Black Magic Women

98

"We have to talk about what we are going to do now," Hilda said and Zelda knew that her sister was right. They had to talk about where they wanted to go from now. So much pain could have been spared if they had just started talking openly from the beginning but the events of the past days, weeks, heaven even months made the ginger long for another quiet day before heaven on earth was sure to break loose again.

"Do we really have to do this now, Hilda? We have been through so much during the past couple of days, a few more hours of rest surely won't harm anyone," Zelda said and Hilda sighed softly. The blonde witch knew that she had terrible timing but she also feared that another unprepared attack might leave them off even worse than this one had and wasn't sure that their family could survive any more attacks.

"I know that this has been a lot, Zelds, and I am truly sorry that we have to do this now, but this can't wait. Look what happened today. I don't think the Dark Lord will show us the kindness and wait for us to heal before he plans to hit us again and maybe next time we won't get away with our lives. By now he has made it clear that he won't back down, nor make it any easier for us, so next time, we need to be prepared or else we might not be so lucky," Hilda said and Zelda sat down, sighing heavily.

"I know you're right but what do you want me to do, Hilda? I have never been in a situation such as this and I have no idea where to go from here," Zelda admitted and felt too tired to keep up the face of bravery, she usually conjured up.

"Don't feel bad for being at a crossroads without knowing which direction to take, Zelds. This is new to all of us but together, we will make it."

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence and the sleepy vibes, that Mary was sending Zelda, calmed the witch enough to relax and let the tension flee her still exhausted body. She hadn't even truly realized how badly this incident had wounded her; physically and mentally.

"I think we need to start by taking advantage of your bond. From what it looked like Adam, therefore also the Dark Lord, have no idea that there has been a change between you two, so we can use it to our advantage. They won't see it coming."

Zelda knew that her sister was indeed right, that they needed to use their newfound bond to their advantage but Zelda wasn't sure she was ready to invite another person, let alone her entire family, into the connection that had been formed between her and Mary. She didn't even know she fully understood it herself, so how was she supposed to explain it to anyone else?

"I don't know Hilda. That seems like quite a stretch. We don't even know the boundaries of what Mary and I can do yet, so how are we supposed to turn whatever this is into our secret weapon? It seems like a lots of 'ifs' and 'whens'. Too much to solely rely on it."

"This is all we've got so far, Zelds. We haven't got much else to go off. We don't know anything about the Dark Lord's plans, let alone how to stop him. I'd say let's rely on Mary. I suppose she knew him best but he's angry. Angrier than I think even she's seen him before and as we've seen today, there is a lot we don't know about her. I am not one to judge but maybe it's best to have more than one plan to go on," Hilda said and rubbed Zelda's arm calmingly, trying to make this easier on her. She could see how her sister could barely keep her eyes open and how the swelling on her face tore on her beautiful features. She knew that she wouldn't be able to follow the conversation much longer.

The blonde witch couldn't even imagine how hard it must have been for her sister to withstand the pain that today had brought upon her and Mary. She wouldn't blame her sister for giving in to the grief and torment, finding herself unable to aid her in the planing of their next steps. What she did know, was that their next steps needed to be chosen carefully. If not, they could lose much more than just power. They could lose each other.

"I know... I... I just feel so weak. He's been able to hit us when we least expected it and he has hit us hard. It's a miracle no one has been injured beyond coming back from it. I don't want her to die, Hilda. She's all I've never known I needed and now that I have her I am so terribly afraid that one wrong step will take her away from me again, so simply taking no step seems much safer than risk losing it all," Zelda confessed and the first of many tears to come made its way down her reddened and swollen cheek.

„I know and I am here for you; both of you. The past time he's hit you, you didn't have anything but each other. This time, you'll have us, your family. We will be by your side and protect and support you and Lord forbid anyone tries to harm either one of you. It'll be the last move they ever did. That I can promise you. As much as Sabrina causes us trouble and as much as you'd like to turn her into a frog for it, she is passionate and bravely stands up for what she believes in and she believes in this family. She'll be there for Mary and you and she will stand with you during this battle. So will Ambrose and I. You are not alone. We will not let anyone hurt you or her," Hilda said and wiped away the blackish stained tears from her sister's burning face.

"I suppose you're right. We might as well use the only advantage we've got..." Zelda said and looked up from the spot, her eyes had been glued to.

"She can use my magic. She somehow channels it through our bond. So far it's been weak and she's never tried to use it intentionally. She's only ever used it out of sheer terror or without knowing she did it. He thinks she's powerless. He won't see it coming, when whatever we plan comes from her," Zelda said and a small smile crossed Hilda's lips at the prospect of a real secret weapon.

"Then you'll have to find out how she can use it to fight back, but now go and get some rest. You deserve some time with each other. We can discuss the rest with Sabrina and Ambrose tomorrow," Hilda said and decided to give her sister one more day of carefreeness. She didn't have to worry about today. The blonde witch highly doubted that the Dark Lord would hit them this soon, but didn't want to risk anything beyond that. They needed to regroup and work on their tactic if they wanted to beat him.

Zelda just mouthed a soft thank you before Hilda watched her sister limp out of the room, trying to act as if her leg wasn't hurt as badly as it was. Even now, when she started opening up to her sister, did she not want to admit any weaknesses. Hilda smiled to herself, knowing that at least her sister's spirit remained in tact.

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I am back?! I don't know honestly. I have had one of the worst depressive episodes and I am still in it. I wish I could have updated sooner and I wanted to! The beginning of this has been in my drafts since April and I've never been able to finish it. I wish I could promise anything, but I simply can't. Let's just hope this won't be the last of our favorite witches!