Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
As soon as they heard my biological mother’s name, Willa, the witches glided back to the edge of the dark abyss in the soil that separated us.
I was in no position to confront them, although I wanted to unleash my hot temper.
“Do you know her?” I asked.
The woman in the middle spoke again. “Do you know anything of your witch mother?”
“I don’t.”
Her face remained stoic, but I thought anger flashed behind her bright eyes.
“We didn’t know she had a daughter, but we haven’t exactly kept in touch.”
I made two steps, and the tips of my shoes hung over the deep hollow in the ground. “What do you mean? Please tell me.”
A pinch of anxiety stabbed my heart as the witch lifted her hand and mouthed some inaudible words. For a moment, I feared the worst—she’d had enough of me—but when a thick root sprang out of the soil and bent behind the woman, I sighed.
The root curved in a rainbow shape without breaking, and the witch leaned against it. The other two women remained unmoving next to her like statues.
“After the witch trials, we all fled to the fairy realm seeking refuge.” The woman paused and studied my reaction.
The words echoed in my head, bouncing off the walls of my consciousness.
My eyes widened, and I was sure the witch saw the shock on my face.
The words fairy realm stuck to my mind like bubble gum on the back of my shoe.
I knew of other realms like the spirit realm, but my dad had never taught me anything about the existence of the fairy realm.
I learned about fairies from mythology books in college, but this knowledge was based on how humans perceived the fairies.
“Young lady?” the witch said.
I finally lifted my gaze to her, and it struck me that she hadn’t even asked for my name.
The witches didn’t want to be involved with me…and perhaps anyone else.
“At first the witches were happy living in the fairy realm as our elemental magic mixed well with the fairies’, but Cordelia corrupted the fairy realm with dark magic.
The realm fell, and the King didn’t do anything about it.
” She paused. “About thirty years ago, the three of us escaped the fairy realm, barely avoiding getting eaten by the creatures.”
I let out a loud groan. Fighting Cordelia for my wolf spirit now seemed even more challenging. The witch had corrupted an entire realm with her darkness.
“The creatures you mention…are they demonic-looking hound dogs with spiky tails, breathing fire?”
The women’s lips parted slightly, and their soft gasps filled the air. Then their features hardened, the wrinkles around their eyes deepening.
“Have you seen those fairy creatures, young lady?”
I nodded. “Cordelia brought them with her on a couple of occasions. So they are from the fairy realm?”
The witch blinked, and then her eyes narrowed, but they didn’t aim at me. The woman in the middle exchanged angry looks with the other women.
“Cordelia is putting everyone in the human realm in danger by bringing these corrupted and dark creatures here,” she said through a clenched jaw.
It comforted me to see emotions, even if negative, on the women’s faces.
Then, looking at the three women, I said, “I’ve never heard of the fairy realm.”
The same woman spoke again after taking a long breath. “Most supernaturals have not heard of it. The fairy realm is parallel to the humans’. The portal is hidden and guarded. So usually no one gets in or out.”
But Cordelia could, without a problem.
“But then, where is Willa?” I asked.
If my biological mother had run away to the fairy realm but didn’t come back to the human realm with these witches, then where was she?
A cold chill passed through my body, and I held my breath. Although she was a stranger to me, I still wanted to meet my biological mother.
“When we were still in the fairy realm, your mother was imprisoned in the fairy King’s magic prison in his castle.”
I stumbled back a step. “W-what?”
The witch’s serious mask slipped, and she averted her gaze. She must have felt remorse for leaving behind one of their own.
“The fairy King was cruel, and we could not stand up to him. We have no idea what transpired between him and your mother. I wish I could tell you that she is still alive, but we don’t know.”
My legs trembled. My alert mind started connecting the dots of new information. If the three witches came back to the human realm about thirty years ago, and left Willa imprisoned in the fairy realm, I wasn’t born yet.
Had my biological mother escaped prison several years later to meet her mate in the human realm, get pregnant, and leave her child behind?
But if she pulled a jailbreak, where was she now?
Hiding or back in prison? She couldn’t have lived in the human realm because she would have been drawn to her mate and child.
Perhaps Willa didn’t abandon me with my dad but had to leave me with him to protect me if she was in danger. Could she have voluntarily returned to the fairy realm or been captured again?
I shook out my hands again. My heart ached thinking about the woman I’d never met who’d given birth to me suffering in some magic prison in a totally different realm, and I had no idea if she was still alive.
I massaged my throbbing forehead. “So no one knows where my mother is or if she’s even alive,” I said and let out a heavy sigh.
The witch nodded. “Your mother used to be a benevolent, light witch who was different from us and more powerful. Witches like the three of us don’t have enough power to find the fairy realm portal.
We’re only elemental witches able to control the natural forces.
But your mom’s light magic did. She was drawn to the fairy books and artifacts that still remain in the human realm—”
“What do you mean by that?” I dropped my hand to my side. “Fairies used to live among the humans?”
My knees wobbled, about to give up on me. Sitting on the damp, moss-covered ground, I placed Cordelia’s book beside me and crossed my legs.
I took a calming breath. “I’m listening.”
“Many centuries before we were born, the fairies also occupied the human realm, but they found a different realm that they now call home. Thanks to Willa, the witches who survived the Salem trials found a new home in the fairy realm. Your mom found the portal, helping us escape our cruel fate in the human realm.”
Go, Willa. At least my biological mother was not as evil as Cordelia, but the question about how I received my dark magic remained. Why wouldn’t I be purely a light witch too?
“How did Willa find the fairy portal?”
“Her light magic. As more of us burned at the stakes, witches argued where to hide or go next. Emotions ran high, but your mom solved our problem.” She smiled at some internal thought that she didn’t share.
Her eyes glowed a golden hue as she gazed at me as if she studied my facial features.
“Willa’s magic powers drew her to a forest close to Salem, where she found an enchanted fairy book with instructions to their portal.
Only light witches can feel the presence of supernatural books and artifacts.
And since Willa was the only light witch among us, she was the only one who could have found the fairy book. ”
That explained a lot of my instincts. I dropped my head back and stared at the cloudless blue sky, exhaling loudly. I must have inherited the knack of finding magic books from Willa.
Returning my gaze to the three women, I rested my hands on the ground. “Why would fairies leave books here and not take them to their new home?”
I thought I heard the witch scoff. “Some fairies, before they left the human realm many years ago, hid their books in hollowed-out tree trunks. Fairies are mischievous. They’re waiting for humans to discover them.
But the humans lack magic and couldn’t find ancient books hidden among tall grasses or inside oak trees. ”
The woman shrugged. “Or maybe it’s a challenge for the humans to prove they are inferior to the fairies. I don’t know. But humans can’t just stumble upon those books or artifacts left behind.”
“But a light witch can, which the fairies didn’t anticipate.” I smiled, imagining my biological mother’s appearance, but I drew a blank. “My mother sounds so cool. What did she look like?”
The witch gave me a half smile, and I thought I imagined it at first. “Like you, young lady. She was beautiful.”
Was? There wasn’t a chance Willa was still alive? No, the witches hadn’t seen my mother for the last thirty years. I had to find out what happened to Willa. I decided to hang on to the tiny sliver of hope that she was still alive.
“How do I get to the fairy realm?”
The witch shook her head. “We don’t know anymore. And we don’t get involved. Staying away from Cordelia has served us well, and we refuse to be caught in the feud between vampires and werewolves.”
I wanted to scream. “How could anyone hope for a better future without getting involved?”
The witch’s smile was long gone now. “We don’t hope for anything, young lady. We live each day with no expectations.”
I clenched and unclenched my hands. I wiped them on my pants. “But can you help me break through Cordelia’s block?”
“Since we all owe your mother, I will tell you how to access Cordelia’s dream realm.”
I jumped to my feet.
“You must focus on your witch powers and embrace light and darkness. Visualize Cordelia’s dream realm or any memory of hers that you’ve seen. It’ll be easier if you have been in her dream realm before.”
I blinked and gaped at the three witches. “You’re telling me that all I have to do is to meditate and visualize her dream realm. And that’s how I can enter the dark witch’s dream realm?”
“That’s right.”
Seriously?
The three witches remained silent while I paced the small island of soil the witches had trapped me on.
I faced the women again. “But I’ve already tried visualizing Cordelia’s dream realm. And it didn’t work last time. It was all dark, and I felt a mental block pushing against my mind.”