Witch Crystal (Witches of Zrotaz Book 1)

by Malika Gandhi

  “Yes, she has proved to be very special,” the Sacred Witch spoke.

  With the merpeople now far behind them, the rest of their journey carried on without any incidents, and Zleus was able to close his eyes, thinking of Xyth and the girl who had healed him.

  * *

  The shuttle began to drop beneath the clouds. Zleus saw a wide expanse of barren land, which seemed nothing more than sand. The shuttle set down softly. As the group walked out of the damaged transport, the sun sparkled above. The Sacred Witch stopped ahead.

  “The sun will dip and stay above the horizon, just for a minute,” she said. “The sphere vortex will then open, and you and I, Zleus, will enter where another shuttle will be waiting for us.”

  “How long do we have?” Zleus asked.

  “Fifteen minutes.” The Sacred Witch turned to their remaining friends. “It is sad that we have lost a great friend

  and warrior, Charm. I will send word to Abyliss.” She hesitated, looking at the damaged shuttle. “Do not worry about that,” the Tribe Head said,

  following her gaze. “We will repair it. We have enough magical knowledge between us to complete the task, what do you say Sanfa, and Nanomyn?”

  Everyone nodded their agreement.

  “Thank you,” smiled the Sacred Witch, “for

  accompanying us. We are very grateful.”

  Zleus remembered something. “Sacred Witch, what happened to the other witch councillors, who travelled with us in the first instance?”

  “My dear Zleus, I think you can call me Chrysies now,” she said. “To answer your question, after you and Charm were taken down by the Merpeople, we circled the area. We reached you and Charm just in time, and took you to the Centaur’s village. I released the councillors and ordered them back home. They have been keeping a close eye on the Empire Witches and their sordid activities.”

  “Will they come for us here?” Zleus was worried.

  “No, I have set charms around us to ward off any unwelcome disturbers,” the Sacred Witch said.

  The group waited quietly, watching the horizon as the sun dipped, and then hovered, just as the Sacred Witch had said it would. A few gasped as a vortex appeared before them, spinning in an accumulation of colours. It slowed down to a stop a few moments later.

  “It is time,” the Sacred Witch bowed to the centaurs and the elf, and they bowed back. Then she looked to Zleus and held out her hand. He took it, and they entered the sphere.

  28

  EARTH

  Jake stepped back from the window as it closed, and they were back to seeing only the woodland.

  “What was all of that?” he said.

  Larissa looked at her hands, bewildered as much as Jake. “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know how I did it!

  Jake, was that your brother, Zleus?”

  “Yes, and you healed him,” said Jake in a grateful tone. Larissa turned her hands, palms facing up, and then she

  turned them over again. She shook her head in amazement. “You were not completely conscious.” Canopus had

  been observing the healing with interest. “Your

  subconscious brought the special power to the forefront, when it was truly needed. Zleus was injured and he thought he was going to die. It can happen this way when an individual believes his last mortal moments have arrived. Signals are sent through airwaves to the one they are

  thinking of, and in this case, it was Xyth.

  “We have such ‘windows’ all around us, but we aren’t

  able to see them. They only open in the presence of high

  power and the vital need of the individual to reunite with

  their loved ones. Zleus thought he was going to die, and his

  need to see his brother one last time was imperative. I

  believe he was not aware of this powerful source that

  allowed him to see his brother, and he definitely had no

  inclination that he would be healed.”

  “So, Larissa was the high power that assisted in the

  opening of the window?” asked Jake.

  “Yes, again, a subconscious act on her part,” explained

  Canopus.

  “That’s amazing,” Jake was gobsmacked.

  “Naturally!” Canopus half smiled. “Let us move on, we

  still have a long way to go.”

  “I miss him,” Jake said quietly, as he walked beside

  Larissa. Canopus was a bit of a distance ahead. “I also miss

  my mother. They are all that I have left.”

  “I can understand,” said Larissa. “Jake, why do you think

  Zleus thought of you in his perceived last moments and not

  your mother?”

  Jake thought about it, then said, “Zleus and I are very

  close. When we grew up, we watched the wrong doings of

  the High Witch and the detestable use of her power against

  all the witches. Our father and mother taught us to look after

  one another and ourselves at a young age and those values

  never left us. Without one, the other is weak.”

  “You are very lucky to have each other,” Larissa said. “I

  don’t have any siblings, but I have my best friend - who I

  found out was a witch too – she’s like my sister and I intend

  to rescue her from the cruel hands of the High Witch! Zleus is brave and I am sure he will rescue your mother. You just

  have to believe it yourself.”

  The two friends walked in silence as they stepped on

  twigs and bark, sometimes jumping over large scraggly

  pieces. The sounds of their trekking echoed around them.

  Canopus, on the other hand, walked on without making any

  noise.

  Larissa’s mind wandered over to her mother and

  everyone else waiting for their return. She wondered when

  that would be, and she felt a little guilty for leaving them

  behind. However, what choice did she have? As she walked,

  she didn’t realise when Jake left her side. She was too

  engrossed in remembering the Earth Spirit’s words, ‘Only

  three can enter the Dark Mountains.’ She sighed, that was

  that then. Looking up at the sky, she watched the Aurora

  Borealis dancing, but she could also see the holes, even from

  there. Were they getting bigger or were her eyes deceiving

  her?

  Sheeshax.

  A white blur sped past them, leaving a trail of mist behind. Fixela.

  Another white blur.

  Phexa.

  And another.

  Unfamiliar voices echoed in Larissa’s mind, getting

  louder. She pushed her hands to her ears, turning around in

  circles as the white shadows continued shifting past her in a

  blur of activity. The voices wouldn’t stop! Larissa closed her

  eyes and crouched, as the painful whispers became

  unrelenting.

  “Go away!” she screamed.

  The voices came to an abrupt stop. Larissa opened her

  eyes and took her hands away from her ears. She came to

  silence. There were no white shapes anymore...but where

  were Jake and Canopus?

  “Jake?” she whispered, “Canopus?”

  Only silence greeted her. Larissa was frightened, where

  were they? Had those shapes taken them?

  “Canopus!” she yelled this time. “Jake! Where are you?” Larissa stumbled in the dark, going through thick foliage

  and around giant sized trees. She heard howls in the distance,

  hooting, and growls. Her stomach churned. She didn’t like

  this at all, where had the two gone?

  Larissa walked deeper into the woodland, treading

  cautiously on the brown earth. Her senses were alert, but her
>
  heart was anxious and terrified.

  Sheeshax. The white blur was back.

  Fixela,

  Phexa.

  The voices overrode each other, so that Larissa was

  unable to understand. The white blurs became a mass of

  ghostly mist, obscuring her vision. Larissa walked around

  blind, with her arms out in front. She tried to find a way out

  of this nightmare.

  “Who are you? What do you want?”

  “We want to stop you,” one said, its voice thin and

  raspy.

  “From what?” She saw a pair of eyes in the smoke and

  she stepped backwards, her foot colliding with a thick fallen

  branch that made her fall over.

  Larissa screamed as arms that she couldn’t see, held her

  down. She kicked and twisted, however, they didn’t let go.

  She was locked in their hold.

  “Larissaaaaa...” the thing spoke, “You are forbidden to

  reach your destination. You must stay with usssss...You have

  magic that no one else has, we must take you.”

  “No! Please, please, let me go!” Larissa tried to summon

  a release spell or something that would make them withdraw,

  but she was weak against the monsters. “Why am I

  forbidden to go to the Dark Mountains? Answer me!” There was a prolonged cruel snicker, and Larissa

  screamed.

  “Stop! You are hurting me!”

  At last, Larissa managed to yell out a spell, one that she

  had never used before, one that she never knew existed. The

  effect was colossal. The earth underneath her shook with

  vengeance. Trees collided with other trees, plummeting to

  the ground. The heavens above opened, rain crashed down

  around her, thunder boomed and lightning lit the skies. The mists that were holding her down rose up, and

  swirled, they seemed to be livid. They went into a ‘dance.’

  Larissa’s eyes watered as a ‘hand’ grabbed her throat,

  choking her. Her own hands tried to wrench them off her,

  but to no avail.

  “Oh, Father!” she breathed, as she felt her heart slowing. “I am here, dear daughter,” Senon spoke.

  He stood before her, in the mist, undeterred. The rain,

  thunder, and lightning stopped, and the white hands were

  forced to release her throat.

  “Remove yourself from this place!” his voice thundered.

  “You have no right in this part of the woods. Away with

  you!”

  There was an eerie scream and the white mist figures

  dispersed. Larissa was astonished but relieved. She touched

  her throat; it was tender. Warmth came over her as she

  found her father’s arms enveloping her.

  “Father, thank you!” Larissa cried. “I was lost...scared...I

  didn’t know what else to do but call you.”

  “I am your guardian, as well as your father. When you

  call me, I will always be here for you, sometimes only in

  spirit.”

  “Who were they?” Larissa looked into Senon’s face. “They were the ghosts of the Numan woods,” Senon

  replied.

  “Why were they trying to kill me?”

  “They were not trying to kill you, but were trying to

  subdue you, and take you to their abode. Your fear of them

  was making it extremely difficult to do that,” Senon

  chuckled.

  “I don’t understand,” said Larissa.

  “It is a myth that ghosts feed on fear. They fear ‘fear’

  itself, as it makes their work harder than it already is. The

  ghosts of Numan steal magic and take it to the Dark Spirits.

  Your magic will add more substance to their control over the

  surrounding mountains and, in effect, help the High Witch.” “That High Witch is behind this?” Larissa asked,

  incredulous.

  “She has tried but the Dark Spirits do not like orders,”

  said Senon. “Larissa, beware, this is just one of the ‘games’

  the Dark Spirits will throw at you.”

  “And this was one of their games?”

  Senon nodded his head in confirmation, and then said,

  “They sent the ghosts, to know more about you and your

  capabilities. They were testing you, as you are, after all, their

  opposition. The stolen magic will not be handed over to you

  on a plate, but will be made very difficult indeed to get hold

  of. I must say, Larissa, your spell that made havoc of the

  weather, was admirable.”

  “It was all I could think of at that moment,” said Larissa. Senon walked to a tree. He turned to look at his

  daughter.

  “You do look like your mother so much,” he said.

  Larissa could see tears in his eyes. “We always knew you

  were special.” Senon began to walk away.

  “Father, where are you going? I need you, you can’t leave

  me,” Larissa’s voice cracked. “Please, stay for a moment

  longer.”

  “I wish that was possible,” Senon said softly. “But my

  duties are completed here. I must move on. Until we meet

  again, dear daughter...”

  Senon’s figure became transparent until he disappeared. Tears ran down Larissa’s face. She wanted more of him,

  to see him and talk to him. Would she ever get to know him?

  Footsteps thundered towards Larissa. When she blinked her

  tears away, she saw two concerned faces.

  “Larissa, are you alright?” Jake touched her arm; it

  comforted her.

  “I think so,” she said.

  “Who was that cloaked man? Was he trying to hurt

  you?” Jake asked hurriedly.

  “That man was my father, my guardian,” Larissa said and

  smiled briefly. Larissa told Jake and Canopus what

  happened, which left them speechless.

  “Well, aren’t any of you going to say something?” Larissa

  asked, somewhat annoyed at their lack of reaction. Canopus responded, as Jake still seemed to be perplexed. “I wish I was present to have met him again, in my real

  form,” he said.

  “I hope you will one day, Canopus,” Larissa gave a

  watery smile.

  Canopus cleared his throat, “Well, we must carry on.

  Jake, shall we?”

  Jake snapped out of his reverie. “Er, yes...blimey, that

  was your father!”

  Larissa laughed.

  “Larissa,” said Jake. “You did well out here, and I liked

  your freak weather too. I’m glad it wasn’t the Empire

  Witches this time! Although...you do have the knack for it,

  considering they are your ancestors.” He ducked as Larissa

  threw a stone at him.

  “I have a question,” said Larissa a little later as they

  walked out of the woods. “When the ghosts arrived, where

  did you two disappear off to?”

  “They took us by surprise,” Canopus said. “We were

  pushed out of the woods by the mist, and it formed a dense

  wall. We couldn’t see anything or hear you. Only when the

  mist cleared at last, did we see you.”

  “But that doesn’t make sense. The mist cleared once,

  and then this time. Why didn’t you see me the first time?”

  Larissa tried to make sense of it.

  However, she didn’t receive an answer for she stopped

  abruptly, looking at a dangerously swaying bridge. It looked

  very lon
g and old, made of iron and wood. Larissa thought it

  looked quite medieval. On the other side of the bridge, loomed very tall mountains, lit up by a lava flow directly

  underneath the crossing.

  “Is this it?” Larissa watched the angry red river licking

  the banks. She wondered why everything had not

  incinerated.

  “Yes, this is it,” an owl, looking a lot like Luille, was

  perched on the iron rail of the bridge. “Welcome to the Dark

  Mountains.”

  “Are you Luille’s dead wife?” Jake guessed.

  “Jake, that is not a nice thing to say!” Larissa hissed. “That’s alright, Larissa. I am dead as any dead bird can

  be,” she said merrily. “I’m Clare. I just visited my husband

  and he told me about you. He asked me to look after you, so

  here I am!”

  There was a sudden roar and the lava river erupted,

  spitting hot, rock size pellets into the sky. Some landed on

  the bridge, but miraculously it didn’t burn but merely sizzled

  out.

  “That’s weird,” said Jake.

  “That is not normal lava, my friend,” said Clare. “It is

  black magic. The Dark Spirits know you have arrived. They

  seem to be excited. You can cross the bridge with me. I

  assure you, it is perfectly safe.”

  Not feeling too confident of Clare’s assurance, all three

  witches looked at the red river of death. The words, ‘the

  Dark Spirits like to play games’ echoed in Larissa’s mind

  again, and she swallowed.

  “I’ll go first,” she said.

  THE END

  COMING SOON

  Witches of Zrotaz, Book 2 Games of the Dark Spirits

  The Dark Spirits beckon her; entice her. They want to play games. Come along Larissa, and let us have some fun... Larissa must take the stolen magic back from the Dark Spirits, only then will she be able to repair the Aurora Borealis.

  The games are dangerous and complicated and the trio find their task gets harder as they move deep into the Dark Mountains. What will they bump into? Whom will they come upon?

  Zleus and the Sacred Witch of the East are set to travel to Saturn, the sister planet of Zrotaz. However, their journey through the sphere is far from smooth, as they encounter an attack from the Empire Witches!

  Zleus and the Sacred Witch of the East race to reach Saturn; will they be able to help Larissa from an attack from the Empire Witches in time?

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