WITCH - The Queen

Chapter 54

Lea

Lea quietly followed the runaways. The corridor was narrow and stuffy. It led directly into the forest. The teenagers had almost discovered her twice. Lea had to watch where she stepped. So that cracking branches or other things did not betray her. All the while, she wondered if she should show herself to the students. She was responsible for the two. For their safety. After all, the children had no business in the forest at night. But Lea wanted to know where they were going. The students crept whispering through the forest until they came to a clearing. Lea hid behind a tree.

Soft moonlight illuminated the clearing where the group met. The cry of an owl could be heard and a few fireflies flew among the sleeping wildflowers.

She shuddered as her students met with a group of adults. Lea couldn't believe her eyes. The adults held torches in their hands and solemnly greeted the students. What happened here?

Was this a secret cult?

Lea stepped nervously on a branch. The crackling sound echoed across the clearing. Lea held her breath. One of the strangers approached her. Should she run? But her feet wouldn't move. Then, she looked into the eyes of an elderly man.

The man looked like a simple farmer. But he seemed like a warrior. "Who do we have here?" Wrinkling his nose, he grabbed Lea and pulled her to the group. She stumbled after him in panic.

"What? This is our headmistress!", said one of the students. "Princess Lea!"

Lea broke away from the man and summoned up all her courage. "What's going on here? These are my students! Are you kidnapping vulnerable children?"

The students rolled their eyes while the strangers laughed in amusement.

"I want an answer! Who are you?", demanded Lea.

"What do we do with her?", asked a young woman with black curls. "We can't let her go!"

"We can't kill her either", muttered another member of the group. "Her siblings did join us."

The elderly man grabbed Lea's arm again. Startled, she cried out.

"Let go of me! What is this? Do you belong to a cult? Are you rebels? What do you want with my students? And what does that mean? My siblings joined you? My siblings are certainly not cult members or rebels!"

The older man grinned in amusement as the students looked at each other nervously.

"Please, Princess Lea is nice!", one of her charges pleaded. "Let her go!"

"It's not that simple, child!" The man pulled Lea close to Him. "So, princess. How about this? We give you a choice. Because your former students appreciate you, and we don't want to turn your siblings against us for no reason."

"Choice?", hisses Lea, frightened. "What kind of choice?"

"Join the rebellion or die", the man whispered to her. "What would you like it to be?"

Lea turned pale.

Julia

The morning sun burned in the sky and the water of the river shimmered dazzlingly. Marko and Leopold were involved in a grandiose water fight, while the rest of the group remained in the shadow of the tents.

Josef and Fiete lay cuddled up together as a cat on Julia's lap. The two purred as if it was a competition. They purred until a large white dragon flew towards them. The dragon did not change shape. It looked at the group with flaming eyes. Peter, who was sitting next to Julia, moved closer to her. The large reptile looked at the group suspiciously. Fiete jumped off Julia's lap and turned back into a human.

"Hello Trixi!", he greeted the old dragon. "Have you come to a decision?"

Trixi snorted. "Good morning Fiete", she said. Julia heard a dragon speak for the first time. Fiete and Josefine never did. And now, she understood, why. It was scary. Trixi's voice sounded like a menacing rumble. She forced a dragon smile for Julia with which she showed all her pointed teeth. "Little witch? You and Fiete are allowed to enter the mountains. We allow you to bring your request to all elders, and to explain your motives in detail. My siblings have some questions for you. Only then, we will make our decision."

"Just Fiete?", asked Peter quietly. "What about Josef?" He pointed to the little cat.

Josef hissed softly.

"The child is a half-black dragon. Some dragons do not want Saira's child to enter our mountains. Therefore, we do not allow the child to accompany Fiete and his witch. At least not now."

"You have more questions?" Julia stroked Josef's soft fur nervously. Marko and Leopold came running and stood protectively at her side. Finn sat next to Charlotte, who nervously held Cleo's hand. Cleo stared at the dragon nervously.

Trixi sighed. "There is an important peace treaty with the Harpies, which we do not want to jeopardize. The whole thing is a tricky affair. And normally, we don't let exiles back into our mountains." Her gaze fell briefly on Fiete, then she looked at Peter. "But this is a special situation. Fiete? Your husband can accompany you too."

Peter turned red. He tugged at his clothes. "But... I can't go like that! I need to change! I won't make a good impression like that! I'm full of sand!"

Julia rolled her eyes. "We're all full of sand, Peter!" Then she stood up and held out the offended black cat to Leopold. Her boyfriend took Josef. "Good luck!", he said quietly.

"Thank you." She kissed Leopold before standing next to Fiete. "Thank you, Trixi. I'll be happy to accompany you."

"But I can't go like that!", murmured Peter as Fiete took him by the hand and pulled him over to Trixi. "You look as pretty as always, Peter!", he told him. Trixi seemed amused.

"Julia? Peter? Are you sure?", Cleo called out to them nervously.

"We are. Nothing will happen to us!", Julia replied.

Trixi nodded. "I guarantee your safety. No one will attack you!"

(c: sasi)