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They took my sister...

Valerie Faerydae stood on the only path for carriages travelling through the Everlye Forest. Dirt crunched beneath her dainty slippers as she threw applebye berries, turnip slices, honey oats, and mugwort leaves across the well-used path.

I will find her.

Lifting her hands towards the oncoming carriages, she allowed the magic that rippled beneath her skin to cascade down her fingertips and into the air.

Two horse-pulled carriages were steadily coming closer. One held nobles, the other most likely servants. Beside them, eight armoured riders served as guards.

I will take her back.

“Move, you silly woman!” the coachman yelled.

Ignoring him, Valerie continued to quietly chant, barely moving her lips as she spoke the precious words she needed.

Perhaps she should be frightened of the horses and carriages that could barrel over her. Perhaps the coachman was worried about not stopping in time and hurting her. She wasn’t.

Once she finished chanting, she lowered her arms, softly clasped her hands in front of her hips, and waited.I will bring my sister home... no matter the cost.

Four of the soldiers on horseback galloped towards her to move her out of the way. Travellers were often wary of strangers on the roads. With dark Witches afoot, she didn’t blame them.

“Whoaaa,” all four commanded to their horses as they reared back onto their hind legs.

When the first coachman noticed the commotion, he pulled back on the reins to slow his speed.

The riders tried to get their horses to do as they were commanded, but they neighed and turned away to show they didn’t want to approach any closer.

It was a harmless spell, nothing of any danger except for the caster. It was designed to ward off animals, to halt them from approaching unless they were truly fearless – these horses weren’t.

The two carriages stopped behind the four riders while two of the other soldiers came forward to inspect the commotion.

“Who do you think she is?” one of them asked, pulling on the reins to calm his horse.

“The horses will not approach,” one stated, eyeing her carefully. “She might be a Witch.”

Three of the soldiers’ faces paled at his words.

They pulled their swords from their scabbards before jumping down from their horses and approaching with caution. The carriages remained a safe distance behind, with two riders to guard them.

Valerie gave them a bow of her head. “You are correct. I am a Witch.”

She truly meant no harm if they did what she wanted. All six surrounded her, the tips of their swords pointed at her torso. Two vials rolled from the sleeves of her dress into her palms without them noticing.

“Ad mentem imperium,” she chanted.

She pulled on the corks of both the vials in her hands. Just as swiftly, she blew a concoction of stolen pixie dust and her own dried blood into their faces.

All six soldiers stood frozen; they would remain frozen until she gave them a task. It was dark magic, a spell of mind control that only the powerful and the few knew.

Valerie had never done such a spell before this day, and she was pleased to see it worked.

Before her sister was taken, she had been a white Witch, just like all her family.As the eldest, I must make the sacrifice to save Kaeylyn.

For the last two weeks, Valerie had done unspeakable things to get to the truth, to find out who had stolen the youngest family member from their small coven. She’d stolen pixie dust and fairy blood, had used blood magic to discover who took her.

Not once did she kill the small creatures who were no larger than the palm of her hand, but she’d extracted those parts without permission. She needed the mischievous properties of pixie dust to overtake these men, and she’d needed the fairy blood for two reasons.

One was to look back in time for a vision.