Chapter Twenty-Five — Oh no! She's back!

VERY DEEP IN THE MIDNIGHT

"Hmm?! You reek of anger and jealousy." Snickered a garbed lady whose face was half concealed with black veil. Her bellicose eyes were a wild combination of brown and red, sometimes the red pigment in her eyes would turn out to be pastel now and darker later but her alluring voice was like zephyr, melodious to one's ear.

The sixteen-year-old girl turned around, her bluish-ombré hair waltzed elegantly in the air. "Of course, I reek of anger and jealousy." There was a flash of fury in her hazel eyes which gradually dissipated.

The lady giggled again which made the arena more wraithlike. "I wonder why the daughter of the great liege of gangland is so angry and jealous. I thought you could do anything you want to just with the snap of your finger…or perhaps I was really overestimating you. Are you now incapable and finally need my help?"

Pink sparks flounced in Desha's large eyes. Desha walked up more closely to the lady. She was not angry with what the lady said but her lips twitched in awkwardness, her eyes emitted helplessness. Indeed she needed the lady's help but she was too pompous to go low before her. Desha had approached the lady when she was in school some days ago but the lady snubbed her.

"Truly I need your help." Blurted out Desha. Before she could say those words, she actually had a very deep turmoil within her inner self. Taking a step backward, she expected the lady to speak up.

The arena was getting more wraithlike, black owls had started to loom in the dry trees and their hoots filled the air. The crickets had started making sounds. "So Desha, what do you want me to do for you?"

"Nothing more." The girl said. "Just to help me hunt down a bitch that have become a thorn on my flesh. She's making things hard for me and I think I've been too lenient to let her live. She is biting more than she can chew."

The lady chuckled hysterically and her laughter filled the night. "So you can't take down an ordinary girl."

"She's not ordinary, Ashe! It's like there's a resilient bubble enveloping her and I can't get her at all." Desha rolled her eyes. Ashe loved undervaluing people and Desha saw it as this lady's flaw.

"What about your poppa? Doesn't he wields the most powerful black magic? Go to him for help."

Desha now sniveled. "Just leave him out of this matter for now, he's too absorbed in making more money and pursuing more power when he has more than enough already." She continued after sobbing for some minutes. "To be sincere, I haven't seen my dad for a week now. I guess he travelled to Denexothi for another business convention or something like that…"

After the two were done bartering words, they reached an agreement that once Ashe completes the task for her, Desha would try and beg her father to invite Ashe into his dominant inner league.

"Are you satisfied with the agreement now? Let's get down to business, I don't like wasting precious time." Ashe needled. "You know I have potential clients waiting for me. So just be very quick with whatever you're saying."

"Okay!" Desha was now obedient. "Her name is Jemima Stephenson. She's from Eridan. Fifteen, average height. She's fair skinned. Has waist-length ash blonde hair and purple eyes. She's pretty tho." Desha described.

Ashe who was just emitting an effervescent aura suddenly stood frozen. Her bellicose eyes dilated and her face turned white instantly. "Did you just say that she has purple eyes?" Desha nodded. "Yeah."

"Oh no! She's back." Ashe mumbled, her eyes moving to and fro as cold sweats drenched her veil. "Back for vengeance." Ashe mumbled again after she whispered some unfathomable spells.

AT THE MYSTERIOUS CHÂTEAU

The two teleported to an ancient château, they were at the front of the entrance. They entered inside the ancient château and there was nobody there. The surroundings were very vast and intricate, antique effigies were seen here and there posing in awkward positions. A black carpet appeared from nowhere but Desha didn't see it on time.

"What is this place and…?" Desha asked.

"This place is the mysterious château and please just shut up and be attentive. Does it look like we're here for…?" Ashe began to nag again. Desha saw Ashe as someone very annoying so she closed her ears with her hands and continued to walk on top of the black carpet to the pathway that led to the great hall.

There was a sylphlike figure meditating in a classy manner. It was like she was doing yoga. Silence enveloped the field the sylphlike figure was. Just as Desha was gawking with her hazel eyes, the footsteps of Ashe could be heard echoing in the hall yet the figure didn't open her eyes, she was lost in her meditation.

Ashe who had been walking heftily then spoke up, "Hello, old friend."

That was when the figure's eyes opened. Her eyes were stark white. Her pupils could not be seen at all, Desha's eyes widened seeing that. It was only her dad who could do that. In 0.5 second, the figure's eyes returned to normal. A lot were really happening and so fast.

"Ashe!" a mellifluous voice was heard. It was like that of sirens, in fact, that figure could be mistaken for a siren if one didn't think properly. "What do you want?"

Ashe responded. "Nothing, old friend." Now, her face was stern. No expression was seen on her veiled face but the figure was still composed as if nothing bothered her. "It's just that the settled dust have been blown up again."

"Just drive straight to the point and stop beating about the bush!" The figure thundered with an imperative gesture. With this, Ashe nodded silently. Some incomprehensible words came forth from Ashe's mouth.

"What?!" The figure exploded.

"Calm down, Kaliope!" Ashe comforted. "I have someone here with me. If not for her, we would have still been in the dark. Ghazi and Olaf tricked us and made away with it." The figure, now Kaliope craned her eyes and saw the callous Desha. The young girl's face was just bleak, she couldn't understand what the ladies were saying at all.

"Kaliope?" Desha muttered. This has been the lady her father had been screaming about. "Who are you?"

'Who doesn't know Kaliope? Oh! She was one of a kind, the rarest among the rare. Her powers and influences were topnotch, unsurpassed and insuperable. I'll make sure I drag Kaliope back home so that you can see her…" She could still remember the comments of her father about this 'Kaliope'.

Kaliope scrutinized this girl and peeked at Ashe.

"Oh yeah!" Ashe smacked her head and turned to Kaliope as she was pointing Desha. "This is Desha Sinclaire, the only daughter of Levi Sinclaire. Mr. Levi is the liege of the gangland and the netherworld, the potentate of the black forces."

"Wow!" Kaliope mumbled. "I am Kaliope Doom, you can also call me Lady Kismet. I am the current oldest and most powerful sorceress alive." She pulled up a smile but Desha's mouth twitched in uncertainty.

How can an elegant sylphlike figure like Kaliope be the oldest and most powerful sorceress alive when she just looked like a teenager or even younger? With the way Desha was looking at Kaliope, that proved the saying that if looks could kill.

"Back to business!" Kaliope harrumphed. Desha pulled off her gaze from Kaliope and muttered 'sorry'. Kaliope nodded and looked at the nonchalant Ashe. Ashe repeated the same incomprehensible words and Kaliope narrowed her eyes. "Undeniably the settled dust have blown up again…Oh no! She's back…"