Sarai struggled to feets. "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" The lady in black, Melissa asked too.
Mei Li grunted and using her sword as a stick, she got back on her feets. Her face was crunched up as she struggled to regain her breath. "Who the hell is she?
"She's a friend and also a family. A distant relative." Sarai replied, without looking back. The deep frown on her face never wavered.
A groan was all that was heard as Heald got back to his feets too.
"I thought you have no family left?" Mei Li asked again. Of course, in all their dealings, Sarai has never mentioned that she had some relatives, either distant or not.
"I have some, but I never mentioned any." Sarai responded.
Mei Li's brows furrowed. Her complete attention was on Sarai's back as they talked.
Heald also listened as he straightened a broken arm. A grunt and a wince and he had calmed enough to turn to them with his confused look.
"It's been over twenty years since I set my eyes on one." Sarai muttered in a heavy voice.
Even though, Mei Li haven't satsfied her curiosity yet, she kept quiet, on sensing some conflicts in Sarai's voice. Even Heald looked away and his wary eyes gazed at Melissa's back.
"What the hell is going on? Why are you here?" Sarai couldn't contain her puzzlement.
"Sarai?" Melissa still had a kind of dumbstruck look as she gazed at Sarai.
"You haven't answered me?" Sarai pressed.
Melissa sighed, her eyes shut for a few seconds then she opened it again. "I'm here because something is going on."
"And what is that?" Sarai asked.
"The crypt of every witch family were being robbed. It's been going on for months now." Melissa said.
"Uh?!" Sarai's face crunched up. "Who is stealing it?"
Even Mei Li and Heald weren't left out as they also exchanged shocked looks.
"We don't know yet. And that's why am here." Melissa sighed and then, her face took on a quizzical look as she asked. "Why have you come to the family crypt?"
"I needed the family Registro. It might contain some certain magic that might save a day." Sarai gazed at the old steel down of the crypt, with wide eyes.
"What, is it? What's happening to you?" Melissa raised a brow.
"We have a Primordial vampire on our tail and if we don't get the Registro, we stand no chance." Sarai spilled, her spine chilling at the mere thought of it.
"What?!" Melissa's eyes went wide. Dread flashed through her eyes as she asked. "A Primordial what?"
"Have you checked into the crypt?"
"No, I was about to when you guys got here." Melissa said.
"Shit!" Sarai cursed as she scurried towards the door of the crypt.
Right under Melissa's eyes, Sarai casted a spell and the door flung open.
Then she rushed in.
The place was dark but the sound of a snapping finger erupted and the next second, flames lit up on the touches that lined the interior walls of the crypt.
Sarai searched around, her movements frantic and her face drenched with sweat.
But after several seconds, she couldn't find the spell book.
She placed her two hands on her head as she yelled. "I can't find the book. I can't find it."
"What?" Melissa shouted.
Mei Li and Heald were just staring, mouth ajaw as perplexity flashed through their eyes.
"What do you mean you can't find it?" Melissa rushed in too.
"I can't find it." Sarai's eyes flashed with desperation as she looked around, in frantic turns.
"Oh no!"
"What is it?" Sarai asked.
"It must have been stolen too."
**********
The sun burned at an average intensity. It's past mid-day.
His cape billowed in the cool light breeze as Akotal looked around in the scanty street.
Desolate buildings with dusty glass windows, grass grew out of the broken verandahs and coiling plants intertwined with the pillars of the buildings like bridegroom unready to let go.
The street was something else under the light of the day.
The only place that seemed to have life was the building with small windows at the top end of the street as occasional sounds emanated from the place and that's the slum.
Akotal pursed his lips and his eyes like shiny marbles glinted as he muttered. "You old wizard, I'm here."
Like it had a voice of its own, the space twisted and Akotal soon opened his eyes to see that he's in an altar room with a dome on the top.
His eyes glinted as he gazed at the altar. Slowly, his eyes wandered to the walls, the chiseled spells and magical circles on it. A grin lingered on his lips as he commended. "Still the old same wizard."
The figure in the dark cloak approached from behind. A staff could be seen, held by the figure but no hand is seen. If one should gaze deep into the hoodie of the cloak, all one would see is darkness. Pure void and darkness.
Nothing else.
He's none other than El que ha vivido, The-one-that-has-lived. The ancient wizard that lives in the empty air, in a dome house under a powerful cloaking spell.
"Akotal, what have you come here to do?" The-one-that-has-lived asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Akotal laughed. "Whoever comes here always has a desire they want you to grant or a question to answer. That must be a lot pleasurable to you, mate."
"People never runs out of desire, as long as we are still alive, we will always have something we want." The-one-that-has-lived said.
"I am very much aware that you would be aware of my new look, of my new development."
"Nature is quite surprising. Who would have thought that the way to heal from the physical scar left by the dark flame is to die and come back to life. So ironic." The-one-that-has-lived said and a chuckle followed.
Akotal grinned with his lips, side to side. His eyes glinted as he muttered. "But is that the end of the afflicting dark flame?"
"Of course not. Even though your face and body is healed, you will always live to remember the everlasting effects of the dark flame on your soul. You will still have to sacrifice a descendant every third century to renew your life expectancy and strength."
Akotal's grin disappeared as his glittering eyes glared dangerously. "You know what I want."
"Oh, yes. I know. You want to get rid of it forever." The-one-that-has-lived muttered.
"Yes. Tell me how to. I will pay any price." Akotal moved closer to The-one-that-has-lived.
"Of course, you can."
Akotal's face brightened with a grin. "I knew I would get what I want here."
*********
Melissa pulled over the car. She turned to Sarai who's seated right beside her. "Here we are."
"Is this the place?"
"Yes. Since you said you don't have enough power to cast a locator spell, this woman is our best shot."
"Okay."
The four doors of the vehicle opened and the four got down.
Melissa, Sarai, Heald and Mei Li. They all strode into the shop.
"Welcome, what do you want ma'am?" The woman lifted her face from what she's writing and her face went still the moment she saw Hannah's face.
Melissa quickly held up her two hands. "Chill, Hannah."
"You!" The woman, Hannah raised a brow and looked around for any watcher as she asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Just got back to the States. Got some things to deal with."
"Wow! It's been a while. Come, come." Hannah led them into an inner room.
As they got there, Hannah turned back and faced Melissa. "Why the hell should you bring a witch to my store, uh?!"
"Calm down, Hannah, okay? I really need your help now?" Melissa pleaded.
"Uh?! You need my help? Whatever you need me for, the witch beside you should be able to do it for you." Hannah flared.
"No, no. Not that way. She's out. She engaged in a pretty hot wrestle and she's out of energy, only you can help me with this." Melissa muttered.
"It's been months since I last practiced magic." Hannah sighed, exasperatedly.
"We don't need much. Please, Hannah."
Hannah stared at Melissa for a while. Then she sighed. "Okay. What do you need?"
"A locator spell. We need to locate something." Sarai stepped forward.
"A locator spell? That's a strenuous one." Hannah grumbled.
"Yeah, I know. But trust me, this is about life. We don't do this, lives will be lost." Sarai muttered with a pleading look, obstructing the part where her life is part for the lives that'll be lost if she doesn't find the Registro.
Hannah exchanged glances with Melissa and sighed. "Okay." Hannah turned to Sarai. "You are a witch, you know how this goes."
"Yeah. It's a book. A spell book and my family owned it. My blood can help with the locator spell."
"Emmm." Hannah nodded.
Hannah grabbed a few candles and placed them on the table at the corner of the inner room. She grabbed a map of the United States and placed it on the table.
Hannah had a serene look on her face as she gave Sarai a knife.
Sarai sighed and collected the knife. A simple cut on her palm and blood sipped out.
Heald looked away as his eyes twitched at the sight of blood and he took several steps back.
Sarai glanced at Heald but the latter waved at her, signifying he will be fine. Sarai then lifted her bleeding palm just above the map as her blood landed onto it in drops.
"This should be enough." Hannah said after several drops. Sarai moved her hand away and Hannah moved closer to the table as her face turned serious. Her eyes slowly went shut as she began to mutter.
"Oculus lucum! Summum locatio! Oculus lucum!! Summum locatio!!"
This went on and on, for like five minutes.
Then the effect came.
The candles lit up and flames burned high on it.
The air around tensed and magic coursed through the air. It was chaotic at first as the wind blew hard but soon it stopped.
The effects of the mumbles of Hannah came into view when all of a sudden the blood on the map began to move to meet on a spot.
Melissa gulped as she watched where the stone met.
Hannah stopped muttering words and opened her eyes with a deep sigh. A sweat dropped on he forehead as she said, "It's done."
"Thank you." Sarai muttered and moved closer to the table as Hannah stepped back.
Heald just stared form behind, obviously not knowing much of what's going between the witch thing.
However, Mei Li is somewhat close to witches and she knew a little about them.
As she stared at the spot at which the stones met on the map, she frowned too.
"Woodhaven, Queens." Mei Li muttered.
Sarai's forehead creased on seeing this too. "That place sounds familiar."
Melissa took slow steps back and her jaw dropped.
"Isn't that where the coven of the Aryan witches were?" Sarai asked.
"Of course, here is someone who isn't even a devoted witch in NY. Not knowing the Aryan witches shows that you are an independent practitioner witch."
"Yes, my family are all independent practitioners." Sarai replied, absentmindedly.
Mei Li's frown only deepened as she asked. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Melissa raked her fingers through her hair as she said, "the Registro is with the Aryan witches."
"Uh?!" Sarai gawked. "That means…"
"It means that the Registro weren't just being stolen, it is used for something. And whatever it may be, it can't be something good." Melissa completed.
"Whatever they are planning, this isn't the right time. We have got only until sundown before we run out of time. We really need to do something now." Heald sighed.
"No matter what, the witches are never going to give out the Registro easily. Not without a fight." Melissa shook her head.
"And that, right now, could be disastrous because am not even in my full strength yet."
"Neither am I." Sarai muttered.
"Whatever! We are getting that Registro, with or without a fight." Mei Li gritted her dentitions as she clutched her sword, tightly.
*********