Disclaimer: Every thing belongs to Laurel K. Hamilton and J.K. Rowling for use of characters and magical ideas. Nothings mine except little old me. No money being made only for entertainment purposes. One more thing some ideas for this story also came from Jim Butcher and his famous Dresden Files.
Warning: there is none as of right now.
Chapter 1
February
The robed figured turned towards me. He pulled down his hood and I screamed. His head was the head of a King Cobra. He walked over to me and lightly ran his fingers down my cheek. His hand was covered in scales. "It's time, little one for you to die. Your grandfather will know what it's like to lose something he loves". He replied with a hiss. I hadn't heard the hissing before. He had to have hid it with magic. "Who are you and why are you doing this?" I asked. He just smiled at me and came in for a kiss. I could feel his fangs and his serpent tongue as he kissed me. He released me from the kiss and said, "I am Valcore and I want revenge for what your grandfather has done to me." I looked at him and said, "What do you mean, you want revenge for what my grandfather's done to you." He stared at me waved his hand around his face and said, "I was the most powerful wizard, and I ruled the wizardry world. I was like the head of mobs, doing what I please and not having to worry about being found out. Your grandfather was the Auror assigned to find me and put me away. He was better than I thought, for a vampire that is. He discovered my location and that I was responsible for more than twenty deaths. He found me, we dueled and he did this to me. He turned me into a hideous snake person, before putting me in Azkaban to rot.
He stopped and stalked the room before continuing, "The Black Magic Society are the ones that helped me escaped. They staged a diversion, clearing all Dementors away from my cell so I could slip out. Now I'm going to repay your grandfather for what he has done to me. I'm going to make him feel the pain that I felt by killing his only grandchild." With that he stalked or should I say slithered across the room before turning back towards me. I was still chained to the wall with the daggers stuck inside me. My skin had long ago re-knit itself over the blades. I was weak from being raped, beaten, and bled. All I could do was hang, and take the abuse. Valcore stretched his arms before him and started to chant words I didn't understand. The Dark Arts, or Black Magic, is a different kind of magic. The Dark Arts is magic that brings harm to others. All curses fall into The Dark Arts, they involve tampering with someone's free will or it kills them.
Some of the Dark Magic spells are hard to read. The only one's who are able to read and understand them, are the dark lords and the Ministry. I felt power leave Valcore to fill the air. It was hard to breathe from the force that was being used for the spell he was using. It's a death spell. He's going to try and rip my heart out while crushing the rest of my insides. He pushed his hands forward, shoving all his power and energy into me. I felt it hit and screamed. My chest where my heart lays ripped opened and I could feel my insides start to crumble. My screams turned to howls. I felt doors within my soul being blown off their hinges, causing my shields to explode. Power flew from the center of my being; it was like lava erupting from a volcano. I tore the chains from the wall sending my own power outwards to Valcore. It hit him square in the chest. He stopped in mid motion and looked at me, then he tumbled over. The sight made me sick. I had blown out his spine and organs all over the back wall.
There were noises coming from outside the door. The door burst into flames, and the last thing I saw before falling into darkness was my grandfather running through the door towards me. I was hearing voices beckoning me to come back. I was in and out of a deep sleep seeing faces here and there. I fell once again into total darkness.
It was the nightmare again. The one I've had every night for the last two weeks. It had started when I was helping the local police in London with a case. Three bodies were discovered in the woods about five miles outside of London. They were found tied to the ground with metal stakes. Someone had gagged them, before ripping open their stomachs and eating out the organs. There were three sets of paw prints. They had brought me to evaluate the scene because they didn't think the killer was human.
I have a few secrets that a lot of people, including my father, don't know. I'm not only on retainer for the police of major cities in Europe. For the last five months, I've been trained as a double agent for the government, working for their Special Research Team.. The Special Research Team is a new department for The International government. The department is a branch of government that people are not supposed to know exists. I'm also an assassin, spy, and tracker for the four councils: The Vampire Council, The Lycanthrope Council, The Wizards Council, and The Fey Council. They tell whom they want dead, tracked, or spied upon and I deliver the goods. My father doesn't know about my extra curricular activities. If he ever found out he wouldn't be too happy, and if anything ever happened to me, God only knows what my dad would do.
My father's family comes from three of the most powerful wizardry families in Europe. The Queen of the vampires became interested in my grandfather, because of his magic and transformed him when he was sick with pneumonia. It was during the time of the Egyptian Empire and the beginning of the Roman Empire. He met my grandmother when he was visiting Great Britain during King Arthur's reign over England. My grandmother is half- fey from her father's side and a human witch on her mother's side. My mother's side is all witches and wizards.
My father is the only child. The only one that survived childbirth and The Vlad Syndrome, that is. I'm my father's only child, and among the courts I'm known as a half-breed. Things got worse for me when my mother died of cancer three months ago. My siblings and I had buried my mom on a rainy day in April. My visit was cut short by a phone call from the agency. My older sister drove me to the airport, where I said goodbye to the rest of my family. They all still live in Charlottesville, Virginia. So when I left I made sure they were taken care of. I gave my sister enough money to cover anything else that should come up. I also gave them enough to live on for a while. My mom and three siblings were known as Squibs among the rest of my mom's side of the family. They were called this because they were born into wizardry families, but had no magic of their own. Losing my mom was hard for me. I didn't think I could go on with my life, but my grandparents saw me through it. Now the councils call me a mutt. I guess it had something to do with my mixed blood. I have plenty of it.
Anyway, I had arrived at the crime scene fifteen minutes after I received the call. A detective named Dorkson escorted me over to Sergeant Burger. If I hadn't been there for a murder, I would have laughed at their names. I bet they had if rough as kids. Sergeant Burger was head of homicide. He introduced me to the victims as being Dragon Burks, Milly Moose, and Pruet Shamel. It took me twenty minutes to look over the bodies. Most people who didn't know what to look for would have guessed werewolf attack. I knew better. The three sets of paw prints were smaller than any preternatural creatures, including werewolves. Finally I gave him my analysis. I told him," These three people were not killed by werewolves." He looked at me and asked, "Why not?" " The feet are too small to be werewolves, "I reported with a snicker. He looked at me long and hard before replying, "Do you think you can find out what did this?" I looked back at him and said, "Yes I can, but I need time to do some research," "Fine. I'll give you until noon tomorrow," he said with a stern and unhappy look. I agreed. He nodded and dismissed me.
I went to find my broomstick among the trees. My broomstick was a fire bolt that happened to be possessed by a happily good -natured spirit. I didn't know what to call him. He seemed to have forgotten his name, so I named him S�mores. I hadn't gotten far from the crime scene when detective Dorkson caught up with me. He didn't seem too happy. I asked him," Does the Sergeant want to see me again?" He said," No, but he had something to say to me." The detective apparently wasn't happy with me it seems," What is it detective?"
"Stay away from this case if you know what's good for you, witch," he told me with a dangerous tone to his voice. I looked at him and said, "What did you just say?" "You heard me. I said stay out of this or you'll be sorry you got involved." he replied sticking his face into mine. "Are you threatening me detective?" I asked.
"No. I'm not threatening you. I'm promising you that if you look into this case for Sergeant Burger, You'll be the next one they find dead," and with that he walked back to the crime scene.
"I smell a rat," I said to myself. "I do have to agree with you on that one Alexandra," said a voice making me jump. I turned around to find S�mores hovering in the air right behind me.
"There you are, what's up?" I asked. "I should ask you the same thing," he replied.
" I'll fill you in on the way home," I told him. "Well in that case, hop on and tell me all about it," he said while lowering himself so I could climb on.
We went up and over the trees, keeping low so not to frighten anyone who happened to be stargazing. We were in the air for half an hour thinking about the strange events that had taken place. S�mores decided to break the silence, "Well are you going to fill me in, or do I have to guess." I laughed at his comment, and then began to fill him in with the details.
"That doesn't sound good and I have a bad feeling about all this, especially since that detective threatened you," he said madder than a hornet. In a worried tone he asked me, "Are you sure, you want to get involved in this? I don't like it one bit. You can get hurt."
"I have to do this S�mores. If I don't give the Sergeant what he wants, they'll bring someone else in who's going to say werewolf," I replied giving him a pat.
"All right if you must go and do this, just please be careful," he mumbled under his breath. I smiled and we flew on.
We rode the rest of the way in silence. I lived in a small guesthouse outside my grandfather's house. It wasn't too big, but not to small either. Once I was inside, I started to go through reference books my grandfather had given me. S�mores even helped by getting me things I needed, after he put my broomstick back into the closet. S�mores had the ability to leave things he inhabits to move into something else. The clock on the wall had just struck midnight when there was a knock on the door. I sent S�mores to investigate before I would open the door. He came back and told me it was my grandfather and he wasn't alone. I opened the door to let him in. He stormed through the door without saying a word. Cornelius Fudge, head of The Ministry of Magic (also known as The Wizards Council), came in after him. Next in was Lumier, the head of The Lycanthrope Council. Finally came Victor Atkins, the head of The International Government. I didn't know what was going on, but something told me it wasn't good.
I watched my grandfather pace back and forth in front of my fireplace. He was trying to figure out a way to tell me something, but didn't know where to start. Finally he stopped his pacing and motioned for me to sit down. He looked at me and said, "We need your help." I gave him � What for this time' look. He caught the look and continued," A dark lord by the name of Valcore is on the loose. He escaped from Azkaban three days ago." I didn't know what to say. I couldn't believe someone was able to escape the prison. Dementors heavily guarded Azkaban. Dementors were creatures of dark magic. They had skin that looked liked something dead that had decayed in water. They were extremely tall and wore black robes that hid their face. Their breath could suck the life out of things, causing the air to grow cold and leaving you chilled to the bone. They had no eyes, only scabbed skin stretched across empty sockets. Their mouths were gaping holes that had the sound of death when it was sucking the life out of the air. They were famous for their death kiss.
I watched the other leaders and wondered what they had to do with all this, so I asked, "If a dark lord has escaped, what�s this have to do with the rest of you?" Lumier was the first to speak," Werewolves are being framed for killing people throughout Great Britain. They are being hunted down and slaughtered."
Did I forget to mention that the four councils were working with The International Government and were considered part of the government? People weren�t supposed to know about them either.
I kind of knew where this was going, but I wanted to make sure I was right.. I looked over at Victor Atkins and asked," Why are you involved in this little break out?" He wasn't happy about all this, I could tell by the stern look he had on his face, but he answered my question, "There�s a group of people that call themselves The Dark Magic Society. They are like a cult, but they're against the preternatural. They are doing things to try and get rid of them, including illegal crimes. We believe they are killing people and trying to blame it on the lycanthropes. That's why they are being slaughtered.. Your grandfather believes they are involved with Valcore and are hiding him for his help in their plans to rid the world of preternatural creatures."
Bingo, I had my answers to the questions about what killed the three victims. I let the leaders know about the new murders and told them what I had seen at the crime scene. I even told them about Detective Dorkson. They took down the information, while we discussed what procedures to take in finding this Black Magic Society and Valcore. I was sure where you found one; you'd find the other. It was three o'clock in the morning before they left. We came to the conclusion that the best way to catch a fish was to find the right bait. Guess who the bait was. I was not happy, but you got to do what cha got to do.. I finished the report for Sergeant Burger and went straight to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
I had the files on Sergeant Burger's desk by noon. I left him a note saying if he had any questions, he should call me. I had a busy day ahead of me. I ran around London all day trying to find the things I needed for tonight. The councils were going on a manhunt tonight and I was the bait. I had to be prepared for the worst. I made a stop by Diagon Alley for some ingredients. I was so busy that I lost track of time. It was going on six o'clock and the shops were closing, before I realized that I hadn't eaten all day. I went to a little outside sandwich-shop to grab a bite to eat. I found an empty table and sat down to eat my dinner. A huge owl landed on my table with a note on its foot. I pulled the note off and gave the owl a treat. I read the note twice, trying to read the scribbled handwriting. It said, "Meet me outside the gates. I have information for you, regarding the murder case." This didn't feel right, but if this person had information, than I needed to find out what that was. I left the little shop and headed for the gates outside of London which were used to split the city from the country
It took me a half hour to get there and by that time I was exhausted. I found the spot where the person said to meet. The person that was standing there was in a black robe. I couldn't tell if was male or female. I walked up and asked, "Are you the one who sent me the note?"
He just nodded. I looked at the robed figure strangely. "So do you have information for me?" I asked. He just nodded again, this time handing me a folder. I didn't know what to do or say.
Finally I asked," What do you want in return for the information?"
The person shook his head as if to say, "Nothing." Then he just disappeared. I stood there for a few moments trying to figure out who the robed figure was, and then I left to go back home. It was almost time for work, and I had to get home to get ready. Tonight's going to be a long night. I hope our plan worked.
It was eight by the time I got home, but I was still ready before my grandfather arrived. I took that time to go through the folder that my strange acquaintance had given me. Even leafing through it, I was shocked at what I read. The councils were going to have a field day with this one. It turned out that Dorkson was head of The Dark Magic Society. That's why he threatened me. He was behind the whole thing. As I read further, I find out that he was the one protecting Valcore. On top of that, Dorkson and two other members had in their possession magical artifacts. It is illegal for a wizard or witch to give these types of artifacts to humans who don't have any magic of their own. These specific artifacts, allow people to turn into a form of an animal. In this case they chose wolves. According to the file, there were at least ten members of this organization, and they wouldn't be hard to find either. All their names and addresses were provided.
I had a funny feeling about this. How did the stranger get a hold of this information? And why did he pass it to me? Why not take it to the police instead? It didn't make since and I needed to find out who the stranger was. I was in deep thought when my door busted open and robed figures came pouring into my living room. While I was still in shock, a fist slammed into my face, knocking me unconscious.
I woke up sometime later in a room illuminated by candlelight. I was gagged, chained to a bed, and naked. I tried to pull on the chains to see if I could get loose, but to my surprise they were made of heavy silver and they had a dark spell on them. I couldn't use my magic to get free because the spell was keeping my magic locked up in a cell within me like a prison. I was so busy thinking of escape that I hadn't realized I had company. There were three figures standing, walking out of the shadows. They were all wearing black robes like the strange man I had talked to earlier in the day. They came towards the bed and I started to pull on the chains a little harder. The one on my right started to caress my hair. He was wearing a mask like one from "The Mummy Returns". The one at the bottom of the bed began to disrobe. He was completely naked except for a mask of a white wolf. The third was to my left. He had his back turned towards me, so I could not see if he was wearing a mask too.. The one caressing my hair came down towards my face as if he were going to kiss me.
Instead, he said, "I believe you were warned not to get involved, now we have to kill you. It's such a shame though. You are a pretty thing, for a mutt. Our brother Bradley has suffered the same consequences. It turns out he became a traitor and gave you our secrets. We have no place in our organization for traitors." With these last words he began to undress and by this time so has the person to my right. Now I knew whom the strange man was. His name was Bradley.
The man at the bottom of the bed had made his way up towards me. He looked at the man with the mummy mask and said," Do we get to use The Branwyn's Tears?"
"No, we are not. Our master wants her punished before we kill her," Mummy man said.
"What fun is that?" White Wolf replied.
"We get to torture her as well," replied the mummy.
"Oh, now that's fun," said White Wolf laughing.
The man on my left, who had his back turned away from me, finally turned around. Imagine my surprise when I saw Detective Dorkson standing there.
"I told you to stay out of it, but like all women you don't listen. Now we have to dispose of yet another thorn in our side this evening." He held up a knife made of silver, looked at me and smiled.
"It will be a pleasure to carve you up and feed you to the dogs." He said with a hint of laughter in his voice.
He gave a nod and the other two made their move. White Wolf spread my legs with his knees and I tried to fight him. The other one held me down with his body weight. I tried to scream but nothing came out of my mouth. I had forgotten I was gagged. I kept fighting trying to push Mummy off me, but being chained to the bed, I couldn't. I pushed White Wolf with my legs instead and knocked him off the bed. Mummy slaps me across the face, while White Wolf resumed his position. He plunged into me and I tried to buck him off while fighting off Mummy. He slid in and out of me hard and fast, my blood serving as a lubricant. He was huge.
While he raped me, Mummy started to hit me. He slapped me a few times, and then hit me with his fist. Finally White Wolf finished, but Mummy moved to take his place and I knew it wasn't over. He turned me over onto my stomach, causing the chains and my arms to cross over each other. He pulled me to my knees and pushed them apart. With no warning, he plunged all the way in and I screamed around the gag. I tried to pull away, but he grabbed my hips and shoved himself in and out as hard and fast as he could, trying to cause me as much pain as possible.
White Wolf picked up something and slammed it across my back. It was a whip. He hit me with the whip as fast as the Mummy was entering me.. The rape was finally finished after they had both took me. They left the room on Dorkson's command, leaving me alone with him. Dorkson had them chain me to the wall before they went out. He started towards me with a silver knife in his hand.
"Tonight's your last night on this planet," he said.
He came over and took the gag off my mouth. I spat in his face and he hit me hard with his fist. He grabbed me by the hair and shoved his face into mine, kissing me long and hard. I opened my mouth for his demanding tongue and then bit down with all my strength. He came away cursing with blood dribbling out of his mouth. I had fangs and even though they were half the size of normal fangs, they were sharp as hell. He was pissed and he let me know it. He punched me in the stomach hard, then in the ribs. If I hadn't been hanging by chains, I would have doubled over from the pain.
"You little bitch," he spat at me.
I looked at him and said, "That's spiteful little bitch, so get it right next time Dork." That remark got me another slap in the face.
"I'm going too rip out your heart later, when I'm done and eat it," he said with a smile on his face. Then he stuck the silver knife under my rib cage and he left it hanging there.
"See, I know what you are, so silver will be more fun to play with than steel," he said, going back across the room. He came back with daggers and a sword. They were all made of silver.
He started throwing the daggers at me, like he was playing darts and I was his dartboard. I wound up with two daggers deep into both legs, three in my stomach area, and two in each of my arms. I was losing a lot of blood and my skin was starting too re-knit around the daggers. He came over with the sword and sliced down, zigzagging around the three daggers. The sword hurt like hell and it burned as well. It was like someone had put it in a stove beforehand. He sliced up both sides of my legs and up my arms. He stood back to look at me as if I were a piece of art.
He smiled at and said," It's been a pleasure, but its time for me to say goodbye."
He came towards me for the final blow, when the door opened. He turned around to see another robed figure, come into the room.
The figure looked at Dorkson, then at me. "I hope you had fun Dorkson," the figure said.
"I had loads of fun master," replied Dorkson.
"Good. Now leave us," the robed figure said.
"But you asked me to kill her," whined Dorkson.
"Plans have changed. The girl's grandfather is on his way here with other agents. I will finish this, you go and get the others out of here," the man said.
"But, but," stammered Dorkson.
"Now," yelled the robed wizard.
Dorkson left still sulking, and the door closed behind him.