Unblessed Witch (Phases of the Moon #4)

18. Deva

18

DEVA

It didn’t surprise me when the doors to Astaroth’s throne room slammed shut behind us.

The darkness of the room seemed alive, breathing in what Astaroth no doubt hoped was our fear. I didn’t feel fear, though. I felt a sense of unparalleled disgust as I examined what I could see of the familiar two-story cathedral ceilings. The faintest light shone from small lanterns that hung from the ceiling’s exposed beams, showing off Astaroth’s decorations , as I am sure he would call them.

Heavy chains made of dark metal hung from the beams, ending in thick, meaty hooks that were not decorative in any way, shape, or form. They secured at least fifteen bodies, that I could count, in a circular arrangement that spanned the room. I couldn’t see their faces, each covered in a silver silk hood, but their bodies had been mutilated to the point they were almost unrecognizable—missing limbs and chunks of flesh.

Blood dripped onto the floor, the dark liquid slipping into the crevices of the stone floor. The display was barely visible outside of the light from above, the room’s heavy curtains drawn and shut tight. That wasn’t the only thing coming off of the corpses though. No, there was magic, thin silvery strands that floated through the air, like a broken spiderweb, toward the front of the room. Toward Astaroth.

I didn’t need to see him to know that he was there. I could feel the heavy saturation of magic and his eagerness to drain the power from those sacrificed above. The man far exceeded any definition of monster that I’d ever experienced . He was true evil .

“Don’t tell me you’ve decided to hide,” I called out, my voice clear and calm, as I kept my eyes on the front of the room. I knew that in the darkness up there sat a marble platform and throne. “It isn’t like you to be a coward.”

For the record, it was very much in his nature to be a coward, but Astaroth wouldn’t be able to ignore the accusation.

A movement in the far right corner of the room, close to the front, drew my attention—two small hands lighting up in green flames. That didn’t bode well. I brought my lunar magic forward and shot it skyward, creating orbs that filled the room with an eerie silver light. Although, I regretted illuminating the space almost immediately.

Astaroth stood where I expected, a wide smile stuck on his face, his hands extended in greeting as the silver strands of power attached to his chest. There were multiple runes cut into his body and he was bleeding heavily, the injuries seeming to barely faze him. When his cackle filled the space, his gaze moved from the ceiling and landed directly on me.

As if he’d just noticed we were here. Something was terribly wrong with the man.

“Deva, how nice of you to join us,” he mused. My eyes moved over his gray skin and thin caved-in chest, his normally long hair patchy and uneven. “We were just about to embark on a journey together.”

“Us?” I asked as more green flames lit up along the far wall, this time growing in height to reveal the figures hidden there—ones that even my orbs hadn’t illuminated.

“Fuck.” Grimshaw’s curse wasn’t enough to encapsulate the horror I felt, my stomach churning as I realized that the bodies hanging above weren’t his only prisoners. Lined up against the wall were children of all ages, their gazes foggy and expressions slack as if under a spell. Their legs were chained to the floor, and they wore the same uniform I had while growing up. Living the same life I had.

I shouldn’t have been shocked by the revelation. It wasn’t like I thought he’d stopped using children as pawns in his games, but seeing them here? My blood boiled as rage exploded throughout me. Astaroth deserved every ounce of pain coming his way.

“You are pathetic,” I spit, walking toward the children. Securing them took precedence over any personal vendetta of mine.

“Am I?” Astaroth moved, snapping his fingers and beckoning one of the children closest to me, their chains releasing them. I hissed in surprise as they portalled across the space, bringing forth an athame to slice across my side.

Luckily, I was fast enough to turn in time to avoid it. Raising my hand to the back of the child’s head, I surged lunar magic through her. Only enough to have her crumple to the floor, unconscious—nothing more.

My fury grew to an innumerable amount as I looked to Astaroth who looked mildly disappointed. He shrugged. “Many more from where that came from.”

“I will not fight children, Astaroth. I came here for one reason, and I will not allow you to hide behind them.”

“They want to fight for me.” Astaroth flashed a dangerous smile before dropping his hands. “They want to be just like me. It’s why they’re here, to take part in the new age I’m about to bring about. I’ll have ultimate control of Carmina, and they are the future of it. You could have been part of this, Deva—you used to be like them.”

“I never wanted to be like you,” I spat vehemently. I couldn’t afford to look away from Astaroth, but I could hear my men moving around to not only help the fallen child, but to hopefully guard the others from the chaos that was about to erupt. “I despised you once I realized what a monster you were.”

Astaroth chuckled. “Did you? I don’t think you truly hated me, I think you hated what I turned you into—the perfect weapon, able to survive death, again and again. Even now.”

“I never asked for that,” I growled, hating the smug tone in his voice. As if he was proud of his accomplishment. Hell, I knew he was! “And as you made clear, it was purely to the end of giving yourself more power. You can’t fathom ever stopping your search for it, can you?”

“Oh, but there is an end in sight.” Astaroth motioned upward. “I may not have been able to drain your power, but these individuals were willing to sacrifice themselves so I could achieve my goal. I don’t care how you came back, but it was only a small snag in my plan. Soon I’ll have more than enough power to do what’s needed—for the best of Carmina.”

“Bullshit. You know they don’t have enough power for what you want to do. You needed me, and now you’re fucked. You made a fatal mistake, Astaroth. I don’t know why you didn’t get rid of my body, but I will do absolutely anything to stop you. Never doubt that.”

I’d moved forward enough at this point that my men could make their way to the children along the wall, a shadow wall going up in front of them protectively. Astaroth barely gave it any mind.

“Yes, I should have gotten rid of your body.” He chuckled. “But I didn’t, and do you know why?” I really wasn’t sure I wanted to know. “I knew that if I could find the five of them, I would find your magic. After all, that’s where you hid it, isn’t it?”

I shrugged, not willing to give him any true answers.

“You think your simple wall will stop them from aiding me?” Astaroth asked my men, finally looking toward them. It gave me the exact opening that I needed.

Allowing my athame to slice through the air, I smiled victoriously when it lodged itself in his chest—or at least, I thought that’s what was happening. I let out a grunt as I was suddenly thrown back with a blast of power that radiated off of him, my athame turning mid-air and soaring toward me. Straightening myself up in a quick move, I plucked it out of the air and positioned myself defensively. I refused to show that his quick maneuver and the protective spell he had around himself had surprised me.

A bark of laughter left him. “Is that all you have? That was pathetic .”

“You’ve got them?” I looked toward my men as they all offered me assurance that the children were protected and covered. That I wouldn’t need to hold back when the time came.

“What can you possibly do, Ayla?” Astaroth mused, using my old name and offering me a look of disgust. “You are nothing now. I have transcended anything you can comprehend, and I will not only take your magic but theirs as well by the time this is over. I will not be stopped; I will reach my destined place in this world. To rule over witchkind.”

“You are not a ruler. You are not destined to rule over anyone,” I sneered.

“It’s a shame that you’ve decided to be my enemy, Deva. You could have been part of this. You were always a smart girl, and strong, just like your mother was.”

I knew he was trying to throw me off by talking about my mother, so I decided to flip it right on him as I neared closer and closer, making ready for my next attack.

“Yes, I saw Mom when you killed me,” I drew out, his expression blanking in surprise. “She said you’re a fucking monster.”

Astaroth’s shadow magic slammed into me so hard that I barely had time to twist my body to get out of the way of the full impact. My side ached with pain, and I grunted as I landed hard on the ground. I did manage to smile at how fucking angry he was, though. His face was nearly purple.

Was this all it would have taken? Talking about my mom? I hoped my words hurt as much as it had for me to believe I’d been abandoned.

“Did that make you mad? Did you think mommy dearest missed you?” I goaded, causing a snarl of fury to leave him. “You know what she hated the most about you? Your hatred. You hate so much. You hate everyone and everything around you. You hate the unblessed, you hate Carmina—you hate your fucking self.”

Astaroth appeared in front of me, suddenly and without warning, and I ducked to avoid his grip that went for my throat. I laughed as I used my athame to lunge for his rib, a roar of pain leaving his throat as the space vibrated with magic. My surprise attack hadn’t allowed him to throw up any protective body wards. It wasn’t the only surprise I had up my sleeve though.

“ Contineo .” The spelled word slipped from my lips as the rune on my left hand lit up, sparking magic against my skin before power exploded out from my fingertips and hit his sternum. The spell was supposed to act as a binding that would wrap around his body to contain his magic, but the minute it hit his skin, it fizzled out. Shit.

I dodged out of the way as he barked out a laugh and lunged forward with a sword made of shadows that materialized in his hand. I had to jump back and to the side as he began to swing with a skill that had my adrenaline rushing.

“And what was that supposed to do, exactly? That was a sad attempt at spell casting.”

“Fuck you,” I bit out, keeping a calm head.

As we circled one another, he offered me a knowing smirk. “Your mother is correct; I do hate the unblessed. I hate them with every part of my being. They’ve always stood in the way of my true potential—my ability to control what is rightfully mine. They are the only beings that can truly oppose me, and for that they must die.”

“You are such a piece of shit.” I portalled in the shadows and appeared behind him in a wink, not giving him a chance to turn around before slamming my right hand against his back, another rune lighting up. “ Subsidiis.”

The spell was supposed to create a reserve for your magic so that you could extend the endurance and use of your magic in battle—it would hold the majority of his magic within him if it worked.

This time the spell surged over his skin, but he merely shook it off before turning toward me, bringing his sword down on me swiftly. I didn’t move fast enough, and the force of it threw me back. Pain exploded across my chest at the impact, and I groaned as I stumbled to standing and held my position once more.

“Mere child’s play.” Astaroth made his sword disappear as orbs of light danced across his fingertips. “I know you have more magic than this, Deva. Show it to me.”

But I couldn’t, not until I was sure this fucker wouldn’t come back to life. Astaroth didn’t realize it, but all that lay between him and a massive amount of power was me . I couldn’t afford to fuck this up.

“You should just give in!” Astaroth said, motioning to my men. “Give up. Join me again, Deva, with the five of them. Bring in the new age.”

My eyes moved to my men who were all watching the fight, wanting to join but standing protectively in front of the children. More than anything, though, I saw their belief in me. I looked back at Astaroth with a big smile that seemed to make him uncomfortable.

“I will never join you. The idea of it alone disgusts me.” I smiled at the tick in his jaw. “And I am so fucking tired of your power trip. I am over you thinking you can control everything. This ends now, Astaroth. If you want to get to it, let’s fucking do it. If it’s that easy to defeat me, then do it. Unless, of course, you can’t…”

The prideful bastard couldn’t stop himself, immediately moving forward and shooting blasts of lunar magic at me. I moved out of the way, but it wasn’t enough. I winced as he managed to hit me again, this time across my shoulder. Luckily, the pain was nothing compared to the satisfaction of using his exertion of power to slip into his space, taking him off guard once more. I think he had forgotten just how damn fast I was.

I had one option left to try, and I was not going to fucking waste it.

“Traho!” My cry filled the space as I hit him with every ounce of magic I had, surging it through his chest as I slammed my head against his nose. He stumbled back, but not out of my reach. The runes on my face heated as he grunted at the impact, the spell latching solidly onto him.

Fucking success.

An orb of power lodged itself right in the center of his being. Astaroth grasped his chest in shock as I moved away swiftly, keeping my eyes on him as he nearly broke to his knees. I inhaled sharply, waiting for him to realize what was going on. My body hurt and I could hear one of my men say my name, but we were right there—I just had to keep going. I had to do this.

“Did you just create a power center for me?!” Astaroth groaned and then picked his head up. “You dumb bitch—you just fucking assured that you will never be able to take my magic, never be able to remove it. Which means that when I steal all of yours, it will be mine forever.”

Fucking perfect. That meant it really did work. The spell created a magnetic center that locked onto every single part of your magic, making it impossible for someone to steal it…or for someone to have it released, even in death. It was a spell that had been shown to contain magic in corpses for centuries.

Relief spread through my chest as my smile grew, and I allowed my magic to slowly unlock itself from the heavy chains I’d placed it in, not wanting to overdo it until everything was in place.

“Why the fuck are you so happy?” Astaroth demanded.

“Why am I so happy?” I asked brightly. “ Because I’m about to show you my true power, Astaroth.”

Allowing my true magic to swell up through my chest, I let it play across my fingertips, knowing that it could bring down the very foundation of this compound if I wanted. “Every. Single. Ounce of it.”

This time, I didn’t hold back.