The Lover's Cost

Black Blood

Violet cradled her daughter and smiled through the difficulty. At six years old, the princess weighed a bit too much for the reaper's bony arms, but she pressed on and carried her all the way to her cozy bedroom. "Oh, honey...you're home now, it's okay," Violet cooed, stroking Celeste's hair. "I love you."

"I love you too," sniffled the heir. "Mom, I was so scared...I thought you left me..."

"Never...never, never, never..." Violet's voice was like the bitter air outside. She tucked Celeste in bed and closed the door with telekinesis. "Don't ever doubt my love for you. I will swallow every star in my universe if it means finding you, and I'll devour the souls of those who did this. That is a promise." She reached her spindly hand for Cookie only to pat the comforter.

"M-Mommy...Cookie's gone..." Whimpered Celeste.

Violet paused for a moment. She stared down at her daughter in the dark. "Gone?"

Celeste nodded softly, her eyes turned away and her fingers pinching the covers as if she were in trouble. "The leader of the rebels...she's a big meanie named Amber and she cut Cookie's head off..."

Violet's heart sank down at the sight of Celeste breaking into tears. It sank further, further, until an eruption of hatred rocketed it into place. The ignition of hot, burning wrath produced a deep black smoke within the reaper's heart, and it soon vented from her eyes. "What else did she do?" She rasped.

"Mommy...don't be so mad..." The child lowered her face until her nose was under the covers. She stared at the bubbling, black mist which flowed from her mother's eyes.

"I'm not mad at you, but at Amber," Violet specified, her voice a growl. "Now tell me what she did to you."

One gulp later came the flood. Celeste burst out tears and stories, tales of how Amber had given her the minimum to eat and kept her chained in a shabby room for weeks. She confessed that she used her magic to enhance the rebellion, only at Amber's threats of course. The whip was brought up, but Celeste didn't need to speak of perhaps Amber's greatest offense.

With eyes still smoking, Violet pulled Celeste closer and ran her hand delicately over the girl's left horn. Her pale finger grazed a small dimple in the bone. "Your horn..." Her voice was a rasp, colder than any storm outside.

"She cut part of it off, Mommy! It hurt so much!" Wailed the princess. She squeezed her mother and sobbed into her chest.

Violet tightened her grip and trembled with anger. "I'll make her hurt one thousand fold!" She shrieked. "The hurt you felt from that will be but a fraction of what I'll make her feel..."

"Mom..."

"I'll make her bleed for you, Celeste. I'll carve her face with my scythe!"

"Mommy, you're scaring me!"

The dark queen took her child's wrist and leaned in, their eyes nearly touching. Shifting black energy graced white hair. "I'll possess her. I'll make her murder her loved ones and I'll make her skin herself, down to the bone! Down to her very core where her soul lies and then I will finally drink it!"

Celeste screamed and yanked away from the sorceress.

Violet's eyes widened. She panted and stood from the bed, backing up. "I'm sorry..." She muttered. "But you know you want me to..."

The child's body language answered for her. "You do," Violet confirmed.

Celeste slowly nodded. "I...want to do it," she whispered.

Violet's eyes grew round and she crept back to the bed, where she sat upon the mattress by her daughter. The darkness in her heart twisted into sick excitement, and she couldn't hide a tiny grin across her soft features. "Do you?"

"I wanna get her back."

"Well of course you do," cooed the wicked queen. She ran a finger under the girl's chin. "It's only natural to crave vengeance against those who do you harm."

"I'm so mad..."

"I know you are, Celeste," Violet hummed. "But leave this to me. You're home now." She leaned down and kissed the girl's forehead before heading to the door.

"Mommy, don't go..."

Violet looked over her shoulder. "I'll be back later. I already had plans to snuggle you tonight."

"You'll snuggle me? Really!?"

The girl's bouncing and huge grin finally put out the black haze. "Really," Violet promised. "But I need to do some work first, so go to sleep for now and I'll return later."

Violet gave her daughter extra kisses before heading to the hidden depths of the royal library and getting to work. She unrolled scrolls and weaved her dark magic in any ways that would provide answers. Notes scribbled on into the night. Healing magic had always been vetoed – it barely worked on dark magic to begin with. Any spells to reverse polarity wouldn't reverse the progression of Heather's sickness, much to Violet's dismay. Every test she performed failed.

"Ugh, think, Violet!" The witch groaned, her elbows crashing into the desk and her head falling into her hands. She raked her fingers through her hair, and her distressed frown curled into a crazed smile. "Think, think...you're an endlessly skilled sorceress, you can figure this out! Heh, this is nothing!" But it was more than nothing, and when Violet imagined losing Heather she screamed. The dead of night was her company, until it opened its ugly maws and unleashed whispers.

Oh, reaper, I thought you never failed?

"I don't!" Violet shouted, her sapphire eyes darting around the small, book-filled hideaway.

Then you'd better find a way to fix this. Lest you lose another lover. At least this one you didn't kill yourself!

"Be quiet!" Screeched the witch. She threw a blast of dark magic to her right, where the voice came from. It struck the wall and rotted out the wood.

Careful, death goddess. What if you hit the only book which might help you cure your lover?

Violet stared at the wound on the wall, wrinkled, aged, and soft with rot. Tears rolled down her face as she realized that was exactly what was happening to Heather's heart. "There must've been a time someone or something stopped the rot of black magic...I just need to remember!"

Voices laughed in the witch's head. She clenched fists and teeth, wanting to laugh right back at them out of some crazed frenzy. Denial is such a sweet thing, isn't it, reaper? You know how powerful black magic is...you know its flavor better than anyone, your skin dons its sweet fragrance, and you weave it like thread every day of your life. You know that nothing has stopped its corrosion.

"No..."

And here you are, focusing on curing instead of killing. Do you remember what happened the last time? The last time you did the opposite of your purpose, reaper?

Violet lowered her head and remembered the tremendous ache of reviving Vivian, only for her agonizing betrayal to befall. "I remember..." Whispered the witch. "But this isn't the same. I'm going to save Heather!"

Giggles followed the reply, then they faded out. They had the last laugh. Violet pressed her palms against the tabletop and looked down at the scattered pages. She stained them with tears.

By the time she returned to Celeste's bedroom, the girl was asleep. With no teddy bear to snuggle, Violet knew she would have to do. She nestled her frail body beside her daughter's under the covers. The princess's eyes fluttered open. "Mommy?"

"I'm here," Violet whispered. She pulled Celeste close and kissed her forehead. "I'll never let you go again." Feeling the Mystearlian cling to her like a koala brought a needed smile to the witch's face.