Witches of the Elements - Book 12: Red Ruby, Part 1

Episode 52: Caught in the Act

"MIRA STOP NOW!" Zac shouted and tried to capture her attention. He knew that she had no idea that she was leading a threatening presence directly to their location as her power still remained active. "Dammit, Mira!" Zac cursed as his eyes glowed more red. He projected a piece of his psionic energy with such force, like the inside of a hot air balloon, the candle lit flames jet out a stream three feet in the air. The roar and heat from the plumes broke Mira's concentration as the remnants of her power quickly dissipated.

"Whoa! Who did that?" Colten asked when the flames went out by themselves. Zac's eyes returned back to normal as he sensed that the person's domain shifted back away from their location. Mira's power trailed off and left the person with little to go by as far as knowing which way it went.

"Are you crazy?!" Zac went off. Syd was the only one that looked at him to ask,

"What are you talking about?"

"Her power almost led that guy she described right to us. You guys didn't sense it?' Zac questioned and realized for a second time that he had lumped this group of friends with his own and that they were leagues apart from each other. Zac wondered if this could have been him and his friends if somehow they had still met up with each other; but without the guidance of King Dycon who had called himself Leonnè at the time. Without being the reincarnation of the legendary Elemental Warriors. Without having a purpose where the fate of the world depends on you.

"Sensed? What the hell are you talking about?" You know wha--"

"Wait Syd. He's right," Mira defended when she caught her breath. "I watched them...I saw him and whatever the reason, that guy looked right back at me as if he could see me too," Mira added frighteningly.

"That's...no lie kind of freaky," Lori admitted. Syd could not believe what she was hearing. Things just got even more weirder and wasn't adding up for her. Such as this red haired guy who happened to be at the cemetery around the same time as them and all of a sudden more people showing up.

"Hold up Zac. How did you know about this person sensing Mira?" Syd turned to ask him while she crossed her arms. Zac frowned and was unsure how to answer such a question as the spotlight was back on him again.

"Ohhh! I know now. Mira was right then, you are a witch," Lori answered for him.

"Alright then. Look, I would love to stay here and continue this little chit-chat we're having, however from what Mira described I need to go and check out what exactly is going on," Zac deflected and moved closer toward where he had walked in from.

"Oh now I'm really convinced you're the crazy one here," Mira spoke up. "Those guys did not seem like the type that would warmly welcome you in like we did. They mean business and I think we should stick together and get the hell out of here while we can." Zac thought about if he should tell them the real reason why he was here, what brought him and who he really was. The problem was so much of his own present timeline could change because of his mouth so he decided to remain quiet for now.

"That's a great idea. You guys leave and go," Zac replied and moved out from their circle and back through the bushes. Zac followed the unmarked pathway back out only to halt when he had reached the end of it. He saw two hooded figures walking by and noticed two more that guarded the mausoleum. Zac had an idea of how he could get past them, but the angle from which they stood prevented him from moving in. There was no way he would be able to move out without being spotted by one or the other.

"Scared much?" Syd asked from behind. Zac jumped and saw not only Syd behind him, but everyone else for that matter.

"What are you doing?" Zac whispered.

"This wasn't our idea in the first place. Blame Lori for she's all team Zac for whatever reason," Syd whispered back while gagging.

"There's teams?" Lori asked in a low tone.

"No Lori!" all of them whispered together.

"Look, you all should get out of here now. You have no idea what you're up against," Zac pleaded.

"But it sure seems like you do," Syd pressed again. Colten peeked through the bush and also saw the hooded figures that stood guard.

"They look like some kind of creepy cult or something. Whether we want to leave or not, we're not going anywhere with those two standing guard," Colten whispered.

"Leave them to me," Lori said, which all four of them turned their heads at her. Lori dug through her bag and pulled out her book. It was the first time Zac was able to view it up close. What surprised Zac the most was when she opened the book, all the words from his view were written in symbols that he could not decipher.

"You can read that?" Zac questioned. Mira handed Lori the same copper bowl used earlier as instructed by Lori while Colten gathered up some dried leaves and placed inside of it. Syd had to pour more of her bottled water into the bowl and Zac was instructed to hold the book out in front of him so Lori could read it.

"Forces of Terra empower me. I call upon the power of the Skies, hear me now from which you reside. From this bowl and out to expand, subdue these foes from this land," Lori casted. The water in the bowl that Lori held started to bubble and fog seeped from it and landed straight on the ground. As quickly as the fog appeared, it soon covered the entire area that they were in and found its way toward the two hooded figures that guarded the entrance to the mausoleum. It wasn't long before the two yawned and slowly found themselves slumped over onto the ground sound asleep.

"It actually worked," Zac said surprisingly. All of them moved from the bushes and out toward the mausoleum. Zac handed Lori back her book as she placed it back inside her bag.

"Man, I really want to know what they are doing here. However, they gated the entrance with iron bars," Syd pointed out. Colten grabbed onto a bar and tugged on it and confirmed it was indeed locked tight. He then took out his book and read a page from it.

"Forces of Terra empower me. I call upon the power of the Sun, hear me now and obey. From heat to heat it will rise and melt. Bring down the wall that straps this belt." Colten reached out and touched the bar again and on contact the entire gate heated up till it was red hot and melted into a liquid pool. The moment Colten's hand rested, the liquid iron cooled instantly. Zac was speechless by both Lori and Colten's magical display, but was more impressed by Colten as he had never seen anything like it when compared to his own elemental fire. What they found inside remained a large space devoid of anyone, but the dead. A tomb took over the center of the floor while everyone else laid to rest were more so within the marble walls with name plates by them.

"There's nobody here, well accept for these dead folks," Colten mentioned. Both Mira and Zac were in agreement that they had to be there. It wasn't hard for Zac to agree with Mira as his senses picked up what remained of that cloaked guy that led the hoard of cult people. Not to mention, two of them wouldn't have been posted outside only to guard just an empty room. They continued to search every inch of the room for thirty minutes with no luck until Zac came upon a familiar name engraved on a stone.

"...Gravey?" he spoke as the center tomb responded and slid over to the side to reveal an iron staircase that led further down underneath the mausoleum.

"Okay, before was just weird. This takes it to a whole 'nother level from weird to just batshit creepy," Syd contended while Lori held onto her arm.

"Listen, thanks for the help, but I really think you guys should go back and leave here," Zac tried again.

"Us? Us and not you?" Syd queried again.

"I need to do something and--"

"Who are you exactly? All of this extra weird shit never happened to us before until you popped up all of a sudden," Mira backed up Syd's questioning.

"I don't see a need to explain myself if you were to just leave...like right now," Zac deflected once more. "I ain't got time for this. Leave now," Zac turned away from them and proceeded down the staircase.