The Last Witch

Into The Tower - Ep 4

"Baby bro! Wake up!" The person smacked his head. Penn groaned and fluttered his eyelashes. His sister's face hovered above his. "Why are you so close to me?" He asked. "Welcome back to the land of the living", she stood up and kicked his foot, "it's morning! Get dressed and come downstairs. You have a lot of questions to answer".

Penn rubbed his nape and sat up. His body ached from sleeping on the floor. Why did I sleep on the floor? His initial confusion begged the question. He could remember going out on a mission to recruit another... The girl! She had knocked him out and he didn't even know her name. He touched his left temple and hissed. Her punch was hard for someone who looked small.

Waking up to his sister's face and a proposed meeting with their mother was already a sign that the day would go bad. Penn showered and got dressed in a plain black tee, army jeans and combat boots. He inspected his reflection in the mirror of the bathroom. His temple was red. He exhaled hoping that this meeting was about the girl's escape and not her arrest.

His room was at the east tower of the castle like building. It had been in existence for ages with a few modern alterations. The walls were still made of cobblestone but the floors were from marble and the windows were tempered glass with mosaic tiles of the symbols for each creature the Third Way had discovered. The Nether World was a mysterious sea whose depths were impossible to reach.

The stairs from his room led to an opened space for meetings and mission assignments. Five individuals stood in the space; his mother, his sister and the rest of his team. His sister smirked as she twirled her hair. Penn was certain that she was bursting with excitement since she was his biggest enemy.

Avani Nadir was Penn's older sister. She was a foot shorter than him. Her hair was curly like his but a lighter shade of brown and they bounced freely on her flexed shoulders. Her eyes were a sharp hazel which gave her an evil look each time she gazed intensely. She was an uncouth female who bathed in the praises of their mother yet held resentment towards her brother for his warm heart.

Zosia Carnell who was the one that delivered the message of the interrogation frowned at him with her arms crossed. Penn and Zosia had a rocky relationship. They were friends most of the time but the need to attain 'perfection' like Avani turned her into a bully. She had been in training for her role since she could walk by her overbearing uncle who headed the district in Europe. Penn could hardly blame her for such behavior.

The other two were Ingrid Carnell and Cedar Damaris. Ingrid was Zosia's cousin. She had pale white skin and golden blonde hair. Her eyes were gray and her pink lips were thin. Ingrid had a bubbly attitude and she was the most polite of every one in the Third Way. While her father placed heavy expectations on Zosia, he let his daughter perform as she pleased. Ingrid always said 'the moment she was born with her mother's eyes, he tagged her as a failure'. She was Penn's genuine friend hence the compassionate look she offered him each time their eyes met.

Cedar Damaris was a peculiar character. He was silent like the grave and his mind was sharp. He was silent because he was dumb. Rumors of how his condition came to be trailed around him like his shadow. Many believed a Creature of the Night cut out his throat. It made perfect sense considering that he had a stitched scar around his throat. Avani teased him regularly calling it 'a less sparkling choker'.  Penn studied sign language daily in order to create a bond between them. Being around so many strong willed females had its toll.

Someone cleared their throat cutting the tension. It was his mother, Ezlynn Caddel. Ezlynn; a forty five years old woman who ruled the Red Cloaks with an iron fist and stiff traditions. The Caddels were noted as one of the founders of the Third Way. Even after her marriage to Igos Nadir, Ezlynn retained her name which was a warning to everyone. She was a hard woman. Her children had inherited her eyes and astounding beauty.