APPLE WITCH (girlxgirlxgirl)

26. As the white serpent slithers

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⚠️ mentions of abuse (mental and physical), mentions of death and suicide/threats of suicide, injury ⚠️

"Stay in the boat"

The boat slowly floats towards the shore. A bird flies above their heads, before heading back into the thick forest of White Snake island. On the other side of it, a broken dock stands too high up to support their boat. The water levels must've shrunken, there is no use to it anymore. Instead they have to fasten their boat to a tree by the overgrown beach and continue on from there. The vampires jump out of the boat, landing into the water with a loud splash. They push it to land with ease, pulling it high enough onto the sand to not have the water drifting it away. Melora stands up on wobbly legs and takes Astra's outreached hand helping her out.

"Luck has taken you three this far, but it surely won't work this time. There is no way you'll find the summer witch on this island"

Melora places her hands on her hips and gazes out over the green forest. Vines and leaves hang from the branches, all the way to the ground. It smells like herbs and foreign plants. The ground is covered in overgrown grass, tickling their feet as they carefully take a few steps forwards. Astra scoffs under her breath, but none of the vampires answer the spring witch. Melora takes it as a sign to continue.

"And if you do find her, what do you plan to do with us then? Are we going to march up to the capital and kill the king?"

This time, all three vampires snap their heads towards her. Melora's mouth opens with surprise and she raises her hands, feigning surrender. Saint's eyes harden as he stares at the shorter spring witch.

"We never told you about the king, did we?"

Truly, Melora can't remember. The line between what they know and what she knows has blurred over a long time ago. It's been several months since they started this trip, about three in total, and lots of things have changed. After spending so much time with the vampires she has learned to read them like a book. Melora can't remember if they told her their plans or if she figured it out herself. But either way it's obvious. Soldiers chasing them wherever they go, making deals with werewolves... they are clearly not on the king's side, which means that as heirs they are against him. They want him dead. But why, Melora isn't sure. In the beginning she thought it was because they were hungry for power. But after months of reconsideration, she isn't so sure anymore. Saint and Seiran seem more patient than that. There must be an underlying reason to this whole mission. Melora meets their gazes with equal fire.

"I'm your first puzzle piece, remember? I've been around vampires like you since I was a child, I know what you want"

Saint's jaw clenches.

"The reason for this mission is far more complicated than you could imagine"

Melora walks past them all, right into the forest. The vampires glance at each other before following. Melora would like to laugh. Complicated? What complicated things are there? They kidnapped her from the second world for their own use, and saved two other seasonal witches from their prison-like homes, all for their own motives. No matter if they are in the wrong or in the right, Melora will continue to judge them for what they have done. Seasonal witches are living creatures just like vampires are, so why are they always being treated differently? Not just as lesser beings, but as tools to be used for power and success. If they find the summer witch now and force them to use whatever unspeakable power they have as four against the king, there is no guarantee that anything will change for the better.