The beautiful woman uncrossed her legs and got up from the regal chair she was sitting in. With one hand, she continued to lovingly stroke the broad side of a sharp jeweled dagger that she held as she spoke to the scared young girl in front of her.
âLeeza,â she sighed as she shook her head gracefully, âwe both now that you are bound to answer me. So, will Stephen be a problem to me?â
Leeza nodded her head sadly as she looked up from the floor. She was standing in front of Lady Madeline in the observatory room of her castle, despite the fact that she wished she was anywhere else but here. She watched Lady Madeline soak this information as anger filled the lovely womanâs cobalt blue eyes. Leeza could tell how angry the new castle ruler was by the way her grip on the dagger hilt tightened. Her long light blonde hair flowed behind her in waves as she began to pace back and forth in thought.
âSo that brat will probably try to claim the throne one day,â she said bitterly as she continued to pace. Even in anger, she still displayed grace and proper breeding. Her curvy hips gently swayed back and forth as she walked with her long legs. Her right hand was placed on the side of her narrow waist. âWill he be my undoing?â she asked angrily.
Leeza bit her lip as she shook her head in affirmation.
âHow...will...he...do...it?â she hissed slowly as her eyes narrowed in fury.
Leeza wanted to lie or run away from the horrible woman, but she couldnât. When the lady had first arrived to the castle as Lord Dunmoreâs new bride, she had rescued her mother from some castle guards who were trying to be rough with her. As a result, her mother thought that the new lady of the castle was a good and kind angel, and in repayment, vowed that she and her blood would always serve her.
What her dear mother didnât know was that Lady Madeline knew that Leezaâs mother was a witch and had staged the incident to harness her powers for her own. However, Lady Madeline didnât know that her mother never knew how to access her powers. Unfortunately, her powers were just enough that she was able to bind herself and her bloodline to the will of the evil lady.
Lady Madeline was furious when she discovered she couldnât use Leezaâs mother for her own gain. Then, she found out about Leeza. Leezaâs mother had an âaccidentâ the next day and the good hearted lady of the castle let the fifteen year old orphan live in the castle as her maid.
A tear slipped down Leezaâs cheek as she told the lady what she forsaw, âheâll do it with the help...of one of your realmâs witches.â
Lady Madeline howled in anger as she momentarily forgot her breeding. She brought the tip of the dagger to Leezaâs throat before saying, âAre you that witch, Leeza?â
âNo, Milady!â she stammered before running out of the room massaging her throat as Lady Madeline dismissed her.
âIf that brat hadnât run away, I wouldnât have to worry about this mess,â she said to herself as she brought the tip of the dagger on her full bottom lip. She smiled beautifully as she remembered how she thrust the dagger into her new husbandâs flesh. At that moment, she became the ruler of Dunmore castle and the surrounding lands. But if Stephen came back to reclaim the throne, she may have issues with the castle guard. Right now, they were fully loyal to her, thanks to her female wiles, but many might be swayed to Stephen due to damn loyalty to his father.
Right now, she had her most trusted guards searching for the eight-year old brat with the instructions to make sure he would never be found.
âJacob!â she called to her loyal guard standing outside her door. He swiftly entered to her call. âGather some of the remaining guards. I want you to go on a witch hunt,â she said fondly as a gorgeous smile was placed on her lovely face. âand make sure every last one of them is dead.â
Lydia stirred in her sleep and awoke. She had a feeling that something terrible was going to happen. She looked over to her sleeping husband and then to her sleeping baby daughter. Looking at her daughter made her feel better and smile. Lydia wondered what her daughterâs power or powers would be, since the toddler had not yet displayed them. What ever they were, Lydia knew they would be great because both Lydia and her husband were both witches. Their union was unique since male witches were almost unheard of.
âLydia!â she turned to the door that just opened. Her mother stood in the hutâs opening looking frightened. Her husband immediately awoke.
âWitch hunters!â her mother hissed. âOne of my friends told me that there are guards looking for witches! It wonât be long before someone points us out for gold,â she continued softly as she remained in the doorway.
Lydia and James both looked shocked. There was a time where witches had lived in fear of being murdered for their gifts. They had thought those days were long gone, especially under the kind rule of Lord Dunmore. Although not many witches existed, those of them that did lived an open life instead of hiding. The village folk understood that they followed rules to use their powers by and were not evil. Lydia had the power to levitate, which was hardly a violent power, and James had the power to heal wounds, which helped many survive unfortunate accidents, especially the blacksmith. Her motherâs gift was the ability to identify lies, which made her an important asset to the magistrate.
Humans and witches had learned to coexist, which is why the three couldnât understand the sudden hunt.
âHurry and pack!â she said before turning around to go to her own hut so she could pack.
The husband and wife pair packed all that they could in the two little cloth satchels that they owned. Lydia had just finished tying the satchel of things for her little Eva when she heard her husband make a strange sound. She turned around in time to see a guard pull his sword out of her husbandâs mid section.
âNo!â she screamed in grief, not caring as the guard brought his sword down again to cut off her cry.
Sedla froze as she heard her only childâs cry from the next hut over. She closed her eyes in agony as she heard the grief filled cry suddenly cut off. Her muscles didnât seem to want to move as she imagined what had just happened. The only thing that got her running through the door was the cry of her only grandchild.
She didnât care if she was going to die in that hut with the rest of her family. At least she would go down with the people she loved.
As she ran into the hut, she found herself face to chest of a guard who looked like he was in the process of laughing. She turned and saw another guard with his arms raised, ready to bring down his sword. But...they werenât moving. It was like they were stuck in that position. She also noticed a fly in the air that looked like it was frozen in mid-flight. Finally, she brought her attention to the crying one year old. Quickly, she grabbed the young child and the satchel next to her and ran out the door.
Eva finally showed an active power, and at the best possible moment, Sedla thought to herself as she fled through the village in the dawnâs light. If she could just get to the woods, then she would have a better chance of hiding.
Dawn turned into day and then to dusk, but Sedla kept on running, only resting when necessary for the young one. Finally, she came to a river where she saw a young couple. She sneaked up to them so she could hear their conversation.
âIt was so nice to see Magda again,â she heard the pretty woman say.