Lila shook her head and touched the back of her neck to find her fingers covered in glistening blood. The last magical explosion outside had almost torn the submarine in half sending her flying against the door of the Vault. Her vision was blurry, but it wasn’t a life-threatening injury. With a simple healing spell, she pulled herself together and stood up, leaning against the panel to see if there was any power left.

Nothing. Only darkness closing in and the muffled screams of panicking crew members. Phasing through was impossible so she needed to find another way out and fast. The fight outside was too important to be left out.

Lila pulled the control panel away and tried to figure out how the magic circuitry and the technology interacted. Integrated systems like that often included a failsafe in case of emergency and she was right in the middle of one. If she could isolate the corresponding mechanism, she could activate it with her own life force. It wasn’t an ideal solution, yet it would have to do.

The young witch picked apart every element inside the panel but couldn’t make sense of the various connections or how they were supposed to operate. Feeling the frustration and rage bubble inside her, Lila resisted the temptation of blowing the device to smithereens and returned to the Vault door. Maybe there was a hidden latch or a hinge somewhere she could use to force a way out. There was also the possibility of an energy blast, but the risks of using that technique in such a confined space far outweighed the benefits. One wrong calculation and she would destroy herself and what was left of the submarine.

“Okay, Lila, think. You can do this!” she told herself, her right hand resting on the door. A ripple of energy coursed through her fingers as she tried to feel what was underneath the metal. She closed her eyes and began to draw a mental map of the network around her, every node and line of magic that still existed around her. If she were to grab and pull the right one, triggering a chain reaction, there was still a chance for success. She continued to scan the metallic alloy but every path she found led to a dead end. The section of the vessel was crippled without the core’s energy. She couldn’t leave unless someone cut a path from the outside.

“Where are you, mother?” she asked, banging her head against the cold metal. Could things get any worse?

* * *

Meanwhile, Sarah was trying to get to her daughter before the submarine was overrun by the enemy forces, but it was easier said than done. All the main paths were already teeming with mindless drones serving the sign of evil with orders to capture all the powerful warlocks and witches onboard and convert them to the cause and eliminate the weak or those who proved themselves a liability. The commands were simple enough to follow and the obedient toys didn’t hesitate, their minds united in the single purpose of making their Mistress happy.

There were too many obstacles for a direct confrontation, so Sarah chose subterfuge. She was using the noisy chaos and mayhem as a cover while she skulked around the secondary pathways. The chameleonic guise she had activated after leaving the control room left no magical residue behind and the constant explosions around her silenced her invisible footsteps.

She dodged one battalion of minions and then another and had to suppress a scream when she saw a lost crew member being vaporized before her eyes by a ball of hellfire. No ashes were left behind, only the impression of a shadow against a wall that faded into nothingness. The thralls weren’t kidding around for they knew their heads were on the line if they failed their mission.

Sarah’s heart raced as she navigated the labyrinthine secondary passageways of the burning submarine. The acrid scent of smoke filled her lungs, making each breath a struggle. Lila was all she could think of, trapped in the safe room that had now become a deadly prison. She needed to get there as fast as possible without drawing unwanted attention. If she failed her now when the stakes were higher than ever, then everything was lost.

As she rounded a corner, she stumbled into yet another group of minions, low-life rabble who served as nothing more than cannon fodder for their dark Goddess’s capricious whims. They were converging on a lone figure in the distance, a young girl whose innocent-looking face reminded her so much of Lila when she was young. She stopped in her tracks, hesitating between rescuing her and sending her running to the control room, or pressing onward, straight to the Vault without looking back. Heart and mind wanted two different things and quarreled deep inside her thoughts. Standing still, Sarah watched as the mindfucked thralls prepared to extinguish her flame once and for all.

“Damn it! Not again!” she thought, raising her hands. Without ever opening her mouth, she called upon the ancient powers that coursed through her veins. A surge of destructive energy erupted from her fingertips engulfing the minions in a blinding light.

The brainwashed puppets howled in agony as their mangled bodies were thrown across the corridor before collapsing into unconsciousness. Death would have been a sweeter relief, but who was she to play the role of both judge, jury, and executioner under those circumstances? Save for a few honorable exceptions, Tabitha’s servants hadn’t chosen their fate of their own accord. The sign of evil had distorted their beliefs, contaminating their souls from within. While their owner remained alive and scheming to conquer the world of magic and mortality alike, the curse would not be broken.

“Go. Get out of here,” Sarah whispered to the girl, still invisible. The blue-eyed witch nodded in her direction and vanished inside a duct above her head. As small and nimble as she was, perhaps she would make it through after all.

Sarah walked past the aching thralls and took the next path to her right. With the core offline, the submarine was no longer altering its internal configurations to better serve the needs of the crew but that didn’t make navigation easier. Entire rooms had been caught mid-transformations and the exploding magic had created new holes and obstacles at every turn. The vessel was bound to sink and the only reason it hadn’t done so already was because the enemy was keeping it afloat.

After one last detour, Sarah arrived at the Vault door. She was relieved to find it intact. The damage around it was minimal and no fires had broken loose in that section of the submarine yet. Risking a bit of light, her keen senses picked up a faint whisper of magic lingering in the air. It was a subtle thread of energy, almost imperceptible, but to a seasoned witch like her, it was the difference between hope and despair.

With cautious optimism, Sarah pressed her palm against the cold metal surface of the Vault door, mimicking the gesture her daughter had made not so long ago. She focused on that elusive strand of magic and reached out to Lila’s mind.

“I’m here, sweetie,” she said. “Don’t worry. We’re getting out of here in no time.”

“Mom? Thank God! I’ve been trying to get the door open, but it just won’t budge! Is everyone okay?”

“No, but we’re not defeated yet. We need to teleport away, though.”

“I can’t do it while the door is still closed.”

“I know. I’m working on it. Do me a favor and go the other end of the room.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Trust me, Lila. We’re running out of time.”

“Okay, I’m going.”

Lila moved to the back of the Vault and waited. A faint hum reverberated in the protected room and reached her fingertips. Still connected to her mother’s mind, she saw her plan unfold as if she had devised it herself.

Sarah was digging deep into her own reservoir of power to pick up the magic currents outside the room. One by one, she entwined them all, weaving an intricate pattern of light and shadow that was one hundred times more powerful than an industrial laser. She channeled this new power into a thin beam that pierced the Vault’s door and spread inside the inner mechanisms, infusing them with just enough juice for one door to stir and begin to open. Then, when it seemed everything was going smoothly, the magical phosphorescence expanded outward, bending the metal until it began to ooze and melt. Tiny specks of magic, like furious bullets being shot at unseen foes, lit up the inside of the Vault. Lila almost didn’t have time to duck before the accumulated power hit the wall behind her, leaving a steamy, silver trail behind.

Sarah pushed the door open and stepped inside with an inviting hand.

“Are you okay, Lila?”

“I’m much better now, thank you. Shall we fight?”

“No. Fiadh has ordered the evacuation, so let’s get out of here now!”

“Do you have the coordinates?”

“Yes. Come. Channel your power. We’ll cast the spell together so it’s faster.”

“Okay,” Sarah sighed, not looking forward to yet another trip through the ether. The only good thing about so many teleportation spells in a row was that she was becoming quite a specialist at them even against her will. She hugged her mother and began the invocation.

“Not so fast, you two!” a sinister voice hissed outside the room. It was Magdalene, the fierce Inquisitor, draped in deep red and black. She looked more menacing than ever with her hardened features making the two women realize she was ready to do anything to get her way. Behind her, stood three other witches with blank eyes, obedient servants of Tabitha. They blocked the entrance, their curved fingers already weaving dangerous spells. “We meet again, Lila. My Mistress wants you to come with me now.”

“Tell your Mistress to go fuck herself and do the same while you’re at it!” Lila replied, growling.

All the evil witches laughed at the same time. Magdalene looked down at the defiant one, with a mixture of disdain and superiority. “Do I need to beat you to a pulp again to make you more compliant?” She sneered, her voice dripping with contempt. “The will of my Mistress is not to be defied. Surrender and maybe I’ll let your mother live.”

The air around them seems to twist and contort like a serpent, carrying the poisonous venom the blood magic they had been subjected to. Fleeting images flashed through Lila’s mind, none of them pretty. She remembered the last time they had faced one another and everything that came from it—the humiliation, the pain, and the heaviness of defeat. She had her mother by her side now, but they were still outnumbered, and the Vault was not a good place for a destructive magical battle.

“She’s not going anywhere!” Sarah stood her ground. “We’re going to stop this abomination and free everyone Tabitha has enslaved. You can’t stop what’s coming, Inquisitor!”

“Can’t I? We’ve taken control of this damned vessel and right now the rest of the forces under my command are closing in on the control room. Everyone inside will either perish or become one of us. Those are the only options. There is no middle ground. Give in. I won’t ask again.”

“You already have our answer,” Lila replied.

Sarah nodded. Resisting was the only thing to do, but the situation was dire. The moment the Inquisitor harnessed her power, they would be trapped in a death cage and then it would be too late.

There was only one thing left to do, the hardest decision a mother could make. Lila’s magical mutation offered a hope for victory where once appeared to be none. She was the key, the only one capable of leading the fight against the dark power threatening to engulf reality. She didn’t envy her burden or the terrible days ahead of her, but she could help protect the future with her own mind and life if necessary.

“Keep working on that spell, Lila,” she said, via telepathy. “This is the rendezvous point to regroup. Promise me you’ll get there and fight like hell against this bitch and her minions.”

“Mom? What are you going to do?” Lila furrowed her brow.

“Whatever it takes to keep you away from her. You’re more important than you know and I’m sorry it had to come to this, but there’s no other way.”

“Mother, no! We can still escape together. I’ll fight beside you.”

“You’re too tired to fight but I can give you enough time to escape. Get the spell working and go. I trust you.”

Sensing something was wrong even though she couldn’t read their minds, Magdalene took a step forward and raised her left hand, a ball of dark magic creeping between her fingers.

“Is this what you choose, wretched girl?” the Inquisitor asked. “You’re even dumber than I thought.

Sarah took a deep breath and conjured a protective barrier. The magical force field took on a white coloring, dividing the Vault into two sections. She poured all of her resolve into this temporary barrier to give Lila the time she needed to flee the burning submarine.

“How dare you?” Magdalene spat. She threw her black energy at the barrier, but it resisted the first assault. The other witches joined the fight with pinpoint strikes designed to weaken the center and the sides of the field. With her feet planted on the floor of the Vault, Sarah renewed the flow of magic needed to keep the spell going and stayed focused on just that. Flashes of concentrated hate erupted everywhere, the section they were in threatening to separate from the rest of the dying submarine. The field crackled and oscillated from the sheer force of the Inquisitor’s magic and her cohorts but it refused shatter “Filthy vermin! You’ll pay for this outrage!”

Sarah continued to resist their relentless assault, her arms and legs growing heavier as her reserves dwindled. Lila wanted to join her so that they could both go out in a blaze of glory, but her mother chastised her with her eyes, commanding her to stay on track. The teleportation spell flowed from the younger’s witch fingertips, one more trip through the fabric of Space and Time.

With tears streaming down her face. Lila watched as her mother struggled to hold her own amidst the conflagration of evil. The magic being hurled at her grew more potent and destructive, heralding the death of free will. Sarah puffed as her strength began to wane, arms falling to the side. She stood between her daughter and the quartet of evil witches and screamed.

It was a ferocious scream, an agonizing wail that channeled all her anger. Sarah closed her eyes as her daughter vanished behind her and fell at the Inquisitor’s feet, depleted and ready to die.

“Fuck!” Magdalene shrieked. “Fuck! Not again!”

The other witches looked at her with an ominous expression before turning to Sarah who was unconscious but alive.

“We’ll find her, Inquisitor,” they said in unison. “In the meantime, shall we rip this one apart and toss her to the ocean?”

“No!” Magdalene tapped the floor. “We’ll brand her. Once her mind is under Mistress’s control, we’ll use her to capture Lila. Hold her.”

“With pleasure,” the thralls replied, surrounding their sleeping foe. The shadow of oblivion fell over Sarah’s body.

((to be continued))