Chapter 359: Elena Is Coming

Nicholas nodded and moved to stand just outside the circle. "Do what you need to do."

Victoria took a breath and placed both hands flat on the floor inside the circle.

The ritual required specific words. Ancient language that predated modern magical practice. Words that would open a channel between her and Elena Markov without creating a physical pathway that could be traced.

Victoria started chanting.

The words came out in a language she had learned from her mother, who had learned it from her mother, who had learned it from the first Morvaine witch to ever attempt this ritual.

"Aeterna voce, trans spatium et tempus, quaero te. Elenas Markov, audi verba mea. Aperi portam inter nos sed cela locum tuum. Veni ad me in necessitate. Te rogo. Te imploro."

The circle flared brighter.

The moonstones began to spin slowly in place. The silver wire heated until it glowed red. And in the center of the circle, where Victoria’s blood had fallen, the air began to shimmer.

Not tearing. Not ripping. Just shimmer like heat rising from summer pavement.

A portal was forming.

Victoria kept speaking the words. Kept pouring her power into the ritual. Kept willing Elena Markov to hear her across whatever distance separated them.

"Elenas Markov, audis me? Te voco in tempore desperationis. Lilith Morvaine moritur. Maledictio divina eam consumit. Tu sola potes eam servare. Responde si me audis. Responde si venire potes."

The shimmer grew stronger.

Nicholas took a step closer, his eyes fixed on the portal with obvious tension.

"Is it working?" he asked.

"I don’t know," Victoria admitted. "The portal is opening but I can’t tell if anyone is on the other side yet."

She sent her message through. Not words this time but pure intention. Desperation. Hope. A plea for help wrapped in magic and blood and absolute need.

Elena Markov. I know who you are. I know what you can do. Lilith is dying. The curse is consuming her. Your necklace bought us time but it’s failing. Please. If you can hear this....if you’re willing to help....respond. We need you.

The portal shimmered.

Victoria held her breath.

Seconds passed. Then minutes. The circle continued to glow but nothing happened.

"Victoria...." Nicholas started.

And then the portal flared bright.

Not green like Victoria’s magic. Not silver like Nicholas’s wolf power. But pure white that burned like the sun.

A response.

Someone was on the other side.

Victoria felt hope surge through her chest so intense it was almost painful.

She had reached Elena.

The white light pulsed once. Twice. And then words appeared in the air above the circle....written in light, visible to anyone with magical sight.

I hear you. I know what’s happening. I’ve been watching since I gave Nicholas the charm. I’m preparing to come. It will take time to ensure I’m not followed. Hold her alive until I arrive. I will help if I can.

The words faded.

The portal began to close.

"Wait!" Victoria called out. "When? How long?"

The white light pulsed one more time.

Soon. Keep her breathing. I’m coming.

Then the portal collapsed completely.

The circle’s glow faded. The moonstones stopped spinning. The silver wire cooled back to its normal temperature.

And Victoria was left kneeling in the middle of her room with blood dripping from her hand and tears streaming down her face.

Elena had answered.

She was coming.

They just had to keep Lilith alive until she arrived.

Victoria looked up at Nicholas and saw her own desperate hope reflected in his eyes.

"She’s coming," Victoria said, her voice shaking. "Elena’s coming."

Nicholas nodded slowly. "Then we keep Lilith alive. Whatever it takes."

"The necklace is almost dead," Victoria said. "We have hours at most. Maybe less."

"Then we use the bonds," Nicholas said. "All three of us pushing power through the connections. And you keep doing whatever magic you’ve been doing to stabilize her. We hold the line until Elena arrives."

Victoria pushed herself to her feet, wrapping her bleeding hand in a cloth. "And if Elena can’t save her? If she arrives and tells us there’s no way to break the curse?"

Nicholas’s expression was absolute. "Then we deal with that when it happens. But right now, we have hope. And I’m not giving that up."

He turned and left the room.

Victoria stood alone in the fading light of her failed circle and felt the weight of everything pressing down on her.

Elena was coming. But would she arrive in time?

Would she have answers they could actually use?

Would she be able to break a curse that even the Moon Temple Guardians could not touch?

Victoria didn’t know.

But she knew one thing with absolute certainty.

She would keep Lilith alive until Elena arrived.

Even if it meant using every drop of magic in her body.

Even if it meant dying herself to buy her niece a few more hours.

Whatever it took.

***

Lilith’s POV

Lilith was floating in darkness.

Not the comfortable darkness of sleep. Not the peaceful void of unconsciousness. This was something else. Something that felt like being suspended in deep water...aware but unable to move, present but disconnected from her body.

She didn’t know how long she had been here.

Time did not work the same way in this place. Seconds could be hours. Hours could be seconds. All of it blending together into an endless now that stretched in every direction.

But she was aware.

Of the bonds pulling at her. Three golden threads stretching from somewhere in her chest toward... toward something she could not quite see. Nicholas. Sebastian. Lucian. All of them calling to her. Begging her to come back.

Of the curse. Dark and heavy and coiled around those same golden threads like a snake. Squeezing. Consuming. Trying to pull her deeper into the darkness where the bonds could not reach.

And of something else.

A presence. Watching her. Waiting.

Lilith tried to open her eyes but she found out that she didn’t have eyes here. She tried to speak but she had no mouth. Tried to move but her body was somewhere else....somewhere far away where people were fighting to keep it breathing.

Where am I? she thought.

The darkness rippled.

And suddenly she wasn’t alone anymore.

A figure materialized in front of her...translucent and glowing faintly with light that seemed to come from within.

Lilith recognized him immediately.

"Dad?" The word came out even though she had no mouth to speak with.

Victor smiled at her. He looked exactly as she remembered, warm brown eyes, easy smile, the kind of presence that made people feel safe just by being near him.

"Hello, sweetheart," Victor said.