When The Witching Hour Strikes

Chapter 3

I remember nothing from that afternoon. All I remember is the jet of light, then darkness enveloping me in its infinite blanket of utter peace.

I wake to find myself in my room, with no idea of how I got into it, or what time of day, or even what day it is.

I groggily get out of bed, not at all ready to do anything. All I want to do is crawl back into bed and think about what happened.

I try to recall the things I know. My name, age, and where I am. What happened that afternoon? All I know is that I met a girl named Naida, her hair was dark, she had green eyes, and wings. She can also shoot blue light out of her fingertips. She's from a secret world, and somehow I have to get ready to go there, and learn lots about it, so I won't offend anyone I suppose. And I know that somehow I have to help this kingdom. How I have no idea, but I suppose Naida will tell me.

I go for a walk to the edges of the grounds and lie down in the soft grass, staring up at the somewhat clouded sky with clouds glowing alternately. I watch the clouds dance, a graceful dance which is never replicated anywhere else, even by the greatest of ballerinas, and the song made by the wind and birds could never be copied, not by the greatest musicians, nor the most talented poets. As I lie there deep in thought I am startled by another presence. I sit up, jolted out of my reverie for the moment, alert, heart racing. I quickly look around me, and realise it was Naida that startled me.

"H-hello again" I stutter.

"Hello. How are you? Not too disorientated? Confused perhaps?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am very confused. What exactly happened that afternoon?"

"Well, I will start from the beginning. When I told you to duck down, it was an order not a request. In future you would do well to do as I or any of the fae tell you. You never know what dangers may lurk ahead. The monster coming towards us was a Kerberos. It is a large and venomous lynx which does not hesitate to kill. I am a trained fae therefore I know when and where to strike the beast. The jet of light you saw was my energy, which is primarily used to battle and some common tasks. The colour represents the lineage, all of my family were warriors, and mine is blue. All warriors have the same colour energy. Royals have purple, healers have white, commoners have green and travellers gold. All energies can be used to battle, however those with blue specialise in battle. There is also one more energy type, silver and gold. This has only happened twice before and it is stronger than the rest. It allows the user to speak with animals and travel between the fae and mortal worlds. The Kerberos knew I was here because i was followed by one of Her brutes. And before you ask, She is our sworn enemy."

The tone of her voice indicates no more questions are to be asked about whoever this mysterious female is, or for that matter the beast that followed her.

"So why did I blackout? I've never done that before."

"You blacked out because you aren't used to seeing magic like that. The last time you saw something like that you were only a few days old. Your energy flow knows this, and created a space for you to be in so you would not be harmed. That's why you blacked out. Your energy was protecting you."

"When will I get to be in the fae realm?" I venture.

"When you have learned enough about both yourself and the realm. You will know when the time is right. I know this frustrates you, but you must be patient, willing to learn, and above all respectful of the people you will encounter along your journey."

"Okay." the sensation of being jittery leaves me, and I process what Naida's told me. She is patient with me, almost like a big sister would be, willing to let me make mistakes, but also encouraging good habits that will save my life. That's why I'm curious to know about her, she's wise yet playful and light when she needs to be. A delicate balancing act between the two is stuck, and she makes it seem easy, although for her it must be, after all, she's had years of practicing being a warrior so discipline must come naturally to her. A shadow appears overhead, and I look up to see Naida standing over me with an amused look on her face.

"What is it?" I ask.

"I just wonder how you can be so stubbornly innocent at times, yet you wield something so beyond your years."

"What do you mean beyond my years?"

"What I mean is-" she said sitting down now she had my attention. "That you possess something which had you grown up in the fae realm would have been able to wield very well by now, but you having grown up in this world are so obtusely innocent and unaware. It's one of your more not frustrating, but let's say, slightly annoying qualities. And before you ask no I will not give you any more information. That is more than enough for one day."

"But-" I began but before I got a word in edgewise a smile crept across her face and she leaned forward. I tensed, ready to be hit as I so often had before. She smiled gently, and touched me lightly before exclaiming

"You're it!"

As I chased after her, the adrenaline in my body continued to surge through me, but this time there was something more, different to when I normally ran around. As i continued to chase after her I felt a spark in my fingers, I glanced down and there I saw purple, silver and gold flickering around my fingers. I called out to Naida, who slowed and came back.

She looked at my hands, and a grave expression came to her features.

"What's wrong with my hands? Has this ever happened before? What should I do? Is it dangerous?"

She shook her head.

"I have to get back to their majesties. They'll want to know about this. There's no time to explain. You'd better stay in this world for now. I have to go."

"Wait, Naida-"

And with one last glance at my hands she vanished. 

A/N: Ello loves! So what do you think the colours mean? And what will it mean for Ellie? 

I will update next week, most likely Monday. 

Vote if you enjoyed this part! Please don't be a silent reader. 

Until next time,

Charchar  <3 xox