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Maha-Aamir
Meow!
☆☆☆☆☆
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11-04-2013, 02:14 PM
Chapter 25
Martha stood inside the pentagram on the roof, ready to chant the spell of resurrection as Kate stood near the witch’s cauldron, ready to pour in all the ingredients needed.
Nearby, Anya stood holding on to the sword of Morgan with anger in her eyes as she heard the faint rustling of the trees grow loud. The vampires were getting closer. The trees grabbed them and snapped their necks, thrusting branches through their hearts, but still there were so many and they kept coming. Her mother was amongst them.
Draczaar stood near the gate, ready to fight but he knew he couldn’t fry the approaching monsters in case he harmed the trees.
Julia floated close to the cauldron where Anya and Kate stood.
“Are you both ready?” Julia asked and they both nodded, “Very well then… Kate, pour in the ingredients.”
Kate nodded and obeyed.
Everyone heard Martha chant as she stared at the full moon above her head.
Around them however, the vampires were getting impatient and started climbing up the trees in high speed. Suzie and Zommie held their stakes ready while Landulf dragged himself in a better position to attack. Jane floated close by to watch over her friends. Draczaar stretched his wings and signaled he would take care of those on the trees when the house became visible.
While Kate wondered how long it would take the spell to work, Anya’s anger grew as she looked at the sword she held in her hand. She was bitter and broken, knowing that her mother was the one leading the vampire army to the lost house. Anya’s mind and heart were battling as she recalled how her mother had cried before leaving her at the convent and then recalling the images Viktor’s memoirs recorded… when Victoria walked menacingly, holding on to Edmond Gordon’s severed head and throwing it at Viktor’s feet, proving that she was on his side and capable of bringing Ramona down. Anya had to shake herself to focus at the task at hand. She couldn’t wait to hand over the sword to Ramona so the prophecy could be fulfilled and Victoria’s plans would fail.
Martha’s chanting was putting a hypnotic effect on everyone as her voice became softer and slower but suddenly her voice jolted them all back to reality as it reached high peak and force.
With a loud reverberating, final chant Martha became completely silent.
Julia whispered softly, “It’s time for the portal to the tomb to open… keep your distance.” Anya and Kate nodded but they weren’t prepared for the outburst of purple smoke that erupted from the witch’s cauldron and quickly started to spread all around them. They heard Martha’s voice as she somehow floated down the roof towards them.
“I call upon Ramona the witch, to be returned from the depths of the Tomb of Time. I demand her back with everything that went in with her.”
Kate stared at the cauldron as it gradually stopped pouring purple fog out and started to bubble up as if boiling on high fire. Immediately, she noticed something appear from within. Martha and Julia came closer to inspect as the cauldron began to enlarge in both height and width.
“It’s happening, Ramona and Raoul will emerge from the cauldron.” Julia was excited.
“Remember girls, they would be unconscious so be ready to grab them and open up the pendants together for the cure.” Martha instructed as Ramona’s half unconscious body emerged from the cauldron. Martha and Anya pulled her out and lay her down on the muddy earth besides the haunted tree. Julia looked up at everyone standing guard and spoke, “Its Raoul’s turn now, be ready. The second he steps out, the house would be visible.” Everyone finally readied themselves for the fight as Kate noticed a head emerge from the cauldron. Martha helped Kate to pull Raoul Orlok’s unconscious body out of it and he was laid on the green grass near the table where Jane loved to play tea party.
Martha and Julia stepped away from the girls and Kate and Anya knew it was time to cure the two who had returned.
“Remember pendant bearers, you have to do this simultaneously so be focused.” Martha cautioned.
Anya and Kate looked at each other and nodded. They both opened their pendants and saw a tiny, star shaped, golden seed shining back at them. It looked as if a real star had shrunk itself and made home in the pendants. They had no time to admire the exquisite beauty of the seed and counted together from three to one and placed the star inside both Ramona’s and Raoul’s mouth.
Nothing happened at first and both the girls feared they had done something wrong, but then they heard Ramona cough hard and open her eyes. Raoul did the same too and tried to sit up straight.
That is when the house became visible. Every vampire around them turned their heads in the direction of Raoul Orlok and attacked the house. Suzie, Zommie and Landulf got to work as Draczaar flew towards the trees to take care of the flying creatures. Grumpz and Mr. Feets also found a vampire to drive insane.
“It is Raoul Orlok!” Martha exclaimed as if she had solved another puzzle and everyone looked at her with confusion.
“Yes… we already knew it would be him who would return with Ramona.” Julia stated as she floated towards Ramona, who was still coughing as if something was stuck in her throat.
“No… I mean, HE is the one they can see, not the house. They are here to kill him.” Martha declared.
“Then why don’t we let them?” Anya spoke harshly.
“Because it is Ramona’s duty to fulfill the prophecy, so hand over the sword to her Anya.” Kate’s voice faltered as she feared Anya would do something silly.
Anya nodded and grabbed the sword of Morgan to hand it over but Ramona was still not consciously alert to her whereabouts.
“She would need some time to collect herself.” Martha spoke worriedly.
“Hey! Hurry up guys…” Suzie called as she tripped a vampire with her foot and thrust a stake through his heart, “… it’s getting boring out here.” Zommie growled in agreement.
“Landulf, Duck!” Jane shouted as a vampire flew from a tree directly on top of Landulf. Fortunately he didn’t break any bones and Grumpz came running to help him. Landulf straightened up and yanked the vampires head off using his cane.
“See, I told you I would be helpful!” Jane floated near Suzie and Landulf chuckled back, “And I told you I was good at ripping off heads.”
While Martha tried to revive Ramona, Anya could see Raoul wasn’t having any trouble; he was coming to his senses fast. As Anya turned her head towards the gate, she froze as if she had seen someone she knew. Kate saw the expression on her face and followed her gaze, but she couldn’t see anyone in particular.
“Anya, what’s wrong?” Kate called out but she wasn’t prepared for the reply she got.
Anya took hold of the sword and came running to strike Raoul Orlok.
“STOP!!!” Kate screamed at her and let out a powerful beam of golden light from her new wand, shielding the notorious evil lord.
Everyone turned to look at them and wondered what had happened.
“He has to die! I will not let her win. If she enters the house, we would be lost. Let me kill him so the house becomes invisible again.” Anya tried to explain with the sword still in the air, ready for a strike.
“Victoria is here? You saw her?” Julia floated near the gate to look for herself.
“Yes I did. Kate, why are you shielding him with your energy?” Anya asked and Julia turned towards Kate.
“Yes Kate, why are you protecting him?” Julia asked suspiciously.
“If he has to be stricken by that sword, it has to be done by Ramona’s hand. Give her the sword Anya.” Kate was getting worried.
“She isn’t in the best condition Kate, and if Victoria manages to come in, the prophecy wouldn’t matter much.” Anya was getting frustrated, especially as more vampires started to attack. Draczaar had to come down and place himself in front of the gate but they were still too many.
Just then Ramona coughed out her star seed and stood up.
“Anya Edmond… The star seed only needed to be placed on the tongue, not shoved down my throat, but I know your patience is at test tonight.” Ramona’s voice echoed for everyone to hear and the gang let out a sigh of relief.
“Can I have the sword of Morgan please?” Ramona smiled as Anya turned around to look at her.
“Glad and honored to, Ramona.” Anya nodded in respect as she handed over the sword to the witch of the lost house.
Ramona held the sword in her hand and sighed deeply. Around them, all attacks stopped. Even the vampires knew something was about to happen and they stared at Raoul Orlok.
Raoul was still shielded in the energy orb Kate had created, when Ramona stepped up towards her, Kate released Raoul and took a step back.
Raoul stood in front of her with his gaze lowered on the ground. Ramona stared at him for a minute and then addressed everyone around her.
“I know every one of you has proven your trust and support for me and I expect more of it at this moment… I have faith in all of you and I ask you keep your faith in me.”
No one knew what she meant as she took a step closer to the evil lord.
Everyone waited for her to strike him.
Ramona laid the sword of Morgan in both her palms… and offered it to Raoul Orlok.
Everyone gasped as they saw him raise his fierce eyes and grab the handle of the sword.
The vampires outside went mad.
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Maha-Aamir
Meow!
☆☆☆☆☆
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02-13-2014, 11:05 AM
Chapter 26
Like the roar of a fierce hungry lion, Raoul Orlok leapt towards his prey and everyone held their breath, awaiting the worst.
But no one had expected what happened next…
The evil lord of darkness turned towards the gate of the lost house and started swaying the sword at the vampires that stood ready to kill him. When a couple of them came forward to attack, Raoul slashed their pale dead skin with his blade and they suddenly caught fire. As they fell to the ground, withering in pain and turned into ash, everyone else backed away. Raoul held up the sword of Morgan and watched the angry vampires standing at bay, helplessly.
Behind him, Julia whispered, “HOW is this possible?”
Martha murmured too, “He CAN NOT possibly be holding that sword!”
Raoul cleared his throat, “A handful of you shall be spared tonight… Only to return back to your blood-thirsty witch, and inform her that I am coming for her.”
“Tell my dear ‘SISTER’ I can’t wait to rip out her evil black heart!” Raoul shouted at them, ran out of the boundary of the house and attacked the vampires.
Ramona yelled at her back, “Draczaar GO!” and instantly the mighty dragon flew out too, and began burning his own share of vampires.
Everyone watched Raoul and Draczaar with amazement and confused wonder. Landulf’s question broke the spell of silence around them.
“…But Raoul doesn’t have a SISTER! What is going on Ramona?”
“And how can he hold the sword of Morgan?” Martha repeated.
“Is my mother Raoul’s sister?” Anya inquired with a puzzled expression.
Ramona smiled looking at them and sighed in relief.
Julia floated closer and wondered aloud, “Its not Victoria, is it? It can not be her…”
“It is her and it is not… I am afraid the truth is a bit complicated and a bit OLD too.” Ramona walked slowly towards the cauldron and peered inside.
“It began with the great wizard, Leroy Morgan, his son Royce Morgan and his adopted daughter, Elvira Morgan. Leroy had helped the witches make the lost house possible and Manora respected him greatly. When he was brutally killed by the vampires, Royce swore he would kill every vampire that walked the earth and avenge his father’s death. Manora could not let that happen so she invited him to the house to take care of the matter. When he arrived, his sister Elvira was with him, who was known to be a powerful witch herself. Manora put the spell on the sword of Morgan enabling it to kill only the evil hearted vampires and in return Royce wanted Elvira to be accepted in the lost house. But that never happened. For some reason Elvira was not granted permission by the witch’s cauldron to enter the premises of the lost house. Royce wanted protection for her sister from the vampires so Manora, who was in love with the vampire slayer, wanted to help him out. She promised Royce that she would find another safe place for Elvira.” Ramona let out a breath.
“I remember hearing something about Elvira being in love with Royce…” Julia added in.
“Ahh yes, that love is the reason behind all this madness. Elvira knew Royce was not her biological brother but Royce believed her to be his real sister, so Elvira could not tell him how she felt. And Royce wasn’t her only love. Elvira was also madly obsessed with vampires, and their powers. She was constantly searching for a way to unite her witch powers with the vampiric ones and become the most powerful creature to have supremacy over both races. When Manora found out about it, she understood why the cauldron had rejected her but it was already too late. Elvira had found a way to keep her dark magic with her as she transformed into a vampire.” Ramona sighed.
“Is that possible? How could she be a witch and a vampire both at the same time?” Kate asked in amazement.
“Forbidden but it is possible… though the dark hearted witches have never considered going that far because like everything, it has a price. The sacrifice of innocence… it demands the souls of those that are pure hearted, the younger, the better.” Martha answered with a dark shadow on her face.
“When Manora told Royce about his sister he didn’t believe her at all and went to confront Elvira himself. Manora tried to stop him and confessed she loved him and didn’t want to loose him but he shrugged her away saying that if she was telling the truth then he will return to her. When Royce didn’t return, Manora went looking for him and found Elvira holding his lifeless, blood drained body in her arms. She confessed she had killed him because he hadn’t agreed to be a part of her plan to take over the lost house and destroy the witch’s cauldron that had rejected her. Elvira had told Royce how much she loved him and that she was not her sister but he had spat on her face and declared he was going back to Manora. Hearing all this and seeing Royce dead was enough to make Manora reach for her wand but Elvira had her own powers and as she screamed at Manora, about how she will never attain Royce’s soul and how one day she would banish the lost house, the vampire witch vanished in a purple smoke, taking Royce’s body and his sword with her.” Ramona concluded the old tale.
“Purple smoke… that is how Raoul used to vanish.” Landulf reminded them.
“What does the history of Elvira and Manora have to do with what is happening now?” Julia inquired.
“Don’t you see? Elvira is the one the prophecy spoke about, She is the evil witch that has been playing with us all these years. She became obsessed with Royce’s soul and tried to bring it back using his remains and her dark magic and finally she succeeded when she found Raoul. He has been under her power from the beginning. He forgot his own life because Elvira managed to transfer Royce’s memoirs and soul into his. She cast a powerful spell on him so he would obey her and eventually deliver my head and the lost house to her.” Ramona stated.
“Victoria! Elvira is controlling her?” Martha was horrified.
“That would have been a relief, I am afraid she had taken over Victoria’s body the moment Victoria left Anya at the convent on the night of the eclipse. She is the one who killed Anya’s father and went to prove to Viktor that she was on his side. With Victoria’s memoir, Elvira knew everything about the plan, the resurrection and the prophecy.” Ramona sighed again.
“So my mother is innocent? She is not behind all this?” Anya had tears in her eyes.
“Always and forever, Victoria is trapped inside her own body; I can not image what she must have gone through all this time doing with her hands what she stood against.” Ramona lowered her head and Anya remembered all she had seen through Viktor’s memoirs.
Draczaar flew back to the house and spoke to his witch, “Ramona, only 4 or 5 of them have been spared. Do you want me to follow them?”
Before Ramona could answer, everyone heard Raoul reply back as he walked in the gate, “Its no use, she was at Viktor’s castle and when I tried to kill her, she vanished. I don’t know where she is anymore.”
“The sword can not kill her; Elvira is inside the body of a resident of this house. She was too clever when she chose to take over Victoria.” Ramona shook her head.
“Then how do we end this? How can we find her?” Raoul shouted in frustration.
“I know where she is…” Anya stepped forward and looked at Ramona, “But can you save my mother?”
Ramona looked at her pleading eyes and sighed, “I will try my best. Tell us where she is.”
“On the other side of the mountain, she hides in the dungeons of an abandoned castle. I know through Viktor’s memoirs that she had forbidden him to reveal her whereabouts to anyone.” Anya replied.
“That’s my castle!” Landulf was outraged. “How dare that witch use my home after destroying my family?”
Raoul stepped up to his brother and placed his hand on his shoulder, “Our family has not been destroyed, I am sorry for all the damage I caused but I am grateful for another chance at life.”
Landulf fought back tears as he patted Raoul’s face with his boney fingers, “I am glad you remember it Raoul. I thought I had lost you…” he turned towards Ramona and wept, “How will I ever repay you? You saved my Adam and today you saved Raoul too.”
Ramona smiled at him, “Now let me save you too. Come!” Ramona held out her hand and Landulf walked up to where she stood.
“What are you going to do?” Landulf inquired in confused amazement.
“Just watch and see,” Ramona smiled and turned towards her cauldron. After whispering spells to it she dipped her hand inside the greenish goo and pulled out an apple. She handed it to Landulf with a smile. “Take a bite.”
Landulf obeyed and everyone watched as his skeletal body started to become whole again. He was returning to be how he was. He dropped the apple when he saw his hand turn pink and strong.
“You spent a long time in that stone well Landulf, it’s the least I could do… and before you ask what you can do in return, well I think its time you returned home,” Ramona smiled and looked at everyone, “Take Julia, Martha and Kate to your castle and I will meet you there with Anya soon.”
Landulf nodded and Raoul asked caringly, “Do you need me?”
“I will be fine and with you soon.” Ramona answered reassuringly before turning towards Anya and Draczaar, “Let’s go visit Rowan, I need to end this before the sun rises.”
Last edited by Maha-Aamir; 02-24-2014 at 01:11 PM..
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Maha-Aamir
Meow!
☆☆☆☆☆
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02-18-2014, 10:55 AM
Chapter 27
A little past midnight, Draczaar flew to the mountain, taking Ramona and Anya with him. Anya kept thinking about her mother and how she had accused her of being against Ramona.
“Don’t blame yourself for anything Anya; what you did was very courageous tonight.” Ramona read the girl’s mind.
“But I doubted my own mother. I thought she was behind all this but she had been going through hell for all these years…” Anya lowered her head in shame and then turned around to face Ramona, “I don’t understand though, how did you know your plan would not work out?”
“I knew because I had been told. The prophecy spoke of banishing the evil from our land but that was all, there were never any instructions as to how the witch of the lost house was to achieve it. But when I started having dreams, everyone agreed that I was being shown the plan of the prophecy.” Ramona replied.
“Yes, Martha told us how the Elder Witches were helping you with your destiny.” Anya nodded.
Ramona smiled sadly at her, “The Elder Witches are a lie I’m afraid… everything was a lie. My dreams were a trap…”
Anya looked at her in shock, “A lie… How can that be?”
“The night I saw Raoul Orlok in my dream, I knew something was very wrong. When I saw the hatred in his eyes and witnessed his vanishing trick, I knew my dreams were not coming from anyone who wanted to help.” Ramona shook her head.
“But it was an Elder witch who had given you the pendants the night you became the witch of the house, that must mean they are elder witches out there somewhere… And why did you question your dreams about Raoul?”
“I knew Raoul before he became a vampire so I knew his hatred was not his own. I knew because I had loved him since I was a child and because I was incapable of taking his life… So I knew in my heart that it was impossible for me to fulfill the prophecy if he was the evil lord.” Ramona closed her eyes and sighed heavily. Anya took some time to take it all in.
“Kate knew this… Is that why she protected Raoul when I tried to kill him with the sword?” Anya inquired.
“Yes… it needed great faith on Kate’s part to do such a thing. She knew I had no intention of killing Raoul Orlok. If that were true, I would have done it on the dark night. I only went in the cauldron because I wanted to free him from Elvira’s dark magic, and also set Royce’s soul free. I had locked the whole house for everyone except Raoul so he could easily enter... And the witch who gave me the pendants… well you can call her an Elder witch if you want but her name is Florence Moonshine. She was the one who told me about the fake plan and my misleading dreams.” Ramona explained.
“Who is Florence Moonshine?” Anya asked but it was time to meet Rowan as Draczaar made a smooth landing near the magical trees.
“Let me meet Rowan first and I will tell you about her on our way back.” Ramona started to get off her dragon when Anya grabbed her arm.
“Is there a way to save her? I would do anything… Ramona!” Anya inquired about Victoria.
“Anything??? Are you sure? Love demands great sacrifice and amazing faith Anya.” Ramona waited for her reply.
“Knowing what you did for your love and seeing how it all turned out, I have all the faith I need. She is my mother Ramona; I would give my life to save her from the hell she is in.” Anya was fully determined.
“Then wait here as I go speak to Rowan, if there is a way, I would expect you to be prepared and ready. Whatever happens is to happen before the sun rises.” Ramona patted Anya on the back and turned to leave.
“I will be waiting and praying.” Anya nodded as Ramona walked inside the trees that seemed to dance on her arrival.
As Ramona walked up to Rowan, the magical tree reached out its branches to greet the witch of the lost house and started speaking.
“I am glad you found your way back to this realm with your sanity intact Ramona. There is no doubt that you have accomplished no small feat.”
“Thank you Rowan, old friend, but we both know we are not out of danger yet, there is still a lot to do. Do you have the things I need?” Ramona inquired with a smile.
“Yes I do. I have everything you had asked for before you banished yourself in the tomb of time. And do you have the information I had asked for?” Rowan replied with a query of its own.
“Yes I do. Now can I have my stuff along with the tree?” Ramona had asked for a favor in return of another and now it was time to collect.
“Ahh… She will be missed greatly.” Rowan handed Ramona a sack from one of its branches and Ramona turned to head back.
“I have no doubt. Don’t forget to inform Florence Moonshine that I am back.” Ramona shouted as she hurried towards Draczaar.
“Assuming she doesn’t already know.” Rowan muttered as Ramona vanished in the trees.
When Anya saw her come back, she hastily inquired what Rowan had said and Ramona calmly replied.
“There is a chance. We can save Victoria if we hurry. You need to hold this for me Anya, and when I speak to you in your head, you must do exactly as I say… Do you understand?” Ramona gave Anya the sack she had taken from Rowan.
“Not really… speak in my head? Telepathically you mean?” Anya was puzzled.
“Yes. Only you would be able to hear me but if you don’t act in that moment, our chance will be lost forever. Just remember that I would have your back.” Ramona assured her.
“I trust you Ramona, and so does my mother.”
“Well let us go to Landulf’s castle then; we are racing with the sunrise.” Ramona smiled.
“You still have to tell me who Florence Moonshine is…” Anya reminded her.
“Yes I do. Florence was Manora’s best friend. Just like Elizabeth is mine.” Ramona smiled before continuing, “When Royce was killed and Elvira vanished with his body and sword, Manora knew she had to do something, so she left the Lost House and went looking for her. Many years went by and it became hard to maintain the position of the house without its witch. That was when Florence decided to go look for Manora herself. But what happened was very horrible and unexpected. A week later the witches of the lost house found Manora’s lifeless body floating in a lake nearby. It was a very sad farewell as they laid her to rest in her grave with Florence Moonshine still missing.” Ramona concluded her tale.
“So where did Florence go?” Anya was getting more curious.
“When I saw Raoul in my dream, I knew something was going on and the next night I felt someone enter my room. At first I thought Raoul had found a way to enter the house but when I woke with my wand ready in hand, I saw Florence Moonshine standing in front of me. She told me her name and I couldn’t believe it. She told me she had met Manora before she died and Manora had assigned her to keep a watch over me.”
“But that was 300 years ago… how did she stay alive?” Anya inquired.
“She had taken the potion of immortality and kept herself hidden all this time in search of Elvira. She told me that the sword of Morgan was kept hidden in Viktor’s castle. Elvira had given it to him but had never shared her secret, and he kept thinking that it was Victoria who wanted to take over the lost house. Florence also told me about the children Elvira sacrificed and experimented on for transferring Royce’s soul onto them. That was when I saved Jane from the forest but Elvira had already wiped her memory. Those two boys in my room are also Elvira’s victim so she could have her strength on the night of the dark eclipse.” Ramona sighed sadly.
“She kills children to stay powerful? That is so horrible!” Anya shook her head in disgust.
“She turns them into living dead creatures. And those she spares are used for other experiments of dark magic. Florence told me all she knew about her and how she had managed to send me misleading dreams about the prophecy to make sure my plan failed.” Ramona stated.
“So why didn’t you change the plan?” Anya wondered aloud.
“I couldn’t change the plan. Florence said I had to find a way around it. If I had changed the plan Elvira would have known something was up, and this way it was more predictable how Elvira wanted events to turn.” Ramona explained.
“But many of those people who died could have been saved. Eleanor would still be alive if you hadn’t sent her out that night.” Anya looked sad.
“No Anya, I had spent many nights peering inside my cauldron and thinking about the plan. If I hadn’t done what I did, things would have gotten much worse than they did. And I saw the same thing inside the Tomb of Time. It makes you live your life and other parallel realities continuously, so trust me when I say that there was no other way I could have done this.” Ramona shook her head sadly.
They flew in silence for a while before they stopped near the Orlok castle. Soon they met with Landulf and Raoul on their way with Martha, Julia, Kate and Jane. As they hid behind the bushes and shrubs, in front of them stood the castle, where the evil vampire witch was waiting for them.
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Maha-Aamir
Meow!
☆☆☆☆☆
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02-24-2014, 01:01 PM
Chapter 28
There were no guards or vampires outside the main gate of the castle and by the looks of the old abandoned place, it seemed as if no one was there or had been for a long time. Ramona signaled Landulf to come closer as she started to whisper.
“I want you to tell Julia where the dungeon and every secret room in your castle is located, do you understand?”
Landulf nodded, “You plan to send her in first?”
“Yes, it would be better to know what Elvira is up to before we all go barging in.” Ramona looked over at her old friend.
“What if there is a spell on the castle and I don’t return?” Julia inquired.
“I will keep checking on you and if I loose contact then we all go in, are you ready to float in?” Ramona asked with a smile.
“Yes, I am ready Ramona.” Julia answered back.
“Martha I would need you to stay with Landulf and Raoul. Remember, you have to be on guard if Elvira tries to use magic.” Ramona turned to face Martha who nodded in agreement.
“Kate and Anya will go with me to force Elvira to surrender.” Ramona looked at everyone and continued, “There is only one thing I want all of you to remember… Victoria is still inside her body, so whatever you do, don’t hurt her beyond repair.”
“What if she threatens one of our lives?” Raoul asked concerned.
“Defend only!” Ramona answered firmly.
They all nodded and Julia turned invisible as she floated towards the castle. Kate wondered how long they would have to wait for her when Jane spoke up.
“Ramona… this place… I feel I have been here before, but how can that be?”
“I think it can be Jane… I found you lost near this castle a long time ago.” Ramona looked at Jane with concern.
“No, I mean inside the castle… I think I know where the dungeon is… but… Oh!” Jane couldn’t complete her sentence as her ghostly body fainted and fell to the ground.
“Martha, hurry! I think she remembered what happened to her.” Ramona took out her wand and pointed it towards the unconscious ghost girl.
“How could a ghost faint?” Anya asked in surprise as Martha ran passed her with her own wand in hand.
“She hasn’t fainted… She is being pulled back.” Ramona looked worried as the ghost of Jane began to glow with purple hue.
“She is going to vanish into smoke…” Raoul came close when Ramona let out a beam of light from her wand.
“Not if we can help it.”
Martha did the same and everyone saw Jane’s ghost being risen up in a protective shield and the purple smoke die out.
“Well I guess Elvira knows we are here now.” Martha added matter-of-factly.
Julie returned in a hurry and asked impatiently, “What happened???”
“No time to explain, tell us what you saw?” Ramona hastily inquired.
“The main hall and the other rooms are all empty and clear but the dining hall is a curious place with wooden coffins lying around in a large number. Only one seems to be occupied though, and near it there is an old piano with a funny looking troll sleeping on it.” Julia answered back when Landulf spoke up.
“Zuldan! That’s our guard. He was the one who brought Raoul back when he had gone missing. Zuldan is a trusted troll Ramona.”
“Maybe in the past but now he might be under Elvira’s command.” Ramona answered.
“Can the spell be broken?” Raoul asked.
“Yes but It will have to wait. First we have to take care of Elvira. Tell me Julia, who was inside the coffin? And did you find the dungeon?” Ramona hastily asked.
“The coffin was locked and chained and I couldn’t penetrate in to see who was in it because it was jinxed and so was the dungeon. I couldn’t go down there while invisible; it’s heavily blocked with different spells and incantations by the witch.” Julia replied, “And then I heard the chained coffin making sounds. When it rose above the ground and floated towards me, I just got out of there.”
“Oh, I think I know what she is up to… she is trying to transfer Royce’s soul in someone again.” Raoul spoke with dark shadows on his face.
“Again… but I thought Royce’s soul was set free in the tomb of time?” Martha asked and turned to look at Ramona.
“It was, but Elvira has his body and through it she calls his soul back. That is why we have to stop her and take possession of Royce’s remains.” Ramona explained.
“But how will we do that?” Julia asked.
“She needs the rays of sunrise to complete the transformation. We have time to stop her. And there are many more that need to be rescued from her.” Ramona looked over at Jane’s ghost floating unconscious inside the protective shield, “Wake her up Martha… she needs to play the piano tonight. Elvira has Jane’s body too and Jane will never be free until we bury it.”
“Oh that horrible witch! I wonder where her own filthy body is, and how she will like it if someone did that to her?” Kate felt Jane’s pain.
“We must hurry inside now; we only have a couple of hours left.” Ramona started to walk towards the castle when Martha managed to wake Jane up.
“Are you alright Jane?” Martha warmly asked while Jane kept her gaze down in sadness.
“Yes…” Jane replied and floated away in silence towards Ramona.
“Poor child…” Martha looked at her back in worry.
Inside the castle, everything was exactly as Julia had described except the locked coffin was now missing. There were webs and dust all over the place and a lot of dried blood on the floor that seemed to lead towards the dungeons. Ramona could feel the dark spells all around the place. She knew if they walked inside, they would not be able to return. Ramona looked over at the piano and at the sleeping troll that held a big club firmly in his hand.
“Is that Zuldan?” She asked Landulf, who answered with a nod.
“He is under a spell too, and he will not wake until the spell is broken.” Martha informed after inspecting with her wand.
“Good.” Ramona turned towards Raoul and spoke, “Put him in one of the coffins for the time being, I need that piano.” Raoul nodded and did exactly as he was told.
“Jane, I know this will be hard for you but I need you to play your song for me.” Ramona looked over at the sad ghost.
“Who do you want me to call?” Jane plainly replied.
“I request to you, to call upon the spirit of Florence Moonshine.” Ramona’s words made every head in the room turn in surprise.
“Florence Moonshine…” Julia said with wonder in her voice.
“But I thought you said she was alive?” Anya asked in confusion.
“Who is Florence Moonshine?” Kate inquired curiously.
“We don’t have time for questions. Jane, as soon as we go down to the dungeon, I want you to call her.” Ramona turned to Martha, “You and Julia have to stay with Jane in case anything tries to prevent her from calling Florence and also to keep her shielded.”
“And the rest of us?” Landulf asked.
“We are going to meet the witch of darkness herself.” Ramona answered and started towards the stairs that led down to the mysterious dungeon. Anya and Kate followed behind her while Landulf and Raoul readied themselves for action.
When they were all out of sight, Martha and Julia prayed to see them again soon.
“Should I call the spirit now?” Jane inquired.
“Yes, I think you should.” Julia replied.
Ramona, Kate, Anya and the Orlok brothers could hear the faint humming of Jane’s song as they cautiously took steps down and finally reached an archway of darkness that led directly to the dungeon. At first they couldn’t spot a thing but eventually a purple foggy hue could be seen all around the claustrophobic place. A little distant, Ramona saw an altar made of black stones, bones and bleeding candle wax. She knew it belonged to Elvira.
“Ahh the guests have arrived… Just as I had planned.” A scratching high pitched voice spoke to them, and immediately the whole dungeon lit up as the torches on the wall caught fire and illuminated the place. Everyone gasped at the sight of what they saw.
The whole place was stacked with wooded coffins. Everywhere, as far as the sight could go, were closed coffins of different sizes and time. One of them was placed right between them and the evil witch, who stood in Victoria’s body, mocking them with a sly smile.
“You thought you could ruin my plan Ramona? But in truth, you have just wasted your years for a vampire I care nothing about and walked right into my trap.” Elvira spat out the words of anguish.
“I will make sure you are ruined this time, you blood sucking witch.” Raoul answered back instead holding on to the sword of Morgan.
Elvira looked at him with loathing and glancing at the sword. She thought of Royce Morgan as she whispered back at Raoul Orlok, “You do not deserve to hold his sword.”
“And you do not deserve to be his love.” Ramona stepped up to her and saw Elvira’s face crack with anger and hatred.
“AWAKEN… AND KILL THEM ALL!” Elvira screamed and suddenly every coffin at Ramona’s back flipped open. Vampires, ghouls, zombies and other creatures made their way out and attacked them.
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Maha-Aamir
Meow!
☆☆☆☆☆
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04-15-2014, 02:24 PM
Chapter 29
At once, they all started to fight back and managed to kill the monsters that were unleashed at them. Raoul used the sword to behead many vampires and turn them to ash while Landulf was polishing his skills of killing with his bare hands by ripping off zombies and ghouls apart. Kate and Ramona worked magic spells to vaporize those who tried to eat their brains and those they couldn’t handle, had to deal with Anya who was enjoying drinking from the monsters.
Elvira stood right in the middle of all the chaos with a cold smile on her face as one by one all her creatures crumbled to her feet.
When all the monsters were eliminated, Ramona stood in front of Elvira with Raoul by her side. Kate and Anya stood on opposite sides of the dark witch and Landulf was right behind her. She was trapped.
“It’s over Elvira. Surrender and hand over the remains of Royce Morgan at once.” Ramona commanded firmly.
“Yes Sister, you have officially been ruined!” Raoul added.
But Elvira stood silent and firm before she spoke again, in an icy whisper.
“You think you have won? Well… think again.” She smiled and glanced around at the remaining closed coffins, “Those you killed were evil by choice but now, your sword of ‘purity’ will be of no use… what are you going to do if the innocent rose from the dead?”
Everyone looked at one another and suddenly the rest of the coffins popped open too, and mutilated children started to rise.
As Elvira laughed heinously, Ramona saw living-dead children gather around them to attack. Raoul looked over at her with despair; he knew the sword would not work on them. Landulf stepped forward as he recognized a few children who had gone missing in his time.
“You evil, horrible person… Who could be cold-hearted enough to do something this hideous?” Landulf swung at Elvira with his cane in the air when suddenly she raised her hand and Landulf was thrown back to the wall.
Kate and Anya ran to help him up and saw he had some broken bones. Kate took out her wand and ran straight towards Elvira when the witch grabbed her neck in the speed of light.
Anya screamed, “Let her go immediately!”
“Is that how you talk to your mother young lady? Didn’t your precious little convent teach you how to respect your elders?” Elvira taunted back.
“Elvira, if you harm Kate, you will be very sorry.” Ramona cautioned.
“You should be more concerned about yourself at the moment Ramona.” Elvira commanded the army of children to attack.
As they made their way towards Ramona, she tried to stop them with her wand but it was no use. Magic could not stop them either. Raoul grabbed Ramona’s arm and motioned her to back away.
“Oh… you can not go back. I’m afraid you will have to die down here.” Elvira laughed again but her laugh was soon silenced by a strange humming sound. The children stopped walking as they heard the sound become clearer.
“What is that eerie sound?” Elvira made a face when Kate smiled at her and answered, “It’s the call of the dead.”
As everyone had their gaze fixed on the stairs that led down to the dungeon, no one had expected to see what arrived.
Florence Moonshine walked down with Jane, Martha and Julia, but they weren’t alone. Hundreds of ghosts of missing children floated down with them, all humming the same song.
“Let us come together…
Let us find a pathway…
Let us speak in whispers…
Let us meet up halfway…
…
Let the fears say farewell…
Let illusions fade away…
Let us smile above death…
Let us meet up halfway…”
“What is all this? Who are you?” Elvira asked staring at Florence furiously while all the little ghosts circled around the evil witch.
“You have weeds growing in your dungeon, and you are holding Katherine’s neck…?” Florence replied oddly to her, which made Elvira angrier.
“Yes, and I will rip off her head if you don’t tell me who the hell you are!” Elvira screamed as she pressed her sharp nails in Kate’s throat, which made the girl cry out in pain. Suddenly the floor started to shake, as if a strong earthquake was about to set them all off balance. Just then everyone saw the back dungeon wall break and crumble like it was made of sand.
“What is happening?” Elvira screamed at them but when she turned to see the fallen wall, she became dead silent.
Branches reached out like arms and made their way inside as everyone saw a fully grown tree enter the dungeon. Kate gasped at the bark of the tree when it ran towards her and yanked her away from Elvira, who stood in shock seeing a tree act it such a bizarre way. But it was not just a tree… ‘These trees are not just trees…’ Kate recalled Julia’s words as she looked at the face on the bark.
“Eleanor Williams… That is impossible!” Elvira recognized the tree immediately.
“Is it Elvira? Or are you simply in denial?” Eleanor answered back as she held Kate closer to herself.
“Look around you Elvira… Look at the faces of the children you have tortured and mutilated… and then look at these little ghosts.” Florence pointed to the ghosts floating around them, who Elvira could see, belonged to those children she was controlling with her dark magic.
“I believe they are here to take their remains back from you, just like I am here to take back my body.” Jane floated in front of her as Elvira’s hold weakened on the mutilated bodies of children.
“Stop this at once… How dare you walk in my dungeon and threaten me? I am Elvira Morgan. I have survived 300 years for this day. It is impossible to destroy me.” Elvira laughed like a mad woman but it was clear she was shaken inside.
“You have lost Elvira… you don’t have any choice. Give us Royce’s remains and set everyone free.” Ramona repeated but Elvira shook her head.
“Never! Royce Morgan is mine, and I want that wretched witch’s cauldron. The downfall of the lost house is my destiny.”
“And saving the house from you is mine.” Ramona held up her wand, but before she could do anything, Florence’s words made her stop in mid spell.
“I can give you the witch’s cauldron.”
Florence already had her wand out and with a swift wave she made the witch’s cauldron materialize right in front of her. A blue shining shield was all around the cauldron as Elvira looked at it with amazement and shock.
“How… how did you do that?” Elvira stammered.
“That does not matter. Do you want it or not? You will have to hand over Royce’s remains and set the children free but you will have Manora’s cauldron in your power.” Florence made the offer very clear.
“No. This must be a trick. No one can take the cauldron from the house… How did you do this? Who are you?” Elvira kept peering inside and repeated her questions.
“I don’t have much time, either you agree or Ramona will put you out of your misery for good. I am sure you must have heard about the black witch’s spell?” Florence nodded towards Ramona as she started to whisper and chant. Elvira was finally frightened.
“No, you can not do this, it will take Victoria too. The black witch’s spell will burn me but you will not do that to one of your own.” Elvira was not so sure anymore.
“We would do anything to get rid of you Elvira… you are right, no one can take the cauldron from the lost house. No one accept the witch it belongs to…” Florence’s words shattered Elvira’s focus and Ramona knew it was time to speak to Anya, in her head.
Anya was standing right next to Elvira when she heard Ramona’s voice resonate inside her head, ‘Anya, it is time.’
Anya looked over at Ramona and nodded while Elvira let out a scream.
“Manora… That is a lie! You can not be Manora…”
Ramona spoke to Anya again, ‘Throw the sack inside the cauldron and jump in, along with your mother.’
Anya looked at Ramona in surprise and heard her speak again.
‘This is the time. Remember, I have your back.’
Elvira raised her finger at Florence and spoke loathingly, “You can not be Manora because I was the one who sent her to hell.”
Instantly Anya threw the sack in the witch’s cauldron as Elvira turned towards her, but before she could figure out what was going on, Anya pushed her inside too and taunted the evil witch, “Now let me take you there, Mother!”
Everyone gasped and ran towards the cauldron to see what had happened.
“Where did they go?” Julia asked in shock.
“The Tomb of Time.” Florence answered with a smile.
“Oh Lord… What was Anya thinking? How will we bring them back?” Martha was horrified when Ramona patted her shoulder and opened her palm in front of her.
“With these.” Inside her hand were two star shaped seeds.
Last edited by Maha-Aamir; 04-15-2014 at 02:27 PM..
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Maha-Aamir
Meow!
☆☆☆☆☆
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04-15-2014, 02:27 PM
Chapter 30
A month later, they had managed to bury all the bodies and Florence had sent every child into the light except Jane. She refused to leave the lost house because even though she remembered her past, and her real name, Jenny Thomas, she knew it was just that; her past. Everyone was happy with her decision.
Ramona also managed to break open the occupied coffin in the dungeon and found Largo, a giant, who was Landulf Orlok’s butler. He had been turned into a vampire but Elvira had pulled his fangs out brutally when he had tried to attack her. Largo was happy now as he had been gifted with a dinner table of his own with food from the witch’s cauldron. Martha was successful too in waking the troll, Zuldan from his long sleep and everyone laughed when they saw his dreamy big smile as his eyes met Zommie’s.
Zommie/Elizabeth was also cured of her pains even though she still couldn’t speak but now she didn’t really care with her family safe with her.
Kate was the happiest one among them to have found her mother again when Rowan had given Eleanor the power to walk on her roots. Ramona told her it was a part of the prophecy that everything will turn out good for those who made sacrifices. Now Eleanor stood planted near the little duck pond with Kate sitting with her back next to her mother and reading one of the old journals of the lost house.
Landulf felt blessed and grateful too, he had his brother back and his son Adam had been awakened with no harm done. He stood with them, explaining everything that happened to Adam.
The other boys had recovered too and Julia wondered if they would be staying at Orlok castle, which had been granted protection by Florence Moonshine. It was similar to the lost house now as she thought it was time to place some responsibility on the vampires too. Landulf had happily agreed to it and made his place a safe house for those who wanted to follow the rules.
“So are you ready for the resurrection?” Florence asked Ramona, who stood peering inside the cauldron, lost in thought.
“Yes. The moon is almost in position and Martha is ready to chant up on the roof…” Ramona answered with her gaze still fixed inside the cauldron.
“May I ask what you are thinking about?” Florence inquired with a smile on her face.
“Nothing… just some things that seem very odd… but I think you already know what I mean.” Ramona looked up and stared at the white robed witch in front of her.
“Yes. You want to know how I brought the witch’s cauldron to the dungeon.” Florence spoke in a soft voice.
“No one can do that… I thought the plan was to bring Elvira to the house and then send her to the tomb.” Ramona asked.
“It was too dangerous. She had too much power at her will and if I had brought her here, she would have managed to figure out we were up to something. You saw how she suspected the cauldron to be a trap.” Florence explained.
“You still haven’t answered my question Florence… How did you do it?” Ramona was persistent.
Florence smiled and pulled out something from inside her robe. It was a skull.
“This is all that is left of Royce Morgan. Elvira used his remains so many times for her dark magic and tried to bring him back the way she wanted him that this skull is all that is left of him.” Florence looked down at the skull with sadness and love, “I didn’t lie when I told Elvira that the cauldron can only be moved out of the house by its witch…”
Ramona looked at her in shock, “But… how can it be? They found Manora’s body and buried her a long time ago…”
“That was Florence Moonshine. When my friend came looking for me, I had to reach out to her, which led my whereabouts be known to Elvira. She was hunting for me the same way I was hunting her. But when her vampires attacked Florence, I had to do something to get her off my tail. Florence and I decided to switch identities just moments before she died, which also locked us till the time of my death. With a spell I transformed myself into Florence and her into me… That is why everyone, including Elvira thought that I was dead. And that is why I can be called with the call of the dead requesting Florence. If anyone called Manora’s spirit, it would be Florence Moonshine who would answer back.” Florence explained.
“All this time you kept yourself hidden? Why didn’t you return as Florence to the house or came to stay with us? We could have done this together.” Ramona could only imagine what Manora had endured all these years.
“No it was not possible. I had to take the potion of immortality and I needed to keep track of the activities around Viktor Gordon.”
“You spent three centuries only to set Royce’s spirit free?” Ramona looked at her with respect and amazement.
Manora smiled and turned to look at Raoul Orlok, “I am sure you would have done the same.”
“Ramona… The moon is in position. Should I begin?” Martha called out from above.
“Yes, let us begin.” Ramona smiled at Manora and got ready to resurrect Anya and Victoria from the tomb of time.
As soon as they were out of the cauldron, Ramona and Manora revived them with the seeds of the star berries and everyone greeted them with hugs and tears.
“Ramona we did it!” Victoria smiled heartily at her witch, “I knew you would fulfill your destiny and save us all.”
“I couldn’t have done it alone, especially not without Anya and Kate.” Ramona looked over at Anya and smiled.
“Yes, I am blessed to have a daughter who went in the tomb of time for me.” Victoria hugged Anya tightly.
Everyone got busy again with each other and Ramona was left alone with Manora.
“So what do you plan to do now?” Ramona asked.
“I think I need a vacation now… a very long one.” Manora smiled and grabbed her witch’s hat that was near the haunted tree.
“What do you mean?”
“My work is done and my time has long since past. I need to return where I belong to Ramona. My life is keeping Florence’s identity locked. Plus I need to meet someone on the other side.” Manora smiled sadly as she wore the hat and held Royce’s skull in both her hands.
Ramona understood what she was saying and bowed her head in respect, “I owe you everything Manora. In truth, I couldn’t have fulfilled my destiny if you hadn’t helped me.”
“And I couldn’t have set Royce’s spirit free if you hadn’t come along… Farewell my friend, and remember that I will be with you if you need my help but now you would have to call for Manora’s spirit.” Manora laughed softly as a tear slid off her cheek.
Then she turned towards the cauldron and placed the skull inside. Instantly the cauldron began to bubble up as Manora started to chant and when the face of Royce Morgan appeared inside the cauldron, she knew he was now safe and free. Then she spoke to the cauldron, “I let go of my immortality and I let go of all bonds that keep my loved one’s locked with me. I offer myself to time and its effects and move on to where I belong.”
Ramona held her breath as she saw the cauldron become a black abyss but Manora was fearless as she cut a lock of her hair and threw it inside.
Suddenly Manora’s body began to glow in white light and everyone turned to see what had happened. She was leaving her body but because her body was no more protected from time with the immortality potion, it just disappeared. When her whole body vanished and her spirit floated in front of them all the witch’s hat fell to the ground and she smiled and let out a breath of relief.
“Who is that? And what happened to Florence?” Martha was confused with the ghost’s appearance.
“That is the witch of the lost house… she is going home.” Ramona had a smile on her face.
Manora looked at the lost house, smiled at everyone and vanished.
Ramona sat alone on the chair looking at the cookie plate in front of her and thinking about everything that had happened when she felt someone behind her.
“May I sit with you for a while, if you don’t mind?” Raoul hesitantly came forward.
“Yes please… Would you like some tea?” Ramona asked with a smile.
“No thanks, but I would like to know if you could help me locate someone from my past.” Raoul smiled mischievously.
“And who would that be?” Ramona was amused by his request.
“There was this girl… I saw her in the woods when I was young. Her carriage had gotten stuck in a puddle.” Raoul was softly laughing now but Ramona managed to remain serious.
“Is that all you know about her? What about her name, and what she did back then?” Ramona played along.
“Oh I’m afraid I only saw her that one time. I searched for her but never found her again, though I am sure of one thing, the way I could never forget her and the way she has always been on my mind, I bet she was a witch!”
Ramona couldn’t help it and laughed at his comical face when he said the word witch.
“And what do you plan to do when you find her?”
“Ahh… nothing much, only spend the rest of my immortal life with her.” Raoul placed his hand over Ramona’s and everything was perfect.
The End
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Maha-Aamir
Meow!
☆☆☆☆☆
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04-24-2014, 08:44 AM
After 30 chapters of this story, i wouldn't mind a few comments and suggestions indeed
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