Nightway Chronicles: Book One - The Resurrection

Chapter 2

I try to avoid my Mother the next day but seeing as I live with her, I cannot. The castle may be big, but not big enough. She still looks at me with a bit of hatred but speaks to me nonetheless. "You've healed." She says shortly with a bland tone during breakfast. My brothers all look from me to her then to their plates. Katherine is far too busy stuffing her face to realize the tension at the table.

"Mother, could I take my siblings out for a ride today?" Maximus speaks up after a few minutes of silence. She looks at the five of us and shrugs. "As long as you take Luciana with you. Stay out as long as you like." Ben tightens his grip on his wand under the table but I place my hand on his to calm him down. "Thank you Mother." Maximus gives her a weak smile and looks at me with a defeated and wounded look.

After breakfast, the five of us go to the stables and each saddle our own horses, even Katherine. My horse Orion lets out a loud whinny as I approach. I haven't ridden him in a while. I've raised him since he was a foal. He long black mane has been brushed recently, probably by Katherine. She quite enjoys the company of animals. I doesn't take long for me to saddle and mount him. He is more than eager to take off down the dirt path through the woods.

The five of us, each on different colored horses start at a slow walk down the path. Benjamin's white horse, Tilla leads us down the path. Maximus' horse brown horse, Wea, follows closely behind. Katherine and her auburn horse, Ferry, stay in the middle of the group. Peter is in the very back with his gray horse, Jep. This is the usual order when we go for rides. But usually, Mother and her tan horse lead us.

We reach a vast meadow with flowers of different colors and scents and all dismount our horses. Katherine immediately starts chasing a few rabbits while Peter takes a nap on Jep, who is now sitting down. "Always the lazy one aren't you Peter?" Maximus chuckles as he walks past him. Orion and Tilla run off with each other and do whatever it is that horses do. I sit on a large boulder along the side of the meadow and look around at the little creatures scurrying to and fro. They don't have overbearing mothers to go home to. Their mothers are probably kind and loving. They probably have fathers as well.

"In deep thought again are we Lucy?" Benjamin sits beside me on the boulder and twiddles his wand in his fingers. I shove him lightly and he chuckles. "Are you feeling better today?" I can feel him looking down at me but I keep my eyes on a pair of rabbits playing. I nod my head and cast a little spell towards the rabbits, summoning two carrots. "We will have to endure another long week with Mother on our journey soon."

In two weeks, some of the most powerful witches will be trekking to Manticore Mountain for the Blood Moon. During this time, the power of witches is greater than ever. Mother has not specified what it is she plans to do, but it requires great power. She is bringing four of us along to witness this "Magnificently malicious event". Maximus and Peter are interested while Ben and I would rather not know. Katherine will stay behind because apparently it is far too grotesque for a young witch to witness at such a young age.

"I can hardly contain my joy!" The sarcasm spews from my mouth as I speak. He glares at me playfully and hops off the rock. "It won't be that bad. I'll be there to protect you." He smiles and extends a hand to help me down. I jump off without his help and land far more gracefully than him. I smooth my green silk dress and flip my hair behind my shoulders. "I don't need you to protect me." I buff out my chest a bit and smile confidently.

A loud cracking noise echoes through the meadow, causing Ben and I to stand in a fighting stance. Maximus and Peter shoot up off the ground and look around, both their wands out. The noise stops while birds and a few other animals, our horses included, zoom out of the forest. It doesn't take me long to realize that Katherine is unaccounted for. I fly toward the forest without hesitation and nearly stumble a few times. I hear my brothers calling behind me but I don't stop.