ENCHANTED Book 1: Witch's Dawn

CHAPTER TWENTY

MORTAL REALM: POLONIA

"We're almost there. Just beyond that last line of trees. Try to stay conscious until we get there," She encouraged steadily.

Gazar ignored her words and focused on gathering his magic essence. She'd misunderstood the reason behind his laboured breathing and weakening stamina; thinking that it was because of his injuries or fatigue when really it was because he was about to run out of magic essence. He had used up a large amount of power in casting the deception spell and was using up more right now readying a spell that would teleport him and the blood stone sisters to the castle instantly.

And it was probably because of this that he didn't sense the wards around the camp until they were a few steps away.

Shit.

The wards they had set up were powerful. Almost as if they had expected him to employ underhanded means to capture them.

"I'm sure I have Ruby to thank for this," he muttered under his breath. That woman's instincts were just as infuriating as she was attractive. He remembered countless times where they had saved his life in the past when they'd been together.

"What?"

"Nothing," he grunted and tried to come up with a way out of the impending disaster facing him.

Amber caught the edge in his tone, but assumed that his grumpiness stemmed from pain, hunger and exhaustion, so she decided to let it slide. She could smell the aroma of roasting meat coming from their camp and her stomach gave a low growl in response. It had been a long day and she needed to rest as well.

"When we arrive, my sisters will be wary of you and may ask some prying questions: this is to ensure that you are not a threat to us," she informed him.

He hummed in reply distractedly, trying to test the wards with his essence and determine their strength.

"As long as you do not lie to us, you will be safe with us until you regain your strength," she warned dangerously. It was the silent 'but if you do' that caused a slight chill to run up his spine.

He was royally screwed if Ruby's wards happen to pick up on his magic -  especially since they were meant for him. They'd recognize him immediately and his life may very well end at that moment. He swallowed nervously and decided to focus on finishing his second spell. He needed to be ready to escape at the blink of an eye.

If I can't get all the bloodstones, I'll at least have this one with me to rope them all in. With this resolve he took a deep breath and put the finishing touches on the circle he'd been drawing on the hand behind him.

MORTAL REALM: TÖRLÊM

"Hello, darling. To what do I owe this wonderful surprise?" Christi said, beaming at her daughter as she opened the door for her to come in. "I thought you were busy at the hospital for the entire week. I wasn't expecting you till Sunday."

Irene took off her coat and placed it on the hanger by the door, then she headed straight for the kitchen for some much needed coffee.

Christi followed her to the kitchen and watched her quietly from the doorway. A while passed as she watched her work the coffee machine to get her caffeine fix, before she spoke again. "So, are you going to tell me the reason why you showed up at my front door, early in the morning, on a weekday?"

Irene remained silent as she watched her cup fill up with the fragrant brew. Trust her Mom to dive into things without wasting time on pleasantries. She collected her mug from the coffee machine and took a sip, humming in pleasure as the flavor caressed her taste buds and the caffeine hit her. She closed her eyes in relish; it was divine. Now she understood why her mother only insisted on the best quality roasts.