Chapter 1

"Beware! Else, a greater 'she' shall rule your land!"

The air was heavy with incense as the witches sat in a drawn circle that glowed strangely and continued their chants, oblivious to their surroundings. It was raining heavily in sheets, thunder and lightning crackled the night sky alongside the shrill sounds of the ravens who circled continuously above the heads of the witches, giving the throne room a shrill and foreboding presence. They hummed and chanted to a point of delirium, thereby leaving the king in a tensed state. Nervous. Anticipating.

'she will awaken the treasured gifts, her time shall come. Blood for tears, glory for shame! For she whose hair shall be the mirror of night and day shall usurp your throne. In her hands, the three great kingdoms of the goddess shall unite as one."

Robed in purple linen, his majesty, King Vladimir, protector of the kingdom of Byra and guardian of the "Four Tiger Swords" was indeed a handsome king in his late forties, with eyes the color of molten gold and dirty blonde locks that contrasted greatly to his own skin which was tanned from being a seasoned warrior. He looked furious.

Appalled by the prophecy, the King rose up in shock, walked down from his throne, and asked the witches,

" Where will she be born?"

The ravens cawed and flapped their wings noisily and continued circling the witches. Lavender, the voice of the coven, young and blessed with enchanting beauty, of a slim build with raven black curly hair and eyes alluring with the swirling colors of silver and blue, was adorned in a black robe that swayed around her legs, a color that stood out against her pale skin and blended with her dark raven tresses, replied the king;

"she's the keeper of the goddess's treasured gifts, she's of noble birth, blue blood, and powerful. Her rule shall be a reign never to be erased in the sands of time. To whoever her heart shall belong, greatness, strength, and prowess shall he bear. Never to be defeated! Never to be slain in war! Never to be smitten by poison! Unbeatable. Strength. Power. She's the true keeper! She's the chosen one! She's the goddess of truth! The goddess reincarnated symbol of desire!"

Enraged, by this the king flung his chalice across the hall, spilling its contents upon the witches who stopped chanting. Apart from the noise of the rain that fell against the hard floors and windows outside the throne room and the ravens whose wings flapped with their continuous swirling motions, the entire palace was filled with dreadful silence.

"GET ME HER HEAD! King Vladimir roared.

Lightning flashed the night sky giving the king's facial features a bloodthirsty expression. 'she must not be born! I'll make sure of that! In fact, curse be upon the kingdom from where she shall be brought forth to this world. Peril and agony shall be the lifelong meal of the family she shall be born into. This is a promise I swear upon my throne. King Vladimir's eyes were bloodshot with fury as he stared into space oblivious of the shocked expressions on the face of the witches.

Lavender, though the youngest amongst the witches, approached the king. Bold. Not intimidated by the king's fury she looked up at him and stared into his eyes relentlessly. With a smirk on her heart-shaped lips, she asked "can one who is a reincarnation of one of the goddess's prized symbols ever be killed?"

Thunder crackled the night sky giving it an eerily feel. The curtains flapped noisily against the windows in tune with the wind which made hollow noises. The witches whispered, surprised at Lavender's audacity and scared of king Vladimir's fury, they watched the King and Lavender carefully.

Lavender started laughing as soon as king Vladimir's expression changed and realization dawns on him as soon as he understood the implication of her words. His face became blanched and pale. His hands twitched in fury longing for a dagger to strike through the heart of the young witch.

Lavender laughed and walked out of the throne room, the other witches followed her suit while the ravens cawed and flew alongside the witches. King Vladimir was stupefied at the young witch's show of courage and the silent threat behind the last words she said to him.

"Fetch me Lord Klaus" he roared to his guards while leaving the throne room to the war room which was quite adjacent to his departed throne room.

*****

Fear! Pain! Bloodlust!

The three words and grim images that comes to the mind of anyone who steps into the war room for the first time.

Pacing continuously from one end of the room to another far end, like a caged lion, King Vladimir swore and threw around any object he could lay his hand on. With his sturdy gait and broad shoulders which looked formidable complementing his physique, he ran his hands over his face. Upon feeling the scar on his face which cut across from his beneath his nose to underneath his left eye and added a sinister grim to his facial features, King Vladimir roared in fury.

Arrayed with various sophisticated weapons of warfare, the walls of the war room stands out as formidable alongside the skulls, tusks, teeth, and skin of various dangerous creatures hung across it, with blood stains littered on the walls and across the ceiling.

His highness, king Vladimir exhausted, sat at the head of the mahogany table, designed with; intricate carvings and skulls of little animals. He is furious and stares into space, quite lost in thoughts.

The neigh of a skittish horse is heard a few distances away from the war room. The noise snapped king Vladimir back to the present, he looks towards the door, expectant. Flapping across the curtain to have an audience with the king is Lord Klaus, obviously drenched by the downpour that continued in massive sheets outside, he rubs his hands over his brown locks in an attempt to reduce the amount of water his dark locks garnered from the rainfall. Though of a slim build, he is quite tall and the muscles on his arms and legs made up for his slim nature, he looks formidable and daring. He's the king's adviser. Looking at king Vladimir's facial expression sent warning signals to him.