Behind |First book in The Risen Saga|

Chapter twenty-Seth

The small house was homey, it let out a warm feel. A small log house with two windows on the sides of one door, accessible with three small steps. Small wind chimes, spinning rapidly, above the door and a 'welcome' mat sat at the top of the steps. The only problem was, it was protected, he couldn't enter. When the invisible wall hit his shoulder as he pushed the door open, he almost dropped Emma, but before she fell, he lightly plucked her out of the air, like she weighed nothing, and turned around, cursing under his breath. 

"You invited me here and its protected? You knew I couldn't enter, take it down." Seth demanded, glaring into Magnolia's vibrant blue eyes. They weren't quite like Emma's; Emma's were like the mid-day sky with no clouds. It was like a beautiful baby blue. Magnolia's were a vibrant light blue that seemed to glow like the small wisps that usually float around the faeries sometimes. 

Ava's mother stepped forward, her black hair blending into the darkness around her, making it look like she was connected to the dark tendrils. "Mother, we cannot help her if you don't take it down." 

"I realize this, Kate, but if I take it down, we are not protected and I have many enemies," Magnolia looked over her shoulder at her daughter. A witch like this has enemies? Oh, right, she fought in the war. Seth thought back to the war, The Great Demise, the lycanthropes and Night Children called it. Magnolia Robinson was a great hero of the witches. She killed many of Seth's men and massacred three whole packs of wolves with her purple strings of magick that stung like a rattlesnakes bite. Seth knew, he felt it, he had scars along his sides and chest that were like a map of his life. Scars, death. He shuddered at the thought.

"Okay, witch, you either take the damn thing down or I need to get the hell out of here to get her some help," Seth snapped, taking a step down one of the stairs and getting in her face, she didn't flinch, just met his gaze with a steady one of her own.

"Go, ahead, leave. Who ever you find won't be able to help her," The old woman shrugged lazily and stepped out of the way waving her hand into the darkness like a magician advertising his trick. "But if not, please step out of the way or this might hurt."

Seth stepped down and stood beside Ava's mother, Kate, and watched the old lady lift her hands and start to whisper under her breath. The power of the spell radiated off her in waves, he could practically see it. 

Purple tendrils shot out of her fingertips and curled around the welcome mat, lighting it to an eerie glow. Suddenly, the welcome mat burst into flames and Seth thought it was on accident and the fire might spread, but nothing a witch does is on accident. 

The fire didn't spread, even though normal fire would have lit the house up into a bond fire, instead it slowly burned the mat into ash and the warmth of the house disappeared, like a curtain being drawn away from a show, and was replaced by a darkness and power that was a little imitating to Seth. The woman put her hands down and took a step back.

"If we just had to get rid of the welcome mat, I could have destroyed it myself. There was no need to make a show out of it," Seth said and leaped up the steps, walking through the open doorway. A small coat hanger stood right inside the doorway, one that Seth recognized, it looked like the one at the penthouses. The floor was a beautiful polished wood and one step led into an open hallway; one side was the small living room and a little ahead on the other side, led into the kitchen. 

"It doesn't work that way," Magnolia muttered, slipped off her mud boots and hung up her coat on the coat hanger, Kate did the same. The two ladies walked ahead and entered the living room, "Here set her down right here," she gestured on one of the two tan couches. Seth laid her down gently and then backed up and sat on the other couch.