Witch Crystal (Witches of Zrotaz Book 1)

by Malika Gandhi

  “No, it sounded like someone was standing right next to me. Someone is watching us, following us, I am sure of it,” said Larissa.

  Mike and Jake were baffled, but they looked around them just to be sure.

  “I can’t see anyone,” Jake said. “Come on, let’s move on. This area gives me the creeps anyway and the sooner we reach the place where we’re supposed to be, the better.”

  The small group moved on, a little faster this time. It seemed like Larissa knew the way now, how that was possible, she had no idea. Very soon, they heard the rush of a waterfall.

  “I thought waterfalls were frozen in these freezing temperatures,” Larissa spoke aloud without thinking.

  “Well, when there is magic around, anything is possible. Do you know, the waterfalls began to thaw once you stepped foot here, my dear,” said the voice.

  “There it is again. Did you hear that?” Larissa turned to the others.

  “Yes, how strange!” said Mike.

  It began to snow again, and Larissa stretched out her gloved hand, enjoying seeing the snowflakes land and melt.

  “Isn’t it lovely,” she whispered.

  “I’d prefer the warmth myself, thanks,” said the voice.

  “That’s it! Whoever you are, make yourself visible this instant!” Larissa shouted.

  Jake and Mike followed Larissa’s gaze. She was looking in the trees.

  “I think she has gone loopy,” said Jake.

  “Look, I won’t hurt you, just come out and prove I am not –” Larissa looked at Jake, “that I have not gone mad.”

  They all listened for a break in the silence. Then, they heard a flutter of wings and a cute, snowy owl landed in front of them. It made a big fuss of cleaning itself of the snow.

  “That was a poor landing! My poor joints!” it complained.

  “You are a talking owl!” gasped Larissa.

  “Well spotted,” the owl said dryly.

  “It was you all along! Why are you following us?” Larissa crossed her arms across her chest.

  “I was asked to keep a look out for you, and to guide you towards the waterfall. I gave you those visions you know, and that was why you knew where you were going,” the owl said proudly.

  “Oh. Well, thank you,” said Larissa. “That was very kind.”

  Jake crouched down to the owl.

  “I’ve never met a speaking owl before,” he said. “If you won’t be offended, do you want to perch on my arm?” Jake extended his arm towards the owl. The owl didn’t hesitate.

  “Thank you, it is awkward talking to giants sometimes. Yes, this is much better. Do you know, us owls don’t travel to Zrotaz much. My kind prefers planet Earth.”

  The owl looked into Jake’s face, then at Mike. “It’s an honour to meet a Warrior Witch. Greetings, Sir Mike, and greetings Xyth, son of Councillor Zarina.”

  “How do you know who we are?” asked Jake.

  “Every magical creature knows what happens on Zrotaz. We may not live there, but we know. You have a brother named Zleus. I hear he is flying to Eve’s Drop to meet the Sacred Witches of the North and South to find a way to free your mother. He has been trying to contact you, but there is always a block.”

  Jake gaped at the owl. “My brother is travelling? How?”

  The owl shrugged. “A unisus is aiding him.”

  “But he is afraid of heights,” said Jake.

  “As are you,” Larissa reminded him. “What is your name, owl?”

  “I am Luille. I was born and bred in France,” said the owl.

  “It is nice to meet you, Luille,” said Larissa. She turned to Mike. “You didn’t tell me you were a Warrior Witch!” Mike chuckled. “Yes, in the days of my youth, but that is a story for another time. So Luille, are you going to show us the way to the waterfall or not?”

  “This way, Sir Mike!” the owl flew ahead as the others tried to keep up.

  21

  The group came to a waterfall that took their breath away. The water crashed majestically as it met the river below, an ethereal glow surrounding the fall.

  Larissa had thought she may have misunderstood her vision with the bears, but she was more astounded when she saw it was all real, and she least expected to see the witches and the unisus talking animatedly with bears!

  “What? No way!” Larissa exclaimed and everyone turned their eyes on the new guests.

  “Welcome,” said a great brown bear that towered over them all.

  Larissa found her mother, and searched her eyes for answers. Marcaria nodded, telling her the bears were safe and good. Larissa saw that her mother, Rita, and Eveliyah, all looked tired. Were they waiting all night for them to arrive? She looked back at the big bear.

  “Hello,” she said, feeling a little shy and somewhat overwhelmed.

  The bear gestured to the log seats that surrounded the fire. Larissa, Mike, and Jake sat down. Jake was glad of the much anticipated rest, that night walk had been exhausting. Marcaria hugged her daughter.

  “What was all that about?” asked Larissa. “I thought you were in danger!”

  “Sorry for that frantic message love, I thought they were going to kill us at first.”

  Rita came and handed out steaming cups of tea to everyone, then sat down next to Marcaria.

  “When your mother and I heard the scream, we headed down in this direction. The scream wasn’t a scream at all, but rather a call from an animal that was trapped. We reached the creature the same time as the bears.

  “However, we didn’t do anything, the bears did it all. They freed the creature that was trapped in a shamble of twigs and branches. It bowed to the bears, said ‘thank you’, and flew off!

  “The bears looked at us and began to advance on us. That was when you contacted me. However, when our contact broke, the bears spoke to us. We explained who we were and Eveliyah mentioned your name. The bears couldn’t believe that you were here, that you had actually arrived! They took us to their base here, and we talked in length about meeting the Earth Spirits,” explained Rita.

  Eveliyah spoke, “The bears here are spiritual animals. They care for all animals, whether they are carnivores or herbivores. They felt our initial fear but reassured us that they would not harm us.” Eveliyah sipped his tea, “Rita, it is lovely.”

  “I agree, where did you get the tea from? It is delicious!” Larissa took another sip from her wooden bowl.

  “From the trees above,” said Rita. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

  Larissa looked. The trees before her were not anything she had ever seen. Green and brown they were, but there was something different there too. She saw pods of tealeaves with white blossom springing from the twigs. Pink blossom hung from the long, finger-like branches. They swayed as if they were dancing to music, making the trees quite fascinating to watch.

  “I can’t believe it,” whispered Larissa.

  The Great Bear spoke, startling her. “Brothers and sisters, please join us in the circle.”

  Everyone came forward and sat down on the logs, and the unisus came to stand behind them. Luille, the owl who had brought them here, perched himself on one of the tea trees. The gathering was an assortment of witches and magical creatures, and Larissa couldn’t stop staring at the bears who stood, looking magnificent, yet a little frightening.

  “I am pleased you all have been refreshed. It is vitally important that everyone is wide awake and alert,” said the Great Bear. He wore a funny, frilly leaf and flower head band, with matching bracelets made of the same material. The other bears, eight in total, wore similar clothing.

  “Stop gawking at them, it’s rude,” whispered Jake who was sitting next to Larissa.

  Larissa’s face coloured. “I wasn’t.”

  Jake chuckled but then focused his eyes on the Great Bear.

  “Today in our midst we have some important guests and I would like to say that we are very honoured to have you here. The bears and other magical creatures have been waiting for this day for many yea
rs,” the Great Bear said. The bear waited patiently as more creatures joined the circle. They were an assortment - rabbits, foxes, birds, hedgehogs, and many others. Larissa knew they were magical, for they sported ‘human’ characteristics of fidgeting and coughing. The bear began to speak again, and the creatures became silent. They looked like they understood every word the bear spoke.

  “Larissa dear, if you could join me in the circle?” said the Great Bear.

  Larissa looked at her mother in bewilderment.

  “It’s okay, honey. Go on,” Marcaria reassured her.

  Taking a deep breath, for Larissa was very nervous all of a sudden; she walked into the circle and stood before the towering bear. The Great Bear signalled with his paw and another bear came forward with a necklace made from an assortment of flowers. The Great Bear took the necklace and placed it around Larissa’s neck. To her surprise, the necklace began to glow white and she watched it turn into a silver flower necklace. There was a collective sigh from everyone.

  “What is this necklace?” Larissa fingered the cool metal, admiring it.

  “It is the truth necklace, one that clarifies that you are The One,” said the Great Bear. “Our charts warned us of the damage the Empire Witches would do to this planet and the Aurora Borealis. It also told us that a certain girl would come into our midst. She will defeat the High Witch.

  “First, there is a task she must fulfill, only then will she be able to defeat the evil that will come our way! The bears, along with every other magical creature in these woods, have been waiting for you to arrive. The charts were correct of course, although some had doubted it.”

  “Charts...do you mean like horoscopes?” asked Larissa.

  “Yes, like star-gazing and moon reading. Only here, the creatures read the charts that our ancestors created near to the time Earth was born,” replied Luille. He fluttered down to the Great Bear and settled on his shoulder.

  “Can we see it?” asked Jake, very intrigued.

  “Unfortunately not, son of Councillor Zarina. It is only for the girl to see, as it is her prophecy. Do you have the Crystal, dear one?” the Great Bear asked Larissa.

  Larissa nodded, and went to her backpack. She took out the Crystal, and showed it to the Great Bear.

  “In order to see the charts, you must use the magic of the Crystal,” he informed her wisely.

  “But how do I do that?” Larissa didn’t quite understand any of this. She had never read anything like charts before. She always detested horoscope readings that her mother pushed her to do in her early years.

  It is very important for a witch to understand what the future holds, she had said. Now Larissa wished she had listened!

  “But how?” asked Larissa again.

  The Great Bear didn’t answer her question, but began drawing in the air. At first it looked like he wasn’t doing anything specific, but then Larissa saw an outline of a book. It glowed red and yellow, like a burning ring. In this case, the shape was square. The red and yellow glow vanished only to be replaced with blue.

  “The book is cooling,” the Great Bear explained.

  The book turned grey and hovered for a few seconds in the air, then settled down on the ground. The Great Bear picked up the large book and handed it to Larissa. It wasn’t heavy like she had expected, it was as light as an owl’s feather! The cover was embossed in ancient looking scribe with an unusual crest of a tree.

  Larissa opened the book and saw a diagram of stars and planets.

  “The solar system!” she gasped.

  The stars and planets were moving around the pages. Larissa saw an intact Aurora Borealis...then, the diagram changed. The planets and stars began whizzing around the page, almost blurring. The Aurora Borealis began to break in places, showing holes. Then the diagram became static.

  Larissa looked at it in wonder. She forgot where she was for a while, and was startled when Marcaria spoke.

  “Larissa, darling, are you alright? What did you see?” she asked.

  “I saw...how the Aurora Borealis broke,” replied Larissa.

  “You must turn to the next page,” said the Great Bear. “You will now need the Crystal. Use its magic with yours, the words will appear as the magic is poured inside. This is your prophecy, Larissa.”

  With her stomach doing somersaults, Larissa turned the next page. She held the Crystal above the open page, and concentrated her magic with the Crystal. Larissa felt a change inside her. She felt light, and her anxiety vanished, as it was replaced with a warm glow and a power she never knew she had, that burst inside her. She could feel her appearance had changed too.

  Lifting the Crystal high above her head, a surge of magic fell into the depths of the page, like a fish disappearing into a river, causing small ripples. Larissa expected to see writing, but what she saw nearly overpowered her. She was speechless, as was everyone else.

  A figure stepped out of the book and stood before Larissa. It was transparent, like a hologram. It wore long robes, and a hood covered his head. The figure was holding a book.

  “This is most unprecedented,” said the Great Bear to himself, but Larissa heard him.

  The figure spoke, “Larissa, welcome. I am your prophecy.”

  “My...my prophecy?” Larissa stammered.

  “A long time ago, a prophecy was foretold by the ancient ones. They lived on Zrotaz, a planet that was a million years older than Earth. They saw a new planet born – Earth – and watched it for centuries going through many wars, suffering, happiness and enlightenment. They marvelled at its natural resources to help and heal, but saw destruction too. One such day, an ancient one had a vision of Earth’s obliteration by future inhabitants of their own planet. He also saw a girl who would save two planets. The ancient one was wise, and didn’t write his vision on paper but let the prophecy be told through generations, hoping it would reach the right channels and one day, the vision would reach you, Larissa.

  “The ancient one then created me, the bearer of the vision, and a back up plan if you like, to inform you of your quest, if word of the prophecy did not reach you. I am glad to see it has. You and the Crystal are united and this bond cannot be broken. Together you will save the two planets.” The figure stopped talking and handed the book he was holding to Larissa. “I hand you my powers, they are for guidance only, and you must not misuse them. In time of need...until then...”

  “Wait!” Larissa shouted, but the figure had gone in a blink of an eye.

  A silence followed as everyone tried to understand what had just happened.

  “Larissa, you have silver hair and emerald eyes,” observed Jake, coming to stand before her.

  Larissa touched her silver locks. “It will stay like this forever now,” she said. How did she know that? This was getting too weird.

  “What do we do now? Where do I begin?” Larissa asked the Great Bear.

  “Now, we take you to the Earth Spirits, dear one,” he said. “Only they can direct you in your task.”

  “The Earth spirits...they are who we have come to see, to repair the Aurora Borealis?” said Larissa.

  “Yes,” said Marcaria, also coming to stand by her daughter. “We will all support you as best we can. We know this is daunting, especially for someone so young. But you must not worry, Larissa.”

  Larissa took her mother’s hand in hers, and took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

  “Okay, let’s meet the Earth Spirits,” she said.

  22

  The Great Bear insisted that everyone get a good sleep before the journey to the Earth Spirits. Larissa felt restless for any kind of sleep and told the Great Bear, but he wouldn't listen to her plea to stay awake.

  “Dear Larissa, sleep you must. It is vital, for the task ahead is challenging enough. You must be alert for what the Earth Spirits may advise you on,” said the Great Bear. “Now, your bed awaits you.”

  Larissa followed to where the bear pointed and smiled. She was pleased to be allocated such a cosy sleeping place. S
he supposed sleep wouldn't be too hard to come by. The ‘bed’ was made of soft wood pieces, leaves and feathers, and was positioned under a tea tree that made the sleeping experience more enjoyable. She closed her eyes and inhaled the aroma that danced down to her, sending her into a peaceful slumber.

  Marcaria watched her daughter fall asleep and she knew it was the tea fragrances that did it. She was no stranger to this relaxing chemical, used by many witches when deprived of sleep. However, one must use it carefully, too much and the witch would drift into sleep oblivion and may never wake up. The Great Bear seemed to sense Marcaria's anxiety.

  “You must not worry,” he said in a soft and kind tone. “The fragrance will not linger on Larissa. The tea is subtle and not overbearing. They serve their purpose and that is to bring about peaceful sleep, devoid of nightmares and dreams. Larissa will awake refreshed and with her energy returned.”

  “That is reassuring,” said Marcaria feeling relieved.

  “And now you must go to sleep, Councillor Marcaria,” the Great Bear said.

  Marcaria yawned. “You won't get an argument from me.”

  * *

  Cool mountain air washed over Larissa as she awoke to the sounds of the waterfall kept alive by magic, and to birds orchestrating a beautiful song. She turned her head, searching for her mother and everyone else, but realised she was the only one awake. Although the morning had arrived, it was still pitch black. Larissa missed the daylight, had it not been for the soft light produced by the tea trees and their blossoms.

  She felt something was strange, the air didn't feel cold anymore. In fact, Larissa was feeling quite warm. She became conscious that she was still wearing her coat and took it off, along with her socks and boots. She then remembered that the cold, harsh temperatures could harm the magic within her but the air was quite humid.

  Larissa's ears pricked at the sound of a river in the distance. It seemed to be calling her. Should she take a much needed dip? No one would ever know. She crept towards the river on her bare feet, hardly making a sound on the undergrowth of leaves. As she got closer, she was almost breathless by what she saw. Fluorescent light from glistening plants lit up the river before her that snaked away into a fork.