Supernaturals

35. Prepare for battle

ANNA

I was in that kind of dream again. Maybe a little different but I got déjà vu anyway.

I was one of those witches who sometimes had prophetic dreams and this one was definitely one of those dreams. The dream was really scary, especially because I could see myself there too.

In this dream, the demons had found out where we were and were killing everyone. Everyone— me, my mother, Mason, Nika, Tasha, Nolan and every other person. Nobody was spared.

I jumped out of my bed as I woke up, all scared and unsettled. I could almost hear the sound of my troubled heart beating. Couldn't think of a worse way to spend a day, especially when it was the very first day of the month. Not like anyone kept a calendar anymore.

I ran to the window and stared outside, watching everything we have succeeded in building. We were like one very big family. Right from the very start of, breakout we had stuck together, even when we didn't know what was happening or it'll ever end, we managed to build what served today as our home.

If my dream was a prophetic one as I was pretty sure it was, then that was it. Everything we worked for would be lost. Everything. What then was the essence of struggle? All those nights of consoling the little ones and assuring them that normal times would be a thing again. . . was it all a waste of time?

I didn't even know how to break this to anyone, but I had to if there was any way we could avert this.

I brushed my teeth and had a quick bath before calling Nika, Tasha and Nolan to my mother's chamber. I guess they all knew it was never a fun thing to be called to my mom's chamber this early. It was always one bad story or the other.

They all had the exact reaction I had after waking up today. They all freaked out.

“Does this mean we are all going to die?” Nika asked.

I shrugged and looked at Mum who was very quiet. “Mum, does this mean we are all doomed?”

She placed her hands on her lap and raised her head a little. “Well, a prophecy is always in line with present actions and events, and is sometimes avoidable, but at a cost.”

“What cost?” Nolan inquired. “At this point there's nothing we can't do. . . I mean, that we can't try doing.”

Mum shook her hands at Nolan. “See how little you know about prophecies. The cost is always relatively simple to do, but never easy.”

“What do you mean?” Tasha asked.

Nika answered before Mum could speak. “We have to kill the demons before they kill us.”

“How the glorious f*ck is that easy?” Nolan asked. “Killing one demon is dangerously close to being impossible and we have at least twenty thousand demons alive.”

Mum urged us to be calm. “What I meant is that the idea is quite simple. If we kill the demons, our problems will be solved. However, doing this is probably impossible and that's why prophecies are rarely ever averted.”

“So we are done for," I let out. “I guess we should start preparing ourselves for a battle, no matter how brief it will be.”

I felt quite uncomfortable saying that but it was true. We had to keep our spirits high because we most likely won't have a spirit—or anything—when the demons come for us.

We all left Mum's chamber and started getting to work. Nolan was to prepare the witches for a battle. According to what Mum said, everyone was to be included, irrespective of age. Witches could create a little fireball of about a radius right from the age of seven or eight, so even kids could be of help.

The dream I had made me realise that the demons could know our residence, but for some reason, haven't attacked us. That same dream also made it very clear that they would.

I wasn't sure what it would achieve, but I felt the need to tell Shawn of my dream. I promised to get back to him anyway and now wanted him to know that we had lost the hybrid and have gained ourselves a bigger problem.

Nika and Tasha were surprised when I told them that I wouldn't be going with them.

Tasha was angry as she was surprised. “You can't be serious, are you in your senses? It's not safe out there, there's no way you're going anywhere without us.”

“You need us,” Nika supported. “ I know you think you can handle yourself but staying together is what has brought us this far.”

I placed a hand on Nika’s shoulder and drew closer to both of them. “I have to do this, please understand.”

Tasha rolled her eyes at me. “You‘re not making any sense, you know that, right?”

Nika poked Tasha playfully on the cheek. “When Anna is in this mood, she listens to nobody, besides, we have a lot to do.”

Tasha made me promise that I would look after myself, come what may.

I went into a room in the basement, which was off-limits to anyone besides Mum. I tried opening the door but the key was too rusty and wouldn't move no matter how hard I tried to turn it. So I blasted it open with wind that instantly flung the door off its hinges.

I immediately took the little rug that was locked in a green chest and went back outside.

I was about to leave when a thought crawled to my mind. Mason was so sad that he hadn't gone out of our territory in nearly two years or so. I knew he had to be protected but it wouldn't hurt anyone if he went with me. We would head back right after I spoke with Shawn.

I told Nika to tell Mum that I was taking Mason with me. However, I told her to inform Mum only after we were gone.

“Hey Mason," I called out to him. “Want to do anything fun?”

Still “reading” the book that he held upside down in his right hand, he said, “I don't want to do anything with you, fun or otherwise.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, smiling widely.

He remained mute. His brows remained raised and his lips were pressed firmly against each other.

I asked him again, this time revealing the flying rug I held in my hands. “Are you sure?”

His eyes shone in utter surprise. “What are you doing? Mum will be so mad at you, we're not supposed to touch that.”

“Well, I'm going somewhere with this mat, wanna come along?”

“Outside? Are you kidding?”

“I'm not. Now get on the mat before I change my mind.”

One would find it impossible to believe that this radiating boy was sad just moments ago.

“I don't need to get on, I'll fly by the mat.”

After casting a controlling spell on the mat, Mason and I launched into the sky.

I felt pity for those who never flew on mat, or even better, by themselves. The feeling one got was unmatched.