The Witch's Curse (Book One)

Chapter Nineteen:

  The idea did not settle well with anyone in our group. Ellington, Rocky, and Ross seemed to be the most surprise out of all of us. Aegus just stared at me like I was a disgrace to the magical community. The Books of the Realms were only placed on our planet and not kept on Olympus because the gods wanted us to have access to them in case of a dire emergency. Commoners mainly saw the books as a huge mockery of the new laws. Inside those books, you could find any information you desire, but not many minds can handle the burden the book can put upon you. Only the strongest of magical creatures are able to fully comprehend what they see when they open the blessing from the deities.

  Aegus led us down many hallways before we stopped in front of an empty wall. My amulet lit up after being detected by a hidden sensor on this secret entrance. The entrance led to a concealed library that was at least eight stories high. Everything seemed much grander than at my castle. The fireplace in the middle of a sitting room let its silver shine as soon as the light from the hall hit it. The ceiling held many illustrations of the history of Magius. On the far end of the first floor, I could see a book covered in cobwebs and dust. Undoubtedly, it hadn’t been touched for several decades.

  I pointed at it. “Aegus, what is that book right there?”

  He turned his gaze to the book across the room. “Your predecessors wrote words of wisdom for the rulers that were to come. Each one of them had to face a tough lesson during their reign, but all of them managed to complete it without letting the task overcome themselves. You will notice your mother did not put her learnings in there for obvious reasons. She let the power consume her, and you are supposedly faced with the same dilemma. The gods want to see if you can undo the great shadow she cast upon the realms when she left for the demonic realm. I know much more than you can imagine, but it will always come with a price. Choose what you want to learn very carefully. Just because you know something doesn’t mean you can react to it before it is too late.”

  “Rocky, Ross, Ellington, you can look around here for the time being. You might find several spell books or history books quite helpful.” I turned back to the guardian who truly was my father. “I want to read it. My grandmother always use to tell us foresight is the key to victory. I want to know what I am getting all of them into. If it is just some death trap, I can’t take them into it. What kind of a queen would I be if I did that?”

  Aegus smiled. “From what I hear, you have practically sent in your resignation for the queen position. Don’t worry, dear child. You have always been the type of lady that knows what she must truly do to make everything right. But I do have some concern, a certain Oracle told me that you and Riker have accepted your feelings for each other. I might not be your real father, but I still want what’s best for you.”

  The dust and spider webs managed to get in my lungs, creating a menacing cough. The first entry in this book dated back to the first Enchantress from millenias ago. “You have met him already. Riker is a great guy and will do spectacular things for both of his worlds.”

  “I just don’t want you to end up with a guy that can not protect you. The Council will never grant power stripping on you which means you will go to Earth with Riker and be the biggest target. Demons will sense your powers all over the world. If you marry him, he has to be able to deal with you wanting to introduce your family to both heritages.” Aegus babbled on. With him seeing me as his daughter, I could feel a very uncomfortable, awkward conversation beginning to arise.

  Trying to be silent, I laughed to myself. Aegus might have been one of the greatest fighters, but he was awful at talking about relationships. “First of all, Riker and I have not even begun to think about marriage. I could be his soul mate, but that does not mean he is going to react on that impulse. I have already told you I do not want any kids. Raising them in this world would be the cruelest punishment of all. My mom’s a pretentious whore, my dad’s a demon, and my sisters are probably secretly working with him. Why would I want to bring them into that kind of a family?”