Time Paradox: Tales of a Bounty Hunter Book 2

Chapter 3 -Confrontations

Chapter 3

Earth

Raven's old Coven was located underneath an old library that hadn't been operational since the '90s. She had joined when she was only sixteen and freshly kicked out from her home when the nuns had discovered that she was a Witch. Raven hadn't been part of the Coven for long but it had changed her entire life. Now, as she walked down the familiar street, memories of the past shifted in her mind.

"You did the right thing leaving Ramiel to take the magic book back at the spaceship. He'll be safer in there and Grav won't let anyone get inside." Noemi comforted the Witch.

Truth be told, Ramiel had objected been left behind. However, both women reasoned that if push came to shove, he had no actual skills to defend himself, leaving Noemi and Raven to worry about him on top of covering for themselves. His shoulders had fallen and his face adopted that kicked-puppy look that had melted Raven's heart and filled her with guilt. But it still didn't make him capable of fighting and so she had entrusted him with keeping her book of magic spells safe. After all, without it there would be no rescuing Novah and that was priority number one.

"I know," Raven responded with a sigh. "Now come on, it's over here."

Raven guided Noemi towards the back of the library where an alcove came to view. Noemi suspected that the hidden door was there. Her assumption was confirmed when the other woman walked in there. However, there was no door waiting for them. Only a graffiti of one.

"You've got to be joking." she groaned thinking that they needed to start over.

Raven, however, didn't make a move to turn around. Instead, she stopped close to the wall and placed her hands on the paint.

"Veritate revelare!" she whispered as if she and the wall shared a secret.

To her amazement, Noemi saw the graffiti come to life. Where once was a merely painted door, now it was as real as her and Raven. She would never admit to it, but Noemi had her mouth hung open a bit. Rave winked at her with a self-satisfied glim in her grey eyes.

"Shall we?" she asked rhetorically pulling the door open.

Without responding, Noemi followed the other woman inside. The underground secret Coven was worthy of its reputation. Noemi and Raven walked down a hall of stairs then didn't seem to have an end.

"Lux!"

A ball of light formed on top of Raven's palm and drew back the darkness that surrounded them.

"Nice trick," Noemi mumbled urging the other woman to continue.

Raven licked her lips and walked down one step at a time. A bad feeling settled in her chest. She hadn't been down here for many years and her last memories of this place were not pleasant. Flashes of wild red hair, memories of someone she had trusted. A young woman around the same age as her offering her a chance of having a family. They were both Witches but in the end, they were too different from each other. As different as light and darkness. Raven wanted to save people. Minerva lusted for the power the demons gave her.

Raven shook her head pushing the memories away. They left a bitter taste in her mouth. It was metallic, like blood, and smelled like rotten eggs. Demons! That awful smell of sulfur that demons left behind. Another sigh made it out of Raven's lips. So the Coven was still summoning demons. The sisters of Saint Partick would have sprayed this place in holy water and then performed an unction -a prayer- to cleanse the place of the demonic spirits and energies. Perhaps it was Raven's duty to do it, but she had other concerns of her own. Besides, an unction might not even work for her seeing that she was a Witch and all.