The Night Of The Comet

That afternoon, as I looked at myself in the mirror while getting ready, I asked myself how did I managed to survive my family's slaughter. I tied my red curls in a bun and pulled the hood of the black cloak over my head. It used to be my father's. He had put a spell on it that allowed anyone who used it to blend with the shadows, which came in handy for what I wanted to do. After my parents died, I was rescued by the witch guard, who had taken me into The Stronghold, a supposedly safe haven for witchkind. But I was a free spirit, and the High Witch's dictatorship wasn't gonna cut it for me. So when I was old enough, I took my things and left, abandoning magic to live freely among the humans. I hadn't done any magic in the ten years since I had left The Stronghold.

I was probably crazy for going out into the wood at night. I wouldn't be able to get back into the city until dawn, when they lifted the vampire protections, so I was open game for any vampire who might be lurking. But I had to do it; that night was the night the comet Agora would pass for the first time in a hundred years. According to my father, the old gods had used the magic from the comet's passing to give the first witches their power. He had named me after it because he believed it would bring me good luck, and maybe that's why I had survived. As I walked through the woods, every shadow, from every tree seemed like a vampire that was ready to jump out at me. My legs were shaking so hard that I couldn't walk fast enough, but I needed to get to the top of that hill before the comet reached its summit. Suddenly, I heard rustling, violent thrashing and cursing coming from the clearing right ahead of me, right in the middle of my way to the hill. I crouched behind a tree to better see what was going on, but all could see where three shadows fiercely battling each other, moving so fast that when they collided with the other their mashed into a blurry blob.

When they finally separated, I saw three young men; two of them against the third, who still managed to put up a good fight. The two assailants gave him no quarter, they went after the young man sinking their claws into his flesh, blood splattering everywhere. One of the attackers had spiky black hair, while the other one was bald, but both their eyes were as black as night, and their skin gray and cracked, like moldy wallpaper. As the moonlight reflected on their fangs I realized they were vampires, all of them. But the third one did not look like any of the vampires I had seen. He had fangs but other than that he looked completely normal, like me. It didn't matter, I had to get out of there before they saw me and drained me, but when I tried to my legs locked. No matter how hard I tried they wouldn't move. My attention turned back to the young man they were attacking; crouched in a defensive stand, he seemed ready to face the new wave of attacks, btu the wounds on his arms and face seemed serious, and they were bleeding profusely. I knew I needed to go, but watching the scene brought back memories from the night my parent's night. The gut-wrenching screaming, the blood, the shadows. My hands began to burn as hot as if I had put them over a burner and before I could stop myself I was standing between the two assailants and their victim. The burning sensation moved up from my arms until it engulfed me completely until my whole body was on fire and I wasn't me anymore.

"Oh this is rich!" The bald one said. "We get to get rid of the traitor AND have ourselves a witch smoothie."

But while before I was shaking in my boots, now I felt absolutely nothing more than this fire burning so hot it irradiated out of me.

"Leave." I said in a grave, deep voice that didn't sound like my own.

"Leave?" The one with spiky hair said. "Oh no little one, the fun is only getting started."

The fire's intensity grew to the point where the heat was so scorching that I felt my skin melting off. I closed my eyes and gave myself away to it.

"Adolabitque." The words left my mouth and were met by agonizing screams.

I opened my eyes to see the two vampires burning and screaming as the flesh burned off their bones until they were nothing more than two piles of smoking ashes disappearing into the fog that covered the ground. I dropped to my knees too, completely drained by the effort. It was the first time in ten years that I had used magic.

"Whoa, are you okay?" The young man ran up to me. He put his arms around me and helped me get up. I immediately recoiled in panic, holding my paws up to him and ready to burn him to a crisp.

"No please, wait. I won't hurt you." He begged.

"Like I'm gonna take the word of a vampire!"

But oddly enough, there was something in his eyes that rang true. Still I knew I couldn't be deceived just by perception, or because he looked different than the other vamps I had seen. I raised my palms.

"No!" He freaked out.

"Veridicus."

The young man let out a high-pitched shriek and fell backwards into the fog.

"Oh, please. You're all right." I said, rolling my eyes.

"What the hell did you do to me?"

"I enchanted your lips so you can't lie to me. Now, tell me, who are you?"

"Hakan." The answer was instant, and I could tell he was surprised by how effortlessly they left his mouth.

"Why were they trying to kill you?"

"They wanted to stop me from warning the witches. Their clan is going to attack The Stronghold tonight."

"Really? A single clan is going to go against the heaviest guarded witch encampment in the world? Do you know what the High Witch can do to your friends?"

"They're not my friends. They have someone on the inside and by the time your precious High Witch gets wind of what's happening, it'll be too late; four hundred vampires would have already gone through half the city's population."

"But you're a vamp. Shouldn't you be jumping at the opportunity to drain my kind and walk in the sun?"

"That's bullshit! Witch blood does not make vampire walk in the sun. It might make them resistant for a while, but that shit corrupts our bodies. My clan feeds only on humans; willing humans."

"No, that's not right. Vampires can't feed without killing, it's in your nature. You're born off the shadows."

"And witches from the wood gods? Like your kind is innocent. You've burned vampire nests full of innocent vamps; kids who had never touched a witch in their lives! You tell me who's the beast now." He furiously clapped back.

What Hakan was telling me clashed with everything I had ever been told, but it couldn't be lies. And if it was true, then I just couldn't walk away and let four hundred vampires storm The Stronghold and push witchkind to annihilation.

"Fine. I'll help you get into The Stronghold."

"Wait, what?" Hakan replied, confused.

"It's not like the witch guard will let you waltz into the city! Look, you said they are attacking any time tonight, well on foot we are one hour away from The Stronghold, so we have no times to waste.

"Not necessarily. Hop on my back; I'll get us there in half the time."

Never in my life would I have thought I'd be hopping into a vampires back like he was my best friend, let alone that I sneak said vampire into The Stronghold. But Hakan was right; using his vampire speed would buy us precious time we needed to get the High Witch to prepare for the incoming attack and hunt for the traitor in her midst. So I climbed on his back an in a second we were speeding towards the city.

The Stronghold had very strict rules. You see, you couldn't walk in without invitation and once in there, you could never leave unless you were exiled. And if you were in fact exiled and you dare set a foot back into the city, you would surely be executed. Also, you couldn't trade with or receive anything from the outside. But almost as long as there have been rules, there have been people willing to break them, and the hidden tunnels were created mainly for smuggling things in and out of the city. That was our only chance to get in; it was the way I had used to get out.

"Everything okay?" Hakan asked before we went into the tunnel.

"Yeah. Uhm, it's just-" I sighed, my whole body shaking with a mixture of fear and nervousness.

"Scared of going into a dark tunnel with the evil vampire?"

"Shut up and move."

The exit closest to the High Witch's manor was right in the middle of the farmer's market. I needed to get Hakan through the crowd without anyone noticing his distinctive fangs.

"Here. Put this on." I took off my cloak and put it over Hakan, pulling the hood over his head to make sure it was unnoticeable.

"Isn't this a little too weird?"

Ignoring him, I slid the loose stone that led out into the alley street and then we slipped into the crowd. It wasn't uncommon for witches and warlocks to use cloaks, especially if they were hoping to concealed contraband gotten through the tunnels, so Hakan was able to perfectly blend into the crowd. Still, we needed to find a less traveled route because I could still be recognized, so we took the back alleys. My heart raced as time went by; we had managed to get into The Stronghold, but I had no idea if we could get to the High Witch on time. I needed some time to figure out our next steps, so we went into a warehouse space that seemed to be empty.

"You wanted into The Stronghold? We're right in the middle of it. Now I need you to help me figure out what to do next."

"I thought you had all the answers witchy." Hakan mocked me.

"Okay, my name's not witchy, it's Agora. And no, I never thought I would get into this god forsaken place again, let alone with someone like-"

"Me?" He completed. "It's okay, you can say it. I didn't think I would ever be in this position either. But it's vamps like this that have caused the rest of us to live in fear; if they succeed, whatever witches and warlocks are left, they'll come for us, all of us. I have a family I want to protect you know."

"Earlier, what you said about witch's blood, it reminded me of something I read on my dad's journal. Something about the corruption of magic; how you can't be connected to both the wood gods and the shadows."

"What do you mean?"

"I think if witch's blood can corrupt vamps, then vamp blood can corrupt witches; sever their bond with nature."

Hakan opened his mouth to say something when suddenly the door was kicked down. We jumped and turned to see witch guard soldiers pouring in and behind them, the High Witch herself. Her black hair styled in a intricate braid pattern and her long, imperial looking, green and yellow robes. Just like I remembered her.

"Agora Pendragon!" She roared at me. "What possessed you to bring this foul creature into our community?"

"Ma'am, he has important information. A vampire clan is going to attack the city tonight. Someone inside the city will allow them in."

The Hight with let out a roaring cackle.

"A traitor? And who, pray tell, is this person?" She pointed directly a Hakan.

"I don't know." He shamefully admitted.

"You have been deceived by this creature to learn our weaknesses. But he won't leave here alive to tell what he had learned."

As the guards move towards us an Hakan kept yelling for the High Witch to pay attention., I felt the fire from back in the forest begin overcoming me again. The memories then started floating back; I was seven again and hiding in the cupboard, but this time instead of shadows, I saw the High Witch and two of her guards restraining my parents.

"You're an abomination. Not only you created this senseless, but you have condemned your people to be slaughtered and all for what? So you can live forever?"

"Where are your records?" The High Witch roared at my father.

"You won't get away with it. All that vampire blood in you, you're not even a witch anymore. You can kill us now, but someday someone will stop you."

I watched as the High Witch tore out my father's throat in a single slash, effortlessly, before moving on to my mother and dispatching her almost as quickly as she did my mother. The blood splashed my face as drop broke through the cracks of the cupboard I was hiding in. When I came back into consciousness, I was being held by two guard in the town's square, while Hakan was restrained with silver chains, on display for the whole city to see.

"It was you!" I yelled at the High Witch on her palanquin. "You killed my parents and started the war!"

A flash of terror passed through the High Witches eyes, however, before she could say anything to defend herself or deny it, the whole square erupted into screaming as vampires descended upon the crowd. Blood began flowing on the street like rivers and everyone ran for cover. I used to commotion to lose my guards and ran up to Hakan.

"Stand still." I said. "Praemium!" The chains exploded at my command.

"Thanks." He said. "Now, let's go save everyone else."

The High Witch was already making her escape, but she was too far away for us to reach her through the fighting. I looked at the sky and saw the comet passing right above me, burning in a purple shimmer. I felt the energy growing inside me, burning me, but this time I wasn't afraid.

"Ignis." The fire left my body and whirled around the square, then it rose up to the sky creating fiery barriers.

The vampires stopped their attacks, squirming in terror at the sight of the flames. The comet was no longer in the sky, but in me; I was the comet.

"What the hell is this?" The High Witch emerged from her palanquin, her eyes wild with astonishment and disbelief. I stood in front of her, unafraid.

"Save us!" The crowd yelled.

"She can't." I calmly said in a voice that didn't sound like my own. "She has no magic. You have corrupted your body by drinking vampire blood and forfeited you magic."

"That is preposterous! You can't believe these lies." She tried defending herself.

"Then stop her." Hakan challenged her. "You know all that thing about witch's blood and walking in the sun is bullshit, and still you spread the rumor; what better way to get vamp bodies than a war."

Whispers rose from the crowd as the High Witch's inability to defend herself became apparent. She launched at Hakan, bearing her fangs and black claws, when a ray of the breaking dawn hit her on the face. She shrieked in pain.

"Vampires, you won't get what you came for. Go tell everyone what you've seen here." I ordered the flames down, and all vampires ran out as fast as their legs allowed them, hoping to find cover from the dawn.

"I want to stay. You saved my life, twice. It is yours now High Witch Agora." Hakan said.

"What are you orders?" One of the soldiers asked me.

"Let the sun take care of her."

I took my father's cloak out of the old HighWitch's palanquin and pulled it over Hakan to protect him from the sun. As wewatched, we felt our old lives burning away with the old High Witch and herminions. We had a new responsibility; we were the only ones that could end thewar once and for all and we wouldn't stop until the truth of what had happenedthe night of the comet reached all the corners of the world.