Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: M
Characters: April, Andrew, Cadence, Julian, Luann, Luca, Melanie, Rachel, Romulus, Rudi, Sonja,Warrick, Willow
Word Count: 2915
Word Count: 2915
Glossary:
Warning: none
"So many roads
One leads you home...
You can't have everything
Without giving up something"
They all took Emme's death hard, but none of them had the luxury to grieve, they still had a lot more to do. And Sonja gave them just the distraction they needed; she got everyone to work as soon as they came back from Ethan's lair.
So while the three younger witches prepared the cellar for the ritual, she went to her house to pack a few things and close off the place.
She was surprised to find her sister and Romulus waiting for her.
“What do you want now?” She asked impatiently.
“That was a hell of a risk you took,” Luann rose and stretched her limbs. Romulus also stood up and moved aside to let Sonja through.
Sonja knew her sister was referring to Ethan, and she didn’t want to get into it with her. “It worked, that’s all that matters.”
“And we are very grateful.”
She was about to turn the key on the door. She stopped and looked at Luann. She was surprised to see something close to sincerity, or maybe it was remorse, in her eyes.
“So what’s the plan? You’re going to open the door?” Luann asked.
“Nothing will stop me,” Sonja warned her. Come hell or high waters her husband was getting out tonight; Emme’s death would not be in vain. And she made herself very clear to her sister.
Luann nodded her head and assured her she wasn’t planning on stopping her. She and the coven were very grateful a war had been averted, and they were deeply saddened by Emme’s death.
“If there’s nothing else, I need to pack,” Sonja told her.
“You don’t have to leave, Sonja. We were angry, and we all said things we don’t mean. This is your home,” Luann tried to change her mind.
But Sonja wouldn’t let her. “It doesn’t feel like home anymore, it hasn’t for a while now.”
“I’m so sorry,” Luann cried.
“For what exactly?” Sonja’s interest was suddenly piqued.
“For everything, for today, for yesterday, for all those years. For Cadence too, we were wrong about her and Luca. You raised her well, Sonja. I am so sorry, I made a mistake. We all did. We didn’t know better,” Luann shook her head remorsefully.
“That’s just it, you didn’t know anything, but you acted rashly anyway, and Cadence and I paid for your actions, Luca too. Emme’s death is on all of you as far as I’m concerned!”
“Please forgive me,” it was all Luann could say.
Sonja felt disheartened, she didn’t want to talk anymore, she wanted to be alone with her thoughts.
“Will you write, or call?” Luann sounded hopeful.
Sonja shook her head. She wouldn’t. Not right away at least. Her fury still burned hot, her grief over losing Emme so suddenly was still too raw, it would take a very long time to forgive her.
When there was nothing left to say, Luann leaned closer to Sonja and gave her a hug.
As angry as she was with her sister, Sonja found herself returning the gesture with their coven’s farewell. “Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet Again.”
As she turned to the house, Romulus stopped her.
He touched her arm gently and gave her a thick envelope he’d pulled out of his back pocket. “Please give this to my son. He’ll need it. I would give it to him in person but he doesn’t want to see me.”
Sonja was tempted to tell him she didn’t blame Rudi at all, but she bit her tongue to stop the venom from slipping through.
She took the envelope from him, and for a little while neither of them said anything, not because of a lack of words, but their hurt feelings and resentment over the past stood in the way, making it impossible for any of them to pave a new path for their future.
“I really have to go,” Sonja cried at last, Cadence and the others were probably waiting for her to start the ritual.
With a kiss on the cheek and one final wave, Luann bid her farewell and followed Romulus down the path leading to their camp.
For a little while Sonja just stood there, watching her sister’s figure grow smaller and smaller as she disappeared from view, wishing with all her heart that things had turned out differently.
Inside, she packed just the essentials for herself and Cadence. Her daughter didn’t want to take much, she’d said she’d get whatever she needed in Bridgeport. But, her dancing slippers and outfits were a must, and so was the Egyptian music box, the gift from Luca.
Despite being pressed for time, Sonja couldn’t resist taking one final tour of the house though. This was her childhood home, she grew up here, and she always thought she’d die here too. But now she was going away, and leaving everything that was familiar. The last time she’d felt this vulnerable and scared was right after she lost Warrick. She couldn’t help but smile sadly at the irony…
______
As the clock ticked on, and daylight faded, Luca grew increasingly restless. His mood turned darker too, translating itself into the mournful sounds drifting from his fingertips as he rapidly rand his hands on the piano.
Ever since their blood bond, he'd always tried his damnedest to block out Cadence's thoughts. But now that he desperately wanted to understand her head space, he couldn't read her. Her mind was an impenetrable wall of darkness. The heavy silence echoing all around her terrified him, it made him feel lonely and isolated, and lost. But he knew she wasn't doing it intentionally, blocking him out that is. It was her way of dealing with her loss, her way of coping with her grief. He wanted so much to talk to her, to hold her and to comfort her. He didn’t want them to part on a bad note. Hell, he didn’t want them to part at all. But Cadence was still determined to go to Bridgeport; he’d overheard her and Rachel go over their plans on their way back from Ethan's.
He fumed anew at the thought that she’d just walk away without giving them a chance.
“I won’t let her!” He jabbed the ivory keys ferociously, loud, jarring sounds resonated throughout the room and reverberated on the walls.
April, who'd been watching him like a hawk for most of the afternoon, couldn't take it anymore. She threw up her hands. "Out with it!"
Luca glared at her for a long time before he looked away and threw himself back into the composition with renewed vigor.
Andrew, taking care of their travel plans with their clan in Hidden Springs, looked up from the laptop and shook his head at April, silently warning her to stop pushing. He knew Cadence had a lot to do with Luca's foul mood, maybe because he got just as impossible as his cousin whenever he and Willow fought.
April withdrew from the fight, and left the crypt, she'd taken just about all she could take of Luca's bad mood.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Andrew asked when they were alone.
Luca shook his head. He wanted to talk to Cadence.
"Maybe you should steal her away, just for a little while?" Andrew suggested.
Luca turned to the fire and stared at the flames. "I don't think she’d like that."
"So you're just going to give up? Go to Hidden Springs and let her go to Bridgeport?"
"Maybe it's better this way!"
"And maybe she'll meet someone who's not a wuss and fall in love with him!" Andrew retorted.
Luca's eyes flashed with fury and Andrew knew he'd hit a nerve.
"No, she won't!" Luca barked as he turned on his heel and rapidly made his way to the cellar.
He found Cadence hard at work on the floor, drawing a pentagram near the sealed door. Willow and Rachel were mixing reagents at the alchemy station and Rudi was snoring away peacefully on the cot in the corner.
She looked up when she sensed him there, staring at her.
"What's up?" She asked as she rose from the floor.
Luca didn’t reply, instead he snatched her hand and led her out the room. He didn’t let go of her until they reached the crypt. As soon as he did, Cadence flew away from him, leaving him feeling strangely bereft.
“What do you want, Luca?” She asked, her hands on her hips. On anyone else, the stance would have oozed with attitude, and he would have found it a turn off, but on Cadence he knew it was just mild irritation, and weariness. He immediately wanted to take her in his arms and rock her to sleep. He vowed he would, just as soon as this mess was over. Yes, tonight, Cadence would fall asleep in his arms.
He took a step towards her, but before he could say anything, they heard footsteps on the stairs; they both turned in time to see Sonja reach the landing.
“Cade, I brought your things. But I forgot your music box,” Sonja announced.
She gave Luca a long hard look before she addressed Cadence again.“I can run back, if you really need it.”
“It’s okay mom, I’ll get it before we leave,” Cadence replied.
Sonja nodded and glared at Luca some more. It was obvious she didn’t like what she thought she’d walked in on. And to prove just how much she didn’t like the idea of him and her daughter, she promptly took Cadence’s hand and led her out of the crypt. “We have to get started.”
Just as they reached the stairs, Cadence turned back to look at him, he could see how torn she was, she obviously wanted to stay and talk, but Sonja was right, they’d waited long enough, it was time to open the door…
_________
The anxiety in the cellar had mounted to an unbearable point; it was so strong Luca could taste it at the back of his throat. He swallowed hard, unable to believe that in just under an hour it would all be over, all the years of tireless searching for the Star and hoping for a miracle, had finally culminated to this moment.
April tugged at his arm and led him to the corner of the room, away from the ritual space.
Rudi was awake now; he looked subdued though as he sat on the cot with his back pressed to the wall, silently watching the excitement at the centre of the room.
“Do you think it will work?” April’s voice was barely above a whisper.
Luca gave her a sidelong look. “Of course it will.”
April tried to smile, but her lips stretched into a grimace instead as she played with hair. Suddenly her eyes clouded up with tears and Luca pulled her close.
“What’s wrong?”
“I am so afraid," April bawled on his chest. Her sniffling drew the attention of the witches, and they stared at them for a bit before they returned to the task at hand.
“Of what?”
“Julian. When he finds out about Ethan,” April explained through her sobs.
“Julian loves you; nothing will ever change that-” He would have said more to comfort her, but his attention was stolen by the witches again as they took their places around the pentagram.
Andrew took off his shirt and stepped inside the protective circle. He faced away from the witches so they could see the words to the unbinding spell etched on his back, they’d stolen it from Willow’s coven, and it was one of the reasons her brethren had cast her out.
Cadence and Rachel gasped when they saw spell; it was in some strange language.
“Theban, the Runes of Honorius,” Sonja murmured, reading their confusion.
“Why?” Rachel asked.
“The spell is very old; older than Emme, and back then Theban was the preferred alphabet for transcribing spells. And to prevent something like this from happening, the scribes never translated the spell to any of the modern languages. Old witches firmly believe that once something is locked away, nothing and no one should bring it back.”
“So we can’t open the door then. All of this was for nothing? Emme too?” Cadence couldn’t mask the sadness in her voice.
“I’m old school remember?” Sonja smiled as she threw the magical reagents for the spell in a small bowl before she handed it to Cadence, along with the knife.
Cadence turned to Luca then, and just for a little while they just there, locked in each other’s gazes, both thinking the same thing, it was over, as soon as they opened the door, there’d be no going back.
“Cade,” Willow gently nudged her, breaking her contact with Luca.
Like earlier in the clearing, the sharp ache when she pricked her finger was gone before she’d even blinked.
The scent of her blood was overwhelming to the Vampires on the other side of the door, they clamored closer, scraping the wood with their hands, growling ferociously.
Cadence could only stare at the door, paralyzed by the sounds they were making, somehow they sounded much more terrifying than Ethan’s fledglings.
Sonja could see she was about to unravel, she quickly took her hand and forced her focus back to the ritual.
They joined hands and Willow opened the ritual with a binding spell, to join all their magics.
When the bind was in place, Sonja took over and recited the words etched on Andrew’s back.
To everyone else, the words sounded like a made up language, beautiful and haunting all at once, until Sonja chanted the English version of the spell:
“Star of Chaos
Watchers of the Light
Join us in the circle
For this rite
What was sealed
is now released
what was Bound
is now freed
The Wheel turns
and Time flows
the Circle opens
and words cease
By Fire and Air
Water and Earth
Spirit and Soul
And the blood
Of one who’s pure
the Spiral rises
up and out
now go...”
As Sonja brought the spell to a close, they all held their breaths. Waiting. Hoping that any second now the Star would give them a sign that it had worked.
A minute passed, or maybe it was two, but for everyone in that room it felt like eternity as they all stared at each other, feeling anxious.
Before any of them could ask the one question on all their minds, the ground beneath their feet began to shake as a tear ruptured right from the centre of the Star and spread towards the sealed door.
At first it was a small tremor, but it strengthened with each crack on the ground.
“Run!” Luca and April, furthest from the seismic wave at the centre of the room, screamed their warning.
Sonja, Andrew, and the young witches reacted almost immediately, but they were a little slow. They tried to duck for cover at the exact same moment the walls around them began to crumble. Wine bottles flew off the shelves and shattered on the floor in a million little shards. The ceiling above caved in, clouding the room with dust and soot, making it hard for anyone of them to see anything.
They didn’t know how long they cowered on the ground, shielding themselves from the pieces of furniture and debris swirling around the room, toward the vortex at the door.
And just when they all thought there would be no end to the storm, the tremors ceased, and the dust clouding up the room cleared up.
They all turned to the now open door, but no one approached it, the stillness and silence on the other side was unsettling.
“Luca!” Julian’s weak voice, as he stumbled out of the room, filled everyone with relief like no other, and all at once the mood in the cellar was euphoric as they all hugged and kissed each other.
Luca and Julian wept openly when they shared their first embrace in twenty years.
And so did Melanie and Andrew.
April just stood in the corner where Luca had left her, feeling oddly left out. Julian must have sensed her isolation, for he pulled away from Luca and his eyes scanned the room, they lit up when they finally rested on her.
And for a little while, it was just the two of them in that room, no one else and nothing else mattered. Not even Ethan.
Cadence felt as lost as April had felt just moments before. She watched her mother and her father share more than just a hug. It was a strange sight, seeing Sonja so happy in her father’s arms. In fact it was too unreal she had to pinch herself just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
Warrick looked up then; recognition flickered in his eyes when he saw her. He pulled away from Sonja and walked up to her.
“Hello Cadence,” he smiled, showing off his fangs briefly.
“Hello, Daddy,” Cadence smiled back, a solitary tear trickled down her cheek; Warrick caught it in his thumb and wiped it away.
“Do I get a hug?”
“Of course,” Cadence cried as she threw her arms around him and sobbed on his chest.
“I am so sorry,” Cadence cried over and over, and it took Warrick a long time to assure her he wasn’t mad at her, he could never be angry at her.
Across the room, as they watched their friend hug her father for the very first time, Rudolf and Rachel realized anew the importance of family, and they both came to the same conclusion. Bridgeport was Cadence’s dream. Not theirs…
