The next few weeks went by with relatively nothing happening. Calla was slowly getting to know the people she lived with, helping out. She was hesitant about bothering anyone as after a quick meeting at the dining table in the morning she saw the guys were busy with all kinds of the gathering of resources she assumed they would be delivering to this other magical person. She would assist where she could though was mainly asked not to mess with anything.
They finally got to the day Marick suggested they deliver items and before she knew it she was following the group down a trail leading deeper into the forest, a path she had never gone down before today. She was somewhat surprised that they were walking, having no idea how close or far they were to this mangled shack. As she followed, she realized she had no idea how close the coven lived to the other realm either. Was that why they tended to keep her close to the cottage? She frowned at her thoughts, keeping pace with Blaise. Mostly because he was the only one she could catch up to. She finally glanced up at him. He looked tired or probably bored as he carried a bunch of staffs on his shoulders. She was starting to see that the others tended to give him the heavier items to carry but from the look of it, he didn’t seem to mind.
“I’m a little surprised you guys don’t teleport or something to where you need to go…” she finally said, catching his attention. His green eyes glanced her way before he shrugged.
“We normally do. However, some of the items we have are rather sensitive to other magic and will react negatively if we did,” he exclaimed with a yawn. She was slightly surprised by how Blaise answered her, oddly enough, he seemed less grumpy for the time being. “It won’t take us that long to get there. The building we are headed to is just within the twisted treeline to the south of here,” he added.
Calla looked forward when he said that, curiously looking at the trees before them to see what they meant by twisted trees. Unsurprisingly, she didn’t see anything at the moment and she looked back at Blaise. “Who is this lady anyway?” she asked curiously. Blaise once again glanced at her though looking slightly more irritated.
“Madam Coffer. The witch of the twisted woods,” he muttered before sighing. “She’s a crazy old hag who gathers supplies from the neighboring magicals in the area to sell. Sometimes to other magicals, sometimes to non-magicals for her amusement.”
“And she is not someone we will be offending this time, right Blaise?” Raven called back to them, a mocking expression on his face. Blaise shot him a glare.
“It’s not my fault the woman’s insane.” Blaise huffed in annoyance. “All I said was that she needed to get the spiders out of her ears.”
“She nearly killed you for that. So let’s not say that again.” Raven pointed out. Calla couldn’t help but feel nervous about that.
“Now, now, dear brother, don’t scare the poor dear on her first outing with us.” Gwydion sang, not bothering to look back at them. Raven smirked and gave a wink back at Calla.
“My apologies,” he commented playfully. Calla just frowned at both of them, about to say something when she caught sight of a strange line of trees before them.
She understood what they meant by twisted. Each tree looked as if a giant had grabbed them, ringing them out like a wet cloth before returning them to the ground. Some had fallen over, while others had branches that reached towards the group like thin fingers ready to grab anyone who dared walk down their path. Calla felt herself shrink into herself, looking around wide-eyed as they continued down the path that took them into the treeline. The path was just as crooked, looking as if it would lead them astray at any second. Even Blaise looked a bit tense as he faced forward, eyes narrowing but darting around. It was then that Calla took notice that the forest sounds had gone silent. The only sound was that of sticks popping and a breeze rushing around them.
Looking forward, smoke from the chimney of an old worn-down shack became the telltale sign that it was there, nestled in the arms of the eerie trees around it. At the sight, Marick’s expression became more serious.
“Calla, stay next to me,” he commanded sharply. Without any time to think, Calla felt her body act as commanded, moving up the group to walk next to Marick. She blinked in disbelief at the sudden action her body made without her control. She would have said something but the group was soon stopped at the door to the shack before them. Marick raised the hand that was not holding the boxes of potions he had with him and knocked on the door.
Calla swallowed hard, having the overwhelming feeling of eyes on her as soon as he did. If it weren’t for Marick’s spell, she would have tried to hide at the back of the group, but she was unable to move from next to him. At once, the door flung open as if taken by a wind storm. From the shadows of the darkened shack emerged an ancient-looking woman with a cane. From under her crooked hat, the woman’s sharp eyes rested on Calla before anyone else, her stare reaching into Calla’s very soul.
“We have the items you requested.” Marick’s sharp tone rang out, breaking the old woman’s stare as it moved to Marick. She gave a slow nod at that before her bony cheeks lifted as a smile appeared on her lips.
“Of course. Please, bring them inside,” she said, her voice cracking slightly. She turned, slowly shuffling out of the way, waving a wrinkly arm to move them inside. Marick nodded, walking inside, Calla following him. She didn’t want to look up at the woman as they passed, but she felt compelled to glance over, only to see the woman was watching her every movement. She felt it best to keep close to Marick, staying close to him. The others would soon follow, moving to locations around the room to place their items with others of their kind.
Once placing down his box, Gwydion danced over to the old woman, giving a princely bow and kissing one of her wrinkled hands. “You are as lovely as ever, Madam Coffer.” He sang, raising to give the woman a playful wink.
The woman’s lips curled into a smile as she cackled his words. “Charming words as always.” She stated with her raspy voice, her attention solely on the man before her. “Anyone would pay a pretty penny for a vial of blood from such a handsome man.”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Gwydion chuckled, rising to his full height and touching his face. “And I would give it willingly but only if there was some kind of enjoyment in it for me~,” he said playfully.
The woman shook her head at that. “Your reputation precedes you,” she said before her eyes drifted past the man to look towards Calla once again. At first, Calla thought Gwydion was that much of a flirt to hit on an old lady. It was when the woman looked back at her that she realized what he had done. Gwydion had broken the old woman’s line of sight, keeping her eyes off of Calla for as small of a moment that was. He had been doing what he needed to keep himself between the witch and Calla. Calla was kept by Marick who was emptying the box of potions he had, placing the vials in the holders she had on the counter.
Calla felt a wave of power flow through her as her eyes locked with the old woman. The woman curled her lips into a wicked grin. “Knowing your reputation, I’m surprised you keep such an untainted pet.” the old woman said in a slightly wild tone. She tapped her cane on the ground, making Calla jump. “Come here, girl.”
Calla had hoped that Marick’s spell would prevent her from moving, however, Calla’s feet began to move in the direction of the woman, much to her bewilderment. The room was immediately tense as she stopped halfway to the woman when Gwydion’s arm shot out before her, blocking her path. Calla blinked in surprise, looking up to see an intensely dark look in the eyes of the beautiful man as he watched the old woman. The woman giving a tsk, made Calla’s attention turn back to her only to see the old woman stepping close to them.
“A bit overprotective.” Madam Coffer muttered a bit snippy, craning her neck for her eyes to look up at the crimson-haired man in her way. “I’m just curious. I thought it strange when Marick took in the boy, but at least he had magic in his veins. To take in a non-magical girl, now that’s a rare sight. I wonder what makes her so special.” Calla’s heart was racing in her fear, suddenly very scared of the woman before her. Gwydion’s arm didn’t move, not even as Madam Coffer lifted her hand and placed her boney fingers against Calla’s cheek.
Calla’s body started to tremble as she could do nothing but watch the woman as she looked her over before smiling. “A pretty thing, for a non-magical. Sweet, innocent, young… there are many uses for you, my dear. Especially if you haven’t warmed their beds.” she said, her voice surprisingly sharp in tone as if digging into her. Calla just stared, afraid but confused. The woman took notice of that and cackled a bit, her hand moving to touch Calla’s brown hair, running between her fingers. At that moment, Calla felt alone, as if the room was empty outside of the woman and her, but she knew that couldn’t be true.
The woman tilted her head. “I wonder how much they have used you…” she said calmly, the sentence hitting Calla like a rock.
“U...Used me?” Calla’s quivering lips managed to say, only for the woman to hum, her smile growing.
“Of course, dear. Someone like you… so many uses.” she stated before moving her hand to Calla’s chin. “Your youth will be harvested to aid the old by reversing age… your beauty to be used to aid those who seek their beauty again…” The old woman smirked. “Your pure blood for potions.”
Calla’s blood ran cold at that, eyes widening. They wouldn’t have done that, would they? The old woman nodded at that. “Blood of the Innocent is a highly sought-after item in potion-making. With you around, Marick wouldn’t have needed to purchase it, and with it fetching such a high price…”
Calla had the sudden feeling of being pulled backward. As soon as the old woman’s hands were off her, the room returned to normal, Calla blinking in surprise at the sight of Blaise pulling her back before she stumbled back into Raven’s arms. His safe arms. It was at that moment that Calla realized how much she was shaking, clinging to his arms as she allowed him to hold her close. Calla heard the old woman click her tongue again as she glared at Blaise.
“Ah yes, the smart-tongued boy,” she stated bitterly, tapping her cane. However, her attention moved past him and towards the silver-haired man staring daggers at her. “You know the rules about withholding resources other magicals can use, Marick. If you have no plans to use her, I will pay a hefty amount for such high-quality goods.”
“Calla is not for sale, you ugly hag. Touch her again and I’ll break every bone in your body.” Blaise hissed. His words were much more serious than Calla heard him use when he threatened the others. This was different. Blaise sounded like he was ready to kill. The woman gave a slight growl.
“Disrespectful brat! Do you have any idea who you are speaking to?” she hissed angrily, raising her hand. However, Marick suddenly stepped between Calla’s sight and the others. He moved his hand but as to what he did Calla didn’t see.
“You don’t want to start this war, Coffer. As one of the members of my coven told you, Calla is not for sale, let alone an item to be used. If you try to go after her, we will not hold back and that would not be a favorable outcome, not even to a witch of your reputation.” Marick stated sternly. The two seemed to lock eyes with each other, Marick holding no fear at all. “Now since we delivered what we said we would, I believe we shall be taking our leave.”
With that, Calla felt herself being lifted, carried from the shack by Raven, soon followed by the others. Calla blinked, confused, lost, and trying to process what had happened. The group was silent for a long time, Calla only letting out a breath as soon as they left the twisted woods.
“Well, that went better than expected.” Blaise finally said, breaking the silence. Gwydion seemed to give a hum in agreement. Calla just looked back at them wide-eyed. Were they serious? That was well?! What had they expected to happen! She frowned at that, catching Gwydion’s attention and he gave her a concerned smile.
“We told you, things in our world are dangerous for a flower such as you. She could have attempted to bleed you dry.” Gwydion pointed out. Calla looked fearful again, clinging to Raven.
Raven sighed. “And you were the one saying I was scaring her,” he muttered, catching Calla’s attention as she looked up at him. His eyes were gentle as he looked back but he was frowning. “My apologies, Calla. I should have informed you not to look her in the eye. Marick’s magic is strong but can be undone by a counter. She must have suspected something…”
Calla looked off, the words of the witch in her head. When they were far enough away, Raven put her down, patting her head gently before he started to walk. Calla watched them pass her before she followed. Her eyes were on Marick. As the cottage came into view, she stopped in her tracks.
“Was she right? Have you gathered vials of my blood to use?” she asked. The group of guys stopped, turning to look back at her, other than Marick. The man with silver hair just kept walking towards the house.
“...You were bleeding pretty heavily when you first arrived. I found it to be a waste.” Marick stated almost coldly. “As Gwydion stopped the bleeding I took a few vials. After the first night, I never took any more.”
Calla just watched after him. “You’re not lying to me, are you?” she asked, gripping her dress.
“I don’t have a reason to lie and you already know I don’t tell jokes,” Marick replied calmly before waving his hand. “Keep up or I will assume you are attempting to run off.”
Calla hesitated. It seemed his power was for only when she was around others not in this coven or he would have just ordered her to follow. She sighed, looking at the four men before her before she began to walk towards the cottage.
A Day with Marick (Chapter 8)
A Day with Raven (Chapter 9)
A Day with Gwydion (Chapter 10)
A Day with Blaise (Chapter 11)