"If you are the leader of Silverleaf, then I request asylum," I demanded. "As I hail from Silverleaf, I am granted the right to protection from my one true coven."
"I don't understand." He laughed as if I said something funny.
"And I don't have time." I continued walking, knowing that he was following next to me toward Silverleaf's borders. I needed to know for myself that Celeste was gone. The man next to me could've been lying through his teeth, and I'd be none the wiser. Time and the truth were luxuries that I didn't have.
"Just as rude as I'd expect from a big city witch. Why are you here?"
I didn't answer him. He knew who I was, but he didn't seem to know about the killer witch from Veridara. Being so close to the border, I could almost taste my freedom; I didn't feel like playing nice.
"Someone said they saw Rhea over here," a teenage girl said to her friend as they walked past us in the direction of the beach. Their phones were out, and they were smiling, hoping for a glimpse of a member of Deadly Witches.
Shit.
The Lizari spread the word that I was here. It was only a matter of time before the crazy witch who thought she killed me finds out that I'm still alive. My heart rate increased as I started running. I held onto the hood of my robe, keeping it in place to cover my face. Once I made it to the marker that indicated the entrance to Silverleaf's boundaries, I felt my legs give out, not from exhaustion, but the adrenaline finally wearing off as I made it to safety.
"What the hell was that?" the man questioned. He had followed behind me.
"Thank you for the escort, but I've got it from here," I waved him off. "I'll talk to Celeste and be on my way."
"She retired. What part of that didn't make sense?" He knelt beside me.
"I don't believe you," I countered. "I need to speak with Celeste."
"Here." He fumbled around in his pockets before he finally pulled out a small pendant. To everyone else, the pendant meant nothing. It was small and circular in shape, and the color was a deep purple, matching the robe I wore. Inside the colors swirled, almost as if the galaxy lived inside the pendant. To me, the pendant meant he was telling the truth.
"How did you get that?" I questioned him. Celeste was the rightful owner of that pendant. It was bestowed to her by her mother, and she wore it daily.
"Like I said, Celeste retired. I am the leader of Silverleaf. My name is James. Now, care to tell me what's going on so I can help you?" He spoke slowly as he looked at me, and I couldn't tell if he thought I was crazy or just understood that I needed help.
My body felt numb as I tried to form a sentence. I couldn't imagine Celeste retiring. I also couldn't imagine nearly being killed and now being on the run. My safety wavered as it hovered in this man's hands. And yet, if he was the head of the coven, born in Silverleaf, I should've remembered him from my childhood. He looked to be in his early thirties, so our timelines would've overlapped in our teens. Anything I learned with Celeste during group sessions he should have been there for, or he wasn't in Silverleaf at the time. Nothing seemed to add up, or maybe I wasn't in the right mind to analyze the situation.
"As the leader of Silverleaf, I once again request your asylum." I grabbed onto his arm that still held the pendant out for me to view. "We must get to the safety of the Vault of Oracles before we talk further."