The Witch's Curse (Book One)

Chapter Thirteen:

  Crumbled buildings lined the sides of the area we were teleported to. This area obviously went through something tragic and unforgettable. It all seemed so familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Forest surrounded the village and held all of the mysteries we were looking for. Then, I saw it. The one symbol that gave the entire setting away was sitting directly in the middle of the chaos. Hunter still searched the area for clues that could give away the location.

  “Any idea where we are?” he asked while picking up some boards on the path.

  I pointed towards the destroyed castle. “This is the center of Magius. That’s the Enchanted Castle. My guess is they created the scene where if we fail this is our future.”

  “That’s harsh. Let’s find a secure building that we can hide out in for now.” We ventured along about a mile until we came upon a building that was not as bad off as the others. It was a one bedroom cottage with a small living space, kitchen, and bathroom. The only damaged part of the house were the tiny holes in the roof. Even though my amulet did not sense any threats, Hunter still decided to search the entire place four times.

  He slung the backpack over his shoulder in front of him. “Let’s see what we have. Walkie talkies, a knife, a blanket, and protective crystals.” He pulled out the five crystals and began to set them around the house.

  “Hunter, maybe we should save those. If any of the groups put their magic together, they will destroy the barrier.” I explained, now taking a moment to look through my own bag. Mine contained the typical wilderness survival kit, a thermos with water, rope, bandages, and daggers.

  The buzzing of the barrier filled the room to my dismay. “We aren’t staying here long so might as well make use of it. Once a few groups are gone, we will set off on our own journey.”

  “We have to leave for food and water. The groups are not going to go that quickly. It could be days before one is even gone. What we need is a plan.” I countered.

  Hunter took out his knife and put it in his pocket. “If we want to survive, we have to take out the strongest group. Group four has Merilyn, Peter, and Riker. Merilyn can sense people coming from miles away, and Peter can heal. Plus, Riker will probably learn how to use his powers very quickly. I do not want to have to test your healing skills on a third degree burn. If we can take them out, we have a smooth trip ahead of us.”

  “Maura’s team is more of a physical threat. If that guy Zayne can really switch powers, we do not want to have to deal with him more than once.”

  “They are a physical threat, but we want to take out the people that can play mind games on us. You can wield fire and easily take out Riker.”

  “We are not going after Riker, and that is final!” I nearly yelled. My amulet’s sense began ringing off the charts. Someone was here and looking for us. “Let’s see how well your crystals hold up.”

  He looked outside, but couldn’t see anything. The sun was setting and giving us a small window of opportunity. “Can you tell who it is?”

  I shook my head. “I can tell that they are powerful, but that’s not saying much. Pretty much everyone here is strong. Stay down until we see who the threat is.”

  As if on command, fire blazed across the path where our hideout was located. It did not come at us, but was rather aimed at someone else next to us. The power from the blast engulfed the surrounding area. “You, Scarlett, and Riker are the only fire users. I doubt he would have learned how to use his powers that quickly.”

  I observed the target area once more. “I do not think it is Scarlett. She is powerful and could do that, but she would wait for a clear shot. If you look, you can see a path right behind those trees. Scarlett would have known she could not hit them and would have waited to surprise them. Riker can barely throw a fireball let alone manage something like that. I am sure he could absorb the blast as a defense mechanism, but that was some serious firepower.”