╔∘₊✧═══════╗
CHAPTER 07.
THE TOWER OF THE ANCIENTS.
╚═══════✧₊∘╝
"Merlin!" Maric Berkshire's is the first voice that Artemis hears when she awakens. "You brought her of all people...here?!" Maric is most displeased that he is laying eyes upon Artemis Black of all people.
Her ancient magic is based in light magic. And this prison holds people of the most horrible darkness.
The hallways are dimly light with burning lanterns that hang upon the walls. The echoes of distance pain and misery can be heard from inside of the prison, prisoners that have been locked up for centuries without any hope of release. Even death cannot take them in such a place, thanks to a few well placed enchantments by the architects of the prison.
Black stone has been used to build the inside of the prison, in order to make it look as depressing as possible to punish the inmates.
Dark magic has soaked into this place over time, but light magic is keeping it well contained.
Rakepick stops admiring the architecture of the prison, long enough to address Maric's concerns. "We are in a prison that was built by Ancients. The power that protected this prison is Ancient. The girl's power may prove useful at some point" Rakepick reminds Maric.
"Nah" Saphira butts in. "Artemis has a way of ruining our plans. She is a loose end that needs cutting" Saphira would love to spend hours killing Artemis.
"She is my capture. She is my kill" Malicos cuts across Saphira. "If you have an issue with that, then I would be more than happy to educate you on the ways of magic, Antler Queen!" Malicos' need to prove himself pushes away his desire to work with the other generals.
Only three of the generals remain now. Caleb being killed months ago. The Sage being killed by Mabel only minutes ago.
"Enough!" Maric barks. "Our numbers already dwindle, the last thing we need is for you two to turn against each other" Maric shouts at his two allies. "We have finally found the prison that contains our master. Can you not hear her voice call to us again?" Maric can hear the whispers of Isadora's voice inside of his mind.
"Come...so weak...for so long..." the faint voice of Isadora Morganarch calls to all those whom are able to hear her.
"Madam Rakepick, if what you discovered in the writing in the temple is to be believed, then Isadora's prison will be one of the newer prison cells, I doubt we will have to venture very far into the prison itself" Maric offers to Rakepick.
It is safe to assume that the worse prisoners are kept further up the tower, and towards the apex. Whomever this prison was built for originally will likely be kept at the top of the tower.
Isadora's crime?
Isadora spent a long time searching for power when she was alive. She spent a lot of time searching for answers in all of the wrong places. Using her ancient magic to take people's pain and make it into power for herself, birthing the corrupted ancient magic into the world.
Once upon a time she used the Goblin Rebellion to enact her will upon the world, and to do battle with the Keepers that imprisoned her in this prison. Now she uses the squib rebellion to do her dirty work, giving them the power that they long for in trade for their servitude.
"Isadora must indeed have a powerful mind. If she was able to project her thoughts through the magic wards that guard this place, then her magic must be formidable" Rakepick offers. "I sense that it is not only ancient and corruption magic that dwells in this place. Such powerful dark magicks deserve to be studied" Rakepick wishes to add such powers to her own arsenal.
"If we find Isadora, then she may be able to enlighten you on what sort of magic is kept in this prison" Maric informs Rakepick. "If you get us to Isadora, then your side of the bargain is complete" Maric says.
Only when they have found the prison cell with the stone statue of Amelia Bellator and Cinta Black, can they hope to try and revive Isadora's spirit.
Artemis cannot help but laugh her head off. "A whole army filled with powerful stolen magic, and you're all taking orders from a 15 year old?" Artemis has to laugh at everyone following the orders of Maric Berkshire. "The deadly Patricia Rakepick is beholden to an army of squibs" and Artemis cannot help but laugh even louder.
Malicos is the first to reach Artemis, and give her a backhanded swipe right across her face. Artemis laughs when her lip bursts open, and blood is sprayed across the black stone corridor.
"You will NOT speak again" Malicos warns Artemis. Twice they have engaged in battle, and twice Malicos has been the one to walk away with victory.
All of the rebels look upon the girl with disgust. Not only is she blessed enough to be born with her own magic, unlike all of the squibs, and she is doubly blessed to be born with Ancient blood in her veins, which makes her twice as powerful.
"Isadora will know what to do with the girl when we have freed her. I suspect that she will relish in taking away the girl's pain and power" Maric will enjoy watching Artemis lose.
Maric wishes that Lorenzo could see his friend bound in chains right now, and about to be killed by the strongest Ancient to ever live. It would drive a knife into Enzo's heart to seeing his friend suffer, and knowing it was Lorenzo's failure to protect Maric that lead to him killing Artemis.
Rakepick's magic takes a tight grasp around Artemis' neck. "The girl comes to no further harm while she is in my custody. You can have her once our deal is complete" Rakepick would be stupid to allow the rebels to hold all of the cards in this arrangement.
Artemis tries a few mutters of a counter curse under her breath, but she isn't strong enough to break through Rakepick's spell. The attempt is so weak that Rakepick doesn't even feel the attempt at breaking her enchantments.
Artemis can feel that many powerful adversaries are incarcerated in this prison. Prisoners capable of immense power and destruction.
Artemis has never heard of this Isadora that the rebels keep mentioning, but Artemis can feel such powerful corruption magic resonating from inside of the prison.
Artemis is foolish enough to underestimate this opponent. Someone as powerful as this Isadora, is not going to take kindly to Rakepick making demands. Rakepick will either be rewarded with the power that she seeks, or she will be a problem that needs removing.
"You have the experience in breaking curses on long forgotten places. You may even have a more ample eye to spot traps. Lead the way" Maric motions for Rakepick to take the lead. "Our soldiers will make for fine escorts, should any problems arise" the small task force of soldiers can engage any adversaries before they reach Maric or Saphira.
Rakepick enjoys the back and forth, she thrives on the conflict that it breeds, to which she can use to her own advantage.
"Malicos, you will hold the enchantments over the girl, I will lead from the front" Rakepick will not look at all scared before the rebels. Maric and Saphira could be called scared for wishing Rakepick to be the first to walk through the prison.
Malicos weaves his magic from his wand and around the girl's body. Lifting her up from the ground and holding her captive.
Rakepick cockily strolls past Maric and Saphira, and the rebel soldiers follow behind her.
"I still think that we should be finishing Artemis off now, she has a habit of getting in the way" Saphira knows that keeping that girl alive is dangerous. "To say nothing of who will come after us, if they find out we have the girl hostage" Saphira hisses to Maric.
Maric chuckles. "Mabel Morgan has already failed—" and died for that failure.
Saphira shakes her head. "I don't mean the Auror. I mean them" she shudders to think of what Mattheo and Tom Riddle may do if they find out where Artemis is being kept as a hostage. "You have seen the power that they possess, stronger than any other dark wizards that I have known, and they are both psychopaths" Saphira would not wish to cross wands with them again. "To say nothing of what Frey and your brother have been known to do to people who mess with their friends. They may not be as dark as Mattheo or Tom, but they are both dangerous people" any insinuation that Maric is weaker than Lorenzo makes his anger flare.
"They have no way of reaching us here, Saphira!" Maric barks back at the older girl. "They are all ants in comparison to the tidal wave of Isadora's power" Maric offers to Saphira.
"She was killed once" Saphira reminds Maric.
"It took four keepers of ancient magic to bring her down. And it took Valaria Knight to contain her spirit in this prison. Mattheo and Tom Riddle do not possess as much power as Valaria Knight" Maric scoffs back at Saphira.
"Not yet...but they are growing alarmingly strong" she counters. "I have seen first hand what they can do when Artemis is threatened. Murder will be their last cruel punishment for us, after agonising torture, those boys are both insane, and they both delight themselves with punishing people" Saphira shudders slightly.
Mattheo killed a werewolf alpha by using shadows to slice him to pieces. Tom can break a person from the inside by turning their own minds against them. Both of them left a massacre behind them on the battlefield of Castle Cetus.
Artemis laughs coldly at the words coming from Saphira. "They're going to kill you first..." Artemis' words are tired and weakened from the spell that is containing her. "...Mattheo will probably just bash your face in with his bare hands, Tom will give it a little more poetry and turn your worst nightmares against you" Artemis laughs. "It'll be the difference between a most painful death or a slow death" Artemis cackles right at Saphira.
Malicos tightens the grip of his magic around Artemis, using his magic to bind her mouth closed with an invisible gag.
Nothing would compare to the death that Artemis herself would give the traitorous cousin of hers.
A little tremble of fear can be seen passing through Saphira's body. It was the Riddle boys that stopped her when she attacked Theodore and Iris.
Maric sees the fear on Saphira's face. He grabs her by the shoulders and turns her body to face his. "She is just trying to unnerve you, Saphira. You are the Antler Queen, with a most powerful influence over nature. I need you to be that person once again" Maric needs the Antler Queen right now and not Saphira Lockhart who is scared of two teenagers.
Saphira closes her mind to the fear. "I-I know. Isadora is all that matters now" Saphira would risk everything for a witch that she never even met.
Isadora's whisperings prove to be more parental than anything her own parents or the Bellators ever gave to Saphira. And Isadora is the one that made Saphira strong.
Faint words on the wind is not enough. Her voice used to be a scream that would rattle the earth until Amelia Bellator and Cinta Black locked Isadora away in stone.
"Isadora is what matters" Maric repeats her sentiments. "Artemis will die soon enough" Maric promises Saphira. "Now...Isadora awaits" and Maric motions for Saphira to lead the way forward.
Saphira marches alongside their soldiers, and Maric gladly follows after her.
Malicos takes up the rear of the march, with Artemis suspended in front of him. His magic does not have the same power that Rakepick's had, he will know if she tries to weaken his hold, so she needs something a lot more powerful to break through the binding charm.
"Your power is most radiant, Artemis" Isadora's voice plagues Artemis' mind, just like in the memory of Mortis. "I do not need you, you have already brought me everything that I need. Break free of your chains and discover the same secrets of this prison that I once discovered" Isadora offers it almost as a challenge to Artemis.
"My travels were so fruitless and empty until I discovered this hidden prison. I made Mortis my home for years before I returned to teach at Hogwarts. This place taught me how to build power for myself" the same power stealing shit that the rebels now use to gain their corrupted ancient magic, harnessed in goblin steel.
"Rowan Khana waits to be saved Artemis. Only you can find him. Only someone like us can move around this place without being killed" the dark magic in this place wears away at normal magic. Only one of the Ancient bloodline could survive in this prison for a prolonged period of time.
Artemis closes her eyes.
Her connection to her ancient magic feels so much stronger in this place. Almost like when she absorbed the power of the dead rebels in Castle Cetus and defeated super-charged Maric.
Corridors spur off in all directions. It would be easy to escape if she gives herself a brief window of opportunity.
Artemis opens her eyes.
She channels all of her magic into the palms of her hands. Bright blue swirls of magic loop themselves around her arms, and break away at the invisible chains that bind her to Malicos' spell.
Malicos has only a second to react when Artemis drops to the ground. She flings out both of her hands.
A shockwave of ancient magic shoots from Artemis' body, a wave of blue magic that erupts outwards against the soldiers that surround her. Concussive force knocks down the cluster of people that are immediately next to Artemis.
Malicos stumbles a little when the shockwave passes over him.
Anything seems possible with her ancient magic while Artemis is tapping into the power of this prison.
Artemis throws both of her hands up, and waves of blue kinetic magic shoot from her hands like a bazooka. The two streams of magic hit Malicos in his chest and face.
Malicos is hit so hard that he spins in the air, and over himself.
Malicos lands on the stone floor.
Artemis uses her magic to strike even harder at Malicos, and it pushes him further against the stone, forcing the ground to crater around his body.
Malicos grunts out in pain.
"Hey, loser..." Artemis quickly snatches her wands from Malicos' belt. "...never assume you're as strong as Rakepick. Just because her binding held me hostage, did not mean that your magic is strong enough to hold me" Artemis taunts Malicos.
Artemis snatches a dagger from Malicos' belt, and she drives it into Malicos' torso via the side hip.
Malicos' body bucks up to try and move away from the pain. With a twist of the blade, Artemis buys herself the time she needs to run off down a different corridor than the rest of the rebels. Malicos will not be able to chase her down any time soon.
"Merlin..." Maric waves his hand, and counters the ancient magic that is binding his soldiers. "Where has the girl gone?!" Maric demands of the soldiers, but none of them saw which way that Artemis ran off in. "Find her...NOW!" she has the power to ruin everything if she manages to escape.
Saphira tends to Malicos' wounds. She isn't gentle when she pulls the blade out of his gut. "I told you that we should have ended her life!" Saphira screams up to Maric. And she gets to work on healing up Malicos' wound.
Maric sneers back at the girl. "Alright! Find her and then kill her!" Maric snaps at the girl. "And pray that we don't need her power to raise Isadora" Maric will not see their plans fall to ruin now.
*
Hours of searching have only confirmed that this prison has been left to the ravages of time. The few prisoners that the rebels have passed confirm that they are only being kept alive by the light magic on this prison, and that their condition is far from salvageable. Left to rot for thousands of years in the elements that have overgrown this prison, they are bone thin and cannot even more or speak, except to groan out in pain.
"It would be merciful to kill them" Maric snorts. "We would only be condemning them to another eternity of pain".
"Do not breach any of the cells. We do not know what may happen if we attempt brute force. And we only have time to free Isadora. The Ministry of Magic will no doubt be on their way to Mortis already" Rakepick offers. "Point me" Rakepick whispers, and he wand points the way to what she seeks.
Though, Rakepick fears that she does not need the spell, as she finds the bodies of dead rebels upon the ground. The dead rebels that were trapped at the same time as Amelia Bellator and Cinta Black.
All of them perished from hunger, and some had even killed others to feast upon them, but all of them are long dead.
And the bodies all seem to be congregated around an open cell door, where two completely scorched bodies lie upon the ground. "They triggered the traps" Rakepick comments. "I think we have found the cell of Isadora Morganarch" Rakepick offers to Maric and Saphira.
"They all tried to free Isadora, right up until they died" that is the sort of dedication that Saphira likes to see from their soldiers.
"I would imagine that Isadora's ability to contact the outside world was severely limited when she was encased in stone. The rebels must have begun to get desperate when they could find no way out of this prison. They knew that they had to try and release Isadora, or die trying" because they had no other option than to risk their lives.
Rakepick looks around the corridor. "We should be careful not to venture too much further into the prison. The sight of such a large death toll can become a powerful magical totem in the wrong hands. Some inmates may feed upon such dark power" Rakepick offers to the rebels.
"We need not venture any further inside, if this is indeed Isadora's prison cell" Maric tells Rakepick. His excitement is making him feel nauseous. This is the woman that all of the rebels have sworn their lives to follow, and now they will actually be allowed to meet her. "If our former colleagues did die in this place, then we may be able to use the pain of the event to free Isadora from stone?" Maric suggests. "All it would take is a little bit of goblin steel".
"Let us confirm this is Isadora's cell before we do anything else" Rakepick casually waves her hand at the cell door, it creaks and snaps away from its hinges, having rusted from being left open for hundreds of years.
The cell seems thick with magic.
A stone prison with a rusted metal gate. Only a small hole in the upper wall to allow a thin beam of sunlight inside. The floors over growing with roots that have shot through the stone.
Rakepick casts a counter spell that easily neutralises the weakened wards that have been left behind. Time and the elements have already worn away most of the magic, and Rakepick is dark enough to counter the light magic left behind in the cell.
"It is her" Rakepick smiles wickedly when her eyes land upon the stone statue that has been abandoned in the middle of the cell.
A stone representation of Amelia Bellator and Cinta Black in a struggle to overpower the other. A katana is plainly obvious that has been driven up through Amelia's chest by Cinta. And the magic from the katana is what turned both of the women to stone.
"If you free them from this stone prison, then you had better hope that Isadora is strong enough to heal that wound" Rakepick offers casually.
Amelia is the one that holds the spirit of Isadora inside of her.
"The light magic of the prison is what keeps them contained in stone. Our collective dark magic should be more than enough to break this curse, especially with the sacrifice that the fallen have made" Maric mutters.
"Then we should channel that magic together" Saphira offers to Maric. Both of them channelling the pain of the dead bodies in the corridor should be enough to counter any magic that holds Isadora in stone.
Rakepick nods, and she moves out of the way so that Maric and Saphira can do their work.
With the two dramatically waving their wands, they can channel their corrupted magic into the statue before them. The strands of crimson and black magic swirl around Maric and Saphira, but their goblin steel protects them from coming to any harm. And they guide it into the stone, allow it to penetrate where the heart would be inside of Amelia's body.
"Free yourself from stone, with this most humble gift" Maric shouts to the statue.
The magic forms cracks along the bodies of stone, the corrupted magic flowing through the veins of the bodies of both women, allowing them to free themselves of the curse they have been trapped inside.
Saphira gasps as she can sense Isadora much more clearly. "I can feel her!" Saphira giggles with delight. Isadora's guidance and influence.
"Such power" Maric feels so much stronger by just being in her presence.
The stone begins to melt away from the form of the two women. The corruption fizzling away any traces of the binding curse. Their bodies slowly beginning to move as they are not contained by the magic anymore.
It is Amelia's body that begins to move first, cracking through the last of the stone that imprisons her body. Yet, Isadora is still in control of Amelia's body, and she grunts as she pulls the katana out of her chest.
Cinta's body falls away from Amelia, as the other witch is unconscious from having so much corrupted magic forced through her body.
Isadora has to use her magic to dissolve away at the metal of the katana, and allows the ashes to fall free of her body.
"To risk your own life took courage, Cinta Black..." Amelia's voice can be heard, but the words belong to Isadora. "...magic that I had not expected" or Isadora would have guarded against it.
Isadora's body is covered in dust from the broken stone, and it clings to the sweat that douses her body. Her clothes are time worn, and the chest is nearly torn completely open thanks to the blade that was currently sat inside of her.
"Amelia Bellator?" Saphira knows the face and the name of her cousin all too well.
Isadora shakes her head. "Fear not, Saphira, it is I, Isadora, that remains in control of this body" It's not the same voice that Maric and Saphira have heard in their minds, because in their minds they have heard Isadora's true voice from her own thoughts. "Amelia Bellator is no more".
Saphira is the first to fall to her knees in a bow. "My lady, please allow me to heal your injury before it turns fatal?".
"There is no need, Saphira, as there is no need to bow before me" Isadora confirms with Saphira. "This wound is a mere pinprick of pain to people like us" as Isadora has experienced true pain from her previous battles with the keepers and Valaria Knight.
Isadora allows her hand to pass over the wound that is gaping inside of her chest. Crimson and black sparks of magic leave her fingertips and pass over the wound, knitting it closed. "Nature would never allow someone to heal their own wound with ancient magic, but the corruption allows me to bypass those laws" Isadora confirms.
Her magic is severely weakened from the curse that was placed upon her all those years ago. It is not strong enough to immediately pick up where she left off. It is strong enough that she can thank her two most loyal followers for freeing her.
"Saphira Lockhart! Maric Berkshire! How I have longed to meet the two of you" Isadora praises the two of them. Maric only 15, and Saphira having risen to power, even after both of them having been shunned by their families.
"You need not bow before me, either of you, any of you" Isadora speaks to all of the rebels that are watching from outside of the cell. "We are all equals, or our mission will never be achieved. My power over ancient magic may come from my bloodline, however, your power comes from your hard work and years of pain. I can teach you how to take away any pain that you feel, and turn it into power" and it is that power that she may need.
Isadora looks at the cell around her. Valaria Knight locked her spirit away in this prison, and then Cinta Black locked them away only a few years ago. Isadora has not seen the outside world for well over a century.
"How this place has fallen to the ravages of time" Isadora notes, this prison is not the epitome of Ancient achievement that it once claimed to be. "Once you would be able to hear the voice of Ancients from hundreds of miles away in such a place as this. Now...they all hide away in their afterlife, afraid of what will happen to this world without their stewardship" Isadora reaches out with her mind. "I sense some with a faint flicker of ancient magic, their voices are weak, they do not understand their power. There is a voice..." and Isadora flinches. "A powerful mind that is rather close. I have not felt such a powerful mind since I encountered Valaria Knight..." it can only be one person. "Amelia Bellator's daughter, Artemis?" Isadora asks.
"She and her teacher came to stop you from being freed" Rakepick finally speaks to the witch.
Isadora smiles. "Then she is so much like her ancestor, Valaria. Artemis may have come to this place to stop me from being freed, but I fear that the Ancients will have other plans for her" if Artemis is who Isadora suspects her to be, then there is much that she needs to learn from this prison. Secrets that have been guarded for far too long. Secrets that only an Ancient can uncover.
Isadora sees a lot of herself in Artemis, with only the brief glimpse into the girl's mind to use as a metric. A girl that grew up without the love of her parents. Who grew into a power that she didn't understand. A girl that has the potential for both great light and merciless darkness.
The Ancients have always been the same. Anyone that shows a trickle of talent is kept from the ocean of knowledge that their people cultivated in their history.
"My apprentice allowed Artemis to escape. She is somewhere inside of the tower. Once Malicos has recovered from the injuries that Artemis gave him, then he will capture her, or be punished for his failure" Rakepick informs Isadora.
"The girl's escape is an acceptable failure. She is rather powerful, so do not be too hard on young Malicos" Isadora informs Rakepick. "The girl may prove useful, once that she has the answers that she seeks. Everyone discovers something different when they come into contact with ancient magic".
Isadora peers down to the unconscious body of Cinta Black. "As for you...you showed your strength...and for such selflessness you should be rewarded with your life" Isadora speaks to Cinta's body.
Isadora waves her hand, and Cinta's body turns into white smoke. The smoke shoots off like a cannon, and it will finds its way to Artemis. "The girl will make sure that Cinta Black is safely returned to the living world".
Isadora turns the attention to Rakepick. "Madam Rakepick, you have worked yourself tirelessly over the past months, to provide passage to this prison for my colleagues. I know the reward which you seek, and it is more than possible in a prison like this. I have learned a great many things from the whispers that pass around this prison, and darkness that you seek can be imbued upon you, should you wish it?" Isadora offers to Madam Rakepick.
"Yes, please" Rakepick bows her head.
"Open your mind" Isadora offers to Rakepick. "Once upon a time, an Ancient was left chained by his parents, and he never learned how to use his magic, and became the world's strongest Obscurial. The boy died of course, but his dark power was contained in this prison, and it should serve you well" Isadora reaches out with her mind to the darkness in the cells a few levels above.
The darkness flows into the palms of Isadora's hands, and she places her hands upon Madam Rakepick's face.
The darkness pulses along every nerve in Rakepick's body. From her face, to the rest of her body. Her magic is supercharged with the unending dark power.
Rakepick's skin turns pale as the darkness takes over her body. Her eyes turn completely black, and a few tears of black bile seep from her eyes. Her magic heightens her strength and her senses. The power of an Obscurial is overwhelmingly destructive, and one born of ancient magic is a hundred times stronger.
Rakepick has never had such overwhelming power. It is not enough to rival the power that Isadora will possess when her strength returns, but it is enough for Rakepick to become a most dangerous weapon to the wizarding world.
Isadora smiles.
"I suspect that you will find this power most useful, Patricia Rakepick. A great enemy is coming for you" Isadora can feel that Mabel Morgan and Sirius Black are both entering the prison tower. "Your former apprentice is coming for you. She is stronger now. She is coming for Artemis" Isadora does not see it as any sort of challenge.
Rakepick doesn't even flinch for a moment. "Then she will die!" and this time Rakepick will make sure that Mabel's death will stick.
Isadora merely nods at that response. Isadora can understand that the bloodlust in Madam Rakepick has magnified thanks to the Obscurial. That Rakepick's anger towards Mabel Morgan has also magnified.
"Maric, Saphira, I wish to meet our colleagues that have sworn themselves to the path?" Isadora wishes to see all of the rebels and soldiers that have sworn themselves to learning corruption magic. "Then we will plan out our next moves, for when we leave this prison behind".
*
Artemis can find no logical pattern to the corridors that she takes. Some staircases that lead up, others that lead down, some smaller corridors, some larger. Some filled with prisoners that groan out to Artemis when she passes, but Artemis ignores them, as she doesn't know what they did to land themselves in such a prison.
The only light that she can find to lead her way is the haunting blue flames that burn in the braziers in the corridors. Even her attempts at summoning a light with her wand fails her.
The further that she gets inside of the prison, the more confident that Artemis can be that Malicos and the other rebels are not following her. She is sure that she would hear the echoes of boots from the soldiers if they draw near.
"What to do when you find yourself in a magical prison made by Ancients?" Artemis wonders to herself. "You have no plan, no supplies, and you're not even sure that you have the power to exit this tower" Artemis doesn't even know how to begin in forming a plan to get out of here.
And wandering too far into the prison could lead Artemis to accidentally cross paths with the original prisoner of this tower. The prisoner that the prison was originally built to contain.
A flicker.
Something in the passages ahead glows bright enough that the light can be seen against the black shiny stone walls. Such a light must be powerful if it is reflecting its shine so far.
"A light?" that is the most promising lead that Artemis has found so far. In a place filled with darkness, a light is something she feels comfortable in following.
Artemis expects to find herself in another corridor filled with prison cells, the very last thing that she expects to find is a library filled with books and ancient antiques.
"Urm..." Artemis isn't sure how a prison has a library like this. Yet, she feels immediately at ease when she is in a library.
"Here...".
"She".
"Legacy".
"Mystery".
"Her".
Voices hiss inside of Artemis' mind. Which should alarm her. The voices feel familiar to Artemis, like the voices of old friends that she hasn't seen in a while.
The library is at least bathed in light, from some source that Artemis cannot see, but it feels warm and inviting. There are books and scrolls rammed into large shelves, and they are covered in dust, since they have not been disturbed in hundreds of years. And a table that is crammed with open books and scrolls, someone left them mid-read, possibly to return to them at a later date.
"I don't know if hearing voices in my head makes this place more or less creepy" Artemis whispers to herself. "A library built by Ancients? These could be the answers that you have been waiting all of your life to find out" Artemis steels herself to be brave. This could be her chance to find out about the magic that she possesses.
"C'mon, Bells, it's just a library, let's find something dangerous that we can mess around with, and I'll deal with it to show off for you" Artemis mocks Mattheo's American accent, and his seemingly unyielding confidence. "I did not expect you to fear such trivial matters. You seek knowledge, so learn. You may even find yourself closer to my level of intelligence if you stick to your studies" and she mocks Tom's cold and condescending tone.
As much as Artemis wishes to be far away from both of the Riddle brothers right now, she could use their skills to deal with this crisis. Mattheo's destruction, and Tom's intelligence, could both come in handy to escape this tower.
"Blood of our blood".
"The one that is all".
"The all that is one".
"If you wish to give me some answers, then I welcome you to keep speaking. If you're going to keep talking in vague terms, then be quiet!" Artemis doesn't know where she is shouting, but she is sure that the voices hear her.
Artemis walks further into the library. "Oh, Merlin..." Artemis gasps when she sees a body lying upon another long table.
Cinta Black.
She is lying like Snow White, with her hands placed modestly over her stomach. She is pale, but she clearly still draws breath.
Cinta is wearing the same lilac purple robes as the day that she and Amelia stormed Mortis. The robes that signify Cinta as a member of the Circle of Magic. Her katana is clearly missing, however, her wand is still strapped to her belt.
"Of all of the things I thought I might see in this place, you are not one of them" Artemis mutters to Cinta's body. "If you're here, then my mother..." then it is highly likely that Amelia survived the stone curse. That she could still be under the control of Isadora.
Artemis cringes.
Cinta needs Artemis right now. She cannot let herself get lost in what is, or might be, when Cinta is still nursing injuries that could claim her life if she is not treated. Wounds that have been left behind from the stone curse.
"I could use ancient magic in a much more powerful form than I have ever cast it. I wonder if this place somehow amplifies my ancient magic?" Artemis wonders. "I wonder if I can heal these wounds" Artemis has the ability to heal the wounds upon a person, but as the cost of inflicting those same wounds upon herself.
With the power boost of this tower, then maybe Artemis can heal Cinta's wounds without damaging herself too badly.
Artemis places a hand on Cinta's forehead, and another on her stomach.
"Oh...if you wake up then I get to tell you how complicated my love life is with the both of your sons" Artemis does not look forward to telling Cinta that she is in love with both of her sons.
Artemis closes her eyes. She searches inside of herself for the impulses of magic that pass along her nerves. The sparks of ancient magic inside of her body. Artemis channels that power into her hands, and then into Cinta's body. The ancient magic moving to each wound and knitting closed the skin on Cinta's body.
Artemis expects to feel the dark magic wounds upon her own body, but no wounds open up on her body. With such a power boost from this tower, Artemis magic is powerful enough to heal without risking injury upon herself.
"I do not know how it is possible that you're alive" Artemis whispers to Cinta's head. "For how, I think that we are trapped in this awful place, because I don't know if I have the power to be able to leave this tower".
Cinta's physical injuries may have been dealt with for now, but her mental injuries may require a Legilimens to sort through, and Artemis cannot heal the wounds of the mind.
"At least I do not feel as insane with you here, I was talking to myself before I found you, now I can at least pretend that you're listening to me".
Artemis decides to check further inside of the library. There may be something here that she can use to get out of this tower. Something the Ancients may have left behind.
Someone watching.
Someone waiting.
Someone that has been stalking Artemis through the shadows.
The shadow hurls out a rope, one that has a sharp piece of twisted metal tied to the end. The weapon is hurled right at Artemis' back.
Artemis senses the attack, and she spins and catches the projectile with her magic, before it could strike her in the back. "You are not as quiet as you think you are" Artemis heard the heavy breathing of excitement from the figure, when it thought it had landed an attack on Artemis without her noticing.
Tattered robes. A shroud of the same material is tied around the bottom of the figure's face. Messy black hair. Maybe it's one of the prisoners that have been able to escape their confinement?
The figure is smart, and they yank at the rope, which pulls Artemis forward in a stumble at first, but she quickly rotates into a somersault and lands easily.
The figure retracts their weapon, and tries to lash out at Artemis with it again.
"Protego" Artemis chants, and a shimmering shield of light forms around her body, sending the projectile bouncing away from her. "Evanesco" Artemis twirls her wand, and the rope and weapon pops out of existence.
The figure panics when their weapon disappears. "Immobulus" Artemis sends a wave of purple magic at the figure, and it freezes in place, feeling like it's being held in some sort of tar.
Artemis relaxes when she knows that she has the figure caught in her trap. "You could have just said hello, you know?" Artemis offers to the bound figure. "Revelio" Artemis mutters, and the shroud that covers the man's face begins to dissolve away.
A man with slightly darker skin. His face is sharper than most. His eyes look unfocused, as he struggles to see without his glasses. His skin is dirty and patchy from so many years of being confined in this tower.
Artemis has seen a lot of pictures of this man when he was a boy, over the past few days all of his friends have shown Artemis pictures.
Rowan Khana.
"I know you" Artemis tells the figure, which causes a look of shock to pass over Rowan's face. "You are Rowan Khana!" Artemis has found him. "I can't believe that I am the one that found you. I'm going to lord this over—" but Artemis stops talking, because she doesn't even know if Mabel is dead or alive after her fight with Rakepick.
Rowan cannot respond while his body is trapped in the spell.
"I'm going to let you down now" Artemis tells Rowan calmly. "Are you going to be good and not attack me?" she asks, not that Rowan could even respond since he's still immobilised.
Artemis counters her spell, and Rowan stumbles a little as his body regains mobility.
"H-How do you know my name?" Rowan finds it foreign to be speaking with anyone after such a long time.
"Mabel told it to me" Artemis tells the boy. "And all of your friends have been showing me their old pictures of you over the past few days. Barnaby, Penny, even Merula" Artemis offers to Rowan. "Everyone is going to be so excited to meet you" Artemis cannot wait to deliver Rowan back to his friends.
"Y-you know my friends? You know Mabel Morgan?".
"Mabel is my teacher. She has been training me for the past year" Artemis says, not that their bond as teacher and apprentice is much to brag about.
"Is Mabel here with you?!" because Rowan would worry a lot less if he knows that Mabel is working to get them out of this tower.
Artemis flinches.
"I'm sorry, Rowan. The last time that I saw Mabel was before I was knocked unconscious. She was battling with Rakepick, and it looked like Rakepick had the upper hand" Artemis tells the man. Rakepick had her wand shoved in Mabel's face.
Rowan gasps slightly. "Patricia Rakepick is also here?!" Rowan gasps, the woman that sent Rowan to this prison. "You don't know Mabel like I do, nothing can stop her, not even Patricia Rakepick" Rowan is adamant that Mabel must still be alive, that he will see his best friend again.
Artemis wishes that she had the same confidence as Rowan, that Mabel is still alive. "My name is Artemis Black" Artemis offers cautiously to the man. He doesn't seem to be too much of a danger now she knows it to be Rowan.
"Y-you are?!" Rowan gasps. "Of course it would make sense that you could enter this tower. I thought someone like you would be coming, and you're the youngest on the family tree...!" Rowan begins muttering to himself. "You're her. The one that is all" the same term that the voices of the Ancients used to describe Artemis.
"Pardon? Someone like me?".
"An Ancient" Rowan gasps in delight. "Descended from the people that built this place. Your name is all over the family tree...".
"The family tree?" Artemis wonders.
"Come with me" Rowan motions for Artemis to follow him further into the library, since there is something upon the back wall that Artemis has to see.
"I've had very little to do in this place than to read up and venture around this tower" Rowan has learned a lot about ancient magic, and the Ancients, in his tenure in this prison. "While the prison was hidden away in the other realm, then there was nothing to escape to, an empty world overwhelmed with nature" Rowan offers.
"We're back in our world now, Rowan, but I am not sure that I have the power to allow us to leave this tower" Artemis has barely managed to control her power in the past, and it still scares her that she may hurt someone with it.
Rowan leads Artemis to a large carving of a family tree that resides on the back wall. There are large parts of the wall that have been deliberately blow apart, only the last few years of the family tree are really visible.
"Here you are" Rowan motions to the three names at the bottom of the family tree.
Artemis Black, Hera Bellator, Atlas Bellator. The wall must be enchanted to update itself, or how would it know that Artemis has recently dropped the Bellator name for Black instead.
All three children are denoted to be born from Amelia Bellator, and Sirius Black. The Black family tree isn't noted on the wall, but the Bellator family line spans upwards.
Amelia Bellator, born to Aralias Bellator and Adria Bellator (nee Hart).
Adria Hart, born to Gilbert Hart and Rosalie Hart (nee Sallow).
Rosalie Sallow, born to Sebastian Sallow and Valaria Knight.
And from there it cannot be traced any further back since the wall has been blown to pieces.
Only a name further up to the top of the wall...Isadora Morganarch.
Isadora has a ruby sitting beneath her name. Valaria has a sapphire sitting in the wall beneath her name.
"Why does my name have an amethyst sitting beneath it?" a purple oval of the crystal is encased in the wall beneath Artemis' name.
"I do not know" Rowan offers to Artemis. "Some of the text books have referred to Isadora being the strongest user of dark ancient magic to ever live. The same books have told that Valaria is the strongest user of light ancient magic to ever exist" so maybe that has something to do with it. "I spent a lot of time translating the words...".
"Translating?" Artemis asks.
"Where you are seeing the words upon this wall, I am seeing carved symbols. I think that your mind can translate the language in your mind?" Rowan informs Artemis. "It took years to be able to crack the code of the Ancient language, but I had nothing else to do, so I persisted, and now I can read the language".
"Isadora is the evil spirit that the rebels have come looking for, and this shows that she is a part of my family tree?" Artemis had no idea that she was descended from such powerful figures. Artemis only knew of Amelia having this power in their family. "I wonder if that is why Isadora was able to possess Amelia? We share the same blood" Artemis realises.
"Isadora was the birth of corrupted ancient magic. She turned the pain of other people into a power source for her own magic" Rowan remembers from one of the diaries of Valaria Knight.
"Not only does she have my mother's body, but she has a most powerful form of ancient magic at her fingertips, one that she has mastered" which is more than can be said for Artemis and her magic.
Artemis has known for years that her mother must be dead, she has accepted that her mother wouldn't be coming back if she had been gone for so long. It was always just a theory in Artemis' mind, now she knows for sure, and that stings Artemis' heart.
"I am sorry for what happened to your mother, Artemis" Rowan apologises to Artemis. "I have wandered past the cell that contained the statue of Amelia Bellator and Cinta Black, and all of the dead rebels that gave their lives to try and free Isadora. They didn't have magic to summon up supplies, like I had" Rowan was able to conjure up enough sustenance to keep himself alive over these past five years.
"Isadora is the one that needs to be scared of what I am going to do to her. She took my mother from me. She has caused my family so much pain" and Artemis wants nothing more than to make Isadora pay for ruining their lives.
Artemis takes a shaky breath to focus her emotions, just like Mabel taught her. When everything is feeling overwhelming, then all Artemis needs to do is focus on the problem at hand. Getting hysterically emotional would do nothing to help the situation.
"Who is this Valaria?" Artemis wonders. "I have never heard her name before today" Artemis knows nothing about this powerful witch.
"Valaria is the light. She stopped Isadora's spirit from gaining another foothold in this world. Valaria is the one that placed Isadora in this prison" Rowan explains to Artemis.
"This Valaria must have been very powerful. My mother didn't have any chance at resisting Isadora's spirit" Artemis sighs. So Valaria must have been much more powerful than even Amelia.
Artemis looks to her name on the wall again. "I get the feeling that I am supposed to touch this amethyst, or something?" Artemis can feel the purple stone calling to her.
"I have touched it many times, but nothing has happened. It must have been left for you" Rowan tells Artemis.
Rowan takes a step backward. He doesn't know what might happen if Artemis touches at the stone.
Artemis doesn't hesitate when she presses her fingers against the stone. She knows that it is for her. So why should she be scared of something that she knows is her legacy?
Power.
Overwhelming power.
Every nerve in Artemis' body floods with power from the stone.
"The one that is all. The all that is one. The culmination of our legacy, in human form. The gathering of all of our power" the voices are so much louder inside of Artemis' voice than they were before.
Rowan gasps as Artemis' body glows with blue light. "Fascinating" Rowan mutters, as he sees symbols and runes tattoo themselves upon Artemis' skin. They fade out of view when the light leaves Artemis' body.
Runes of power and knowledge that soak into Artemis' skin. Symbols from the language of the Ancients. Information is encoded into Artemis' mind, the knowledge from the Ancients.
Artemis pulls harshly to pry her hand away from the stone on the wall. "What in Merlin's name was that?" Artemis gasps, her hand feels burned from the stone, but there is no marks of a burn on her skin.
"I would say that your magic reacted to something inside of that stone? Do you feel any different?" Rowan asks of Artemis. That sort of reaction has never happened when he touched the stone.
Artemis head feels a little dizzy from what has been downloaded into her mind. It's a jumble that she cannot make much sense of right now. "Dizzy" Artemis winces. "I'll be fine".
"Then...maybe we can start working on a way to get out of here?" Rowan suggests.
"That was the plan" Artemis tells Rowan. "Come here to save you, and stop Isadora from being freed. No one knew that you were alive before the key was discovered, Rowan. They all thought that you died that night in the Forbidden Forest" Artemis informs Rowan.
Rowan sighs loudly. "I wondered why no one came looking for me. Everyone thinks that I am dead? My parents? My friends? All of them think that I am dead?" everyone that Rowan knows thinks that he is gone.
"They held a funeral for you at your home. They held a memorial for you in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Your death brought together your friends, and rallied them to defeat Rakepick, and the Dark Cabal" Artemis tells Rowan. "Rakepick recently broke out of her prison, and she joined up with the squib rebellion, to steal people's magic to use for themselves".
If Cinta is no longer encased in stone, then Amelia must no longer be encased in stone, and Isadora must be free.
"Hopefully we can get out of this tower before Isadora and her rebels, and then we just seal them away in this prison".
*
Isadora can sense that Artemis has activated some sort of ancient magical object inside of the tower. The ripples of magic are enough for Isadora to sense.
"I can feel it" Isadora can sense everything that Artemis has just learned. "So...it is you?" Isadora smiles to herself. "The one that is all? The fabled mage that will be the strongest of our kind" Isadora would not expect such a young girl to hold so much potential.
Isadora has to smile. "Oh, Percival, you have lost. You are not here to guide Artemis into the ways of the light. I will use her power to shape this world, Percival. I will not keep her in the dark about her power, as you people have" Isadora speaks to the spirits that she knows are listening to her.
Isadora casts her gaze upon the rebels that are eager to meet with her. So many that are waiting to hear what her plan is to liberate them from this prison.
"Master..." Maric falls down to one knee before Isadora. "The key is in place in Mortis, but I do not know for how long. Madam Rakepick guarded the key with a protection charm, but the Ministry of Magic will no doubt be waiting for us in Mortis" Maric does not know if his rebels have the ability to battle with the Ministry of Magic.
"Fear not, Maric, in a matter of hours I will be able to use my magic to keep us from harm" Isadora does not wish to start a war with the Ministry of Magic, but she will make sure that the rebels escape Mortis without coming to too much harm.
Isadora already feels her power returning to her. In a few hours she will have enough power to stop any threat that comes at them.
"The Circle of Magic may put up more of a resistance. They have been fighting us every step of the way".
"The Circle of Magic was formed after a great war at the end of the 19th century. A great war that was removed from memory of everyone that lived through that time. They were to monitor and police magic all over the world, an organisation that made sure that all of the governments of magic were obeying their laws" Isadora tells Maric.
"Very few people will be willing to accept change on such a massive scale. Our differences are seen as an affront to their ways of life, and that makes them scared of us" Isadora offers. "We will use our influence to gentle the world into the peace that we wish for ourselves. And you have earned my aid in your quest to punish your brother for his abandonment of you" Isadora promises Maric.
"I wish for him to know the pain that I feel" Maric growls. Lorenzo has friends that would lay down their lives for him, magic that is more powerful than most witches and wizards that are full grown, and a family that care for him.
"Loneliness is an easy punishment to afflict upon a person, if you know their every weakness" Isadora advised Maric.
"We will know peace, Maric. To practice our magic how we wish. I wish to explore how my magic can help people, a wish that Percival Rackham did not understand. I can take away pain that afflicts a person, and make their lives better. You only wish to have the magic that you have been denied your whole life" Isadora is calm with her words. "It is most unfortunate that the people of your world see us as something monstrous and wish to quell our hopes for peace and a normal life on our own terms" Isadora explains to Maric.
"You make it sound like a utopia" Maric laughs to Isadora. "I have never really thought of our end goal as that before. I am ashamed to admit that my more violent tendencies have coloured my thoughts" Maric tells Isadora.
"You need not carry that burden any longer, Maric. I am here now to make all of your lives easier" Isadora tells Maric. "Violence is a necessary step in our plan, as much as I wish it wasn't, the Ministry of Magic and the Circle of Magic will not make this journey easy for us" Isadora wishes that their path was fast and easy, and not an uphill war, but she will not shy away from the fight that is required.
Isadora stops walking. "To that end, we must ensure that the uninvited guests do not interfere with our plans. Mabel Morgan and her allies cannot be allowed to stop us" Isadora informs Maric. "Make sure that only volunteers are sent out, and that they know of the price that must be paid" Isadora tells Maric.
Anyone who is sent off to battle with Mabel and Artemis run the risk of not returning in time to leave this tower. They could also die in the conflict against Mabel and Sirius, as both of them are determined to find Artemis.
Maric understands. "Yes, my master" Maric knows that every member of the rebellion would gladly lay down their lives for Isadora. All of them have felt her guidance when they struggled to fit in the wizarding world.
Mabel and Sirius run as fast as they can through the dark corridors of the prison. "Point me" Mabel chants, allowing her wand to act as a compass to guide her to Artemis.
"How far could Artemis have really gotten in only a few hours?" Sirius asks of Mabel. They assume that she is still moving with a massive force of rebels, and that they would not be able to move so fast because of their large numbers.
"It doesn't matter how far they have gotten, we can catch up with them" Mabel shouts to Sirius. "Artemis will be looking for any opportunity to slow them down, or leave us some clues, so we just need to keep our eyes peeled" Mabel informs Sirius. Mabel has trained Artemis specifically for situations like this, and she has hope that her apprentice will do anything to help Mabel find her.
"She cannot be too far away..." Mabel can almost sense Artemis. Something that she wasn't able to do before she was blessed by the spirits of the Ancients. "...I can feel her" Mabel confirms.
"That means that she's alive, right?!" Sirius shouts. "Merlin, how do parents deal with this sort of worry. I have only been a father for a few months, I should not have to worry about an army of magic-stealers kidnapping my daughter!" Sirius protests.
"She's alive" Mabel confirms, and for now, that is all that matters.
*
The town of Mortis is flooded with Aurors and Ministry workers, this has become the most important site in the whole of the country for the Ministry of Magic at this time.
The village square is where they set up their command centres, the chasm is being thoroughly explored, however the temple and the tower are both off-limits, as they cannot remove the enchantments that guard them.
"Mabel Morgan found a way to harness whatever magic lies here, are you telling me that EVERY AURORS AND UNSPEAKABLE AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHAT SHE DID!" Scrimgeour screams to the most senior members of the Ministry of Magic.
The greatest magical minds in all of the UK cannot figure out what a twenty something year old learned and enacted.
Noctua apparates right past the Ministry's shielding charms and right into the tent with Scrimgeour and the other department heads of the Ministry.
"Rufus" Noctua offers calmly to the Auror. She does not deem the man as any sort of threat. She does believe that they must work together if they wish to succeed in helping Artemis and Mabel.
"Get OUT!" Scrimgeour screams at the Chief Warlock.
Noctua does not budge an inch. "I see that you are in a bad mood, Rufus. I take that to mean that you have not been able to enter the tower? You aren't pleased that Mabel is following a hunch that she shared with me and not you?".
"I call that treason".
"I call it forward thinking, and great time management on Mabel Morgan's part" Noctua shines her action in another light. The Circle is the leading authority on anything concerning the squib rebellion or the Ancients.
"Stop wasting my time, Gaunt, I have work to do".
"Rufus, I did not come here to squabble. I came here to offer aid. I have far more resources at my fingertips than the Ministry of Magic" Noctua offers. Noctua wants to personally ensure that Artemis and Mabel make it out of that tower alive.
"What can you offer?!" Scrimgeour scoffs. "Only someone that has the same power as the girl can breach the boundary of the tower. So, unless you are saying that you have another with the same powers—?".
Noctua holds up her hand to silence Scrimgeous. "—I am informing you that I have another with the same power as Artemis. He may not possess the same sort of strength as Artemis, but it is ancient magic" Noctua confirms to Scrimgeour. A personal project that Noctua has been working on since the siege of Castle Cetus.
"Oh?".
"This particular boy was once a member of the squib rebellion. He mistakingly believed that his masters gave him his influence over ancient magic. He was abused when he was younger, and it suppressed his magical abilities from manifesting, but he is wizarding through and through" Noctua explains to Scrimgeour.
"You have a rebel in custody?!".
"This boy defected from the rebels before the siege of Castle Cetus. His friends all believe him to be dead, because he took a bolt of corrupted magic to the chest, in order to save Mattheo Riddle" Noctua explains. "It has taken all these months to unlock the potential of his power. He has begun to show the first flickers of magic. Now, he will aid us in any way that he can" Noctua will set her project to work.
Noctua waves her hand.
A large cage appears in the middle of the Ministry tent. Runes carved into the bars, to keep the prisoner's magic in check. The boy inside is bound by so many magical spells, that the very air around the cage shimmers with secondary magic.
His hair is long and is a mess. His clothing is plain, and rather basic.
"Artemis and her friends all believe that they saw this boy die at Castle Cetus. Rufus Scrimgeour, may I introduce you to the other living Ancient, Caleb Holmes" Noctua announces.
This is the first time that Caleb has seen sunlight in weeks, and it burns against his eyes.
Caleb can make out the voice of Noctua, who has put him through horrible tests for the last months to awaken his powers. A voice that he has come to hate.
Caleb growls, and unleashes his anger.
A wave of blue magic fires out from his body, but it is contained by the spells of the cage.
His magic may be new, and weaker than Artemis', but Caleb's rage for Noctua is the only thing that drives him to stay alive.