Kayne was not able to sleep a wink, today was the day of the funeral and the day of the big battle. His parents and mister Helliot have spent the whole day, yesterday teaching them all kind of spells and ways to defend themselves against the white witches magic. Evanora's head lay on his chest, they were still dressed in their pyjama's. But neither of them wanted to be alone during the darkness of the night. The only difference is that she was able to get some shut-eye, but that was only after he placed a sleeping spell on her. One that would only last eight hours, but it those mean that she was able to get some rest. He only wished that he was able to place that spell on himself as well. But it didn't work at all, and he has given up after a few tries. A soft knock landed on the door, Helliot pocked his head through the small opening.
"Ohh, young master Kayne. I should have known that you were in here." The old man said.
"I am dressed, Helliot and she needed me." He replied, Helliot nodded. "I will not lie to you, Helliot, but I am really scared. I am scared that I will lose her. If that is the case, then I do not know how to live on." He looked at her, she was clearly still unaware of what was happening right now. Of what he was saying. "I know that I am young, but I already know that she is the love of my life. The mother of my future children, if we are so lucky to have them. I will stay at her side until the end of time, and maybe even beyond that. But I also know that if she is going to be killed today, that I will follow her soon after that."
"Young master Kayne, I hope for all the members of the Le Rouge family. Hex for all the black witches inside this kingdom that she survives. But your words are echoing that of an ancestor of mine. Leif Riddle, he was married to Onyx, and he was a white witch if you can believe that. He is the one who killed Onyx. Not because he hated her, or the magic that she practised. Simply because he loved her so much and the wolves were at the door. He killed her in her sleep, and soon after that he ended his own life. During the war, the couple had two children. One that became young lady Evanora's ancestor and a newborn baby, which became my ancestor. He had placed the newborn under the guardianship of Anna Le Rouge and her sister Marion Helliot." Kayne frowned.
"Why?" He asked. "Why not place both children under their protection?"
"Because the newborn was a black witch, the first child was a white witch." Helliot said. "And now it is time for you to lift that sleeping spell of yours and for the both of you to get ready." He walked out of the room, and Kayne did just that. Evanora opened her beautiful silver eyes. Those eyes were the death of him.
"Morning, princess." He said. "I am sorry about the sleeping spell, but you needed the rest." She nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"I know, and thank you." She said, her voice thick of sleep. They pushed themselves out of bed, she towards her closet and he towards his own room. Getting dressed was not difficult, all red. The witches colour of grief, red, just like the blood the flowed inside them. He put on the same set of clothes that he wore to his grandfather's, his mother's father, funeral. Black jeans and a blood-red blouse. He brushed his hair and looked at himself in the mirror. He hated this so much, and he meant everything he had said against Helliot. He sighed and went towards the dinning room, where the smell of bacon and eggs greeted him. His parents were already sitting at the table, bot of them were dressed in their finest clothes. His mother smiled at him, with a thin smile. Helliot had told him about his feelings.
"Did you sleep well?" She asked, he shook his head. "Did Evanora sleep well?"
"She better be, I placed her under a sleeping spell. Before you are going to say something, she was thinking all endlessly and she needs the energy. She needs all her strenght today." He said. His mother smiled.
"The only thing that I was going to say is why didn't I think of that. You are right, she needed the rest." She said. "I am sorry that you were not able to get some rest." He sat down and took a sip of his tea. Evanora entered, she was wearing a blood-red top with black leather pants and high knee boots. Over her top, she was wearing a long coat that reached the ground at the back. Her cherry red hair was for the most part loss. Except for one single braid, she had ruby earning in her ear, and her make-up was mostly black. She looked fears, not at all like a girl that is mourning the loss of her father. Which didn't shock him, the beads of the Ko za˥shto˥ were shimmering with power and so did her onyx amulet. He smiled, that was his girl and he loved her so much that it hurt. She sat down and took, just like him, a sip of her tea. "Eva, you look good. Is that the clothing that grandmother has given you?"
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"It is, I was thinking of wearing a dress. But if events today end up in a battle, a dress wouldn't be practical. So I went for this instead." She said. His mother and father nodded.
"You look so awesome." His father said. "It shows how far you have come in just a couple of weeks. And that is something your father would agree on with me."
"Do you have your knife?" Kayne asked.
"There was a special space for it inside my boots. Knowing my grandmother, she would demand that I hand everything that I can use for blood magic over. So I am taking a decoy knife with me." She said. He smiled at her, Evanora is ready for battle.
"Good." That was the only thing he needed to say.
*******
There was a small drizzle on their way from the car to the little hall that her family had rented out for the occasion. She however was not face by a bit of rain, it was a funeral after all, and it would be somehow feel wrong if the sun was shining. Men and women were walking past her, while she made her way. Employee's from her father's company, employees of the ministry. Some neighbours and some people she knew from school, all of them looked at her with pity in their eyes. All of them most likely knew that they were not walking into one funeral, they were walking into two. Only she doubted that her grandmother would spend much time on her if she was the one that lost.
"There she is the black spot of the family." Medea's voice said, she was standing at the entrance of the hall. Her arms fowled. "I hate to say it, but you look good. Gone is the grey mouse, hallo black witch." Medea herself was wearing a long skirt and a blouse. The skirt however was spacious and easy to move in. Her hair was loss, she was wearing black make-up just like Evanora did. Only her lips were red instead of red. She raised her hand. "Knife. There is no way I am letting you use blood magic today." Evanora rolled with her eyes and placed the second knife that she had brought in Medea's hand. "Well, that was easy, a bit too easy."
"I already knew that I needed to hand it over, so why should I make a fush." Evanora said, she shrugged and tried to enter. But her grandmother blocked her way.
"Hand over the second knife." Her grandmother said. Evanora groaned and took the knife out of her inside pocket.
"Here, happy now?" She said. Her grandmother looked behind her. "They will hand over their knives too, if you want." Da, Ma and Kayne were already holding them up.
"Good, it is best that you know your place. Black spot." Her grandmother hissed. Evanora entered the hall and took place on a seat in near the door. The rest of the family took place beside her. The ceremony started, and she didn't she any tear.
*******
Kayne walked outside it was now clear, no clouds, no rain. Evanora was talking with his mother about something. It was costume not to leave right away after a funeral, even if you know that the life of the woman you love is in danger. He hated the fact that they were still here, he hated that he didn't know where the danger was coming from. Medea and Madam Razor were in a private room to grief, and Evanora was not invited. Not that she would ever go in there alone with the two women that want her dead. But that left him blind something, he now figured out, he hated. His father, who stood right next to him, was just as tense.
"Can you feel the magic, son?" He asked. Kayne nodded, the last couple of minutes he could nothing but the magic. What kind of spell were they weaving, it was not something he has ever faced before. Something that might be in the realm of spells Helliot warned him about. White magic that was forbidden by law to cast, something that wouldn't stop Madam Razor. He rushed towards Evanora when something strange was gathering above her head.
"Evanora!" He screamed, the dark cloud became solid and a large bolt of pure white light shot out of it. He pushed her out of the way and got hit, the ground was soft in contract with the pain he was currently feeling in his entire body. He could hear her scream, he could hear both his parents scream. But that all sounded so far away, everything else but the pain seemed so far away. Until that too melted away, he didn't feel, he didn't hear, smell or see. He was not dead, he knew that much. But it was not far off, luckily he had Helliot's spell to protect him. A spell from which his parents do not know how it works, and Evanora didn't know either.