Chapter 8: Into the World of the Unenlightened

Ariadne

The last thing she remembered was that she was processing a memory—a long lost memory that would about to flood her thoughts, she was in the middle of a transformation that time, ready to become someone else.

Ariadne stirred. She opened her eyes and found herself inside a dim room, laid into a mattress, her hands were tightly bound with white ropes. Her head stung.

She doesn't like what's happening to her now. She wishes to become one among those maidens they had turned into powder ingredients, into potions and to those beings they have cursed and killed. Pain flooded her sinews.

"Was this what they call karma?" Her thought processed.

A reddish orange light from a candle bursted the room into lighting. A woman, a curly-brown-haired witch entered the room. She wore a red velvety sleeping robe.

"As they say, you were pretty. . .tasty." Josephine stepped inside and sat on a chair facing her.

"Your blood boils to power," she touched her upper arm with her delicate fingers tracing her skin. Ariadne cringed from the touch.

"Oh, scrumptious," she bit her lower lip and stared at her with malignancy.

"Let me go. Please." Ariadne begged.

"I thought you prefer meeting death than living?" Josephine chuckled softly.

"Let's wait for the moon to glow red. Tomorrow night is the night for us to start feasting on your powers," Josephine hectored and laughed again that it made the room vibrate.

Ariadne noticed that her green hooded cloak has changed in color, the lower part was crimson red, the middle was pink, the rest was dark green.

"See you tomorrow night." she smiled and a bolt of violet light hit her head returning her back to slumber.

***

Ariadne was walking in a seemingly dead forest. The trees here were all deteriorated, their brown leaves that hung on their branches were creepy. Ariadne was once fled here, she remembered the details like it was still a fresh memory because on this very verge of the earthy forest she once had taken rest along one of her perilous journey.

She sashayed into a sloppy trail up to where the green tree, the only alive willow that is rooted there.

The willow shone like it was some golden object. She climbs a muddy hill and walked to where the gate of the unenlightened is rooted—the only alive tree. She saw someone leaning on the tall tree. It was some curly haired woman wearing a black cloak that looked very familiar to her. The woman looked weak and aged, her face was covered with warts and wrinkles, her hands were like an old hag's. She stirred and opened her coal-black eyes, they were stern and beautiful.

"Ariadne," her somewhat commanding tone of voice has no escape, she sounded like a very old woman who is barely able to talk.

"Save me, those wizards. . ." She coughs, "they've left me here, and this tree is sucking my mana. Hurry please, I got only a day to live."

"A drop of blood is a beauty of eternal." The words stirred from the depths of her thoughts. Ariadne bit her index finger hard making a cut in it. Blood surged through the opening she created, it tastes salty and quite rusty. She edged near the poor old hag and offered her her finger. Colleen sucked her finger eagerly as red mists started to cover her body. The mists swirled around her as they vaporized slowly. Colleen leaned back in relief, back to being young again.

"Impossible," her normal voice had returned.

"Now, return the favor." Ariadne's image began to swirl.

"Free me from the grip of your sister."

The dream faded. It felt so realistic.

***

The dawn and the morning passed pretty fast. She opened her eyes witnessing the afternoon sun rays taking a peek from the white curtains hung on the windows.

A bulky small woman on a silky white robe sat on a silver chair, she's reading a shabby spellbook.

"Oh, you're awake, good noon," the chubby small woman greeted her with a smile.

Ariadne ignored her. She focuses on thinking something, some lies she might use against her. She has seen this lady in the memory Enchantress had let her peek. She might use that to free herself.

"How long were you a slave of Josephine?" Ariadne started. The question was poorly thought but it was a gamble she has to play with since she'd started it.

"A slave? Are you serious." There was sternness in her voice, the provocative statement seemed working.

"Gekee," the woman's eyes widened, "secrets are deemed to be spilled." She shot her a flaring glare. Ariadne sounded more like Enchantress now.

"Predicting the future is my specialty." Ariadne lied, she can feel the rushing and the boiling blood in Gekee's veins.

"Don't you dare," her eyes set aflame "I can kill you right now." Anger filled in Gekee's voice.

Ariadne managed to blurt a muffled laugh.

"Are you serious? Killing me? That would only make you feel the wrath of your beloved master much earlier. You said you were a loyal minion of hers. What if she knows you were betraying her? What could she possibly do to you?"

Gekee stood up from her seat, her face was smeared with her searing blood.

"And where had you heard all those erroneous rumors?"

"I can visit the past," she lied again.

"Your thoughts are betraying you aren't they?" Ariadne asked, trying to make a grin.

Gekee laughed.

"Who the hell cares? You are going to be sacrificed this night, you'll die soonest. And Josephine would not know I'm playing tricks on her. She won't believe you either."

Ariadne focuses on her most powerful memory, intensifying her emotions to their limits, her eyes flared red. She was right after all; those powers that Fred and Iron had used were just powerful at night time, but they were powerless at day, that was why they were beaten at the fight at the alley at Hunchester because they can't use the powers from the twins in the daytime.

The purple and golden mists that surrounded the room broke into thin air as crimson mists dominated the place. Ariadne broke free from the firm bound as she stepped out from the bed.

Outside the window she saw Colleen flying on a shabby broomstick. Colleen threw a broomstick inside breaking the windows and spluttering their shards in the process. The broomstick flew inside directly above the head of the astonished witch who had barely dodged it. Ariadne moved quickly and rode on the broomstick as she flies outside, leaving the shocked witch inside.

The guards of the castle were alerted instantly as they send bolts after bolts of spell at the on the run witches. Colleen threw themselves protective spells covering them both with prismatic bubbles. Ariadne's bubble shook from an attack.

"Ariadne faster!" Colleen yelled.

Ariadne gripped the wooden handle of the broom firmer so she could soar faster. The witches are heading north passing the green meadow below them. The distant western valley was a peculiar sight for them to see as they soar the wind.

Behind them, the hundreds of black wizard warriors in black tunics fly in pursuit.

"Below!" Colleen yelled as she flew downwards entering the tall trees. Colleen glides past the trees evading them. Ariadne followed.

Ariadne glanced behind her back and saw an eager brown-haired wizard warrior shooting blue streaks of light at her but his attacks are only bounced back by the protective spell. A blue beacon zooms forward and it hit her bubble causing it to shake that she nearly hit a tree in front of her. She focused her mind on a decaying tree trunk laid on the ground, shockingly the decayed log was covered with red mists. She ordered it to fly and to hit the brown-haired warrior that pursued her. The log obeyed, hitting the warrior and sending him face first to the ground. 

She shot her broom fast dodging trees ahead the thickening forest. Colleen swept her broom upwards, above the canopies of the trees. She moved her broom upwards also, following her master. The sky was cloudless and it helped them fly the horizon faster that only a few of their pursuers were left behind in pursuit. Colleen shot  her broom north.

"Aren't we going to fly west?" Ariadne bellowed.

"We're heading to the dead forest," she called back, her voice was barely audible.

"We're going to find Walter and the Shard." Her eyes glinted. They flew to the north, heading to the earthy dead forest. The tall tree shone that it was now clearly seen from where they are flying. Behind them was a total of at least a few number of determined wizard warriors still pursuing them. Colleen cast a huge transparent medium and they vanished with it.

"Invisibility spell," Ariadne muttered.

They descended from their brooms and walked the dead forest. The witches walked along the sloppy trail and from meters away from where they stood, they saw the tall willow glinting in green colors.

"Are you ready?" Colleen turned her back and looked into her eyes, her eyes were filled with compassion. Ariadne nodded exhaustively.

"Thank you for saving me." Colleen smiled at her.

There were green grasses at the foot of the tree and it made Ariadne feel quite more comfortable.

Colleen stepped forward as Ariadne followed her and then they simultaneously placed their hands on the trunk of the tree. They swirled and were transported into the world of the unenlightened.

It was like traveling a very long journey. The portal behind them closed in ripples.

"We're finally here." Colleen declared as she grinned evilly.