Chapter 5 - Trouble yet again

Celeste woke up to Luna nibbling on her cheek. She didn't realize how long she slept but she felt something touching her face. She was too tired to open her eyes, so she assumed that Luna or Faust were the ones responsible.

'Your lover boy left you this note and covered you when you were cold.'. Luna smirked at her. She blinked in surprise when she felt her cloak draped around her body and a handwritten note on her table.

𝒟ℯ𝒶𝓇 𝒞ℯ𝓁ℯ𝓈𝓉ℯ,

ℐ 𝓈𝒶𝓌 𝓎ℴ𝓊 𝓈𝓁ℯℯ𝓅𝒾𝓃ℊ 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒾 𝒹𝒾𝒹𝓃'𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝒾 𝓌𝒶𝓀ℯ 𝓎ℴ𝓊 𝓊𝓅. ℐ'𝓂 ℊℴ𝒾𝓃ℊ ℴ𝓊𝓉 𝒻ℴ𝓇 𝒻𝓇ℯ𝓈𝒽 𝒶𝒾𝓇.ℐ𝓁𝓁 𝒷ℯ 𝒷𝒶𝓋𝓀 𝒷ℯ𝒻ℴ𝓇ℯ 𝓎ℴ𝓊 𝓀𝓃ℴ𝓌 𝒾𝓉.𝒟ℴ𝓃'𝓉 𝒸ℴ𝓂ℯ 𝓁ℴℴ𝓀𝒾𝓃ℊ 𝒻ℴ𝓇 𝓂ℯ.

𝒴ℴ𝓊𝓇𝓈 𝒮𝒾𝓃𝒸ℯ𝓇𝓁𝓎,

𝒞𝒽𝓇𝒾𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒶𝓃.

She furrowed her brows in concern. She checked the sky outside and it was dark. The perfect time for other witches to linger around searching for prey. "Why didn't you follow him?" Celeste put her cloak on and searched for her staff and lantern.

Luna gave her a nonchalant look and licked her paw. 'It is not my concern since he's your responsibility.' She replied earning a glare from Celeste. "Anyways stay here and guard here its an absolute order." She said rushing out the cottage.

'Love's in the air. I smell love.' Luna sang.

Christian looked back wondering where the cottage was. He realized he lost his way and it was getting dark. He found a spot under a tree and sat down. He prayed Celeste came to his rescue. He felt something staring at the back of his head and refused to look back afraid of what it might be.

The next thing he heard was snapping of a twig at his left side. He watched his side and saw no one. "Boys we got ourselves a meal today. We're lucky." A deep voice said behind him. He jumped in surprise when five men appeared before him.

They looked normal like him but the sinister smiles on their faces said otherwise. He slowly walked backwards. He bumped into one behind and the strange creature gripped his head and knocked him out. The last thing he saw was their glowing red eyes.

Celeste let out a frustrated growl. He always got himself in trouble no matter how she warned him. She didn't even know where he was because their connection was broken. Not entirely broken as if something dark was shadowing her magic.

She planted her staff into the ground. It was a long stick with a lantern glass on top with roots entwining it leaving gaps and exposing the violent light from it.

'Ego convertam ad me in deserto, in umbra.' Dark violet smoke covered her body turning her to a shadow. She flew into the woods with lightening speed searching for him.

Christian woke up to water splashing on him. He saw their features clearly. They had human features but were taller than human. "Can't we have a taste already? We're starving." The red haired one said. He was bound to a pole with a thick rope. The men sat around a campfire.

They had baggages close to their feet. He noticed the red haires one glanced at him every now and then with a permanent smirk on his face . He felt angry and didn't know whether Celeste would save him.

He had s to do something even if it's a distraction. He struggled to break free and the red haired man chuckled. "Its not use. You won't be able to free yourself." He appeared in front of him running his fingers on his face.

"You'll be eaten no one will save you." He whispered. "You need to take care of that breath of yours." Christian taunted him. His friends laughed at his joke. The red haired man growled low at him.

"I mean even if you spoke to a dead person the dead person will resurrect and hold his nose in disgust." He continued.

"Your have a sharp mouth." He punched Christians jaw. "Is that all you've got?" Christian laughed. His distraction was working and he got the reaction he was looking for . Anger, pure anger.

He punched Christian again this time harder and his head turned to the side. "Hit me again is that all you've got." Christian yelled at the guy. The red haired guy held Christian's neck and squeezed it.

Christian struggled for breath. He was in the bringe of giving up when a dark shadow from nowhere crashed to the ground. The impact was so strong that it threw the men away and tore the ropes binding him.

He sucked in air and coughed. "Stupid human." Celeste glared at him. She stood in front of him and glared at the creatures before her. Snakes, they were snakes.

As huge as they were, they were fast and sly. She took her human form and watched them.

"No one touches him." She warned them. She noticed the red haired one giving her strange looks. "A Laveau Witch."He spat.

She glared at his tone." You have a choice you leave or we do it the hard way, witch. "He snarled at her.

" How about you slimy snake. "She tiltled her head at him. He charged at her aiming for her throat. She dodged and used her staff to hit his back.

" What a shame. You allow a woman beat you." She said happily. He regained his balance and made his next move on her while the other four secretly nade their way towards Christian. "Didnt i say no one touches him?" She hit her staff on the ground behind her throwing them to the tress.

She dodged his attack and hit his jaw with her staff. Groaning , the red haired threw a blade her way. She dodged it and it made contact with Christian's skin.

" Are you okay! " She rushed to his side checking for injuries. He smiled at her concern as much he appreciated it the red haired guy had a blade behind her. He pushed her and the blade pierced his abdomen.

He fell with a thud while grabbing the blade in his abdomen. Celeste's eye opened in shock. She didn't expect that he would take the injury. "You touched him snake you'll pay." she grabbed her staff.

"Didn't know you had a soft spot for him, Edrea." He chuckled. "You will pay for touching my prey snake." She whispered.

"Expurgate" She hit her staff on the ground. The violet light form her staff seeped into the ground. It burst from the ground and wrapped the snakes forms and burned them turning them into nothing but ashes.

She turned her attention to Christian. He was breathing slowly. He looked at her as she knelt in front of him. "You always bring trouble. You know i never bring this staff but because of you I brought it. I even turned into the one thing I despise." She laughed sadly.

He coughed. She didn't know if it was a laugh. "I'll take care of you at home." She looked at the burnt area around them. That was the reason why she hated her power. Its damage to another living things was very strong. The shadow had burnt a couple of trees when she crashed to the ground.

She teleported to her cottage and sent his body to his room. She mixed herbs while Luna watched her quietly. 'Hurt?' Faust slithered to Christian's side. He lay still when the snake climbed him.

'How did that snake get that blade by the way. ' Luna watched the symbol on the handle. "Dark heart witches." She turned her head to Luna. 'The shape-shifting witches? ' Celeste nodded. They wanted her dead and him to.

Gylore was right they had to move or this place would be soon discovered. She couldn't compromise the safety of him anymore. She applied the herb on his wound while saying a spell.

"Alright done." She moved to her table again and mixed other herbs then boiled it "What is that?" Christian eyed the liquid. It was green and thick. It most loooked like moss and had an awful smell. She opened his mouth and poured the contents inside before allowing him to swallow.

"It tastes bitter." He commented making a face when the liquid passed his throat. "Consider it sweet revenge for leaving just like that." She snorted at him.

"You could have died. You know we have to leave thia place before the Council comes right at our doorstep." She sat by him while he leaned his body against the bed frame. "Where are we going to go if we leave?"

"You will see once we arrive there. We'll leave first thing tomorrow."

"You need rest. Its getting late." she went into the kitchen and brought him chicken soup. She placed ot by the bedside table and left the room quietly.

"Strange woman. I wonder what this symbol is." He touched his chest analyzing the symbol.

It was a small black mark of an antelope's head. A raven symbol like Celeste's stood on the middle of the two horns. Thorns from ghe side of the horns coiled around the head and held the ravens wings.

He made a mental note to ask here what it meant the next morning. He sighed and closed his eyes allowing sleep yo take ovwr his body .