A Witch's Curse

Chapter 3

            Rosalin and Lyssa traveled together for two weeks not encountering a single soul. Lyssa and Rosalin had finished their new brooms just yesterday. Gathering the things to make one, let alone two, was difficult. She couldn't help but think maybe Lyssa was going to be a part of her coven. That she even found one. Once you found the first member of a coven, then usually within three to six months, you find the rest. And then there would be the matter of who the coven leader would be. She and Lyssa had grown closer every time she had to save her. She finally stopped almost dying in the first week. But yesterday as they neared the northern coast they had disturbed some furious bees. Rosalin had to incinerate them since after twenty minutes they wouldn't stop trying to get past her shield of hard air. Today they kept moving up North. Humans didn't survive long in the cold. And the temperatures all the way up North were bone-chilling. They stopped for a rest on the icy beach. 

            "So where are we heading anyway?" Lyssa asked. 

             "We are going North, maybe stay up there. No humans go there," Rosalin responded half paying attention. As she sorted the salt out of the ball of seawater she had the hair on her arms rose. Lyssa came over to her. 

             "Something's watching us Rosalin. Don't look now but I saw a movement in the treeline," she whispered. Her voice was barely audible over the waves of the water crashing down. "Let's get back, the rest of them will be waiting," Lyssa said loud enough for others to hear. Smart. If the person watching them knew that someone was expecting them, then the person will hopefully hesitate in thinking someone will come looking. Rosalin put the water away. They headed back to the edge of the forest. She could still feel someone watching them. And by how stiff Lyssa was walking she could tell she felt the same. One second she was walking alongside Lyssa, then the next there was a knife pressed to her throat. 

           Lyssa whirled to her. It was a woman behind her. She saw a flash of near-white hair and pale skin. "Let her go," Lyssa said. Her captor stayed silent. "What do you want from us?" she asked. 

            Her voice was low and smooth, "You came far too close to the border. I am a warning. If you get closer, you will not be able to go back." The knife was removed and when Rosalin turned the woman was gone. Lyssa was already there. 

            "Rosalin are you okay?" Rosalin didn't answer she kept scanning the forest for the mysterious woman. What border? ... The Orran Wolf territory. Its border was a couple of miles North. 

            "Which way did she go?" she asked Lyssa. 

            "She disappeared through the trees that way," she said pointing South. Rosalin could bet that she went that way to lead them away. So they were going North, to find her. 

          They were near to the border after a five-day trek past the forest and into the onslaught of the snow. The Orran Wolf border was named after the ferocious wolves that lived inside the territory. Orran wolves were the size of bears. A runt of the pack would come to a man's waist. The biggest would be to a man's head. There have been rumors that they only respond to their leader. The story is that their leader is not a wolf or a human. But another witch. No one has ever lived to say if it's true though. They didn't travel close to the coast. Who knows what could be in the dark frozen waters? 

              "Are we at the border yet?" Lyssa asked as they finished packing up their camp. 

               "You'll know when we're there." Lyssa scowled. "You mean when those wolves claw our faces off, yeah, I guess that's one way to know." Rosalin cut her a glare. 

               "You know what I meant." "I don't think I do," she quipped. 

                 "Just pack your things and let's stay in the air today, we are nearly there and I'm not taking chances." Lyssa went back to packing. Within minutes they were in the air. The sharp winds starting to undo their hair. 

                 "Look, up ahead," Lyssa said pointing to the horizon where they could barely make out a shape. A building maybe—No, a tower. 

               "Let's head toward it," Lyssa suggested. 

               "Fine. Go in slowly, wind around closer with every circle," Rosalin replied. They headed towards it. No sign of anything on the ground. Within four hours they were there. As Rosalin had said she and Lyssa made tight circles not seeing anything, so they flew to where the door at the base of the tower was. Lyssa unsheathed a knife at her side while Rosalin made a flame rest in her palm. As they neared the oak doors leading inside a low growl sounded behind them. They turned to see an Orran wolf standing with others behind it. And then she knew what that woman meant. They would not leave here alive.

          The one closest didn't let them have a chance to put up shields before it went for Lyssa's throat. They rolled, teeth snapping and claws slashing. Lyssa lost her knife. Fire blasted at the wolf but it moved out of the way. The others came prowling towards Rosalin. Rosalin's shield of hard air went around her again. A scream sounded from Lyssa as the wolf clamped its jaws around her arm and twisted. Her shield of hard air vanished as she raced for Lyssa. Ice flew towards the wolf who only clamped down harder and harder on Lyssa's arm. Her ice crashed into the wolf sending it and Lyssa flying away. Ice grew around the wolf's legs keeping it from moving. She came to Lyssa's side. The wolf had snapped her arm. Rosalin cursed at the damage. 

            "Blood loss is not how I pictured it. For what it's worth I'm sorry for stealing your broom," Lyssa whispered her voice hoarse from screaming and full of pain. 

            "You're not going to die," Rosalin snapped. Being distracted by Lyssa's blood loss and wound she didn't see what crept up behind her. Lyssa's shout of warning reached her too late as another wolf slammed into her. Rosalin scrambled to get up but the wolf pounced. It landed on top of her sending her slamming into the ice the snow spraying. Her head hit the ground and she saw black spots clouding her view. She did see the wolf as it reared its head back readying for clamping its teeth around her neck when a whistle sounded. Again a whistle came. The wolf growled but got off of her. Not wasting any time she raced for Lyssa who had passed out. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Because fixing that bone would hurt. As much as breaking it. Maybe more since it takes a while to fix. Hands held in front of her she focused on using her magic to clot the wound. After she finished she finally realized that there was someone there. The person who whistled. She turned slowly. There watching her was a short woman with near-white hair and pale skin. She had a horrifyingly brutal scar across her eye. It appeared that she had lost sight of it considering its coloring compared to the other turquoise one that was watching her closely. Her face made it look like she was just a pretty quiet girl, but those deceiving looks could be deadlier than any weapon. 

              "I warned you not to come any closer," she said with no hint of emotion as she glanced at Lyssa. "You held a blade to my throat and now you almost killed her. You're a dead woman."