"Jodah Northorn. He was the brother of Raine and Rhilora Northorn and the last known connection to Lucien and Esmeralda Northorn."

Yagein's grey eyes flickered up from the books in front of her, her black talons wrapping around the hard spine of the cover. Ivory stood in front of her with a determined look on her face, her undeterred red eyes watching the queen with a subtle troubled gaze. Her fingers were locked together in front of her, her feet shuffling back as Yagein got up from her seat.

"Jodah Northorn. Wasn't he the same one responsible for unleashing the mortals on his kind?" she asked, grabbing a few yellowed pages from the table. Ivory nodded, her lips pressed together in a thin line. "Yes. He was responsible for the revolt of the mortals on the attuned siphons and the murder of his brother and wife."

"Wicked. I see he's one of the enlightened siphons. Doesn't appreciate a traitor walking amongst him" the queen remarked, flipping through the pages in her grasp. Ivory's brows knitted together, a perplexed expression crossing her face. "If I may intervene my queen, Jodah was technically the traitor. He conspired with the mortals for years before allowing them to attack the tribal grounds and murder Raine and Rhilora."

"You're not reading the greater story, Ivory. I would expect better from you" she hissed, her grey eyes narrowing. Ivory swallowed hard, feeling the subtle beat of her heart slightly increase as the queen approached her. "Please, enlighten me my queen" she requested, bowing her head. "I only wish to be as wise as you."

A few minutes of silence passed before Yagein simply hummed, turning back to the table. "Raine never acknowledged to good his brother could offer. He sided with that corrupt wife of his, Rhilora and they conspired to isolate him. The first mistake they did was selling their tribe to the mortal kingdoms when they could have easily found other means of protection. Jodah had the right intentions every time but was never heard. In return, he conducted a way to show them just how wrong in the ways they were."

She paused, tapping her fingers against the paper. She looked up to meet Ivory's hard gaze, the hint of a smile crossing her face. "Even if it meant claiming their lives."

With that, she threw the last remnants of the paper on the table, pacing around the library. "Where is Jodah now?" she asked, turning back around.

"After destroying the tribal grounds, he took as many attuned siphons as he could threaten and they fled to the abandoned island of Amedor for some time. From the information we gathered, he currently resides underneath the Hindfrost Mountains in the southern kingdoms."

"Perfect. We shall depart immediately" Yagein said, turning to Ivory. "Tell the other witches to prepare supplies and notify your coven sisters to join me in the cave. There is no time to waste."

"We're leaving right now?" Ivory questioned. Yagein turned around, hand on her hip as she sneered at one of her top coven witches. "Did I stutter, Ivory?" she asked, her voice dropping to a menacing tone. Ivory's red eyes grew wide, shaking her head frantically. Blue locks of hair fell across her pale face, ducking her head as she broke her gaze from the queen.

"No. I'll arrange everything my queen" she replied, running her fingers through her hair. Yagein smirked, pointing an elegant finger toward the table that was covered in books. "I'll need you to pack those up as well. I'll need all the information I can get."

"Yes, my queen. I'll notify the others. We should leave before sundown" Ivory suggested.

"That's my intention, Ivory. Get to it" Yagein commanded, taking a few steps toward her. The witch held her breath as the queen grew closer until she was merely a few inches away from her face. Her hands grabbed her chin hard, black talons curling around her skin.

Snowy grey eyes held her gaze, unwavering, and unforgiving as they took in her startled gaze. "Are you a child, Ivory?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. The witch shook her head frantically, licking her lips. "No my queen."

"Then stop acting like a childish mortal! I don't know what has possessed in recent times to display such a weak demeanor but this is not the witch I chose to be a part of my top coven" she hissed, her grey eyes glaring. "You were once the strongest out of all my witches. Cunning, wicked, no mercy, no soul. You did as I told you to and you did it well, my darling. Have I lost that witch? The witch I trusted so many of my secrets to?"

"No my queen. Forgive my recent behavior. I never meant to question your trust in me" Ivory whispered back, attempting to bow her head. Yagein grasped her chin harder, her talons piercing into her skin until they drew blood. "Good. Because you are just as replaceable as the others. Don't make me regret my assumptions about you, Ivory."

With one hard glance, she let go of her chin and briskly turned around, the material of her velvet black dress sweeping the floor as she exited the library. An outline of her silhouette walked through the open doors and disappeared into the dimly lit hallways, leaving the witch in a state of dread and utter confusion.

Just as the sun was beginning to set on the horizon just among the Black Cobra Mountains, Yagein impatiently awaited for her coven witches to arrive. The rattle of the wind outside shook the windows and the sky was beginning to darken.

The queen frowned, her eyes diverting toward the double doors that lay before her. Claiming the lowest floor of the mountain palace she called home behind those doors, the cave sat waiting for her to enter. She knew what those dark depths beyond the golden bolts of the door held and the sickening thoughts brought a glorious smile to her face.

She toyed with her grey locks in one hand, her bone staff in another, her talons curling around the serpent head at the top. Outside, the whisper of a storm stirred her attention, her eyes diverting to the first fall of rain that plastered itself along with the glass panels of the window.

"Of all the days to cry, dear Gods. Why now?" she asked, shaking her head. The sky seemed to darken in response to her, mocking her as she stood powerless in the walls around her.

Footsteps pounding on the floor caught her attention and Yagein turned around to see the silhouettes of her top coven witches stalk toward her. They each held an orb of pure magic conjured from the last rays of sun in their hands, spilling a path of light along the way to lighten up the dark walls.

"Is my time a joke to all of you?" she hissed through locked teeth as they stopped in front of her. They shook their heads, bowing toward her. "No my queen. Please, accept our apologies" Alysra said, her startling red hair highlighted by the orb. She passed a disapproving look towards Roxanne, frowning deeply. "Someone decided to slow all of us down today."

"You try training all the newly inducted SilverClaw Witches by yourself then come back and reprimand me, Alysra!" Roxanne hissed, her amber eyes narrowing into deathly slits. "I would do a better job than what you are currently teaching them, my dear sister" Alysra commented, throwing a hand in her face.

Roxanne slapped her hand away, pointing a talon at her. "Don't you ever insult me again, you bloody piece of-"

"Complete that sentence and your tongue shall be mine, Roxanne!" Yagein warned, turning around. Rays of magic left her hand, stealing the light orbs they held in her hands and luring them over to her side. She merged all four, creating a large ball of magic that spilled through the dark entryway.

"What have I told you about bickering with one another? I don't care how much you disagree with each other. At the end of the day, you are sisters and my top coven witches and I expect all of you to be respectful towards one another and you shall be banished and punished to the farthest depths of my abilities!"

Her voice bellowed through the empty hall, causing the four witches to jump. "I'm sorry my queen-"

"Save your apologies for another day, Alysra! We have somewhere to be and I do not have time for your unnecessary nonsense!" she hissed, turning around to face the doors. "Since you blundering fools allowed the new witches to toy with and destroy the majority of our enchanted brooms, I have found other means of transportation."

"In all fairness, the blame for the brooms falls on Storm. It was her idea to have the new witches get a sense of what it's like to fly" Alysra voice cut through the darkness. Storm didn't utter a word, merely shaking her head and sighing deeply. "Alysra, I swear on the stars and Gods, one more word from you and your head shall be mine!" Yagein warned one more time, casting a death glare toward the red-headed witch.

She swallowed hard and nodded, a frown remaining on her face.

With a sigh, Yagein approached the entrance, turning her bone staff against the doors. The sapphire eyes on the staff began to glow as the queen uttered ancient words from her lips, moving the staff in a pattern she had only memorized about a thousand times by now. With a groan, the doors opened to reveal the dark opening of the cave.

The hint of a foul stench met her nose as she entered, using her staff as navigation. The other witches followed her, their footsteps falling into harmony as they followed their queen through the dark cave. "If I may ask, what's in this cave? I never knew the palace held a cave underneath" Storm asked.

A smile spread across Yagein's face as she took a sharp curve, the darkness swallowing her whole. "There is a lot of things you don't know, Storm. This cave holds some of the greatest beasts that ruled over the sky a long time ago" the queen said as they came across a weak bridge over a small lake.

They quickly crossed silently to the other side, the soft orange glow from afar drawing them in. Slowly, Yagein diminished the orb of light in her hand, allowing the torches on the wall to be their guide. "Sadly, many were slaughtered in wars so I kept the last remaining ones of the clan underneath the palace, hatching and growing an army of my own."

"How many of them are there?" one of the witches asked.

Yagein hummed in response, turning her head back momentarily. A smirk pulled on her face as they stopped near the entrance of a dark dwelling lit only by dim torches. "See for yourself if you are so curious" she responded, gesturing towards the large space in front of them.

There, bounded by chains, were numerous beasts of the sky. Dragons and wyverns strained against the chains there were bounded against, their large tails sprawled out against the floor while lightning birds screamed warrior cries to the ceiling above and phoenixes rose from their ashes before bursting into flames once more.

It was a labyrinth of beasts, spreading for miles upon miles with no end. Their hungry eyes trained upon the witches that walked past them, baring sharp teeth that could tear through their skin at any given moment. "My queen, this is marvelous and terrifying at the same time! Why haven't you told the other clans about this? Surely, they would be impressed!"

"Every clan has their own set of flying beasts they keep away from their own. Rest assured, they too have their army" Yagein corrected her coven witches, turning around to face them. The hint of a smile pulled on her lips as she casted a gaze upon a wyvern that eyed her, its sharp teeth coated in saliva.

"Although their collection is not as marvelous as mine."

With a satisfied smile, she made her way over to the wyvern, her hands stroking its black scales. "Alright, Alysra and Roxanne, you come with me. Storm and Ivory, I need you to stay here and manage the other witches. Can you do that?"

"Why us? We all accompanied you last time. Why can't we all come again?" Storm asked, a bit of annoyance shining through her voice. Yagein scowled, pointing her bone staff at her coven witch. "Are you questioning me, Storm? Because I can easily discard and replace you with another SilverClaw witch within minutes! I am trusting you to take care of the other witches and you dare question my intentions? Who the bloody hell do you think you are speaking to?!"

"But my queen-"

"I don't want to hear it! I said my words and they are final! Now, you can either agree to it or take one of the many daggers you hide with you and slit your own throat because I do not have time for this nonsense!" Yagein seethed through locked teeth, pointing the end of her bone staff towards the witch.

The sharpened end scraped the skin of Storm's arm, almost breaking through her skin. With a tense wince, Storm nodded her head, whispering through locked teeth. "Yes, my queen. We shall keep the other in line as you have done for us." She bowed her head towards the queen.

Ivory uttered similar words, gracing her queen with a cloak to keep her warm and strapping a bag of materials on her back. "Safe journeys" she whispered as she stepped back, the hint of a smile on her face. Yagein simply nodded, turning back to the beast. "Do not tell anyone else of this cave. If I come back to discover these marvelous creatures have all been released, I will nail you to board, skin you, and burn whatever is left of your body to ashes."

The charcoal ring around her grey eyes pulsed as she cocked her head at the witches, raising a brow. "Understood?" she asked.

Storm and Ivory exchanged a terrified look before nodding.

"Perfect. Alysra, Roxanne, pick your beasts. We have quite a journey in front of us" she instructed as her talons wrapped around the chains of the creature. She pried it free from its neck, ripping the ones that were wrapped around its feet and wings to release it.

With a mighty roar, the creature unveiled its wings in its glory, shaking its head as it made its way over to the queen. Yagein smiled, allowing her talons to gently coax the creature as she climbed upon it, one hand gripping the elegant lines of scales on its back while the other tightened around her bone staff.

The coven witches did the same, choosing a creature that was best suited for them before releasing its chain-linked bounds for them. A wyvern with blood-red eyes for Alysra and a dragon with red scales for Roxanne.

"Are you ready?" Yagein asked, raising a brow at the witches as they situated themselves on the beasts. "This is no enchanted broom, that's for sure" Roxanne commented as she struggled to grasp the protruding scales on the scaly-winged beast beneath her.

"Adjust quickly because we're leaving now" Yagein warned, turning over to her wyvern. She rested a hand amongst its back, steering the sapphire eyes of her bone staff towards the creature. It glowed bright, radiating rays of magic that seemed to seize the creature in its grip. It growled and bent, its wings ruffling.

She whispered a certain word, one that seemed to awaken the beasts. Its eyes grew large then narrowed, its sharpened claws digging into the earth below it and its tail dragging alongside the floor in a furious pattern.

"Vascri."

With a furious scream, the wyvern took off running, stomping through the deep cave at an exhilarating fast space. Yagein could hear the voices of Alysra and Roxanne as they struggled to catch up but she paid no attention, gripping onto the scales of the beast as it plunged them down a dark abyss. Her stomach lurched, her heart beating wildly in her chest as they soared through the darkness in silence.

The break of light came at the bottom, pulling them in as they neared the back exit of the mountains, the chilly wind of the early evening greeting them. The wyvern snarled and flew forward, fitting its body through the wide opening as the crisp air welcomed them. The beast danced upwards to the sky, its large winds spreading wide as it regained its balance.

The cool mountain wind swept past Yagein's skin in a harsh embrace, goosebumps prickling her skin as she stood on the highest peak. Below her, the rivers raged below and called out to her, rough waves splashing over the jagged rocks.

Not too far behind, Alysra and Roxanne emerged from the opening as well, soaring through the sky as they navigated next to her. Startled faces and hurried breaths clashed together, their faces flushed as they still struggled to hold on to the massive beasts carrying them. "My queen, how do you handle such beasts?! They are untamed, unruly-"

"And wild. Perfect for a witch" Yagein cut in, stroking the wyvern she sat on. She looked out as the last of the sun's rays began disappearing, bringing on an eclipse of darkness as the early night settled in.

"Come on, coven witches. Jodah is impatiently awaiting us."

With those last words, Yagein commanded the wyvern to soar. It let out a warrior cry as it soared into the air, its wings cutting through the dying wing as it curved over the horizon, a rider and its commander reigning the night sky. 

A/N: And that is the end of the sixth chapter. 

Sorry if it's a bit short. 

So Yagein is back with her coven witches and oh my god I can't wait to write more about them. Though she is an antagonist, I really love writing about her and her past and how she runs her clan. I also love her top coven witches! They all bring something new!

I love writing about the villains! So much dynamic to add. 

Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter! Let me know what you liked and didn't like and what you are excited about!

Thank you guys for all your constant support. It means so much to me that you came back to join me on this crazy journey and read this book. I enjoy writing it and hearing your feedback always makes my day!

Until next time Lovelies!

With love, May