I went straight to the Lycan Palace and requested to meet the Lycan King. Over the months, we developed a sort of understanding and I could converse with him informally. The guards let me inside after a brief wait.
“You seem pretty agitated. Did something happen?” The King asked, walking into the deserted study. We usually met here to keep our plans secret. It was magically protected and servants weren’t allowed to enter either.
“I have found her weakness. This bloodflower is the only thing in the world that can kill her,” I said as I held out the blood flower, a tinge of pride seeping into my tone.
The Lycan king didn’t seem particularly thrilled. His eyebrows drew in a deep frown as he twirled the flower between his thumb and forefinger, “How can you be so sure that this flower can kill the wereheretic?”
“She told me herself.”
He raised his shoulders in a mild shrug, “The wereheretic told you and you believed it?”
“I…”
“Did it strike you that this could be a part of her plan? Why would she just tell you about the object that kills her?”
“Because….” I stopped midway, suddenly realizing my foolishness. Assuming that Hera’s confession was fake, the blood flower might be useless too. I hung my head in disappointment. I had been so close to a breakthrough but it turned out to be just wishful thinking.
The Lycan King walked over and placed his hand on my shoulder, “I never told you this but I do appreciate your effort. It is just that the wereheretic is too clever for us. She carries out everything so perfectly, never leaving any traces.”
All of a sudden, I was hit by something. Like a beam of light piercing through the darkness, a vague memory resurfaced. I gasped as I ran my fingers through my hair, “Dreki! Yes, Dreki!”
“Who is that?”
“He is the key to everything; he is the key to Hera’s power.”
“Did she tell you that too?”
“No, she didn’t. In fact, I think she had tried to wipe out this memory from my brain.” I narrowed my eyes, stressing the need to recall the scene in its entirety.
“One night when I woke up, I found that Hera was missing. I sneaked out and followed her trail. After walking for a while, I came upon a strange sight. Dreki vanished all of a sudden and transformed into a metallic ring on her finger.”
“When did this happen?”
“I guess on the third or fourth day after I was taken by the wereheretic.”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier then?”
“I just remembered it now. I think Hera had used some sort of spell on me to conceal that memory.”
“Hmm… I will need to verify the facts first.” He summoned a guard and asked him to present the royal witch named Eza. A few minutes later, a woman in a black dress walked in and examined me. She drew the same conclusion as me. Hera had tampered with my memories.
“Your highness,” she said with a curt bow. “I think Dreki is the wereheretic’s familiar.”
“Familiar?”
“Yes, the witches from the Desmond Coven have spiritual beasts to accompany them. These beasts are known to take both living and non-living forms. They derive all their power from the familiar. If you kill the familiar, the witch dies as well.”
Several pieces of the puzzle fell into place painting a clear picture. Dreki always referred to Hera as his master. He followed her wherever she went. I realized that I had never seen the ring and Dreki at the same time. When Dreki was around, the ring was missing and when Dreki was missing the metallic ring appeared on her finger.
“If we want to defeat Hera, we would need to figure out what her familiar is.”
“I think it is a serpent. I have seen the metallic ring the wereheretic wears. It looks like the coils of a snake wrapped around her finger with its hood peeking out.”
“That makes sense. Someone like the wereheretic wouldn’t keep spiritual beasts like a cat or a bird. Snake is the only spiritual beast that suits her.”
We made a detailed plan to trap the wereheretic and kill Dreki. Now, all we had to do was execute it. I hardened my heart. I couldn’t fall prey to her schemes this time. If she stayed alive, my family and my pack would be destroyed at her hands.
****
Five witches clad in black robes stood in a large circle linking hands with each other. The circle was illuminated by candles arranged in the form of a coiled serpent. A small pillar was placed in the center with a jade bowl. Magical blue flame blazed in the bowl.
The incantations reverberated in the room and the magical flames flared brighter and brighter. Once the flames took on a purplish shade, Eza tipped a drop of the wereheretic’s blood into it. The tip of the flame shifted into a serpent-like form and soared higher.
The witches had been unable to locate the wereheretic’s location. So, they were using the spell to locate her familiar. The flames soared higher and higher before they went off, suddenly turning into soft wisps of smoke.
“Dreki is next to the snowy land of Aztec,” Eza stated once the spell was completed. She sent a magical message to the witches of the Zodiac Coven who were located closest to Aztec. She also gave her instructions on how to kill Dreki.
The Lycan King and I left minutes later with reinforcements. When I reached the icy field, I found Dreki lying in a pool of blood with a mystical dagger sticking out of his chest. My legs shook as I walked over to him. His face had taken on a purplish tint.
Something shattered within me seeing his lifeless form. I should have been happy or at least felt a sense of achievement but all I felt was a strange sense of heaviness.
“Why him?” Hera’s words sounded behind me, sending a chill down my spine. Her familiar was dead, she should have died too.
I spun around to find her gazing at Dreki with a blank expression. Her face was completely emotionless; no sorrow, no tears. She didn’t even make a move to go closer to Dreki. She just stood there, gaping at him.
After what seemed like an eternity, she turned to face me. Her face was pallid and her eyes had lost their shine, turning into dark orbs. A long, suffering sigh left her lips, “Now that it has come to this, I will just give up.”
The witches formed a large containment circle around her to restrict her from performing magic. She remained silent throughout the process; zoning out all the hateful comments and insults being hurled at her.
It was a sight to behold; a hundred werewolves, dozens of witches, and the Lycan King himself escorted her to the special cell created for her in the dungeon of the Lycan Palace.