162 Come, Agalea

AUTHOR'S POV

Stellan was on his way back to Conrad's hut but his feet led him straight to the opposite side. Compelled to what his heart is missing, he suddenly found himself in front of Iaso's porch, about to open the front door. He couldn't wait any longer. It felt like an eternity not to hear anything from Helena. Captivated, he can't wait to indulge himself in Helena's scent, lock her in his arms and space out in her eyes. The rains have stopped for a while, and there should be some good news already.

Iaso's warm home is filled with extraordinary blend of scents, soothing to the senses. It was spacious with two bedrooms and a privy chamber. Nonconventionally, the kitchen composed majority of her shabby home with several displays of cauldrons and pots. Entirely, the cottage is whimsically a wonderful mess stuffed with so many intriguing things - that with anywhere you look, there are riveting items to see. All surfaces, tables and unmatching chairs, were full of uneven stacked books. The shelves were stocked with dried herbs in different sizes of glass jars, preserved leaves and flowers in pallet boxes, and small bottles of clear to yellowish liquids containing lizard tails, geckos and even snake heads.

Looking around, he found his large pack in the corner that Conrad got from Areon. Surely, he could change to better fitting clothes that should be in there. As he went on, he found a room with slightly opened door. And as he peek in, he found the leader of the coven with Helena's scepter in her hand while she sit closely towards the sleeping soul traveler under a thick quilt.

"Prodire, Agalea", Iaso uttered while she press the tip of the scepter on Helena's chest.

At the words of Iaso, Helena gradually turned to different person - a girl losing one ear, with dark long hair and less fairer skin.. She suddenly gasped heavily as if it's the first time she breathe fresh air. "Iaso?!", Agalea widened her amber eyes as she jumped out of bed. "Why am I back?? Did we fail?", she looked around hastily in total worry and confusion.

"No, no. You, and Freya did well. Everything fell into place perfectly. You've mastered the summoning circles and we got ourselves the celestial healer", Iaso put down the scepter and calmed Agalea down while holding onto her hands.

"But…. But why have I been summoned? Is there something wrong?", Agalea sat down on the bed facing the leader of the coven. Stellan from behind the door couldn't believe what he's seeing. He kept himself hidden in silence whilst he hover.

"I called you to have you known that you need to strenghten your blocking magic so the celestial will never soul travel back.", Iaso explained in such hurry. "Do you understand, Agalea? Anchor her soul to this body until the transition completes", she grasped on Agalea's hand with certainty to pursue their plans on not letting go of Helena's soul until they exchange bodies.

"I-I understand Iaso. I will do my best.", Agalea positively replied.

"I know you can. You mastered the summoning circles before, no doubt you'll perfect the anchoring spell", Iaso nodded with assurance.

Agalea suddenly grazed her wrist looking for something. "Oh, where's the arm cuff?", she remembered.

"I saw this in her belongings, it has dark magic in it", Iaso showed the beaded bracelet from Helena's chanery and held the damask arm cuff on the other. "It absorbed the power of my stone.", she said.

"I can part the magic and return it to your arm cuff", Agalea offered.

"I already did", Iaso destroyed the beaded bracelet as it turn into ashes in one blow of her breath. She returned the damask armcuff, with restored powers on its stone, back in Helena's chanery. "And now, go back to sleep Agalea.. the transition of your souls will be completed soon. I'll make sure your sacrifice will not be put to waste. My stone in this cuff will be safe with this soul traveler", Iaso said as she embrace her loyal coven sister.

"I shall serve our kind with all my soul", Agalea laid down and closed her eyes. "For Wicce", she mumbled.

"Animam Retro Deducere", Iaso uttered as she press the tip of the scepter on Agalea's chest. Slowly, Agalea's complexion turned fairer, her hair got a little shorter, and her ear grew back - like the Haelan Stellan knew but with much more variation in appearance.

On her feet, Iaso wrapped the soul traveler with a quilt. She looked out the window and smiled realizing the rains have completely seized, and the skies have finally cleared. Checking on Helena, she seemed to have started to heal right away. With an understanding that no herb or magic spell can cure the mortal body of a soul traveler, comfort is the best thing that she and Wicce's shaman can do for Helena. Burning a fresh sprig with quartz wrapped in a paper, she spread its smoke around Helena and mumbled a common sleep spell to give her a better slumber without having nightmares.

When she's done, Iaso was startled to hear the door creaked open. Looking back, she raised her brows at her visitor who came in without proper notice. "Stellan, I didn't notice you there. Have you been there too long?", Iaso asked in a low voice as she finish her spells. "I specifically told you to wait outside", she whispered as she put down the smoky sprig on the table and walked the paladin out of the room.

"I just came in. How is she?", Stellan asked worriedly seeing Helena sleeping peacefully.

"She's out of danger. We cleaned her, changed her clothes and treated all the damn bites. She just needed rest", Iaso pushed Stellan out of the room to let Helena rest more.

"Then, I'm glad", Stellan said with a sigh. His eyes widened in astonishment when he turned to see the entire hut, which was a mess a few moments before, is now tidy and spotless. All the stacked books were gone. The clutter were nowhere to be found. All that remained was a shabby cozy home of white wood and florals looking more like a home.

"So how do you find Wicce?", Iaso asked as she brew some of her favorite tea leaves in a pot over a light flame in an alcove cooking area.

"You lied. There's no hanging houses for setting off the flying brooms", Stellan sat down on a crooked and wiggling dining chair.

"Hahaha!! At least I get to fool a paladin once in my life", Iaso laughed as she stir the boiling tea magically. Then, she fixed Stellan's chair with a light squint in her eyes. Impressed, the paladin knight curved his lips at the magic tricks of the Wiccan. "How's your mother?", a couple of red lined teacups and saucers floated and were properly set on the table for Stellan.

"Time seemed to have stood still on her, she never age a day", Stellan shrugged his shoulders.

"I bet. Beautiful as always", Iaso replied warmly. She sat across the paladin and poured tea in his cup. "One of the few royals who treat Wiccans like actual people", she said.

"Made you my godmother too", Stellan carefully sipped the tea and nodded with eyes closed. The nostalgic taste of Iaso's tea served him good memories.