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

Episode 56: Back into the Woods

((Author's Note: After looking through this chapter more closely, I decided to change the story's definition of Wiccan Witches which will now be called Lamian Wiccans.))

"LORI! AAHH!" cried out Syd, but screamed at the jolt of being hit really hard by something. The shock evolved into misery, sorrow, and above all, fear that railed into her like a truck. When Colten arrived, he saw Lori's head hit the ground as her body vanished from their sights while the blade of Mason's sword still illuminated.

"Hegroth mory fah solum..." Mason began chanting as the wind started to pick up fiercely. "Solum herath valaka..." Mason twirled his sword around above his head, "Para ma vangroth thah," he ended and pointed the hilt of his sword in their directions. The end of it released a barrage of negative energy in bolts from various directions. Zac felt his senses being divided as if from all directions were caving in on him, each delivering a threatening ambiance. Something was crossing over into their reality and he was sensing more than one of them.

"Guys...guys, we gotta get away from this location now," Zac warned Colten when he nudged his shoulder to snap him out of his disbelief. They both grabbed onto Syd and carried her back into the heavy bushed area where their circle was held. Syd sat more closer to the stone altar as she reached into Lori's bag where she saw both Lori's and Colten's books. She took out Lori's Book of Skies and held it close to her chest.

"Dammit! First Mira and now Lori too? He's trying to kill us man," Colten freaked as Zac gained some air back into his lungs. "Soon I'll wake right? This is just all a dream, and any minute now I will be waking up."

"A dream? A dream right now would be far more worse than this. Trust me," Zac said somberly.

"Trust you? You're probably working with that psycho!" Colten admitted his thoughts.

"Where the hell did that come from? I'm not! Look, we have to figure out a way to keep you two safe. That demon cannot step foot into our world which gives us the upper hand at least," Zac told them. Though, the information was not comforting to hear at all for Colten as it only added more questions and distance between him and Zac.

"He...he said something again about a demon. You speak as if you encountered this demon before," Colten spoke up.

"Will you two shut up!" Syd yelled and stood up which caused Lori's book to hit the ground. Tears ran down Syd's face as droplets touched the pages covered in symbols. Syd used the sleeve on her denim jacket to wipe her face before she bent down to pick up the book. She was about to close it when she noticed the symbols were in waves similar to that of a desert heat wave. As each symbol began to remain still, actual letters that formed into legible words began to form in its place. "Umm guys, Lori's book. I think I can read it," Syd said uneasily.

"What?" Zac asked confusedly.

"No way. That's impossible, you're not a Witch of the Skies. Your father said your coven was Cruxis, the third most powerful Wiccan coven by blood to this day. It's like Zac wouldn't be able to read my book either because he's not a Witch of the Sun. For whatever the reason, these books initiated both Lori and myself into those covens. Thus, no one else can read our books except for those who have been indoctrinated into the coven," Colten tried to explain while he held his book out as a point and gave it to Zac. Zac opened up the book and as with Lori's book, it was coded in symbols that he was unable to read. To prove to Colten that she could, she read a page from the book with ease as the two boys gathered around her.

"Now do you believe me? Colten, what is going on? Lori showed me this book many times before and I could never read any of the words," Syd asked him.

"I...I'm at a loss myself," Colten admitted. "The book should have rejected you because of your blood ties with the Cruxis coven." Zac kneeled down and placed his hand on Syd's knee to ask,

"Syd, I need you to think really deeply. The moment we got out of the Lucid Zone, what was happening with you?" Syd removed his hand and started to think about what transpired at that time, but it was still a blur. "C'mon think. Mason knew exactly where we were, how?" Zac continued to press the question.

"Dude back off. Two of our friends just literally died and you want her to think about it?" Colten intruded.

"Will you stop interrupting and let her answer the damn question," Zac lashed.

"Him...I saw him. I somehow saw Mason and he...saw me," Syd finally uttered. Syd's insight got Zac to think about the situation further which sprung a conclusion that seemed so farfetch, but plausible.