Page 102 of Blood Sacrifice

He had spent decades studying ancient texts as he searched for other hybrid creatures like himself, travelling the world in an attempt to find somewhere he belonged. In the end, he accepted the fact he belonged with someone who saw beyond his duality and accepted who he was inside.

Dominic’s coven was loyal to him because every vampire in it knew he would give his life for them. It had been the basis for our friendship a long time ago, and still held true today, with him flying across the world because he was needed.

“What do they say?” Maia stood on her tiptoes and peeked over his shoulder.

“They talk about a prophecy, and the end of times,” Owen replied.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Maia said. “Maybe we should turn back.”

Owen shook his head. “That is common wording in prophecies. It means the end of an era. This world has witnessed many endings because something must cease for new life and beginnings to emerge.”

His finger continued to move in front of the symbols, his lips speaking the words even though there was no sound.

Maia slowly spun to look all around her. “This place is saturated in magic. I can see why Balor used it as a focal point.”

“He was using the sacrifices to try and access the void magic,” I replied. “He wanted to channel it into himself.”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” Owen replied, moving down the corridor as he continued to read the ancient text on the wall. “This section here talks about the beginning of energy. The ancients had a different term for magic than we have today. Thetalk about dark, light, and neutral energy. I believe that is void magic, natural magic, and humanity.”

Maia and I moved closer to him, trying to read what he was seeing without any success.

“To exist, all must be in alignment,” he continued.

“What happens if you lock one of the three in a different realm under a volcano for a few thousand years?” I asked.

“Nothing good.” Owen stared at me, his dark eyes glowing red in the centre to allow him to see in the dim light. “Imagine if that punishment was given to an immortal. They would go slowly insane, and seek vengeance against those who incarcerated them.”

“But this is magic,” Maia replied. “Natural magic has been diluted by humanity over the years. Only pocket areas of pureblood magic are still in existence. It is why the elders choose the bloodlines for the shamans’ reproduction. Void magic has remained in its pure form, locked away from the turning hands of time…” Her voice trailed off, her head canting to the side as if she could hear someone talking to her.

“We haven’t come this far to stop now,” I said. “Prophecies exist for a reason, to help guide us to greater wisdom and divine knowledge. There have been powerful witches guiding me for centuries to ensure we made it to this moment, and I trust them.”

It was true. The women I had trusted the most in my life had been watching over me even when I believed I was alone. They had given me the strength to pick myself up and keep moving forward in my darkest moments.

Owen studied me for several moments, before he shrugged one shoulder. “Eternity is a long time to live without a little adventure to keep your soul alive. Lead the way, this will be a story that will be told around campfires to our descendants.”

There were times as we moved through the winding corridor that I felt ghostly hands touch me, their presence making the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Sconces lit as we approached, guiding us to a place I had been once before.

A single flame burned in the middle of the large circular room, suspended in midair without anything present to feed the flame. It pulsed brighter when we entered, and I felt a warmth envelop us as if we had been welcomed.

“Three travellers of time,” a disembodied voice said from what sounded like the flame. “Three who have died to protect the innocent.”

It had never occurred to me before, but we had all died but been revived. Maia in the witch trials, Owen in an explosion during World War II, only Dominic pumped enough blood into him to ensure he survived, and I had been killed in those experiments that left scars that even Salvator couldn’t fully heal. They brought me back to torment me again and again until I almost begged for the release that death would bring.

Owen walked slowly around the room, his gaze trained on the flame that now had the appearance of a blazing eye.

“I was here several lifetimes ago,” I said, stepping forward. “My memories were taken from me, but I remember you.”

The flame transformed into a tall woman bathed in flames, her red hair moving like fire licking around her. “You descend from my people,” she replied. “They did not lock all of us away, some escaped and hid. The three of you were drawn here because the void calls you.”

Owen shot me a troubled look from across the room, his dark eyes starting to glow a silver shade to reveal his magical ancestry.

“If void magic still existed, the elders would have sensed it by now,” Owen said, lifting his hand to reveal a ball of energy.

“Would they?” the woman asked. “How do you sense that which you don’t understand?” The flames around her burned brighter, and I sensed her unique energy. I had felt it before but never associated it with void magic since we believed it no longer existed. There were witches out there who descended from the magical realm and had been hunted for centuries.

“The priestesses?” I queried.

“All came from the void witches left behind,” she confirmed.

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