Dianna's POV
"You sure about this place?" Ivan asked as we stood in front of a dark, looming mansion.
"While I was following the witch who led me to the Guardian, she frequently visited this place. My guess is one of her kind must reside here," I explained.
"What are we waiting for, then?" Ivan said, striding toward the entrance. I followed.
"State your business," a lady demanded, blocking our way.
"We want to see the head of this place, whoever that may be," I said.
"Who are you?" she asked, and Ivan chuckled.
"You don't want to know," he said.
"State your names or leave, before I make you," she added, her tone deadly serious. I burst into laughter.
"Are you always this funny?" I asked between giggles.
"I don't believe I said anything funny. Clearly, you don't belong here, so leave, and do not make me repeat myself," the lady snapped.
"She's getting on my nerves, sister," Ivan muttered.
"She's getting on my nerves too, brother," I admitted.
Ivan moved toward the lady, but I grabbed her by the throat first.
"I wasn't going to hurt anyone today, but my dear, you've been rude, and that cannot go unpunished," I said, lifting her off the ground. She struggled for breath.
"Drop her, Dianna Hammington!" a voice commanded from behind.
I released the lady and turned to see a lavishly dressed woman flanked by several others.
"Dianna Ravenson and Ivan Ravenson," the woman said. "I was going to say it's a pleasure to meet two legendary beings, but I can't. Everyone knows, wherever the Ravensons appear, bloodshed is sure to follow."
"Who are you?" I asked.
"My name is Eva Jones, head of the witches of Arcane County. Forgive my subordinate, she didn't know who you were. Come, let's sit," she said, leading us into the mansion.
We settled on a couch in the expansive living room.
"How did you know we are the Ravenson?" Ivan asked.
"Everyone knows of you, but only a few can match faces to history. I am one of those few," Eva replied.
"You're the head of the witches? I didn't know the witches had a head," I said.
"Things have changed, Dianna," she said. "We have rules now, a structured order."
"And what order is that?" Ivan asked. "Having your petty witches try to kill my sister?"
"The witch who attacked Dianna acted alone. Had I known, I would have stopped her," Eva explained. "But you have no right to complain, she's already met her end by your hands."
"Coming after me was a suicide mission anyway," I said with a small smile.
"How long do you and your family plan to stay in Arcane County?" Eva asked.
"Driving us away already? We just arrived three days ago," I replied.
"Three days, and a witch is dead, a theater exploded. Rules are necessary and your family has a history of never playing by the rules. Humans know nothing of witches here in Arcane and we intend on keeping it that way. We must blend in, and your actions threatens that" Eva said.
"Why fear revealing yourselves to humans? Only the weak cower in fear" Ivan scoffed.
"We are cautious for peace," Eva said. "If we openly wield our powers against humans, many lives will be lost. We've reached an agreement to coexist, and none of our witches shall harm humans or their property. But you already broke that rule."
"We're not here to learn your rules," I said firmly.
"If you intend on staying here, you must abide by them," she replied. Ivan scoffed.
"And who will enforce them on us? You?" he asked. I held his hand.
"Don't," I muttered. "We don't plan to stay long. Our history here is already.… tragic. We won't add more to it."
"I've heard of the curse on your family centuries ago, you and your family were cursed in this city" she said.
"Yes. We're only here to find someone. Once we do, we leave," I said.
"And who exactly are you seeking?" Eva asked.
"The Guardian of the Hell Gates," Ivan replied.
"Aria Dixon?" she asked.
"Is that her name?" I inquired.
"Yes. The Dixon family has guarded the Hell Gates for centuries. She is the last living descendant."
"So where is she?" Ivan pressed.
"Aria is a rogue. She opposes my rule, rejects our alliance with humans. Even if I knew her location, it would be difficult to tell you, given your.… track record of chaos" Eva said.
"We just need to ask a few questions," I said firmly. "You can help or we will torture every witch in our path will we get an answer, your choice."
"She's been sighted recently in a cottage at the far end of the bayou," Eva finally said.
"Thank you, Eva," I said as we turned to leave.
Gia's POV
We ran until the humans in the shop lost sight of us. I yanked my hand from Eric's.
"Why are we running?!" I yelled.
"What else can we do? Kill them all?" he asked.
"Yes…. its better than running," I said.
"I only ran to protect you!" he protested.
"Protect me? From humans who would die with a snap of my finger? You have no right to think you can protect me, after all the harm you've caused!"
"Gia…"
"Don't say my name. Everything about you makes me want to kill someone," I snapped, walking away.
Ivan's POV
We followed the path through the bayou and found a small, dilapidated cottage.
"Think Eva misled us?" Dianna asked.
"I'll go back and kill her if she did," I muttered. She shook her head.
"Why do you always to kill people?"
"If I recall correctly, I wasn't the one who held a witch by the throat at Eva's mansion," I said.
"She was rude," Dianna shrugged. "I hate rudeness."
Suddenly, a squeak came from behind a wardrobe.
"Someone's there," Dianna whispered.
"Stay away from me!" an elderly woman screamed as we opened the wardrobe door.
"I am a powerful witch. I'll kill you if you come near!" she shouted, waving her hands. I laughed.
"We're not here to hurt you. We only seek Aria Dixon," Dianna said.
"My name is Harriet Dixon," the woman said. "I am her mother."
"Her mother? Isn't she the last Dixon descendant?" I asked.
"She keeps me captive, making everyone believe I'm dead," Harriet said.
"Let's sit, Harriet," Dianna said, guiding her to a chair.
"What happened between you and Aria?" Dianna asked.
"From birth, she craved power, unlike any of her siblings. In my family, the first child inherits the Guardian's power, but Aria wasn't the firstborn. She killed her siblings to claim the title, becoming the Guardian of the Hell Gates with immense power. I tried to stop her, but she trapped me in this house," Harriet said.
"Do you know where she is now?" Dianna asked.
"I do not know, but the last time she visited, she said she's on a mission… to end the Ravensons," Harriet replied.
"A mission to end the Ravensons? How does she plan on doing that?" I asked.
"I don't know, she didn't tell me, but for the first time in a long time, I gave her my blessing for her mission, the Ravensons are a curse on this earth that needs to be eradicated, if she succeeds in ending them then I will forgive her for all she did to me and her siblings and I will accept her back with open arms" Harriet said.
"Do you hate the Ravensons that much? So much to forgive your daughter for killing her siblings if she ends them?"" I asked.
"Yes I do hate them, do you know the Ravensons? Have you heard their history, they are a walking sacrilege on Earth, they are wild beasts that have no control, they've lived so long that life means nothing to them anymore, they are an abomination that needs to be eliminated. And do you know the most abominable of them all? They call him Ivan, Ivan Ravenson, I've heard tales of his wildness, I heard that his hands and leg brings out fire and lightening constantly, now tell me what kind of beast is that?" Harriet asked and I stood up
"The kind standing in front of you," I said, stepping forward. Dianna grabbed my hand.
"Ivan, don't," she whispered.
"She has to die, Dianna," I muttered, grabbing a knife.
"Who.… who are you?" Harriet stammered.
"Ivan Ravenson" I slashed her throat. Blood splattered as she collapsed lifelessly to the floor.