Lunar's Curse

All I could hear was screaming, incoherent screaming and pain lanced through my head and body. I was on fire—being bitten repeatedly by thousands of snakes. They were relentless and no matter how loud I screamed and how long the torture went on, I was still alive. When would it be over? When? WHEN?

“Myra!”

A distant familiar voice called out my name. I'm here, I wanted to say but I my lungs and mouth wouldn't form coherent words. I'm here.

“Myra!” A hand—a tangent hand, reached out and grabbed my shoulder, jarring me out of the nightmare. My eyes snapped open and I gasped, realizing that I had barely been able to breath.

I wasn't in a cozy bed anymore. In fact, I didn't know where in the Witch town I was. We were now in the middle of the town and small cottages not unlike Meredith's were everywhere. Looking around, I caught no sight of the small stream near Meredith's cottage. How had I gotten here? A very tiny cottage stood in front of me. Other than the cottage, there was a brown-haired boy grasping my shoulders, blue eyes wide with concern.

“Quatan?” I asked slowly. My voice was perfectly fine and I didn't feel like I had been screaming for hours as my nightmare indicated.

“Myra! What in the world are you doing! I looked out the window for a second and saw your figure heading out! What are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed?”

“What am I doing?” I wondered out loud. “I fell asleep and now I'm...here. I'm not a sleep walker.”

“Well let's get back anyways,” Quatan said almost angrily, his fingers slid down to my wrist and he jerked for towards him as he began to walk. His fingers were so tight that I cried out. “Sorry,” he mumbled, instantly letting go of me. “Sorry,” he said again but it didn't seem like he was saying sorry about the same thing.

Our eyes met and my heart thudded against my chest. “Quatan...”

Before either of us could say anything else, the door to the cottage we were standing in front of creaked open. I jumped and turned around to face a shrivelled old woman in dirty rags with her white hair tied into a grey bun at the door. Her grey eyes looked alarmingly out of place. They were large and looked too healthy and young for her appearance.

She stared at us unabashedly and I wondered if she would take us to Xavier. Quatan let out a soft curse at her appearance. We weren't supposed to let anyone see us. Would I be able to erase her memory or something? I didn't want to waste my energy now.

“Oh my,” the woman said, her voice sounding surprisingly young for someone of her age. “It seems I've got visitors.”



The old lady didn't listen to out sounds of protest and ushered us into the cottage. We didn't want to be rude so we complied, thinking it would only be a few minutes before we could go back to Meredith's cottage. By the way she was acting, I was pretty sure that she didn't know of the Catlin's orders for us back in their grasp.

“It's not everyday someone visits,” she said even though we clearly had not been there to visit her. “I'm Lunar. And you two are...?” She squinted at us.

“Myra,” I said quickly. The faster we answered her questions, the faster we would be out of here. “And this is Quatan. We really have to go back to our cottage soon,” I added though she ignored the last part.

Quatan nodded in agreement, his eyes still fixed on the closed door.

“Quatan?” Lunar asked incredulously, her voice going higher. “As in Quatan Catlin?” The way she could sound like a young girl was a stark contrast to her appearance. It was unsettling to look at her while she was talking.

Quatan's eyes turned to look at Lunar sharply. “No,” he said, a laugh coming to his lips. “As in Quatan Loy.”

Lunar's lips curled up in a smile that sent shivers down my pine for a reason I couldn't place my finger on and the air felt much colder. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself, my tattered t-shirt from so long ago felt thinner than it had been moments earlier.

“How...tenacious,” Lunar finished.

Quatan's brows furrowed in confusion and we exchanged looks. I had no idea what she meant by that and I didn't really want to stay and find out. Lunar didn't have the same grandmotherly smile or voice.

“Um, Lunar,” I said, stumbling over her name. “We really have to go now. It was nice—”

“No!” Lunar shouted, her voice going lower so she sounded more like a powerful Witch than a child throwing a tantrum. It shocked us into silence and she continued. “You cannot leave! You will fail in this place and I will make sure of that! You will lose and my night creatures will prevail!” She tilted her head back and laughed—a deep guttural laugh.

Quatan cursed out loud, his eyes widening with realization. “Wait, aren't you the prophet? Lunar... The one who cursed the Lamia bloodline? You're supposed to be dead!”

Lunar smiled and my blood ran cold. “Oh my darling Prince, I'm a prophet. I was blessed by the Âme themselves. Never thought you would be reborn into a fierce and defiant boy. Though you are still as charming as when I met you. I never thought you would be a full Sorcerer in your next life though you had already been as powerful as a half-Sorcerer in your previous one, Prince.”

Quatan stared at her in confusion but I knew what she meant. I had been denying this possibility for the longest time. Partially because it would be partly Quatan's fault for the rose of the Vampires and partly because Quatan was not a naive person. He couldn't be the Prince of the legends that fell heads-over-heels for Eternal and plunged this world into eternal darkness. It couldn't be him.

“Yes, Quatan Loy,” she said, mocking his surname. “Deny it as you may but your heart knows the truth. Why else would you be having dreams about a red-haired, green-eyed woman? And why else would you have fallen for her? You,” she advanced on Quatan like a snake closing in on their prey, “are the failure, naive Prince. It is you.”

Quatan stood up. “I'm not listening to this insanity you're speaking. No way in hell could I be a person like him.” His voice was full of undisguised disgust. “I can't.” But there was a tremor of doubt in his tone and that was all Lunar needed.

“How can you explain that odd attraction to that Lamia girl?” she said, motioning towards me, still frozen in my seat. “How can you explain your unbidden desires towards the Lamia bloodline and your saviour?”

With that line, Lunar spun around and walked towards me with a grace a woman of her age couldn't possibly have. “Myra. Myra Eva Lamia,” she sneered at me.

“How do you know my full—” Lunar cut me off.

“The initials. MEL. Mel. You are Mel, the legendary Âme who ultimately betrayed her kind and reborn the one who cursed their lands. You took Quatan Catlin's punishment for him—a millennium of suffering for the eternal night you put them in. It was you.”

So I really was her. But could I trust the ramblings of an inane prophet or whatever she called herself? I couldn't be so naive but my gut feeling told me otherwise and there was a sinking feeling in my stomach that told me the truth. I always had to trust my instincts. Especially since the Hurting but that hadn't happened for what felt like a long time.

“Shame on you two, re-birthing and finally having your blasphemous relationship. I'm here to stop that amongst other things.”

“What?” I spluttered. “Because of what?”

“A few things,” Lunar responded simply. “One, I admire my work done on the night creature you call Vampires. They declare themselves independent and superior but they wouldn't have existed if not for my cast on Eternal.”

I glared at her. She was the root of all our problems. If only Eternal had remembered she would come back so Eternal could kill her again.

“I like to take credit for the curses I give. They used to call it Lunar's Curse but that's archaic now. It's either Lunar's Gift or nothing at all. Sad how they don't give me credit anymore. But I still can't let you destroy my new creation. I've noticed the announcements from the King and Queen. A little anonymous tip form dear old Lunar in the right direction would help them a whole lot, don't you think?” A nefarious grin spread across her face and it was even worse than Xavier's.

“No!” Quatan cried. “You can't—”

“But I already have,” Lunar said simply. “And unlike other prophets and Witches before me, I am immortal thanks to my blessing with the Âme. Only the Seul Âme sunlight can kill me but that's not to worry.” She sipped her tea like we were all having a pleasant chat about the weather.

She wouldn't be immortal when I found a way to destroy Eternal but time was already running out. How was it possibly to destroy the essence of the first Lamia? Or maybe that wasn't on my agenda at all. Maybe I just needed to escape and seal the Realms...somehow.

Quatan stormed towards the door, apparently having enough of her nonsense. I was about to follow too but she flicked her hand and a ripple went through the air. The door was no longer a tangent block of wood—it was black fire now.

“Another reason I want you to fail is that I have always found Quatan...ah...attractive.” Before Quatan or I could cringe, Lunar snapped her fingers and her body changed. She was no longer a short, wrinkly, shrunken woman with white hair. She was utterly breath-taking. By the way Quatan suddenly looked at her, I knew he thought the same and felt an instant seductive pull towards her.

Her hair was luscious and golden, the wavy locks cascading down her exposed bare perfect back down to her slim waist. Her eyes were green—a lively, living shade of green that sparkled with seductive mischief. She was wearing a strapless ruby red dress that cut off at her thighs and her skin was clear. Her face was pointed and flawless. She was taller than she had been and her breast practically hung out from her chest. I could see Quatan's Adam apple bob as he swallowed.

“You want this,” she purred, her voice still the same that it had been earlier but somehow sounding more seductive. “You've been aching for a woman like this. A woman of your dreams. A woman to heed to your commands in bed, with an appearance like this..” She stepped closer to Quatan, who was frozen in place. “You want this.” She touched his cheek and wrapped her arm around him and he made no move to push her off. “You want me.”

Quatan shook his head, closing his eyes and snapping out of the trance. He refused to look at Lunar and instead, looked at me, jaw set firmly. “No,” he said, shoving Lunar away and she let out a noise of surprise. He walked towards me, his blue eyes meeting mine with such raw emotion that it nearly took all of my breath away.

“That's not really you. You're nothing but a fake. It shouldn't come as a surprise that I prefer real women over a fabricated body.” That was directed at Lunar though Quatan was still looking at me with an intense expression that made my throat go dry and my hands turn shaky.

“I only have eyes for one person,” he said and leant forwards. Our lips were inches apart and his eyes stared directly into mine. I felt like we were suspended in time for a moment. I could either break this moment by turning away or I could allow...whatever was going to happen next, happen. I stood still, afraid that he would pull away but he didn't. He moved forward and time resumed.

Our lips pressed together softly and I held my breath. His arms slid around my waist and mine around his neck, pulling him closer to me, wanting to hold onto him forever. In truth, I forgot everything around me for the mere moment of bliss and nothing seemed to matter but this kiss. I could barely think through it. All I knew was that Quatan was kissing—finally and fully for the first time and that was all I cared about.

Until crackling laughter interrupted us and he pulled away, leaving me breathless, to see Lunar in her normal hag state again. “Have it your way,” she said. “But know that your friends are in trouble. Because of you.”

She laughed again and with a flick of her hand, she disappeared, just faded from sight.

“What's going to happen now?” I asked, my voice shaky after our kiss.

Quatan ran his hand through his hair and his brows furrowed. “Hunters. We're dead meat if we don't get out of here soon.”

In truth, I hadn't really been asking about that. I was asking about out kiss and whether it meant anything and what was becoming of us. He couldn't kiss me like that and just continue with normal life just like that. Or could he? Maybe he was lying. Why else would Quatan do that? It was to scare Lunar away. I was convenient.

Yes, the Cynical Vampiress Myra answered, and he thinks you're a monster. A bloodsucking monster.

My heart sank. Of course. What was I doing—kidding myself? This was just setting myself up for disappointment. It didn't matter if I was Mel and he was Quatan Catlin. We were different now. I knew him as Quatan Loy and I was Myra Lamia.

Quatan grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me out of the door, unworried about our fail romance at all which just proved he didn't care. “We have to get back to Meredith and the others,” he said.

Duh. It's life or death and you're worried about romance. Come on Myra, you'll deal with this later.

I nodded and Quatan led the way we had come from. It wasn't very far but it felt like forever. Partly because we were on a time limit now and partly because Quatan didn't say anything about what just happened. I didn't push him on it though—it didn't feel like the right time to ask. When we reached Meredith's cottage, the front door was bust open and I knew we were too late.

This didn't deter Quatan. He ran inside, pulling me after me and we were greeted by the sight of Rina holding Meredith in the air by her neck. Meredith's legs were dangling helplessly and her face was contorted with pain. Justine and Claire were slumped on the ground, eyes closed. My heart nearly stopped for a moment upon seeing them but they took in shuddering breaths and I knew they were still alive.

Rina turned her head to see us and a wide grin spread across her perfect lips. “Oh good, you've decided to reveal yourselves. I thought we would have to do it the hard way. I suppose we won't need our dear old traitor anymore.”

Before any of us could move forward or respond, Rina threw Meredith onto the linoleum floor faster than any normal human could. Meredith crashed onto the floor with a sickening crack. Her eyes were wide—staring into nothingness and black blood from her cracked skull stained the ground around her. I didn't have time to get sick—Rina was already advancing on us.

Not Meredith, I thought weakly. She had to still be alive somehow though I didn't know how that was possible.

I threw out my hand instinctively and imagined a line of fire between Rina and us. Rina merely laughed, not impressed by my antics.

“Try your best but in the end, you're only half of what I am!” she said, laughing deliriously. Claire and Justine stirred feebly.

“I'll get Claire and Justine,” Quatan murmured in my ear. “I still have a bottle of the strength concoction Meredith gave us.” I nodded in agreement and narrowed my eyes on Rina, trying not to be distracted by Quatan who was heading to Claire and Justine.

I thought Rina would intercept him and step through the fire but she didn't. She hissed but made no movement through the fire and that was when I knew that fire was deadly.

Of course—because Vampires burn in the sunlight. How could I forget?

“Since I'm in for a little entertainment, why don't we just fight by physical strength? Magic is for cowards anyways,” Rina said, smiling. But I knew what she was doing. She wanted this because she would have more experience and then she would have the upper hand. I wasn't going to be baited into doing that. I couldn't let my guard down just because I had pride.

“No,” I said. I was only half of her but I was also half Witch and that gave me the upper hand. “Your reign—you, the Catlins, the wolfen and the Vampires—it all ends now. Starting with you.”

Rina's eyes widened with fear—a foreign expression on her face. I flicked my hand, imagining the fire surrounding Rina in a circle before plunging in. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see it.

Rina screamed and there was a sickening sizzle as the fire met her dead skin. A burnt smell filled the air and I tried not to gag for fear that the fire would dissolve while I was distracted.

Finally, Rina's screams seized and I allowed myself to open my eyes and drop my concentration. The fire dissipated and there was nothing but black ashes in Rina's place. The smell of burning flesh still filled the air and I fell onto my knees and started to dry retch, nothing coming out of my mouth.

“Myra,” Quatan said, suddenly standing beside me. Justine and Claire looked all right and I watched as Quatan dumped the empty energy concoction that Meredith had made for us in Rina's ashes.

Meredith.

Oh God.

I whimpered, wrapping my arms around my legs and rocked back and forth. I had just killed someone. Someone had died for me too. The more I thought about it, the more sick I got.

“Myra,” Quatan murmured, placing a tentative hand on my shoulder. “We have to go now.”

I nodded and shut my eyes, allowing myself three seconds of weakness. One. I took in a shuddering breath and a few stray tears escaped. Two. I wiped my eyes and gave Rina's ashes and Meredith's dead body one last look. Three.

I stood up, taking another breath. I was ready. Whatever happened was the past and life went on. I nodded at my friends. “Let's go.”