Witches (The Order)Revised

Chapter 40

*Author's Note*: I know I know I've been gone for forever!!! Sorry!!! BUT!!!!
It's finally December! And I'm on holiday!!! I'm so excited to finally focus only on this book again. Hopefully I can give you guys a lot of updates in the weeks to come!

Merianna

I dashed from the boundary of the surrounding forest to the stone walls that surrounded the lively village. Noch had once again only given me the barest minimum of information before he sent me through the gateway.

Well, since I'm getting a personal scythe out of the story, I suppose that I could ignore his blatant avoidance. He was clearly hiding something big. I just wondered if my curiosity would actually let dying dogs lie, but, for some reason, I felt unexpectedly invested in this endeavour.

I peeked my head over the low wall and glanced about. This village looked well established and also thriving. This place could turn into a town before long. They were situated on a well established trading route, as well a route that travellers usually liked to take to avoid the denseness of the forest. I even peeked a small home carved sign on a wood post that indicated the central building as an inn and pub.

I wouldn't mind coming through here as a visitor at some point... I mused as I heard lively laughing coming from its open windows.

Taking a breath, I boldly emerged from my hiding spot and walked through the well worn pathways. As I moved about and made it look like this was my home, no one spared me a second glance. Some villagers bade me a good night as they walked to their homes or to the pub, but after my own greetings they kept on going as if I were a common sight around there.

I was amazed... usually strangers treated Nelia and me like a side road attraction.

Back at the order was pleasantly surprised when Noch and Nana Aara were finally done with my hair and eyebrows. I didn't think that they would actually succeed in getting it fully black. Yet, I was wrong.

I stared at myself on the slab of reflective quartz that was shoved in my hands once they were done, and tentatively ran a hand through my dry strands. I looked like a completely different person...

I was amazed that even my usually bright eyes had seemed to dull to a normal grey under the change of colour. Even when I stood next to Nelia in a bigger reflective surface, I felt like the floor were being jerked around under my feet. It was quite jarring to look at the two of us together, and not really suspect that we were twins in the slightest.

Although Nelia had retained her honey brown eyes from when we were younger, I on the other hand had lost the honey brown and gotten grey eyes to go with my white blonde hair. Which actually made me look odder.

"I wonder if there is a way to make my hair stay permanently black. I'm liking this." I mumbled to myself as I twirled a strand between my fingers and played with the skirt of my dress with my other hand.

As I neared the inn I could pick out muttered whispers coming out from one of the windows on the second floor over the din. Sometimes I loved how sound tended to travel at times.

With a smile I glanced around me and quickly ducked into the shadows between the buildings sneaking around to the back. I could see an open window above my head that lead to the rooms on the other floor.

Gathering the air around me, I lifted myself up to the windowsill and pulled myself inside without making a sound.

The door closest to the stairs that led to the pub was emitting candlelight through the bottom. As I drew closer, I noticed that this was indeed the muttering that had captured my attention from outside.