Witches

The dark clouds started to fill the room. The girl behind the counter started to scream. Then I heard the scuffling of feet coming from upstairs. It was people rushing down the stairs. The back door swung open and out came an old lady and an old gentleman. When they saw the dark clouds inside the room, they both cursed.

“What is this?” questioned the old man. He was scanning the room with his dark black eyes.

“I told you that something always goes wrong with your spells! Old man! What did you do this time?” the old lady said angrily, hitting the old man over the head with her cane.

“Grandma, Grandpa. Help me!” pleaded the girl, her body was being lifted off the ground.

The old man glanced over at her and frowned. He took out a talisman. Then chanted a few words under his breath and threw the talisman at the clouds of spirits around the young lady.

A sharp shriek came from within the clouds and it dispersed releasing the girl. The old lady walked over to the girl and started releasing talismans of her own. Soon 8 talismans formed into a circle and protected them from the clouds of spirits.

“What happened? Why is this happening?” asked the old lady leaning down to help the young lady back to her feet.

The young lady shook her head. She looked in my direction and pointed. For the first time the old lady and the old man noticed Riley and me.

The old man snickered and continued his work. Talisman after talismans flew into the air. I watched in amazement. What kind of magic was this? It was not elemental based because the energy released looked completely different. The magic exhibited a silver aura.

The old man chanted. The talismans shot through the air, wherever the talisman touched, spirits screamed and vanished. Fifteen minutes later, every spirit in the room was destroyed. The old man wiped his brows with the back of his sleeves. He called the talismans back and placed them neatly into a rectangular leather sack on the side of his belt. He lifted his head and glared in my direction.

“Who are you?” he asked walking over to the old lady and standing in front of them, seemingly guarding them from me.

I chuckled bitterly. I felt annoyed. Hey, I’m totally innocent here. It was you guys that set the stupid spell up wrong. I scratched my head “Sir, I’m just a lowly customer. I was just about to leave.” I said with mixed feelings. I reached for the door.

A talisman flew pass me and landed on the door. Silver light spread out effectively sealing the exit. I breathed out a sigh of regret. I’d almost got away Scott free. I really was a simple person. I’ve been through enough already. I did not want to get involved in any more supernatural stuff. I had enough things on my plate. The organization was still on my trail and probably will be for the rest of my life. I really did not want another set of people after me.

I put Riley back onto the ground. He was no longer shaking. The spirits were all gone. His demeanour had come back. He stood silently behind me.

“Old sir, I really don’t want trouble here." I said holding my hands up to tell them I meant them no harm. "Please just let us go and we can both forget any of this ever happened.” I suggested showing them my brightest smile.

The old man snorted. “No one is leaving this room until I find out what the heck happened?" He took a single talisman back out from his leather sack. "Did you do this? Did you let all those spirits in here?” he questioned, the talisman pointed at me.

I frowned. “Old sir. First off, I am just a customer and that is all that I am." I spread my arms out in exasperation. "Secondly, I did not let any spirits into here. That was all your doing,” I said pointing my fingers toward him and the crystal ball inside the support beam.

He glanced over toward the crystal ball. A weird expression appeared on his face “It looks fine.” He said perplexed. “Looks perfectly normal to me.” He smiled. “I’d personally installed it just last week,” he finished, proud of himself.

I laughed inside. Yeah you did an awesome job old man. I rubbed my temple. This old dude still did not realize his rune was in reverse. “Old sir” I said stepping forward.

The old man flinched, and silver fire ignited around his talisman.

“Woooh!" I hollered and stopped. "Old sir. Hold your horses. I’m just going to point out what the problem is” I said, holding my right hand out to stop him. Slowly I squeezed pass him and stopped next to the crystal ball. I pointed at the rune inside the crystal ball.

The old lady watched me with amusement and the young girl looked at me with suspicion.

“Okay sir. First off. This rune is reversed” I pointed out. "It should be the other way around" I finished.

The old lady gasped. “Holy Lord. I knew you would have messed up!" She pushed the old man and me aside. She craned her neck down and examined the rune inside the crystal ball.

“I can’t believe this!" She shouted in exasperation, her hand clasped over her head. "The one thing you were in charge of and you mess it up!" she paused to take in a deep breath. "My dear lord. No wonder all those spirits were in here. You set up a trapping ward!" she exploded. "Not an actual spirit warding. My goodness! I can’t believe you can mess up on such a simple task. The stupid rune was set into reverse!” she shouted, then drew up her cane and smacked the old man over the left leg.

The old held his left leg and winced. He then limped over to the crystal ball and looked inside.

“This is the single most outrageous thing you could have done. Luckily the spell wasn’t up for to long or else every freaking spirit in the city would be here. If that happened even your stupid talismans can’t extinguish them,” She admonished lifting her cane once again. The young lady stopped her.

"Grandma!" she shouted.

The old lady let her cane down and took in a deep breath. She glared at the old man.

“Wifey, I was sure the rune was supposed to be this way” He said taking out a small book from underneath his clothes.

"See the rune is exactly the same," he pleaded.

I peaked over the drawing and laughed. The old man had the book upside down.

“What’s so funny?” he said angrily, holding up his talisman in warning.

“Your book is upside down." I said trying to hold in my laughter.

“What?" he said confused. He looked down at the book. "This looks up right to me. See these words are all read from left to right." He said.

“Actually," I said flipping his book around. "This language is read from left to right and the words should be this way." I said pointing down at the words.

The old mans eyes bulged in disbelief. "How does this even make sense? Look at all this empty space up here. This surely is the bottom." He complained.

"This language is the old language of the North Kingdom. They actually have a tradition of leaving a huge chunk of space at the top of the pages. Their reason is that later people can add their own interpretation to it." I explained. This language was the official language of the North Kingdom. The North kingdom existed from 4000 to 2000 years ago and it collapsed shortly after. A deadly fog suddenly destroyed all of the northern lands. To this day, the northern lands are still devoid of life. No one dares going up there. The deadly fog still clouds the lands. It ensures no living creature can enter or exit from the land alive.

“No way," said the old man.

The old lady placed her hands over her eyes and shook her head. She was too embarrassed to continue looking.

“See, like I said this thing has nothing to do with me. It was all your handy work. So, can I go now?” I asked taking Riley’s hand starting to back away.

“Wait, how do you know so much about the warding spells?” asked the old man suspicious.

I rubbed my temple. “I just happen to be very knowledgeable.” I said trying to explain my wide knowledge.

“This doesn’t sound right." The old man said getting more suspicious.

“Young man, why did you come to our shop?” he asked.

I sighed. “I was simply here looking for an herb, but unfortunately, you guys don’t have it” I answered.

“An herb we don’t have?" he muttered skeptically. "What type of herb is it? Is it a rare herb?” he asked.

“Actually, it’s not rare at all, but strangely no one in town seems to carry it.” I complained.

“What herb are you looking for?” asked the old man.

“I was looking for Lax weed” I replied.

The old man furrowed his brow. “Lax weed? How is it possible for us to be out of Lax weed?” He said, turning to face his granddaughter.

“That’s exactly my question." I agreed. There shouldn’t be a reason for a shortage of Lax weed. It was the most common herb out there.

“Actually, we are out" said the young lady.

The old lady furrowed her brows questioningly at her, “Really? Explain?” She ordered.

“Just yesterday, the mayor's assistant came here and bought all the Lax weed we had in stock. He said the Mayor needed it for something." She explained.

“Really? That’s strange. No one needs that much Lax weed. Lax weed is really not that useful. Except for being used as a basic ingredient, it has no other uses.” She said, furrowing her brow in thought.

“Young man, why don’t you use something else instead of Lax weed?” The old lady suggested.

“I can, but for my potion Lax weed is important. Replacing it would require 6 rare herbs. Its not a fair trade" I said letting slip that I was a potions master.

“Oh, you are a potions maker" she asked, eyeing me. She examined me for the first time.

“Young man, you seem to know a lot about spells. Are you perhaps a student of the academy?” she asked.

“No,” I said. I didn’t know what the academy was?

“Oh,” the old lady said disappointed. “Then are you an member of the healer society?" She asked.

“No” I lied. I couldn’t tell her I was. That could leave a trail.

She narrowed her eyes. She seems to have caught onto my lie. I started to feel nervous. This lady was very sharp.

“That's strange. How are you a potions maker if you aren’t part of the academy or healers society?” she asked, hee cane tapping gently on the ground.

“Actually, I just like to read a lot." I swallowed nervously. "I learnt a lot of things from books.” I said giving her a smile. This lady, why did I feel like I was facing master when I see her? Her every move and word felt like master. It was a strange feeling.

“Young man, I know you are lying, but I don’t care. All I care about is that we can’t let you go today” she said tapping her cane on the ground once again.

“Why?” I asked my expression darkening. I may be feeling uneasy around her, but this was outrageous.

“Because you saw to much.” she said. She took the talisman from the old man and flung it into the air. She tapped her cane on the ground and silver light shrouded the room. Soon piercing silver needles above our heads.

I tensed. This kind of magic was unlike any I had ever seen. What was she?

“Wait wifey, I know we need to keep ourselves from being found, but this young man seems to be genuinely a good person. You don't need to go this far.” The old man said.

I was surprised at the old man. A few minutes ago. He was the one not letting me go. Now, he was the one helping me. I did not understand this old dude at all.

“Old man, you don’t understand. This young man is not what he seems. There is no way the spirits would react this way, even if you had set up the spell wrong. So, this young man here is either a mage or something else. Only with the addition of outside magic would the spirits rebel against us this quickly.” She said, taping her cane on the ground once again. The silver needles above our heads started to gather.

I covered my eyes. This old lady was pretty perceptive. It was our presence that made the spirits react. But my god, did she think we wanted this to happen? I started to tap into my orbs.

Suddenly Riley stood in front to me, his arms spread in a protective mode. “Old lady, this has nothing to do with Logan sir. This, is all my fault” he said.

I froze, what was this little fella doing?

The old lady blinked. “Who are you child?” she asked perplexed.

“I’m… I’m... a mage” he answered.

Everyone starred at Riley. I was not amused. What was he doing? He did not need to do this. I could handle this by myself.

“Riley…” I started to say.

“Logan sir, I know this is my fault. I felt the spirits the moment I entered the shop. They must have somehow riled up because of me. I am a mage after all. I have to stand up for my wrong doings.” He said his will unwavering.

I was beginning to get a headache. Riley there is a time to say something and there is a time to keep quiet. Why are you admitting you are a mage? Actually, you're not a mage at all. You’re a Phoenix. I screamed inside my head.

“You’re a mage?” questioned the old man starring down accursedly at Riley.

“You don’t look like a mage.” The old lady said. She flicked her cane and the silver needles spread out and the room was entirely surrounded by the needles.

“Grandma it’s true. This boy did say that there were spirits here before it all started,” the young lady complained hiding behind her grandparents.

“I don’t sense any magic coming from this child. Not even a trace.” The old lady said eyeing Riley. “This young man though, is full of magic" she pointed her cane at me.

I froze. This old lady could sense my magic? How was this possible?

"Although, I can’t tell if he uses it or not. But he does have a high possibility of being a mage.” the old lady said her brows furrowed into a crescent shape.

I swallowed hard. She really could see my magic. What does this mean? She was no wind mage or Life mage. Could it be related to her unique magic?

“I am a mage…” Riley stuttered. “My magic is just… just sealed” he admitted.

“Sealed?” questioned the old lady, she narrowed her eyes. Then, she nodded her head. "Yes, there is a seal on you. Not a very powerful one." He admitted.

“You see. This is all my fault. If you have to blame someone, blame me.” Riley said taking a step forward.

“It’s possible that sealed magic can interfere with the spirits” the old lady said. “Alright then, child, we will have to take you both into custody. But this young man can’t be let go either.” She said. “We can’t afford to let the word out that we are witches” She said nodding to her husband then waving her in a circular motion. The needles in the air dispersed and a talisman returned to her hand.

“But….” Riley complained.

I placed a hand on Riley’s shoulder, holding him back. “Riley that’s enough.” I said staring him in the eye. “I will take care of this” I said getting ready to fight these people. I was starting to push magic out from my magic orbs.

“Wait Logan!” Carter’s voice rang in my head. I stopped. What the heck did he want at a time like this?

The old man threw 7 talismans into the air and chains appeared. Within seconds the chains linked around my four limbs and tightened. I was startled by the sudden action of the old man. I did not react in time. Carter’s voice made me loose concentration.

When I tried to access my magic orbs once again, I found myself unable to access them. What the heck? What did the old man do? I started to lose my composure. I glared across the room at the old man.

“Shit!!” I cursed in frustration.

“Sorry young man. Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you or the boy. We just need you two to stay put for a few more days. Then we will release you.” The old man said.

“That remains to be decided.”said the old lady. She tuned and took her grand daughter with her up stairs.

“Come on, I will show you to a room for now” said the old man pulling on the chains.

“Wait!” I said trying for one more time to access my magic orbs. It did not work.

“Young man, its useless. You can’t access it” said the old man, a smile was plastered on his face.

I starred at him. He knew. So, I had revealed myself?

“I knew the instant I saw you. You are a mage. Plus, just before, my chains hit you I saw a flicker of magic around you. Don’t worry though. We don’t have anything against you. But we can’t afford to allow our presence in town to be known at all.” He said, pulling Riley and me down a set of stairs leading into the basement.

“Who are you people?” I asked.

“We are witches. Didn’t my wife just say so?” he said chuckling.

“Witches?” I said. “Aren’t witches just mages?” I asked.

The old man laughed. “I guess the mages that taught you did not ever explain to you the difference between mages, and witches?” he laughed. His laughter was strong and hardy.

I shook my head. I actually didn’t know. I had always thought witches were just another name for mages.

“I guess you weren’t taught at a mage school either.” He stated.

I shook my head. I was definitely not taught at a mage school. I was self taught more then anything.

The old man’s eye brows twitched. “That’s rare. Where did you learn magic from?” he asked.

“I had a master” I answered.

“Had?” the old man asked.

“He’s kind of gone” I murmured.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” he said expressing his condolences. “Any how, we witches are not mages. Mages gets their magic from the elemental orbs inside their magic cores. But we witches use a whole different kind of magic. We get our magic from the sealing orb. Of course, like mages we have a magic core, but the sealing orb is not one of the five elements. It is a completely different kind of magic. The mages don’t have access to this power. That’s why the majority of them are jealous of us.” He laughed.

Sealing orb, I thought. So, there was other kinds of orbs other than the five elements. That’s strange the book of divine never mentioned them. It should have at least said something. This was big news.

“We witches like to stay under the radar. There isn’t many of us left in this world. The mages and us are not exactly friendly with each other. So that’s why we are wary about you. But you seem okay to me. But my wife is the boss. So, I can’t let you go.” He said pushing a door open and walking into a small room. The room was fully furnished with a single bed, a small table and a tiny washing room. Old paintings hung on the walls.

“Here we are, for the next few days you and your little friend here must stay here.” He said.

He then placed a talisman on the wall and the room changed somehow. I did not know how, but it felt different.

“Here.” He said. Placing his hands over the chains. They suddenly transformed into a bracelet around my right hand. The chains on my feet and left hand vanished.

“This looks better than the chains. But it does the same thing. Your magic is sealed for the time being” he said. Then he walked out of the room and the room clicked. He had locked us in.

I could not Believe it. We were trapped here with no magic. I was angry. Riley sat on the bed and started pouting.

“Carter!” I screamed.

Riley jumped at my sudden outburst.

“Carter, get your butt out here!” I shouted.

"Logan sir are you okay?” Riley asked walking up to me, taking my hands into his.

I looked down at him. My eyes were still full of furry. I took in deep breaths. “I’m fine Riley. Just sit over there.” I pointed to the bed.” I have some business to take care of."

Riley sat down with reluctance. He watched me with a worry expression.

I sighed. This situation was just not ideal. What was I supposed to do now? My magic was sealed. If it wasn’t because Carter distracted me at the last moment, I would have been able to react in time. Life magic may not have helped during that instance, but wind could have. I was getting angrier and angrier. The deep breaths were not helping.

"Carter, get out here this instance!” I shouted, taking out the dragon’s heart from inside my pocket. I had kept it there. I still did not know where to keep it. I couldn’t put it inside the cauldron. So, the only place I could put it in was inside my pocket. I know this is not a safe place to keep it, but what could I do?

The dragon heart flickered and suddenly Carter appeared in front of me.

“Carter, why did you interfere like that?" I questioned him sternly.

“Wow, he sealed your magic.” he smirked.

I tried to hold in my anger, but it was not helping. “I asked you why?” I shouted.

“Shh,” Carter said raising his claw up to my mouth.

I wanted to strangle him. This dragon was playing with me.

“You should see your face.” Carter laughed. “Okay. Actually, there is something here in this building that is resonating with me? At least I think. It’s my intuition working. It feels like something related to my race is here. So, naturally you had to be captured for me to be able to study it” he explained.

My head exploded. This dragon did all this for a simple intuition. I breathed even more heavily. “You…. You” I said my word lost with my anger.

“Logan sir…” Riley's voice interrupted. He sounded scared.

I turned to face him. He was staring at me with his eyes bulged. I almost forgot that Riley did not know of Carters existence. Well at least not formerly. He's felt his presence before.

“Who… who are you… talking to?” he asked stuttering. His eyes full of fear.

“Riley, let me explain” I said.

“He’s talking to me” answered Carter. He materialized before him.

Riley's eyes rolled up and he fainted.

I quickly ran over to the bed, placed my fingers on his pulse. “Phew, he only fainted from shock. He’s fine otherwise.” I said relieved.

I glared up at Carter, “Why did you do that?” I scolded him.

“Hey if you are planning on taking in this Phoenix. He’s bound to find out sooner or later. It’s better to be sooner. I don’t want him to think you are a wacko. Always talking to yourself,” he said.

I gave him a glare. This dragon just doesn’t know how to do things in moderation.

“Okay, what are we going to do now? They sealed my magic,” I said.

“That’s alright,” Carter said.

“How is that alright. We are prisoners right now,” I iterated my words so that he could understand our situation.

“If I say it’s alright. It’s alright. Have you forgotten you have a contract with me? Your own powers may be sealed but my magic is not,” he said.

I starred up at him and blinked. I had forgotten about his magic. “But how do I access your magic without my magic core?” I asked him unsure how to get at his magic without my core.

“Simple.” Carter said landing on my shoulders.

Magic flowed down his legs into my body and I suddenly could feel his magic source.

“If I stay physically attached to you my magic can be used.” He said.

I frowned at him and turned my head. But that was one problem solved anyways.