Chapter 17: Melida.

After one last look, Sascha spun on her heel and moved. She walked along the path lined with tall trees with thick, dark trunks, their branches laden with autumn-kissed leaves. Birds chirped above her head and squirrels scampered, dropping leaves to the thick mantle covering the rich, dark forest soil.

It was an idyllic and beautiful landscape, but it was not this that made him freeze. No. Was it the cat with the lustrous white fur standing in the center of the path as if it belonged to him, or was it her eyes?

Shining and mysterious amethyst orbs dug into her, and Sascha's facial muscles went numb. There was something so out of this world about those orbs that she wouldn't be surprised if they were some magical beast from the Forest.

The cat looked at her and she looked back at him. The analytical part of her that never stopped took note of the situation and surroundings. The cat hefted her gaze for a second, the action laden with a remarkable weight of authority and Sascha felt evaluated.

A couple of minutes of immobility passed and then the cat jumped on her soft paws. With light and silent steps he backed away from her, but Sascha didn't move until the cat gave him an impatient look.

"Do you want me to follow you?" she asked, even knowing that she would receive no answer.

The cat whipped its tail impatiently and looked at her over one shoulder.

"I'll take it as a yes," Sascha gulped and followed the cat down the path. A couple of meters later, the path almost ceased to exist and the path became steep and rugged, going down and up steep slopes, filled with brambles and thorns.

They walked for hours.

Night came and fell on the world. Darkness filled the forest and shadows flanked the dimly lit path. However, the gloom was not absolute and thin beams of light spilled through the thicket. Silver moonlight filtered through the leaves and fell on the cat's white fur, turning him into a beacon of light amid the blackness. Sascha unconsciously quickened her pace. She didn't want to be left behind.

The animal guided her without looking back. Light and silent legs on the thick canopy of pine needles and leaves. In contrast, she felt as awkward and stealthy as an elephant in glassware.

Bright eyes flashed in her direction from the trees and Sascha shivered, the idyllic scenery that had previously fascinated him had turned cold and inhospitable before her eyes.

A spotlight appeared a couple of meters in front of her, Sascha stopped to catch her breath, she felt tired and hungry. Her magical critters reclaimed her food without forgiveness.

Soon babies, soon. She promised them silently and squinted in the direction of the light. The cat hissed at him and started again.

The forest opened up so suddenly that it took me a minute to react. She disoriented she stopped at the mouth of a clearing. The place was huge and lit by hanging mana lamps. Crystal spheres hung from the lower branches of the trees like cheery Festival decorations. Gardens and orchards filled the surface of the clearing except for the center, where an ancient-looking hut stood with ivy-covered walls.

The cat kept walking unaffected by the change in surroundings. She followed after him, her eyes lingering on the flower beds and flowerpots, where a wide variety of magical plants and plants grew.

A sudden flash of white light caught Sascha's attention. The cat's body burned amid the flagellation, so fast, so sudden that she only managed to watch in disbelief as the animal disappeared into the incandescent maelstrom. The light was extinguished as it had come, abruptly and unexpectedly.

Sascha's jaw hung in surprise. A woman suddenly appeared before her. Thin as a branch, a face with benign features, white hair, and leathery skin from her age. However, it was the old woman's cunning and mysterious eyes that shocked her the most.

Amethyst. And the only beings with eyes of this color were ...

"You're a witch?" her question simply escaped him.

The old woman smacked her lips in annoyance. Amethyst orbs glowed for a second, before a gale of fire arced in her direction. Time slowed down and for that fraction of time, Sascha's mind raced, calculating the odds and ways to go.

Was the fire too powerful? What was its speed? Was the trajectory angle too low or could she roll on the ground and avoid it? What would she do next? How would she run from the Witch? Would her cloak suffice to elude her?

The flagellum of fire reflected in Sascha's emerald eyes, illuminating the expression of dark determination in them. Of only one thing she was sure, she would do whatever it took to protect the "bugs" growing in her belly.

However, the fire never touched her. The bracelet around her wrist pulsed with power and heat licked her cheeks as scarlet tongues smashed and sizzled against an invisible wall in front of her.

She instinctively took advantage of that split second before the fire disappeared and activated the cloak, her presence instantly disappearing from the clearing. She had thought about it, weighed it, and calculated it. She did not know why the Witch attacked her, but she did know that she could not escape from it. Which led her to say for a simple course of action. Hide, and what better way than with the naked eye?

The fire finally died. Sascha held his breath and waited, limbs stiff, her heart pounding in his ears and a mad urge to flee. But she wasn't the type to trip over the same stone twice, and Sascha learned that particular lesson not long ago.

The witch scanned the clearing for the young woman. A slow smile curled her lips when she didn't find it. She turned, her indigo robe billowing with momentum, and advanced to the small porch at the cabin.

Sascha saw the witch sit in a comfortable-looking chair and took a step back.

"You can come out, lass," Sascha's heel froze, not quite touching the ground. An expression of stiff disbelief tightened the features of her face. "I'm not going to hurt you"

Yes of course. She retorted sarcastically in the safety of her mind. She finished taking that step and took another one further.

"Think about it," the old woman continued conversationally and sipped from a steaming mug. Where do I get it from? She wondered idly and gently she continued to take one step after another, away from the old woman. "I could have killed you from the moment you stepped foot in my territory."

Why did not you do it?

"You wonder why I didn't do it then" Sascha's eyes trembled in surprise, could the witch read her mind?

"And I can't read minds, on purpose." She took a sip of her drink with her eyes twinkling.

What the hell? Are you making fun of me?

The old woman smiled over the rim of the mug and continued. "I'm not making fun of you either."

What's up with this weird one-way conversation?

"The truth is," she paused and looked directly at the place where Sascha was waiting, "I've never stopped knowing where you are."

The ground beneath her feet heated up for a fraction of a minute, burning scorched the soles of her feet, and at the same speed, she cooled. The old woman is only reaffirming a point, she concluded and gulped.

What a terrifying person.

"Do you think that old Ogre would send you with me if I were a danger to you?" the old woman asked with an amused grin.

The answer to that question was simple. No, Sheamus would never send her to a place where she was not safe, much less now.

"Because you attacked me?" she asked, uncovering her hair and turning off the stealth of shadows.

The old woman shrugged.

"I was testing you. The Forest is not a comfortable place, especially for humans. " She took another sip of her drink and continued. "I didn't know what kind of person Sheamus was sending me, but if you had turned out as your appearance indicates he would have sent you back without fail."

Amazing. The teacher was right, she is cunning, but she is crazy to tie. However, she didn't let her thoughts creep into her expression.

"You are smart, calculating, and calm," the old woman continued, she looked like a teacher imparting the result of an exam. "Your young and delicate face will make others underestimate you, which is good. Use these virtues as weapons and you will survive both the Forest and the implications of being my apprentice. "

Sascha blinked, not knowing how she should feel herself. Happy because finally, someone else besides her teacher saw her for who she was? Or insulted for being considered young and delicate?

"I am thirty years old, you know. I am not a young teenager. " She exhaled herself.

"When you're older than shit and I am, believe me. They all look young in my eyes. " the witch dismissed her complaint. "To which I follow," the old woman rubbed her hands together before standing up. "It is a question of education to introduce yourself, why don't you start?

"Didn't my teacher tell you my name?"

"That old idiot just told me." She cleared her throat, changing the pitch and timbre of her voice before saying in perfect imitation. "Melida, tomorrow I will take you to my assistant, take her as your apprentice and take care of her for as long as she wants." She cleared her throat again and her voice was his once more. "The bastard hung up on me before he could even sigh."

Ah, I suppose I owe my warm welcome to my master. She snorted, not at all surprised, and rubbed her face resignedly. The question hovering in Sascha's mind was, what other things did you not tell, master?

"Sascha," she said after a sigh. "Sascha Herbal"

The old woman motioned for her to come closer and very reluctantly, Sascha dragged her feet up the steps of the porch. She met the witch's scrutinizing gaze as she lasted and sighed in relief when she released her.

"With those eyes, it's no surprise." The old woman shook her head. "You never had a chance."

"What do you mean?" Sascha's stomach chose that moment to growl. At full volume, the witch gave him an amused look.

"That is a conversation for after you settle down, eat and rest something. I'm sure the old Ogre told you this, but my name is Melida. " And after a significant pause, she added herself. "Melida Witchcraft"