THE WOLF AND THE SERPEPNT

Chapter 3: Crossing Fates

For a moment, the room felt colder, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “For me?”

She nodded slowly.

“Is it Sage Graywolf?” I asked.

“No,” she said quickly. “But Sage is here, in the city. I can sense him, he’s close.”

I felt my heart beating louder. “Then he’s walking straight into his grave. I’ll be ready. My men will be ready. He won’t escape like last time.”

There was something in Freya’s eyes, something I couldn’t read.

“Charles… don’t underestimate either of them. Sage is not the boy he once was, and whatever is bound…it will break free, sooner or later.”

I gave a short laugh, shaking my head. “I don’t underestimate. I hunt. That’s the difference.”

She sighed, rising from the chair. Her cloak brushed against the wood as she moved to the door. Her hand lingered on the knob before she looked back at me. “Just remember, Marvin…chains rust. Be ready when they break.”

I met her stare with a cold smile. “And remember, Freya…wolves bleed. I’ll be waiting.”

She dipped her head slightly, then slipped out, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

It was already evening, and I knew I was running out of time. I pulled my phone and dialed a number I knew too well.

“Ottoman,” I said when the line connected. He was the commander of my hunting team; the one man I trusted to keep his men alert.

“Charles?” he replied.

I leaned closer to the window, scanning the street outside the coffee shop. “Keep your team alert. Sage is here in the city. If you see him…don’t hesitate. Take him out.”

He replied right away. “Understood. The team will be ready.”

I closed my eyes for a second. “No mistakes this time. Don’t let him slip like before.”

The call ended. My hand fell slowly from my ear. I turned back to the screens, scanning each and every face. Sage could walk through those doors, and I had to be ready.

Freya Magnus

I arrived home an hour ago, and I prepared myself dinner. Now I pushed my empty plate away, dinner was over, but the silence in the room wasn’t even peaceful. It was the kind of silence that made old memories crawl back, memories I never wanted to remember.

Their voices came first, my parents’. They were witches of course, strong and cruel. I could still hear the way they looked at me while they spat words like poison.

“Dead branch.”…“Spell-less brat.”…“Shame of our blood.”…“A broken candle that will never light.”

Every name sank into me like a blade, and I hated myself for it. I wasn’t like them. I wasn’t powerful and I was useless in their world.

The worst memory came next, like it always did. I was tied up in the basement. The ropes cutting into my wrists like a razor. They didn’t care as they left me there in the dark.

“Save yourself, or die,” my father had said, as if it was the easiest thing.

And then the door slammed shut.

I had screamed until my throat burned. I whispered every spell I had ever heard, begged every word to work. But nothing happened. Days went by, and I couldn’t stand the smell there; as there was a pile of dead rats, leftovers from my parents’ witch experiments.

I had been hungry for days, and my lips cracked with thirst. Upstairs, I could hear them laughing, the sound of forks scraping plates, and glasses clinking. They were feasting while I starved, waiting for me to either turn into a witch or rot.

It was down there, in the dark, when the visions started. At first, it was just flashes, and I couldn’t understand anything. I saw my parents’ bodies lying motionless on the floor, blood spreading like spilled paint. And I heard a laugh…it was cruel. I thought I was losing my mind. But the visions didn’t stop.

And then… they came true.

The day the hunters broke into the house, it was chaos. Charles led them with a blade that never missed. My parents fought, but they lost. Witches or not, they bled just the same. When the house went quiet, Charles found me. He opened the basement door, and the light nearly blinded me. My body was weak, and I thought it was the end.

“Kill me too,” I begged. “I’m a witch. I don’t deserve to live.” Tears rolled down my face. I meant it. I didn’t want this life.

But Charles crouched down. “No,” he said. “You’ll live. And you’ll work for me. You’ll help me to hunt them…the witches, the wolves. You’re not worthless, not anymore.”

I remember the way he spoke those words. It wasn’t kindness, it was order, and I obeyed. I’ve been obeying ever since.

Now, sitting here in this quiet room, the memory made my stomach twist. My hands trembled as I pressed them against the table. I hated myself for still living. I hated them for dying. But most of all, I hated that Charles was right. My visions made me useful. Even if they were born from pain.

I closed my eyes and let out a long breath. There was one thing I wanted more than anything…power.

I didn’t want money, I wanted real power, the kind that bend men like Charles Marvin to my will. The kind that would let me take Silverbrook City for myself.

And in my mind, I kept seeing it…the figure in the red cloak. The one from my vision. Chained, trapped, and waiting to be free. I felt it.

That thing… it was the key. If I could find it, if I could free it, maybe I could make a deal with it. Trade its chains for my rise. Yes, Charles thinks he uses me, but with power like that, I’d be the one using him.

But I was afraid too. I didn’t know what the figure wanted. I didn’t know who or what it was. Still, my heart told me it was the answer. My only answer.

I reached for the tools I always used when I wanted to see beyond the veil. My small black bowl of water. The carved bone pendulum my grandmother once held. The sticks of wormwood I burned until the air grew thick with smoke. I placed them on the floor, lit the wormwood, and held the pendulum over the bowl. I said the words, just like I know it.

The flame flickered and the smoke curled around me. Then my eyes rolled back, and everything went white.

A vision crashed into me. I saw blood, so much blood on the floor, and there was a man lying in it, he wasn’t moving. My heart skipped a beat when I saw his face…it was Charles Marvin.

I gasped and stumbled backward, almost knocking over the bowl. My hands trembled, no… it couldn’t be. My powers were too weak to show me when or where.

“What am I supposed to do?” I whispered to myself. “How do I protect him? I don’t even know a single spell for protection. All I do is see.” My fingers dug into my hair as I shook my head. “Only if I had real power.”

I finally dragged myself into my bedroom, but when I lay down, I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him again…Charles, laying lifeless, and surrounded by blood. I pulled the blanket up to my face, whispering into the dark, “I have to find a way… before it’s too late.”

But the image was all I see, throughout the night.

Lisa Wallen (at Sunnyside Complex)

I woke up with the soft light of morning slipping through my curtains. My body still felt tired with sleep, but I forced myself up. Today had to be different. Today I had to try.

I dragged myself into the shower, the warm water waking me up slowly. By the time I got dressed, I felt a little more alive. In the kitchen, I fixed myself a simple breakfast…bread, butter, and tea.

After eating, I pulled my small bag closer and began to pack. My hands shook a little as I slid in my certificates, my IDs, and then reached for the soft leather pouch my mother had given me.

As I opened it, I whispered to myself, “Silver cracked mirror… bottle of silver dust… wolfsbane…” My mother’s voice echoed in my head, reminding me: “For your protection, Lisa. Never walk without it.” I tightened the strings of the pouch and tucked it carefully into my bag.

When everything was ready, I stood in the middle of my apartment, staring at the door. My heart was beating faster than it should, but I knew I had to step out. With a deep breath, I locked the door behind me.

The air outside was cooler and fresher. I waved my hand at the passing taxis, and one slowed down beside me. The driver rolled down the window and looked at me with a small smile.

“Where to, miss?” he asked.

“To Tinny’s Coffee Shop, please,” I said.

“Ah, Tinny’s. Good place. Hop in.”

I climbed inside and shut the door. As the car pulled away, I pressed my hands together in my lap and said a little prayer under my breath. “Please… just let me be lucky today.”

The ride was short. My reflection in the taxi’s window showed a girl trying to look brave, even though her stomach twisted with nerves.

When we stopped in front of Tinny’s Coffee Shop, I handed the driver the fare.

“Thank you,” I said softly.

“Good luck, miss,” he replied with a nod before driving off.

I stood there, watching the taxi disappear into the street. I took a deep breath as I looked at the coffee shop sign, and I walked toward the entrance.

Inside, the smell of roasted coffee wrapped around me. At the reception desk, there was a young woman with a friendly face. She straightened and smiled when she saw me.

“Good morning. How can I help you?” she asked politely.

I smiled back, though my nerves slipped into my voice. “Good morning. I… I wanted to ask if you’re hiring. Maybe part-time jobs?”

The receptionist’s smile faded a little. “I’m not sure about that. But you should go to the office and speak to Mr. Charles Marvin. He owns this place, maybe he can help you.”

“Charles Marvin…” I repeated under my breath. “Okay. Thank you.”

She leaned slightly forward and pointed down the hallway. “Go straight, then to your left. His office is there.”

I nodded quickly. “Thank you so much.”

And with that, I clutched my bag tighter as I followed the directions toward Charles Marvin’s office.