A New Witch - Chapter 4 - RinRynRen - Black Jewels (2025)

Chapter Text

"Arina…" Lucien started, moving towards her. She froze him with a look.

"That's another thing," she hissed. "How do you know who I am?" The dog at her side snarled viciously. "Hush, Janos," she said absently, her hand going to his head without one looking at him, still glaring at the room, and those in it.

"I am Jaenelle," The tall, woman with long blonde hair said soothingly. Arina's eyes narrowed in warning. "This is my family." At this, Arina raised her eyebrows in disbelief. Very few of them looked alike, although there were some similarities, she wasn't about to believe that she was related to a centaur. Honestly!

"I see…" she drawled out, skeptically.

"You are in the Keep, in Kaeleer. As for how you got here… the Web brought you here." Jaenelle looked over at the remains of the tangled web and sighed. It had a whole week to put that thing together, and it had fallen apart so quickly. Arina turned around, following her gaze and stared hard at the blackened pieces. Jaenelle gratefully used the distraction to put a subtle sleep spell on the girl, who promptly collapsed. Draca glided forward and picked up the girl before leaving for the prepared rooms.

Janos, a perfect Warlord Prince, barked and tried to follow, but he was caught by another sleep spell.

Everyone breathed in a sigh of relief, and Karla, Gabrielle and Jaenelle exchanged meaningful looks. Lucien frowned.

"What is it, Mother?" he asked, somewhat wary.

"She is a Black Widow and a Queen," Gabrielle explained, frowning slightly. "A dangerous combination, and she is already so old, with no training."

"And she is strong," Jaenelle said softly. "Very strong. She will have a very strong Jewel, though I cannot tell which one."

"We knew that she was strong," Daemonar commented slowly. "We were falling apart not even halfway in, and the Web started to deteriorate not long after that. We would have died in there, broken, if she hadn't channeled her power and saved us."

"That's impossible. She doesn't have her jewels yet, she couldn't channel power on a thread made for the Black and Ebon-gray without them." Saetan was trying very hard to sound strong, firm and sure, but was failing miserably as he realized what that meant, and what Jaenelle had said. "Mother night," he groaned.

Daemon had paled a bit as well, but was trying valiantly to fight it.

"What are we going to do?" he asked steadily. Jaenelle flashed a quick smile at him.

"Well, first, we are going to get her birthright ceremony taken care of. She doesn't look that much more than 16, so she isn't ready for the offering yet. After that," Jaenelle shrugged. "The coven and I will teach her everything that she needs to know, I'm sure Lucivar can take care of her training…not that she will be happy about it…and then? I'm not sure. We will have to get her to trust us though, or everything will be impossible."

"I have some of her stuff," Yaslana said suddenly. "Should I go put it in her room?"

"Yes," Jaenelle said firmly. "Right now, anything familiar for her is a good thing."

Yaslana nodded before darting out of the room after Draca.

Lucien stared after him, but before he could follow, Daemon dropped a hand on his shoulder and steered him out of the room. "Come on, son, let's talk." Lucien groaned. A talk with his father, after finally finding his Queen. Wonderful.

BJT:ANW

Yaslana quickly caught up with Draca, quietly following behind her.

"Here," Draca said, stopping in front of a huge door. Going and opening the door, Yaslana froze in shock. The walls were smoothed to a shine, and the wood floor was covered by rugs from Dharo. The furniture was huge and beautifully crafted. The perfect room. They were in the corridor of the Queen of Ebon Aviski, and in front of the door to Jaenelle's suite. He stared at Draca in shock.

"Jaenelle knows. She suggested it, in fact. She is no longer the Queen of Ebon Askavi, but she," Draca looked down at the girl in her arms, "Is. This is her place now."

Yaslana nodded slowly, still stunned, and stepped out of the way of the door. Draca crossed the smooth floor and laid Arina on the bed. Yaslana called in the things from the vehicle that he had vanished and placed them on the floor. They left the room quietly, and parted ways, Draca going somewhere, and Yaslana to the dining room where everyone else was gathered.

"Well?" Lucien demanded as soon as he walked in the door. Yaslana ignored him for a moment, turning to his mother.

"You put her in your room?" he said, still disbelieving.

Jaenelle nodded. "She is the Queen of Ebon Askavi now, not I. It is her place."

"What? She is Witch, too?"

Jaenelle nodded again. "After all," she reminded them, "she was strong enough to hold the Web on the way here, without Jewels."

Lucien ignored this, for the moment. "And? How is she?"

"She's asleep, Lucien!" Yaslana snapped. "I don't know how she is! She looked fine, but that doesn't mean anything, does it?"

Lucien growled, pacing frantically. "Sorry," he finally muttered.

"My spell will fade at dawn, so she could wake up right after that, I don't know. But, Lucien," Jaenelle studied her son critically, then gave Yaslana and Daemonar the same scrutiny. "You all need rest," she told them, changing sentences. "I know for a fact that doing what you did was difficult, bordering on impossible. You need to recover." None of them argued. They knew better than to argue with that look. They all went off to bed and, trying desperately to shake off their unease, the others all followed. No one noticed that Rose hadn't followed. She was still in the dining room, looking thoughtful.

So, she wasn't Witch. This…Arina, she was. That was fine with her. She was much like her mother, and never wanted the power in the first place. And besides, it would be fun to have a sister, instead of brothers. Sure, one of her brothers was quite obviously obsessed with her. That didn't really mean much. Everything was about to change. And Arina was at the center of it all.

Rose smiled. This was going to interesting.

BJT:ANW

Arina groaned. Something was off. The young girl sat up abruptly, her hard gaze flitting around the room. She froze abruptly in place, horrified.

She had no idea where she was.

Arina looked around again, more carefully. The room was huge, and really rather gorgeous. Her head tipped to the side, considering. The elegant furniture was obviously of the best make, and probably expensive. The rugs were exquisite, as were the gleaming walls. From what she could see of an opened door, the bathroom was a marvel. Still, nothing was familiar. The next second, her gaze landed on the multitudes of bags that practically covered the floors.

Her head tilted to the side in thought. Those were familiar—she remembered the fun that she had had shopping the day before. Still, she had the strangest feeling that she was forgetting something, something very important…

Arina slowly got out of the huge bed, giving it a quick once over. She closed her eyes briefly. The utterly gigantic bed was wonderful, really it was, but … it wassonot her style. A four-poster, lifted high enough to require a step ladder to get up? Absolutely not, no matter how much it reminded her of the Harry Potter movies. The size, she liked. The other parts, not so much. She looked around the room speculatively. Yes…the rugs were fine, but not really fitting for her. The wood pieces were all dark enough, though, and the walls were incredible. Now all she needed were some other rugs, tapestries, and things. The furniture she would leave alone.

The young Queen looked down at herself. She sighed. She was dressed in an old-fashioned, full length nightgown. Honestly, what the hell? She frowned, then sat back down on the bed. Closing her eyes, Arina took a deep breath, thinking back.

Yesterday….there was the fire! And those guys who had shown up out of nowhere to help put it out, but that she had never seen before. Guys who looked more like her than anyone she had met before. There was a flash of red light in her mind, and everything flooded back to her. She looked around again.

Who the hell were these people? The Keep, that woman had said…well, Arina had never heard of it. The Web…that was a good explanation for that strange sensation, but it didn't make any sense.

Arina stood back up, and then moved over to her bags. She pulled out a pair of jeans, and a black shirt. Putting them on, she walked resolutely over to the door. It was time to get some answers.

She opened the door, and was promptly bowled over by Janos, who had apparently been waiting in the hall. Kneeling down, she hugged him tightly for a moment, murmuring soothingly before getting up and slipping through the halls. She kept one hand resting on his head as he pressed against her side, the familiar warmth a reassurance that she needed to maintain her calm.

She had been moving for a while before she realized that she wasn't just randomly moving on her own. She was following a call. Pausing, Arina looked around. Janos had disappeared a while ago, judging by the way that she couldn’t see him anywhere before or behind her, and she hadn’t noticed that he was gone until just now. She was completely alone. But as upset as she was, as wary as she was, she couldn’t sense any hostile intent anywhere around. And, because she had never really been wrong about those feelings, she gave in. Arina sighed, and then started moving again. This time, she simply closed her eyes and followed the call blindly, moving faster and faster. If her eyes had been opened, she would have seen herself passing through walls, then a set of huge double doors opened for her and she went down a flight of steps. The call faded, and she opened her eyes.

The simple throne in front of her held her attention for all of a second before she was caught in the midnight gaze of the huge dragon. They stared at each other for a long moment.

"Hello." Arina finally said, fighting back the urge to simply collapse and maybe scream a little. Dragons. Dragons and Webs, and being kidnapped away from everything she knew (knew and hated, and loathed, into a place where she finally felt at peace), what was next?

*Greetings. You are the one called Arina, the second to be called Witch in this living cycle.*

"Yes, I mean, my name is Arina, but I don’t know what you mean about this Witch thing, and…did you just speak in my mind?"

*Yes. Sit. There is much to tell you, and I have little time to do so.*

Arina slowly sank down to the floor, seating herself right in front of the dragon, head reeling.

"Who are you?" she asked, faint voiced in shock. Who am I?

*I am Lorn. Now. Listen closely….*

However, in the end, the dragon didn't explain things to Arina, so much as he gave her memories and implanted the protocol of the Blood deep in her mind. It took hours for him to imprint his knowledge in her mind, and in the end, she was almost unconscious as her mind struggled to contain the knowledge that he had given her. He reached back into her mind, and quieted the memories, leaving them smaller and quiet in the back of her mind. When the Coven taught her what she needed to know, their lessons would slowly reawaken the knowledge, which would keep her from slipping into the Twisted Kingdom from the shock.

*Are you all right?* Lorn asked Arina carefully.

"Yes…" she said faintly, then took a deep breath and pushed herself up, saying "I'm fine, really."

*Look,* Lorn told her, his voice gentle. She followed his gaze to the small alter on the dais to the side that she hadn't noticed before that moment. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the large, glittering dark Red Jewel laying there.

"Oh," she whispered. "It's beautiful."

*It is strong,* the dragon agreed. *Remember that, Arina. Now, take it. It is yours.*

The girl reached for the glimmering thing slowly, almost mesmerized by it. Turning it over in her hands, she marveled at the way that it felt in her hands. She could feel it in the back of her mind as well, a gentle presence, but strong and, already, dependable. She paused again, looking thoughtful. She tilted her head back to look at Lorn. "What can you tell me about Janos? Why does he seem so different here?"

*Who is Janos?*

"He was my neighbor’s dog," she murmured. "My best friend."

*Oh, he and the horse kindred have also been taught the basics about this world, with more to come.*

"Horse kindred?"

*Yes, the one's from that stable you were found at, in the other world. A large amount of them were kindred, so they were taken here as well.* Lorn paused, looking at her faint expression. *Are you all right, my dear?*

"Fine…fine." Arina shook herself. "How many?" she asked nervously.

*What was that?*

"How many of the…kindred…were there? How many came with us?" Even as she hesitated over the word, though, there were images in her mind that clarified what it meant.

Lorn thought for a moment. *Twenty-seven horses, and of course, the kindred dog that continues to insist on following you. He is very devoted. I do not think that Lucien likes him very much.*

"Lucien…" Arina mused, quietly, frowning. "Who exactly is Lucien?"

Lorn sent a memory of Lucien into her mind, pressing gently against her inner barriers. *This is Prince Lucien SaDiablo.*

"Ah. I remember him." There was a quiet pause while she thought about that, scowling. "It's none of my concern, thankfully," the girl decided with a shrug. She rose gracefully to her feet and instinctively bowed to Lorn, who lowered his head in reply. She smiled at the great dragon, and then turned and glided out of the throne room of the Dark Throne without another word.

Lorn watched the young Witch glide out of the hall. He had no doubt that she could be a chilling figure, but was also at the same time caring and loving. She had definite facets to her personality, and may the darkness help those who woke the darkness in her. Still, he could see nothing in her but a child desperate for love but afraid of it at the same time, not knowing what it was that she wanted. It was heartbreaking, that the two women that the Darkness had chosen were so abused by the ones that should have loved them first.

Her belief that Lucien was not a problem that she needed to worry about was a problem for the Prince to solve—if he wanted her, he was going to have to work for it. She didn't hate him, for all that she had some reason too, but she didn't care for him either. Truth be told, he didn’t matter to her in the least. He would have to get her to care for him—and he would have to break through the barrier she had placed around herself.

When he had been teaching her everything that she needed to know, giving her his memories, he had received some memories in return. They were quietly chilling. She had not been abused like Jaenelle, but her childhood was full of hate and neglect. Both Witches were scarred, but not unbearably. She would heal, and become what she was meant to be. She would be safe here. She would be loved, here.

BJT:ANW

Arina hadn't gone more than two halls before Janos found her. "There you are," she crooned, kneeling down to stroke him.

*Lady.* he sent. Arina sat back on her heels and looked at him thoughtfully. There was some regret, also, because she didn’t think that she could treat him like she used to, like a normal puppy. He was, after all, a Warlord Prince, not just an animal for her to love and cuddle. Well, maybe she could still cuddle with him, she amended her thought as a specific memory from Lorn drifted through her mind. Warlord Princes crave physical contact from the women in their lives.

"Thank you, my dear." She told him. She climbed to her feet. "Do you know where the horses are, by any chance?" Janos gave her a wounded look—he had wanted her to himself more. But he got up and trotted down the halls obediently, Arina following close behind.

"Goodness, how big is this place?" she asked several minutes later, amazed. Thankfully, another minute or two later they were exiting the mountain, and the stables were right in front of them. "Finally," she muttered, breaking into a run.

The stables were like heaven. The stable had always been a haven for her, somewhere that she could work, and still be loved, and learn to love herself. That was still true here, and she went down the rows, greeting her old friends, giving them treats, and stroking them.

And for the first time, to her delight, they said hello back to her.This place is amazing, she thought.I could be happy here.There was a brief flash of memory from her old home, and she shook herself.I wasn't happy there, she reminded herself.I am happy here. This is the place for me.She smiled brightly.

Arina would have given anything to keep going all day, but the crash course session that severely strained her mind, followed by hours of activity with the horses, after only a few hours of sleep, along with powering the web that bound the two worlds together, all without any food, was taking a harsh toll on her. She couldn't see straight, she was staggering, and…and…

BJT:ANW

Janos looked down the hall and sighed. His Queen was with the horses, and she didn't need him. He sighed again.

Perking up, Janos watched as his Queen stepped away from the stalls. His eyes narrowed. She wasn't walking properly, and she wasn't looking very well…Janos leapt to his feet and bolted down the hall. He managed to catch her before she hit the ground, but it was close. Lowering his Lady carefully to the floor, he nosed her quickly to check that she was still breathing, then Janos bolted for the doors.

The Warlord Prince bolted unceremoniously past everyone, barging into the different rooms, looking for something in particular. His Lady's mate. (She didn’t know it, but they were mates—or they would be.) He barged into the large room that the scent of the mate was coming from, and everyone inside either looked up, startled, or outright jumped to their feet. Janos stared straight at Lucien, ignoring everyone else. *Come. The Lady is hurt. She needs you.* then he turned and ran in the other direction, back to the stables as quickly as he could.

BJT:ANW

Lucien stared after the kindred Warlord Prince. The Lady was hurt? But Jaenelle was the only one that the kindred referred to as ‘the Lady’, and she was sitting right next to him! What—

The kindred called Witch the Lady. Jaenelle had said that Arina was Witch. The Warlord Price served Arina.

Lucien swore and leapt after the dog.

A New Witch - Chapter 4 - RinRynRen - Black Jewels (2025)
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