Blackwell Sanctuary
One by one, members of the Blackwell family arrived at the sanctuary.
The moment they entered, questions began spreading throughout the room.
"What's going on?"
"Why were we brought here?"
"What happened to the castle?"
"Why did we have to leave so suddenly?"
Everyone wanted answers.
But no one seemed to have them.
Confusion filled the sanctuary as more Blackwell family members continued arriving through the gate. Some were angry. Others were frightened. Families gathered together, whispering among themselves, trying to understand why they had been forced to abandon Blackwell Castle with almost no warning.
Then Elder Paul stepped through the gate.
He stopped and stood silently, looking over every single person gathered inside.
Immediately, more questions were thrown toward him.
But before he could answer, Elder Ruby pushed her way through the crowd and walked directly toward him.
"Paul, what is happening?" she demanded. "Why did we have to move everyone here? Why did we abandon the castle?"
Elder Paul remained silent.
Ruby stared at him.
"There has to be an explanation. What was coming?"
Before Paul could respond, another portal opened.
The room went quiet.
Silas and Lucius appeared.
Both men looked battered.
Their clothes were damaged, their bodies covered with signs of battle, and Lucius looked especially injured. Silas was helping hold him upright as they stepped farther into the sanctuary.
Ruby's expression immediately changed.
She hurried toward them.
"Silas? Lucius?"
Neither answered.
Ruby looked between them.
"What happened?"
Silas's face hardened.
Ruby continued.
"Why did we abandon Blackwell Castle? Why were we in such a rush to leave? What was coming?"
Her voice became stronger.
"Was there truly no way for us to stand our ground?"
Silas slowly looked at her.
His expression was impatient, but underneath it was something Ruby rarely saw from him.
Fear.
As Silas adjusted his grip around Lucius to keep him standing, Ruby instinctively flinched.
Then Lucius lifted his head.
"She is back."
Silence.
Every person inside the sanctuary turned toward him.
Confused faces stared back.
Ruby frowned.
"What do you mean… she is back?"
Lucius's jaw clenched.
His eyes moved across the room before finally settling on Ruby.
"The Queen."
Several people froze.
Lucius continued.
"All that agony we have been feeling… all those waves of pain, rage, grief, and hatred that have been moving through the Blackwell bloodline…"
His voice lowered.
"That was her."
Ruby's eyes widened.
Lucius stared directly at her.
"The Queen is back."
A wave of gasps swept through the entire sanctuary.
Whispers immediately erupted.
"That's impossible."
"The Queen?"
"She's alive?"
"How?"
"No… that cannot be."
No one seemed able to fully understand what Lucius had just told them.
Ruby looked from Lucius to Silas.
"Are you certain?"
Neither man hesitated.
"Yes."
But Ruby's attention remained on Silas.
Because Silas wasn't arguing.
He wasn't mocking the idea.
He wasn't displaying the arrogance he normally carried when someone questioned him.
He looked disturbed.
Almost panicked.
Ruby had known Silas for a very long time.
She had seen him angry.
She had seen him cruel.
She had seen him walk toward battles without hesitation.
But the expression on his face now was different.
For perhaps the first time, Ruby was looking at a man who seemed to believe that there was nowhere left for him to run.
And that this time…
he might not escape his own death.
Ruby continued staring at them.
"The Queen…" she repeated quietly.
The words finally began to sink in.
Her legs suddenly felt weak, forcing her to lower herself to the floor.
But while fear and confusion spread throughout the sanctuary, something completely different was happening inside Ruby.
Her mind was racing.
If the Queen has truly returned…
Her eyes widened.
I can serve her again.
Shock remained written across Ruby's face, but beneath it, something else was beginning to grow.
Hope.
While others feared what the Queen's return meant, Ruby wanted something entirely different.
She wanted to see her.
She wanted to stand before her again.
She wanted to welcome her Queen home.
Across the room, Lucius and Silas began walking away from the crowd.
Silas looked toward Elder Paul.
"Call the elders."
Paul looked at him.
"All of them?"
Silas stopped.
"All of them."
His expression hardened.
"We have a situation. The entire council needs to be assembled immediately."
Without waiting for a response, Silas continued walking, helping Lucius toward their chambers.
Elder Paul remained where he stood.
His hands were trembling.
Then he opened the mind-link.
One by one, he reached out to every elder, explaining what had happened.
The Queen had returned.
And Silas was calling an emergency council meeting.
⸻
Somewhere in the Air
Elder Malachi received Paul's message while sitting aboard a plane heading back toward Alaska.
His eyes slowly widened.
The Queen is back.
He didn't respond to Elder Paul.
He barely heard the rest of the message.
Only those words mattered.
She is alive.
Malachi leaned back in his seat.
For so long, he had searched.
For so long, he had waited.
And now…
he finally knew.
She was alive.
And she was there.
A feeling he had buried for years began rising inside him.
He couldn't wait to see her again.
He didn't care what Silas wanted.
He didn't care what the council decided.
This time, Malachi had already made his choice.
When he found the Queen…
he would stand beside her.
No matter what.
⸻
The Next Day — Military Base
Rose was getting ready when the Lich approached her.
"Master."
Rose looked toward him.
"Would you like my assistance?"
She thought for a moment.
"How would you feel about watching over the people here?"
The Lich tilted his head.
"As a safety precaution," Rose continued. "I want to make sure nothing happens while we're gone."
The Lich immediately bowed his head.
"If that is what Master wishes, then that is what I will do."
He paused.
Then he looked at her again.
"But, Master…"
Rose raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
The Lich hesitated.
"Why have you not given me a name?"
Rose stared at him.
He pointed toward the dragon resting nearby on the bed.
"You gave that lizard a name."
Briar slowly lifted his head.
The dragon stared directly at the Lich with a defiant look.
The Lich stared back.
Rose looked between the two of them.
Then a smile slowly appeared on her face.
"Are you jealous?"
"No."
His answer came quickly.
Rose's eyebrow lifted higher.
The Lich cleared his throat.
"I am simply… curious."
"Curious?"
"Yes, Master."
He straightened himself.
"I have been waiting for my name."
Rose crossed her arms.
"And?"
"I would like to hear the beautiful name you choose for me."
Rose looked at him for several seconds.
Then she glanced toward Briar.
"Fine."
The Lich immediately became attentive.
"I'll give you a name."
Rose stepped closer to him.
"But there's something you need to understand first."
His expression became serious.
"You follow me," Rose said. "And me alone. Unless I personally give you orders to listen to someone else."
The Lich lowered his head.
"Understood, Master."
Rose continued.
"Your loyalty is the only reason you're still alive."
The room became quiet.
The Lich didn't argue.
He simply replied,
"Yes, Master."
Then suddenly, he lowered himself onto one knee.
Rose frowned.
"What are you doing?"
The Lich looked up at her.
"If Master doubts my loyalty, then bind it."
Rose's expression changed.
"What?"
"There is an incantation."
Rose remained silent.
The Lich continued.
"An oath that binds my soul to yours."
Rose stared at him.
"If I betray you…" he said quietly, "the oath will destroy my soul."
Rose's eyes widened slightly.
For a moment, she didn't say anything.
This is how you want to prove your loyalty to me?
Then something came back to her.
The Black Book.
She remembered reading about an ancient oath of loyalty.
But it couldn't simply be forced upon someone.
The one being bound had to willingly offer their loyalty.
A connection between master and servant.
A binding oath.
And the ultimate punishment for betrayal.
Rose looked down at him.
"You understand what you're offering?"
"Yes, Master."
"If you betray me, there's no taking it back."
"I understand."
Rose remained still.
"And you are choosing this willingly?"
The Lich lowered his head.
"Yes."
Rose slowly walked toward him.
The Lich remained on one knee.
Rose placed her hand on top of his head.
She closed her eyes.
The words returned to her.
One by one.
Rose began reciting the incantation.
The moment the final words left her mouth, dark energy moved through the room.
A burning sensation suddenly wrapped around Rose's wrist.
She pulled her hand back slightly.
A chain-like tattoo began forming around her wrist.
At the same time, matching markings appeared across the Lich's body.
One wrapped around his neck.
Another appeared over his heart.
And chains formed around both of his wrists.
The markings glowed for several seconds.
Then everything became still.
The bond was complete.
Rose stared at him.
The Lich slowly lifted his head.
Rose looked down at him.
"Reaper."
He blinked.
"That is your name."
For the first time, something almost resembling pride appeared on his face.
He bowed his head deeply.
"Master…"
Then he looked back up at her.
"My name is Reaper."
He placed one hand against his chest.
"And I am at your command."
Suddenly, black mist began rising from the floor.
Rose stepped backward.
"Reaper?"
The mist wrapped around his body.
Briar immediately lifted his head.
Within seconds, the darkness completely covered Reaper, forming something almost like a cocoon around him.
Rose stepped back several feet.
Her hand rose.
A protective shield formed around her just in case.
The black mist continued swirling.
Then…
it stopped.
The darkness slowly disappeared.
Rose lowered her hand slightly.
What stood before her was no longer the skeletal creature she had known.
Black cloth began wrapping itself around his body.
Piece by piece, it changed.
The cloth formed into a perfectly fitted black suit.
The remaining mist faded away.
Rose stared.
A tall man now stood before her.
Dark hair.
Extremely pale skin.
And completely black eyes.
His appearance was elegant…
almost like a butler.
But there was still something unnatural about him.
Something that made it impossible to forget what he truly was.
Rose slowly lowered the shield.
Reaper walked toward her.
He stopped a few feet away.
Then he lowered himself onto one knee and placed one hand over his chest.
"Master."
Rose stared down at the completely different man kneeling before her.
Reaper raised his black eyes to meet hers.
"My name is Reaper."
A faint smile touched his pale face.
"And from this day forward, my loyalty belongs to you."
© Miss Black Cherry – All Rights Reserved