Mischief in the Stars

The Metal Girl

Rory pulled the sleek black cloak over her head, trying to disguise herself from the coven as she passed them. Eliphas was hesitant to let her borrow his dramatic cape but refused to be the one to go down to the village. Her job was to see who was in immediate danger. Her other task was to get a scope of the terrain, find a few hiding spots, and see how many witches were there. The village had an eerie silence, sending a trail of sharp shivers down her spine. She arched her back uncomfortably, feeling as if she had a million pairs of eyes on her. Tugging the cloak's hood over her face further, she nearly tripped over the cobblestone.

Her hand gingerly grazed over the walls of the houses in the village. If it weren't for the exotic appearance of the people, it would appear to have no magic at all. There was a dull feeling of dread lingering in the cold air. The buildings had a worn-out tan color, with rough walls and stone roofs. The people around her continued their labor while the coven seemed to watch.

It was reasonably easy to identify the members of the coven. Aside from their alarmingly evident egos, their outfits made them stick out. They wore sturdy black outfits, the shoulders scooping upwards. Chains draped across the front of their tops, connected by silver circles on each side. A few of them had more chains than others; those ones in specific appeared to have even more of an arrogance. The people of the village wore plain outfits, looking torn and dirty.

Rory attempted to avoid eye contact with anyone as she tried to get a headcount of the coven and the villagers. She couldn't help but feel nervous when she spotted a few warlocks looking in her direction and whispering. She didn't notice her hands began to glow with her star energy, but when she did, she quickly shoved her hands in her pockets. Trying to get out of the view of the coven, she rounded a corner without looking, still staring at the group of warlocks. Just as she got out of eyesight from the coven, she was pressed against a wall. Gasping, she felt metal surround her neck and wrists, pressing her against a wall. She struggled against her restraints, glaring at her captor.

A brown-skinned girl with shiny silver hair stared at her. Small, steel-blue eyes narrowed to slits as she scanned Rory's body. Her skin looked smooth despite a few jagged scars littering her arms. She had her hand out in front of her face, her fingers curved and moving slightly, the metal moving with it. Her silver bob cupped her face elegantly, a stark contrast to the dirt on her face and clothes. She squeezed her fingers together slightly, and the metal tightened its grip on Rory.

"Ah! Let me go!" Rory said with a grunt, trembling slightly under the girl's cold gaze. Giving her a crooked grin, the girl raised her other hand. Metal shards flew from the girl's pocket and surround Rory, threatening to pierce her skin.

"Who are you?" the girl questioned roughly, her voice raspy slightly. When Rory refused to answer, she tightened her fingers to a fist, the metal squeezing her neck and wrists. She waved the shards closer to her face.

"Rory!" she yelped out, eyes tightened shut in pain. "My name is Rory!"

Suddenly, the metallic girl was thrown backward by a stream of ice. She fell to the ground several feet away, losing her focus, which caused the metal to fall off of her. Malakai showed up behind Eira and used two shields to hold down the girl's hands. Grunting out, she tried to pull herself out from under her shackles.

"Now, before we kill you, who are you?" Eira asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. She had ice swirl around the girl's head warningly. "And why would you attack her?"

"Well, I'm sorry if I'm not too welcoming to strangers, my village made that mistake once," she pointed out with a glare. Rory turned as she heard the others show up behind her, slightly surprised they all stayed with her to help the village.