Crimson Circle: Prelude
The Bewitched Forest lay more than a mile outside of the nearest town; it was a barren, desolated stretch of woodlands, which seemed to be permanently enshrouded in darkness. The narrow, winding path that led down to it was adorned by skinny worn trees with branches that seemed to reach out like skeletal fingers. The fringes of the forest were littered with broken wooden signs, most proclaiming some variation of “BEWARE” or “DO NOT ENTER”.
The forest had earned its name for a reason, and every week, at around midnight on a Saturday, it would light up in an eerie blue glow. This was proceeded by a brief flash of blue light, before it returned to its dormant state of gloom. The rumours were, of course, prevalent: the awakening of an ancient evil, mysterious creatures of the night, creatures even more frightful and dangerous than the vampires. If any villager had possessed the courage to enter the forest to investigate, however, they would have noticed a figure in white gliding down a small dirt path, heading deep into the woods. With white hair that fell in long cascades and flowing white robes, the figure could have been easily mistaken for a ghost.
As the figure travelled deeper into the woods, the trees started to change. Their branches and trunks grew thicker and sturdier, and needle-like leaves sprouted from where there was once nothing but bare branches. Soon, the forest had turned into a grove of pine trees with their foliage still lush and green. Small mushrooms and winter flowers bloomed along the sides of the dirt path. Fireflies flitted across the pine needles-strewn forest floor, in little specks of light that illuminated the way ahead.
Then, the figure stopped in front of a most peculiar sight. A giant pumpkin sitting in the middle of a small forest clearing. A giant pumpkin with green wooden windows and doors, and a chimney haphazardly affixed to its top where the stem should be. Grey plumes of smoke billowed from the chimney. A warm light emitted from the interior of the pumpkin through the windows, although they were caked with too much dust for anyone to properly gaze into.
The white-robed figure stepped onto the circular wooden steps leading up to the door of the pumpkin, and knocked. There was a brief pause, followed by the sound of something crashing, and some cursing, before the oval wooden door swung open to reveal a young girl, no more than fifteen years old of age. A pair of brown canine ears sprouted from the top of her head, and a fluffy brown tail wagged eagerly as she recognised her visitor.
The girl glanced around into the darkened woods warily, before gesturing at the white-robed figure to enter. The wooden door swung shut once more, leaving the deep, dark woods alone in its slumber.
“You’re late today,” Kath huffed as Lylia stepped through the doorway. The white-haired lady had to bend a little to avoid knocking her hat off on the low door frame.
“Ah, my apologies. Jules refused go to sleep until I’ve read him his ten bedtime stories.”
Lylia removed her hat and set it down on a small side table.
The interior of Kath’s pumpkin cottage was cramped, to say the least. The circular living area was no more than ten metres in diameter, with all the furniture shoved to the sides. A fireplace burned dimly at the end of the room, serving as the cottage’s sole source of warmth and light. The centre of the room was occupied by a large cauldron, the contents of which were bubbling and frothing. A ladle, which spun around the cauldron by itself, was stirring the concoction slowly.
“Speaking of which, when are you going to introduce me to your family?” Kath quipped.
“Kathy...” Lylia groaned. “They’re vampires. And you know exactly how well vampires and werewolves get along.”
“I know, but, it’s just- I’ve been so lonely stuck here in the middle of nowhere! And you don’t visit as often anymore...”
Kath turned away with a pout.
Lylia sighed. “I’m sorry. Maybe I could get you a pet. A cat or a dog, perhaps?”
Kath’s eyes brightened. “Or, I could turn into a cute puppy and you could pretend I was just a stray you picked up and bring me home!”
“Absolutely not.”
“Oh well, it was worth a shot...”
Kath pointed to a tattered weave rug that had been laid down before the fireplace. A few large plush cushions were piled upon it.
“Take a seat. I’ll make you some tea and the potion will be ready.”
Lylia sank down into the cushion pile, and was enveloped in a swath of warmth and softness. Kath’s cottage was no fancy vampire mansion, but it was cosy and homely, and Lylia felt more relaxed than she had been all week.
A cup of tea floated by her and she retrieved it gratefully, taking a sip.
At the centre of the cottage, Kath was struggling with her potion. She was stirring the ladle furiously, and tossing in random sprinkles of ground up herbs.
The bubbling in the cauldron grew more and more vigorous, until the foam shot out from the pot in a small explosion that reached the ceiling, dousing the entire room.
Lylia grimaced as she warily picked up a lock of her hair, which was soaked in a slimy dark red liquid.
“And it’s done!” Kath exclaimed, flinging her ladle aside. She scooped out a small portion of the potion in a tiny vial, and handed it to Lylia.
“There you go! It’s extra strong this time, so a small vial like that can last you a couple of hours. An entire flask will last you a month!”
Lylia stares at the liquid in the vial, which was an appealing murky red and had the consistency of blood. With another long suffering sigh, she downed it in one gulp.
At once, her features started to change. Her ears grew longer and pointed at the tips. Her canines sharpened into small white fangs. Her eyes, once a warm amber, was now a brilliant glowing red.
“Wow,” Kath whistled. “That’s scary. I could never get used to that. Do you feel any sudden urges to drink blood?”
Lylia shook her head. “The potion is only supposed to affect my appearance, not actually turn me into a vampire.”
“Aaand here’s the perfume.” Kath brought over a spray bottle and gave it a few squeezes towards Lylia.
“Bleh.” Kath made a face. “Now you smell just like them as well.”
“Thank you.” Lylia smiled wryly. “Would you like to join me for tea now?”
“Of course!” Kath flounced over and settled down on the rug next to her. “I have so many things to tell you about!”
It was close to dawn by the time Lylia stepped out of the pumpkin cottage, Kath on her trail. The werewolf girl had insisted on walking her to the portal, as if Lylia had not made the journey countless times by herself already.
It had snowed overnight and they walked in companionable silence, enjoying the white expanse that the forest had transformed into. The only sound was of the snow crunching under their boots.
Abruptly, Kath stumbled to a stop, her canine ears perked and eyes wide.
“What’s wrong?” Lylia asked, startled.
“There’s a strange scent...” Kath frowned. “It’s almost like...”
At that moment, the howl of a wolf ripped through the silence of the forest.
“Another werewolf!” Kath shrieked.
She tightened her grip on her staff, the colour draining from her face.
The howl sounded again, followed by another. With a sinking feeling, Lylia realised their werewolf intruder had a companion.
The howls were becoming more frequent, and louder in volume. There was no doubt that the wolves were closing in on them.
“Just stay behind me.” She nodded at Kath firmly. “I’ll handle this.”
Flames burst from her hands as she braced herself for the wolves’ appearance.
“I-I want to help!” Kath stammered and slammed her staff down. Two large tree roots sprouted from the ground and encircled them protectively.
The pine foliage before them began to shake violently. Two pairs of eyes gleamed from the shadows, as two dark forms emerged slowly.
The wolves were almost two metres in height. One was a deep russet in colour and the other a pitch black. Their eyes were glowing with an odd golden light.
One of Kath’s tree roots lashed out at the black wolf, who snarled and snagged the root in its jaws. The root splintered to pieces with a crunch. Kath made a small noise of terror.
In the wolves’ brief moment of distraction, Lylia flung a ball of fire at them. With a yelp, the wolves leapt aside and the fireball crashed to the ground, leaving a scorched ring of melted snow.
Lylia was about to prepare for a second wave of attack when a voice sounded through the trees.
“Stop!”
Immediately, Lylia felt a chilling cold spread through her veins and her limbs froze in place. The only part of her body she could move was her eyes and mouth. The squeak of surprise from Kath confirmed that she had been rendered similarly immobile as well.
The pine foliage parted to reveal another figure stepping out from the shadows.
Much like Lylia, the newcomer had pure white hair, but cut short and slicked back. Pale, silver eyes stared coldly out from an androgynous face with high cheekbones and an angular nose. With the thick fur coat that cloaked their entire form, their gender was all the more indeterminate. But Lylia knew better.
“Lady Valentin.” She said flatly, still unable to move.
“Heel, boys,” Lady Valentin nodded at the two werewolves. They growled and stepped back.
“Lylia, dear, it’s been so long. How pleasant it is to see you again.” Lady Valentin, however, did not sound pleased at all.
“You must forgive me for interrupting your little magic performance. I couldn’t allow you to hurt my boys after all.” She twined her fingers in the werewolves’ thick fur. “They are very... precious... to me.”
“How did you find me?” Lylia gritted her teeth.
“Did you really think you could hide from me forever? I know everything about your silly little life here, about that vampire you married, and that monstrosity you gave birth to.”
“Of course, I did have a little help. Your cloaking charms threw me off for the longest time. However, as always, the biggest liability lies not in ourselves, but in those we trust.”
Lady Valentin set her gaze on Kath.
Lylia felt effects of the freezing spell ebb away. Immediately, she glanced over at Kath , who had gone completely silent and still. When Kath turned slowly to look at her, her eyes were glowing gold.
“Wha-” Gripping her staff, Kath swung it towards Lylia like a club. Lylia barely managed to leap back in time, and the blow caught her in the shoulder. She dropped to the ground, clutching her shoulder as spasms of pain shot down her arm.
When Kath swung the staff again to her deal a second blow, this time to her head, the stunning spell instinctively sprang from Lylia. The spell knocked Kath back, who collapsed to the ground in an unmoving heap.
“What do you do to her?” Lylia cried.
“My dear, I believe you were the one to knock her out,” Lady Valentin sneered.
“Do not mock me! You know what I mean!”
“It’s only simple a mind control charm.” Lady Valentin rolled her eyes. Lylia felt her limbs lock in place again. Lady Valentin approached Kath, and nudged her unconscious form with a single booted feet.
“I must give this one a little credit though. Brave, but incredibly stupid– the charm would not have worked otherwise. When I first dropped by her house for a little visit, she told me that she would rather die than betray you. Of course, that was not her choice to make. It was only through her eyes that I could watch and learn everything about you. If she continues to be a good and obedient little puppy, I might just let her live. I could do with a third pet.”
Lylia stared at Kath’s limp body.
“What do you want from me?” When she spoke finally, her voice flat and devoid of any emotion. “Kill me, if you will, but let Kath go.”
“Oh please, Lylia. You are of no use to me dead. Leave this life behind. Return to where you belong. Come back to the Order with me.”
“The Order threw me out in the first place!” Lylia snapped.
Lady Valentin sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, as if dealing with a very petulant child. “That was my brother’s doing, but he is gone now. I, on the other hand, am the only one who truly values your expertise.”
“I won’t kill anyone for you. Not a ghoul, not a werewolf, definitely not a vampire.”
“Oh but you will. You’ll find that I have some rather persuasive methods. I could, for instance, pay a quick visit to the Von Stein mansion with my boys. Darling Nathaniel is away on his business trip, of course, leaving poor little Jules all by himself. Perhaps he could use some company.”
“You leave my family alone!”
Lylia screamed, and screamed again, and found that she was suddenly free of the freezing spell. She lunged at Lady Valentin, intent on pummeling the older woman with her bare fists, or maybe throttling her to death, all magic spells and charms forgotten. A surge of energy erupted from her at the sheer force of her rage, which sent Lady Valentin stumbling back a few steps. The werewolves snarled and advanced forward again threateningly.
Yet, at that moment, she was thrown back suddenly, as if a sudden force had slammed into her stomach. She fell to the ground winded. All the anger seemed to dissipate from her in an instant, replaced by a sudden sense of utter hopeless. It did not matter how strong she was; Lady Valentin was always stronger.
Lady Valentin towered over her, her silver eyes glinting in the dark.
“That is part of the deal, you foolish girl. I will leave the Von Steins alone as the White Witches always have, but you will forget your brief tryst with those degenerate creatures, and assume your rightful place as commander of the Order.”
“I don’t trust you,” Lylia spat out.
“Fine. Then I shall simply wipe away all of your memories, and set my werewolves loose in the Von Stein mansion. I am doing you a favour, Lylia Valentin. Regardless of your choice, the outcome will remain the same. You will return to the Order with me.”
If she tried to escape now, Lylia had confidence that she could get away, but not in time to return to the mansion, not in time to flee with Jules. And there was Kath to think about, Kath who did not stand a chance against Lady Valentin, and who would undoubtedly be killed. Yet, there was no turning back if she returned to the Order. She knew would never have a better chance of getting away. Possibly, she might never see Jules or Nathaniel again (poor little Jules who was probably crying for her right at this moment -- she pushed the thought away), but the alternative was unthinkable.
The choice was clear to her.
“I'll go with you.” She said simply as she struggled to her feet. “But let Kath go at least. She won't be of any use to you anyway.”
“No. The werewolf stays so I have some way of ensuring your obedience.”
Lylia nodded slowly.
Lady Valentin mimed the action of tracing a circle in the air. Immediately, a ring of glowing red light formed on the ground around them. Intricate lines and runic characters appeared in the centre of the circle, swirling in a mesmerizing pattern.
“Welcome back to the Order, Lylia Valentin,” Lady Valentin smiled at Lylia without a trace of warmth. In a brilliant flash of red light, they were gone, leaving behind nothing more than a ring of melted snow, and a dark empty forest.