Prey Of The Lycan Queen Chapter 17


    ~Zirah~


    As Kelly leads me to the back of her shop, I can''t help but nce around. To the untrained eye, it looks


    like an array of trinkets and baubles, but to someone like me, it''s a treasure trove of magical artifacts.


    Magic clings to the air like a sweet perfume. Ethereal and a little dizzying.


    We reach the back of the shop, a heavy oak door barring our way. She opens it, revealing a narrow


    staircase leading downward into darkness. I raise an eyebrow at her, but she merely smiles, her eyes


    twinkling with a secret.


    The staircase spirals down into the basement, which is far from what I had expected. It''s an


    apothecary, the walls lined with shelves of jars and bottles, herbs, and all sorts of magical ingredients.


    The air is thick with an earthy aroma, punctuated with the sharp tang of dried herbs. The scent of magic


    is potent here. Its sharp tangbined with the sweet musk of sprouting grass and the musty old


    books. It’s like being trapped in between two worlds.


    Regan, who has been trailing behind me silently, nces around the room with wide eyes. His hand


    moves toward a jar filled with swirling, silver mist. Just as his fingers brush against the ss, Kelly


    yanks it out of his reach. "Don''t touch that, unless you want to transform into a Smander," she


    warns, her tone severe. "That''s Sylph essence. Pure elemental air energy that can wreak havoc on


    physical form."


    Kelly sets the jar back on the shelf and moves over to a small table where a teapot sits. As she


    prepares the tea, she begins to unravel the history of my family, our ties to the Goddess Diana, and our


    association with Hecate.


    "Goddess Diana, your ancestor, sometimes known as the triple goddess due to her connection of three


    realms: earth, sky and sea. She is widely linked with Hecate, the triple Goddess. She is a lunar deity


    who rules over night, earth and the underworld. Diana was known for links with wild animals, hunting


    and fertility - all associated with Hecate’s realm. Diana embodied moonlight itself and she is the Moon


    goddess, the creator of Lycans."


    I take this all in with a sense of awe as Kelly hands me my tea cup with gentle reverence. As I sip from


    the warm drink steam rising from it, I listen intently to Kelly’s voice drifting through the room like mist


    "Hecate, on the other hand, is often characterized as a crossroads deity – one that guides travelers


    through dark roads, both literal and spiritual. It''s believed they were inextricably linked from birth;


    though some would argue they were the same person, and Goddess Diana was just one of Hecate''s


    crones. Whether that is true, I guess we''ll know when we cross over. But what I do know is that their


    power grew together throughout time until it reached its peak in your family bloodline."


    Her words weave a story of power, of women who defied the norms and embraced their inner magic.


    But with poweres conflict, and with conflictes consequences.


    "Your mother, Litha," Kelly begins, her gaze focused on the tea she''s pouring, "Cursed King Theron


    and, in doing so, breached the Universal Law of Magic, ''Do What You Will, But Harm None.'' She didn''t


    just curse the King. She cursed an entire species, pushing the Lycans to the brink of extinction."


    I stiffen, my cup halfway to my lips. I knew my mother had been powerful, but the depth of her actions


    still surprises me. "And what of my own curse?" I ask, my voice steady.


    Kelly ced the teapot down with a defeated sigh. "Your mother''s actions had far-reaching


    consequences, Zirah. It caused a ripple effect. On your birthday, you wille into full power, however,


    since you are a hybrid, your Lycan side can only be unlocked if the curse on the Lycan king is broken,


    otherwise, it will remain dormant."


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    "So I won''t be a Lycan?" Kelly shook her head in response.


    After all the information Kelly divulged and instructions to mark the three sons of Theron, I can''t help


    but have more questions. "And if I don''t mark any of them?" I ask cautiously.


    Kelly takes a sip of her tea and sighs heavily. "They die. You remain a witch," she says bluntly. Her


    words send a chill down my spine. She sets her cup aside and looks me in the eye. "If you ask me, I


    would just let them rot and be done with the Lycan species," she says with augh. Regan growls and


    gives her an angry look, but she doesn''t seem fazed by it. "But don''t worry, I am not her, your


    highness!" she sneers thest word at him.


    I take in her words, it doesn''t sound so bad, remaining a witch. Up until yesterday, I believed that was


    all I was, so...


    "What if I only mark one?" I press on, feeling desperate for an alternative solution.


    Kelly pauses to think for a moment before speaking again. "He''ll live, but the other two will die," she


    exins slowly. "You''ll regain some extra powers from marking him, but not enough to be a Lycan


    too." She meets my gaze, her expression unreadable as she adds in a quieter voice, "But know that


    when you make this choice, it is irreversible."


    I take in her words carefully, digesting them in silence for a few minutes while Kelly prepares more tea


    in the background. A heavy burden now rests upon my shoulders; my decision could very well


    determine the fate of an entire species.


    "And Theron?"


    "Dies unless you mark all three, it has to be all three," Kelly exins.


    "So I have to sacrifice at least one then?" I ask her, and she smiles while Regan gapes at me but says


    nothing.


    "Only those worthy of you will be marked by you, if they aren''t worthy your mark won''t take. They''re the


    sins. You''re their virtue, only you choose if they have earned the right of forgiveness," she tells me.


    The information weighs heavily on me, but I understand the cost of my mother''s actions and the burden


    that now falls on my shoulders. As I sip my tea, I think of what James said about the three kings. It


    makes me wonder what I''ll find when I visit their kingdoms. This is my destiny - to right the wrongs of


    the past and, perhaps, carve a new future for the Lycans and witches alike.


    Or condemn them.


    And as always, it begins with a choice - Theron''s sons.