Lunara moved closer to Alice, and unlike what Alice expected to feel she felt safer rather than afraid. Everything inside the palace reflected something completely different from what she may have expected. She thought a witch realm would be darker, gothic and reeking but it was magical from the first hand.
"You look nervous" said Lunara.
"I am"
"Well" she said and placed her arm under Alice's hand "You don't have to be Alice. This is the safest place you will ever be"
"What is this place?"
"It's heaven…"
"Heaven?"
Lunara softly chuckled and when they arrived at her drawing room, two male witch servants in black suits came up with a tiara and she took it and placed it on her head. "How do I look Alice?"
"Ummh, good?"
"Right. Sit"
Alice took a sit close to Lunara and the male witches disappeared. She was shocked at first of their magical disappearance but she held it together firmly.
"Do you know why I called you here?"
"You called me?" asked Alice.
"Yes, the sacrifice when you die. You come to me and that's why you are here"
"I'm dead?"
"Come on Alice, but nothing to worry your pretty little head. You will be back in no time, but first we need to talk. I want you to do something for me and you will do it without hesitating…"
**************************************
Back on Earth, Nina and Hawaii who just arrived at Chicago were spinning after hearing the shocking news of the sacrifice and that Antonio was related to Nazar. Hawaii couldn't care less about that but the whereabouts of Alice who was dead.
"We have to go back!"
"What for? It has already happened and she's dead" said Nina.
"She's not dead, how can I live with myself knowing I couldn't protect her?"
"You haven't been able to do so for centuries. Hawaii, she always dies don't you get that by now"
"I am going back, if you want to hang on here in Chicago then do it but I can't…"
He took out his bag and opened the door but then he found his ex, the witch who they had come for. She was called Regina, a black beautiful woman in her late twenties but she has lived way more than that, almost two hundred years but she doesn't look a day over thirty. She was wearing a short black dress, gold necklace, a colorful scarf with red heels.
Hawaii was shocked upon her entrance, Nina didn't tell him that she had contacted her and gave her their hotel address. "Hey playboy" said Regina and proceeded inside leaving Hawaii jaw dropped by all the surprises that he's had for a day alone.
Nina stood up and she hugged Regina.
"I have missed you…" said Nina between the hug.
"And so I have you. How are you doing?"
"Not so good..."
They broke the hug and sat close to each other. Hawaii closed the door and walked back, he sat on a table while the ladies were on the chairs. He couldn't get enough of how young and hot Regina was, he was furious but then he couldn't control himself from smiling.
"Regina? You look exactly like how I left you" He said with a grin on his face.
"Don't worry, herbs and spells make me younger but it should catch up to me one day"
"When I came here to see you, I thought you'll be in diapers and not even being able to move but…"
"I can tell you are disappointed"
"Oh no, more like aroused!"
Nina intervened "Tell me everything I need to know about the sacrifice and Nazar"
"If the sacrifice has already happened, that could only mean one thing"
"What?" asked Hawaii.
"That the descendant is with her Majesty now, the Queen Lunara of the witch realm"
"A witch realm?" Nina asked curiously.
"Yes" Regina answered and then she placed her hand on air, and a huge book magically landed on the palm of her hand.
"I see you learnt some new tricks"
"Shut up Hawaii"
She opened the book which had a lot of words and symbols, but written in another language which no modern man can understand. It was the witch language.
"What's this book? Another grimoire?" Nina asked.
"A grimoire has spells, but this…" She opened a page, then she said "We call it the Savior, it has all the tales of witches dating back to thousands of years. Even the spell of how Lunara created the first vampire is here, and a werewolf"
"It's old"
"Ancient is the word you are looking for I guess"
Hawaii cleared his throat and said "Can we get to the part where I can save my dead girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend?" Regina mocked him with a smile.
"Yes, my girlfriend Regi. Are you jealous?"
"Boy please, jealous of a vampire's ransom. She will always be a liability as long as she lives. Her fate is what makes her life meaningless, she will always be wanted for something. A curse to break, a bridge to form or simply just to recreate more powerful vampires"
"What do you mean more powerful vampires?" Hawaii asked with a bitter look on his face.
"It's what she wants. She wants to create a powerful kind which can replace all of you, a kind which will need to her command only. She calls them, the spectators" She said and dragged her attention to Nina "They are coming Nina"
"When?" He asked and Regina just looked at him with no answer.
Hawaii stood up, stared at Regina and walked away. It may seem like reality hit him hard considering the fact it was all true. The room which they were in had twin beds and a small living room with two sofas, and a Tv attached on a wall.
"Alice right now, she is at the hands of Lunara. Her blood now is pure after the sacrifice; you see she was never against Nazar being awakened. In fact, she was longing for it, and every time vampires messed it up she produced another descendant. Giving them countless of chances to do it" explained Regina holding Nina's hands close to hers.
"I always wondered why after every hundred years a new descendant appears. Now I know"
"I can seal you, and him. I can protect you against them. Because she is going to release hell on Earth. Wiping all the vampires, claiming you guys are an abomination of nature. Don't deserve to be roaming on Earth"
Nina stood up suddenly confused, hands on her waist and spinning. Everything was new to her and it was like all the centuries that she lived meant she didn't know anything at all. She didn't know about Antonio, or Nazar or even Lunara and all that she was told were myths and folklore.
Regina held it firmly and quietly looking at her best friend, waiting for her to absorb it all and come to her senses.
"How many witches does she have?" Nina finally asked.
"She controls both, the living and the dead witches at once. All the covens worship her; they are so willing to bring out the spectators here"
Nina sat down again "But in every spell, there must be a loophole right?"
"Right"
"Then we must find the loophole for whatever she's creating right now"
"Nina, you don't understand do you? It's done!"
"What's done?"
"The spell, as long as Alice remains dead for twenty-four hours that's all she needs to make them"
'What if she awakens?" asked Nina.
And before Regina could answer, she raced to her phone which was on her purse and quickly dialed Amiya's number. Regina stood up not knowing what was going on, Nina kept saying "Pick up Miya, pick up…"
"Who are you calling?"
"Amiya, she's my friend…and a witch"
"Oh!"
Amiya picked up the phone, but she was sleepy and it was 3 am.
"Hello" She said with a sleepy and tiring voice.
"Amiya, are you asleep?"
"Yes"
"I need you to wake up and go fetch Alice. If you don't, Lunara is using her to make these powerful immortal vampires called spectators and they will kill us all…" Nina said it in a hurry and almost a sort of panic.
But to her disappointment, Gladys who was beside her granddaughter took out the phone while Amiya fell into deep slumber because of the herbs she was given by her granny. Gladys knew what was to be done, that's why she told Amiya to leave Alice at the sacred ground and then have her witches transferring her inside their haunted place which was granted to them by the Sheriff in return for them to expose the vampires.
"You are too late child, we will always get what we want" She said to the phone and she could hear Regina's voice on the other end asking who she was.
"Who are you?" asked Nina.
"Who am I? I am the panicle center of it all, and from now on we are no longer interested in doing vampires business. My granddaughter will no longer help vampires"
"Gladys?"
"Yes, you remember me don't you Ninarivera?"
Gladys hang up the phone with a smile and went back to sleep, but Nina was so shocked and in like unbelievable of what she just heard.
"What is it?" Regina asked after seeing her friend's mood completely changed after just one call.
"I have to go back"
"Now?"
"Yes, right now. I have to fetch Hawaii"
"What about Antonio? Isn't he still in town? He wants to kill you Nina"
"I am well aware of that Regina, and perhaps you can come with me and do that sell spell on us. Because, war is already here…" She said, took her bag and barged outside while Regina tried to keep up.
They found Hawaii outside smoking and he didn't even say anything, he got inside the driver's seat and they all drove back to Warlington.
There is a dark story between Gladys and Nina dating back to the times when she was in Georgia, 1824 owning a huge plantation with over two hundred slaves. She was the only mistress in the whole town without a husband, and constantly introducing herself a widow.
Gladys being a black woman, was one of her loyal slave and correspondent. She followed her everywhere she went and told her every secret, and in turn Gladys felt safe to tell hers too. Ever since Nina knew Gladys was a witch, she used her for protection spells and some matters like daylight rings for newbie vampires she was creating. She knew Antonio was always going to come for her and she needed an army, a loyal army of vampires and witches.
But the vampires she was creating, lost control of blood and they wreak havoc of the town. Killing the locals and leaving them drained off blood on the streets, one afternoon it had being reported that a village was ambushed by almost twenty vampires who killed every one including infants and kids. People couldn't go out because of fear of being killed, slaves who had no choice but to work were killed by numbers in the field.
Gladys had enough of it and she confronted Nina who was in her drawing room thinking about how to stop the chaos. She was in an 18th century grey dress made up by linen fabrics, only rich women of that time had access to those type of fabrics.
"This has to stop mistress!" She said to Nina.
"I know, and I'm thinking Gladys…"
"Less thinking and more doing mistress. They have killed half the village; these aren't vampires there are rippers. I will put an end to them, my brothers and sisters die everyday"
"What will you do?"
"I shall cast a spell, to lure all vampires in a cave and I'll set them on fire"
Nina panicked, she didn't want that "No you will not do such thing Gladys, they are my army"
"They are murderers and I'll put an end to them" Gladys shouted back at Nina and when she wanted to open the door.
Nina made a mistake of racing to her with an intention of biting her but she was caught up and brought to her knees by magic.
"Pristas heyfur haiiii…pristas heyfur haiiii" Gladys chanted a spell and touched Nina's forehead. She fainted and off she walked away.