We were in the middle of a spacious living room. Sofas, carved or magically transformed, were aligned around an empty space. They formed a rectangle if looked at from a above. There was a high table with a wooden bowl on top in the corner of the room. Strange fumes, purple and green, exuded from it. Raiya pointed at a sofa to my right, “place here there,” she said then walked to the wooden bowl.

“Won’t Utar find us here?” I asked as I walked over the sofa and gently placed the unconscious woman.

“Oh, right,” Raiya said then walked to a painting, the exact replica of the tree we just got into. Her hands touched the canvas and I saw, to my astonishment, that the painting moved. She swiped her hand to the left and an image of a different forest appeared. The place looked slightly different, with pine trees rather than rosewood. The painting flashed red and Raiya swiped her hand once more.

She kept doing so, forest after forest appeared then disappeared, until she smiled at a picture with sal trees, tall and filled with green leaves. Her palm hit the painting then the house trembled. My body swayed left and right. I held onto the sofa beside me to avoid falling. It felt as though an earthquake had suddenly hit. I looked up, the crystal chandelier that hung above us rattled, threatening to fall above our head. When the movement stopped, Raiya looked at me with a triumphant smile.

“Let him look,” she said. “We’re far from reach now.” She revealed a smile of satisfaction which, coupled with her twinkling emerald eyes, made her look like a beauty, straight out of fairy tales.

“Where are we?” a shrill voice came from behind me.

I turned around to see Zoey. I’d forgotten about her. After the encounter with Sam and Utar, it seemed I have forgotten about the Sister and Eli. Zoey still wore that disdainful look upon her face. Her fine nose didn’t look attractive anymore. Instead, I found myself focusing on her overly long eyebrows and her protruding front teeth, which made her look like a mutated rodent.

“Somewhere near the Sayang river,” Raiya replied then turned to focus on another matter.

She took some herbs, shells and some other material I couldn’t recognize then started grinding and cutting by the high table at the corner.

“We’re in the western continent?” Zoey asked. Was she always this loud?

Raiya nodded.

The realization slowly dawned on me. We’ve just crossed an entire ocean. How can someone ever achieve such a feat? But then I remembered that I was standing in a house which was built inside a tree.

“If you could cross an ocean with a wave of your hand,” I said, “why did we run from Utar then?”

“Utar’s just a pawn,” Raiya answered, still grinding and cutting. “We don’t want the whole church looking for us.” She took the pile of crushed shells and grinded herbs, added them to the bowl then turned to me. “Trust me, you don’t want the entire church as your enemy,” she stopped for a while, smiled then continued, “but you’ve already done that, haven’t you?”

I looked at the ground, part of me felt ashamed, the other part felt wronged. What was a Listener anyway? Why did my actions set the whole church against me? I couldn’t tell despite straining my brains to find an answer.

“What did he do?” Eli asked. I was happy it wasn’t Zoey who spoke this time. I don’t think I could’ve taken more of her shrieks.

“It’s not my secret to tell,” Raiya answered. “Know this though,” she said before Eli or Zoey opened their mouths to protest, “if you insist on him telling you, you’d have made the church your enemy as well. You’re fugitives from the independent state of Helton. Don’t go and make your situation worse.”

I gave Raiya a look that meant I was immensely grateful. She replied with a furtive wink. The bowl in the table started emitting popping sounds. Raiya turned to take care of it and silence came back.

Eli was looking around, Zoey walked to Agatha and stood beside her, frozen. The house, hidden inside the large tree was quite warm. There was a wooden spiraling staircase leading upwards and downwards. The ceiling on top of us was ornamented by crystals, bathing the entire place in twinkling, colorful lights. This place was much bigger in the inside.

Raiya was done making her concoction then headed for the Herbologist. She was holding a small chalice. “Lift her head up, help her drink this,” she said, holding the chalice closer to Agatha’s mouth.

“What’s this?” Zoey asked.

“Something to help her recover strength,” Raiya answered. I held Agatha’s head up and Raiya held the chalice to her lips. Zoey, on the other hand, had another say in the matter. She slapped the cup away, frowning at all of us. An opaque liquid filled the floor. Raiya looked at it disapprovingly. The look in her eyes at that moment resembled the one she gave Utar before she attacked him.

“You’d blindly entrust her life to this stranger?!” she yelled at me. “We don’t even know who – “

Raiya flung her arm aside and the Sister was levitated in the air. She flew backwards then was slowly seated on one of the numerous sofas in the living room. She opened her mouth and screamed some more, but no sound could be heard. She couldn’t move either, as I saw her struggle to stand, her face turning beet-red. That’s how I looked to Sam as he tried to get Agatha’s location out of me.

The witch – no warlock – picked the chalice then went back to the high table, filled it, and came back to Agatha. I held her head up then closed her nose as soon as the liquid filled her mouth. Agatha swallowed the concoction. Raiya stood up, looking satisfied.

“Now then, let’s talk about your ordeal,” she said then clicked her fingers. The spell binding Zoey was released and the latter started screaming, telling Raiya where she could shove that chalice filled with the foul substance she had made. Raiya only chuckled at her remarks then threatened to sew her mouth shut, to which the Sister responded with a resolute, yet brooding silence.

“What’s up with that bag you have around your chest?” Raiya asked as she turned to me.

“I’ll tell you if you answer some questions, I believe, we all have for you,” I said, glancing at Zoey then Eli, who was still looking around, mesmerized.

“Shoot,” the witch said as she sat on a checked, black and white sofa.

“Who are you?” to this question, both Eli and Zoey looked at me, their mouths agape.

“You don’t even know who she is?” Zoey cried out. “Yet you brought us here?!”

“She saved our lives,” I retorted. “She just pulled me out of Utar’s clutches. I thought I was a goner.” Zoey crossed her arms, still not willing to trust the warlock.

“You really don’t remember, do you?” Raiya said, a kind of sad smile on her face. That’s the second time somebody had asked me this question today.

“You know him?” Eli asked.

“I bet she charmed him, using her wicked witchcraft!” Zoey barked.

“I don’t know anything about both of you, save for your names,” Raiya told Zoey and Eli. “Whereas I know quite a lot about him,” she said as she jerked her head toward me. “Have a seat, let’s have something to drink and mull things over. Wine?” she asked, retrieving a bottle from a cabinet near the high table. She also produced four glasses then came back to the sofa.

“I must admit,” she said after she sat down and crossed her legs. Her ample thighs showed beneath the cuts of her green dress. “I’m intrigued, nobody forgets seeing me, nobody!”

“I bet!” Eli muttered under his breath as he settled on a burgundy chintz couch. I sat next to him, frowning. I didn’t know how Raiya would react to that remark. To my surprise, she had let a shadow of a smile appear on her oval face.

“I’ve had a lot to deal with,” I retorted. “How do you know me?”

“Yeah,” Zoey intervened. “What do you know about him?”

“I don’t remember you looking so disfigured, for starters,” Raiya said. “A shame, you were such a handsome boy. But your aura’s quite unique. I could sense you miles before you entered the forest.”

“Get to the point, will you?” Zoey snapped.

Raiya shot an annoyed look at the Sister. But she got to the point nonetheless. “We met in Yanoku. It feels like an eternity now. I helped cure your bedridden mother, remember?”

“I don’t remember much about my family,” I admitted, sadness gripping my heart. “All I know, I acquired from my dreams. I often dreamed of my past when I lay on my cell in the Crucible. I can’t really picture my parents’ faces.”

“Did Utar wipe your memories before throwing you in the Crucible?” Raiya’s question wasn’t addressed to anybody in particular. She played with her sliver blond hair, absorbed in thought. “No matter, we’ll find out soon enough.” She said dismissively after a while.

She waved her hand and coffee tables sprung up from the wooden ground before us. The empty space in the middle of the aligned sofas was now filled with tables to hold our glasses. She clicked her fingers and the bottle sprung up, flew in the air then filled our glasses.

“Why did you help us?” Eli asked the witch. She didn’t answer. Instead, she kept looking at Eli and the glass of wine before him. Eli’s eyes widened, as if he understood something I didn’t. He picked up the glass, sniffed it then tasted the rose liquid. He nodded his head in appreciation then raised his glass to the warlock.

Raiya smiled, Eli urged me to drink too. Where were my manners? I guess Sam beat them out of me. I sipped from the wine too then raised my glass to our host. The wine was sweet yet had a slightly sour aftertaste. It was cold enough to be enjoyed. I guess she chilled it using her magic. The woman smiled then spoke at last, ignoring Zoey completely.

“This boy helped me acquire a grimoire, a book of spells, long ago. I couldn’t have done it without him. It’s only natural that I help him now, and by extension you, especially with Utar hard at your heels,” she said then smiled at me. Her large emerald eyes twinkled as my remaining one crossed hers.

“Can we trust her?” Eli said looking at me.

“My turn now,” Raiya said. “I’ll answer your next question after you answer mine.”

I nodded at Eli then looked at the witch expectantly.

“Where did you get this bag?”

“It belongs to a ghost, she helped us escape,” I answered. Eli was going to ask her something but I stopped him. I had a feeling the woman would consider it her next question. The warlock smiled, sipped from her cup then looked at Zoey. Her eyes flared as they met Zoey’s. “A Sister, are you? I bet your order will be looking for you. I shudder to think of what they’d do if they ever catch you.”

Zoey glared at the witch in silence. Her hands formed a fist, her brows knitted into an ugly frown.

“Tell me what you know about me,” I told her, breaking the staring contest.

“Really? That’s your question?”

I nodded. It was the only way to get her to talk longer. Tell me more about my past, I needed to remember. Apart from my dreams, thinking about my past only gave me headaches.

“You’re Myles Stalwart,” the warlock said after taking another sip from her rosé. “Your mother’s name is Lyanna, your father’s Tibault Stalwart. He was a famous hunter during his time. He was a stupid drunk when I saw him,” the part about my father made her pretty face contort into a grimace of disgust. She shook her head, as if to chase the memory of my father away, causing her long smooth hair to fly in all directions.

“You have two sisters and two brothers. You possess powers only your father, and later on myself, know of. I offered to teach you magic when you suddenly committed a heinous crime and were imprisoned.”

“What?” Eli gasped at me. “Was it the same one Utar’s chasing you for?”

“I dunno,” I lied. “I remember Utar chasing me for some crime I committed, but I can’t remember if this is the one.” The part about the crime surprised me. I didn’t know I had committed another crime, other than “stealing” a Listener from Dhobor. But I knew this one was different. Call it intuition or an internal feeling that told me those two crimes were different.

“Not that crime,” Raiya retorted. “You killed someone,” she went on. “I can’t tell you who it was. You have to remember it, lest you lose your mind.”

“What do you mean?” Zoey spoke. Her voice was quivering. She was afraid the witch would punish her for speaking out loud.

“My turn,” Raiya smiled at us. Zoey let out an exasperated sigh. Raiya ignored it. “What did the ghost want in return for her help?”

“She wanted me to take her bones to Milogac,” I replied.

“Interesting,” the witch said playfully as she stroked her long silver blond hair back into position. Both Eli and I looked at her, our mouths slightly agape.

Zoey was still brooding, shooting disapproving looks at us. “What’s interesting?” she asked before I could stop her.

“Milogac is important you see,” the witch answered with a smirk. “It’s this cycle’s location for the beginning of the Holi Wars.”

“The Holi what?” Zoey asked.

“Not so fast,” Raiya retorted. “It’s my turn now. Do you remember that woman?” she asked me, pointing at Agatha who was still unconscious.

“No,” I answered, “I only feel something when I look at her, admiration… and hatred… deep rooted hatred. Sam, the boy with Utar told me she was his aunt. I know he was my friend, but I can’t remember how important of a friend he was to me. Why did the ghost ask me to go to Milogac?” I had to ask the question before Zoey asked something irrelevant.

“The Holi Wars grant their summoner a wish. The ghost must have something important to offer in exchange for her life back. Do you know anything about the Holi Wars?” this time, Raiya asked all of us. She looked at each of us in turn after she finished her question.

“I know the legend passed down upon my family members,” Eli answered. “The gist of it is that the winner gains godly powers. Whoever finds the Holi Grail gains tremendous powers, becoming an immortal in the process.”

“Why did you offer to teach me magic?” I asked. Zoey hissed then slumped back in her seat. I ignored her. I never knew about magic until I saw Utar use it. Now Raiya tells me I could use it? Perhaps I’ve lost more of my memory than I reckoned.

“Because you have a knack for it Stalwart,” Raiya said. “It runs in your blood. I’m sure you can still use. But the first step would be to recover your memories.”

“I hope there’s a way to recover them,” I said. “That wasn’t a question,” I added, noticing Raiya’s raised eyebrows.

“It’ll take time,” she said. “And it’s a tedious process. What can you offer me in return?”

“We still have to settle a price for saving Agatha,” I said. I could feel Eli’s stare from the corner of my eye. I decided to ignore it. I’d explain everything later.

“I guess we’ll have to talk about this later,” Raiya said then stood. “I have an unexpected visitor. Make yourselves at home. Sleeping quarters are upstairs. Don’t bother going downstairs. You can’t access any of the doors.”

She left us and walked past the main door. We heard the tree rumbling then everything went quiet.

“Now what?” Eli asked.