Copyright © 2024 by GroveltoHEA
"You rang?" the purple fairy asked me as soon as he and the two other fairies appeared in front of me.
"Yes. I'd like to see the trials, please."
Why did my stomach feel as if it was about to revolt? I felt as if there would be no unseeing whatever I was about to see, that there would be no going back. Taking this path could change my life as much as seeing Magnus with Lamia had.
"Witch, why do you want to see this?" the yellow one asked.
"Because it's time."
"You must understand some things first."
"What?" Now that I'd decided to watch them, I just wanted to get to it.
"Our task is to determine if the man who broke your heart has truly changed and has become worthy of you. Hearts can be healed but behavior and attitudes don't necessarily have to change. That is completely up to the betrayer. We are attempting to make sure that the man truly wants to be with you because so much is at stake," the orange one said solemnly.
"I think I already understood that."
The orange fairy flew back and forth in front of my face, almost agitated. "Yes, but you may not fully understand what we do to ensure that. We aren't kind."
"We lie," the yellow fairy admitted, "about everything."
"We manipulate, too," the orange one added. "We tell them they won't know if they're saving the real you or an illusion of you until they reach you in the trial. They don't know you will never be there."
"We basically fuck with their minds. We're vicious," the purple fairy said. "We try to get them to call off because we don't want any men with our witches who don't deserve them. Not when magic is at stake."
"What does that mean? Magic is at stake?"
"That is not for you to know yet," the yellow fairy said dismissively.
I was getting tired of hearing that. First from Rosemary, now from these three Fae.
"Can I just watch, please?"
"Do you want the highlight reel, witch, or the full-length show?"
"I want to see everything."
"We can speed it up, slow it down when he says things. Otherwise, real time will take more than a day."
"Fine, speed it up, but I don't want to miss anything important."
"No, witch, you won't," Purple promised. "It is only those who have broken a witch's heart who we mess with."
"The first trial for Magnus was the Trial of Endurance," Yellow said.
It began playing immediately. "Is this after?" I asked when Magnus appeared, naked. He was already badly bruised and beaten.
The image froze.
"No," Orange said. "He had to fight his entire MC to leave it, and it was right before the first trial, so he's a bit chewed up. He will be more so at the end of the trial, just to set your expectations."
"What's that on his chest?"
"The M is a brand burned into him as he answered the four questions committing himself to the trials. The...disturbance on the other side of his chest is simply a life lesson from us about the importance of telling the truth."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that for every truth he told, he received a stab in the chest."
"So he not only had to go through the trials, but he got stabbed for telling the truth during the trials?"
YOU ARE READING
Three Witches #1: Magnus and Magnolia
RomanceI fell in love with Magnus, and I thought he fell just as hard for me. Then my class got canceled and I went to the club house so we could spend an unexpected evening together. Unfortunately, someone else was already there keeping him company. My he...
