37 Salem

Vervain outskirts, a fortnight after Lily received her mission...

Verbana is another kingdom which emerged after the great war. It was located a few thousand miles South East of the Forest of Silence.

Just like the other kingdoms, it is blessed with luscious woods and abundant flora and fauna.

Briar was confused on how to go about with his mission. He had already combed through both Marjoram and Azalea but could not find Lily.

If only he could go to the Casters territory, Nighshade's grove, he would have done it. But being a non caster himself, he could not do so.

"Where in the world could that girl be?" he mused as he led his stead towards the forest.

All the while he thought that he was still in the forest of Silence. He was not aware that he had already crossed to Vervain.

"Is it just me or the fog is getting thick?" he muttered as he navigated through the woods. The mist had already engulfed the place and it was hard to see his path.

Just then, he caught a glimpse of a young girl who was running through the mist while laughing.

Though she was wearing a hood, Briar caught a few blonde strands peaking. For some odd reasons, Lily popped into his mind.

Without much though, Briar followed the apparition while shouting. "Lily, wait up!"

As Briar blindly followed the girl, his stead gave a frigthening Bray before pulling him back.

But it was too late, the flaxen haired was entrapped in an area, which served as a domain of a caster.

Meanwhile...

After four hours of trekking on the less trodden trail, Lily stopped to rest her aching legs.

"It would have been easier for me to ride on a besom and fly to Vervain straight away. But if I have done that I would have depleted my mana. I will have a hard time defeating Salem in a caster's battle." She sighed as she munched on a few berries she had picked along the way.

She had been traveling for almost a week towards Vervain. The young witch often switched from flying her besom and trekking for a few hours.

"Is it just me or someone is really following?" she mused as she felt the faint presence of another being. "I don't think it is my imagination, this presence is the same one that I have felt a few days ago."

Lily whispered a spell before resuming her walk.

Then a few minutes later, she heard a cry of distress. That was when she finally broke through the foliage and found the stalker.

"It's you again!" Lily exclaimed as she eyed the annoying brat.

The fox was caught into the spell web that she had weaved. "Why are you following me?"

Rei struggled to free himself but it seemed that Lily's web was tough to break.

"It is not like I am bored at home. It is also not that I find you interesting. Just be thankful that I decided to join you in your quest. The great me took it upon myself to help you."

After saying that he made the web burst into flames.

Lily resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She muttered with sarcasm."You are really not honest."

She sighed as she turned to leave. "Get lost! I don't need you to get in my way."

"No can do… I will tag along whether you like it or not."

"Rizza and Rena will worry."

"They won't. They really don't care if I wander off as long as I can back in the Ardour at night." He stated as a matter of fact.

"I wonder about that. I sensed your presence and you have been following me for days. It means that you were not able to go home for a few nights."

The fox just shrugged and followed the girl despite Lily's attempts in shooing and shaking him off.

Vervain forest, a couple of days later...

"I think I finally found it." Lily whispered as she eyed the gingerbread house at the core of Vervain.

Candy canes served as archways and posts while chocolate and other sorts of sweets decorated the roof and the walls of the entire house.

"After a few days of getting lost in that maze, we finally managed to locate it. Thanks to my great sense of direction!" Rei boasted which irked Lily for a bit.

If it hadn't been for Rei, Lily might have been imprisoned in the maze for eternity.

The overgrown maze was not an ordinary hedge. It grew tall if she tried to fly high. When she try to slip through the shrubbery, the maze would move and squeeze really tight. Whenever she tried to burn it, the hedges would just grow back.

Every hour or so, the maze shifted and changed some of its entrances and exits which made it hard for the girl to navigate.

Rei being a nine-tailed fox can sense the change of the maze and can slip through the magical hedges without trouble.

"I know I owe you one." Lily grumbled. "Let's get this over and done with."

Lily made her way towards the gingerbread house. She knocked on the door and waited for the elder witch to come out.

But instead of an old hag like Lily had been anticipating, a woman who was in her late twenties opened the door.

Lily's eyes widened. Apart from her robes, she does not look like a witch and certainly she did not look like an old woman.

"Hello dear, may I help you?" the woman said in her sweet voice. Her dimples showed as she smiled brightly at the girl.

Lily shook her head to clear it from unnecessary thoughts. "I am Lily Hallows. I am a witch in training. And this is Rei, my companion. We got lost in Vervain and wish to take refuge."

"Oh, come in, dear one." The lady gladly made way for Lily. "you don't look like a witch. Which coven do you belong to?"

'You don't look like a witch too.' Lily thought to herself. Although she was tempted to retort, she just settled and answered. "Hemlock."

As she entered the delicious smelling house, her stomach grumbled at the treats that made up the interior.

"Hemlock. You are far away from home dear. I presume that you are given a test by your mistress to become a full-fledge witch."

"Yes, Madame..." Lily hesitated. Not really knowing if this witch is her target.

"Call me Salem, dear."

Lily's eyes widened. She never expected this young woman to be the elder witch.

It seemed as though she's using a spell to keep her youth. What could be her secret?

Lily would have asked her but before she could say anything, her stomach growled louder than the last time. The girls' face reddened with embarrassment.

"You must be hungry!" Salem exclaimed.

"Yes, we had been walking for days." Rei answered for her.

"Well then. You are just in time. I had prepared something for my lunch. Since we are both witches and your companion is a nine tailed fox spirit, I think I could share." Salem left in order to get the food from her kitchen.

When the witch was nowhere in sight, Lily got into action. She tried to investigate the grimoire's whereabouts.

Unfortunately for Lily she was able to open a door which she was not supposed to open. The door seemed normal but when she peeked inside.

"Crap!" she almost screamed when she saw two humans getting roasted. They were tied on a pole which rotated like a rotisserie.

Shutting the door, the young witch turned away while covering her mouth.

Lily tried to fight the bile from rising up. She would need to wash her eyes to get the after effects of the images she had seen.

Just then, Salem emerged with a covered serving dish from the kitchen. The elder witch beckoned her to sit by the dining table and then she served the food.

Lily made herself comfortable on one of the chairs while Rei sat beside her. When the witch opened the dish, Lily's eyes grew wide with horror.

The steam rose from the dish filled with innards and a human hand. Lily could never mistake that this dish's main ingredient is one of those humans she saw earlier.

Lily was close to throwing up. On the other hand, Rei welcomed the dish as the woman gave him a small bowl filled with her special stew.

"What are you waiting for? Dig in." Salem encouraged her guests as she settled on her chair.

Lily's eyes almost bulged out when she had scooped a spoonful of the stew.

"I am a witch. I can do this." She felt sick while starring at her food. Her hands shook as she brought the spoon near her mouth.

An eyeball suddenly popped out from the spoonful of stock and stared at Lily. It was as if it is daring her to eat it.

"I can't do it." She exclaimed while resisting the urge to throw the stew to the woman.

Just then vines appeared and held her captive. The girl struggled to cast a spell to counter the vines but to no avail.

"Do you honestly think you can get away from those shackles?" Salem cackled as she rose from her seat. Her eyes glowed dark.

Lily tried to recite a spell but stopped when Salem tapped on the floor. Lily's mouth turned into a zipper and was sewn shut.

Seeing Lily's dilemma, Rei moved to assault the witch. However, the woman was able to fend off his attack and managed to capture him.

"A witch in training. I am really in luck!" The woman cackled as she held the girl's chin.

"You know child. I eat humans since their core can replenish my mana and restore my youth. But you, my dear, will be a valuable meal. A caster has more mana than normal humans. This is going to be a feast!"

Rei struggled to break free but Salem cast a stun spell at him.

"I never had a nine-tailed fox before." Salem mused. "I have read that you creatures are quite powerful. I could use a few more sources of mana for my spells."

"Time to prepare my meal." She cackled gleefully as she brought the two to a storage room.