As soon as the world stopped spinning, we landed with a painful thud in the middle of an expansive green field. We groaned as we slowly stood on our feet and then dusted ourselves off, and as I took another look around, all I could see were acres of green meadows and a vast, clear blue sky.
Once again, Theodora had sent us to the middle of fucking nowhere.
“What the actual fuck?” Akira grunted with wild, dark eyes. “She could have warned us before she just sent us to Satan knows where. Again.”
“You should be used to it by now,” I replied with a half-smile.
“Cole’s right, Akira,” Vesta laughed, and she flicked a strand of green hair out of her eyes. “Where’s the fun in a daily routine? I like being kept on my toes.”
“Yeah, Vesta’s right, where’s your sense of adventure?” Morgana giggled.
“I guess it was replaced with common fucking sense,” Akira grumbled. “We have absolutely no clue where we are. How the hell are we going to get back? Shadow porting is obviously not a choice.”
“Yeah, no shit,” I responded. “I’d rather face whatever obstacles are out here than risk upsetting Theodora.”
“I’m going to have to side with Akira on this one,” Penelope said as she took a small step forward. “We have no idea what our objective is.”
“That’s not exactly true,” I said.
The women turned to look at me with large, eager eyes, and then Penelope took a step closer to me.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, before we were shadow ported out of the dungeon, I heard her whisper something in my head,” I explained. “She said we needed to find the second Defero.”
“The what?” Beatrix asked with furrowed eyebrows.
“It’s a stone,” I answered. “It’s supposed to be used to summon souls who are tethered in between worlds.”
“It was quite a beautiful stone,” Vesta added in a dream-like voice. “I wonder if this one will be a different color?”
“We had to find one in a wizard’s palace during our second semester,” Morgana added. “It was an… unusual experience.”
“Well, what the hell does she want another stone for?” Iris demanded as she flicked back a strand of pink streaked hair.
“Does it matter?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “The point is that we’re here, and the only way we’re getting back to the academy is by finding the stone.”
“Cole’s right,” Penelope said as she turned to her group, “let’s stop wasting time talking about what Theodora wants and get a fucking move on.”
The orange-haired witch took a step forward, but then Akira snatched her arm and spun her around.
“No offense,” the black-eyed witch sighed, “but where the hell do you even think you’re going?”
“I don’t know.” Penelope hopelessly shrugged. “I’m guessing we’ll have to use our premonition skills to figure that part out.”
Penelope was right. It was apparent our only way back home was through premonition, but where the hell would we even begin?
“Then we should ask the one with the best premonition skills about where to go,” Vesta said as she looked at me.
“So, Cole,” Faye started. “What’s our next move?”
Before I could respond, Penelope stepped forward and then placed her hands on her wide hips.
“Um, excuse the fuck out of me,” she huffed, “but who put Cole in charge?”
“The only reason we’ve ever survived any obstacle is because of Cole,” Akira shot back. “That’s why we trust his judgment. Not that I should have to explain that to you.”
“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 dramatic 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 chests.
“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.”
“How do you know it’s human infested?” Iris asked.
“Because the centaurs assumed we were human,” the bright-haired witch replied.
“Well, if that’s the case, then we can use psychoscopy to get inside,” Beatrix suggested in a high-pitched voice. “Right, Cole?”
“Yeah… but that guard isn’t just going to let me touch him,” I responded. “We’re going to have to find a way to trick him into shaking my hand or something. Then I’ll be able to get inside his mind, and he’ll tell us the password.”
I stared at each witch, and then my eyes landed on Morgana. Today, she had decided to wear her mother’s gold locket, and as I stared at the shimmering piece of jewelry, an idea sprang to mind.
“What?” Morgana asked in a tentative tone. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Give me your necklace,” I ordered. “Trust me, I have an idea.”
“Alright,” she responded before she obediently unclasped the locket and then handed it to me.
“What’s your plan, Cole?” Faye asked, and her green-gold eyes were focused intently on my face.
“I’m going to trick the guard into thinking I’ll trade him,” I explained. “Then, when he reaches over to touch the necklace, I’ll ask him for the password. Worst case scenario, it doesn’t work, and he’ll take the necklace as compensation to get inside, but of course I’ll steal it back before we move on. Sounds good?”
The others all nodded quickly in agreement, but Morgana looked absolutely crestfallen. I knew this was her mother’s necklace, and it meant a great deal to her, so I moved forward to reassure her.
“Just trust me, Morgana,” I said as I placed a finger under her chin and raised her face to meet my eyes. “I’ve never let you down before, have I? I’m just laying out all the possibilities.”
“I know.” She smiled. “Okay, I’m ready… let’s do this.”
I smiled as I tucked the necklace into my pocket and then looked at each witch. We had absolutely no idea what was beyond those gates, aside from humans, and they were one of the greatest threats of all.
But we were powerful witches. And, together, we could do fucking anything.
So, I took a deep breath as we stepped out of the trees and approached the towering, sand-colored gates, and I focused on the armored man waiting beyond the wooden portcullis. Even though a part of me was worried my plan wouldn’t work, I had to set my fears and doubts aside. The idea was to get in, find the other stone using nothing but our newly developed premonition skills, and then get out.
We could do this. I knew we fucking could.
As we came closer, I quickly glanced upward and stared at the archers on top of the stone wall fortification. Now that we were just a few feet away, I realized the top of the walls were decorated with the heads of centaurs on wooden spikes, and on the stone walls, written in dark blood, were the words ‘the discovery of magic of any kind will be met with punishment or confinement. All magical beasts will be taken into custody upon arrival.’ I immediately knew our kind wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms, so we had to be extra careful. We edged closer toward the entrance, and as soon as we were directly in front of the city gate, the guard approached the giant portcullis and nearly stuck his head through one of the square openings to get a better look at us.
“Stop!” the gatekeeper called out. “Who goes there?”
He was a short and bulky man with brown, bloodshot eyes and rotting teeth. He had dark strands of greasy hair escaping from his helmet, and when he brushed it out of his eyes, I noticed his short, black nails and calloused hands.
Before I answered his question, I cleared my throat and offered him a friendly smile.
“Greetings,” I said. “We happen to be a group of humble travelers in need of rest and supplies. Would you be so kind as to let us in?”
“Not without a password, I’m afraid,” he barked back.
“What about payment instead?” I suggested with a broad smile.
The gatekeeper raised an arched eyebrow and then stepped a little closer toward the gate, so I figured he didn’t want his archer companions to hear about this next part.
“How much are we talking?” he asked with a yellow-toothed smirk.
I smiled, pulled out Morgana’s locket, and let it dangle in front of him. The piece of jewelry caught the light of the setting sun and shimmered across the guard’s pockmarked face. His lips twitched into a greedy smile, and then he reached over to touch it.
As soon as his fingers pinched the necklace, I snatched his hand and yanked him forward through the small square opening.
“What the hell are you doing?” he snapped. “Let me go.”
I stared into his eyes and then focused as intently as possible.
“What is the password?” I whispered.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he growled as I held onto his hand with a firm grip. “I’m going to--”
“Secretum mentis,” I muttered as I stared into his brownish-green eyes.
As I squeezed his hand tightly, his eyes instantly went wide, and his body violently trembled. Then his mouth parted slightly open before he looked at me with confusion and curiosity.
“It’s Morningstar,” he breathed.
I quickly released him and snatched the necklace from his slimy grip. Then I raised my hand above his eyes, and before he could shout for the other guards, I waved my hand in one quick motion.
“Obliviscatur,” I whispered.
The guard’s sickly eyes grew even wider, and then his entire body went rigid, and it appeared as if he were paralyzed. For a terrifying second, I was afraid I did something wrong.
“Everything alright down there, Robb?” an archer yelled from above.
After what felt like an eternity, the guard twitched and shook his head. Then he squinted his eyes at us in confusion before he scratched his chin.
“W-Who are you?” he asked. “When did you get here…? I don’t remember seeing you approach the gates.”
“Ah,” I said with a forced smile. “Sometimes too much sun can cause memory loss… I was just telling you that we were travelers, returning home after a long and arduous journey.”
“Oh,” he said with vacant eyes. “Well, I’ll need the password, I’m afraid.”
“Of course.” I nodded. “It’s Morningstar.”
“Well, come on in,” he beckoned with a toothy grin. “Welcome home.”
The guard took a few steps back and then yanked on a chain to raise the portcullis, and I could feel the witches breathing sighs of relief as we slowly stepped through the gate and into the filthy, human city. As soon as we ventured deeper inside, we were overwhelmed by the echoes of chitter-chatter as peasants, farmers, and blacksmiths raced through the cobblestone streets.
There were rows of vibrantly colored tents and wooden market stands stretched out along the road before us, and everywhere we looked, it seemed like someone was either bargaining or arguing with each other. Dirt covered children were playing without any adult supervision on the street corners, and women tossed buckets of dirty water out of their cottage windows, and I had to jump back as one splattered right in front of me.
“Gross.” I curled my lips in disgust as I stepped around the brown, putrid water. The others followed my lead, and we were doing our best to walk together in a group down the narrow, stinking streets.
“Satan,” Akira grunted behind me. “Humans are truly disgusting creatures.”
“Agreed,” Vesta muttered. “Positively filthy creations.”
“I’d rather be dealing with another herd of centaurs,” Faye grumbled. “They may hate humans and Wiccans, but at least they’re cleaner.”
“Be that as it may,” I muttered, “we need to pretend to be one of them… so keep quiet and act as if you’re looking around.”
“Cole,” Morgana whispered as she edged closer to me. “Do you still see the star?”
“Yes,” I said as I looked up at the purple and pink sky, “it’s leading us north.”
“To what, though?” Penelope asked.
“I don’t know,” I responded. “My skills aren’t that advanced yet. All I know is that we’re getting closer.”
“How are we even going to find this second stone?” Beatrix asked as she chewed on her lower pink lip.
“By premonition,” I answered confidently, “and by being smart.”
“Satan,” Ivy breathed with wide, pale green eyes. “We should be careful… I thought I just saw a basilisk tooth for sale.”
“That’s a black-market item,” Morgana gasped as she whipped around to stare at the twin. “Are you sure that’s what you saw?”
“I’m almost certain,” the blue-streaked twin replied.
As I looked around, I was starting to pick up on some suspicious behavior, and the farther north we trekked, the more people began to act shiftily. People wore dark-colored cloaks that hid most of their faces, and transactions were taking place underneath tables and behind booths.
Then I spotted jars of hearts, pickled organs, vials of blood, and small signs that read, ‘Wicca hair, teeth, and other parts for sale.’
“Yeah, this is definitely black-market territory,” I hissed. “Stay close… if someone even suspects us of being magical, they’re going to skin us alive.”
“Satan,” the twins breathed in unison.
“My word,” Vesta gasped as she placed a hand over her chest. “I’ll never unsee this.”
“Be calm,” I reminded the group without turning around. “If we act like we know where we’re going, no one will suspect a thing.”
As we moved onward, I spotted more Wicca related items for sale, and I heard Faye gasp when we passed by a booth of skinned ferrets.
According to the sign, they were a rare delicacy.
“This place is fucking disgusting,” Akira hissed, and her black eyes flashed with hatred. “I can’t believe they can get away with this shit.”
“Keep your voice down,” Morgana warned her. “You never know who could be listening.”
“She’s right,” I added. “Keep quiet until we reach our destination.”
The star above us was beginning to fade from view, and I wondered how much farther we’d have to walk past booths of black-market items before we ended up wherever we needed to be. The sun was about to set, and night would soon fall upon us, and the last thing I wanted to do was wander through a black-market in the dead of night. I craned my neck to stare up at the sky, and my eyes were so focused on the star above me that I almost didn’t see the small, hunchbacked man who jumped right into my path.
“Shit,” I grunted as I stumbled to a halt. “Watch it.”
“Hello, there.” The man smiled. “Pleasant evening to the lot of you.”
I quickly studied the old man, and I noticed he was missing a few teeth, and the ones he did have were either yellow or charcoal black. He was garbed in a brown robe with many different holes and stains, and his eyes were sunken and bloodshot. He looked as if he hadn’t eaten a proper meal for weeks, which might explain his desperation to get our attention. He was clearly looking to make a sale, but I decided to play dumb.
“Err, hello,” I said. “Can I help you?”
“No, but I might be able to help you,” he croaked. “Could I interest you in some Wicca eyeballs? I’m selling a jar for twelve gold coins, and you’ll never get a better deal than that.”
“Oh, no, thank you,” I muttered as I tried to swerve around him.
“And why not?” he asked a little louder. “You think I’m trying to swindle you? You think you can find a better deal elsewhere? No one with any common fucking sense would deny such a gracious bargain.”
“No,” I repeated in a lower voice. “I’m just not interested.”
“Why in the lord’s name would you not be interested?” he spat. “You’re a disrespectful little shit, you know that?”
Several customers and vendors were turning in our direction, and they were not the kind of people we wanted attention from. Most of them were large, broad-shouldered men with tattoos and weapons hanging from their belts, and I knew they were growing suspicious, or at least curious about what was going on. So, as the old man continued to blubber and draw more attention toward us, I grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him dead in the eye.
“Alright,” I snapped before I forced myself to loosen my grip. “We’ll take a look around your store.”
“Ah.” He grinned. “Excellent, follow me!”
He waddled off into a different direction from the star, and we had no choice but to follow him into a small, weathered down hut. The women followed me, and I knew they were afraid, but they were smart enough to keep their mouths sealed as we entered the disturbing little hut.
“Lovely group of women you have with you,” the man croaked as we entered his cluttered store.
The hut was filled with all kinds of weapons, vials, jars, and stomach-churning items. I thought I spotted a pale green skinsuit, and I could only imagine that it belonged to some poor witch who was skinned alive.
“Now, where did I put that jar…?” the old man muttered to himself. “I’m sure it’s here somewhere.”
As he rummaged through his clutter, I glanced back out a small narrow window, and to my horror, I noticed the star was beginning to fade.
“Shit,” I muttered.
“What is it?” Akira whispered.
“The star.” I nodded toward the window. “I know you can’t see it, but it’s fading from view… I never realized the spell had a time stamp… I guess Theodora failed to mention that.”
“Fuck,” Penelope said with wide brown eyes. “What are we going to do?”
I looked at the vile old man as he continued to rummage through his abhorrent collection. Then I glanced at the rack of weapons he had hanging on a nearby wall, and without hesitation, I raised my hand and focused on a golden dagger with silver markings.
Motus.
The dagger flew from the wall and then ended up in my hand, and when the old man turned to me with wide, panicked eyes, his lips parted open in shock and disgust.
“Sorcery,” he hissed as he took a small step back.
Before he could open his mouth wide enough to scream, I bolted over a table and then swiftly slashed his veiny throat with one quick, deep slice. He gurgled as warm crimson blood pulsed out of his neck, and then his eyes rolled into the back of his head before he collapsed on top of his merchandise. Bottles and vials came crashing down on the floor, and I knew someone would have heard the noise.
We had to get out of here and follow the star before it completely disappeared from view.
“Let’s get a fucking move on,” I said as I tucked the dagger into my waistband. “Quickly, we’re running out of time.”
The women followed me as I sprinted out the door and back into the street. By now, the sun was blood red, and the star was light pink and barely visible.
“We have to hurry,” I panted. “I have a feeling the star will be gone as soon as night falls.”
People turned their heads as we sprinted north and past the different vendors and booths, and finally, we came across a tall, expansive sand-colored stone building. It was the most beautiful building we had come across in the entire city, and it felt as if it had been built for royalty. The stones were even and perfectly square, and the windows were all made from stained glass. There were balconies covered with vines and wildflowers on the top floor, and we could hear music playing from within. Men were staggering in and out of the grand, intricately carved wooden doors, and each one of them looked drunker than the last.
“What is this place?” Vesta asked from behind me.
I focused on the smooth stones and strained to listen to what was going on beyond the doors, and I could practically smell the sex, perfume, and spiced meat wafting from the balconies and open windows. When I looked up at the sky, I noticed the blood star had vanished entirely, and shimmering night stars were emerging. I glanced back down at the beautiful but strange building, and at that moment, I knew exactly what we were up against.
“It’s a brothel,” I said, “and the Defero is inside.”