Chapter 4-THE WITCH'S WARNING
1245 Words
Kael was standing above the burnt out body of the renegade, his breathing heavy. Black powder was on his body and the smell of the dead was very strong. With the echo of Elara’s rejection still resonating in the forest, he hadn’t uttered a word.
Once again, she was going away.
He growled quietly and trailed her.
“Elara” he shouted.
No change in her gait.
His voice was becoming tougher. “You are going with me. Right now.”
She whirled. “You presume that I am just going to obey after all that? I am no longer yours.”
“You nearly died, again. Twice in a week. You are not safe here.”
She stood with her arms crossed and her eyes blazing. “Neither are you. The creature was after me and not you.”
Kael moved even nearer and spoke softly. “Exactly. Something is pursuing you. And the incredible power that was released from you – it is connected to that. If you do not comprehend it, how will you manage it the next time?”
Elara’s facial expression shifted; her rage was tempered by her uncertainty. “I have not decided this. Do you think I wanted to get cursed?
“You are not cursed,” Kael interjected fiercely, then he waited. “At any rate… not in the manner we used to think.”
Her forehead creased.
“You are different,” he said, this time gentler. “The girl that I turned down that night is not the same girlyou are today. I can’t just continue to overlook that.”
Elara winced at the term “rejected.”
Then, she gazed upon the tattoo on her arm. It was very faintly glowing now – a light silver, like the star light under her skin. It beat once.
“She said I was awakening,” Elara said in a low voice.
Kael became rigid. “Who?”
A sudden gust of chilly air came from the trees and Elara’s answer was interrupted.
The woods became weirdly dark.
Elara directed her gaze towards the wind. “Her.”
Kael with caution moved over to her side. “The witch?”
“Elara” was the quietest voice and she answered with a shake of her head “something older”.
The temperature of the air was scorching, they were standing like rocks, and the same identical masked figure came forward through the thicket—of great height, with luminous eyes, and clad in garments fashioned out of vapor and darkness. The witch. The one whom Elara had previously encountered.
Kael growled. “Who are you, by the way?
The witch let the gaze droop. “A ghost from the past. A harbinger.”
Elara took a step towards the witch. “I want questions with answers.”
“And not only you but also the others involved will eventually get that,” the witch replied, her gaze now focused on Elara. “But make sure to do it the way the witch wants— with your very soul and not only your ears.”
Kael was on his toes next to her. “Then I will not if she—”
“I am not your enemy, Alpha. But if you keep the truth suppressed with fear, you may turn to her.”
Kael got quiet, teeth gritting.
The witch gestured and the breeze stopped blowing at once. The woods were silent.
“Elara,” she declared, “the curse is not with you. It is the sealing.”
Elara had a perplexed look on her face. “What is that supposed to mean?”
The witch’s tone was very soft, like that of a snow’s fall. “You possess the blood of the First Line—the Moonborn. Offsprings of the Goddess’s hand. Your symbol is not evil—it is an entrance. One that has been set to confine a child from the power that is just too great.”
Elara could only gape at the witch. “Power?”
Kael was not pleased and growled softly. “Why would the Moon Goddess keep power like that away?”
“Because it was foretold that every spell has a prophecy and this was one of them,” said the witch. “There were two ways. One would lead to paradise, the other… to destruction.”
Elara’s heart sank and her knees went weak. “How does that relate to me?”
“You are the fulcrum. You will either mend the fractured relationship between the wolves and the ancient magic or completely erase it.”
Kael took hold of Elara’s arm, looking at the glowing mark. “What about this seal—how do we unlock it?”
The witch had a slight smile. “It is in the process of breaking”
Elara felt her blood freeze.
The witch advanced a little bit. “You will be more powerful than ever before. But the threat will also be higher. The others will come to know it. They are already lurking in shadows. The rogues you have come across are not that bad. A really old and evil force is stirring. It whispers—something that is connected with the Moonborn.”
Kael’s voice became more intense. “If she is in peril, she will be with me.”
The witch’s bright eyes gazed at him. “You once turned her down. That wound is still very painful.”
Kael directed his eyes towards Elara. “I know. But I won’t repeat that error.”
The witch’s stare was still upon him, ambiguous. “We will see.”
Her focus reverted to Elara. “The next moon will present a dilemma. Rely upon your kin. Look for the spot where the stars meet the ground. The truth will come to you there.”
The moment Elara wanted to know more, the wind made its return. The witch disappeared in an instant.
The only thing left was the sound of the woods.
Kael faced her, his voice strained. “It would be better if you returned. Not as my mate—just as a member the pack requires.”
Elara scrutinized him. “Are you now offering to protect me?”
“I am offering you time. To sort this out. Securely. We will make the council take notice—”
“No,” she cut in. “Not for a long time. They will not see anything but a cursed girl, not a Moonborn.”
Kael was uncertain for a moment. “Then you come with me. I will keep the truth under wraps. For the time being.”
Elara’s gaze was skeptical. “What if they reveal it?”
“We will face it. United.”
He said it like a vow for the first time.
She slowly nodded. “Okay. But I’m not your captive.”
“You never were,” he replied.
She turned her face away. “Your behavior made me think that way.”
Kael did not dispute this. He just offered his hand.
Elara hesitated for a moment before eventually taking it.
At least for now.
But as they headed back to the Nightshade territory, Elara’s mark throbbed once more—this time not as pain but as a caution.
Meanwhile, something in the forest stir
red within the dark.
Something that had existed for ages.
Observing.
Waiting.
- Writer
