The Last Witch

“The resolution must be passed!”

“The funding is needed for military strength, not for charity!”

“We have no proof that the Demons and Vampires of Slaren are moving against us!”

“Proof? We have all the proof in the world! They have been against us since they brought the Rebellion against the Witches!”

“The point still stands that the money is needed to help the poor, from Najus all the way to the northernmost point in Chirrall!”

I sighed, having long ago lost track of both where this conversation was going and how long I had been sitting here. I watched as the other Vampires somehow kept their attention trained on the floor of the Council’s Chamber, and I wondered how they could possibly listen to the endless arguments that made up politics. And then I remembered that every Vampire here was a good 20 years older than I was, and that was just a starting point.

Concentration on boring subjects must be a skill that comes with age.

Common sense was apparently traded for it.

When this argument had gotten started in the Circle after the Advisory had given their budget proposal to the Council, it had seemed like a fairly obvious solution to me. The solution was still fairly obvious to me, but either nobody had realized it yet or being too simplistic with things was not the way to run a country. While the old buzzards in the Circle argued back and forth, while at the same time trading words with members of the Advisory, I had sat here, waiting for my opportunity to speak. Technically speaking, I could break my silence at any time – the tiara on my head gave me that privilege – but I disliked interrupting. Even though I knew I had the authority, I was wary of the older members of the government and disliked when their eyes were on me, almost scolding me for being as young as I was.

So, while the argument raged on within the Circle and the Triangle waited as patiently as it could for the Circle to pass the proposal on to me or return it to them, I continued with the daydreaming that had started around the same time this argument had broken out.

For the umpteenth time in the hour, I wished my brother was here. My brother, technically the Prince of Ksarrellia, had been gone for three months on a self-assigned mission for Midnight in Eyon, the neighboring country ruled by the Elves. Midnight’s existence was unknown to everyone except those in it, my uncle – the previous King – and I, the Queen. It had been formed during my parents’ rule – before they had been assassinated by an agent sent by the Demons of the south – and my brother had taken charge of it after he had reached maturity. It had always been his intent to be Midnight’s leader, always been his intent to be a sorcerer. He had never wanted the throne. That was a rule in the Constitution – no sorcerer or sorceress could ever take the throne, for fear of their powers corrupting them and turning them into a tyrant. Ksarrellia didn’t need another uprising, at least not within this millennium.

My brother, however, was much more suited to this job than I was. It was like our destinies had been mixed up when we came into the world – he was the quiet, calm, thinking one, whereas I was adventurous, easily bored, and a bit reckless. Yet here I was, dealing with politics, and there he was, risking his life. But the funny thing was that neither of us wanted to trade positions with one another. Despite the fact that our personalities did not fit our job descriptions, we both knew our jobs needed us in them – Midnight needed him at the helm, and Ksarrellia needed me. Without us, things might not be as well as they were.

Still, though – it would be nice to have somebody sitting next to me who could actually pay attention to this business for more than a few seconds.

I realized that the two Councilmen had finished arguing and I applauded politely along with the rest of the chamber. This was my chance to put an end to the endless arguing, at least for today. I glanced down at the senior member of the Advisory – a Vampire at least 140 years older than I who served as one of my trade Advisors – and nodded to him. The Vampire nodded back and announced, “The Advisory recognizes Queen Amelia Ksarrel!”

“The Council recognizes Queen Amelia Ksarrel!” came the echo from the senior member of the Council on the floor below us.

“Hail the Queen!” shouted the rest of the room.

I smiled politely at the traditional gesture, standing up and preparing to speak in the royal accent that I despised. It was much more strict and formal than the free, relaxed accent I had developed whilst living in the cities of Najus. “Gentlemen and ladies of the Council and the Advisory,” I began. “We have argued for many hours on the issue at hand. I suggest a compromise – split the money at question between the poor and security. My Advisors have told me that the few of our species who do live in poverty are much more at risk than our nation as a whole. Even if the Demons from Slaren were to attack, with our rejected brothers and sisters helping them, they would first have to go through Jh’tatar, Ellalira, and Eyon first, and I can assure you that we would have more than enough time to allocate the correct sums of money for a war by the time they reach our gates. Do we not agree?”

I was speaking out of assumption. As much as I trusted the word of my security Advisors, Midnight’s word, spoken through my brother, were much more believable. In truth, my brother was one of my Advisors, but that was a secret from all, including the Advisory itself. He would be responsible to carry on the royal line if I were to die, even though he wasn’t eligible for the throne itself. We didn’t want it to be known that he had another, much more dangerous job in case he was targeted by rebels within or agents from Slaren.

Still, I heard mumblings of approval throughout the chamber, and within minutes, the Council had approved my compromise and sent it to the Advisory. They, too, agreed on it, and we convened after that, with the members who had drafted the legislation promising to write the bill and send it to me the next day. “May Nyx bless us, may Circe watch over us, and may Artemis prepare us,” I said, banging the traditional gavel after reciting the traditional words.

I quickly turned to leave before any of my servants could surround me and, more importantly, I had to deal with more politics in the Chamber than I needed to. I sighed, adjusting the tiara – much more comfortable than the crown – on my forehead as I paused to look in a mirror in the hall that led directly to my throne room, and, through there, the royal rooms of Ksarrel Palace. I hurried along through the hall, knowing that there were secret guards posted everywhere, watching over me in case an assassination attempt was made – after the deaths of my parents, there were no chances to be taken – and emerged into my throne room, directly behind my throne.

I stopped to examine the room, still breathtakingly beautiful after nearly two hundred years of existence. It was a grand, spacious room, gorgeous down to the tiniest detail. Maids scampered about, keeping everything spotless. The most beautiful chandelier in all of Ksarrellia – all of Ayel, in my opinion – hung from the ceiling. Portraits of past monarchs and political greats were hung about the room, including ones of my brother and I. Busts of scholars and the Goddesses were scattered about the room, while a rug of the deepest shade of blue rolled from the grand, black doors directly up to the stage the throne sat on. The throne was elegant in itself, the same midnight black of the doors with a dark blue cushion on the seat. The room had a color scheme of the dark blue of the carpet and the sleekest midnight black – the colors of the country – while windows were placed every few feet, an enchantment cast upon them to make it as if you were looking outside, while, really, there was another room across the wall. One of the lasting spells the Witches had cast for us before they had gone extinct.

Well, nearly extinct, I should say, but I was one of the few people aware of that.

I smiled to a young girl dusting a portrait of my grandmother – she stared timidly back – and then exited through a doorway hidden behind my own portrait. Prior to my coronation, there had been a tapestry there, but since I had become Queen, my picture had taken its rightful place in the hall. I hurried up a flight of stairs and emerged into the hall that led to the royal rooms. I hurried down the corridor, unlocking the door and entering. Another sigh escaped me as I finally realized I was home and, more importantly, alone. I removed my tiara and set it down on the nearest surface, removing the various contraptions that held my hair up so that it could flow freely down to my shoulders.

I glanced at the beautiful grandfather clock sitting across from the door. Four am. Perfect, I thought. Out early enough, but not too early. Still plenty of time to relax and be alone for at least part of the day. I stepped out of my heels, kicking the damn shoes across the room, and observed myself in the mirror.

As the white and black room was reflected behind me – my mother had finally redecorated and removed one of the royal colors from the room shortly before her death – I stared at myself, looking over each of my features. The shoulder-length dark blue hair and the lip ring, customary of anyone who was part of the royal family. The oval-shaped face. The larger than average, bright red eyes that made me look even more youthful than I was and had contributed to the doubt that I could keep this land alive when I had taken the throne – doubt I had quickly struck down once given the opportunity. The silver skin, with the slight glow about it. The medium stature and the slim figure. And the dark blue dress, one of many that I wore to the Chamber, and, in fact, any other place that required formal dress. My entire body screamed that I hadn’t even turned four yet, much less the four and a half that was considered mature in our culture. It was as if I was three and a half, a full year younger than I was. Did I hate the way I looked? No. I just disliked the way everyone assumed that, because of my appearance, I was too young to run a country.

Too inexperienced, maybe, but I considered myself a very good queen.

I ran a hand down my cheek and was about to undress when I saw him in the background.

I turned around and rocketed into the arms of my brother, letting out a shout of joy. “Axel!” I shouted, my voice immediately taking on my Najus accent. “I didn’t know you were coming back today!”

“That’s the entire point,” he said, laughing as he hugged me tightly. “That’s what the secret part of secret organization means.”

“Considering our family’s the one that got the entire thing created in the first place, it shouldn’t be secret from me,” I told him, pressing my head against his chest. “You smell like the forest.”

“Of course I do, I just came from Eyon. The entire country is forest. Have you been taking walks in the Park?”

“Maybe, maybe not. But now that you’re here, I want to go hunting with you.”

“Can we manage to lose the guards long enough?” he whispered, pulling away to observe me. “Growing your hair out again?”

“Yes, I’m the freakin’ Queen, and maybe. It doesn’t matter; it has to be up for the majority of the day.”

“Night,” he corrected.

“They mean the same when you’re a Vampire,” I reminded him, smirking and waving a finger at him, walking away to go change quickly.

“Eyon doesn’t have an eternal night, sorry,” he called as I went to quickly change.

A few minutes later, I reemerged, wearing my hunting clothes and boots, my hair tied back into a ponytail. All in all, a much more comfortable outfit than the dress. I glanced at myself in the mirror quickly and then looked at my brother.

My brother and I look quite a lot alike. He was taller than I was, but that was due to gender, not genetics. He, too, was slim, but stronger than his figure would suggest, though he wasn’t prone to fighting physically. His hair was the same shade of blue as mine, though it was cut short; his bangs covered his forehead. His skin was the same shade of silver with the same certain glow about it. He had the same lip piercing I had, in the same spot, just as anyone directly related to either of us did. His eyes, however, were a dark red, with little flecks of black in them, and his nose had the curious look of being broken, even though it wasn’t; it was simply crooked in shape. His eyes, too, were smaller than mine, but not more than anyone else’s.

He had abandoned his black sorcerer’s cloak, but still wore an outfit composed of only black. It helped him blend into the night, he had explained to me a year ago. I had then asked him if it worked better than the invisibility spell. We had both laughed.

I wordlessly moved out to one of the multiple balconies attached to the royal rooms and he followed, both of us leaning against the railing as we looked out at the governing city of Ksarrel.

The eternal night sky – our technology, invented a few centuries ago, had replaced an old charm by Witch’s that deflected our mortal enemy, the sun, for the entire day – was gorgeous as always. Though we still roamed at what for the Empowered, the Elves, and the rest of the species on this planet was night, it was much less worrying to have the sun blocked 24/7. No worry about your leg burning to a crisp because of an accidental step into a beam of sunlight in your home. The technology didn’t work outside of Ksarrellia, but there were portable devices – disguised as jewelry – that could be taken for those few who travelled outside the border.

My brother preferred magic for that.

I gazed out at the city that stretched for miles, at times modern, at times old, and at other times, a mix of the two. It was gorgeous in every way, though, even more so than my home of Najus. I saw, a few miles away, the trees of the Park, the forest that had been built into the city for recreational hunting, for those who didn’t feel like going to shop for the blood of the animals we preyed on. Of course, the hunting required carrying bottles of the Additive to add to your meal, but it was well worth the thrill.

“Do you think Mom and Dad loved this city as much as we do?” my brother asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Without a doubt,” I answered. “Even with the accent, it’s still more beautiful, more breathtaking, than Najus could ever be.”

“But there’s nothing like home.”

“This entire country is home to me, Axel,” I reminded him. He smiled, chuckling and looked back out at the city.

“I sometimes wonder if Elle is still out there.”

I blinked, my tongue suddenly tied. I saw my brother smile. “Don’t worry. Nobody can hear us, not even the guards that are watching.”

I relaxed. “You and your magic,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I know she’s still alive. If she were killed, there would’ve been a huge affair made out of it. War could easily have broken loose again.”

“What it must be like to be the last of your kind,” Axel murmured softly.

“There’s no help for you. No uncle keeping your throne warm,” I added, looking out. “Do you think the others know? The other countries, I mean.”

“Ilwen, maybe. That’s the most likely place she could have gone. The Angels are neutral in all affairs, but they’re not idiots. They can tell a Witch from an Empowered.” Axel smirked. “As for the other nations, maybe a few of their population could know of her existence. But they’re regarded as raving lunatics. As far as I know, Slaren believes she died with her parents.”

“Thank Uncle Jacob for that lie,” I said quietly. I looked at Axel. “I miss her. Almost as much as I missed you.”

“I’m here though. That’s something you can always count on.”

“Not if you disappear for months and never give word on when you’re supposed to return.”

It was the old conversation coming back – we had this same one every time he left, and it always ended the same way. “Somebody has to do the job,” he said, saying it like he was an actor and it was a line he had memorized and spoken to millions of different audiences.

I bit my lip with the teeth that weren’t fangs, and looked back out at the city. “What’s the word as far as the other countries go?” I asked him.

“Ilwen remains neutral, as always. The Demons and our brothers from Slaren continue to pester the Angels, but they aren’t getting far.” He paused; then, he whispered a few words of Svoven, the Elven name for the magic language. After a few moments, he looked back at me and whispered, “Ellalira looks to be moving towards expansion.”

“Are they becoming an imperialist nation?” I asked incredulously. “Why would they do that? We have no proof of the Islands offering any other forms of life besides animals, nor any resources.”

“They may be looking for a habitat, based on what I’ve learned.”

I paused. “Is another war coming closer?” I asked quietly, looking at Axel.

He sighed. “Jh’tatar seems intent on bringing war to Eyon,” he said quietly.

I was stunned by that news. “Why the Elves? What in the world have they done to the Changelings that could possibly spark war?”

“Politics of races we do not interact with,” my brother said quietly. “We can’t let this escalate into another war, Lia. Ayel’s been torn by too many, and this time, the Witches aren’t here to stop it.”

“We can go to the Angels-”

He cut me off. “If Slaren catches word that the Changelings are preparing for a war, things could be accelerated.”

Things suddenly connected. “That’s why you mentioned Elle.”

He smiled sadly. “You know me better than anyone else, Lia.”

“Do you honestly think she could do anything to save this continent?” I asked quietly. “Accepting for the fact that she is still alive, do you think she’s strong enough? She’s had to teach herself her abilities all on her own; even if she is a competent Witch, there’s no chance she’s a good Witch. It took you years to become competent at sorcery, and even more to be considered good at it. We would need a Witch of tremendous power, one that has never even been seen before, to stop it. Not since Bethany of West County has there been a Witch like that, and that was five centuries before the Great Departure!”

“You and your Alliance,” he said, smirking at me in a playful way.

“Axel, my Alliance with the history of Earth is not the point of this conversation!” I muttered, though I smiled back at him.

“Perhaps tomorrow you should propose that we expand foreign policy outside of trading?” Axel suggested.

“On what pretenses? I don’t want to risk Midnight’s revealment until I’m sure there’s going to be a war at hand!”

“Calm, Lia,” Axel cautioned, placing a hand on my shoulders. “You’re getting worked up.”

I felt the air cool around me and rolled my eyes at him. “You and your Alliance,” I muttered.

He chuckled. “It’s a blessing and a curse, that I can heal any aspect of a person,” he said. “You’re right, though. The evidence is flimsy, and for all we know, the Angels could step in before it’s too late. We may want to beef up security around the borders, though, in case Slaren does see an opening,” he warned.

“And as for Elle?” I asked.

“If she does intervene, she’ll probably have the power to stop it.”

“But then risk the survival of her species,” I pointed out.

“Well, sometimes you have to risk your life to save another,” Axel replied.

“True,” I said, looking back out at the city. “Between you and I…do you think that we would be able to survive if another war broke out?”

He was silent for a few moments. “If we allied ourselves properly. Our trade routes with the Elves and the Empowered could prove to be more, and the Empowered are sided with the Changelings themselves.”

“But if the Changelings are considering war with the Elves?”

“Again, I would suggest an expansion on foreign policy the next time you’re in the Chamber.”

“And listen to them argue over it for another five years.”

“Well, there’s a reason we’re called a constitutional monarchy,” Axel admitted.

“It seems as if a dictatorship would be a much more efficient way to run a country,” I said.

“Yes, but then there would always be that one group that would be unhappy. But, with the Council in place, now people can be somewhat happy while mostly unhappy if their party does not have a majority. But, they can argue about it, which is an important Vampire right.”

“Thank the Goddesses that I have the power of veto,” I whispered quietly.

“And that you are Queen in a time of prosperity,” Axel added. “Nobody can really say that anything you’ve done is terrible until something comes about to change that.” I nodded in agreement.

Neither of us spoke for a few minutes. We took in the city, the night, the conversation that had just happened between us. And then, Axel said, “How’s Uncle Jacob?”

“I sent him on his own mission to Ksajus to settle a labor dispute in some of the Additive factories.” I pushed a strand of hair out of my face. “He knows how to deal with those types of things much better than I do.”

“Wouldn’t one of your Advisors be better suited for that job?”
“Uncle Jacob would be an Advisor, but the holders of the positions I want him for have yet to resign…or croak.”

“Lia.”

“I’m kidding, Axel!” I said, playfully shoving him. “Come on, gimme a break. You have to admit that if Uncle were an Advisor, things would be much better. He got everything passed so quick when he was King. Everyone respected him.”

“And they don’t respect you?”

“They do, but when the predecessor has been in the world of politics for close to three quarters of a century longer than you have, people tend to place their respect with the predecessor.”

“True. It might just be better to leave him like this, though. Nobody can get annoyed. He’s never really sided with any party absolutely.”

I shrugged. “He gets things done in the other states. It works out well. Maybe if I tell the Council I’m making him an ambassador, they’ll approve the whole foreign policy deal.”

“Maybe.” He paused. “Are you ready to go hunting now?”

“Oh, right,” I said. I had completely forgotten that that was what we were going to do. I looked back into the room, biting my lip.

“I took care of everything while you were changing,” Axel said, reading my mind. “The guards know what’s up. You are either, a, busy with charity, or b, eating.”

“Oh, you know me so well,” I told him, smirking.
He smirked back, taking my hand. “I take it you want the faster, less noticeable way of travel?”

“Always.”

“Hold on, then.” I wrapped my arms around his torso, holding as tight as I could. If I fell, I would survive, but I would still be hurt. Relying on the Additive and animal blood had taken away our total immortality, so I would be subject to injuries if I were to hit the ground. Of course, it wouldn’t be the best idea for me to fall out of the sky, considering I was Queen and everything.

I heard my brother whisper a few words, and suddenly, I was no longer bound to the ground. I wrapped my arms around him tighter, feeling him levitate us away from the balcony. Unlike the Witches, the sorcerers of our species do not use brooms to fly. That was a secret the Witches had taken to their grave – literally. I, personally, believed it had been a charm done by Bethany of West County. She had burst onto the scene when dealing with a war of her own, though between our ancestors and the ancestors of the Witches. The legend I believed in – that, through my Alliance, I believed was true – said that the Vampires of old had been close to figuring out how the Witches charmed their brooms to fly, but when Bethany of West County had caught onto what they were trying to do, she took to the forests and charmed certain trees so that only their wood could produce a broom that could fly, and, furthermore, obeyed only the Witches. I was fairly sure many of those trees were still around, but only the Witches knew about them, and they were all dead in the ground. In the process, though, Bethany of West County had effectively struck dead the charm used to give inanimate objects the ability to fly.

Anyways, since then, the Witches had given magic to each of the species, so the sorcerers of each species could fly however they chose. Broom travel, however, was a secret to all but Elle. Besides, most sorcerers simply poofed from one place to another anyways.

My brother muttered a few more words, and, suddenly, we were flying over the city at a much faster speed, gaining height as we soared. I looked down, utterly exhilarated, as the city spread out below us. The bright lights of the entertainment district, the rushing crowds of the business district, the laughs and parties of the residential district – all of it was beautiful to me, down to the last little speck that I could see from this height.

The flight, however, was relatively quick, and we began our descent into the Park within minutes. After my family had seized power and built the cities, they had decided to keep parts of the forests and grasslands of our country present within the metropolises. Thus, the Parks, one or two in each city. They were mainly composed of forest, with two defined areas: an area for recreation, and an area for hunting. It was against the law to be caught hunting in the recreation areas of the Park – when your senses took over, you could lose yourself, and, before you know it, end up tearing out the throat of some child. It had happened during my uncle’s term – a Vampire had lost himself to the hunt, and he became a killer within seconds. My uncle had had to give the order to kill him, and ever since then, I had been careful to keep myself in check when I hunted.

We touched down in a clearing, and I let go of my brother, looking around and sniffing the air. “Did you bring any Additive?” I asked.

“Of course,” he responded. He threw a small vial of dark blue fluid to me – the Additive. The chemical that scientists had invented to keep our race alive after the Great Departure. According to a mixture of historians and scientists, Vampires had once been able to depend on only animal blood, but when humans evolved, we had become addicted to their blood and evolved ourselves, feeding off them, learning how to feed without killing…but then, the humans left, and we were left without our food source. The Witches had kept us somewhat alive with their magic, but we it wasn’t until the Additive had been developed that we could return to our former might.

I pocketed the vial, continuing to sniff the air. After the first bite was made, we would pour some of the liquid into the animal’s body and wait. It wasn’t the same instant gratification that our ancestors would get, but unless we wanted to waste the blood, it was the only way to drink and feel satisfied.

“West,” I muttered. I saw Axel nod out of the corner of my eye and we started to run.

Despite the fact that our reliance on the Additive took away parts of our immortality, our strength and speed had yet to diminish in the same way. Old papers written by humans about our race described us as a blur when we were running; they said we practically teleported when we moved a few feet. To us, we moved at a normal speed, but it wasn’t the same to everyone else – the agent the Empowered of Ellalira had sent to negotiate trade regulations had marveled at our speed.

I could feel my speed as I ran, taking the lead in front of my brother. The wind whistled past me, acting as if it were racing me. The rest of the forest couldn’t keep up, it seemed, as we darted past trees, bushes, smaller animals that weren’t our target. I leapt over a fallen tree, landing without a noise, and started running again, in one fluid, non-stop motion.

And then, I slowed to a stop. Axel rocketed to my side within the course of a second, sniffing the air just as I was.

“Something’s off,” he muttered.

I nodded – this wasn’t the same scent I had caught onto. I could still faintly hear the pulse of the deer I had been chasing, still smell the scent of its blood, but now there was a stronger, different scent masking it. It wasn’t familiar to me, and I was fairly certain I knew the scent of every animal in the Park. And it most certainly wasn’t the scent of another vampire.

Axel came to this realization a second after I did. “Get behind me.”

I obeyed quickly just as the air cackled around us, forming a sort of barrier to block any attack. Axel was murmuring quietly in Svoven, while I scanned the entire area for any sort of life. I mentally cursed myself for not grabbing some sort of weapon – I wasn’t a warrior queen, but ever since my parents had died, I had made it a priority to have some form of protection with me.

“What is it?” I asked quietly, staying close to my brother.

“I don’t know,” he whispered back quickly as the air cackled around us again, alive with the magic my brother had ignited. “It’s not an Elf, and it’s not a Vampire. Whatever it is, they’re not supposed to be-”

A twig snapped and our heads both rocketed in the direction of the sound. Axel hid me behind him quickly, holding out his hand, a ball of energy floating near it. “Who’s there?” he called out.

“You’ve certainly become a better sorcerer.”

I was gripping onto the back of Axel’s shirt now out of fear, but as soon as I heard the voice, I relaxed. “Axel, it-it’s-”

“Elle,” replied the last Witch as she emerged from the trees.