Divining Two Worlds

Through the thicket

Asteria was given a heads' notice. She wove through trees as fast as she could and before long the beast was on her tracks.She didn't look back, only ran and plotted.

I can deal with each head at a time she thought First the goat

For the goat was the least dangerous.She thought back to days back in the orphanage.It was stationed in the middle of nowhere, only neighbors being farmers with barnyard animals.Digging through her memories, she remembered the times the children would laugh at goats fainting when they were startled somehow.They fainted in an odd fashion, often freezing up completely.

Asteria's wand was luckily tucked in her robes pocket.To better disguise herself she pulled her hood up and scoured her mind for a spell that might work but nothing came to her, except a voice, the very voice that had informed her of the cowbell charm.

She whipped her head in every direction but the source was unknown, it whispered in a voice as smooth as silk.

'Control the mist'

The mist?She never heard of such thing but at that moment, her skin tinged.Suddenly becoming aware of a wispy substance that suddenly clouded everything ,follow the name.Out of instinct, her eyes closed and she imagined.A goat's natural predator was a wolf, but it would have to be bigger than that.A werewolf.

She imagined the image flashing before her mind, it's mighty strength and poised fangs, but also the pain every bitten victim might feel.It mingled with her fears, the power ,but also the toture of each transformation, a force beyond their control clawing its way every full moon.

It stood before her.Her eyes widened in fear ,but she knew it.She could control the illusion that seemed so solid.It was now or never.It took all her concentration but she kept it up .Bravely stepping on the path of the chimera, the wolf behind her.It let out a fearsome howl into the night and the goat head fainted at once.

Wiereder so was another howl.It seemed from afar, but it was loud and fierce ,a howl of another werewolf accompany the illusion.Before she could question it her strength gave in.The werewolf flickered back into darkness. Asteria took advantage of the other heads's shock to regain a long distance between the predator.Before too long they followed again.

Next was the lion.The mist seemed to play between her fingers, but before she thought of using it, her feet stumbled on something that laid on the forest floor.She scrambled back up and saw it was a discarded bow and arrow, perhaps a centaur had abandoned it when the string had broke in two.She kept running but decked behind a tree long enough to cast Reparo on the string.

She prayed to Apollo the god of archery and drew the bow, the arrow poised at the target.The lions eyes met her but it was too late, she fired and it was pierced it's heart.It toppled over, blood leaking in great amounts, it's golden fur drenched in scarlette.The snake no longer carried by the lion's legs was stuck, but still twisting and standing its ground for a fight.It's fangs lethal and sharp as a blade, it could have easily wrap itself around and crush a car.

Asteria's head turned at the sound of hooves.She saw the centaurs standing before her.The eldest had a dagger in his hands, it was bronze but unlike any weapon she had seen, emitted a blue light.

'Finish the fight'

Asteria took it and stepped closer to the snake still alive though it's comrades were either dead or unmoving.Her hands shook ,but she still kept watch of the snake, steadily, observingly looking for a weak spot.

Then she sprinted, and as predicted, the snake shot for her direction.Asteria doged in time and the next time, the snake had learned its lesson and shot for the side but she had stood still, fighting every instinct and slashed.The sword tore the head off from it's scaled body and the fangs bared one last time before it's cold eyes dulled.She gave the goat one last stab and the monster began to disintegrate to dust.

'You have proven yourself Protathlítria tis Ekátis'

Her dyselixic mind somehow easily translated the Greek words.Hecate's champion.

And before long the centaurs headed off, leaving her with the dagger, and the monster's dust.But in the pile she saw a fang, the snake's.It still dipped in poison, but she magicked a handkerchief and picked it up, knowing that it would be of use somehow.