The Marked

Chapter Two

Dusk was approaching quickly and I still had yet to find any swift. I had found countless amounts of healing potions, and dusty books of old spells that were long outdated and no longer useful. I could fine everything I didn't need.

 Thunder rumbled in the distance and set an eery mood to the darkening atmosphere. The last thing I needed was a storm, but it seemed like the weather wouldn't be acting upon my wishes.

 "Violet?" Anise's voice echoed through the quiet warehouse. Matthias hisses at my feet and I roll my eyes.

 "Back here Anise," I tell her trying to keep my voice hushed.

 "Find anything?" she asks. I shake my head.

 "Not even an empty bottle. Have you seen Raine?" she frowns,

 "Not since supper," I give a frustrated huff and kick an empty bottle across the floor.

 "Why would the instructors even give swift to students yet?" my aggrivation starting to show.

 "Well Raine's class is one month short of a full moon," she was right about that. There is three classes of witches. The Crescents, The Half Moons, and The Full Moons.The youngest being the Crescents, which are new witches first starting out in spells training, but mostly work on pronunciation and don't start actually doing spells until their second year. The Half Moons is what class I'm in along with Anise. Our class of witches are currently going through what is suppose to be the most vital part of our spells training. It's when we learn a bunch of vital spells that pertain to our way of life. The Full Moons are the oldest of all the students. Although a girl is not considered a Full Moon until she has officially graduated and passed every test she is given. Also during this stage every witch is required to partake in combat training.

 Seeing that a witch village is filled with only women, we need to be able to protect ourselves from outside forces, and for thousands of years we have proven more than once that a village of women can survive easily without men.

 Of course we need men to populate and intercourse is bound to occur between witches and the local faery men. But men are not allowed in the village, not even visitors. Not one witch in the village has ever met there father. None of us have ever been curious either. You can't miss someone you've never met.

 Another hiss from Matthias, pulls my attention towards him. He had wandered to where I had kicked the empty bottle. "What's his problem?" Anise asks.

"I'm not sure. Matthias," I call him and he doesn't respond. I walk slowly towards his raspy voice, Anise trails behind me cautiously. We find him towards the back of the warehouse staring at the floorboards.

 "Auforen," I tell him, but he ignores me and continues to hiss with his back arched threateningly. I roll my eyes and pick up the bottle that had laid stilly in front of him. "It's nothing," I tell him in english hoping the tone of my voice would put him at ease.

"Violet what's that?" Anise asks pointing at the floor beneath me. I look down and see a small handle beside my foot.

 I step aside and reach down to grab the handle. I tug lightly and I could immediately tell that it was a door. "It's locked," I say, glancing up at Anise and giving one more tug to reassure that it was locked.

"Is there a lock?" Anise asks. I shake my head,

 "No it's just a spell block I think," I step away from the door and stand up. "Aperi," I say in hopes it would break the lock. Surprisingly the door creaks open and reveals a dark staircase. In the wake of the open door torches burst to life on the walls on either side of the stairs and light the path to the bottom.