Cursed Daughter

Chapter 7

    We finally took a moment to look at our surroundings. Gone was the dense forest we walked out of, instead an empty field took its place. The weather was still the same so whatever covered the academy's grounds didn't affect nature itself. The grass was to my knees and wheat gold. Kyle took the lead with a knife ready in his hand in case of any attack. We didn't get a map of the surrounding area making this a total blind spot.

    I paused and looked for any sign of where the trainee went. The grass was too giving to actually show any  sign of footprints. There was a slight wind and anything that could have been trampled was now upright. 

    "There is no way to track this girl." I sighed.

    Kyle nodded, "this environment is too nice. Anyone can get away and hide."

    "We should search for any lost items. She clearly left the campsite in a hurry so it's a safe bet to say that she would leave more behind."

    Kyle nodded and started searching. I got onto all fours and looked in between the grass stalks. The dirt was really packed in making it easy to see even with the sun long set. I could hear Kyle hitting his hands on rocks and cussing them out. Seeing at night has never been issue for me, almost seeming as if I had a cat's night vision.

    We searched for an hour and were about to start walking blindly when I found a necklace. I cleaned it off of dirt and found that it was a pure silver with a thin, delicate chain. The pendant on it was heavy and didn't match its delicate nature. It was the size of two quarters and had a symbol on it that I didn't recognize. It looked like a cat eye with an 'A' in the middle where the pupil would be.

    "Kyle! I found a necklace!" I yelled out.

    He popped his head up over the grass about twenty yards from me. He was covered in dirt as if he was digging. He rushed over to me taking the necklace out of my hands. When he did I felt as if I blacked out.

                                            *                                        *                                                *

    I was talking to Dimitra and told her about my guards. It had been about a year after I escaped my captors and Dimitra had hidden me while I tried to locate any of my family. We had no luck with my mother so I figured she perished in the fire. Our kingdom was lost once the castle fell but I knew some of my guard stayed loyal and in hiding. My personal guard promised me that he would find me and protect me but I was captured within hours of running.

    Dimitra was one of the most talented witches in the country with only her twin sister being a rival. She found me and has kept me hidden from our enemies since then. They have tried to help me locate anyone she could but we've had no such success, it was as if everyone never existed.

    "Austin, I apologize but I cannot find these persons. Not even your guard has any trace of ever being alive much less where he has been."

    I looked at her lost and confused. "I do not understand they clearly were alive, how could there be no sign of them? They are as real as you and me!"

    She sighed, "I have no idea, like I have said, no one should be able to hide from me. No ones spell is stronger than mine not even my sister. Unless...."

    She trailed off and looked lost in thought. I had no idea as to what she was thinking of so I prompted her, "unless what Dimitra?"

    "Unless the Council had taken them." At my puzzled look she continued, "the Council is a group of the most powerful creatures that walk this earth. They can glance at the future and capture any creatures who they have seen to be the next most powerful in the generation. It's horrific but they can hide people so well they will seem as if they never existed."

    I gasped facing this new realization and learning about this horrible council. The information had no time to set in before we heard the door to the house breaking in.

                                            *                                        *                                                *

    I gasped out of the vision I had. "Kyle! I know who the trainee is, her name is not Hallie. Her name is Katerina and she is the daughter of a witch."

    Kyle looked at me shocked. "How do you know?"

    "My memories are coming back and I know this child. Her mother hid me for a year in her home before the Order found me...."