Rachel felt the temperature drop as she and the scouts neared Ewan’s camp. She spoke, telepathically, to the men as they rode behind her. “Feel this cold, know it, see this bleak landscape, know it. This is no seasonal weather this is the herald of war.”
The men heard her and the youngest, again, answered her. “What do you mean Rachel” he asked. Rachel told him how the evil vampire winter spread across the land from where they had travelled killing everything in its path and wake. She also told him how Lisa had cast an eternal summer spell around the Witches Tower. Sadly the evil winter had broke the bounds of that spell and invaded the tower grounds causing them to flee to find Ewan and his armies of the son’s if men. The winter was obviously catching up with them.
Rachel upped the pace feeling that there was more happened than just the vampire winter rolling in. The men too felt a sense of unease.
As they approached the camp they could see the land before and behind them to all horizons frozen and dark. The men were chilled to the bone.
Then as they reached the camp they found themselves on green grass, the frozen ground simply stopped.
“Lisa is working her magic” Rachel thought. As they entered the camp Rachel called to Lisa but she did not answer. Rachel was beginning to worry when a new voice spoke to her.
“Rachel” said the voice. “Lisa sleeps for now but not for much longer, the originals of the vampires tried to enter her head . Luckily I was around to save her” “Who are you?” growled Rachel adding “and how did you know Lisa, or my name come to that!”
The voice gently laughed and replied “I am Alicia known to Leona as Grandma, Queen of the witches and an elder to Lisa.” The voice was warm and calming, “I am here to help Rachel, hurry we need to talk” Alicia stopped speaking as suddenly as she had started.
The scouts lead their horses to food, water and shelter and whilst Rachel sort out Ewan, Lisa and Alicia.
She found them all in Ewan’s tent. Ewan discussing tactics with a worried looking Calador. As she entered the tent the two men looked up. “Your back at last any news ” Ewan snapped. Rachel’s eyes flashed red as she changed into human form replying as she did, “your men have a report for you” Scanning the tent she asked “Where is Lisa” from behind a screen to the left of where the two men were working came Alicia’s calm and gentle voice. “Here Rachel she is here sleeping” Rachel went round the screen and asked of Alicia, “Is she okay” the older woman smiled “She is indeed Rachel she will wake within the the hour. Meanwhile you and I must talk. ” The two women left the tent ..Rachel looked at the temperate evening and asked. “How long can you hold this spell” Alicia replied “As long as I need and when Lisa wakes she will help me and we can transport the temperature where ever we travel.”
Rachel shivered looking out to the frozen waste surrounding the camp perimeter and thought. ” We could not hold it before”…”You did not have me before ” Rachel heard Alicia’s voice in her head.
So the war had started there was no going back.
*******
To be continued.
If you wish to read Lisa’s and Rachel’s story up to this point you can find it here.
This is part of Sue Vincent’s Thursday Photo Challenge #writephoto
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