Chapter 246: Chapter 246 Battle between Witches
I took a long, slow, deep breath... the leader was so familiar.
’Is she not the witch Allison met that night? The one who gave her poison to give to whackass Damon?’
The red ruby ring, the crooked staff, and the cloak looked the same. What was she doing here?
The witches that had been attacking earlier stopped in their tracks. Surprise and hatred flickered in their eyes. "Defectors." The witch with the fire magic spat out, venom dripping in her voice.
"What brings you here Bone witch?" The witch turned to face them.
The Bone Witch and her underlings stepped out like shadows at midnight, forming a half-moon arc around the witches. Each step they took sent subtle tremors through the ground, and the magic around them thickens and darkens, like smoke fuming from a funeral pyre.
Some of the corrupted witches were on their fours, snarling, revealing their blackened teeth, their slitted eyes gleaming with malice and evil.
In contrast, the witches stood tall and fearless. They looked normal in comparison to the corrupted witches. However, there was no kindness in their eyes... There was only authority, and an unwavering loyalty to their sick Queen.
The silence between the two groups crackled with hostility.
"You should leave now," one of the witches said coldly. Her voice echoed unnaturally, laced with magic. "This is the Queen’s realm. One step further, and we will not show mercy."
The Bone Witch let out a dry, humorless chuckle. Her lips barely moved, but her voice sliced through the still air. In her hand, the golden orb glowed brightly as though reacting to something.
"You speak of mercy," she said, "as if you are in the position to grant it." The bone witch glanced at the forest floor which was painted with blood and littered with dismembered body parts.
She raised the orb slightly. "Tell me, how much longer do you think your Queen can cling to her throne? Her time is rotting away... just like the corpse she has become."
"You tread on sacred ground," another witch warned, stepping forward with a purple magic in her hand. "Say another word, and we’ll silence you forever."
But the Bone Witch didn’t flinch. "Are you capable enough? Even your Queen would think twice before uttering those words."
Her words dropped like a hammer between them.
The corrupted witches behind her hissed, their blackened fingers twitching with the urge to strike.
I stepped back, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. My instincts screamed at me to run... my palms began to sweat.
I looked around me. ’Oh Ember, who did you offend in your past life?’
Rhydian swooped down from the air the moment my footing faltered. He landed soundlessly beside me, his wings folding behind his back in one smooth motion. Without saying a word, he wrapped a steady arm around my waist.
I flinched from his touch, pulling myself away. I knew he meant no harm, after all he had been really good to Aeris... I mean me. However, I didn’t want to be in close contact with anyone.
I glanced over my shoulder, Alaric, Damon, and Theo had retreated into the protective barrier Rhydian had cast earlier.
My heart clenched tighter, seeing them.
"We need to go," I said through clenched teeth. "We have to get away. Now."
With the witches fighting amongst themselves this was the perfect time for us to escape.
Before any of them could respond, the Bone Witch slowly turned her head and looked directly into my eyes.
Breath left my lungs in one sharp gasp.
Time seemed to slow. The Bone Witch’s gaze held me frozen in place, like an insect trapped in amber. Her eyes weren’t just looking at me... they were searching, reaching into me, and peeling back every layer of her soul. I felt exposed, small, and helpless under that terrible stare.
But the Bone Witch’s surprise was real.
Her expression changed slightly, when she saw Damon standing behind the barrier.
Then... she smiled... it was diabolical and eerie, that it made my skin crawl.
"Well, well..." the Bone Witch murmured, almost like she was recalling an old secret. "Alpha Lucas will be delighted to hear that the Bloodshade Pack is without its king after all."
My stomach dropped, and every instinct in me erupted like a volcano. We really needed to leave. I didn’t get my memory back so I can die!
Golden fluttered inside my clothing, her tiny voice a flutter of urgency. "Princess... home is near."
I blinked, completely shaken... but the words sank in fast.
Golden hadn’t been sensing a place.
She’d been sensing...the orb. ’The golden orb is the butterfly’s home? I thought it said it was a tree... why is it an orb?’ I felt my head spinning.
A harsh cry shattered through my thoughts. A fireball roared toward the Bone Witch like a meteor.
The battlefield lit up in violent bursts.
With a snarl, the Bone Witch raised her crooked staff, and the spell collided with an invisible barrier. It shattered into fragments of light, but the Bone Witch didn’t stop there.
She waved her hand.
Dark tendrils erupted from the ground, lashing toward the witches like whips. The air vibrated with violent, clashing forces. Thunder cracked overhead, even though there were no storm clouds in the sky.
Her corrupted witches surged forward, casting spells that slithered with greenish energy.
The witches formed a circle. They chanted in unison, their hands glowed, forming patterns in the air. Shields formed around them, counterstriking the corrupted witches.
"Princess... take me home." Golden pleaded.
’Take you home? Are you fucking crazy, can’t you see fire and spells flying in the air? And the golden orb is in the hand of a demonic witch and you want me to take you there?! Crazy butterfly...’
Damon’s growl disrupted my thoughts. "Rhydian, create a portal now, or we all will die here."
Rhydian glared at him. "Don’t tell me what to do, I know what to do." He grunted, moving his hand in a fluid practiced manner, a thin line cut through the air, and it began to expand little by little.
"There is a barrier, It is disrupting the portal formation."
The witches and the defectors turned towards us instantly, "Get them!" their leaders yelled in unison.