"I curse them all, they will forever have to kill the ones they so much love for their selfish want of absolute power. The circle shall continue until mine and her pain have been sated", covering one of those cold silver eyes with his palm, the other eye formed a pattern of black arcs within it,
"I pronounce…. judgement", his calm voice finished off.
****
The night's air was heavy with tension, the moon a standby witness of what was to take place. As the wind whispered secrets through the trees, Sierra's heart raced in anticipation and fear, for she knew her future was to be decided.
Her gaze was focused on her baby, who seemed to sleep peacefully with the fireplace softly cackling and the dark blue hue of the walls giving a calming effect, the opposite of how she actually felt.
It didn't take long, before the doors gently creaked open,
"Sierra Onyx, your presence has been summoned at the high tower of justice, waste any moment and you will be dealt with in due course. Those were the orders of the head witch, your highness," a young brown haired girl spoke slowly in a soft but worried tone.
Though Sierra had been stripped of her title as princess of the witches, her young maid Thea had refused to disrespect her status.
Sierra got up from bed, holding her son in one hand, while she used the other to smoothen the ends of her dress.
Taking in a deep breath, she followed Thea out of the room, though her core and legs still quivered from childbirth.
"Your highness please take this," Thea whispered as she quickly tucked a fruit knife into Sierra's dress pocket.
Sierra gave her a confused look, before they both went into the high tower.
The candles had been lit, but they were black of colors indicating that the meeting was an ominous one.
Sierra stared around, to first catch sight of her sister, Gwen and her mother Ceridwen at the far front, both standing beside the throne of the head witch, Serena.
"Stop," Serena raised her palm at Sierra, making her granddaughter, immediately obey.
Thea walked away from behind Sierra, to go stand by the left side of the hall, where all hand maidens stood.
"Sierra Onyx, you hereby stand accused of debauchery, murder and have broken the sacred oath never to come in contact with any human. Do you deny it?" A silver haired witcher who stood as the judge questioned.
"Before I deny that, I would have you know that I am Princess Sierra Onyx, to you grandmaster Dren" Her eyes bold and confident as she stared at the silver haired man.
"If I remember correctly, you have been stripped of all royal status and is now same to a common maid, so please let's not waste anymore time and answer the question." Dren spoke, his gaze focused on the parchment in his hand.
"I deny it," Sierra replied, the red color of her hair, reflecting the rage in her eyes.
"Say what you would, in defense of your honor, Sierra Onyx," Dren replied.
Serena watched her granddaughter with undisturbed focus, while Gwen and Sierra's mother, watched in anticipation and dread.
Tonight, the people of Salem were going to witness who their queen really was.
The subjects and everyone gathered in the tower, began listening as Sierra spoke.
"A year and some months ago, I had caught something in the wind and to confirm, I had to embark on a perilous journey. I was heart shattered to find out whose name fit the message the wind had brought," Sierra spoke, her hands going to caress her son in her arms.
"Queen Serena Onyx had arranged the murder of late King Orion Onyx, my beloved father," Sierra declared, her gaze holding with that of the head witch.
Her words earned gasps as mumbles began filling the hall.
Sierra continued,
"And to break me, she killed the man who had been helping me all along, my lover, the father of my son!" her voice echoed through the hall and she took two steps closer to where the head witch sat, but the guards in front were quick to obstruct her movement.
Gwen gasped at her younger sister's reveal, she couldn't believe their grandmother would do such a thing. She turned to her mother and truly, her mother had a look of great guilt marring her countenance.
"Enough of this drama Sierra," the head witch spoke, her voice firm as she casually brushed away the words her granddaughter had spoken in her defense.
"We all know the legend isn't just a rumoured whisper behind closed doors, we the older witches, witnessed how these humans had brutally ended our reign until the watchers intervened," Serena continued,
"So to make sure history doesn't repeat itself, you Sierra would be cast out of Salem to live amongst those humans whom you so much love, and I'll put an end to that abomination myself," Serena spoke referring to the baby in Sierra's arms.
"Not if I get to kill you first" Sierra whispered under her breath.
"Thea," Sierra called out to her handmaiden.
"Yes your Highness," Thea responded, a little confused as to why the princess had called her.
"Wind please?" Sierra finished her request.
"With pleasure your highness," Thea replied, already knowing what had to be done.
A rush of wind came into the hall, breaking down pillars, and destroying the ceiling, making the people inside the high tower frantic as they tried to use every magic they knew to repel the wind.
That same wind, had taken Sierra directly from the ground to where the head witch sat. The guards around were too slow to notice as they were trying to deflect the boulders that came ramming into the ground.
"I will take with me something you love so much," Sierra spoke to her grandmother, this time, she had tied her son to her front with a shawl that had been wrapped around him.
Serena stood up to protect herself with shield magic, as its purple light enclosed her.
"I will take that prideful heart of yours," Sierra whispered in silent rage.
"And how do you intend to do that, now that you have no magic left in your marrows?" Serena asked her granddaughter.
"With this," Sierra replied, a crumbling pillar backing her voice, as she pulled out the knife from her dress pocket.
Sierra had felt it when Thea had given her that fruit knife, it had been embedded with every offensive magic she knew.
Sierra rammed the knife through her grandmother's barricade, and to the head witches' surprise, it passed.
The knife had gotten very close to Serena's chest, but the woman deflected it with her hand and the knife went straight into her eyes.
The sound of metal piercing through something soft was heard and what followed next was,
"AHH!" the head witch screamed. Gwen an Ceridwen watched in horror, but Sierra was not remorseful, her hands splashed with blood, while her grandmother wailed.
Sierra hugged her sister Gwen, kissing her cheeks, as she looked for her escape way out.
By then, the guards had surrounded her grandmother and faced her, so she had no choice as she ran out through the back door, where the Queen's throne was stationed.
Thea had started fire in the kingdom as Sierra ran, but turned to look back just once.
The flames were beautiful and she knew Thea would be killed, she was deeply grieved, but she turned her back against Salem, her red hair flowing with the wind and her blue eyes looking forward with focus.
If she got caught, then Thea's sacrifice would be for naught, so she did the honorable act, she ran, leaving a trail of fire in her absence.