A Dangerous Legacy Pt. 18

"It won't happen! I swear to it, Andre. Look, there will be a meeting, all us witches, the sorcerers, everyone. We will discuss it. If everyone is against the idea but me and the dragons, then I won't do it."

"You can't." He finally turned back to me. "You cannot take such foolish risks. Anna, did you not hear me before? I love you. I have loved before, but it was not like this. I have only just found you, a light in a night sky of nearly a thousand years of darkness. I won't lose you."

"You won't."

"Don't lie to me or yourself, Anna. I saw your face last night. I know your thoughts. You want to die. You want to kill yourself, even if it is a future self. You would be willing to die to stop from becoming the woman you fear."

He was right, and it hurt. But damn it all, if there was any way I could live, fix the world of magic, and not be a monster, I would grab it with both hands. But I had to know how to find it. And so I had to know what would be lost if the vampires lived.

I let Andre hold me, craving this feeling more than the others. No more talk of my past or the future, we clung to each other and the present. And damn me, I lied to them.

It didn't matter how the congregation of freaks voted. I was going to kill my future self and split reality in two.

"So that is Marcus, Malachai, James, Andre, Pierre, Julian, and Olivia against. Anna, Valerius, myself, Horus, Soren, Leanne, Francine and Nadine for."

Marcus sneered at Shin-Zan's vote. "Horus is not an official of the Council nor of the sorcerers."

"But he is my advisor," I countered, glad to have made that decision. Not only did I have the oldest of us in my cabinet, but I had beaten the "no " vote by one. "And I think with his mojo, Malachai, mine, and the dragons we can split reality and merge it again with no casualties."

Those against the move looked pissed, but I had outmaneuvered them. I was trying to be democratic, but at the end of the day I was anointed big cheese over half the room. Sure, Horus meant I probably didn't Malachai, but he could force his wolves to abstain and that would mean many more hours going through spellbooks until I figured out how to do it with witch magic alone.

"In light of my dragons voting yes, I rescind my nay vote and vote aye. I will help," Malachai said and stood.

The room exploded then, arguments erupting atop one another.

Before I could lose my patience and do it, Horus cast a spell and everyone fell silent. I tried to speak but he'd spelled me into silence too, damn it.

"Long ago," he said in his rich booming voice, "I learned the hazards of time travel. I swore never to do it. I have lived longer and seen more than anyone else in this room. If I can see the benefit of breaking my vow to an old queen to aid a new one, surely you children can see the wisdom."

His magic rolled out once more and a chorus of familiar barks, squawks, and squeaks rang out, but the humanoids were silent.

"It will be as I said. Horus and Malachai will stay here. My magic will anchor to theirs. The dragons magic allows them to anchor to this reality alone. We will go to the future split reality. You will remain here, unchanged, and in the other we will kill my future self and prevent vampire extermination. Once we have seen if that is the cause of the problems we will return here and discuss openly how to proceed."

Andre's eyes slid to mine. "Be careful. I am now and in the future sworn to protect you at all costs, as are my brothers. We will see you as a threat to her, and nothing will stop us."

I knew what he was telling me. Kill not only myself, but my lovers and bodyguards. There was no way in hell I was doing that so I merely lied and shook my head.

"Now," Malachai began," you must leave those of us alone to begin crafting the spell. When it is time to begin we will fetch you." He did not wait but cast a spell and everyone disappeared but those of us doomed to the experiment.

"That was high and mighty," I grumbled, knowing my wolves would be pissed.

Malachai merely raised a dark eyebrow. "What part of 'king' do you not understand?"

"Children," Horus sighed, and we all found out seats once more. "I lied. I do not want them interfering. It is simple. I will give one quarter of my magic to Anna as will you, Malachai. Anna you will give us each a quarter back, and we are tied. Ladies, you will take her to the future. Anna, you remember the spell?"

"Yes." Splitting reality was a hard one, but I had memorized it.

"Then you alone will split reality but power it with our magic as well as yours. Do what needs to be done, then observe and report. Simply reverse the spell, return to your arrival in the future, and the alternate future with a dead future you is gone. Then return here, follow the anchors of our magic.

"Any questions?"

Malachai turned to his dragons. "You know that if Anna dies, so does magic. Not just the witches', but ours too. Guard her most carefully. And tie yourself to this reality before going to that one, for if magic dies and you forget your anchors, you will die too. And if any harm comes to Anna, the penalty is death."

They agreed they understood, but the look in their eyes was pure jealousy as if he had declared his love for me rather than cite an important note on the world of magic.

At Horus bidding I stood and joined him and the sorcerer king. I was with an ancient warrior and an Egyptian god along with two dragons in a fully modern conference room in Switzerland. I would have laughed at the oddity but their expressions were somber and so I schooled mine.

First Horus and I mingled magic. His burned like pure light. He was right, damn him, I was muddied, he was pure. It almost hurt until it was settled, and the came the exchange with Malachai. Whereas the exchange with Horus was all about power, with Malachai again came a sensual awareness. I prayed it was just light and dark mixing, but he gave me a knowing smile.

I stepped back, shaken. Both had some serious juice. Well, so did I, but I was used to my own power by then. Theirs made me feel a little drunk.

"Go and be quick. We will expect you to return in our eyes as soon as you leave."

I took Francine and Nadine's hands and before I could reply the world changed. Once more we were in the finished version of my house still being remodeled. I held their hands and began chanting the words I knew, drawing on their power as well as mine. I felt them anchoring to this reality, and then I pulled their magical essence into myself.

Using almost all of my power, the world began to shake like a massive earthquake as I spoke. Seconds later, it was finished, and a blinding white light filled my vision. I held Francine and Nadine's hands but could not see them, and knew I alone could move us into the new reality.

Concentrating, the light faded to a mist and I forced it away. When the room cleared, we were still in the room, but I knew instinctively it was different.

"Did we do it?" Nadine asked.

"Yes." I was gasping now as the mist rolled back in and began to pour into me. It was my magic, what had powered the spell, and it burned sensually anew as it filled me.

I stumbled and broke the connection when it finished, but their essences had come back.

"So how do we do this?" Francine asked.

"How would you like to die?" Nadine asked with a tiny trace of a smile.

"Death is death. Quickly and with little pain. Dueling right now I doubt I'd win."

"Sister, may I?" Nadine asked.

Francine nodded and reached over, placing her hand on Nadine's heart. They chanted in a tongue I could not decipher, and when Francine pulled back Nadine pulsed with light. As we watched she grew...and grew, and grew, transforming into a shimmering green dragon that filled the giant hallway.

The bedroom door opened and there was me. "What the-"

Before she could speak Nadine's massive jaws opened and flames came out. Magic and napalm combined, I felt it burn away the other me's magic even as her body caught. There was no scream, one moment she was burning, the next the fire ended and there was a pile of ash.

I felt dizzy and nauseous for a moment, stumbling even as the dragon shrank back to the punky Nadine.

"Are you all right?" Fran asked, catching me as I stumbled.

"Would you be?" I responded bitingly"

"Touché. I do apologize, but I quite enjoyed that. A woman scorned and all."

"Real mature for a centuries old being. All right, let's go back to Chengzhou and see how it plays in this reality."

"Uh, ladies, does anyone else notice the hall just changed?"

At Francine's words we looked about and it appeared very much like it had when I bought the brownstone, a building of multiple condos.

"All right ladies, back in time we go," I said. Holding hands we went, and spent the next six hours watching the battle. It was bloody, it was awful, but I kept us hidden. Nightfall came and the vampires grew stronger. Despite massive casualties they bounced back and held off the wolves long enough that dragons filled the sky.

When it was clear they won, the dragons took us back to our own time. We were still in Chengzhou, a bustling little village, and the air seemed much cleaner, more pleasant. There were no electric lights, but maybe that had always been. Changing magic should have had little to no effect on humans.

I wanted to cast a spell to find myself but first I had to see the major players. "Take us to the queen. No, near her, but outside and unseen," I told my magic and cast the finding spell.

We wound up in some thick forest at the foot of unknown mountains, facing a large Norman castle. Not far from us was a small clearing full of buildings with thatched roofs. Like most Americans I'd never seen on in real life, just historical movies, and goggled as smoke rose from one.

"That's weird."

"Welcome to time travel," Nadine said with a shiver.

Suddenly she and her sister went ramrod stiff and seconds later a thunderous cry rang out. Voices in the village called out in French and fires were put out, people streaming into a hole in the ground wearing threadbare homespun clothes.

Not long after the early evening sky was darkened by a massive dragon flying over head, blowing out a plume of that terrifying fire.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiit," I marveled.

The girls had wet eyes when I glanced back. "I'm sorry. I guess you can only transform when one of you gives the other her essence."

They didn't respond, but I was right. "Come on, we need to find a safe place to store our bodies. I think it safest if our spirits explore, nothing corporeal."

It took us until full nightfall but we found a cave. With my magic and their immense strength we moved a boulder back and found inside old bones to the back. A dry cave and a burial place. Something about that depressed me, partly because the smell of desiccation was fairly recent.

We moved the boulder back in place and laid down, and I quickly peeled our souls free.

Another spell brought us to the queen, and it was one I did not recognize. She was a pretty redhead, petite, sitting on a raised dais at a feast in the castles great hall. It was the modern day but straight out of a medieval reproduction...but real.

Magical lights lit the feast and the servants carrying food were quite human, not a wolf in sight. Musicians played in a corner on strange looking instruments similar to ones I knew.

"That is queen Deandra," Nadine said. "She was queen during Chengzhou."

My ancestor had lived. The queens were not murdered. And the wolves were not enslaved. I let out a whoop of joy. "The wolves are free! Dragons fly! The magic flies in the air, can't you feel it? It is as strong as the beginning!"

"Majesty, not all is as it seems. I believe these humans are slaves."

Francine nodded and shivered, hugging her translucent self. "And there is no electricity. Nothing truly modern."

"We should see more to understand. Let us see Malachai, please."

At Nadine's request I used the finding spell to send our souls to Malachai, and found him in another castle-like room, but this his bedroom. We found him naked on a bed, a very pale woman naked and bent around him, sucking his neck. A vampire.

He was hard, whimpering, and she reached a hand down and encircled his thick cock and began stroking. The dragons cried out and fled the room but I was transfixed.

The vampire opened her luminous eyes, glowing almost orange, fixed right on me. "We have a visitor."

"A ghost?" Malachi groaned as she kept stroking him, faster now.

"A witch."

At that Malachai stood and threw her off. With blood trailing down his shoulder he flung his hands out and aimed a spell at me. With my own magic I fled to the girls who were out in the hall and heard the spell smack into the wall, seeking me.

"Let's boogie."

Knowing my magic was weak like this I brought our souls and bodies with another spell to a dirt road outside a large building with stables. A horse and carriage clomped past us as we crouched, fully joined with our bodies now, in the grass.

"Well, he tried to kill me, so I think the war between witches and sorcerers is a might bit more real."

"And dragons live alone, never having bonded with sorcerers. Malachai would not even know us!" Nadine cried.

Francine shivered. "Please, let us take turns flying. One of us will stay with you, not completely powerless while the other flies."

"Perhaps." I didn't know what more shocks would come.

"Where are we?" Francine finally asked.

"I want to check on my pack. After that we can check on you two, then me, and finally the world at large."

"So we may fly?" Nadine asked.

"Yes, Francine first. Nadine, I get the feeling you're a better fighter in hand to hand combat and I do not know what we'll face."

"All right." She crossed to Francine and laid her hand on her sister's heart. More words in their lyrical language and I knew by then to step back.

Francine grew and grew and grew and in the dim night light she was dark, black or perhaps blue, but a fearsome dragon nonetheless.

With a joyful roar she took to the air and began to flap her massive wings.

Nadine watched her go with a hungry look. "Soon, she will return soon. And now let's dress ourselves so we don't stick out." Magic luckily knew what to do and to my shock we wore outfits that seemed to be a mix of quite a few centuries. There was a stiff corset, but my sleeves were sewn on, the bodice of my dress tied, no buttons or zipper in sight.

My dress was quite fine, Nadine's more plain, and I realized it reflected our stations, so I changed mine to a simple one like hers. The corset stayed, so I guessed eating was out. I'd worn one many times, but always when I was involved with BDSM, and never did I eat at those times.

"I just want to make sure my wolves are okay."

Nadine finally gave me a look, one friend to another, of understanding and placed her strong hand on my shoulder. "You love them. I understand, but what if they will be like my Malachai?"

"Then I too will feel your pain," I promised.

We emerged onto the street and I saw the building was an inn. Tavern on the bottom, hotel on the top. The part of me that loved history was slightly excited, but I was a modern girl. Give me the internet and modern medicine any day.

Into the tavern we went, and she insisted on going in first. I felt magic all around, and a quick check with my own stunned me. Almost everybody there was a werewolf, except one who felt...it was a vampire!

Conversation slowed as we went in but didn't halt. It was mostly men, but enough women I knew it was likely what we were in terms of magic, not gender, that made people notice.

A man quickly walked up to us, pale and gorgeous, his hair silvery blond and tied back revealing a face that was very youthful, about sixteen I thought, but his eyes said he was much older.

"Madame witch, I am Alain. Please, I would give anything to taste your magic," he said in French and moved closer, his voice going deeper. "Do anything."

"Shove off, Alain," a familiar voice said and I turned and found myself facing Julian.

I almost forgot myself and rushed into his arms, but this man in the simple clothes with a healthy covering of dirt was not my Julian.

"You know you are allowed here on wolf land as long as you do not feed."

"Ah ah ah," Alain shook his finger, "As long as I don't feed from anyone unwilling."

Julian turned to me, eyes appreciating me in a very familiar way. "And are you?"

"What's that?"

"Willing."

"No, she's not," Nadine said.

"Perhaps the dragoness is, then," Alain said with new appreciation.

"Suck yourself," Nadine said curtly and with a bow Alain backed off.

Julian watched him go and turned back to us. "And what brings a.." he sniffed the air. "A very high witch and a dragoness into a wolf village?"

Nadine looked a little greener than usual. "It's just like the old days, before the bargains, before the wars."

"She is under my protection. Nadine is my bodyguard."

Julian smiled, eyes roving her with masculine appreciation. Jealously flamed but once more I reminded myself, this was not my Julian. Suddenly how alien this world, this reality really was struck me. "Well, come and sit...."

"Anna," I offered, puzzled by his raised eyebrows. "What?"

"A most human name, not one I would expect to find a witch bearing."

"Buster, I'm not like any other witch on this rock."

We followed him to one end of a long table with benches on either side and a female wolf came and cleaned up the leavings of the last patrons.

"Two ales and some of the house stew, I should think. Made it myself."

"Then that shall do."

I sat down and Nadine followed me, glancing around.

"What do you make of this?"

"I cannot say much. The king before Malachai was mad, Tor the Red. Not only did he write numerous prophecies, he also heard voices, hallucinated, and had wild dreams. He insisted each and every vision was recorded meticulously, used to burn scribes alive in constant dragonfire if they misspelled even a word.

"One of his more popular dreams was distributed as a book. In it he dreamt of a world where we outnumbered humans and were free. Vampires and dragons apart, wolves too, and witches and sorcerers in never ending combat to keep the forces of light and dark evenly matched. I didn't read it, only heard of it, but I remember a few odd things. One, human innovation and cultural evolution were severely retarded, and the other..."

"Yes?"

She signaled me to wait as the female wolf set down two pewter tankards of frothing brew and waited patiently.

"Coin," Nadine whispered in English and I asked my magic to summon the right amount of the current currency.

I handed her four gold coins and her eyes went wide, a smile splitting her beautiful mocha face. "Thank you, miss, your food will be right out."

"Great." Waiting until she was gone I took a swig of very watery beer. "Well, that's it, this world sucks. This beer is terrible."

She took a swig and wrinkled her nose. "Apparently in this reality either the German purity laws never got passed or they didn't make it as far as France." Nadine looked intently over my shoulder and jerked her chin. "Looks like your pack is fine."

I turned and felt shock. Andre stood in homespun clothes, but he had a full beard and his hair hung to his waist. My beautiful Pierre's black hair was so short it was razored on the sides except for a long braided tail. Only Julian seemed much the same, albeit his hair was tied back in a single length, no blond bangs in sight.

They all watched me, and there was no love to the looks I was used to, but an intense erotic scrutiny.

"You know that what happens in this reality will never have actually happened once we close it. And they are the same men, it's not cheating."