Wake Up, Witch

Chapter 16

I didn't hear from the HSA again after I woke up. I also didn't hear an apology from Akira, who refused to have lunch with us, which made me even more enraged.

My anger was more on the fact that he was suspecting me than his lack of respect. I didn't like the fact that I had to watch my back even in my home just because some kid was wise enough to question my every move.

Was I being petty? Yes. Irrational? Yes. Did I care? No.

So, when Celine later announced that Felix Katz was waiting for me outside the Keep, I got dressed and told Lexie and Tiff that I was going alone.

"But we're supposed—"

"I read the code, Tiff. There is no need for apostles to always be by their Astral's side."

Tiff and Lexie shared a worried look. "Are you angry at us, too?" she asked.

"No," I said at the door. "I just need to be alone." With my hand on the doorknob, I paused and sighed before turning to face them. They looked tense, their eyes wary. "I swear I'm not angry." A small lie, of course. "I just have a lot to deal with at the moment. We're going to our first mission in two days. I don't want the four of us to fail." I offered them a small smile. At the back of my mind, I wondered how long it would take them to discover what I was, and if that happened, who would betray me first? "Prepare your familiars and pack whatever you can for the trip, will you? We can't come unprepared, especially with Mertha Krall and her horrible apostles joining us."

The mention of their archenemies completely changed their demeanors. They nodded stiffly and squared their shoulders with determination.

Felix Katz was waiting for me downstairs. "We'll talk later," he said before I could open my mouth, and guided me to the car. He joined me in the back, speaking loudly, "I'll be part of the envoy to Exodus. Safety protocols are in place for the journey and when we arrive."

"Where are we headed to now?" I asked, stealing the driver a look.

"I understand you're not familiar with the borders. As an Astral, you'll have to at least have the basic understanding of the system, since we'll be facing some border problems in Exodus."

I nodded, holding his gaze. I had too many questions, none of them about borders. Who was he? How did he end up working for Evensen? How much did he know?

"You need to be familiar with the magic we've implemented on each border. They're all in place using different magical technology we developed throughout the years. Bishops design and improve the borders, applying their expertise on each one."

"The borders are not all the same, then?"

"Some have similar attributes, but yes, they are not all completely the same." He smiled. "Border designers tend to compete against each other."

It was clear we couldn't discuss last night's events, so I waited and kept my questions to myself until we reached the first border. And it was not as I expected.

It was a line of black oaks, their limbs intertwined, their branches heavy with twigs. I could imagine them creak as one with the brush of a strong wind, the heavy crown expelling leaves in a spiral. What I could not imagine, however, was how they could keep ferals out. The quiet forest behind it was filled with fog, seemingly more dangerous than the skyscrapers behind us.

"The design of this one is unlike any other. The only one of its kind," Felix Katz said beside me, eyes on one tree. "No one has ever crossed it since its creator planted these."

I eyed the trees with curiosity. "What makes it different?"

"We can't tell. There were attempts to replicate it, but it seems impossible. We think it has something to do with the soil." He looked down, scraped the ground with the tip of his boot. "They stretch for only a mile, then stop. Anything we tried to grow in this ground died. We cloned the trees, too, but nothing survived."