Et tú, Clarissa?

Chapter thirty-one

Present Day (Scotland, Britain)

As the two big hands around my arms lead me out the portal, I hear how sound reappear around me which makes me curious enough to force my eyes open again. The old fort spread out through long corridors and big open spaces in an endless labyrinth that I somehow feel familiar with. People dressed in black and white clothes are wherever I lay my eyes. Training with strange luminous swords. Working in front of the most advanced computer system there is. Practicing magic. Eating. Talking. However, their ordinary order seems to be interrupted by our appearance, since every single one becomes quiet as they lay eyes on me. As I have eyes following my every move, I suddenly see similar pictures flickering before my eyes. Each from different places and different centuries. Some more contemptuous than others. Suddenly pictures of a 17th century crowd appear in front of me like a fragment of a memory. In the big smalltown crowd, my gaze focused on a woman in the front of the crowd with dark hair and fairly dressed before it redirects to the silhouette of a woman between two of the houses some feet away from the crowd.

"Lockwood!" I suddenly hear a voice call out in front of me which brings me back to the present. "Are you still with us?"

I look up at the tall woman with the caramel corkscrews dancing down her perfect neck. The similarities to the woman who abducted me are unquestionable. They are relatives. The only difference is the sparkle in the older woman's eyes. Like a child meeting their idol for the first time. There is no doubt that they looked for me to continue, but I just let my gaze dance from one to another.

"I'm Diana Bluestone, Head of Inverness Institute. You'll have to excuse the sudden summoning. I hope Wanda and her friends weren't too hard on you."

I could suddenly feel the confusion from the guardians around us by their leader's sudden apology. Especially the woman who got me here, who has to be Wanda. The determination around her keeping me out and on a safe distant so that I will be unable to read her, is suddenly much weaker and instead, the uncertainty big. So, she decides not to take to words, leaving the air free to the Head of the Institute to continue.

"We have detected a situation regarding the demonic activities. It has come to our knowledge that an old dark force is gaining power." she says as they lead me through the corridors towards the mission centre. "Gabriel!"

The warlock from previous captivation attempts appears by her side and gives me a close to apologetic look, before he rises the lay lines so that I can see that the lay lines had turned from crystal blue to emerald green.

"That - that can't be." I stutter and stumble a bit closer as soon as the guards lets me go. "The capacity to succeed with such a thing is-"

"We know." the Head of the Institute assures me. "The magic is very old and must have been performed by something close to a Greater Demon. The only ones known to be able to do something like this is the Azusises and three others Greater Demons. We have on good authority that two of those Greater Demons are locked up."

"Well, it's obviously not me since you have me locked up too, so could you be so kind to remove the shackles?"

Like H.I. Bluestone just realised that they had not released me, she orders the other guardians to forthwith remove the magic neutralizer. As soon as they do, I feel energy return to me, making the light flicker above us and the wind swirl up around us. The guardians me look around with big eyes before letting their horrified gaze return to me. Everyone wreaks of fear, wonder and surprise, except the Head of the Institute. Her sparkling girl eyes shine in a familiar way.

Have I encountered her before?

As all the guardians regain their conscious, someone shout for me to be imprisoned, but the Head of the Institute raise a hand in sync with her voice.