Welcome to your new home

"Interesting … " muttered an eerily familiar voice from behind me.

I spun around to see two mysterious cloaked women staring at me with their mouths agape. It was the same two women who had stepped forward and spoken to me before, but they lacked their entourage now. Both their palms were held out toward me, and the same green glow illuminated from their hands. In the light of their emerald flames, I could see both their beautiful faces were contoured into looks of confusion.

"You've just killed an onikuma," the white-haired woman breathed before she spun around to face the other one. "How … how is that possible, sister? No mortal can do that …"

"I haven't the faintest idea," the other woman whispered.

They both looked at the dead beast and then back at me in total confusion and awe.

"Will one of you tell me what the hell is going on?" I demanded as I neared them. "First, you chase me through the woods, and then some kind of animal I've never seen before attacks me out of nowhere."

"Time will tell you everything that you need to know," the women replied in unison.

So fucking creepy.

"Listen--" I started to say, but then the raven-haired woman raised her hand to stop me.

"Fear not, for the feral she-wolf emerges at night, with only the moon to guide her way," she muttered, as if she were talking to herself. "Hide the lambs, the children, and the weak … because she will only leave blood and bone in her wake."

What the fuck?

"And bear in mind," the white-haired woman added, "even when the glittering stars illuminate the night, their beauty cannot prevent the wildest of thunderstorms from destroying everything in its path."

"What in the hell are you babbling?" I spat. "Look … I'm not in the mood for any riddles. Just tell me, who the hell are you?"

The women stood there silent for a long moment as if they, too, couldn't remember their own names.

"My name is Yennefer," the dark-haired woman finally answered. "This is my sister, Echidna. We are a part of the Devil's Academy and have been sent to bring you forth."

"The … what?" I asked with a raised brow.

"You'll see." Echidna smiled.

I slowly lowered the rock and stared hard at them. Compared to the beast I just killed, I didn't feel as if these women were a threat.

Still, something didn't feel right.

"How do I know that I can trust you?" I demanded.

"You can either follow us or continue to wander through the dark wood," Echidna said with a light shrug, "but if I were you, I'd come along."

"Not that he has a choice," Yennefer muttered. "The devil commands

it."

"The devil?" I almost laughed. "First, you mention an academy, and now the devil himself? What the hell are you people?"

"Come," Echidna whispered and crooked a finger at me, "and you'll see."

I glanced between the two of them, and after a long moment of deliberation, I finally nodded in agreement. I decided it was smarter to head back with them, rather than face another near-fatal encounter.

As I took a step forward, I felt something fall on my face. I thought it was rain at first, but it smelled metallic, and it was much too thick to be water. The liquid trickled down my cheeks, and when I brushed it away, I saw blood.

Was I bleeding again?

As if to answer my question, another droplet hit my hand and then another, and I realized it was raining blood.

"Come now, it's pouring," Yennefer purred as her blue eyes studied me curiously. "Trust us."

The word trust sent a cold shiver down my spine. Even though my chances with them were better than being out here, how could I possibly trust these odd women? I had no idea where I was or how I got here … but a primal feeling, deep inside me, told me following them back to wherever they wanted to take me was the wisest course of action.

"Fine," I finally replied. "I'll follow you."

The women curled their lips into satisfied smiles and turned their backs on me. Then I trotted after them as twigs and dead leaves crunched under my boots, and blood poured from the sky.

We walked in silence as the red rain continued to fall down from the black clouds. When we finally left the forest, I looked up and saw rolling, deep green hills, surrounded by willow trees, and on top of the tallest hill stood a massive, gothic castle with the moon behind it.

"Holy shit," I breathed.

"He can see it," Echidna whispered, and her white hair shone brightly in the moonlight. "He must be the one."

"Of course, he is," Yennefer hissed back. "The devil is never wrong."

I still had no idea what they were talking about, but I continued to follow them as they marched toward a towering, black iron gate, where the hooded women were all waiting, as if they had known that I would return all along.

I tried not to stare at the unnerving group of women, and I instead turned my attention back to the gate. I immediately noticed there were a pair of gargoyles placed on both sides, and their eyes glowed a fiery red as we approached the lock.

Echidna pulled out a large, golden key from her pocket, and the thing looked like something out of the Victorian period. It was thick, with intricate designs carved at the handle, and seemed heavy, maybe even made out of real gold.

When the white-haired woman turned the lock, I immediately noticed the gargoyles' eyes flashed from lava red to lime green, and then the gates slowly pulled open.

"Welcome to your new home," Yennefer said with a smirk, and it wasn't a kind expression.

I breathed in sharply before I took a step forward. There were still a thousand questions swarming swiftly through my mind, and I hoped they would be answered soon enough.

I had a feeling that my life depended on it.