The first rays of moonlight peeked through the darkened trees, illuminating a marble pedestal in the Forbidden Forest upon which was placed a small purple stone. Three black-hooded figures gathered around the marble pillar, an eerie calm evident in the air around them. Two of the girls looked to be nearing their twenties, while their third companion seemed much younger, closer to the age of fourteen. Nonetheless, they all possessed the same pale skin and purple eyes, yet were so different at the same time. Black crows circled restlessly above the tree line, cawing urgently, and the stone began to glow a blinding white light.

One, clearly the eldest, glided forward and extended her hand to rest on the Dreamstone, her eyes shut in concentration. The object’s glow dimmed slightly but then strengthened, and the girl pulled her hand away with a triumphant smile, turning back to her companions, and her silky voice was soft, “Come, sisters. It is time for us to do what we came here to do.”“Us?”the second oldest spat out, violet eyes darkening dangerously, “Mel, have you forgotten that youwere the one who opened that box? That you’rethe reason the Otherside authorities will probably send us to Earthside for good?”

“Oh, come on, Delilah,” Melissa shot back, blowing her black-and-white streaked curls out of her eyes with an irritated huff, “don’t get so worked up. It tricked me! Besides, it’s not like youdid anything to try and stop me from opening the Prison!”

“Maybe Ididn’t,” Delilah snapped angrily, “but Camille did, and just look at what happened to herbecause of your irresponsibility!” Both girls turned to observe their youngest sister Camille, who had huddled up in a warm blanket by the base of a nearby sycamore tree, her long raven-black hair hiding both her face and the deep scars around her neck and on her arms. “Please,” she whispered hoarsely, still shivering with fright from the ordeal, “don’t argue anymore. What happened was my fault; that thingwas too strong!”

Her voice trembled and she continued to shake regardless the warmth of the blanket. A series of images flashed before her closed eyes: an ornate, well-designed, inescapable golden box with a complex silver lock; Melissa using her powers to break the protection charm on the Amber Prison and opening it as if in a daze; a demon breaking free from its lifelong prison; herself receiving agonizing scratches from the Vulbine’s razor-sharp talons; the chaotic beast vanishing to Earthside before they could contain it.

Melissa knelt down and took her youngest sister’s cold hands in her own. “I know, Cami, and I’m sorry. This shouldn’t have happened,” she added gently, giving Delilah a hard stare that clearly meant ‘we will discuss this later’. She paused again for a brief moment and then stood, brushing off her grey dress. “Alright, that’s enough of that. Come on, both of you. That demon’s not going to stop itself.”

Rolling her eyes in disbelief at her older sister’s abruptness, Delilah helped Camille wobble shakily to her feet, and all three gathered once more around the column and raised their hands, the powerful words of their strange chant echoing through the woods. A jagged fissure split the ground before the pillar, revealing a gaping black hole. Camille pressed herself against her oldest sister, lilac eyes wide with terror, and watched silently as Delilah plunged into the spinning vortex, then followed closely behind with Melissa at her side.

Camille opened her eyes to find herself alone, standing in the midst of a vast cavern, the fog thickening around her with every passing minute. Her head felt heavy, her legs were numb, and she sagged dejectedly against a wall. “Cami!”A faraway, unfamiliar voice called to her as if desperately trying to keep her awake. An older girl stepped out of the fog, an older girl with striking violet eyes and white skin, and black curls streaked with white. “Cami!”A new cry echoed throughout the cave, and a second girl appeared on the opposite side, her skin just as pale and her violet eyes just as striking as the first. Both of them started towards her, their hands outstretched. “Cami, you must wake up,”Melissa’s voice urged in her mind, sounding much closer, although the girl herself did not speak. “We need you, both of us! Wake up!”

She came to with a start, finding herself flat on her back in an empty clearing. There was nothing but green grass and trees for miles in either direction. Melissa was leaning over her, concern furrowing her brow. “Well, Melissa?” Delilah’s accusatory glare searched Melissa’s crestfallen face, “Where’s the Vulbine?”“I...I don’t know,” she admitted, not quite meeting her sister’s blazing eyes.

“How could you not know?” Delilah shouted. “You said you had pinpointed its location when we left!” Melissa pushed herself up and glared at her, “You were the one who cast the spell, Delilah! For all we know, youcould have changed the location!” Camille rushed between them, hands up to stop them from interrupting her. “Stop!Our entire mission is at stake, you two! We’ve got to concentrate and seal it in the Amber Prison for good before it endangers Earthside.” Delilah crossed her arms over her chest and turned away. “It’s already endangered Earthside, thanks to the recklessness of thiscareless witch!”

She looked pointedly at Melissa, who clenched her fists angrily but, to Camille’s relief, ignored the stinging insult. “Maybe it has,” Camille continued, still standing between them, “but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t complete our mission.” She closed her eyes and held out her palm. A small purple flame flared up in her hand, white tips sparking with power. Her lips moved silently as she whispered an incantation, and she suddenly snapped her eyes open. “What? What is it?” Delilah rushed forward to steady her as she wobbled, and she blinked. “I...I don’t know what happened. It just shattered, like – like someone’s countering me. I can’t do it,” she cried, “I can’t control it!” Melissa shook her head, drawing her close. “Don’t doubt yourself, Cami. You can do it; you just have to believe that you can. If anyone can stop this beast, it’s you.”

“I can’tdo it! I don’t know how!” She began to cry, loud, gasping sobs escaping her lips. “I can’t, not with you two constantly at each other’s throats!” Melissa suddenly looked up, understanding dawning on her, and scooted over to take Delilah’s hand. “Sis…I’m sorry. I really do care about you, and I do love you.” Hearing that heartfelt confession, Delilah sighed with relief, “Me too, Mel, me too. You’re the oldest, I shouldn’t be so hard on you.”

Before any of them could say more, an ear-piercing scream ripped through the air and the Vulbine appeared out of thin air before swooping down, its talons just missing Delilah. It had the head of a red dragon, the body and tail of a lion, and the wings of an eagle.

Taking a deep breath, Camille shot out her hand and sent a well-aimed lightning bolt at the beast, giving a hint of a triumphant smile as it connected solidly with the creature’s wing, knocking it backwards. It screamed its anger and dove downwards, claws outstretched. “Duck!” Camille heard Delilah’s warning just in time and rolled to her left. Melissa shot a blast of her own at the Vulbine, her violet eyes blazing angrily. “Leave my sisters alone, monster!” On Melissa’s quick urging, Delilah held the Amber Prison high above her head.

Just before she could say the words, the recovered Vulbine swiped a claw through the air and expertly knocked the box from her hands. The Vulbine flew at the girls, screeching furiously, and Camille went down almost instantly, the beast’s spiky tail striking her in the stomach, and she did not move again.

Melissa, being the protective sister and mother figure that she was, dove for the ground. She struck the beast down with a solid blast to the chest, watching it struggle to find its bearings. Delilah had taken advantage of the distraction to pop open the Prison’s latch, throwing it at the monster’s writhing form. She shielded her eyes from the blinding flash and found, to her relief, that their mission had at last been fulfilled.

Melissa was hysterical, bending over her sister, frantically checking for a pulse. Delilah slipped a tiny hand-mirror from her pocket and shakily brought it to her younger sister’s mouth.

Camille did not stir. Her lilac eyes remained shut. The mirror’s edge fogged up only a fraction, then nothing. Melissa closed her fingers over the Dreamstone, turning away so Delilah could not see her tears, and wept openly, “She – she’s gone...it’s over.” They both stood together, shoulder to shoulder, for a few moments before Melissa gathered her youngest sibling’s trembling body in her arms.

That clear, cool night, back in Otherside, they lay her down in the same clearing from which they had first left, under the same sycamore tree she had been leaning against. As they turned away, Camille’s eyelids twitched slightly and she blinked, eyes wide open. The quiet rustling of the leaf-bed upon which she had been placed did not seem to catch her sisters’ attention, and she tilted her head to glimpse their silhouettes fading away into the darkness. She was alone, once again.