Witches (The Order)Revised

Chapter 67

Merianna

"I thought you were responsible enough to go to bed early, Merianna." Fog admonished as he led me out of the castle's barriers and into the surrounding woods.

"I tried. I went straight to bed after dinner but my head didn't want to shut up." I complained as I pulled my cloak closer around myself. The early morning mist was chilly and my eyes were still so tired that I couldn't stop squinting and rubbing them.

Fog sighed ahead of me and grabbed a hold of my free hand. I thought he was just going to lead me by the hand, but before I knew it he had pulled me in closer and hauled me up onto his back.

"I can walk on my own! I'm probably heavy!" I exclaimed in surprise as he secured my legs around his waist and proceeded to give me a piggyback ride.

"That's silly. You might be bigger, but you aren't heavy. Now sit still before you fall off child, we'll be at the briars soon." Fog said with a grin as he continued walking without issue.

I smiled as I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned into his back. It sure felt nostalgic. I giggled and Fog tilted his head in a silent question.

"I was just thinking that it's been so long since I'd gotten to ride on your back like this. Your back was a lot bigger back then." Fog chuckled as well and bumped his head with mine.

"You were such a little trouble maker back then. Well, come to think of it... not much has changed, really." He muttered.

"That's Noch's fault, not mine. I've grown into quite the Lady you know!" I defended myself.

"I must say I have never known a proper Lady to run down halls brandishing axes and scythes to cut down a fellow Order Member."

I groaned against his back as he continued to gain amusement through my embarrassment. "Like I said! It's all Noch's fault! He keeps antagonising me!"

"A Lady would ignore such antics and not feed his ego." Fog snickered, at which I lightly knocked my fist against his head.

"You're just as bad as he is." I muttered unhappily.

Fog laughed at my antics and continued walking through the trees. "You've definitely gotten bigger since the time Noch found you."

"Well of course, years have passed since then. It only makes sense that I'd have grown." I said proudly and laid my cheek on his shoulder. It has indeed been a long time since then.

"We're here." Fog announced as he stopped in front of a bush of brambles." I looked skeptically at the twisted mass of twigs.

"You're not going to imply that we should try to crawl underneath that bush, are you?"

"Of course not." Fog said and let me get down from his back. Once my feet were on the soft forest floor, he extended his hand. I squinted as a haze seemed to come over the bush, which distorted its shape. After a minute the bush was no longer there, but was replaced by a natural vine archway. Then I realised what the haze was.

"Glamour?" I asked Fog in surprise.

He nodded. "Glamour has a wide variety of uses. Disguising one's likeness or species is just one of them."

"Right." I muttered in awe as I stared at the archway.

Fog took a hold of my hand and started walking towards the archway. I was confused for a second, didn't we need to 'activate' the archway to take us to the Fae realm like we do with the gateway in the Atrium? Fog didn't hesitate as he pulled me along. I expected us to walk through the archway and just step on the forest floor that I could clearly see on the other end.