Twenty four

Elder Quentin was one of the six head witches of the Primrose coven. The two hundred and eighty-seven-year-old warlock had the power, wealth, and status to remain in significant places of power in the North. He was the oldest after all. He had seen things and he knew things other witches wouldn't have the slightest knowledge of. David held on to the spider rune as Elder Quentin's firstborn led him through the thick tendrils of ivy and roses, making sure they escaped the path where they would encounter more questioning witches. They arrived at the bare porch which was lit up by a lone bulb that illuminated half of the graveled floor a dim yellow. Elder Quentin's son made it to the door giving it a light knock.

"Who is there?" A deep voice inquired from within.

"Father," The son cleared his throat. "David Blossom seeks an audience with you."

There was silence within, almost like the old warlock was considering what to do next. David was certain the proud warlock was going to shun him when suddenly, the lock within clicked and the door creaked open.

"Let him come." The deep voice commanded. "Alone."

David got a lingering look from the Elder's son as he slowly stepped into the enemy's territory.

"Don't try any funny business." The son warned as the door slammed shut behind David loudly.

Elder Quentin was seated in what seemed like an office table. Since he acted like a deacon for the witch community of the north, it was no surprise but David found it disturbing that he had no problem concocting his unsanitary business at such an unholy hour. The man's hand was covered to his ankles with bloody latex gloves as he cut into a heart of something. David suspected it belonged to a vampire who walked too far from home. Witches were not true immortals as they descended from the great tree and followed the three cycles of nature. There was the time of birth, the time of growth, and the time of death. Along the line, a deviant witch had found a loophole to halt the period of growth. It involved hunting down a vampire and ripping out its heart while it was still alive. That same heart would be made into a concoction that had the ability to rejuvenate a witch for the next fifty years. David had had one of those concoctions himself although his sister happened to be the driving factor.

"Well, what is it?"The man drawled, slicing the heart into smaller pieces. His eyes remained on his art and there was excitement that seemed to show in his eyes as he continued to dice. "It's been twenty years since you last walked in this premises. If you are here, I reckon this will be something I would love to hear."

David took a deep breath before speaking. The middle-aged warlock had that effect on the people he spoke to. He didn't need to sound nasty to make people submissive. There was just something about the way the man carried himself that warned he was not one that should be messed with.

"My sister is alive," David said.

Elder Quentin's ears perked up and he finally looked up to meet David's gaze. His steely grey eyes made David's anxiety shoot up the roof but he was glad he had finally caught the attention of the snobby elder. There was a chaotic silence between the two before Elder Quentin finally chuckled.

"David," He said. "There are a lot of things peculiar to your family line but in no part of history has a Blossom witch ever resurrected or reincarnated."

The elder seemed to be sure of his statement. After he had uttered his piece, his eyes returned to his bloody tray and he continued working. His body language gave David the message that the man was done having the conversation and he was right. The lock behind him magically clicked opened and the door slowly creaked open.

"I am not done!" David retorted, pulling out his trump card. The wooden rune radiated of ancient and powerful magic as David pointed it at the warlock's point of view. Elder Quentin's eyes popped wide open seeing the rune. David however withdrew the rune from reach once he noticed the elder was so close to snatching it from his clutch.

"Where did you get that?" The old warlock demanded.

"You shunned my sister and me from the coven because you could not find a valid reason why she would betray the primrose coven and deal with werewolf politics. Well, this is why. My sister made a deal with the silverlaws for the rune. I believe she was trying to find a relic."

"That can't be true."

"Think about it, Elder Quentin." David hammered to man's skull. "You know the legend about my ancestor Lorenzo Blossom."

"He hunted down a stag." The elder muttered.

"A stag shifter." David corrected. "Some believe it is why the Blossoms remain powerful witches till this very day. We both know my sister was very ambitious. Too much for her own good. She had a plan before Alpha Jason got her. I believe she had found her relic."

Elder Quentin shook his head. "It can't be possible. I have looked for them my entire life!" He sounded more pissed than disbelieving. The proud man could not imagine how some novice witch had achieved so much in her little time alive. His anger lasted for a minute before he remembered something David had said earlier. "Did you say she was alive?"

"Yes. She has stitched her soul with someone." David answered, keeping the identity of the person a secret. Elder Quentin had sworn loyalty to the crow pack ever since his sister's rash act. Primrose witches were at the beck and call of every werewolf affiliated with the crow pack and that was precisely why David was back in forbidden territory. He had a plan.

"And who is this someone?"

David sighed. "Before I tell you, Elder Quentin, I need you to promise that you won't do anything rash."

"Godam it, tell me, David."

David dropped the carved rune back in the crevices of his pockets before answering. "Alpha Jason's mate."

Another bout of silence followed. Elder Quentin dropped his knife into the tray before proceeding to get rid of his latex gloves. The door clapped shut and Elder Quentin finally stood to his feet. The man was about six feet tall, a stark contrast to David by a stretch. There was a fiery glint in the primrose warlock's eyes when he finally spoke.

"Do you take me as a fool David?" He bellowed. A cracking sound resonated in the room. The dull pain that shot up in David's little finger slowly grew into an unimaginable pain. David propped his finger up to his face and gasped at the deformed member. A bone was sticking out of his skin and it was the fine work of Elder Quentin. Another crack followed and David felt his knee buckle. A warm liquid flowed as the stinging pain burned David's senses. "You expect me to believe that basic witch you call your sister somehow found a sniffer rune and perfected possession? If your plan was to get back at the Primrose coven, you should have cooked up a better story."

Another crack followed but David was too numb to even comprehend what bone Elder Quentin had broken this time. He was going to die if he didn't convince the head warlock soon enough.

"He reached into his other pocket and withdrew the charred lock of hair he had helped Alpha Sofiane with. "This belongs to Alpha Jason's mate. You should know by now that his mate is rumored to be human. During my brother-in-law's most recent stakeout at Crow territory, he met Jason's mate. She could read his thoughts just like a mate would. He couldn't read hers so he asked for my help. My spell revealed something interesting." With that said, David muttered an ancient word in Latin beckoning on the elements to obey him and they did. The charred lock of hair lit up in his palms. A wisp of smoke danced out of the remains as the flames died. It spread left and right, slowly forming what looked like a tree. A cherry blossom tree to be precise. "Even if she was a witch, she sure as hell shouldn't be a Blossom witch."

Elder Quentin finally stopped his assault on David. It worked. The damn idiot bought it. David muttered another spell. This sort of acted as a kind of magic anesthetic that allowed David to stand up despite the brutal state his body was in.

"...Candice is going to bring it all down. Isn't she? The alliance Primrose has made with the Crow." Elder Quentin thought out loud.

"No," David retorted. "Not if we have something to say about that."

"Why would you help us?"

David understood the man's suspicion. He had been shunned for his sister's sin. Any sane witch would have been more than happy to see the world burn. It was none of his business after all but David gave a damn. A lone witch was a compromised witch. There were spells herculean for even a Blossom witch to attempt alone not to mention that there was a prominent result when you added Blossom witches and solitary.

"Because I wish to live."

David Flament Blossom absolutely refused to die.