“Yuki, what have you done my child!” Ahera gasped, as she looked at her daughter, and the lifeless body of her son in law on her daughter’s lap. Yuki was weeping surrounded in a pool of blood, “I am sorry mother, I don’t know what took over me, I became so greedy.”
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Ahera was a half witch, from her childhood she understood, she was one of her kind. Never accepted by the rest of her community; she and her father were an outcast. Her mother died while giving birth to her. As a little girl she would often ask her father, “Papa, why don’t they sit with me in school, why don’t they play with me? They call me half bread; I don’t look like bread. Do I?” Her father laughed trying to hide his tears, caressing her forehead gently he would say, “There’s something really wrong with their eyes, how can they compare such a beautiful girl bread? I think they did their spells all wrong and their eyes have turned into marbles.” Both chuckled at their own private joke.
But, Ahera was smart, it didn’t take her long to understand it wasn’t “half-bread” but “half-bred”, but she didn’t want to hurt her father anymore, he was already paying the price of his love, witches out casted him although he was talented, and humans avoided him and considered him to be crafty and scheming. They lived a solitary life at one end of the village, farming medicinal herbs.
“I don’t like it papa,” Ahera would say, “they come to you when they need the herbs, they know, nobody can breed them the way you do, but once they get what they want they go back to their original selfish ways. They don’t even call you during the coven, they are so thankless.”
“Don’t worry Ahera, when you will become powerful with your magic, they will need you, they will call you, they will come to you, keep working for the day. I heard the king liked my herbs, maybe I can ask him to pull some strings to make you a part of his counsel. And, always remember forgiveness is the art of the strong. Keep a warm heart and an open mind.”
As years passed by, Ahera out shone everyone else, she was the smartest, the most hard working, and the most beautiful. Although, she was isolated at school, just like everywhere else, but no one could deny that she had what it takes to be the best; she had no friends, and so she had many rivals. Soon, Ahera became, the most powerful. Her rivals envied her beauty and talents. Whether they liked her or hated her, but, nobody could avoid her. Gradually she was awed, and she knew knew that came from fear. They didn’t want to be on her bad side. But, by living so many years isolated, she didn’t allow them to get closer. Ahera understood, everyone needed something from her; that is why they were being nice with her.
As soon as she finished her training, her name started spreading, and soon it reached the king. That day finally came when she was not going to remain an outsider anymore. Ahera was summoned by their king Helifus, “Ahera, with your power and skills you have proved that you are more of a witch and less of a human. It wasn’t your fault the way you were born.” He was instantly impressed by her breath-taking beauty, so what he heard about was true, she was a both beautiful and powerful.
Ahera smiled, she thought to herself, you say that after I lived sixteen years of my life in misery, but still she had her father’s values, she forgave and thought, better late than never.
“My lord, it is an honour. I am at your service.” Ahera bowed courteously.
Helifus smiled, “The honour is ours, I apologise on behalf of everyone, what you had to go through for all these years, and it will be my privilege to have you as my counsel. But, Ahera, to become a royal counsel you must be part of the coven, and for that you will have to prove that you are worthy, although I already know you are more than worthy, but you know how things can be. I would like you to complete a mission, and, in that way, nobody will ever dare to question your position.”
“What is it that I have to do my lord?” Ahera was eager.
Helifus could sense her impatience, “You will have to enter the Drusel woods, and get us some secret informations.”
Ahera’s eyes widened, “Drusel woods!” she whispered, Drusel woods was the brutal infamous forest ruled by the ruthless Werewolves of the Aghaven clan, every child at Magein, that is Ahera’s native place knew this history.
Earlier, Drusel and Magein were one land cohabited by different creatures unknown to the human world, some call them mythical creatures, but they were as real as the sun and the moon. They lived in happiness and peace, but the one day, a wizard king stared conquering the lands, he was, Lord Sedifus, Helifus’s ancestor and the founder of Ahera’s community. He was greedy and ruthless, his only goal in life was to become the master of all lands. Gradually, everyone was compelled to surrender to his magic. But, Sedifus’s prowess wasn’t unchallenged, the powerful Alpha of the werewolves Reno Aghaven did not bow down to him. Instead, he united all the clans of the werewolves under him and stopped Sedifus. That war was a sheer blood bath, almost more than half of Sedifus’s army died. He had no choice but to sign a truce. The werewolves were untamed, blood thirsty, violent and ruthless; their minds couldn’t be controlled, magic didn’t work on them, they were worshipers of the powerful moon goddess Lady Luni. That’s what Ahera had learnt in her history lessons.
Ever since then, Magein and Drusel became perennial enemies, and now after centuries Helifus, who had similar intentions like his ancestor, he was aiming at Drusel again. If any witch is caught crossing the truce line their hearts are ripped off and displayed at the entrance of the Drusel woods..
Ahera felt a chill go down on her spine “but it is hostile land my lord, witches are forbidden to enter it, do you not remember the ancient truce?”
Helifus suddenly came closer, and held Ahera’s hand he was a wizard, he knew how to get things done, “and that’s why we want to send you Ahera, you are not completely a witch. You will be sent as a normal human girl over there your magic will be taken away until you comeback from your mission. Won’t you do it for us Ahera?”
“But, but my lord, even humans aren’t allowed there…”
“You will go there during the Selene festival. It is day after tomorrow, so you will have to start tomorrow.” He cut her out. Ahera understood she didn’t have a choice. It is the festival of the Moon goddess, the only time when humans were allowed to pay homage at the shrine of the moon goddess Luni, situated at the Drussel woods.
“I shall take your leave my lord.” Ahera bowed.
She took her leave and ran back to her father. Ahera knew she would be safer at the Drussels without her magic. But, her gut feelings told Ahera something was definitely wrong with this plan.
“Papa, what do I do, I know this is my only chance to prove myself, but something doesn’t feel right.”
Her father smiled, but just to comfort her, deep within he was perturbed. After sometime he came to Ahera and said, “Request Lord Helifus and the coven to allow me to take your magic away, in that way your power will be safe with me, and I shall return it to you the day you return from your mission. But, if anything goes wrong, and you cannot comeback power still will be with me, and it shall return to you the day I die.” He was about to tear up, his voice was almost chocked, but he forced a smile immediately looking at his daughter, he patted her head, his eyes gleamed, his daughter was his pride, “Trust me Ahera I know everything will be fine, you wil win no matter what, whether as a witch or as a human you are powerful my girl, because your mind is powerful.”
...To be continued
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Hello,
my dear readers,
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