Foreboding, p.11
Foreboding, page 11
part #2 of The Black Eyed Witch Series
“I can sense both of them. Further below.”
They cautiously descended to the main hall. Ashley indicated underneath the stairs and tried to open the door.
“Shit. Now I wish my darling would be here. She has a key that fits nearly any lock.”
“Fuck it. Force it open,” he said.
“Wait. What if he can use their abilities like our senses? Alice told me I dashed forward to kill you.”
“Didn't think of that. If it would be one of them, I know you can handle one but two? Are they even moving?”
“No. I sense them down there. Just standing.”
“I wonder if they expect us? Probably are. But if we do nothing, they will use them to kill more people. Our options are not very good. Well, all I can think of is to wound them enough to knock them out. If I can.”
Ashley looked surprised, wondering if Ronan lost his head thinking that he could fight a witch.
“Lithia thought it may be necessary that I know how to knock your kind out. She was drugged and Claire had to knock her out after Lithia thought she killed Lara. Look, we are wasting time here and either alternatives aren’t pleasing but facing them now is still better than leaving and hoping for a chance we may not get.”
She hated going in without a plan but Ronan had a good reason that the Naguals may use them to slaughter innocent people and even witches. Neither are compelling as they could die and Ronan is still not familiar with his growing powers. But the thought of Alice crossed her mind and she couldn’t bear the thought of her being controlled like a puppet and Ronan must be thinking the same.
She ripped the doors open and dashed down the stairs. She could sense Lithia and Alice moving towards the door. Ronan was halfway down as Ashley kicked in the door, ripping it off its hinges and hitting Lithia hard. She got flung into the barrels, spilling the Walnors on the floor. Alice dashed at Ashley and nearly impaled her. Ashley dodged and thrusted her sword in Alice’s upper leg. Alice didn’t scream or grunted, she limped away after Ashley pulled out her sword. She did not waste any time, dashed around Alice and knocked her out by hitting behind the head.
Ronan finally entered the room, sword drawn and saw how Lithia struggled to get up as she tried to scrape a few Walnors off herself that bit her on her arms and legs. One even bit in her cheek and tore a piece off. Without a second thought, he leapt forward, turned her on her stomach and knocked her out. Then he kicked the nearby Walnors away or stomped on them, hearing the satisfying crunchy sound of bones being bridled under his foot.
Both lay unconscious among the flapping Walnors.
“They really look hideous. Makes the Naguals look like butterflies,” he said.
“They smell too. Come. Let’s pick them up and get out of here.”
Ronan grunted in disgust as he picked up Lithia. She was completely drenched in water as he flung her over his left shoulder to keep his right hand free to wield his sword. Ashley had to wait for Ronan, even though he ran faster than normal, he wasn’t as fast as them.
Ashley was sceptical that she could not sense any Naguals. The wreckage should have caught their attention.
“I don’t like it. Not a single Nagual. We may have walked into a trap,” stated Ashley.
“If so, then why stage this? By the way, didn’t you think it was pretty easy to capture them?”
“Yes. It’s possible they do not understand how to control our speed. I know how Alice fights and I expected her for a sudden attack but there was hesitation. Lithia was out for too long on the ground. Sure, she got a door smashed at her but she never would be disoriented for this long that you could knock her out.”
“Well, she was also covered by these Walnors.” He flipped her forward and looked at her face. Arms sagging down, head leaned all the way back as her dripping hair swayed back and forward.
Half of her face was covered in her own blood from the big piece that was bitten off. “She can’t heal herself. I have to take care of this wound but we must leave the place.” He sat her down and made her shoulders rest on his leg. Then he reached in his pocket and took out a cloth, folded it a few times and placed it diagonally over her face, concealing the wound.
“We better leave the same way we have entered,” said Ashley.
They head upstairs and through the window. The window was too small for Ashley to carry Alice and Lithia together. She jumped with Alice first and carefully lay her on the ground, then motioned that she was ready to catch Lithia. Then she signaled for Ronan and he jumped into her arms.
He picked up Lithia and they moved quickly the same way they had entered. On their way, Ashley continued feeling insecure that she has sensed no Naguals. Ronan whispered to her that something is very wrong and she could not deny it.
They finally reached the wall and Ashley took Lithia from Ronan and jumped over. Ronan remained hidden in the dark, waiting for her return.
Ashley dashed to the forest, settled both bodies on their horses and returned for Ronan. Once on their horses, they rode as fast as they could without the unconscious Alice and Lithia falling off.
Chapter 22
Dawn broke through and she saw how Ronan battled to stay awake. His eyes dark and his face pale.
Ashley questioned if she should give him her slime since Lithia was still unconscious but feared that her slime may cause a negative effect with Lithias. She needed Ronan awake and ready to fight any unexpected oncoming from the Naguals. As slim his chances may be, his increased speed could have saved his life in Velram.
They were a long way away from Levra and at their galloping speed; she estimated their arrival in the late afternoon. She saw no alternative and stopped the horses at the edge of the woods. The branches of the trees were too low to ride through with none of them being knocked down off their horses. She had to take the risk to be close to the edge in the hope no one would come. Ronan fell nearly off his horse as he tried to step down.
“Ronan,” said Ashley, “here, take a rest. You have been up for far too long. I will take care of them.”
She laid out a blanket. Ronan staggered to the blanket, fell face down onto it and immediately fell asleep. She laid Lithia next to him and Alice next to Lithia. Ashley stood guard and hoped that one of them would finally wake up and be themselves. As she stood there, the thought could not escape her why no Naguals were around after they had rescued Lithia and Alice. Many possibilities crossed her mind that it was a test to see if she and Ronan would risk their lives to save them. Study their speed. Use them to find any weakness. Ashley became worried that they wanted to infect every witch and once they had what they wanted, they would gain control again. Walnor’s are unknown to her and had no idea how long the effects lasted. Also if their healing ability could filter it out.
More questionable, daunting thoughts crawled up: why humans could not be sensed but she could sense Lithia and Alice? Does knocking them out make the Naguals lose control over them?
She could not reconcile what happened to her in Botora and if she ever would.
She didn’t notice that Lithia and Alice finally awoke. The painful grunts got her attention and was relieved to see them conscious. Lithia slowly rose and held her head, grunting in pain as if she had a headache. Then she realized that she had a cloth over her face and hissed at the wound she had on her cheek. She removed the blood-soaked cloth and looked in disgust and confusion at it. She gently touched her wound on her cheek, hissed again.
Alice wobbled her head as if she was dizzy. Ronan was still fast asleep and hadn’t moved once.
“Please tell me you are yourself?” asked Ashley hysterically.
“Oh, shit, my head and my face. What the fuck happened?” grunted Lithia as she tried to raise herself. Her wound was still not completely healed.
“A Walnor bit you. Ronan kicked it away.”
“Where are we? This is not the cellar,” said Alice after she scanned her environment.
“You were being controlled. Ronan and I got you out.”
Lithia’s eyes widened and looked in panic for him. She was relieved to see him sleeping next to her. She snuggled up to him and kissed his cheek. Alice smiled faintly.
“I’ll take it you can’t recall anything either what happened down there?” asked Ashley.
Alice slowly stood up and looked at her.
“I know there were two humans behind us. But we could not sense them. A sting?!” explained Alice and reached to the back of her neck.
Lithia stood up and looked questionable at Alice. Her cheek fully restored.
“I do recall humans and a sting. Everything is blank after that,” stated Lithia.
“So we are no step closer to how it all works,” said Ashley disappointed.
Alice and Lithia looked surprised at her.
“What?” said Ashley confused.
“If you were in the cellar, you would have seen the barrels filled with Walnors, right?” said Alice.
“We saw them alright but we came to look for you. When we finally did, I had to fight both of you. We had no time to inspect the place, as we feared a swarm of Naguals would appear,” said Ashley agitated.
“Alright. Alright. I apologize,” Lithia raised her hands as she said it.
“What about him?” asked Alice and motioned her head in Ronan’s direction.
“He would face a Nagual to free you. But I think his new power must have gotten to him. Exactly what I was afraid of. He knocked you out, Lithia. Oh, before I forget, we had to change your clothes. You fell into the pile of these fish and the smell was unbearable.”
“Yes. That sounds like him. His idea to carry extra clothes does indeed pay off,” said Lithia admiringly.
“Anyway, what did you discover down there?”
“That the Naguals are indeed using the Walnors to control humans. All these barrels were filled with them,” explained Alice.
“I also recall they wanted me to kill him. They knew how long we have been together. Either we have a traitor in the castle or they are better informed than we thought.”
Lithia slid into her thoughts, thinking of possible suspects who could have tipped the Naguals off. Alice asked Ashley how they got out.
“You know? That was the strangest thing. As we’ve entered, we had to sneak past patrols. But then after we’ve found you, I could not sense a single Nagual during our escape. As of now, I’m still struggling to comprehend their absence. I thought of several possibilities but failed to find a suitable one. Also, I think they do not know how to control you. As we fought, your reaction was slow. It was almost too easy.”
Alice looked questionable at Ashley.
“You sound disappointed,” said Alice.
“What I think she means is she knows how we fight but the Naguals do not know how to handle our speed and strength,” clarified Lithia.
“Hm? I see. Could explain why you were so focused on killing Ronan instead of fighting us,” stated Alice.
“Please stop reminding me. I still feel terrible about it.”
Ashley dropped her head in shame. Alice laid a comforting hand on her and with her other, she slowly raised Ashley’s head with her index finger and thumb on her chin and smiled warmly. Then she asked if she felt better. Ashley smiled faintly. She wanted to kiss her but had to refrain herself.
“As much as I like to get to the bottom of this, we have to keep moving. I will carry him with me on my horse. We must be in Levra to inform the king what we have discovered and return with backup and destroy that cellar,” said Lithia firmly as she carried Ronan and settled him on her horse.
“Lithia? In case you missed it; she just said that no one was around during their escape. I would say they are aware of what happened and would have cleaned out everything. Leaving no evidence. Naguals aren’t that stupid,” stated Alice firmly.
“You think they can clean out an entire cellar packed with Walnors in that time? Where are they going to take them? They can’t travel as fast as we can and where to? There is no place close by to even transport them to. Now you all can sense the Walnors,” explained Lithia.
“Maybe so but what if the others have found out the same?” asked Ashley.
“How about we get back to Levra first and hear what Gordon has to say?” Alice stepped in before things escalated.
Lithia sighed and shook her head. Then she took several deep breaths to calm herself.
“You are right,” said Lithia with an apologetic tone, “I’m sorry I snapped. Come, let’s go.”
Chapter 23
It amazed Lithia how fast asleep Ronan was as they rode hastily to Levra. She wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to eat a lot once he is awake. But first, the Naguals had to be dealt with and hoped that Gordon would take immediate action and give her all the witches to stop the operation before half of Ausran will hunt their kind down.
They were several kilometres away when they noticed smoke rising from where the city was. They slowed down and stared bewildered at the smoke.
“Are they having a festivity?” asked Ashley uncertainly.
“A bit too black for one,” responded Alice.
They could sense an approaching witch, dashing directly at them. Lithia recognized her and wasn’t too thrilled on seeing her.
“Oh, hi Anna,” said Lithia with a flat tone as she leaned forward on her horse.
Lithia didn’t like her. Anna was pedantic and took her contracts too seriously. A valuable fighter but her grim personality made it difficult to talk to her if it’s not contract related. She knew that Ronan avoided her as much as he could, even when he gave orders.
“About time. We were wondering when you would finally show up,” said Anna grimly.
“What happened?” asked Alice.
“The people, that’s what happened. They hate us and forced Gordon to make us leave. We are better on our own, anyway. You ditch this human and be on our way.”
“He is not going anywhere,” snarled Lithia at her.
“Your downfall,” responded Anna bluntly.
Lithia couldn't dislike her any more than she already does for wanting to leave Ronan behind. She felt like stepping off her horse and smacking her for what she just said. For once, she was glad that Alice supported her.
“He is not going anywhere, Anna. He stays with us. He has been more than a loyal friend and you know that.”
“Can we? He was a hunter after all. What if this all is another planned scheme to capture all of us?”
“Shut the fuck up and tell us what happened. Also, where is Gordon?” barked Lithia.
Anna just stood there with her grim face as if the negative remark had no influence.
“Like I said: the humans don’t want us after we killed their kind during these contracts. Gordon is still in the castle after he requested us to leave. He cried like a baby and how sorry he was. Pathetic.”
“If you don’t like humans, why even work there?” asked Ashley.
“Stable contracts.”
Lithia wasn’t sure if she was just greedy or heartless. She wanted to move on but Ashley had to keep asking questions.
“How many remained?”
“Don’t know, don’t care. If you want to go back, it's your death. Maybe Gordon hates us all now and will hunt us down. Fine by me. I’ll gladly kill some humans. Especially this one.”
She pointed to Ronan, but Lithia drew her sword and barked at her. “You fucking leave him be you bitch. We are going back, while you can just fuck off.”
“You are sad. Trusting a hunter. Well, don’t come saying I warned you.”
She dashed down the road. Lithia still had a grudge while Ashley and Alice sighed in relief.
“How I hate her,” said Alice, “such an uncharming woman. No wonder she never had friends.”
“Come. Let’s see first if what she said is true,” suggested Ashley and slowly rode off.
Lithia continued holding on to her sword and looked back in case Anna may return.
As they neared the city, the smoke rose from behind the walls of the city. They stopped and asked Lithia what she saw. She was shocked.
“They have barricaded the gate. Some are standing guard with bows. I can see two witch heads being placed on sticks.”
“Shit, Anna wasn’t joking,” admitted Ashley.
“They should know that harming us is punishable by death,” said Alice confused.
“I don’t think they care. I guess these two tried to reason with them and willingly sacrificed themselves to prove that we are not killing humans for fun. Guess these Naguals achieved their goal,” said Ashley, sinking her head.
“Come. We better use the tunnel,” said Alice.
“If they haven’t found it,” stated Lithia.
They headed towards the nearest mountains, rode through a wide canyon and finally into a cave. The cave was moist, various sized dripstones and a small water stream ran calmly into the cave. Alice and Ashley moved a giant rock aside with hardly any difficulty. Lithia remained on the horse with Ronan, who was still asleep. She wondered if she should wake him, but since they would head through an unlit tunnel, she decided against it.
Once the rock was pushed aside, Lithia rode through, followed by the other horses. Ashley and Alice sealed the entrance.
As they rode along, Lithia thought back when they dug the tunnel. With their strength, it took them less than a year to dig over a kilometre until they reached the cave. They had a witch walking on the surface, pretending to have a casual walk but was guiding the witches below where to dig. Only Gordon, his wife, Ronan and the witches knew about the tunnel.
They finally reached the end and were happy to sense witches on the other side. The heavy rock got moved aside, and they entered a huge barn.
“We are glad to see you. Gordon had a feeling you may come this way,” said one of the witches.
“We came across Anna. She warned us about what had happened here,” responded Ashley.
“Oh, her. Well, good. By the way, I’m Nina. This is Asuka.”
