Chapter 2

The month of May unleashed a torrent of rain after an abnormally dry trek. A cold front out of Leila’s apartment then descended and was held in place by a swirling wind that roared down the Makomi hills from Eastern zaccrota.

Although life was sure to be pleasant for Leila, the goddess of Deruthe, to whom Leila bowed was about to relinquish her hard-won dominion without clemency.

According to the decrees of the goddess no one goes against her word and lived scot free. Paige Granger. Having once being a good friend of Leila had always cautioned her of the nature of Hox, the goddess.

“Just be careful not to get Hox in high dudgeon. You won’t even live to be able to say sorry,” she had said.

            A few days before she escaped from Waegor to zaccrota, she had met Kartemis, her beloved, in her bedroom for an imperturbable chat, something they always did. Before them, love had blinded many and had led to deaths. Or at least, to some catastrophe.

“How are you doing, Leila?”                                            

Kartemis had demanded, with that mysterious stare he always had…a look Leila loved so much.

“I’m good, Delaney called…he’s doing alright.”

“Good.”

“Wouldn’t you like some black coffee?”

“I sure will,”

Kartemis said, wearing some kind of smile. He was a tall man, heavy dark eyed and hard to not trust.

            She groped for her slippers and scorched to the kitchen where most of her secrets slept. She was a woman of great learning, and her place of meals was where she loved the most in her entire fort. The one thing she loved more than she loved Kart was her food making. She was the best at it – something Paige always confessed she was jealous of.

“Thanks awfully,” Kartemis said, taking a warm sip as soon as he grabbed the mug.

“When last did you hear from Paige…the Grovan queen?”

He asked,

“Couple of days ago, why?”

“Before anything there is something I need to tell you. It should have been about a month ago but you remember…my boss called me so I couldn’t make it in telling you. You remember? That one?”

Kartemis breathed. Leila wondered what it was all about. Kartemis was not a man that was fond of holding back no matter how bad the news may be.

“What’s up?”

Leila had asked cheerfully, crossing one bare leg over the other. She hadn’t shaved her legs in weeks but it was in the month of November after all, she was certain Kartemis didn’t care much about that. She wasn’t going to the beach or something though she did go sporadically; but for now, she was with Kartemis, only Kartemis.

“There is something I need to tell you now,”

Kartemis repeated, eyeing Leila cautiously, as though he secretly knew she was wired with an awesome explosive device that was going to blow her up in a million pieces. But telling by the great smile she wore on her face and discounting the stubble on her legs, she was relatively harmless and always had been. Kartemis and Leila had been getting along better than most of their friends did, and Leila was grateful for that. What would Kartemis want to say that is holding him back this way? Leila could ascertain from the glare of his eyes that it wasn’t good news and it certainly would mean something bad on her side. It somehow looked as if he had done something that unfortunately warranted his arrest to the prison of Magridinol, situated somewhere in the Penson Sea. Well, nothing could prove that thought as of that time, so Leila extinguished the thought of Magridinol though not completely. She was getting a bit nervous as the seconds ticked.

“What’s with you, Kart?”

Leila asked, holding a hand out to him. But to his credit, he didn’t let her touch him. That was in spite of Kartemis. He was acting as though he was about to die for a committed crime and was embarrassed to tell her. But Leila was wrong; it was something more heartbreaking than spending the rest of once life in Magridinol. Suddenly, Kartemis spoke the words he had nursed a few months back without anticipating what the outcome may possibly be.

“I do not love you anymore, Leila.”

Kartemis said, staring at Leila right in the eyes, as though he was expecting the arrival of an alien from within her. He continued to stare anyway, obviously expectant of her reaction to his spoken words.

“What… what are you saying?” The words shot out of Leila, like a rocket maybe.

“The thing is that, I don’t think I love you in anyway. I looked in the mirror and this isn’t me. I mean to say I’m not being who I really am supposed to be. Kartemis Linnerys shouldn’t be this way Leila, I’m terribly sorry.”

He said as though he meant it.

“No no, you don’t understand what you are doing right now Kartemis,”

Leila said, staring right back at him. Her eyes were narrowing. Leila noticed he had a black box in his hands. It was the box in which she kept the spell book goddess Vol Hox gave her. For a moment she wondered what the hell he was doing with that box and even insinuated something sinister might be following that box.

“I don’t get this, you came here to tell me you no longer loved me and you are even with my black box and the spell book. Why is that, Kartemis?” She asked, fighting vigorously a rising wave of panic over his painful words.

“I can’t explain but I do not feel anything for you now. Look, girl, I’m not in control of myself anymore and I don’t know why, honestly; the only thing I can feel right now is hatred. Hatred for you…it may not make sence, yeah, but it is what it is,”

Kartemis said, gesturing with his hand frantically as if to express great emphasis on all he said. Undeniably, he was feeling uncomfortable as he witnessed the struggle of Leila to fathom the atmosphere of treachery he had gormlessly created.

“You can’t mean it,”

She said, tears leaping to her eyes, and suddenly running down her graceful cheeks faster that she could stop them. Instinctively, she lifted the hem of the dress she wore to her face. Interestingly the dress was even incapacitated in ceasing the flow of her tears. It was virtually worthless and useless. Leila wanted to scream at him or kill him but that wasn’t her, she was now weak and drained from the words. At that moment she concluded words were the most powerful weapons on the earth she occupied.

“I’m impressed, Kartemis, I truly am. So, tell me what happened that you arrived at this option of not loving me anymore?” Leila managed to ask, a film of tears evident on her eyes again.

“There is no time for that now, Leila, believe me, there is no time.”

He said calmly, his eyes were empty. What did he mean by there was no time?

“Paige Granger is evil; she wants to harm you brutally. And you know how much I hate you, right? I’m on the same page with her.”

Kartemis said coldly, with no traces of guilt.

“Are you for real, Kartemis? You hate me! no! you must be under a spell or something…”

Lady Hagridar spoke with shock, with her voice so thin it sounded like that of a girl than a woman, with the cold of the realm in her eyes.

“How dare you, Kartemis, how dare you?”

“Where is the spell book Hox gave you?”

Kartemis questioned. Leila glanced at the black box and wondered what may be happening. He was asking for the spell book when he could see it visibly in his hands.

“What do you mean by that? What did you do to my spell book, huh?”

She shouted. Kartemis opened the black box and it was empty. The spell book was gone. She failed to believe that was the box Vol Hox had given her. She scooted to the drawer where she had always kept her black box and realized it was gone. That evidently implied Kartemis had given up on her the second time by contributing to the sudden disappearance of the spell book.

“The only reason why I haven’t killed you yet is because of my son in your womb, you idiot!’”

He spat; Leila broke down completely.

“How could you do this to me Kartemis? You’ve got me doomed for good. Where is Paige?” She asked, Saturated with a great deal of confusion, unbelievable, it seemed.

“Blow, you want me to tell you, you are sure to die any moment from now. You are the one Hox gave it to, since you’ve lost it, be ready to die. Well, about where Paige is, you needn’t ask. You already know where she’s always been, Hurricane Grove.”

He said and disappeared, having waved a curt dismissal while he stole a last study at the beauty from head to heels.

           

Leila was obviously disillusioned by this sudden occurrence. In the witchcraft and Wizardry world in which she lived, such a wrong deed called for instant death from the goddess. In escape for her life she had run to Zaccrota to live there for a while, knowing very well that wouldn’t change a thing about her fate. The morning sunlight flooded her bed room which she cleaned thoroughly before retiring to bed the night of her return. Fully conscious of the previous night’s incidence, she decided to take a stroll around, to see how changed Zaccrota had become. The fact that no one would notice or care mattered little to her, just the thought of Paige and her unbridled desires made her mad.

            The icy wind stung her cheeks as she carefully worked her way up and down the slight undulations of the driveway; she looked, she supposed, like a drunken sailor gingerly heading toward the next watering hole.

            When faced with the force of an insurmountable challenge, you don’t have to walk boldly forward in a show of unbridled confidence. Bluster will get you battered. Leila had to get off her knees thrice before she finally reached the teak tree under which she used to spend time with Kartemis.

            She paused to take in the beauty a world engulfed in crystal. Everything reflected light and contributed to the heightened brilliance of the cold morning. But the thought of having got to die for an offence she hardly committed thronged her mind.

            The trees in a neighbor’s field had all donned translucent mantles and each now stood unique but unified in their presentation. It was a glorious world and for a brief moment, its blazing splendor almost lifted, even if for a few seconds, the great Vol Hox, goddess of Deruthe.

            It took almost a minute to knock off the dust that had already scaled shut the door of her beauty. A wind blew, leaves of trees fell, noise of leaves chattering around. Leila could sense a deep invasion into her space and that made her uncomfortable – it was expected, her pregnancy had brought with it so much sensitivity to anything that could possibly harm her. She stopped still and listened into the cold…An airstream hushed off her dark hoody that covered her unkempt her. Among other things, her hair happened to be one thing she hadn’t had the time for just yet, yet she looked beautiful. And then there was a gale…much like the airstream, but stronger – enough to sweep her off her feet but she still held on to the hard ground.

Whoever wanted to make her welcome back to the Hills a deathly one was bound to have his dream turn to ashes in his mouth, she thought. It continued, even stronger and hard to bare. Leila feared for her god son, no harm could come to him, she believed. Was it a delusion? Was all that real? She wondered…last night she had felt a hand hit her cheek when she was all alone in damn dark, and now it appeared a gale was consuming her. Her feelings started to waver, a wave of déjà vu rounding up in her gut. She knew the feeling – it was the same feeling she had on her way to Zaccrota from Waegor last night…powers suppressing hers. Certainly, with the entrance of that proverbial feeling she knew who it was…it was Paige among the trees.

“Where are you?”

Leila screamed, taking a step back, nothing, just the sound of leaves. Nonetheless, she could feel Paige around her.

“In the wind blowing all around you,” Paige answered, but did not make herself visible.

“Let me have the spell book of Azkamort!”

Leila demanded, in a state of blissful expectance. Paige said no reply but kept winding.

“I adjure you to be visible,” Leila said.

“You silly brat, you are just a little weak thing.”

“Don’t you dare speak against the faithful? Hox’s wrath shall abound,”

Leila said with her gaze fixed above.

“Could you please do me a favor? Stop being archaic in your choice of words. There is nothing like a faithful witch in the ream. It is either you’re a witch or you ain’t. The poorest witches in exploitation of their powers are the once always subjective to higher powers. Besides I have the spell book and you can’t get it any longer. I’m the greatest right here.”

“Hox will make you pay!”

‘You really think so huh? I’ve got all of her powers. The spell book: forgotten?’

“Lanstin Makonason!”

Leila uttered, the rustling of the leaves and the noise of the wind through the trees ceased. Gesturing peculiarly with her fingers, a bluish-grey spiracular vent was created through the wind making Paige fall through with a thud of unexpectation.

“Ouch! That was gross. What the h…? How did you do that?” Paige wailed and appeared splashed on the ground about six meters from Lela.

            She wore a pair of opaque jeans and a pink t-shirt with her hair held in a ponytail.

“Shedima consin dima!”

Paige uttered, there was more of rustling leaves and a dim white vapor sailed into the sky, Leila suddenly suspended above her. With her legs frantically searching for a standing place, Paige displayed a smirk on her face and released the layer of wind that had held her high. She crushed to the ground with a sound that spoke volumes.

            Leila groaned in pain.

“I’m more powerful don’t you see that?” She said with unconcealed delight and at Leila’s pain.

“You are disgusting!”

“Oh!”

“Vol-Hor-lamita,”

Leila cast, Paige got lost in an instant, probably back to wherever she came back from. Leila strived to her feet once more and noticed a red envelope at the very spot where Paige had stood.

            It looked like the reward for her effort was a single envelope with her first name handwritten on it.

            Curious, she tore off the end of the envelope which was no easy task with her fingers starting to stiffen in the cold. Turning her back to the breath snatching wind, she finally coaxed the single small rectangular of unfolded paper out of its nest. The handwritten message simply said:

“Leila, I guess you know where the spell book belongs. You shall have it back but with time. Azkamort demands!”

           Leila placed back the note. She stiffened as a wave of nausea rolled over her and then just as quickly mutated into anger.

Leila cogitated a while over the note and wondered into the mystery of what Azkamort had gotten to do with all this. She quivered terribly under the cruel weight of her premature fear.