Thankfully, Marcaria mentioned it to Rita, who told Mike, and Mike told him that Larissa and Chantelle were coming here. He couldn’t neglect his duties. He had been, after all, sent here to protect her. He thought of the flowers he left at her house. He wondered if she liked them...
Jake’s thoughts returned to Marcaria. What was she doing allowing Larissa to come to the party, and alone with Chantelle? She knew it was dangerous. She had seen the signs. Jake needed to get Larissa home now, before anything happened. He had seen an Empire Witch and she was here for only one thing. Jake made his way towards Larissa, who he had seen, disappear into the crowd.
5
ZROTAZ
The High Witch watched the horizon, her stern face a mask of stone. Her piercing emerald eyes didn’t blink once, as Zrotaz’s purple moon dipped under the hazy moon clouds. She turned away from the open arch of the tall tower. The Black Castle was the Empire Witches domain in the west side, and she hoped to build three others – in the east, south, and north of Zrotaz.
The wind blew in from the east, blowing her emerald cloak around her. The High Witch scowled; what was taking them so long? She sent her guards to Earth days ago. Why hadn’t she heard anything yet?
The Crystal had matured; she could feel its power emanating in the air, only tiny amounts but she could sense it. She inhaled the magical air appreciatively.
Now, if only she had the power to know where it was hidden. Once the girl and the Crystal were in her hands, she would have all the authority she wanted, enough to destroy and to build whatever she wanted: the galaxy would be hers!
Ah the girl; she could be one of them. After all, she was born with emerald eyes and silver hair, the mark of an Empire Witch! She was somewhere in the galaxy, but where? Her witches had scoured numerous planets and infinite realms for many years but even with their powers combined, they could not find her. Only recently did she learn that the girl and the Crystal were on Earth.
With a harsh swirl of her cloak, the High Witch dispersed into black particles, arriving moments later in the lower dungeon.
* *
An imprisoned witch sat in the far corner of the cell with her head in her arms. However, she didn’t let tear stains mark her face. She was not sorry, no, not at all. She was not fearful either, and they would not get the information out of her, no matter how much they tortured her!
Sworn by the oath given by her and her sister witches, she will maintain herself to keep Larissa safe! If they found the girl...Zarina could only imagine the worst.
Zarina heard the sound of falling particles; she was here. She stood, her head held high, and waited. The cell bars – charmed not to break upon any spell – now crushed to dust. Zarina saw the dust rise and swirl; delicate grey powder turning into black crystals, forming continuously until before her stood the High Witch.
Zarina did not flinch. The High Witch’s eyes watched Zarina with interest. With a flick of her index finger, Zarina crouched in pain. Moments later, her hair rose in the air as if pulled. Zarina cried out, as stabs of pain vibrated through her skull. The High Witch released her seconds later.
“You can torture me all you like, but I will not tell you where the girl is,” Zarina hissed when she got her breath back.
Two junior witches who had arrived behind the High Witch, snickered. The High Witch twitched her eyes and the snickering stopped. She smiled; her magic was too powerful, even for herself sometimes.
“Why do you disobey me, Zarina? Do you like it here? You are weak and soon your powers will leave you. No longer will you be able to cast spells, use charms, or enchant again. The magical elements will be against you. Understand this, you will be empty, the darkness that draws near, will be claiming you like the many others before you. Do you wish for this?” The High Witch lifted Zarina’s chin with her thin, curved finger.
Zarina’s golden eyes suddenly burned red, and sparks flew from her irises towards her enemy, but a shield appeared within a heartbeat, diminishing the flow of magical energy in an instant.
“Why do you try, Zarina?” The High Witch sighed. “Shelachi!” she screamed, and Zarina flew across the cell, crashing into the wall where she slithered to the floor like a limp rag doll.
“Take her to the Room of Silence,” the High Witch ordered her juniors.
The witches, with their voices returned, cackled once again, and dragged the unconscious Zarina out of the cell, levitating her still form towards the most feared room in the castle.
* *
Zleus paced the hut; worried for his mother. He cursed the witches who took her! And where was Xyth? Since their mother sent him to Earth, he had heard nothing from him. It was the second twilight since their mother had been taken...what they were doing to her; he couldn’t bear to think about. Why couldn’t they leave her alone?
He sat on a rustic wooden bench and focused his mind. Drawing energy from within, he chanted a few words under his breath, and then spoke aloud until he was shouting. Zleus chanted the spell repeatedly, focusing until he could decipher something. Now, where was Xyth?
Something began to form in his mind; some coloured lights, noise- was that music? He intercepted smoke and then...he found him. Xyth was talking to someone, but he wasn’t happy, he was angry. Zleus tried to send a message, but it wasn’t working.
He punched his fist on the bench, his golden eyes ablaze. What was Xyth doing? Their mother had told him to send back information, why hadn’t he?
He shouted, venting all his anger.
“You must keep your calm,” said a voice outside. Zleus went to the window and pulled back the curtain. A
unisus (half Unicorn, half Pegasus) stood there, scraping the ground with its hoof.
“Abyliss,” Zleus greeted the unisus. He went outside. “Thank you for coming. What wisdom do you bring me?”
“The High Witch took Zarina and flew her to the west with the aid of the flying black horse. Her juniors accompanied her on dragons. It is not yet known where in the castle she is imprisoned. My fellow comrades, Myeth and Rhixle, are watching the castle. They are of course, invisible.” Zleus was glad the unisus’ were on their side, but it was a shame that the Empire Witches had conjured support from the majority of the other magical creatures.
“Thank you, Abyliss,” said Zleus.
“Son of Zarina, do you have a plan? Do you know what you want to do now?” asked Abyliss.
“No. I am awaiting the arrival of Xyth. He should be home by now, but he has not made an appearance, neither has he connected his mind to me.”
“I am sorry to hear that, but if I may say so, Zleus, your brother may not have completed his duty,” Abyliss offered his wise words.
“Do you know what this duty may be?” Zleus asked Abyliss sharply.
“It is not known,” Abyliss replied. “Zarina did not discharge any more information to me before she was taken. All we know is that Xyth has reached Earth safely.”
“I cannot wait any longer, Abyliss. I dread to think what the evil witches are doing to my mother. What about the Sacred Witches of the north, south, and east? What do they have to say about this? What the High Witch is doing must affect them, surely? It has come to my knowledge that it not only my mother who was taken, but other skilled witches too.”
“It is unsettling,” agreed Abyliss. “A meeting must be called. Fret no more, Zleus. I will speak with the Unisus Magical Creatures Council without delay.”
“Thank you, Abyliss. I will meet with the Sacred Witch of the East. We part until then.”
Abyliss gave a curt nod, opened his great white wings, and soared into the sky.
* *
Zleus stood outside the grand entrance of the Sacred Witch’s dwelling, a rather magnificent place. The Sacred Witch of the East; a prestigious witch, born to lead, was the one all witches of the east sought advice from, especially in the dark days.
Along with the Council of Witches, of which she is the head, the Sacred Witch takes decisions on a regular basi
s to organise and control the east side of Zrotaz.
This was true for the north and south side of Zrotaz, as well. Zleus remembered asking his mother why she was called, ‘Sacred Witch.’
“The word sacred means purity of the soul, Zleus, unstained by greed or envy and other human characteristics. Only the Sacred One can ‘see’ problems ahead as far as two planets, and as one Sacred leaves this plain, another is born to take her place.”
After that, Zleus had great respect for the Sacred Witch and longed to meet her, but his mother denied him that privilege. Perhaps one day, she had said, the Sacred Witch was not easy to meet. Now it was his chance, even though the circumstances were dire.
At the foot of the gates stood two proud centaurs, known as the guardians of the Sacred Witch. Their bodies boasted golden coloured flanks, and they wore shiny suits of armour. They carried long swords by their sides. Zleus gulped.
“I’m here to see the Sacred Witch,” he announced, trying to sound important.
“She is waiting for you,” said one of the guards. “You may enter.”
This surprised Zleus, but he refrained from showing it on his face. The gates opened and he walked into the most beautiful garden he had ever seen. The purple twilight sky illuminated Zrotaz’s finest multi-coloured flowers of various sizes. Some opened into umbrellas, some stood tall, but all looked beautiful in their majestic setting.
He heard sweet music, which seemed to be coming from the singing birds, perched high on the fruit trees. He listened for a few minutes, and then walked on, inhaling the fragrance of the garden as he did. Before long, he was at the door, which opened without the need to knock.
“Of course, she knows I am here.” Zleus felt uneasy and admittedly, ashamed of being frightened.
Stepping into the spacious hall, he was distracted by blinding white walls until his eyes adjusted to the brightness. He noticed rows of books, going as far up and wide as his eyes could see on one side of the hall. The other side boasted doors, so many that he dared not start counting them for fear of being ancient by the time he would finish! Suddenly, he remembered the reason he was standing there.
Zleus looked around to see if anyone could help him. He didn’t know whether to call out or remain quiet. Just then, the third door in the line of doors opened and a small girl came towards him. She wasn’t walking but seemed to be gliding and was dressed in a rose coloured witches gown with a matching pointed hat.
“May I assist you?” she asked.
Zleus looked at her. She appeared only to have been ten years old but her voice sounded much wiser, beyond her young years.
“You are a child,” he stated.
“Age has no significance,” she replied.
“I’m sorry,” Zleus mumbled, embarrassed.
“How may I assist you?” the girl repeated.
“I would like to see the Sacred Witch,” said Zleus.
“Of course, she has been expecting you. Please follow me.”
Zleus followed her through the door and found it was an entryway to a long, winding corridor. The young witch whispered spells under her breath, but what they were for, Zleus didn’t understand. He had never heard of them. His footsteps echoed on the marble flooring and he said a quick, silent spell. The echo vanished.
“I don’t mind the noise. I find it soothing,” the girl smiled.
How bizarre. “Do you want me to undo my spell?” asked Zleus.
The young witch smiled again. What did that mean? However, Zleus needn’t worry about that now, for they had arrived at another door.
“This door will lead you to the Sacred Witch’s office. I cannot accompany you. You must follow the stairs and you shall find her.” The girl suddenly dispersed into white smoke and was gone, leaving Zleus alone again.
Zleus faced the door and put his hand on the handle, but the door opened of its own accord.
“I should be used to that,” said Zleus to himself. “This place seems to be full of enchantments and spells.”
He walked to the foot of a spiral staircase, which, like the hall, seemed to go up and up with no end. He saw a sign on the left side of the stairs.
‘A good witch need not climb.’
What did that mean? Zleus spent a few minutes thinking about it, and then it came to him. He was a witch; he didn’t need stairs to reach the top! Zleus laughed and breathed the Aviation Spell. Up he flew, past the twisting of the stairs. In no time at all, he arrived at yet another door. This one was bright and swirled the many colours of the spectrum.
This time Zleus didn’t try to open the door, instead he walked towards it, and as expected it opened of its own accord, like the many other doors in this place.
Zleus entered a large room with a curved desk that ran from one end of the room to the other. He stared, for he saw at least ten witches and two unisus’ looking right back at him. The unisus’ were sitting on grass rather than the floor, their legs folded under them, and the witches sat on elegant, silver chairs.
“Thank you for coming, my dear Zleus,” said a warm voice.
Zleus followed it to a beautiful lady in a royal blue gown. Her golden hair cascaded in spirals around her shoulders.
“Your Highness.” Zleus bowed but was unable to look away from her beauty.
“Please, Zleus.” The Sacred Witch pointed to a chair in the middle of the room.
“Welcome,” said a male witch as Zleus took the chair. “Chrysies, should we now begin?”
“We may,” replied the Sacred Witch, and took her own seat at the middle of the table.
“I have come about my mother,” Zleus began.
“Yes, we have been waiting for you. We are all concerned about the state of affairs in which Zarina was taken,” said the Sacred Witch.
The other witches nodded in agreement.
“Let us introduce ourselves,” said the first witch. She shone of a natural green hue, and her dress and hair were adorned with green leaves that shimmered from tiny dewdrops. Like little diamonds, the droplets twinkled.
“If we must,” said the male witch in the room.
“I am Verna,” the witch with the green dress continued, ignoring the male witch. “I am the witch who looks after the environment.”
“I am Beskine,” said the male witch in a bored tone. “I am in charge of planet affairs and work closely with the Sacred Witch.”
“I am Tuscane,” said witch number three. “I am the witch of the rivers and seas.”
And so, everyone introduced themselves. Every witch was allocated their own area of expertise, such as the flying transport, political indifferences between planets, and creature liaison.
“You are the Council,” said Zleus, understanding at last. “But the unisus?”
A brown unisus with a white triangle that extended from his forehead to the bridge of his nose addressed Zleus.
“I, and my brother,” the unisus looked towards the other, “have been invited to this meeting. We thank the Sacred Witch. My name is Myeth and he is Rhixle.”
“Oh! Abyliss spoke of you...but are you not watching the castle?” asked Zleus.
“We have been temporarily relieved. Two other soldiers are watching the castle until our return,” said the unisus.
“Zleus, it is important we have the support of the unisus who are highly trained in reading spellbound maps and intercepting them. They have also agreed to help us in any way possible to rescue your mother. Of course, the unisus’ will liaise with Tuscane.” The Sacred Witch smiled, looking in his direction.
“That is all very well, but when will my mother be rescued?” Zleus asked, somewhat rudely. The Sacred Witch raised her eyebrows. “Sorry,” he apologised. “I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful.”
The Sacred Witch stood and paced the room, her face troubled. “We will try our best. We do not want to lose a great witch and a great worker.”
“Tell us, Zleus,” said Beskine. “Your brother was sent to Earth, was he not? Do you know why that was?”
“My mother did not think it important to inform me,” said Zleus bitterly.
“Don’t be chastened, my dear boy,” Verna spoke gently, as a grandmother would. “Your mother probably knew something like this would happen. She was careful to keep her thoughts and reasons to herself. The Empire Witches must not know.”
“They must not know what?” Zleus asked, more confused than ever.
The Sacred Witch came to Zleus and looked deep into his eyes. “Time will give you the information that there is to know.”
Then, she said mysteriously, “Zarina is a strong witch, Zleus. She is also important to this community and to this Council. We have discussed meeting with the Sacred Witches of the north and south. As this concerns your mother, we would like you and your brother, Xyth, to join us, but as he has not yet returned...”
“I would like to join you, and thank you,” said Zleus quickly. “I will accept.”
“Very well,” said Verna. “It will be arranged for a scroll to be sent to your dwelling. It will include the time and the date of when we will depart.”
“You do know how to fly, I presume?” asked Beskine, smirking.
“Fly?” asked Zleus.
“We will travel by air rather than on foot. The witches will fly on broomsticks naturally, but a unisus will be able to aid you,” said the Sacred Witch.
“I have not flown on a unisus before, but I can learn,” said Zleus.
“Very good, we can arrange –” began Verna.
“My friend, Abyliss, will assist,” said Zleus.
“Abyliss will not be able to fly long distances,” said Beskine.
“He is my friend and I trust him.”
Beskine smiled, although not warmly.
“Thank you, Zleus. We will meet soon,” said the Sacred Witch, and the door to the stairs opened.
There were no stairs now; only a walkway that led directly out into the garden.
6
EARTH
Blinding light flashed from the opponents’ wand, and Jake bent into a crouch.
Witch Crystal (Witches of Zrotaz Book 1) Page 4