the end. She always got what she wanted. However, she liked to know who wanted what she had. Although today it would be rather superfluous since everyone’s face was hidden by masks and shadows.
The man remained in the spotlight, hands clasped behind his back. He waited as the final groups seated themselves, then turned an upraised hand to the center of the stage as a second spotlight ignited. A book, the book, stood on a pedestal. Zara couldn’t believe it when she received the invitation from the anonymous sender and it highlighted this book. Over 500 years old in a language no one could translate. Except she could translate it, her and one other person.
“Bidding shall commence at ten thousand,” the man stated. Zara’s brows shot up for two reasons. Firstly, they started with the headlining object and secondly, it was insanely cheap. Zara hesitated, she heard her friend Karla in her head warning her it was a setup. However, Zara’s gut overruled as she raised her hand to bid. The man’s dark eyes glittered as they locked onto her. He smiled faintly.
“We have ten thousand” he stated and then waited, silently. Zara glanced around the room and saw no one move to raise their hand or move at all, really. Zara shifted in her seat uncomfortably. What was going on here? How was it that no one wanted the book or even attempted to outbid her? Was this not the reason they were here?
“Sold. For ten thousand dollars to Zara Dalmasca. Please step through the doors to your left immediately” he said, a faint smile still on his face. Zara felt unnerved now, how did they know it was her? The room was almost pitch black and she was wearing a mask! She stood slowly and made her way to the door, despite her reservations. She reminded herself that she had been to stranger events before. They did, after all, send her the mask. So, for all she knew, that was how they recognized her. Yes, it made sense.
Zara passed through heavy red velvet curtains to a dimly lit hallway with a single exit. She could hear nothing from the room she just left, but before her, Zara could hear the faint sound of eerie music. Something familiar but so faint, she couldn’t quite tell.
As Zara walked through the door, she came to a small room, and there in front of her stood the auctioneer, his hands clasped behind his back.
“Well met, Zara Dalmasca, I was glad to see you in attendance,” he said as she neared. Zara saw now that he was older, dark skin to match his dark eyes that shone in the dim light beneath his black, bird-like mask.
“Yes, thank you for inviting me--?” She trailed off as she held out her hand. The man clasped her hand in both of his.
“Simply call me, Curator. I have been trying to find capable hands for that book for what may seem like years.” He smiled, patting her hand, then let it go. Zara shifted, uneasy, she had questions. Many questions.
“Ok, Curator...How did you come across this book? Also, how did you know I would be interested? This is a very rare and quite valuable find” Zara asked, now placing her hands on her hips. Curator smiled bringing his hands together, he looked amused.
“Of course, you would have questions. An anonymous donor brought the book forward with very specific instructions to reach out to you. They were adamant that you be in attendance for this auction. As to the item itself, I know next to nothing. I am simply a vessel at this instant. Consider me a delivery boy” He explained chuckling, Zara studied him, she had a knack for several things in life. Getting into trouble, languages, and catching people in a lie. This man, however, was not lying.
She sighed, not pleased with the given answer in the slightest. Curator chuckled “You don’t seem satisfied with my response,” he said and Zara pursed her lips.
“I don’t like being in debt. I especially don’t like being in debt to mysterious strangers.” she murmured and sighed once more letting her hands drop to her sides.
“It’s unavoidable I suppose. Shall we move forward then? I would very much like to have the book as soon as possible.” She continued. Curator led her through another door that brought them to a small office. There was a single desk in the center of the room underneath a dangling bulb, with a single filing cabinet in the far right corner. It looked like an interrogation room. Curator walked behind the desk and sat. He opened a drawer and pulled a single pen and paper from the desk laying it in front of Zara.
“Your delivery information there if you would please." Pointing at the specified lines, "We will have the book delivered to you first thing Monday”.
Zara’s brow furrowed. “Can’t I simply take it now?”
“I’m afraid that is not how we do things here,” he said, sliding the paper and pen a little further forward. Zara shook her head, the entire affair was unorthodox. She would simply have to play their game.
After the paperwork was signed and the payment made, Curator showed Zara to an exit. Not the way she came in, which threw her for a minute, as she stood in an alleyway behind a burger hut. She looked at the large steel door behind her and wondered if she had just lost out on ten grand.
“What the actual hell.” She murmured to herself as she removed the mask walking into the busy city street. Checking her phone, she decided she would head straight home. Zara had debated on stopping by her bookstore to do some late night reading, however it was fairly late. She would keep herself busy over the weekend and keep her mind off the book she had just purchased. Hopefully, it will arrive Monday. As promised.
Chapter 1
Zara sat in the back of her shop looking over the latest shipment of antique books she won at several auctions. They were there, placed on the -otherwise bare- long table, under a single fluorescent light. She admired all of them. The ages of the books ranging from decades to centuries. However, there was one that caught her eye particularly. This interesting book had been a strange bid. She recalled, not a single person bid against her, it was her most recent win. Zara took a step towards it. This one was different from any of the antique books she had ever received. According to the seller, it was over 500 years old, and they were selling it for next to nothing. As aforementioned, an easy bid. Zara was almost afraid to even touch it, how has it been so well preserved? The cover was dark leather with gold leaf etchings. There was no title, and the symbol on the cover, well, she had never seen it before. Zara owned a specialty bookstore, she had made a name for herself as a collector and finder of lost tomes, simply by reading. At a very young age, she had mastered several ancient languages and started her adventures translating texts for archeologists and the occasional treasure hunter. She could never have imagined reading could have been so lucrative. Now she ran her business and even owned her own small museum within.
She felt a thrill run down her spine as she studied this one particular artifact. Never had she felt so excited and nervous when near a book. Never had she found one so old and so perfect. Pulling nylon gloves onto her hands from a box on a shelf behind her, Zara gingerly touched the cover, it was all surreal to her.
“You should be in a museum” she murmured to the book and took a deep breath lifting the cover. The first page was relatively bare, discolored with age. The book looked like it had barely been opened. How had it barely been opened? If the book was as old as they claimed, surely someone must have read it. As she went to turn the first page, the door flew open and Zara cursed as the sharp edge of the page cut her deep.
“What are you still doing here! Your date is in less than an hour and...Oh my god, you’re still wearing those ratty tights and that ratty sweater. Zara!”
Zara’s best friend and store Manager placed her pink manicured hands on her slim hips. Her strawberry blond curls tumbling just past her shoulders over her knit salmon sweater. Karla always had the most interesting sense of style, so girly and pink. Karla’s green eyes sparkled as she pursed her rose lips. Her fingers drumming impatiently over her tight brown-plaid pencil skirt.
“Karla! I told you to knock on the damn door when I’m back here. Cut my damn finger through the glove!” Zara hissed, pulling off the glove and putting her finger to her mouth. It was annoyingly deep, she probably got blood on the page. Zara glanced at it and saw nothing. She closed the book glaring at Karla who glared back.
“I didn’t know you were in here, in fact, I didn’t know where you were!” Karla sighed. “You were supposed to go for a blow out remember? I just got a call from Todd saying you never showed” Karla began, walking over to Zara, then looked at the books. Karla loved books almost as much as Zara did. She loved reading them, but she loved writing them more. Unlike Zara, historical texts and ancient mythologies weren’t really her thing. She liked fantasy, romance, and erotica.
“So this is why you missed the -very hard to get- appointment I made?” Karla sighed. She shouldn’t be surprised, she didn't know why she was in all honesty.
“Lala, I’ve been waiting for weeks for these. And this one- Look, this one right here. It’s from the strange auction I told you about. It’s 500 hundred years old! Can you believe it!?” Zara exclaimed, using Karla’s pet name that had been lovingly given to Karla by Zara’s father. Karla’s brows raised now, "500 years?" She looked closer at the book. How was that possible, it was in absolute mint condition! There was also a strange symbol, Karla had never seen it before. “The strange auction?” Karla asked, distracted, then promptly shook her head as if clearing the question.
“Wait don’t you Lala me! I won’t fall for your distraction! You have plans, Zara, don’t be a flake!” Karla snapped pointing her finger at Zara and furrowing her brow.
Zara let out an exasperated sigh. “You made plans and I simply played along, I don’t know why you insist on trying to find me someone to date! I don’t need it!” She snapped back, Karla simply doubled down.
“Zara, you made plans and I helped you make them because you are hopeless. I admire you. Chasing your passion is great, but you’re lost in it! You need human interaction, distractions are healthy!” Karla chided, Zara opened her mouth “I cannot be your only human interaction, I am not enough. When was the last time you were laid, Zara? 1963? Jesus.”
“1963--? Don’t be dramatic!” Zara snapped, then pouted crossing her arms. Karla had some valid points. Zara had become somewhat of a recluse the past year or so, she had cut the opposite sex out of her life entirely after her last romantic blunder. It was all just too much work, the courting, the intimacy. All of it, just messy and tedious. But the sex was gone too, which kind of sucked.
“Fine! I will get ready now. In the meantime, please put the books in my personal safe-” Zara said, defeated as she walked to the door. She hesitated in the frame and looked back to her friend “If anyone asks about them, don’t tell them anything okay?” she found herself saying without knowing a reason why. Karla blinked “I-uh, okay, whatever you say,” she said then waved Zara away.
Zara promptly left her place of business and changed with lightning speed. Luckily, Karla had planned out an outfit for her already. Zara stood in her room looking at herself in her full-length mirror. She wore a black cocktail dress and her wavy thick black hair tumbled freely down to her waist. Her shoulders felt too bare, but it was mid-June. The temperature was too high to even remotely justify wearing a cardigan outside. Maybe she could get away with wearing a shawl to the restaurant?
“Fuck it, I’m not staying long anyway” Zara murmured to herself. Applying some light makeup she walked to the restaurant which was not far from her condo. It was much nicer than she had thought, way nicer. In fact, has this restaurant always been here? The front doors were large heavy wooden double doors, with a man to open them in the front. The building was brick and had no windows street level. Only high windows which reminded Zara of old gothic churches in Europe.
“Do you have a reservation?” the man at the door asked. She hadn’t even stepped inside. Zara glanced around the busy street then at the tall man.
“Uhm I believe so. Perhaps under Zara Dalmasca?” Zara rubbed her arms and the man nodded, then opened the door for her.
“This way please, Miss Dalmasca”
Zara walked slowly into the dimly lit restaurant and saw it was fairly empty. It looked like something from the past, an old European building in the middle of this bustling city.
“Here is your table Miss Dalmaska, would you like some wine while you wait?”
Chapter 2
Zara sat, she was barely on time. She had figured her date would be here, she didn’t even know his real name. He was just Vanek233 to her. Zara clutched her purse, wringing it in her hands. Why was she here, this was insane. How did she let Karla peer pressure her into this? The waiter suddenly appeared with a glass of red wine, making her jump.
“Thank you” Zara murmured blushing at her unease, was she really that nervous? When he left she looked at the glass, it was pretty full. It was as if they knew she would need it.
“Bless” she whispered to the wine as she took a gulp. Amid her anxiety lay a curiosity for the book she had left behind. She was fantasizing about its leather cover and crisp pages when she heard someone call her name.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” said a melodious deep voice, Zara brought her vision back to the present and took in what stood before her. He was something else. She vaguely recognized him from his pictures, although they didn’t quite do him justice. Zara stood and held out her hand.
He was a solid foot taller than her, with broad shoulders that looked like they had seen days of work. His ebony hair fell past his waist. His face seemed exotic, chiseled features, very European but then with slightly slanted eyes weighed with thick dark lashes. Zara saw finally that his eyes were a deep blue, similar to the deepest parts of the ocean. A shiver ran down her spine as she met them.
“Yes, a pleasure--?” She stammered as he took her hand from across the table.
“Vanye, Vanye Leofric '' He smiled, faintly bringing Zara’s hand to his lips and they lightly brushed her knuckles. She could have fainted right then and there, instead, she blushed furiously.
What was that accent? She couldn’t place it. She felt what was almost like an electric shock as their skin touched. Zara fought to keep her hand in his, although she really wanted to pull it away.
Vanye let go of Zara’s hand and she sat again and watched as the waiter came on queue and sat Vanye. All her nerves from before seemed to have exploded into unrelenting tingles up and down her spine. She had never had any man make her feel this way before, Zara wasn’t entirely sure she liked it.
“Quite the restaurant you picked Vanye, is it a favorite of yours?” Zara asked after they had sat in silence for a moment. Vanye seemed to study her and she wasn’t exactly in the mood for staring. He blinked and then smiled, clasping his hands on the table as the waiter served him his wine. Zara watched the waiter as he carefully avoided Vanyes gaze, had she missed the interaction between them? The waiter bowed and stepped away without another word.
“It’s owned by a family friend, I thought I would give it a try,” he said carefully, Zara brought her attention back to Vanye. Her nerves had been replaced with a combination of desire, curiosity, and caution. Before she could ask another question he continued.
“Tell me Zara, what brought you to the world of online dating?” he asked, bringing his clasped hands under his chin as he continued to stare at her intently. Although his dark eyes shone, his face remained an impassive half-smile. Zara cleared her throat, he was intense and it had only really been five minutes.
“Well, I supposed it was my friend that had convinced me I should try. She’s very much worried I’ll die alone” Zara stopped, why had she said that? That was rather personal of her, perhaps it had been some time since she had interacted with someone. She could also blame the wine. What had she eaten today? Nothing really, as per usual. Zara wanted to roll her eyes, she was rambling in her own head. She took a sip of the wine and tried to center herself.
“Well I should thank her for the nudge, you’re the first that had piqued my interest on that...site. Like you, I had been persuaded to try the online approach” Vanye said with a sigh, leaning back into his chair taking up his own glass and sipping from it carefully. His eyes never left Zara, which she noticed.
“Have you met any other interesting people on the way?” she asked fiddling with the stem of her glass. His gaze was so heavy, it made her heart skip every other beat.
“No just you” he said and smiled again. Zara cleared her throat and broke their gaze, as she did the waiter returned with menus.
They both opened their menus and regarded them in silence. Zara wasn’t even reading what was inside. She was debating on how to approach this, what to say next. He seemed closed off and was certainly not carrying the conversation. She wanted to ask him close to a thousand questions but didn’t want to come off as intrusive or worse, needy.
“You suck at this Zara” she murmured under her breath, cursing herself.
“Ready to order?” Vanye asked and Zara panicked. “Erm, yes?”
Quickly she skimmed the menu and saw they had seafood pasta, and looked edible.
“I’ll have the pasta di frutti di mare...” she said with something that resembled certainty and closed her menu. The waiter was there, how long had she been fretting for?
“Ah a favorite of mine, however today I’ll have the steak with kale. Thank you” Vanye stated closing his menu and handing it off without even looking. There was something strange about how he handled himself and Zara’s mood was creeping more towards curious and cautious, regardless of this man's astoundingly attractive appearance.
They sat in silence a moment as Zara regarded the empty restaurant.
“So tell me a bit about yourself Vanye, how long have you lived here?” Zara asked, suddenly, absolutely detesting the silence between them. She had never felt so stilted in her life, she’s been on her fair share of dates. Some bad ones and some great, this was quickly taking a downturn. Zara felt like she should try, for Karla’s sake at least.
“Feels like I’ve been here for centuries, but I moved here at a young age from Wales,” he said and Zara nodded raising her brows.
“Oh that’s cool, I’ve never been. I was wondering about the accent” She smiled faintly. Vanye seemed to hesitate.
“Ah yes, well.” he looked away from her a moment as if losing his composure and now Zara studied him. Perhaps he was just nervous and that was the reason for his...behaviour.
“And you Zara, were you born here?” he resumed his neutral expression. Zara nodded leaning back into her chair.
“Yes, I was born here, born but not raised. My parents were avid travelers and whetted my appetite for adventure. Which I found in books primarily” She said smiling again, she longed for the book she had left behind.
Vanye nodded and continued, “ yes you had mentioned books, you collect them for a living?”. Zara chuckled “Not quite, I do collect some, yes. But I am good at finding books, translating text. Also, I sell books.”
Vanye raised his brows “Rather impressive, how did you come into such an eclectic line of work if you don't mind me asking”
Zara hesitated, then shrugged off her caution. He was curious, her line of work was uncommon to say the least.
“As I mentioned my parents traveled often for work, because of that I learned an array of languages. I had a knack for it actually, I could pick them up rather quickly. So when we were in Egypt, I believe I was 14. My best friend Karla had appendicitis and I had to stay behind and watch her in the hotel after her surgery. I wandered off, bored, as children do. When I came across a local selling some scripture papyrus for next to nothing. I don’t think they understood its value. It led me to an undiscovered tomb of a high priest that performed the rights of the dead.” Zara hesitated as something flashed in Vanye’s eyes, whatever it was set her back on edge. Goosebumps lifted on her skin and she turned her gaze to her wine.
“That’s quite a beginning and at such a young age. So now you’re, what, a book mercenary?” he chuckled and Zara bristled.
“I’m a collector, and I don’t do it for money. I do it for knowledge, one never stops learning and the world's past has an untapped source of knowledge.”
Vanye held up his hands and smiled faintly. "I did not mean to offend, I am merely trying to understand," he seemed amused by her temper and Zara let it slide. He was incredibly handsome when he smiled, she thought smiling despite herself.
“So you translated some ancient Egyptian for the first time at the age of 14? What other ancient languages are you well versed in?” he asked, sipping from his wine glass. “I know some ancient Greek, Sanskrit, Lithuanian, Hebrew, a touch of Farsi, Gaelic and Mandarin”. She felt like she was bragging but it was rare Zara got to flex at all. The only person she talked to, knew all there was to know about her. Not that Karla gave a rats ass, she knew quite a bit herself.
“Most impressive, if I told you I had a book for you to look at would you be interested?” Vanye asked and Zara perked up.
“Always”
Vanye smirked and locked eyes with her. “Then I suppose I’ll have to find one,” he said and Zara blushed, looking away.
The food was brought to their table. They switched to small talk once they started eating. The meal was absolutely fantastic, Zara ate the very full plate of pasta to the last bite. Vanye maintained asking her questions, at this point the date felt more like an interview in which Zara felt comfortable. While eating she had almost forgotten it was a date. As the waiter reappeared to take their plates Zara snapped out of the interview mindset.
“I feel like I’ve spoken only of myself! Tell me Vanye, what do you do for a living? Do you travel at all?”
Vanye seemed to hesitate, as he looked away from Zara and let out a sigh. As if the idea of talking about himself was irritating.
“My life is nowhere near as interesting. I run my father's business now that he is retired. It’s all very boring, bureaucratic and such. I travel for business primarily now”
Zara’s brow furrowed, what a strange and curt answer.
“Okay, so then you used to travel?”
“Quite a lot”
“Are you going to give me more than two-word answers?”
“My life simply isn’t worth talking about”
Zara was getting irritated now, who was this guy? Was he really here on a date? So far it had just been a fancy interrogation.
“I find that hard to believe”
Vanye shrugged and Zara scoffed, crossing her arms.
“Well, I’m not saying another word about myself until you tell me something about yourself. Do you have siblings? How long did you live in whales? What kind of business does your father run? What, is it exactly, that you do?”
She snapped almost glaring at him, she saw irritation plain in his face now.
“You have a temper, you know that,” he said, holding her gaze.
“So I’m told, is that your final answer?” she added standing her ground. Vanye studied her a moment longer and let out a sigh. What was so bad that he couldn’t tell her? Red flags erected with his reluctance and Zara wasn’t having any of it. Was he a competitor that had somehow found her and was sussing her out? She needed to know the truth. No, she demanded the truth.
“And I’ll know when you’re lying so don’t bother” she added, no longer feeling any kind of need to impress him. Karla would be so disappointed in her but Zara could think of a million things she could be doing apart from this weird-ass date.
“You wouldn’t believe a word if I told you the truth” he snapped after a moment of silence. Zara raised her brows now sitting upright. Did he just snap at her? His irritation laced with undercurrents of frustration. After being so guarded it was strange to see him suddenly so candid. Zara had to keep herself from smirking, for some reason the whip of emotion brought her satisfaction.
“Try me” she glared, resting her crossed arms on the table, imagining her eyes burrowing holes into his brain. This would be the absolute last date she will go one for a while. Perhaps she would simply toss the idea out the window altogether.
Vanye let out a loud breath as Zara stared him down. He shook his head pursing his lips, “Fine. But try to keep an open mind” he murmured, defeated.
Zara said nothing and simply waited.
“This meeting was more... a business opportunity rather than a date. I had heard of you through my connections and then found you by happy chance on the stupid dating site”
“I knew it!” Zara spat, her temper flared and when Vanye held up a hand as if to silence her Zara almost hissed.
“However I did not expect you to be so appealing and smart. Unbelievably...smart” he continued and Zara didn’t let the compliments shake her. Vanye sighed, seeing that the damage was done, shrugged mostly to himself.
“I am the CEO of Quil printing, we also own the metropolitan museum and are- or should I say have been in the process of looking for a book. I’ve been looking for it for close to 300 years and have hit a dead end after dead end. I figured--”
“Hold the phone. The Met hasn’t even been around for 300 years. Hell, America hasn’t been around that long. What are you talking about 300 years” Zara interrupted, Vanye stopped. Zara narrowed her eyes but he didn’t even flinch. He simply hesitated, as if the contrary facts were unimportant and continued on his rant.
“There is something about you Zara, something I can’t quite put my finger on. You resonate...something. Perhaps that is why you are so apt with languages, why you are so quick to pick things up, like my people...Gifted”
Back the hell up, what was he saying! Zara felt her mouth fall slightly ajar as Vanye let himself trail off.
“Vanye, what is all this nonsense”
That had been the first time she had said his name and it sent a bolt of lightning through him. He wanted to tell her everything, he wanted her to know him. He suddenly very much wanted her. Before it had been a slight pull, an attractive girl would have that effect on any man. However Vanye was not any man, no, it was something else entirely. Zara was seconds away from tapping her foot, he was hesitating too much. Was he trying to tell her that he was 300 years old? What did he mean by she resonated something? Did he mean people from whales? His family? She opened her mouth to speak when he took too long, only to be suddenly cut off by him.
“Darkwitch, that’s what I am. Along with my parents and my siblings. Our people are ancient and were cursed--”
That was all she needed to hear.
“Stop. Right. There”
Zara hissed through gritted teeth. What was this trash? Who was this guy? How messed up in the head was he to be saying all of this to her. The worst part was he believed it, he didn’t even seem to be lying. Darkwitches? Absolute poppycock. What’s next, Vampires?
Zara stood abruptly glaring down at Vanye who remained seated.
“I don’t want to hear another word of this crap. I can’t believe I even sat here for as long as I did.” She snapped, pulling out her purse and fishing out some bills. Zara slammed 80$ onto the table locking eyes with Vanye.
“Don’t call me” she hissed, Vanye grabbed her hand on the table and Zara felt that strange electric sizzle again.
“Zara, I know you can feel it. Please, reconsider.” He seemed to almost beg, but she didn’t know what he was even begging for. If it was for her to stay, she would not. Zara yanked her hand free and stormed out, shaking the remnants of him off her hand.
Vanye slumped back into his seat, his heart pounding. His hands still tingled where he had touched her. Had that been a spell? It had to have been. Why else would he spill his secrets so eagerly to some human he barely knew. Unless of course, she wasn’t human. It couldn’t be that simple. It wasn’t even possible.
“Well, that went awfully. You not only told her everything, but you also got nothing in return. Dear brother you have lost your touch” the waiter appeared at the table sitting at the edge, his glamour poured off his body like shimmering water to reveal long auburn hair, creamy pale skin, and hazel eyes. The man was of a similar build as Vanye, his features less exotic but appealing all the same.
“She was no mere human, Godric” Vanye pinched the bridge of his nose. Godric’s full lips curled into a sneer.
“Try explaining that to the elders after you tell them you broke one of our only laws! You should have just pulled the information from her mind as I suggested. A pleasant dream, people will say and do anything if they think they are dreaming” Godric sighed.
“I refuse to use magic for everything!” Vanye snapped, standing and turned his back to Godric.
Godric rolled his eyes and stood, placing his hands on Vanyes shoulders.
“What’s the point of this power if we don’t use it? I’ll do it if you don’t-”
“You stay away from her!” Vanye spat, turning on his brother and pointing a finger.
“As for the elders, you keep your mouth shut for now. I’ll deal with them when I get what I need from her”
“If you get what you need,” Godric scoffed.
Vanye glared and Godric rolled his eyes again. “Fine, we will do it your way for now. I’ll wait... but if you fail, she’s fair game”.
Godric disappeared into the back of the restaurant leaving Vanye to stand alone.
“What the hell am I doing?... What have I done?” he asked himself before walking out into the night.
Chapter 3
Zara slammed the door to her apartment shut and threw her purse on the ground. In all her years being alive, never had she been lied to so unabashedly. What kind of person would even think to do such a thing? She had every desire to call Karla and chew her out, but first, wine. Zara stormed across her foyer and into her kitchen, throwing open her fridge and grabbing a bottle of white wine. Zara hesitated before spinning off the cap and taking a swig straight from it.
“Men, bah!” she spat, took another swig then sighed leaning against her kitchen island.
She took a moment to center herself, there was no point in getting herself more worked up. It was just some guy she barely knew. Some smoking hot, crazy guy. So hot ... so insane.
Groaning, she put the wine bottle on the island and got her purse off the floor and pulled out her phone. She was surprised to see a message from Vanye, hesitating Zara opened it.
“Zara, I’m sorry things ended the way they did. I did not intend to insult you. I hope we can try again”
Zara almost spat, try again? She let out a bitter laugh. As if! He was out of his mind if he thought she would waste another second on him. Shaking her head she shot Karla a text.
“The date was a bust, he was an absolute headcase. Don’t let me go through it again please.”
Sighing, she began her before bed routine. She was a little disappointed, it would have been nice to meet someone new and interesting. Well, technically, she did. Zara thought to herself as she settled into the warm sheets with a book and a glass of wine. Then her phone pinged, she hesitated on looking. Zara let out a sigh when she saw it was only Karla.
‘I’m sorry! Well, at least you tried. Lol. I will not make you go on another date for a while. Promise! P.s kinda excited to hear all about it’
Zara smiled faintly at the message, she won’t make her go out again for a while- whatever that means. Putting her phone on ‘do not disturb’ she slid comfortably against her pillows opening the trashy romance and sinking into it. One thing she could always count on was her books.
Zara shot up in her bed, had she been dreaming? Why was she awake? She blinked and realized she wasn’t in her bed, and there was a heavy mist that hung in her head. Was she dreaming now? She looked around the room and saw it was a bedroom, but it looked like a palace. So not her bedroom? Or was it? She suddenly wasn’t sure. The walls were gently lit from the small fire directly across the massive four-poster bed. The room was a soft cream color with patterned paper walls. The trimming on the ceilings and floors were ornately accented with gold. Zara looked down at the cotton and satin sheets in her hands, they felt so real! She saw the intricate embroidery on the duvet, the cream and gold matching the decor of the room. When she slid out of bed onto a plush area rug, she felt the warmth from the fire. She was so comfortable and strangely at ease. Zara caught a glance of herself in a large, gold-framed mirror on the other side of the bed. It seemed to be attached to an ivory vanity. She wore a long cream nightgown, the fabric so thin and light it seemed to move with every slight disturbance. It was also fairly easy to make out her naked body beneath it. Without hesitation or thought Zara turned to a cabinet and pulled a long housecoat and threw it over her shoulders, tying it loosely around her waist.
Zara was herself but she felt like she wasn’t in control. She adjusted her long ebony hair on her shoulders as she walked to the door. When she opened it, he stood there.
Vanye regarded her with surprise as if he had been expecting someone else. Zara simply stared at him in his loose cotton shirt tucked into his riding pants. He was dressed like a stable boy, normally she would have scoffed at this. However, she had no control over herself. She was simply there.
“Why are you here?” She asked dreamily and he looked past her into the room. Zara stepped aside allowing him to enter. Vanye hesitated to glance at her body, the body that was barely hidden by the nearly sheer frothy fabric. He swallowed, looking away.
“You called me here” he murmured, the room was ornate, warm and impossibly realistic. He noted.
“Don’t be absurd, why would I call you? How could I?” Zara sighed, calmly closing the door behind them. Now Vanye regarded her face. She looked at him languidly with a small smile on her lips. His breath hitched as she took a step forward, placing a hand on his firm chest.
“I don’t know how you managed it, only that you did,” he said, watching her carefully as she sighed blinking slowly. Was she aware of what she had done? What she was doing?
“You shouldn’t be here” Zara smiled, pressing herself against him. Vanye stiffened and cleared his throat. She was right, he shouldn’t be here. In fact, none of this should be possible. He has never once been pulled into someone's dream plane in this manner. Zara was something else altogether. Did she know it? He should never have answered her call, it was reckless and dangerous. He should just get the book’s whereabouts and get out.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t be here” Vanye said stiffly, his hands itching to touch her hair, her face. Zara studied him with an amused look, she watched him struggle, thoughts flitting across his eyes like Swallows oversea.
“So then why are you,” Zara asked, bringing her face closer to his as she lifted herself onto the balls of her feet. Vanyes twitching hands brought themselves to her waist. He couldn’t resist her, it was as if she had cast a spell over him. To the seventh hell with the book, the elders could wait. Vanye couldn't recall a time he had felt anything aside from the mute droning of his mundane life. His abilities muting every experience he had, his price for immortality. She disarmed him, as desire coursed through him his self-control slipped completely from his hands.
“You called me” he sighed before bringing his lips to hers in reckless abandon. He would allow himself this and only this, Vanye thought as he let his hand slide into those strong ebony waves.
“I would never” Zara breathed as she slid her hands up his chest wrapping them around Vanyes neck. He lifted her off the ground wrapping her legs around him. He couldn’t stop, he had opened a pandora's box and now he was trapped in the current of its chaos.
Before he even realized what he was doing he stumbled against the edge of the bed with her.
“Zara, what do you want from me?” He breathed as she eased off him and onto the bed. She seemed to hesitate, it was like for a moment in the dream, she reclaimed control of herself. Zara blinked and glanced around her, then at Vanye. It was a dream, wasn’t it? Let's not over-analyze it. Vanye held his breath, waiting for her to laugh, or disappear. Leaving him in a tormented unfulfilled state.
“You, I want you” she murmured and Vanye let out a shaky breath, his mouth crashing against hers once more. He should have left as soon as he saw her, he should never have met her. He would be persecuted for this. That is- if anyone found out. What was he thinking, they would know, the elders always know. At that moment he simply did not care.
Zara pulled his shirt from his pants and Vanye tore open her housecoat, pulling her out of the nightgown before she could even take off his shirt. He hesitated regarding her golden complexion, she was otherworldly. He pulled off his shirt keeping his eyes locked on hers as he watched her breasts rise and fall with her heavy breath. He felt desire burn in him, coursing through his veins like wildfire. He couldn’t recall ever having felt anything so strongly. Had she done this? Was she creating these newfound sensations?
Zara untied the leather string on his pants pressing her chest against his as she knelt on the bed, keeping his lips a breath away. Once he stepped out of them he pressed her against the bed, his lips finding her tender mounds, drawing a moan from her as he suckled the perky rosy tips.
She ran her hands through his hair as he ran his lips down her abdomen then lower to the hot, wet between her legs. She arched her back as he tasted her, it felt all too real.
Vanye was torn, he wanted to stop but then again, he felt if he didn’t have her now he would perish. At first, he had amused himself with the idea that it might be a spell, but now he was convinced. Vanyes eyes flicked up to Zara, he felt her tense, on the precipice. He trailed his lips back up her body, his mouth on her breasts until she pulled it to hers.
Zara brought her legs around him urging him further but he hesitated, watching her writhe with desire below him. What was she? Who was she?
His body ached for her, as she rubbed her wetness against him. Vanye let out a shaky breath struggling to remain in control.
“Let me have you” Zara sighed, caressing Vanye's face. His eyes seemed turbulent like the ocean shore.
Vanye entered her, as if unable to resist. Almost pulling her apart. Zara gasped as lightning shot from her head to her toes.
Vanye moved slowly, he felt her close. So close, and he was unable to contain himself. Zara moved her hips against him, pulling the breath from his lungs as she dug her nails into his forearms. Vanye grabbed her hips as she began writhing and held them still, moving painfully slow against her. Zara panted locking her eyes with his as she felt she was on the verge of climaxing, Vanye could feel her tensing around him and picked up his pace.
Zara almost fell off her bed. The sun shone in her window as the morning birds chirped. She was having a full-blown orgasm, but she was in her room, alone.
After it passed she simply lay there confused and panting. What a strange, crazy dream. She was sure Freud would have about 100 things to say to her just then, but damn. That was a first. Zara was afraid to move for a moment, but she slid her hand down between her legs and felt the wetness there, just that gentle touch brought her over the edge again.
“Jesus!” she exclaimed, once she could. Zara kicked off her blankets and forced herself onto her feet. That was most definitely one way to start the day. She needed a cold shower immediately.
Chapter 4
Across the city in a penthouse suite, in a marble cold room with high ceilings and windows to match, underneath a darkened crystal chandelier on a dark brown leather sofa, brooded a Darkwitch.
Vanye sat in his living room irritated. What had happened to him last night? Even in his dreams, he would never have felt so much, there was always his Darkwitch power keeping him from feeling anything but a muffled echo of what once was. But with her, he felt it all, even in a dream. How was it possible? What manner of creature would have that ability? Vanye would need to do some digging, in the meantime, he would keep Zara to himself, keep her away from his brothers. He found himself wanting to protect her from them, from his coven. A feeling Vanye didn’t quite understand, was this coveting? He stood and walked to the ceiling-high windows in his condo that overlooked the city. He didn’t like it, he didn’t like losing, even a modicum, of control. Everything in his life was always in order, always fell into place, always had a place to fall. Zara was chaos, she was change, she was unknown to him. Vanye sighed, contemplative. The sun was just a glow on the horizon, the city was just waking, as well as something within him. Something he had not felt in centuries. Something long forgotten. He was unsure he wanted it, uncertain if he had a choice.
Zara sat behind the front counter of her bookstore, she had just finished going over the opening procedures. Karla waltzed through the door smiling at Zara. “So, I need more details Zara! Don’t leave a girl hanging!” Karla said, walking up to the book counter, not missing a beat. Zara sighed, closing the cash register and putting her reading glasses onto her head. Where would Zara start? She thought back to the dream she had last night and had to fight the urge to blush.
“Well,” she hesitated, “ for starters, he heavily implied that he was over 300 years old.” She began and watched, amused as the smile fell from Karla’s face “..And he’s a Dark-something-or-other, warlock or wizard…” Zara continued, nonchalantly and Karla’s jaw dropped. “What, no, he didn't,” She said, absolutely stunned.
“Mhm, that was after admitting he had initially planned this whole thing for a business connection…” She hesitated then tried to imitate him by letting her glasses fall back onto her face and her wavy black hair along with it.
“There’s something about you Zara, something I can’t quite put my finger on,” she said in a mocking deep voice. Karla shivered, “normally that would be cute but now it’s creepy. Ugh, he’s probably one of those Vampire freaks, you know like off that docu-thing we watched”
Zara made a sound of disgust. “I hadn’t even thought of that, that makes it worse!” She whined and they both laughed.
“Well at least--” Karla began but Zara’s phone went off startling them both. She saw Vanye had left her another message, following the other three she hadn’t read since last night.
“Oh my god, please open that” Karla begged. Zara scoffed, shaking her head. “He doesn’t even deserve to be left on read. I will not give that strange thing another moment of my time” Zara grabbed her phone and shoved it in her back pocket.
“You’re ghosting him? Really? What if he’s the vampire lover you’ve never had!” Karla teased. Zara had enough and began making her way to the back room, where she fully intended on hiding for the rest of the day.
“Zara! Please don’t just ignore him. Come on, it could be fun. Maybe Vampires are good in bed? Do it for me! ” Karla continued, irritatingly following Zara to her office.
“You don’t have to marry the guy, come on! Do it for the sake of my curiosity” she added.
“Enough!” Zara exclaimed. “I want nothing to do with him, now if you’ll please just drop it Karla. I have a book calling my name. And you, my sweet manager, you have a building to manage”. Zara smiled mischievously before slamming her office door shut.
Zara had no intention of seeing Vanye again, not after that date and especially not after that super vivid dream. The thought of it still made her blush. She quickly brushed the memory of it aside as she sat down at her desk pulling on her gloves. The only thing she wanted to give herself to was the mysterious book she had won. Everything else was secondary.
Zara took a breath running her fingers along the leather cover once more as she gingerly opened the book. When she regarded the first page, she noted a faint stain on the parchment. Also there was a faint, almost rubbed out inscription on it. Zara couldn’t make out what it said, considering the book was in pristine condition it was strange to see the ink so faded.
Moving on to the next page Zara was greeted by a paragraph of hieroglyphs she hadn’t seen in a long time. She knew they would be there, although the auction listing didn’t specify, part of her just knew.
“Oh wow, what are the odds.” She murmured to herself pulling a notepad from her desk and taking note of the glyphs.
In what felt like a past Life, Zara had been married to a professor she had met at Oxford. She was young and naive and he was, well, older. He had taken her to an archeological summit in Dubai, to show her off, she assumed looking back. Karla at the time was living her best life in Germany, partying it up with college students and getting herself into trouble. Zara was barely enduring the absolutely boring and mildly degrading conference. It was clear no one there was interested in her for her intellect. Save, perhaps one person. Lily, a fellow pursuivant of the ancient arts. Not only did she pull Zara out of that dreadful summit, but opened her eyes to a world of adventure that she had only dreamed. It was one of her major feats, helping Lily discover a long lost cult of sorts. After hastily divorcing her husband, Zara set out on her own path bringing her here, to this moment looking at the same ancient scripture that had paved her way.
Smiling at the fond memories Zara turned the page to see a beautiful illustration of a woman picking an apple from the tree. At first glance, she would have perceived it to be Eve and the tree of knowledge. However, some imagery conflicted with the original story, such as the dead man behind eve, and the devil guiding her hand in a loving manner. Then there was the king on the other side of the tree, smiling at both. Zara’s breath was stolen by the delicate ink drawing as she stared at it. The more she looked the more she saw, the more it came to life. It almost seemed to breathe. Zara swore she could feel the breeze on her skin, smell the sweetness of the apple tree. She swore the creature in the image turned to look directly at her.
“Zara” Karla poked her head in the doorway and Zara jumped out of her skin.
“Jesus!” She exclaimed adjusting the jostled glasses on her face. Karla furrowed her brow.
“I’m sorry, I did knock. I guess you couldn’t hear me” she murmured looking at her friend, concerned.
“No it’s fine, this is just... a good book” Zara sighed catching her breath. She was suddenly stiff, she stretched her arms above her head, yawning.
“Well I’m gonna grab some dinner,” Karla began then stopped, frowning. “Have you eaten at all? Have you even moved?” Karla walked in the room glancing around, then regarded Zara accusingly, her hands fisted and resting on her hips. She wore a faded violet sweater dress today, the knitted fabric clinging to her curves. Although it was fairly warm out the air conditioning in the building called for warm apparel. Zara watched Karla a moment her brow furrowing as her brain took a moment to understand the words Karla had just uttered.
“Dinner!? I just...sat down” Zara gaped then glanced back at the page. The illustration had reverted to normal. Shaking her head and standing slowly Zara let out a breath. She must still be tired from last night. She didn’t really sleep all that well, she must have fallen asleep. Yes, that would explain what she had seen. All these thoughts about supernatural beings was making her imagination run wild.
“Zara, you need to take breaks. You’re gonna fry your brain” Karla scolded, then sighed knowing her words would fall on deaf ears.
“I’m going to that Japanese place just down the street. You want your usual-oyakodon or something else?” Karla asked as Zara walked around to the other side of her desk.
“Uh, yeah that and some miso soup please” Zara smiled faintly and Karla shook her head once more before walking out of the office. Zara glanced back at the book and saw that it was closed.
Had she done that? She carefully took the book and placed it back in her safe. That was enough of that for one day, although it pained her to put it away, she had a store to mind.
Zara made her way to the counter just as Karla walked out the door, she regarded the few people that sat at the tables reading or on their laptops, greeted the barista Nancy that worked near them. She didn't feel present, all she could think about was that illustration, she had never seen it before. It did remind vaguely of the story of Lilith in ancient Hebrew scriptures, but even still it was different. Sighing, Zara stared out at her store, she needed to do something else to keep her busy. Moving to the computer at the counter, she decided to do some research on Vanye would keep her occupied until Karla came back.
She still had several unread messages from him on her phone, she might look at them later, she might not. Zara now smiled faintly to herself, let's see what the world has to say about Vanye Leofric.
The first page she found was a tabloid article, it was brief but led to more. Vanye had inherited his father's production company at a young age and expanded it to about twice the size. She looked at old pictures of him and found him to be unchanged. It was strange she admitted, however, she knew very well that some people just aged well. Continuing her search she found blurry pictures of him in town cars, the occasional photo of him on his phone at a restaurant. Then one, Zara gasped, of him and her in the restaurant. As luck would have it, her face is just out of the shot. Then a picture of him, clear as day standing outside the restaurant looking absolutely defeated. Zara felt a pang of guilt for a moment, she had put that look on his face.
“No, no. He’s crazy. Don’t feel bad” she said to herself, shaking her head.
“Who is?” said a male voice at the counter and Zara jumped glancing up, to her relief it was not Vanye but someone who vaguely reminded her of him.
“Sorry, if you had a bell I would have rung it. Reading something interesting?” The man asked his hazel eyes sparkling with amusement as his long auburn braid dangled over his shoulder. He was tall, lean, muscular build. His cheekbones could cut glass, and his skin was pale as snow with the odd freckle here and there. Zara cleared her throat, how embarrassing, she thought as she blushed and took a deep breath to steady herself.
“I suppose you could say that, my apologies, how can I help?” she smiled faintly, closing the windows quickly and bringing her attention to the exceptionally handsome man before her. He smiled earnestly and tilted his head inquisitively.
“Now I’m curious, anything that grabs someone’s attention like that...I must know” he pried and Zara opened her mouth then closed it. What a strange man, she didn’t need more of those. However, he seemed harmless enough.
“If you must know, I was looking up someone I had gone on a terrible date with...I guess I was curious” she smiled, the man leaned on the counter bringing himself close and Zara took a step back instinctively.
“Something tells me you’re often curious,” he said, studying her. Zara blinked, then furrowed her brow.
“Yeah, you could say that...I’m sorry erm- is there something I can help you with?” she inquired, now returning to her senses. Irritation flickered across his face so rapidly she had almost missed it, standing straight once more he pulled a small bound notebook from his pocket.
“Please call me Godrick, and I need help in understanding this. I was told you had an affinity for lost languages?” he said, opening it and turning the pages to her. There were those symbols again. Zara reached for the notebook but Godrick held it back.
“So you know it?” he asked and Zara almost glared. “I know of it, although it’s exceptionally difficult to translate considering it’s a relatively new discovery and there is next to nothing on it...the language doesn’t even have a name or origin,” Zara said, trying not to let her eagerness show too much. How was it that she had stumbled upon this language twice now? One she hadn’t seen in almost a decade!
Godrick smiled although it seemed cold, Zara hesitated, almost taking another step back.
“Good, I wasn’t sure you would be able to help. I have pages that one of my colleagues found and would love your help in discerning what they say…” Godrick trailed off watching Zara’s eyes flash.
“I will need to know everything about them, every detail. Where they were found, when, what were they with. Everything you have.” she said, and Godrick nodded, smiling to himself, closing the notebook with a snap and returning it in his leather jacket pocket.
“Fantastic, I can bring all that...say sometime next week or the week after and by then you should be able to work up a quote for me.” He said whipping out a business card from thin air. Zara blinked, Godrick’s gaze seemed less intense than Vanye’s but was intense all the same.
“Sounds good, I’ll make sure to leave this with my coordinator, she will be in touch.” Zara sighed dismissively, taking the card and placing it in a standing clip by the computer, then procured her own card from a drawer handing it to him.
“Thank you, Zara. I look forward to seeing you again” he smiled, bowing his head and holding out his hand. Zara took it and instantly felt that similar zip of electricity, like a shock. She took her hand from his quickly and chuckled “a little dry in here I guess, sorry about that”. Godric hesitated, staring at his hand a moment then at her. He cleared his throat smiling faintly, he looked suddenly flustered. “Of course, you’ll hear from me soon,” he said quickly walking out. Zara watched him go, she saw that he had come on a motorcycle as it sat, parked illegally in front of her store.
“Why are the hot ones always so strange?” she murmured, turning back to the computer and analyzing the card.
“Godric Leofric...LEOFRIC!?” Zara exclaimed to herself, was this man related to Vanye? Had she just done the very thing she had sworn not to do, which was work for Vanye. She then stopped, the company name was different, in fact, the address for his office wasn’t even in this country.
“Whales?” She murmured reading the address. ‘Global Antiquities and Rarities’ the card read. Zara pursed her lips, perhaps this was a small family rivalry. Only with one of the largest richest families in the world. Zara was about to google Godric when Karla walked in the door, Zara's stomach instantly growled. It could certainly wait.
Godric sped off on his motorcycle making it back to his condo in record time. As he briskly walked through his door he leaned against it once it shut. His heart was pounding, he hadn’t felt his heart move in centuries, is this what Vanye had felt when meeting her? This strange pull, this surge of energy? He didn’t quite know what to do with himself, Godric supposed he could work. He stepped through his vast foyer placing his helmet on a table by the door along with his keys. Unlike Vanye he didn’t favour the modern look, Godric loved the old-styled buildings with the hardwood floors and antique furniture. Although to him they weren’t really antiques they were simply furniture. He kept classical works on the walls and bookshelves littered every room. As Godric made his way to his office he felt a disturbance in the air, magic had been present here, he turned to see the leader of his coven step out of the shadows. “I see you’re making progress with the human,” he said, smiling faintly. Sylvie was the newest member of the coven stepping into the role of leader after defeating the old one in formal combat. He was strange and frankly, Godric didn’t care for him. Sylvie stood a head taller than Godric, long wavy black hair, exotic features and striking, as well as unsettling dark red eyes.
“Yes, regardless of whether she has the item you desire, she seems useful” Godric murmured sitting on the edge of his desk and crossing his arms. Sylvie smiled but there was no warmth there, it was a wicked smile. “She has it, of that I am certain.” He said walking across Godric's office, examining his bookshelves.
“Tell me of your brother, Vanye, he seems loyal. Would you agree?” Sylvie asked suddenly and Godric hesitated.
“Has he not proven himself loyal over the centuries?”
Sylvie pursed his lips turning to Godric, his red eyes cutting through the darkness. If Godric were capable he would probably feel shivers go down his spine. “To the previous leader to be certain, but I suppose I will have to wait and see. Keep me informed on every bit of progress you make” Sylvie said, disappearing suddenly. Now Godric pursed his lips, he had an amicable relationship with the coven. However, he did not appreciate its new leader coming and going as he pleases in his home. Nor did he like the idea of being watched like an untrustworthy child. Things hadn’t always been this unstable in the coven, ever since the fall of their previous leader, they seem now to be at the wishes and whims of Sylvie. But what could Godric do? He was not powerful enough to stand up to this Darkwitch. Sighing he walked around the chair by his desk and slumped in it.
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