“So, just because he saved your asses a couple of times, you automatically do whatever he says?” the bright-haired witch demanded with furrowed eyebrows.
“You don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Vesta added in a firm voice, and her silver eyes flashed with irritation. “Cole has saved our asses more than a couple of times, and you shouldn’t be questioning him.”
“Oh, yeah?” Penelope scoffed. “Well, I think you’re just a group of followers with no minds of your own--”
“Can you all be quiet?” I snapped. “I’m trying to think of a plan.”
“But--” Penelope tried to argue, but then I raised a hand to cut her off.
“Just shut up for a second,” I growled.
The orange-haired witch clamped her mouth shut and glared at me, but at least she was finally being fucking quiet.
I brainstormed for a long moment before I remembered an old trick Theodora taught me, and then I quickly rolled up my sleeves, took a deep breath, and looked up.
“I have an idea,” I said.
“You do?” Penelope grumbled, and the others turned to me as I pulled out my wand and aimed it at the blue sky.
“Inlustris, modo ducturi,” I muttered in lieu of an answer.
A calm wind picked up before a bright red star hovered above our heads, and my face broke out into a satisfied smile.
“Wait a minute.” Morgana grinned as she followed my eyes. “You summoned the blood star, didn’t you?”
“Yep.” I smirked.
“The what?” Penelope asked as her orange eyebrows pinched together.
“It’s an old premonition trick,” I explained. “Theodora taught me how to use it. It will guide us to wherever we need to go.”
“But I don’t see anything,” Beatrix said with a skeptical frown.
“Only Cole can see it,” Faye spoke up, and the redhead smirked as she continued to brag about me. “He used it when we had to travel to the Greenwood realm to kill a duke named Malik.”
“Wait, what?” Penelope interjected as her jaw flapped open. “You really killed him? I thought that was only an exaggerated rumor.”
“No time to explain,” I said in a rushed voice. “We need to move.”
The orange-haired witch glared at me for a moment before she sighed and then rolled her large, brown eyes.
“Fine,” she huffed. “Since you have the mysterious, magical, invisible fucking star, then I guess you can lead the way.”
“Well, now that I have your permission, I suppose all is well and good in the universe.” I smirked. “Now, let’s get a move on. We’re wasting time.”
The others nodded in agreement, and then we began to follow the red star to wherever Theodora wanted us to go. I had no idea what our final destination was going to be, but I knew Theodora. If she wanted me to find another stone, I guessed it would be just as tricky as it was the first time. We were in for one hell of an adventure, but at least this time, we had reinforcements.
I followed the star and led the group through tall tufts of grass, and we walked for about an hour in complete silence until we finally reached the edge of the field. There were two rolling, green hills in the distance, and the red star hovered above them like a bright beacon.
“Whatever we’re looking for,” I said, “it’s over those hills.”
“Oh, what a lovely view,” Vesta hummed.
“Yeah, positively splendid… but is anyone else feeling like a bundle of nerves?” Ivy asked in a tiny voice, and she nervously tugged on her blue streak of hair.
I turned around to face all the women, and then I did my best to smile reassuringly at them. Some of them were not under my protection, so they were risking their necks to be out here.
I couldn’t blame them for being afraid.
“Don’t be nervous,” I said. “Your apprehension will prevent you from using your premonition skills… and that’s the reason we’re here, isn’t it?”
“He’s right.” Iris nodded. “We have to suck it up and be brave. Lead the way, Cole.”
“That’s what I want to hear.” I smirked. “Okay, come on.”
Before we could take another step forward, though, a cloud of dark purple smoke exploded in front of us, and we jumped back. When the plum-colored haze cleared, there was a pile of pale-colored cloaks in front of us, and the fabric looked rough, itchy, and cheaply made, like potato sacks.
“Well,” I said as I looked at the cloaks, “wherever we’re going, Theodora clearly wants us to blend in. Let’s put these on and leave our school cloaks behind.”
The witches all nodded in agreement and then took off their Scholomance cloaks before tossing the new, itchy fabric over their shoulders.
“Wait,” Vesta said as she looked down at her lilac-colored hands. “We need to blend in, right?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“Right, then,” the elvish witch answered before she whipped out her wand pointed it at her free hand.
“What are you--?” Faye began to ask, but Vesta sharply cut her off.
“Persona humana,” the purple witch muttered.
In the next moment, Vesta’s light purple skin began to change into a porcelain tone that matched the rest of the witches, and her ears also shrank to a human size and became less pointed.
“Whoa,” Faye remarked as she studied Vesta’s newly pale hands. “Genius idea. You are so good with aesthetics.”
“Thank you… I do look rather plain, though.” Vesta shrugged as she looked at each of us. “I suppose that is the goal, but I do prefer everything to be beautiful.”
“Well, it’s a brilliant idea, nonetheless, but it won’t last forever,” Morgana said as she looked at the fair-skinned Vesta. “We’d better hurry.”
“Agreed,” I remarked. “Now, let’s move.”
We trekked through the grass and then began to climb up the rolling hill, and it took us about another hour to reach the very top of the green peak. In the distance, I could see a city surrounded by massive stone walls. The bright red star hovered over the tall buildings, and I knew this was going to be one hell of a challenge. I assumed we were not facing a mere village, and there were probably hundreds, if not thousands, of guards patrolling the streets of the mysterious city, but that wasn’t our only obstacle. By the looks of it, we still had to trek through a small patch of woodland, and we had no idea what kinds of beasts could be hiding in those trees.
“Satan,” Akira panted. “That was one hell of a workout.”
“Well, it’s not over yet,” I said as I pointed ahead. “It turns out we still have a long way to go.”
“Fuck,” Penelope breathed, and she wiped at the sweat beading on her brow. “Who knows how many Wicca-loathing scumbags are living in that city.”
“If I know Theodora, probably a fuck load,” I responded honestly. “We’re going to have to be careful.”
“Well, let’s go,” Morgana urged, and the brunette wrung her hands together. “If we don’t hurry, we’ll be walking in the dark, and we have no idea what kinds of creatures are lurking throughout the woodlands.”
“Good point.” I nodded. “Come on.”
So, we headed down the hill, and by the time we were at the bottom of the green peak, the sun was even lower, and I realized Morgana had been right once again. We had very little daylight left, and if we didn’t hurry, we’d be wandering through the woods in the dark, but at least we still had the star to guide our way.
“Morgana,” Akira said as we neared the entrance of the dark woodland. “Do you recognize this territory at all? Is there anything in that vast library you call a brain that can help us?”
“I mean, there are countless possibilities,” Morgana responded with an exasperated sigh. “It could be the High-count Court, or the Northern Grate, or the--”
“I get the picture,” Akira cut in as she rubbed at her forehead. “Never mind.”
“What if we die before we even reach the city?” Beatrix groaned in a dramati
c tone.
“She’s got a point,” Penelope added. “It’s not out of the realm of possibilities.”
I sighed impatiently before I whipped around and faced the group of women, but before I could say a word, Faye took a step forward and stood by my side.
“Look,” she said in a firm voice, “Cole has never let us down before, and if this is the route we have to take, we shouldn’t be wasting time questioning him. Agreed?”
The other Scholomance team clamped their mouths shut and then looked down at their feet in shame, and I was grateful to Faye for not only being loyal but for also pointing out the obvious.
“You’re right,” Penelope finally said, and she looked up to meet my eyes. “Okay, show us the way, Cole.”
“Alright.” I nodded firmly. “Keep your eyes peeled and remember… if we keep a clear head, we should be able to sense danger before it arrives, just like Theodora taught us. Now, let’s keep going.”
The group collectively nodded before we entered the black, callous thicket. The wind was howling, and it grew even colder as we ventured deeper into the belly of the unknown. Twigs and dead leaves crunched under our feet as we marched ahead, and once we reached a small, circular patch of soil, I could feel a shift in the air.
“Stop,” I ordered.
“What is it?” Ivy asked as she brushed a blue streak of hair out of her face. “Did you hear something?”
“No, but something feels off,” I muttered. “It feels like we’re not alone.”
I glanced around the forest, and I could have sworn I heard a twig snap somewhere off in the distance. I swiveled my head in different directions, and then I forced myself to close my eyes and take in a deep breath.
Periculum.
In my head, I could see a herd of enormous, muscular centaurs with bows and arrows surrounding us, and they were moving quickly. In my mind, all I could feel was their feral hatred and anger, and they desperately wanted to slaughter us like sheep. There were too many of them to take on at the same time, and if we stayed here, we’d surely be fucked.
“Shit, we have to move!” I shouted as my eyes snapped open. “Now!”
Without another word, the women followed my lead as I rushed past the black trees and emerald grove. Blood pounded in my ears, and sweat dripped into my eyes as we ran for our fucking lives. I could hear the centaurs galloping and shouting behind us as I sprinted onward, but I didn’t waste any time looking back.
I knew they were on our asses.
“Keep going!” I called out over my shoulder.
We continued running until the pathway came to a sudden stop, and I realized with horror that we were at a dead end. A stone wall blocked our path, and there was no other way around, except to turn back. My heart started to hammer violently in my chest as I looked around and tried to think of a new plan.
The centaurs were right behind us, and if we didn’t move quickly, they’d find us.
As difficult as it was to focus, I forced myself to close my eyes and picture their exact whereabouts and how many there were in total. It took a moment, but in my mind, I saw two heading in our direction. The other four had split up and gone through different routes, so we had one small advantage.
I pulled out my wand and then whipped around to face the other witches. Their faces were pale, and they were all trembling as they held onto their wands, so I had to take another deep breath to calm myself before I spoke.
“Alright,” I whispered. “There are two centaurs heading our way… keep your wands aimed ahead of you and follow my lead, and whatever you do, do not use the killing curse. It will only weaken you, and we might have more of them to take on. We’re going to freeze their asses, so use the Glacio curse as Morgana suggested in the dungeon. Got it?”
Each witch nodded mechanically before they slowly turned around and then lifted their trembling wands into the air. We could hear the two centaurs drawing closer, and just before they trotted through the grove that was barely shielding us, I raised my wand and aimed.
“Now!” I shouted.
“Glacio!” everyone yelled at once.
Each spell hit the two centaurs at the same time, and before they could even scream, they froze into solid ice statues in front of us. They were two massive beasts, and they were twice as large as the centaur I faced during my preschool semester. They were tall and broad shouldered with wooden bows slung over their muscular backs. Their naked, upper human halves were a musky green color, and sleek brown hair covered their bottom halves. Their bright, yellow eyes darted quickly to and fro even though they were encased in ice, but they weren’t going anywhere for a long while.
“Well done,” I panted, “but we still have more of them on our tails. Let’s move it.”
The witches followed me as I sped past the two frozen centaurs and headed back, and as we sprinted onward, I kept my eyes focused on the red star ahead of us.
But, as we ran, I felt another sense of danger approaching.
“Stop,” I commanded, and the witches all came to an immediate halt.
“What is it now?” Penelope panted as she doubled over her knees. “I thought we lost them?”
“Not just yet,” I muttered. “Actually, I feel something else ahead of us.”
No one dared to speak, and I repeated the Periculum incantation in my head. At that moment, I knew I had to look up into the trees, and when I did, I saw several ropes attached to different branches. On the ground, there were a few net traps laid directly in front of us, so if we hadn’t stopped, we would have been gift wrapped for the centaurs. Whoever put out these traps went through the trouble of concealing the rope nets with leaves, dirt, and soil, and that’s when I thought of a plan, but Penelope beat me to it.
“See those traps?” Penelope said as she pointed to the nets. “They’re barely visible, but if the centaurs don’t notice, they will probably run right into them.”
“But what if they were the ones who set the traps?” Ivy questioned with a frown. “Then we’re fucked.”
“Look,” I said as patiently as possible, “Penelope’s idea is fucking brilliant, because those traps were clearly made by humans. How could a centaur possibly climb a fucking tree and hook them up on the branches?”
“That’s a good point,” Beatrix mused and then shrugged. “I say we do it.”
Before anyone could say another word, we heard the sound of galloping coming right behind us.
“Follow me!” I ordered.
I carefully stepped around the nets and then turned to face the herd that was heading our way. The witches all followed my lead, and then we raised our wands and kept them aimed in front of us.
As soon as the centaurs appeared, they came to a sudden standstill and then smiled wickedly at us. Their leader, who was the largest and buffest of the herd, raised his fist into the air, and the rest of the beasts lowered their arrows and glowered at us.
“What brings you here into our neck of the woods, human scum?” the leader growled.
His intense, yellow eyes bored into mine, and then his dark lips curled into disgust. His skin was a deep shade of green, and his bottom half was almost black. The dark hair on the top of his head was woven into a long braid that draped over one massive shoulder, and I also noticed a large scar dragged across his left eyebrow.
“We’re not human,” I barked back. “We’re just passing through.”
“Is that so?” He smirked. “Nathaniel, shoot the one with the blood-colored hair.”
Faye gasped as one of the centaurs notched an arrow on his bow and then took his aim. The arrow shot through the air as quick as lightning, but with my wand still raised, I also fired my shot.
“Stupefaciunt!” I shouted, and then the arrow stopped in midair.
“Frango!” Morgana screamed a split second later as she aimed at the floating projectile.
The arrow snapped in two and fell to the forest floor, and the centaurs took a couple of steps back as deep, feral growls resonated in their ches
ts.
“Witchcraft,” the leader spat.
“Hey.” I shrugged. “If you want to fight without arrows or wands, why don’t you fucking catch us?”
The leader shot me a menacing glare before he raised his fist into the air once more. His army took a couple of steps forward, and I knew they were preparing to charge at us.
“Run!” I shouted.
We turned in unison and sprinted away, and as we ran, we could hear the horse-men running after us, but their attempts to catch us were ruined as they galloped right into the net traps. They shouted in surprise and fury, and when I turned around, I was relieved to see each one dangling in a net high in the trees.
“Come back here, heathen witches!” the leader screamed, but it was useless. “I’ll show you the true meaning of pain.”
Yeah, fucking right.
“Good riddance,” I muttered under my breath, and then I turned to the others and gestured for us to move on. “Let’s get the hell out of these woods.”
We treaded through the rest of the thicket with the blood star to guide the way, and thankfully we didn’t run into any more beasts. As we pushed through the underbrush and long grasses, I couldn’t sense any more danger ahead of us, and by the time we reached the edge of the woods, the sky was a vibrant wash of gold, pink, and red hues. The orange sun was setting, but at least we were facing the city gates.
The wall was at least thirty yards away, and as we walked on, I wondered what other deadly obstacles we’d have to face before we found the second stone. Whatever it was, I knew I’d have to set my fears aside to protect all the women. They were relying on me, and I’d sooner die than let them down.
Even those who weren’t a part of my coven.
When we were close enough to see a guard standing behind the wood and iron portcullis, we stopped inside the tree line and huddled together to determine our next move.
“Well, we’ve reached the gate, and of course it’s guarded,” Penelope sighed as she stared up at the city walls. “Now what?”
“We need to get through,” Akira replied quickly. “Duh.”
“Satan, I know that.” Penelope rolled her brown eyes. “I was just thinking out loud… hmmm, I’ll bet you anything there’s some kind of password to get inside. There has to be… most of these human realms rely on passwords since they aren’t capable of magic.”
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