Saving Ana Ch. 01

She heard a sudden shout from down in the basement

"Hurry, he's getting through the bars!" It was Lola's voice, panicked and anxious, "We don't have much longer!"

Now was not the time for anxiety. She could freak out later, if this didn't work and they were all dead. Ana closed her eyes, summoning all of her concentration and chanted the words she knew she needed to complete the calming spell on the pendant.

"Ibiam a tor, Ibiam a tor, Libra a besecia!" The ancient language slipped through her tongue like second nature.

With the balance of the Goddess, with the balance of the Goddess, Libra I beseech thee!

The pendant below released a shrill noise and glowed blue for just a moment, radiating a pleasant warmth against her palm.

Success - she could barely believe it. Ana almost wanted to collapse with relief but now was not the time. She raced back through the shop and down the stairs of the basement, her hand gripping the charm tightly. She ran passed the circle the witches had formed around the cage and eyed the wild vampire thrashing about in the it like a bull.

She could see that the women were still trying their best to keep the binding wind around his form, but he was too powerful, even for her enforcer and priestesses, and he was simply able to resist the magic and kept thrashing about.

"Irigni verush," She chanted over and over again, allowing the tranquillising spell to slip through her tongue, hoping she at least had enough power to keep him subdued while she got the charm onto him. She didn't know how she knew this ancient chant, the old magic flowing through her veins like it was nature. If she hadn't been so panicked she would have been surprised at how such a spell was able to be summoned so easily, without any sacrifice.

"Great Goddess," she heard Adeline gasp, "her eyes are glowing."

Ana didn't have time to think about whose eyes were glowing, she just kept on chanting.

The vampire seemed to still momentarily, standing in a daze. The room came to a complete lull, and it seemed everyone was holding their breath.

She nodded to Lola who tentatively unlocked the cage door, and Ana stepped as lightly as she could inside. She didn't know she was shaking until she brought her hands around the vampire's neck to place the charm. She could see him visibly trembling against her magic, but he seemed to still remain calm. She kept the chant going, terrified to stop, lest he buck up again. She tried not to think about what would happen if he was able to resist her magic.

With shaky hands, Ana managed to clasp the chain together, the pendant now resting against his chest, and took a step back. She moved back out of the cage and Lola locked it. Only then did she stop her chanting.

She was half expecting him to go wild again, unsure if the charm would work, but it seemed to have a calming effect at least for the moment.

The vampire remained standing still now, head down.

"Julian," she said softly, testing to see if there would be any reply from him.

The vampire didn't respond, not even a muscle twitch of acknowledgement that she had spoken.

"That's not permanent is it?" Orville asked nodding to the vampire's unresponsive state.

Julian was evidently awake, she could see him breathing, his eyes open and blinking, but he seemed solely unresponsive to anything around him.

"I don't know," Ana shrugged, "The charm has enabled us to calm him at least momentarily. But even calm it looks like there's just..." she moved tentatively around the cage, trying to see his eyes properly, which was a bit difficult with his head looking down. "...Just no one in there," she finished off.

"So, what, Julian isn't in there? How is that possible? Where is he then?" Jasper asked.

"I don't know," Ana replied, "I'm not sure if he is or isn't in there. For example, in some cases, like with possession, they're in their body, but the demon has kind of pushed them to the side, so they can see everything but have no control. Although in this case, I don't think it's possession."

"Why not?" Jasper took a step closer to his master, although still seemed tentative.

"He has normal vampire eyes as far as I can see - with demon possession the eyes have an electric spark to them. And besides, I would doubt there'd be many demons capable of possessing him."

"It seems like black magic," Lola frowned, "the blackest- the sort that's illegal actually."

Ana felt her blood freeze, she couldn't bring herself to talk about such heinous use of their craft. Didn't want to think about who would have the power for that. Surely there wasn't a witch alive who could do something like that - all those witches had died in the war hadn't they? Another worrying thought came to her, maybe it wasn't a witch. Maybe it was a demon. The thought made her shudder. A demon that strong? Goddess above they would all be dead soon enough if that was the case.

"What?" Orville asked.

"Maybe a Legritous curse," Lola continued, "But it's very old, very black magic. I'd hate to think of someone powerful or even old enough to know such magic. And if that's the case, prospects of getting him back are slim to none. I mean I have to ask, what kind of enemies do you guys have?"

"A lot," Orville smiled, although it wasn't friendly, "You don't get control over a territory this large without having made a few foes. And there are many who would want to gain this area. The land itself is a magic enhancer. Of course I don't need to tell you that."

That was true and widely known knowledge. The land of Sydney itself seemed to be imbued with magic. It was subtle, but present. Living on it meant that it boosted your own magic. This meant that it was highly sought after territory - not amongst witches really - but among vampires and other supernaturals whose powers did not come as easily to them.

"I know recovery is perhaps unlikely, but we must try," Orville looked determined, "We have no other choice. Without Julian, even temporarily, it will be hard to manage the territory. And I would hate to think of the vampires who might try to take his place. Even for you witches." Orville gave Ana an unfriendly look.

"Yes," Jasper chuckled, although there wasn't much humour to the situation, "There aren't many Vampire Masters who would allow a witch to live after blowing up a quarter of their territory and putting lives at risk. Not even such a beautiful one."

Ana rolled her eyes at the comment, "You blow up a place one time and that's all you're ever known for. Look, have we not made progress? You're lucky I agreed to help you guys try and fix this. There aren't many witches who would leave a man alive after what he allowed to happen to her sister. Let alone help him."

"You are correct," Jasper replied, "Now I think we ought to leave. With the way things are we should not leave the others unprotected for long."

Orville nodded.

"Thank you for your assistance," Orville turned to Ana, "I assure you, your effort... it will not go unpaid, no matter how long it might take. If there is anything we can do to aid your work, only ask and we will provide."

"Of course," Ana said, giving a look back at the quiet vampire in the cage, "Orville,"

the vampire turned to look at her, "I don't know if I can help him."

"Neither did I, but after seeing your power I am...well, I was unsure of you when Jasper first suggested we come to you for help. But now, I think if anyone can help him, it will be you."

Ana didn't know what to say to the large man, only nodding.

"I appreciate your belief in me."

Ana just hoped his trust wasn't misplaced. Oh Goddess, she hoped.

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Author's Note: Hi there! Thank you for taking the time to read my story. This is the third instalment in the Castegarde Sisters' stories. Although you don't have to have read the previous two to read this one!

If you're interested in reading about Ana's sisters check out my stories Lover and Astrid in Love. If you've read those other stories, hi, welcome back :D You get to find out a bit more of what happened to Astrid & Caius after AIL, and yes, you definitely get to find out more about Lena and if she ever gets to reunite with Romulus.

This story takes some time to set the pace. But, yes it is an erotica. This is my favourite story in the Sisters' series, so I hope you like it too! It's something a bit different to the erotica I usually write and has challenged me because it's a bit more action and magic. It's something I decided to experiment with in this story.

Feel free to leave feedback! It helps me improve my writing :)