Stars shining bright
Moon up so high
You will always be mine, mine
Darling forever
You will always be mine, mine
In Vadina
In my heart.
It was the song again, the one she kept hearing in her dreams. Amora turned from side to side as she heard the song over and over again. This time, it was quite confusing because she had never heard the words to the song before , she only saw and heard the faceless lady humming the song. She could hear the song still even after her eyes flew open and she was conscious and not in her dreams anymore.
Stars shining bright
Moon up so high
You will always be mine, mine
Darling forever
You will always be mine, mine
In Vadina
In my heart.
She heard it again and began to feel restless trying to get the song out of her head, but it was like the song had escaped her head and was now like a cloud in her room sounding louder and louder each time it was repeated. There was something different this time, it wasn't the humming voice she was used to hearing, but a different one. One that made her want to go mad with each rift of the song, one that was calling out to her and she could hear it closer.
Stars shining bright
Moon up so high
You will always be mine, mine
Darling forever
You will always be mine, mine
In Vadina
In my heart.
"Get out of my head" she said to herself as she blocked her ears from hearing but the voice seems to pierce through her blockade and forced her to listen to the melodious and hypnotizing voice.
She suddenly began to feel hot within her body. "Damnit! I'm tired of hearing this song" she grumbled as she walked to her window and opened it. As she opened the window, the song came again, this time louder and backed up by the gentle noise of the flowing stream. The song came again three more times, Amora stood transfixed at the spot listening trying to pick where the voice was coming from. The voice stopped singing and began talking to itself about being far away from home. With a sad sigh, the voice picked up again with the song.
Amora knew there was something or someone down there at the stream but she wasn't seeing anyone and the moon was full, casting it's beautiful light on every part of the huge Daeva mansion. Amora felt an awkward pull towards what was down there as she listened to the voice continue it's singing. She withdrew into the room and paced around trying to decide whether to go check out what was there or just ignore it and blame it on her mind playing tricks on her.
Amora put on her hoodie over the light pajamas she was wearing and opened the door. The door made a slight creaking sound as she opened it. She hoped no one would hear her going down the stairs or leaving the mansion. She tiptoed carefully and avoided touching any of the enchanted furnitures that seemed to be watching her every move.
The cold night's air hit her face the moment she stepped out of the mansion into the gardens and back to the stream. She still heard the singing, this time much clearer than she had heard it in her chambers. She tiptoed with the aim of sneaking up on the singer but when she got there, she didn't see anyone but the voice still sang.
Stars shining bright
Moon up so high
You will always be mine, mine
Darling forever
You will always be mine, mine
In Vadina
In my heart.
Amora looked around but didn't find the owner of the voice. "Hello?! Is anyone there?" She asked but not too loudly so as not to draw attention of the sleeping members of the Daeva family. She asked again and immediately, the voice stopped singing and she could hear the water moving like someone was in it but she couldn't see anyone.
"I know you are somewhere around, please show yourself, I mean no harm" she said again looking around expecting to finally see a face peering at her but yet she saw nothing. She heard the water movements again and this time she was swift to turn around and caught a water figure in the stream. Immediately the figure saw her, it fell back into the water. Amora moved closer to the water and stooped. "I won't hurt you, whatever you are, my name is Amora" She said with calmness in her voice. She didn't hear any movement for some minutes and just as she was about to turn to leave, the figure came out and from the looks of it, Amora could tell that this being was female as she could see the breast outline, curves and watery hair.
" What are you?" She asked as she stared at the being who wouldn't say a word to her but stared back through her water eyes. "I'm Amora Daeva, I uh, live here" said Amora trying to strike a conversation with her but the being wouldn't say a word to her, so she turned and made to leave.
"My name is Aquata" Amora turned around as she heard the being speak only to find out that she was naked with her long Auburn hair. Her skin was smooth and Amora thought she was the most beautiful magical being she had seen so far in Vadina.
"Woah! You are naked" Amora said as she saw the naked girl.
"Yes, this is the form I take when I'm not in my other form , the water form which you saw" The girl said.
"You are very beautiful I must say, what are you? Who are you? What are you doing here? Are you a mermaid?" Amora asked all at once.
The girl burst into a laughter that surprised Amora. " My name is Aquata and no I am not a mermaid and this stream is where I live" Aquata replied not moving from the spot she stood in the stream.
"If you are not a mermaid, what are you then and why are you living in the stream behind my windows? Your song kept me awake"
" I am a water nature spirit, water nymph and I'm sorry if I disturbed your slumber" Amora noticed she bowed her head slightly as she apologized.
"Water nymph? Hmm never heard of that, why are you here?" Amora questioned again.
"I will tell you that Amora of house Daeva, but not now, I must go now and you must return to your chambers" Aquata said.
"When then?" Amora asked her again. "Come next midnight Amora, I'll tell you" With the last statement, she took her water form again and then sank back into the water.
Amora looked into the water to see if she could spot her but didn't see anything.
"Don't wear your eyes out Amora, I'm one with the water in my water form,you can't spot me so go now and be back by next midnight" Amora heard her voice from the waters.
"Water nymph! Hmmm, can this realm get anymore stranger?" She chuckled to herself and went back in , back to her chambers and fell straight into a deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
......
Lilith Thora Daeva sneaked out of the Daeva house just at the crack of dawn to avoid being questioned by anyone and also to avoid family breakfast where Grandma Daeva would constantly remind her of how unlady like she was. It sounded like an alarm each time. She had stopped appearing for family meals for some months now and she intended to keep it going for as long as she wished.
The breeze caressed her side shaved purple hair as walked on till she got to her hideout; a tree house where she and her mother Aashni Daeva had built as a sanctuary. Aashni Daeva was a weather user like her too but she also had witching powers that was passed down to her by her grandmother who was the grand-witch of the Desai family of witches and weather users. The Desai family, known for their powerful mixture of sorcery and weather magic in the entire Vadina. They formed a unique coven for themselves and the Lady Kimara Desai was the grand-witch of the coven. The weather users and witches could not be differentiated as each one could do the other either with spells or with the Desai absorbing stone that absorbs little of the weather users powers and grants it's wearer the power to control the weather.
Lilith climbed into the treehouse and sat on the fluffy couch there. The treehouse had a comfy bed, table and the open larder was filled with food Lilith had managed to steal from the kitchen when Lady Olette wasn't looking. She felt connected with her mother anytime she went there. The house was properly covered with the tree leaves but Lilith and her mother often thought that the house should remain invisible to anyone so the often did a concealing spell to hide the house away from prying eyes that saw through the canopy of leaves covering it initially. She opened the windows, it was dark outside as it was barely dawn when she sneaked out of house Daeva. Her mother's book of shadows laid on one of the chairs there. Lilith picked it up and her mother's Desai stone fell out onto her lap. She picked it up and put it round her neck and she felt closer to her mother. She opened the large book to perform a concealing spell on the treehouse, and she found the exact one she had always seen her mother use. Lilith was grateful that her mother passed on her sacred legacy of weathering-and-witchering to her and she missed her a great deal. Aashni had been killed by an unknown plague that spread across the entire Mystian lands eight years ago and Lilith's life tumbled, it crumbled as she had no one who understood and accepted her difference. She took a deep breath, lit the purple candle and began to recite the spell.
Chameleon dances in the fields
Binding, shifting, it's color it shields
Let my abode what they can not see
As I will it so mote it be
invisibilium nunra faciuntam.
Then there was a flash of purple lights from the candle which indicated that the house was already concealed. Lilith blew out the candle and went to the small bathing house that was carved at a corner and took a bath, disposing the bath water with a disappearing spell. She put on her mother's nightwear , laid on the bed and fell straight into a deep slumber, feeling at peace , connecting with her mother once more.
....
Lucretia paced back and forth in her chambers mumbling curses and blaming her errand demons for everything.
"Easy mi lady, I know you want the essence so badly to get powers but as it seems, the prophecy is wrong" Gregory, another walking dead spoke to the angry Lucretia.
"Don't make my anger worse Gregory" She yelled at the man.
"Calm! Calm my lady, for there is another way" said the man and that got Lucretia to turn facing him.
"What do you mean another way? The only way is an energy outburst from an essence and we don't have that and will never have that because the gods made a mistake in their silly-wizzy prophecy" Lucretia popped a cherry into her mouth still looking furious as she ate the little fruit.
"There is another way mi lady, there is another way but it takes longer to set up" Gregory was giving her a knowing smile now.
"Stop this nuisance at once Gregory, don't test my patience" She wagged a warning finger at the man.
"Easy easy my queen, you will get all the powers you want, all we need to do is the Lapisc red moon ritual"
"Oh Gregory! What do I do with your stupid mind? TheLapisc red moon ritual is only but a myth in children's sleepy time stories it can not be performed" Lucretia sounded frustrated now.
"Oh but my lady, I saw it in one of the scrolls while I was still alive. It is very much real mi lady, the red moon is due in a short while , I don't know when but I'll count the lunar dates. All we need to do is gather the objects for the ritual and perform it when the red moon is up, we already have one object for the ritual your grace" Gregory sounded very convincing and Lucretia was silent for a moment thinking about what he had said and decided that she was going to do the ritual.
"Go count the Lunar dates and get the exact day the red moon will be up, after that, we go find the other objects for this ritual" Lucretia broke into a grin as she spoke.
"Now that's the queen I love seeing" Gregory complimented before dragging himself off from her presence.
Lucretia laughed hysterically as she popped more cherries into her mouth and dreaming of her soon-to-have powers.