The Maitriarch

"Mistress!" Penelope called, making the tall ashen beauty gaze over with her constantly unbroken half-grin. "That's him, that's the Dark Sun. He's a Law-Breaker, he-"

The Matriarch waved her fingers through the air, and you watched as Penelopes' lips melted together like wax "MMMMM? MMMMMMM!"

"Shut up, Nelly for fuck's sake take a hint!" Sister Rose grasped Penelope by the arm and dragged her flailing body away.

"Mistress I-" Regina started. Morgan Blair barely had to lift a finger to shut her up.

"Back to class, all of you." She waved them off and like batting away smoke the students vanished into the hallway, led by Omnyo who hosted a delicate smile as she heard the young Witches away.

Morgan took a deep sigh of relief "Now then, Isabella, would you please take Sister Iris and wait in my office."

"A-Are you sure, Mistress?" Izzy asked, looking fearfully between you. Morgan had never once taken her eyes off you, they were big black eyes that cut through all bullshit, wide with endless depth as if the cosmos itself beckoned your soul. But then she smiled, a sweet motherly grin "I just need to have a little chat with your friend. Go now, I'll be with you within the hour."

Izzy bowed "Yes Mistress. Sister Iris-"

"Fine." Regina snarled as Izzy carved a black portal in the air.

"Oh and Regina..." Morgan called. Regina paused "If you ever attempt to execute a guest under my nose again, I will feed your corpse to the worms, is that clear?" She spoke nonchalantly in a rough breed of British accent.

"Yes."

"Yes... what?..." Blair toyed

Regina bit her lip "Yes Mistress."

"Good lass," Morgan said as Regina marched through the quivering void, Isabella following swiftly after her.

Now, it was just you, Blair and the wendigo hanging from the hole in the ceiling. "Is she going to be a problem?" Blair asked cooly.

"Rudy-baby?" you shouted

"Yes, sweet cowboy?" Rudy responded immediately

"You gonna be a problem?"

"You want me to be a problem?"

"Best behaviour is the name of the game, I'm afraid."

"Well shoot...." The thump of her nimble form sounded quietly from behind, and in the blink of an eye Rudy was lent into your side, smiling grimly "You really wanna call this square, after all that mess?"

"well... We started it." you professed

"mmm!" Rudy squeaked "Fair 'nuff. best behaviour it is!" She cried.

"Good." Blair grinned "Is there somewhere I can transport the lovely Rudy?"

"And the need for that is?" You asked

"It is because the things of which we must speak are better kept between us, I will not ask you to trust me. It is my belief that you'd appreciate privacy in regards to our concerns." You realised just how regal she was in comparison to the others, she exuded an aura of majesty, that of a queen with the words and cadence of a scholar.

"Concerns, concerning what exactly?" You asked warmly.

"Concerning The Black Star: your father, and your mother, Elizabeta."

The words struck you like a hammer on steel. You moved down to whisper in Rudy's ear "Rudy, I need you to fuck off for a bit."

"Awww but the fun was just getting started-"

"Please, I'll meet you back home as soon as possible." You promised, she ran her finger down the bridge of your nose.

"You're lucky I like you." she strutted over to Matriarch Blair "Alrighty then Witch-boss, how are we doing this? teleportation, ride a unicorn, oooh FIRE ME OUT OF A CANNON, MY FAVOURITE!" Rudy cried unsteadily.

"Nothing so exciting I'm afraid..." With a wave of her fingers, a black void like the ones Izzy created, opened beside the wendigo "...Your protection over your pocket-dimension is impressive, not even I can access the interior, however, This will take you back to your doors."

Rudy glanced back as she sauntered over to the black pool, prodding curious fingers into the roaring abyss "Compliments-compliments yeah-yeah. She knows where we live, Boss, not daunting at all!!"

You chuckled as she stepped through the portal, vanishing into the blackness. "Quite the character." Morgan professed cordially.

This Witch Queen, she was difficult to read alright but damn was she something. Each of her students was like a whirlpool of power, raging and unleashed, but the tall snowy beauty before you was calm as an icy pool, staring out in silence with no discernable expression.

...Yet still, she dominated them all with ease. Perhaps it would be unwise to put too much trust in a person like this, even if she did claim to know your parents, the others were predictable where she was -

She reached out a hand gloved in black satin, gently running her fingertips across the narrow gouge that ran through your eye. "I had seen our meeting playing out differently. The Cards tell us much, but I could not predict the reaction the Blood of Drake and Helia would have. Shadow and Flame are tied together, light is born of darkness and darkness blooms behind light. An inevitability I should have foreseen."

You weren't too sure what to make of that "So you knew I'd investigate, the S&R's?"

"I knew nothing for certain, the web of fate is rigid and strong, but a powerful enough hand may brush its fibres askew, changing its path," Morgan spoke strangely as if in constant contemplation, it made the conversation difficult to gauge.

"So... I was prophesized to get here or something?" You asked, but Morgan countered your question with another question, peering at you with those round black eyes.

"That depends, Are you Charles Drake, or something else?"

"What kind of question is that?" you asked, baffled "What does any of this have to do with my parents - Obviously I'm Charles Drake, who else would I be? "

"That is yet to be seen. I made a vow long ago, to protect the child of Life and **** and guide him on his path, to mentor him until final ****.

But I do not see that boy now.

I see a broken puzzle, a leafless tree, a lighthouse left dark: embers where a bonfire should be. I will aid you of course regardless, I am no oathbreaker, but first I must insist...

Answer me, these questions three and we shall see if you are thee.... that is of course, if you'd Humour me?"

Rubbing your eyes, trying to comprehend Morgan's muddled words, You sighed in agreement "Fine, if it gets me answers, knock yourself out."

Morgan smiled for the first time, it was a beautiful smile, packed with maturity and elegance, You were beginning to realise just how alluring she was. But before you could start painting pictures of her naked in your mind, The Arch Wicken began quizzing you.

"If a Crow spreads its wings, cawing and roaring, does it wake in darkness, or put to slumber, come morning?"

What the fuck is that? That's some Reddit poetry right there son. and yet you furrowed your brow, trying to think about what the riddle could be.

A crow... cawing, waking in darkness or sleeping in the morning? "You're talking about the Undead in general, they are awake at night and sleep in the morning?"

Morgan's face was unmoving but betrayed the smallest hints of dissatisfaction "Interesting. The next question: When Black mixes with red, the living mixed with dead, when joy combines with woe and a friend is made of foe, What does that make you?"

You rubbed your chin, Black mixed with red, Living mixed with dead "Am I... Blood?"

Morgan moved swiftly on, betraying nothing just like before.
"Final question: Who is here, but is also there? And walks the path of everywhere? Who shatters the veil of space and time, the father of fathers, the dark divine?"

You were confident about this one "Ah I've read about the most powerful vampire, the first of us. You're talking about Dracula right?"

Morgan reached out again, pinching a few strands of your curly locks, black save for the small patches of mahogany brown. "Come, I want to show you something." The Matriarch took your hand and gripped it tightly, it made you flush at her sudden closeness... she was truly a vision, you caught her smooth scent of lavender and honey as she walked you out of the heavily damaged hall.

The Castle was wonderous, to say the least, with strange hallways that seemed to whirl and spiral in impossible ways. the floors were coated in a carpet that warmed your feet as you walked on them, as if you weren't wearing any shoes at all. And the walls were decorated with scaled-chandelers that moved and hissed with fiery tongues. Portraits of women in robes were hung in abundance, each one's eyes following you as Morgan guided you along "Do not let go, Blumengarten is mischievous enough to us, I do not imagine that it will take kindly to a stranger wandering unattended."

Looking above, you saw no ceiling, attached to the pale walls of hexagonal brick, but an ethereal sheet of crimson stained glass, depicting veins and blood which throbbed and coursed subtly, a vague red light pulsing behind it "This place is alive isn't it, like really alive?"

"Alive... yes, but not truly living, not by mortal understanding. It is best that you do not think about it too hard, the castle is built to challenge the minds of all who traverse it. As an undead, it will do little but confuse you." She was always very informed in the way she spoke, but elusive too. But you could not shake this sense of honesty around her words, following her would bring a revelation to be sure.

Further down she led you, on deeply delving spiral stairs that each seemed anomalous in a way. You stepped down on one and it was soft as sludge, nearly taking you off your feet, another squealed, making your ears ring, all the while the walls spiralled round and round, dizzying and clouding your mind.

You gripped Morgan's hand tighter "Shit, this place is weird. How do you get around anywhere?"

Morgan grinned "It has its quirks, true, but it's home nonetheless. To you, it may be odd, but staying between these walls can mean life or **** for Wiccan like us."

Her tone was soft, but her body looked softer, You bet that under that robe was a stunning form, with heavy breasts by the form of her tightly fitted robe. Rudy had helped your impulses plenty earlier, but Morgan the Matriarch was something else entirely.

As you reached the bottom of the stairway, leading into what looked like a sprawling dungeon, Morgan blushed deeply. "Yours is a permisucous mind, Charles."

Eye's widening, you scratched the back of your head "What do you mean?"

"Jesus, can this chick reads minds or something too?"

She raised an eyebrow "You and your wendigo stunk of lust, If I had to bet, I'd put my bet on your intimacy taking place not long before Regina pulled you down the pool."

You gritted your teeth, trying to keep your thoughts under control "Fuck."

Morgan interlocked her cold fingers with yours "I never suspected that you'd have shyness tucked in there. Oh well, it was rude of me to interpret your emotions, I apologise. But, don't tame your excitement just yet, you never know what the future will bring."

The snowy-haired matriarch took You to a grand door, lined with feathers carved into the heavy granite, interlocked tightly; sealing the huge stone breach which seemed too thick and heavy for any man to open it. Morgan hummed lowly, touching the stone almost lovingly as she scraped her long black nails across the grey vanes. "Monkjack." She whispered softly.

The stone wings quivered, shimmering to life as they began to part with a great cracking boom. You moved back on one foot as a deep quivering hoot responded around them.

The black nailed hand wrenched out in a soothing gesture "Don't make any sudden movements. She doesn't take kindly to disturbance so quickly after waking."

You watched, wide-eyed as the creature's body, rought with hard stone scales from its mace-like tail to its heavy armoured neck. The great beak shone with black iron as it made a strange sound, like heavy metal clashing upon itself. The gigantic lifeless black eyes, gazed at you as it moved in close to peer down at your pale face.

_"It's... like a giant owl, but the body is like a lion or... my god..." _You thought, reaching out in rampant fascination.

"Ah-Ah" Morgan gestured sharply again, "Don't get to close. Griffons can be sweet, but they pack a nasty punch."

You heard the words, but could not listen to them... your amazement was dazzling, a real-life griffon, it didn't look at all like the stories told. It was hulking and graceful and had no signs of flesh, it was pure living stone.

You reached out slowly, surely, the titanous creature flinching softly... but ultimately, remained still as you gently caressed it's iron beak.

Morgan smiled "She likes you. A rare thing."

"It-" You started, but the Griffon clanged again and you quickly corrected yourself "She, isn't alive, is she?"

"No." The matriarch professed "She died many years ago. But griffons are said to be distant cousins of the phoenix, their flesh may perish, but the soul lives on. Pewter here, guards our most sacred of halls, with the golem shell I provided for her."

"She's beautiful." You cooed, amazed that such a creature could exist.

"How much of myth is actually true? how could humans be so ignorant, of the beasts that crawl beneath the sand? The more I see of what's hidden in the world, the more I realise that we are all ignorant of what the world really is."

Vampires were the ultimate killers, the apex predators in this world for sure. But if the Witches could create something like this, then Hilde was wrong. They were not to be brushed under the carpet, they were as real a threat as the wildest werewolf, the bloodthirsty Moors and the most persistent Crusader.

A grin sparked on your face, as Pewter the Griffon pushed its beak deeper into your palm affectionately, before lifting its wings, opening the breach into the hall ahead.

"Come, I have something that you need to see. Here we discover the extent of the damage put upon your soul" The Matriarch retook your hand and ushered you underneath Pewter's colossal wings into the darkness beyond.